Barbecue is good for us.

KC Barb-Q (note the unusual spelling)
2613 San Pablo Ave (at Parker St.)
Berkeley, CA
(510) 548-1140
Hours: Tue-Thu 11:30am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-12am

The Nutshell

The best cooked ribs in town, and everything else is good but not great. Don’t expect much from the side dishes.

The Place

KC’s, on San Pablo just South of Dwight, looks from the outside like a hole in the wall. Inside, though, it has more character than any other BBQ place around. The large and rustic dining room is chock full (inexplicably) with vintage stoves, washing machines and the like, and there’s a giant wagon cart in the middle. Its really a great place to sit, though – Jane’s thinking of having a party there.

The Meat

Ribs are the thing at KC, so of course I’m happy. Andrew and I agree that KC’s smokes the best ribs of anywhere in town. The meat is obviously very high quality – tender but dense and good to bite into, nicely marbled but not fatty, very little gristle. They must take a lot of care smoking these ribs to pink perfection, though they wouldn’t give away any of their secrets.

The Sauce

Better than average, for sure, but not as good as Flint’s sauce, which remains our favorite by far. It’s a good consistency, fairly tomato-ey but with a bit of dark molasses sweetness to match. Usually they ask you to pick the spicyness, though this last time we were there they didn’t ask. If they do, get the medium – it’s not too spicy, but it builds a little over time.

The Sides

Your entree will come with beans and potato salad but don’t get too excited about either. The beans are almost certainly canned, and the potato salad tastes like an upsettingly sweet dill pickle.

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