We converged on City Barbecue at Abernathy and Roswell Road. What city? Who knows, some city––we’re not Magellan. Firing up Google, we discovered City Barbecue is a chain, and no matter what the city, it’s City Barbecue. So be it. The place was a quick drive from our hike, so it was a stellar choice.
It had an outside, covered patio dining area, which was perfect. We were sweaty, not suitable for public viewing or smelling, and Elvis needed a place to hang while we ate.
As we walked in, we noticed you could buy ribs by the rib. That was cool. Patrick took advantage of the offer, and they gave him two ribs for the price of one. We suspect he mentioned we were food critics and would be writing a review (Patrick was hoping for a Tesla bribe). The ordering process was easy except for the two ladies in front of us who had apparently never heard of barbecue before and had many questions about every dish and how it was sourced and prepared. Amateurs.
Roy gave his order: Inside/outside pulled pork, slaw, and fries. The counter guy gave a tutorial on their six different sauces. When the Trailhead asked for a Diet Coke, the employee asked if Pepsi would do. Stunned, Roy stared at him and replied, “Absolutely not.” We’re not in Russia. Pepsi will not do. The counterman quickly suggested lemonade, which was great.
As we assembled our orders on the table, we marveled at the sausages, the pork, ribs, fresh and crispy hand-cut fries, green beans, and creamy coleslaw. We had done well. Everything tasted super. The Trailheads kept coming back to the fries and how different and delicious they were.
Our only gripe with City Barbecue is their ketchup offering. We’re Trailheads. Snobs. We demand Pittsburgh’s pride, Heinz Ketchup. We don’t want Hunts or French’s lame attempts at ketchup. They are to Heinz what Pepsi is to Coca-Cola. The bottles on our table read Fancy Tomato Ketchup. If you have to say “Fancy,” then you’re not. The red stuff is probably Sysco. Maybe that’s the ketchup we get everywhere, but at least pour it into Heinz bottles so we can imagine we’re getting the best, fanciest, most authentic ketchup in the world. It’s a minor quibble, and we all agreed City Barbecue’s smoked meats and sides were fab.
We were happy. Elvis was happy. Thank you, City Barbecue, whatever city you’re in.
Rating: Four Ribs*
City Barbecue
6649 Roswell Rd NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328
*About Our Barbecue Rating System
Trailheads do not claim to be food experts, epicureans, or sophisticated palettes. We are hungry hikers who attack a selected barbecue venue and ravage our way through whatever smoked fare and fixings they’re dishing.
Our reviews feature what we believe are the highlights of the menu we sampled. So our intent is not to trash talk the saintly folks who tend to smoldering smokers on hot, humid summer days. They are sacrificing themselves in the noble art of smoking meats and feeding the drooling masses. Many are independent entrepreneurs who are the backbone of this humming American economy.
Now that you know our standards, you may wonder why every barbecue place gets a four ribs rating. The answer is easy: we have acclaimed designers in our group, and they think the ribs graphic looks cool.
Who are we to argue? Enjoy.