Barbecue is good for us.

Looney’s is a relative new-comer to the East Bay BBQ scene, opening less than six month ago in a colorful building at the corner of Bancroft & Oxford.

The Nutshell

Overall, I’d say that Looney’s could be a good happy hour spot, especially given its proximity to the Berkeley campus and the giant projection TV that dominates one wall. The BBQ is mediocre, and the sides disappointing. But they have a good beer selection, great hush puppies, and wallet-friendly prices.

The Food

The pork spare ribs I had were mediocre at best. They were quite smoky, which was good, but not tender enough. They may have needed more time in the smoker, but I also think the quality of the meat was slightly below average. The sauce at Looney’s, which they call ‘Texas Barbeque Sauce’ style, is a strange fruity mess. And there’s nothing Texas about it. It’s more like a chutney than anything else in both taste and texture. The flavor isn’t bad, but rather than complementing the meat it overpowers with a mix of acid and fruit. The sauce on Andrew’s pulled pork sandwich was different.

[Andrew adds: It wasn't quite the classic North Carolina vinegar sauce, but Looney's clearly understands, at least, that it isn't supposed to be the thick ketchup-based sauce that you find on other types of BBQ. This is the third time I've had their pulled pork, though, and it's not consistent. It has ranged from reasonably authentic, with a thin, tangy vinegar sauce on tender pork, to mediocre, with a greasy reddish sauce. This time, it was somewhere in between. That said, it's rare to see North Carolina-style pulled pork at all in the Bay Area, so if you've got a craving and don't have eight hours to smoke a butt yourself, Looney's is one of your only choices.]

We tried three sides — BBQ beans, whipped sweet potatoes, and spicy slaw. All three were disappointing, underwhelming, under-seasoned. The BBQ beans were downright gross. The slaw had promise, but aside from a hint of spice it was so bland.

Not all was lost, though. The highlight of the meal was the hush puppies, which I highly recommend. Andrew’s had ‘em a couple of times, and this time they were great — good corn flavor, nice coarse meal, well seasoned and spiced. They were ridiculously crispy, right on that fine line where nutty fried goodness threatens to turn to bitter blackened ass. Another 5 seconds in the fryer and they’d have been lost. [Andrew adds: Amen. Best hush puppies I've encountered in the Bay Area. Nontraditional bits of peppers or something in them, but it works.]

Service, etc.

Our service was quite good, though it wasn’t crowded at all when we were there. Looney’s is a nice place to sit, and is decorated in sports bar style. Anyway, Looney’s will surely feed the campus crowd just fine, but it’s nothing to write home about. I’d go there for a pitcher of beer and some hush puppies during football season, but for ribs I’m going elsewhere.

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