Memphis Minnie's BBQ Joint — Restaurant in San Francisco

I have come to Memphis Minnie's before, when it had higher ratings than it enjoys now. But at a certain point in the BBQ business (having won a few blue ribbons at The North American Indian Pow-wow and the Ventura Pirate Festival to name a few making me qualified to say) you just have so much competition, and the craze at a very, very mature age in the bell curve that only the craft and the love will keep the doors open.

These guys have that and a couple of factors other BBQ places simply don't.

The first thing they have here that others don't is character. The crew is real, authentic about BBQ and more importantly, innovative BBQ. Today's special was a custom ground burger with high quality cheese, bacon and thin onion ring topping that it was simply a complete package of deliciousness.

The fries that came on the side with a shake of seasoning on them only someone with a really refined sense of taste and a dedication to flavor profile development could come up with.

They have it all, and I am not an easy customer to please.

In fact, the only reason I am not giving five stars in my rating is because of the lady that came in after I got my burger who sat down ten feet away and took off her shoes to air them, causing the entire area for customers to reek of her stinky feet.

I mean it was rude stink. The kind of stink that permeates the surrounding environment within a fraction of a second of the crass ignorant moron taking off their shoes. Rank, it's really the only word.

The crew, standing behind the kitchen by the grill and sauces and seasoning and ventilation, would not likely had the chance to smell this, but let me tell you, it would have driven out of that place a homeless person who had not had a bath in three months it smelled so bad.

But this person, she didn't get it that you don't come into a restaurant and take off your shoes - even if it is the Haight.

The management should have kept enough of an eye on their customers to detect this, and immediately bounced this classless, tasteless individual.

This is the only reason why I am not giving the experience five stars. Otherwise, they are great and the food is tremendous and you should eat here. But watch out for the people who think they have a right to do anything anywhere. It says something about them the rest of us really don't want to learn.

Sincerely, The...

We had dinner here last Tuesday night. It was absolutely some of the best ever. I originated from Texas and consider my bbq knowledge to be of good standards. So when I claim the meal we had was some of the best ever, I hope others will give this place a chance. The brisket was fantastic. Proper amount of smoke, and defining smoke ring around the outside. The pork ribs were pull off the bone clean. This means the pit master, knew to remove the membrane on the backside of the ribs to allow for proper roasting of the ribs while on the pit. The string onion fries. The bbq chili cheese fries. The list goes on. If you are a true connoisseur of bbq, you will love this place. Finally the service. The tall blonde behind the counter (I do not mention names without permission) was the best. Friendly, engaging, informative, and courtesy to all. The pit team, the best. Helpful and responsive to you query. Quick to serve and meet your needs. The atmosphere is bbq. So do not go there expecting fine dining. I know a bbq place in Texas that serves on butcher paper only. Loaves of in the bag Mrs. Bairds bread on the tables for everyone to share. That just part of bbq place color. So please give the place your business, and ignore the negatives below, because those individuals obviously know...

This place has gone downhill since the new owners took over. Some of the food is still good but some of it isn't. And it's extremely inconsistent. Some days it's good, some days not as good.

The worst part is the lady who takes your order (one of the new owners). She never gets your order right and even starts yelling at you, when she's the one who can't understand English and she's the one with the heavy Korean accent that is hard to understand. I'd rather order from the cooks. I've ordered once from the Korean man and he was okay. He was also hard to understand, but he was more friendly, and he didn't mess up my order. Also I experimented by sending other people to order, and they also had the lady mess up their order and communication difficulties. Oh yeah, don't bother ordering by phone, it makes it worse, and at least if you order in person, there's a chance the cooks/workers will hear you and correct the order.

Giving it 3 stars because the times when the food is made well, it's still good and reminds me of when the old owners were there. Also, their sauces do seem to be the same as before, and they've always been known for their...