Harold’s Barbecue – Atlanta, GA

Harold’s Barbecue – Atlanta, GA

On the south side of Atlanta, in a shady part of town, where the neighborhood is run down and the prison looms nearby, sits an old barbecue house that has been there since the dawn of time. It’s called Harold’s Barbecue.

It’s not very clean, it’s not very pretty, but they have great barbecue sandwiches and a Brunswick stew that tastes just like my Grandmother’s. Really. It does. Wow.

The front dining area is next to the pit, which seems to coat everything with smoke residue. The window has not been cleaned since the Falcons wore red helmets and the window AC units are covered in residue from the pit. We had to battle a few flies that seemed as interested in the food as we were.

The food is great, if you avoid the dry cornbread and the bland slaw. Sweet tea at Harold’s is near perfect, just a tiny bit weak. The sandwich is served on regular toast and has a wonderful smoky flavor and a sauce that is just spicy enough. The fries were cooked perfectly, just barely browned and crispy. However, the real attraction is the stew. Their Brunswick is among the best I’ve tried. Like I said, it really tastes just like my Grandmother’s, and her stew was the main thing I looked forward to at family reunions as a kid.

If you can suck it up and get past the less than pristine ambience, the stew and sandwich are worth it. We recommend you try them both.

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Item	Tommy	Jennifer
Sandwich
Stew
Tea
Slaw
Fries
Cornbread	-	-
Ambience

Harold’s Barbecue
171 McDonough Blvd SE
Atlanta, GA 30315
(404) 627-9268

 

O.B.’s BBQ – McDonough, GA

O.B.’s BBQ – McDonough, GA

This week, I traveled down to McDonough, GA to have my bike serviced by the fine folks at Cycle Nation, where I’ve purchased my last two bikes. It so happens that O.B.’s is two doors down from Cycle Nation, so it was logical that we try it.

Very nice people greeted us at the door and we followed our pleasant waitress to our table. The ambience is very southern country, from the decorations on the wall to the large fireplace in the center. Quite rustic, in a sanitized sort of way.

Our massive sweet tea arrived and was very tasty. Almost a 5. I ordered the usual pork sandwich and stew, Jennifer having baked beans and slaw with hers. Avoid the slaw, it’s not their best thing. The meat was nicely smoked and flavorful, although the sauces were a bit generic. Jennifer found her beans a bit on the generic side as well. I could really say the same for the stew. All of it is good. No surprises, no regrets. Nothing made us say “wow”, but overall, O.B.’s is a pretty good place to have some barbecue..

 

Item	Tommy	Jennifer
Sandwich
Stew
Tea
Slaw
Baked Beans
Atmosphere

O.B.’s BBQ
725 Industrial Blvd,
McDonough, GA 30253
(770) 954-1234