On Friday evening my boyfriend Adam and I wandered upon a small restaurant after a bountiful visit to the Atlantic Superstore on Barrington Street in the South End. Immediately the name and the branding of the place caught our eyes; Boneheads BBQ, and we vowed to return later that evening once we had dropped off our cumbersome load of cheeses, wine, and other spoils from the supermarket.

Upon our return we entered a dimly but proportionately lit room that was humming with activity and blues music. Boneheads BBQ is a Southern style smokehouse that works cafeteria style: you go up to the counter order your food and drink and wait for your name to be hollered by the staff. Adam grabbed a table while I waited in the line to order the food as there are only about ten tables in the restaurant and it was hopping!

I ordred the Beef Brisket BBQ plate for myself and the Shredded Chicken BBQ Plate for Adam, both came with a biscuit and coleslaw and an option of TWO sides from the following list: Mac & Cheese, Dirty Rice, Hand Cut Fries, Garden Salad (who orders this at a BBQ place is beyond me), Pit Beans, Potato Salad, Chili, and finally Sweet Potato Chips. Adam and I both opted for the Mac & Cheese and the Sweet Potato Fries and eagerly awaited our food while sipping on Propeller Honey Wheat Ales.

The well staffed, open kitchen was fast and efficient and it wasn’t long before the woman was shouting my name to retrieve the order from the front counter. The food is served on cafeteria trays with brown paper, and to say the servings are generous is an understatement. My tray was overflowing with Sweet Potato chips, which came with an awesome dipping sauce and the abounding pile of Beef Brisket was cooked to perfection. The meat is flavourful in itself, but in addition, there are three different Bonehead brand BBQ sauces: Kickin’ Red, Smokehouse Sweet, and Southern Gold. All were delicious, though I am not overly partial to the overt mustardy flavour of the Southern Gold, and the Kickin’ Red wasn’t hot enough for my tastebuds. The Smokehouse Sweet, however, was smoky and sweet and awesome! I smothered my tender brisket and could barely finish the amazing meal. The small cup of coleslaw was unimaginative, but I basically ignored it, opting instead on wolfing down the amazing cornbread biscuit that was so savory it didn’t need any butter. The Mac & Cheese was hot, cheesy and delicious, all that you could want this classic comfort food to be.

For me, it was the first time having real Southern style BBQ and I certainly enjoyed the experience. We left feeling happy and full and eager to return with the hopes of having enough room next time for the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie!!!

Overall I would certainly recommend this restaurant to those who love Southern style comfort food and for those who love meat. Vegetarians avoid this restaurant! A very casual place that is efficient at fast turnover, so it you are looking for a long drawn out meal with table service, this is not the place.

Things worth mentioning…

Cost: Meal and two beers for under 50$ with tip!

Things that I loved: The chalkboard painted walls in the bathroom are worth a visit; you will be wanting to wash those licked fingers anyways! …and THE FOOD!!!

Things that I didn’t: The lack of seating for people waiting by the door for takeouts and for a place to sit.

Rating: 8 out of 10.