2Fifty Texas BBQ — Restaurant in Riverdale Park

It's going to be hard to type this review and give detail about the food without having it right here in front of me to eat 😩 That's how good it is. When I tell you that this was the best ribs and brisket that I have ever had, I am not lying!! My husband has been wanting to have some good beef ribs for a long time. We found this place online and decided to make a trip from Pa so own to DC so that way he could finally have his beef Dino rib. We got there around noon to make sure we got there early enough before they ran out (They are first come, first serve). We went on a Friday and when we arrived, it was already very busy. They have free parking in a small lot directly across the street but that fills up quickly. There is also street parking but keep in mind that this restaurant is on the corner in a residential area so there may be lots of cars due to it being taken up by residents. It's worth the trouble. Now, back to this food. The employees that we encountered were all helpful & nice. I would suggest reading over the menu on their website ahead of time so you can already know what to order. I will say, it is quite expensive. This is definitely a place that would be a once in awhile splurge for me. They do put a lot of effort into the food though. If you look at their videos online, you will see that they slow cook the brisket overnight so that way it is nice and tender and juicy. My husband and I had already planned ahead of time to buy extra food for later. We each got one Dino rib, a lb of brisket, 3 large Mac n cheese, potato salad, beans and cornbread. Also a cookie for my daughter. He spend about $90 and I spent about $70. THE DINO RIB WAS AMAZING 😍 our eyes popped when we took the first bite. First off, it's a huge rib. When we were ordering the girl at the counter repeatedly told us that one rib could feed two people but we each insisted that we wanted our own rib. It was the right decision because each of us finished rib completely to ourselves 😆 The meat was so juicy and tender tou could just pull it apart with your fingers. You definitely need both hands when you pick it up because the meat falls right off the bone. The flavor in seasoning was perfect. The second highlight was the mac and cheese. Now, we bought three because we also were buying food for our daughter. We didn't know they would give such a huge amount in that small little cardboard container. All three of us loved it. Extremely cheesy, seasoned well. I was very glad to have some leftover for dinner. The potato salad was good; it is very mustardy which they do tell you on the menu beforehand. The cornbread is very soft and sweet. If you like the type of cornbread that is more so like cake and not dry, then you will like this one. The brisket was equally as tender and flavorful as the ribs. We loved it all! I feel like they should have a bigger location for the amount of business they are getting but even though it's small that atmosphere is still nice. We will definitely be finding more places to visit in DC so we can have an excuse to stop here and eat again. I know if we lived nearby, my husband would definitely be going...

Enjoyed the roasted veggies. The smashed sweet potato was like a puree, too close to baby pablum. The two marshmallow-topping was a toxic addition to an otherwise healthy option. Maybe a sprouted pecan or walnut topping or similar embellishment would not harm consumers with excess synthetic sugar and artificial additives. I saved my dining partner from drinking the diet cherry sparkling option that destroys GI tract function with Sucralose. He exchanged it for water in a bottle whose plastic sheds nanoplastics into our bodies then downstream contaminates the environment. Thankfully, as a holistic practitioner, I have Homeopathic remedies to drain the body of chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides, etc BTW, I did not see recycling bins to sort post-consumer waste for recycling. Ingredients lists would be helpful for the sauces covering the mac'n cheese as well as the barbecue sauces so people mindful of blood type compatible foods, diabetes, etc So many suffering from obesity were in attendance that evening. So many are clearly unaware of the information on how to eat lavishly, manage weight, and avoid disease expression by turning off genetic markers for premature aging, disease, and early death. Due rising levels of toxicity in our food, air, water, daily detox is required to scrub the Lectins, metals, chemicals, parasites, EMFs, and, most importantly, the PTSD that drives self-destructive decision making about food choices and all things on life's menu. Would be great if all of bigAG, the chefs, caterers, grocers, manufacturers, drink/water packagers, et al could eliminate the sugars, artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, pesticides, growth hormones, phthalates, PCBs, organophosphates, etc This population's metabolic and cognitive performance, happiness quotient as well as life expectancy would rise exponentially. From birth, indoctrination by the fossil fuel industry, bigPharma, bigAg, and related culprits have driven us into a toxic soup that is now a growing tsunami of extreme weather events that takes lives and property. Education about we spend our money as people who govern food choices, material scientists. and as downstream consumers can drive industry into life affirming standards that makes impact on human and wildlife biology first priority. Allowing wealth over health as governance of human behavior has resulted in a tortuous road to mass suicide beneath most people's awareness. This restaurant should be praised for its promotion of grass fed meats but regular tweaking is required to stay abreast of creeping toxicity on some critical fronts. Also, those rugged cylindrical, biodegradable soup containers at Whole Foods might be a better presentation than the thin paper and plastic containers. Wood-like compostable utensils are are also available rather than the plastic-wrapped knives, forks, and spoons. Otherwise, the people, the ambiance, the BBQ flavored gear, the organized system of delivery, the online ordering option, all make for a continuing groundswell of success. Found this place via PBS' SIGNATURE DISH featuring restaurants with higher than...

First off...Im from Houston, TX and have been soaked in BBQ my entire life. I have been wanting to try this joint out for a long time, and I finally made the trip (and put up the $190) to do so.

Executive Summary: This is the real deal. Probably the finest Texas-style BBQ in the DMV.

These guys offer pretty much all the traditional stuff. I had brisket (both flat and point), the cheddar-jalapeno sausage, the poblano sausage, the beef rib, and the fried rib-tips. I also ordered, mac and cheese, coleslaw, and potato salad.

Prime Brisket: - Hands down the best in the DMV. Both the flat and point were "competition quality." Tender, juicy, and a medium smoke flavor. Most of the other local joints are a joke compared to this.

Beef Rib - One bone, but such a huge portion (it was damn near $40). Also phenomenal. I have not had better in the DMV.

Sausage - both links were great, very light smoke flavor. I like heavy smoke on sausage, but that really turns the skins dark, and most folks dont like the looks of it. The spicy sausage was my favorite. A touch on the dry side.

Fried Rib Tips - nothing special here. This was a special dish for the day; they were dry and not much going on there.

Wagyu Brisket - ok so there was a problem here. I did not order wagyu. But I got charged for it and they gave it to me. I would not have even had a taste of the prime lean brisket if I had not pointed it out (they gave me a sample). Because of the other issue (below), I didn't stress getting (and paying the extra 10 bucks) for the wagyu. I thought I was in for a treat. Man, I was wrong. The wagyu was dry as a bone. It required sauce to get it down. We had a pound of it and most of that pound was left over. I'll chop it into a sando, but I thought wagyu was supposed to be much fattier and juicier. Maybe the DC folks just buy it because it says wagyu. I was sad about this considering that I ordered the prime.

Potato Salad - great! very mustardy and lots of pickles. I prefer a bit more mayo, but my wife was very pleased.

Cole Slaw - fine! I don't much like coleslaw, and everyone said it was better than store bought. Take that for what it's worth!

Mac and Cheese - Good attempt. Pasta was a bit overcooked, and the cheese sauce was a little separated (lumpy). I'm sure it's better earlier in the day. I still enjoyed it. Needed salt though.

Miscellaneous: I ordered 1 pound of prime flat (lean) and one pound of prime point (moist) brisket, and a specifically said not to slice it. I got 1 pound of sliced wagyu flat and one pound of sliced choice point. Got to do better here.

Why 5 stars? - Because it's not 4 stars despite the hiccups. This is the real deal. They are using real wood on real smokers. Absolutely no BS going on with their BBQ. You will not get better brisket in the DMV that I know of, probably not a better...