Best Barbecue Restaurants in Ivy City

I brought a group of colleagues from out of town here and it was a great experience. They loved the food and could not stop talking about it afterwards. Our waiter was just fantastic!

We always bring our out-of-town visitors to Ruthie's All-Day - whether it is for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. Today's lunch special - a pulled chicken sandwich with white barbeque sauce, cheese and crispy onions - was a hit with our guest. Ruthie's remains the best go-to dining venue in Arlington!

I can actually taste differences between cuts of meats. And just the right portions. Great service - Japanese style that is professional and respectful. When was the last time you had a server squat down to take your orders so you don’t have to look up to them? Small things matter. And gyukaku is perfect!

Run, do not walk, to Succotash! I was not expecting much, as I am a Northerner, and greens and grits are out of my wheelhouse. But everything at Succotash was eye-rolling, out-of-this-world delicious. We got the Taste of the South, which is shareable plates of most of everything on the menu. Our server, Xavier, assured us there would be plenty of food, and he was not kidding. We started with kimchi deviled eggs and fried green tomato salad with goat cheese. Then smoked chicken wings and an incredible hot sweet cornbread. The mains included local crispy catfish, BBQ pork ribs, chicken and waffles (amazingly crunchy crust and meltingly tender chicken!), collard greens with country ham, awesome mac'n' cheese. Xavier was magical, whisking away empty plates and bringing new ones. THEN mini pecan pies, and hummingbird cake truffles. We had to get a take-home box. Wow, wow, wow! Kudos to the chef and the kitchen staff. Everything was hot and beautifully plated. The only things we didn't get were grits and.. succotash!

Excellent food. Brisket eggrolls were impressively crispy. The smoked turkey was the most tender bbq-style turkey I have ever had. I've only ever had deli-sliced turkey or carved turkey on Thanksgiving, but the turkey at Smokecraft was entirely unique in texture, flavor, and moisture (not dry).