Hole In the Wall BBQ — Restaurant in Seattle

I reached out with a few questions to the email address listed on the website and got a answer back pretty quickly from Diane (Owner) I have never been to Seattle but love to try BBQ when I travel as I lived in Texas for multiple years. I was concerned about their hours (Mon-Fri 11am-2:30PM) I was hoping to be able to try their bbq but also like to purchase sauce from different places to try. Diane offered to leave the sauce with a neighboring business for me or even ship it to me if I could not make it by during business hours. I ended up changing my days of my trip so I was able to enjoy lunch here. After I ordered the cook asked me if I was Kevin and I said yes and he said you have been exchanging emails with my wife Diane about sauce and thanked me for coming in. I purchased 2 mild sauce, 1 spicy sauce and 1 ghost pepper sauce. They did not have ay ghost pepper made up but he asked me if I wanted him to make me one up and I said sure if you are not too busy and have time.

I had a brisket sandwich and baked beans. The brisket was good it was sliced but I do prefer chopped. the sauce was amazing along with beans. I wish they had mac and cheese as that is my go to for a side at bbq.

I wanted to try the spicy sausage but was so full I did not and I planned to go back on Monday to try the Monday special which was meatloaf but did not make it back by there.

I do not remember how much I spent but it must have been very reasonable since I was wanting to go back.

Overall hands down I love supporting small mom and pop shop places and this place went out of their way to provide great customer service and options!

Diane-Sorry about your Mariners getting swept by my Dodgers but thank you again for the great...

Dry BBQ With No Regional Identity

Hole In The Wall BBQ doesn't do much for me. The pork was extremely dry and flavorless, with almost no smoke flavor or seasoning. I would never recommend this pulled pork to anyone. The brisket was much better, but even then, lacked seasoning, smoke, and was much dryer than it ever should be. If the brisket weren't dry at all, and with my own sauce, this would've been a pretty decent sandwich.

Portions are at least respectable and they do a good job of presenting a delicious looking wrapped sandwich. Still a bit pricey, given the standards, but I get it -- rent is expensive and BBQ takes time.

I did like the buns, and I will also say this: the people working here were absolutely great and totally friendly. They let me sample the meat before I ordered and seemed to like what they were doing. But I'm afraid that the food just didn't cut it, so far as BBQ is concerned. With some tweaking, I really do think they could turn it around.

So far as the sauces are concerned: you shouldn't even need sauce for proper BBQ. Unfortunately, as the meat doesn't seem to have a nice seasoned crust (and probably isn't mopped), the flavors are weak, and this BBQ requires sauce to be edible. Unfortunately, none of their sauces represent any distinct BBQ region and miss the mark. They weren't particularly sweet, or thick, or heavy in vinegar. I can't even really describe the sauce in words, trying to explain how disappointing it was. I suppose it tastes like Tobasco, more than anything.

If you're in a pinch, the brisket sandwich could be decent if you either like their sauces or can make it home to use your own. Otherwise, the lack of proper BBQ in Seattle continues to be a low point...

I placed a catering order for pick up via the website. Ordering was super easy as was payment. The directions are clear and easy to follow. On pick up day we arrived right on time and our order was ready. The customer service excellent. They even carried our order to our car for us. They packaged everything in boxes that were easy to transport and I didn't have any concerns about them sliding around in my car. Now the best part - the food! We ordered brisket, pulled pork, hot links, ribs, potato salad, coleslaw, beans and cornbread. Everything was incredible! Pretty much all of the team went back for seconds and some thirds. There was plenty for everyone! Thanks Hole in the Wall I will definitely think of you when choosing my catering events and passed your info along to other groups in my office for...