Ironwood BBQ Berkeley

Went into Ironwood not expecting too much, given the history of these little restaurant fronts on the block. There were immediately a couple of things I liked about it. 1) the music; 2) their philosophy of «do a little, but do it well»; 3) the guy serving, who was more than happy to explain their style of Q.
In talking to him, I realized that they take it seriously, and that their culinary approaches are all in the right direction — ingredients, care, and philosophy. When the sandwiches we got arrived, I could see that their loving ministrations had paid off. It was excellent.
The only small piece I had to let go of was my fundamental belief that barbecue should be big and messy, and you should smell it on your whole body for a couple of days. These sandwiches, although plenty to eat, were cool and restrained in their delicate edibility; their flavors not at all overpowering, but extremely delectable; the meat really of very high quality. They were the class valedictorian who turned out to be a great kisser, rather than that guy with his sleeves torn out, smoking behind the gym. Mind you, I’m still attracted to both.

I have been here twice already, and there is never anyone in this restaurant. This place is nice for that craving fix for pulled pork sandwiches.
The décor of this little place is very quaint. The iron high seats and wooden high table tops, for a quick place to eat. The menu is posted largely on the wall. Big windows to just people watch.
The sandwiches is pretty good. They could work on getting the food to a better quality. But in a place like Berkeley, its hard to find a quick fix for pulled bbq pork. The brisket is my favorite. Portions are a bit small for hungry college students.

Dear Memphis,
Your smoky meat piled high with cranberry slaw and spicy BBQ sauce nestled in a warm bun make my taste buds smile. Until my next trip to Bizerkely, keep those stoney cal kids full. I won’t forget you.

Two words: Honkytonk Bowl.
Oh my goodness it is tasty deliciuosness stratified in a bowl. There’s a layer each of potatoes, beans, coleslaw, and meat. So very tasty. I do wish it were bigger because I have left a little bit hungry, but that is solved by going next door to cinnaholic, so I can’t knock them a star for that.
The brisket sandwich, with coleslaw on top obviously, is more filling and just as tasty. Plus if you get the check-​in special for the free side, you can top it with the potatoes and it’s like a honkytonk bowl in a roll. What can I say? I like gluttony.

I’m writing this review as I’m inhaling a Memphis style pulled pork sandwich and scalloped potatoes.
Ironwood BBQ popped up out of nowhere. I’d walk by there all the time and not notice it, and then one day I saw it and I knew I had to try it!
I love the sandwich. The meat is soft and flavorful, the BBQ sauce is amazing, the bread is soft but with the right amount of toasty-​ness, and the cole slaw is fresh and not too mayo-​y. The combination of the 4 creates an amazing sandwich!
The scalloped potatoes are pretty good. A little too salty for me, but for some reason I can’t stop eating them! So addicting.
Overall, Ironwood has earned a place in my heart (and my stomach). I think I found my new favorite lunch spot on west campus!

BBQ is tasty, but the sides are paltry for the price.
Got the pulled pork, and it was good. As were the ribs. Have yet to try the brisket, but can’t see it being bad. All meat is smoked at their location in the city, as Berkeley will not allow smokers to be put in that close to campus. But that doesn’t detract at all from the BBQ, since you can’t undo 12 hours of slow smoking flavor. The meat tastes good, and that is all that matters. Well… sort of.
The side dishes here are about the size of to-​go containers that you get from some places… to hold SAUCE. Meaning, a few tablespoons max. I am convinced that since they use those to-​go containers with multiple compartments, with one bigger one for the meat, and then these two miniscule ones for whatever else, that they merely constrain the portions they give, in order to fit in the stupid compartment. Enough already.
CONSUMERS DESERVE MORE, and for $ 2.50 for each side, how about more than a couple of spoonfuls? I want separate containers for the sides (say half pint or pint size), and until this happens, will continue to harp on this point. Stop being cheap, stop ripping off your customers — JUST DO IT.
And one more gripe: the pulled pork sandwich should come with cole slaw, instead of having to pay an extra $ 1 to ‘make it Memphis Style’. And by the way — this doesn’t even make any damn sense.
Memphis BBQ is renowned for the style of BBQ, most often pork, the dry rub, and specifically the type of sauce on the pork, which is normally tomato-​based. What the hell does adding cole slaw have to do with this? Nothing. Cole slaw is served with pulled pork just about everywhere, being EXTREMELY POPULAR in the South (the Carolinas and Virginia, in addition to Tennessee), so this is confusing to those of us who KNOW BBQ. But to charge a buck extra for it? That’s like charging for ketchup for your burger, or mustard for the hot dog. Totally ridiculous.
Hoping the owner/​manager actually reads this, because these two criticisms are awfully valid points. Not asking for much, Ironwood. Make some concessions here, and you will greatly improve your product, and that is ALL that should matter.

This time, I got full.
Even though the honky tonk bowl looks pretty tiny, it is quite overwhelming. Potatoes, beans, cole slaw, and pork all mixed up make for some delicious eating.

Want BBQ that is hella good?
This is the spot. Anybody who is complaining about seats and décor must be completely lost in the world. Cal students, be happy that there is a super high quality, Family-​Run, Memphis style BBQ joint that you can walk to, people are not as fortunate in the rest of the world. So buck up and go get a goddamn honky tonk bowl! It’s cheap and awesome.

Atmosphere: Small, with a few chairs. In my opinion, the chairs are uncomfortable (this may seem irrelevant, but who knows, all you chair enthusiasts out there).
Food: Got the BBQ sandwich with beef brisket, and got it Memphis style for a dollar extra. The portion was a little less than average, and the flavor was good but became overwhelming after a while — it’s really tangy. My friend got the honky tonk bowl and it just looked like a ton of cole slaw — she thought it was just okay. Prices are decent, so I’ll give them that.
Service: Average — not too friendly but not rude. Food came pretty fast as well.
Overall: Just okay — nothing to rave about. I probably won’t be back unless I’m really, REALLY craving bbq and am on Oxford Street.

I heard from a friend that it was pretty good, so another friend and I went to try it out. I stepped in– it’s a small, quaint place– and my friend and I just kinda looked at the menu, then around for a moment. I saw this little compostable bowl that another customer had next to him and thought, «hm, that’s about a good for a side dish.»
Turns out, that’s the size of a main dish.
I got the Honky Tonk bowl with pulled pork ($ 7). I honestly have no complaints about the food-​I loved the scalloped potatoes, and I loved the cole slaw. The pork and beans weren’t outstanding, but they satisfied my cravings. I think my problem is that it’s so SMALL. As a student, I’m interested in bigger (at least a few more bites bigger than that!) and cheaper.
I think I will come back– but only if I have the craving for it, more money in my pocket and a small little appetite.

Food here was pretty good, but definitely overpriced. I went with a friend and we ordered the Ironwood BBQ sandwich w/​beef brisket ($ 7.5), the honky tonk bowl with pulled pork ($ 7), and the bread pudding dessert ($ 3.5).
Going down the list, the sandwich was very good. The salad that they had with it though was the biggest joke for a salad. Three. Count them. THREE leaves was all the salad consisted of.
The sandwich itself was pretty flavorful though I wish the bread was toasted. Brisket was tender, but not plentiful for the $ 7.50 paid. Extra sauce on the side was included, but if you wanted it «Memphis style,» you were charged a dollar extra.
The honky tonk bowl had really good scalloped potatoes in it (e.g. DROWNED in butter), but the beans were plain, and there just wasn’t enough pulled pork in it. The pulled pork wasn’t tender enough. They definitely could’ve cooked it longer.
The bread pudding had a ton of whipped cream in it so there was actually very little bread pudding to eat. A bit disappointed here but I felt obligated to try their dessert (note singular) option during my visit.
Everything here is served on disposable plates so it kinda makes the whole meal seem a bit cheap. The atmosphere is non-​existent. There is only person working behind the counter, and the place is very dimly lit.
I’d go here to try it out, but probably not again.

Noms.
I got the pulled pork bbq sandwich with a side of scalloped potatoes. My friend got the same thing but «memphis» style which is $ 1 more. Even though my sandwich was bomb-​diggity, I wish I paid for the memphis style. It looked like cole slaw and cranberries. It would have been a good balance to my sandwich which was all meat.
The bread is toasted well; not too crunchy but not soggy either. And the bbq pork was so TENDER and juicy. NOMS. I was satisfied at the end but I wasnt too full. I wish it was a little bigger!
The scalloped potatoes however, were not that great. It was oily and didnt have much flavor. For $ 2.50 I was expecting a little more than what they gave us but oh wells. Next time I’ll save that money and pay for the memphis style.
Overall, I would totally come here again. MMMMM.

I’ve walked by this place several times and decided to try it out tonight. The menu is limited: beef brisket, pulled pork, ribs, potatoes, beans, coleslaw, and sandwiches.
I ordered the beef brisket dinner for $ 12 as takeout. At first I felt a little disappointed by the seemingly not stuffed box (I am a student after all, which means that I’m used to get a ridiculous amount of food for $ 10). But don’t be fooled! The box is deceivingly full, and I was left satisfyingly stuffed.
The beef brisket was nicely flavoured, but like other reviewers mentioned lacked some of the smokey taste that you might expect in southern bbq. The beans were perfectly cooked, not under or overcooked, and the scalloped potatoes (while in a lot of oil) were very tasty and tender.
Unfortunately, by the time I got home, my food was cold, but that’s my fault, not theirs :(By extrapolation, if it was hot I know it would have tasted amazing, hence the four stars!

Ventured in the other evening before the fab event at the Brower center. The block in which it sits used to be an afterthought of less than stellar eateries. Thanks, Ironwood, for being the new cool kid on the block.
As I sat in the metal tractor seats watching Michelle work her sandwich magic I was haunted by the name. From where did I remember this place?
I asked. Turns out this joint relates to it’s sister across the bay, at the little golf course by the windmills in GG Park. I still recall fondly when that one appeared on the scene, suddenly, also like magic. What a random location for what turned out to be some of the most thoughtfully made bbq I had ever et.
And mind, if I may, I fancy myself a knower of what makes bbq special.
The locale in GG Park is for sitting on an autumn day, outside, with a putter and a pint. The Berkeley spot encourages a briefer visit, unless the ball on the seat marries perfectly with your nether regions and the massage makes you happier than the pulled pork most certainly will.
Make sure you have a side of the scalloped potatoes and a Blue Heron (from the tap shaped like a hawk) to go with your rubbin.

Seriously whats up with the hype?!?
I’m not going to waste my time to tell you all the reasons this place is sub par.

There are not many choices here and the portions are pretty small for the sizes, but I like their clean take out atmosphere. There are some bar seating indoor and a couple of small tables outside. The honky tonk bowl was a hot mess and I even asked for the coleslaw to be separate too. The coleslaw was pretty good and not all mayo and the barbecue brisket was smothered in a sauce that was actually pretty good and didn’t taste like all molasses. But the brisket piled on top of the scalloped potatoes on top of the baked beans. I’m sure the baked beans and scalloped potatoes were great, but I didn’t really get to taste much of it with all three mixed together like that. Also, I do like they use sustainable packaging products. Currently, they are applying for a liquor license.

Small space with 6 – 7 stools and two outdoor tables. The stools looked like metal tractor seats. You know, the ergonomically shaped ones? Apparently farmers have small butts because the sides of mine didn’t fit well in this seat and I’m only 160 lbs.
Anyway, I got their $ 12 plate which comes with two sides. I asked and the young lady said I could split the meat between brisket and pulled pork. For sides I chose the baked beans and scalloped potatoes. The meat came with a small drizzle of bbq sauce and a small cup of sauce on the side (see my pic).
Both meats came shredded and were very tender and juicy. Not much smokiness in either. I came across a few edge pieces that were more flavorful and you could see how thin a smoke ring there was (less than 1/​8″).
Slightly disappointing since they boast that their W’ham Turbo Cooker (
) is one of three on the West Coast, and talk about their 2 day smoking process on their website (
)
The sides were also mixed. The scalloped potatoes tasted great with a slight spiciness to them but were just a bit undercooked (slightly hard taters). The beans were very undercooked. I had 2 forks of hard beans and gave up on that.
The two ladies working today were very cheery and friendly.
BTW, they prepare the side dishes on location and the cooked meats are shipped across the bridge from their Golden Gate Park location (at the Golf Course pro-​shop /​restaurant).
Meats: 3.5 stars
Potatoes: 3.5 stars
Beans: 1 star

My goodness, this place is tasty.
I had the Veggie-​Q, one of the available sandwiches: slivers of smoked tofu with BBQ sauce and coleslaw on a roll.
Everything hit the spot — chewy and flavorful tofu, perfect amount of carefully spiced sauce, light coleslaw (I’m not a big fan of coleslaw, normally, but this was quite nice), satisfyingly crunchy roll from SemiFreddi’s. The sandwich was also just the right size — I generally avoid going out to lunch because it’s almost always more food than I really need, but this sandwich was just the right size.
The menu was small, but absolutely everything looked great. The two hard-​working ladies were super nice as well. This place will definitely move to the top of my Downtown Berkeley lunch rotation.

Ironwood BBQ is a new barbecue place that recently opened right next to Cinnaholics, the new vegan cinnamon bun place. (I like to imagine they’ve karmically cancelled each other out.)
The storefront and the menu itself is spare: pork in various forms, beef brisket, and a few sides are all that’s available.
At their recommendation, I had the brisket sandwich. It was beefy, but not really redolent of the smokiness or contrasting textures I’d expect from a smoked brisket. I was comped a bit of their spicy BBQ sauce as well, which amped it up a bit.
Since they’re such a new place and I can see they’re quite well-​meaning, I’m just going to put on my marketing hat and make some recommendations:
* It looks like getting something «Memphis Style» (i.e., with BBQ sauce and coleslaw right on the sandwich) is what makes the sandwich notable. Just make it part of standard sandwich, and don’t charge extra! If Bakesale Betty’s can get away with putting 8 pounds of coleslaw on a sandwich, so can they. It’ll make it unique, at least.
* Use a better roll. Spongy bread is fine for the South, but not Berkeley. Toasting covers some sins but not all. The sandwich is the gateway drug to the ribs, so it had better be good!
* Give the brisket a little character. Make it feel like it does right when it’s ready… for me, Phat Matt’s has the flavor I’m looking for, though I’d love something a bit more tender.
Anyway, I’ll keep watching (and reporting) to see how they do!

Ironwood BBQ is easy to pass when you’re walking down Oxford. It’s the new BBQ place in town. Move over Looney’s.
The menu is small. Just select your choice of meat and go to town! If you’re veg, they cater quite nicely to vegetarians as well. Ordered two items to split with my boyfriend. We got …
BBQ pulled pork sandwich (Memphis style) — $ 8.50: Pulled pork is not too hard to make — just toss the roast in the slow cooker, add liquid smoke, and rub with salt/​spices In a sandwich, it wasn’t too impressive. The meat was a little light on the flavor and a tad fatty. Maybe they forgot the sauce? I didn’t catch the tangy flavor! The sandwich itself was tiny — only a 6 incher. +Points for sourcing local Colombo brand French rolls
The bowl $ 7 — with beef brisket, slaw, baked beans, and scalloped potatoes was a pleaser! The brisket was so tender and flavorful — much better than the pork. Scalloped potatoes were cheesy, a little buttery, but balanced by the cole slaw. Baked beans are goooood. All in all, the combination of items made for a filling dish and a great sampler of most of the menu! For $ 1.50 less than the sandwich, more variety, and more flavor, choosing the bowl is a no-​brainer.
Things to note: the food is served «cafeteria style» so don’t expect a nice sit-​down, made-​when-​ordered meal. At 7:30pm (dinner time), the place was run by two women — one who worked the cashier and one who did everything else related to food prep. It wasn’t a very busy night, but considering the «cafeteria style» nature, the prep was a little on the slow side.