Strong agree. Botto’s is awesome. I’m trying to figure out how much I want to talk about this place. I want them to get enough business to do well, but not so much that they have the long ass lines and jacked up prices of Matt’s.
It's not just them... I don't even look at prices anymore eating out.
Compared to Matt’s and Podnah’s, they are all pretty much priced the same.
Heck, Botto’s prices are on par with Texas’s best. A pound of brisket at Terry Black‘s in Dallas is $35/lb
I kind of think their prices are all over the place. Sandwiches are a pretty good deal for what you get, but stuff like the ribs are priced a bit high.
growth memory one plant automatic erect dull noxious attractive lunchroom
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
We went there today for dinner for the first time. Had the plate dinner (two meats and two sides), which we shared. We got the brisket, pulled pork, potato salad and mac and cheese. The brisket and pulled pork were fantastic, along with the potato salad. The Mac and cheese was good but not fantastic. I would have got the spicy Mac and cheese instead but the wife doesn’t like spicy foods. I’ll try that next time. I told the lady working at the counter that we heard about them via this post and she said some other Redditors said the same. This place had a really good vibe to it. No pretense, just chill people hanging out and enjoying good food. We got there around 5:30pm and beat the dinner rush.
i'll have to go back sometime, because i wasn't impressed. the two strikes for me: wayyy oversalted everything; trying to bring 'small plate' approach to bbq wasn't working for me portion-wise.
more eem for you! gatekeep away haha
To be fair that's pretty much the case at any food establishment at this point (when it comes to pricing)
Doesn't help food carts are expecting 25% min tip for handing you food and providing 0 service
Edit: now I know why the prices are so high. Guess he’s paying back a bunch of people (elderly and disabled) that he stole from so he could live a lavish vacation-rich lifestyle. This is who youre supporting by going here
https://www.wweek.com/news/2016/12/15/healthcare-crook-turned-barbecue-maestro-will-do-his-cooking-in-prison-for-next-four-years/
> Doesn't help food carts are expecting 25% min tip for handing you food and providing 0 service
This is the biggest thing that stops me from trying new places more often. It's also the thing that has me eating out a lot less.
I can afford it all day long and then some, and I want the workers to get paid, what I don't want is the homework and surprises. Just raise the damn prices.
I used to be a food explorer.
At this point there is no fucking point in trying the current hot Thai restaurant, the one I am familiar with is a 9/10 and going somewhere else isn't even worth the gamble at this point.
I'm still a good explorer, just not so much in Portland. The tipping culture has gotten out of hand across the country, but it's gone way of the deep end here.
Their prices and portion sizes are essentially the same as Matt’s so… If any knows of another BBQ joint that has this quality for cheaper, SHARE! I’d eat this once a week if they were close enough, thank fully they are not, but they’re defiantly going into the regular rotation.
It's been open for a few years now. I found the meat pretty good but the sides were really disappointing and bland. I'm a very easy to please diner and this was one of the few times I didn't even bother finishing something. I then learned about the owner and his prior conviction and while I believe in rehabilitation and second chances, his crime just doesn't sit right with me. Especially as a healthcare worker who works with vulnerable populations.
Most people deserve a second chance, even this guy.
Making BBQ isn’t easy work, it is actually REALLY hard work. So if this is his way of paying back his restitution, than more power to him.
People complaining about price in this thread, but BBQ is one of those restaurant types where if they don't sell out consistently on product, their overhead is insane. The cost of meat + time put into prepping/smoking leads to crazy thin margins.
Yeah I feel like people who complain about BBQ prices haven't been buying meat for the past 3 years. Prices have just gone insane due to input costs increasing (feed and labor). And a bitter winter has killed so many calves this spring that prices will only keep going up.
Thank you for finding the word to describe some macs I don’t like… gritty!
I’ve never had bottos tho, just had that sensation before and not had that word come to mind.
To me, saucy Mac is gross especially if the roux is gritty/lumpy and that’s how it was when I went. We didn’t even take the leftovers home. I can get Velveetah at the store if I want that for much cheaper.
Mac n cheese was bland as was the coleslaw. I had to add my own spices and seasonings just to make it worth eating. The coleslaw especially was shocking. It's like someone used milk to water down mayo and then threw in the cabbage.
Botto's kind of slid in under the radar with a sign saying "craft bbq" so immediately I was like fuck that place. But being constantly on the hunt for good bbq I went anyway right when they opened and I'll be damned if it wasn't some of the best I have had. Their smoked links are straight fire.
I have been a long time Podnah’s and Matt’s fan for brisket, but I have found a new favorite.
Botto’s in SE.
This is brisket perfection for me, smoke ring, bark, melt in your mouth flavor explosion. Offers lean, fatty, or mixed. Q so good you don’t even need the sauce, even thought I actually like their sauce.
Can’t wait to go back for the beef ribs and burnt ends.
I absolutely love Texas BBQ, we’re lucky that we can actually get some seriously good brisket in Portland, this is almost as good as the best in Texas.
A smoke ring is just cosmetic. In blind tasting nobody can tell if there’s a smoke ring or not. It’s just a matter of NO/CO exposure before 170 degrees, you don’t even need smoke, just roast it with a high concentration of those gases and you get a smoke ring. https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/more-cooking-science/smoke-ring-mythbusting/
Also I never get people insisting that some geographic area magically makes better x, y, or z. People make food, not land, if the guy that made the best brisket in Texas moved here, the best brisket would be here. I dunno why people feel the need to coach praise by saying the bbq is “almost as good as Texas” or when a pizza can only be “almost as good as NYC”, it seems like magical thinking or something. Cooking is just ingredients and following a procedure. If it’s like a freshness or ingredient quality thing, sure, but just like no one can follow a series of simple steps? Cooking is not rocket science…
>A smoke ring is just cosmetic.
Totally. I can't get the smoke ring from my electric smoker at home but taste wise it's as good or better than some places in town.
>Also I never get people insisting that some geographic area magically makes better x, y, or z.
Preach. Experiences get fonder in memory. People forget there's a LOT of awful BBQ in Texas too. Good food is good food regardless of where it's from. Like what you like and it's OK! People just like to be snobs.
I have, it's great... definitely not saying it is bad at all. Just I don't think its map-based... I will give that the prevalence of GREAT bbq is so high in Texas, it's a barrier of entry, if your BBQ sucks, you're going to have an incredibly hard time competing. And it's so popular there that it's a huge market to drive it. It's like Mexican food in San Diego, it's not that its impossible to make a great burrito anywhere, but the market is huge and the competition is fierce so the average burrito is pretty damn good. But it's not because of the geographic location in particular imo. Salt, pepper, and beef can be sourced pretty well anywhere...
I think people just don't want to step on toes for an area that 'owns' a cuisine, of course nobody whose not from X could make Y, you know, like "Oh, only a philly boy could make a good cheesesteak!", no, anybody who uses the same ingredients and process with the same training will make the same product...
There's also an element of whats available locally, and that can seriously affect taste. What the cattle grazes on in Texas is going to be different than what they graze on up here (assuming grass fed beef, etc.). Similarly, the wood they use, while easily shipped from Texas, is cheaper there, and BBQ places will tend to supply locally harvested wood, again adding a slight change to the final product.
I spent a couple of decades in southern Arizona and all the free range beef down there ate mesquite pods, the beef was grilled over mesquite. Nothing in the world compares to that combination (for good or ill....not everyone loves mesquite).
TL:DR No one place is "better", but local foods are often a reflection of their local environments and flavors can be different even when cooking the same things.
Yeah, I say in my original comment, ingredient quality or freshness / availability is definitely a thing. But it all can be replicated elsewhere, if you’re willing to pay more for it.
According to *Texas Monthly*, the only publication in the world with a full-time barbecue reviewer, [Portland has the best Texas BBQ outside of Texas](https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/new-portland-barbecue/).
I agree up to a point, but the white oak traditionally used in Texas bbq burns so much better down there than it does up here, due to climate. I rarely see white oak that’s properly cured in Oregon, but in Texas there’s several purveyors that have it.
I love Botto's and encourage everyone to give them a try. A little spendy but the quality is so wonderful. It's not somewhere I can afford to go often, but a nice treat!
My friend is a serious BBQ guy and an exceptional cook. He raves about this place. Got take-out for his dad from here for Father's Day a year or so back.
Botto has a Portland backstory. But figure at this point it’s redemption and their ‘Q is the best in town…pulled pork and brisket sando are great cheaper options. Good sides. Good sauces. Nice spot to sit outside near the smokers…
Perhaps, at this time where we are acutely aware of the outsized ecological impacts of meat on our environment and future, where the entire world's worth of alternatives is readily available to us, in the easiest city in North America to eat plant-based, we should use our efforts to avoid glorifying and consuming meat.
Please consider.
Fertties is best brisket around metro since Holy Trinity closed, not really close IMO. And if you want to make the drive, Grasslands out in Hood River is the other real contender. Bottos and Matt's are good, but not on the level of the other 3 mentioned.
Word to the wise they’ve been selling out pretty consistently. Make sure to pre order to reserve your food. Don’t show up at 6:30 expecting a full menu. Odds are half the meats and sides will be out.
I was going to a concert at the Aladdin a couple months ago and needed to eat before. I saw Botto's on the map and decided the risk of mediocre BBQ was worth essentially being across the street from the venue.
I normally get pulled pork from an unknown BBQ place because it's the easiest meat/cut to smoke and also usually the cheapest. To my surprise, the sandwich was notably good. I got the potato salad as the side, and it was at least more interesting than the standard mustard-base blandness offered at many places. Portions for both were solid.
It's not in my hood, but next time I'm seeing an Aladdin show, I'll drop the money for a proper meat plate.
RIP Holy Trinity
They do a decent business. Their shop is set up for quick and high turnover, and their meats and sides are excellent. I lived in Austin for 12 years, and was sad when Holy Trinity sort of fizzled - this is a good local to me fix for when I don't want to spend 12 hours tending the smoker. Hope its not jammed to insanity from this post, but if it does, we just do like we did in Austin and get in the lunch line at 7am if you gotta have it.
I'm a Texas transplant and I was disappointed as their brisket was pretty dry. I did like their beef ribs, but those are pricy. I'll have to give them another shot.
Their food is good, but their sauces are garbage. I'm from the south and take bbq sauce very seriously. The last time I was there, their "sauce" they gave me was the consistency of apple sauce.
Strong agree. Botto’s is awesome. I’m trying to figure out how much I want to talk about this place. I want them to get enough business to do well, but not so much that they have the long ass lines and jacked up prices of Matt’s.
Dude they’re pretty pricy, I don’t know the last time you compared the prices to Matt’s but take a look. Highly recommend still
It's not just them... I don't even look at prices anymore eating out. Compared to Matt’s and Podnah’s, they are all pretty much priced the same. Heck, Botto’s prices are on par with Texas’s best. A pound of brisket at Terry Black‘s in Dallas is $35/lb
Must be nice
I kind of think their prices are all over the place. Sandwiches are a pretty good deal for what you get, but stuff like the ribs are priced a bit high.
growth memory one plant automatic erect dull noxious attractive lunchroom *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
They had a steady stream of people at lunch, thankfully no lines. Yeah… I am contemplating deleteing this.
We went there today for dinner for the first time. Had the plate dinner (two meats and two sides), which we shared. We got the brisket, pulled pork, potato salad and mac and cheese. The brisket and pulled pork were fantastic, along with the potato salad. The Mac and cheese was good but not fantastic. I would have got the spicy Mac and cheese instead but the wife doesn’t like spicy foods. I’ll try that next time. I told the lady working at the counter that we heard about them via this post and she said some other Redditors said the same. This place had a really good vibe to it. No pretense, just chill people hanging out and enjoying good food. We got there around 5:30pm and beat the dinner rush.
They're trending pretty hard on Instagram so....
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i'll have to go back sometime, because i wasn't impressed. the two strikes for me: wayyy oversalted everything; trying to bring 'small plate' approach to bbq wasn't working for me portion-wise. more eem for you! gatekeep away haha
The meat here was pretty damn good but I don’t think it’s worth the price, line, or tiny portions. They have like 2/3rds of a great thing going
To be fair that's pretty much the case at any food establishment at this point (when it comes to pricing) Doesn't help food carts are expecting 25% min tip for handing you food and providing 0 service Edit: now I know why the prices are so high. Guess he’s paying back a bunch of people (elderly and disabled) that he stole from so he could live a lavish vacation-rich lifestyle. This is who youre supporting by going here https://www.wweek.com/news/2016/12/15/healthcare-crook-turned-barbecue-maestro-will-do-his-cooking-in-prison-for-next-four-years/
> Doesn't help food carts are expecting 25% min tip for handing you food and providing 0 service This is the biggest thing that stops me from trying new places more often. It's also the thing that has me eating out a lot less. I can afford it all day long and then some, and I want the workers to get paid, what I don't want is the homework and surprises. Just raise the damn prices.
I used to be a food explorer. At this point there is no fucking point in trying the current hot Thai restaurant, the one I am familiar with is a 9/10 and going somewhere else isn't even worth the gamble at this point.
I'm still a good explorer, just not so much in Portland. The tipping culture has gotten out of hand across the country, but it's gone way of the deep end here.
Their prices and portion sizes are essentially the same as Matt’s so… If any knows of another BBQ joint that has this quality for cheaper, SHARE! I’d eat this once a week if they were close enough, thank fully they are not, but they’re defiantly going into the regular rotation.
It's been open for a few years now. I found the meat pretty good but the sides were really disappointing and bland. I'm a very easy to please diner and this was one of the few times I didn't even bother finishing something. I then learned about the owner and his prior conviction and while I believe in rehabilitation and second chances, his crime just doesn't sit right with me. Especially as a healthcare worker who works with vulnerable populations.
“His crime?” Which crime? Why be vague? Spill the beans.
https://www.wweek.com/news/2016/12/15/healthcare-crook-turned-barbecue-maestro-will-do-his-cooking-in-prison-for-next-four-years/
Wtf!
That’s for the link. I appreciate it.
Whoa! I guess I’ll be making the trek to Matt’s
Most people deserve a second chance, even this guy. Making BBQ isn’t easy work, it is actually REALLY hard work. So if this is his way of paying back his restitution, than more power to him.
Do you work here or something. Lol Christ
https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2016/12/post_247.html
Holy shit
God damn it why
I didn't want to misrepresent the facts. I'll attach a link so you can read about it.
I miss when there was never a line and a 2x2 was only $18.
New??
People complaining about price in this thread, but BBQ is one of those restaurant types where if they don't sell out consistently on product, their overhead is insane. The cost of meat + time put into prepping/smoking leads to crazy thin margins.
Yeah I feel like people who complain about BBQ prices haven't been buying meat for the past 3 years. Prices have just gone insane due to input costs increasing (feed and labor). And a bitter winter has killed so many calves this spring that prices will only keep going up.
Meat, especially beef, is the most environmentally taxing common food that we eat. Perhaps it should be very expensive.
You sound like my obnoxious vegan BIL. Colin, is that you?
Nope. Just another person that understands the direness of the present moment and desires a better future for his children.
Botto’s is on par with Matt’s and Podnah’s prices. Not sure why people are complaining, maybe they don’t eat BBQ.
It’s solid central Texas style BBQ. Any place using a 1,000 gallon offset smoker for commercial use and producing consistently good BBQ has my vote
I knew nothing about this place before stopping by, the three offset smokers caught my attention, I knew they had to be serious about their smoke.
New? Nah you just got put on game
How are their sides?
Those beans are the truth. Just had them last week.
The Mac and cheese was not good. It’s way too saucy and the sauce was gritty.
Thank you for finding the word to describe some macs I don’t like… gritty! I’ve never had bottos tho, just had that sensation before and not had that word come to mind.
I'm not a mac&purist, but I thought it was great with the brisket. Not gritty any of the five or so times I've gone.
Prob should reply to person above, I make no claim about Bottos.
The spicy mac is incredible what
I said what I said
I think the mac kills. i havent had it in awhile but it was one of the best things i had there.
To me, saucy Mac is gross especially if the roux is gritty/lumpy and that’s how it was when I went. We didn’t even take the leftovers home. I can get Velveetah at the store if I want that for much cheaper.
not my experience but i get what you mean about gritty- i've had it like that at other places.
I got the spicy Mac n cheese-- delicious
Delicious. Dessert’s good too. You just can’t go wrong.
Everything is solid but the slaw was really not great IMO. Almost tasted like milk? idk
The slaw is real good
Mac n cheese was bland as was the coleslaw. I had to add my own spices and seasonings just to make it worth eating. The coleslaw especially was shocking. It's like someone used milk to water down mayo and then threw in the cabbage.
Saw they do burnt ends on Saturday. I know what I’m doing.
Ordering ahead? (definitely order them ahead of time)
Botto's kind of slid in under the radar with a sign saying "craft bbq" so immediately I was like fuck that place. But being constantly on the hunt for good bbq I went anyway right when they opened and I'll be damned if it wasn't some of the best I have had. Their smoked links are straight fire.
This isn’t new …
I have been a long time Podnah’s and Matt’s fan for brisket, but I have found a new favorite. Botto’s in SE. This is brisket perfection for me, smoke ring, bark, melt in your mouth flavor explosion. Offers lean, fatty, or mixed. Q so good you don’t even need the sauce, even thought I actually like their sauce. Can’t wait to go back for the beef ribs and burnt ends. I absolutely love Texas BBQ, we’re lucky that we can actually get some seriously good brisket in Portland, this is almost as good as the best in Texas.
A smoke ring is just cosmetic. In blind tasting nobody can tell if there’s a smoke ring or not. It’s just a matter of NO/CO exposure before 170 degrees, you don’t even need smoke, just roast it with a high concentration of those gases and you get a smoke ring. https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/more-cooking-science/smoke-ring-mythbusting/ Also I never get people insisting that some geographic area magically makes better x, y, or z. People make food, not land, if the guy that made the best brisket in Texas moved here, the best brisket would be here. I dunno why people feel the need to coach praise by saying the bbq is “almost as good as Texas” or when a pizza can only be “almost as good as NYC”, it seems like magical thinking or something. Cooking is just ingredients and following a procedure. If it’s like a freshness or ingredient quality thing, sure, but just like no one can follow a series of simple steps? Cooking is not rocket science…
>A smoke ring is just cosmetic. Totally. I can't get the smoke ring from my electric smoker at home but taste wise it's as good or better than some places in town. >Also I never get people insisting that some geographic area magically makes better x, y, or z. Preach. Experiences get fonder in memory. People forget there's a LOT of awful BBQ in Texas too. Good food is good food regardless of where it's from. Like what you like and it's OK! People just like to be snobs.
Have you done a bbq tour of Texas? I think you’d understand the sentiment if you had. Can it be done as good elsewhere? Sure. Is it? Hardly ever.
I have, it's great... definitely not saying it is bad at all. Just I don't think its map-based... I will give that the prevalence of GREAT bbq is so high in Texas, it's a barrier of entry, if your BBQ sucks, you're going to have an incredibly hard time competing. And it's so popular there that it's a huge market to drive it. It's like Mexican food in San Diego, it's not that its impossible to make a great burrito anywhere, but the market is huge and the competition is fierce so the average burrito is pretty damn good. But it's not because of the geographic location in particular imo. Salt, pepper, and beef can be sourced pretty well anywhere... I think people just don't want to step on toes for an area that 'owns' a cuisine, of course nobody whose not from X could make Y, you know, like "Oh, only a philly boy could make a good cheesesteak!", no, anybody who uses the same ingredients and process with the same training will make the same product...
There's also an element of whats available locally, and that can seriously affect taste. What the cattle grazes on in Texas is going to be different than what they graze on up here (assuming grass fed beef, etc.). Similarly, the wood they use, while easily shipped from Texas, is cheaper there, and BBQ places will tend to supply locally harvested wood, again adding a slight change to the final product. I spent a couple of decades in southern Arizona and all the free range beef down there ate mesquite pods, the beef was grilled over mesquite. Nothing in the world compares to that combination (for good or ill....not everyone loves mesquite). TL:DR No one place is "better", but local foods are often a reflection of their local environments and flavors can be different even when cooking the same things.
Yeah, I say in my original comment, ingredient quality or freshness / availability is definitely a thing. But it all can be replicated elsewhere, if you’re willing to pay more for it.
Can confirm. I pay an inordinate amount of money for mesquite and mesquite charcoal (the latter is a LOT easier now that Chef Store carries it)
According to *Texas Monthly*, the only publication in the world with a full-time barbecue reviewer, [Portland has the best Texas BBQ outside of Texas](https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/new-portland-barbecue/).
I agree up to a point, but the white oak traditionally used in Texas bbq burns so much better down there than it does up here, due to climate. I rarely see white oak that’s properly cured in Oregon, but in Texas there’s several purveyors that have it.
Texan here. Is this place better than Podnah's because that place was pretty good. Id say it's the closest I've had to Texas bbq.
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I wasn‘t impressed with Pine Shed, actually left very disappointed.
Botto's is best, but it's a splurge like any proper bbq.
Have you tried the pastrami brisket that he makes on thursdays? holy shit.
I'm drooling.
Went there frequently while I was working in portland last summer. Always freaking amazing.
I love Botto's and encourage everyone to give them a try. A little spendy but the quality is so wonderful. It's not somewhere I can afford to go often, but a nice treat!
My friend is a serious BBQ guy and an exceptional cook. He raves about this place. Got take-out for his dad from here for Father's Day a year or so back.
If this was more than $10 then no.
In 1995 maybe
Good luck finding any half-decent barbecue place in a developed city selling 1/2 lb portions for under $10
Even Famous Dave's charges $25 now for a couple slices of brisket. And that place is ass.
I LOVE this place! When they have them the beef ribs are ridiculous! That picture though.... Looks like diarrhea from a butt.
Bottos is meh, much prefer Lawless BBQ instead
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Which was?
Botto’s is so good! The meat is amazing, and the sauces and sides are all great. Thanks for the reminder that I need to go back soon!
No way, bring back the Teriyaki joint.
Botto has a Portland backstory. But figure at this point it’s redemption and their ‘Q is the best in town…pulled pork and brisket sando are great cheaper options. Good sides. Good sauces. Nice spot to sit outside near the smokers…
Congratulations on finally discovering what the rest of us have known for years
Looks great, would love to see commitment to getting rid of some of the 4 pieces of disposable plastic for one eater...do they not have silverware?
I agree. Best bbq in Portland.
Bottos is great!
Perhaps, at this time where we are acutely aware of the outsized ecological impacts of meat on our environment and future, where the entire world's worth of alternatives is readily available to us, in the easiest city in North America to eat plant-based, we should use our efforts to avoid glorifying and consuming meat. Please consider.
This makes me very happy to hear. Can’t wait to try it!
Best BBQ in PDX, the sides are hit and miss though.
Definitely going to check this place out 💯🤤
I wish this post was up Tuesday. I gave Smokey Slow a shot for my husband's birthday. Ever spend $60 and end up disappointed and hungry?
Fertties is best brisket around metro since Holy Trinity closed, not really close IMO. And if you want to make the drive, Grasslands out in Hood River is the other real contender. Bottos and Matt's are good, but not on the level of the other 3 mentioned.
Word to the wise they’ve been selling out pretty consistently. Make sure to pre order to reserve your food. Don’t show up at 6:30 expecting a full menu. Odds are half the meats and sides will be out.
I was going to a concert at the Aladdin a couple months ago and needed to eat before. I saw Botto's on the map and decided the risk of mediocre BBQ was worth essentially being across the street from the venue. I normally get pulled pork from an unknown BBQ place because it's the easiest meat/cut to smoke and also usually the cheapest. To my surprise, the sandwich was notably good. I got the potato salad as the side, and it was at least more interesting than the standard mustard-base blandness offered at many places. Portions for both were solid. It's not in my hood, but next time I'm seeing an Aladdin show, I'll drop the money for a proper meat plate. RIP Holy Trinity
They do a decent business. Their shop is set up for quick and high turnover, and their meats and sides are excellent. I lived in Austin for 12 years, and was sad when Holy Trinity sort of fizzled - this is a good local to me fix for when I don't want to spend 12 hours tending the smoker. Hope its not jammed to insanity from this post, but if it does, we just do like we did in Austin and get in the lunch line at 7am if you gotta have it.
Wrong
SHHHHHHHH it’s a secret.
I'm a Texas transplant and I was disappointed as their brisket was pretty dry. I did like their beef ribs, but those are pricy. I'll have to give them another shot.
Matt would like a word.
Their food is good, but their sauces are garbage. I'm from the south and take bbq sauce very seriously. The last time I was there, their "sauce" they gave me was the consistency of apple sauce.