Leatha’s Bar-B-Que Inn

This Resteraunt is good. I had heard some really positive remarks about it and decided to give it a try. I found the bbq to be above average but no means great. The baked beans are straight out of a can and the Cole slaw has «mustard» as their secret ingredient.

Best BBQ I’ve ever had! Sauce would make anything taste good. Pork ribs are fall off the bone! Friendly staff, warm and welcoming.

The best overall BBQ joint I have ever been to. What a phenomenal BBQ experience in of all places Hattiesburg, MS. The ambiance is excellent, no glitz and glam very casual with family style tables and great BBQ themed decorations and photo of the family on the wall. The family run joint has great and entertaining service. The star hear is the food, start with the secret slaw which is some of the best I have ever had. Then get some hot rolls with real butter. Next comes the star of the show, this place is pork driven so the staff recommended the ribs and they were some of the best I have ever had. Baby backs that were meaty and so tender you barely needed to chew. The sauce was exactly how I like it, the perfect balance of spicy and sweet. The baked beans were also excellent as a side. If I wasn’t so full I would have gotten the pecan pie that also looked great. Overall this place I found to be way better than The Shed and is probably the best BBQ in Mississippi.

Just good plain average bbq except their sauce is awesome! Not much got décor, just an good olé fashioned building with plywood floors. When in the area worth a visit here over fast food.

From out of town and stopped in looking for some good bbq. I like to support local joints anytime I can and this is definitely not your run of the mill bbq joint.
We left with a Jumbo plate of pork ribs and chicken with sides of fried potatoes and baked beans. While I wasn’t crazy about the chicken, the pork ribs were spot on. We thought the flavor was good with and without the sauce. Really enjoyed the baked beans as well.
We’ve decided this is definitely where to go to get your bbq pork on! Try it!

On Monday night I wrote a review for a BBQ place in Metter, GA where everything was totally on point — except the meat. Well, the owners of these two places ought to meet up and join forces, because the meat here is killer but everything else? Loaded with sugar instead of flavor.
* Sides: Came out before the meal. Never had that before. I chalked it up to local customs. The potato salad was made with hard boiled eggs — unusual, but delicious. Avoid the «special recipe» slaw. The secret ingredient is honey mustard, and lots of it. It’s bizarrely sweet and yellow. Maybe try the beans?
* Sauce: One sauce. It tastes like a bottle of molasses added to ketchup. Way too sweet, to the point that I regretted adding more to my meat. Made it difficult to finish the meal.
* Tea: Sweetest sweet tea I’ve ever had. Or maybe it was just compounding all the other sugar I was already consuming in the dinner.
Needless to say, I didn’t have dessert after all that sugar. Again though, the meat is incredible. I asked for a full rib plate and they gave me half beef and half pork. The beef is really tender and probably moist enough to be eaten on its own without sauce (which is definitely what you want to do). The pork is pink all the way through with smoky flavor and most definitely doesn’t need sauce. The pork ribs came out crispy — were they reheated? I don’t know, but I liked it.
I don’t know what passes for BBQ in Mississippi. Maybe this is typical style here. But compared to the other BBQ I’ve had elsewhere, it needs about a cup of sugar removed from all of the ingredients before I can say it ranks.

Is Leatha’s the best BBQ in Hattiesburg? Many would say yes. Is it the best BBQ in Mississippi? Or The South, like some have stated here? No. Meanwhile, the typical scenario where people read about a place, and because they read something about how great it is, they agree simply to be in line with popular media, which I believe is the case for so many 5-​star ratings here.
To me, however, for anything to be ranked a 5-​star, it must be one of the best BBQ meals you’ve ever had. And, honestly, unless you normally eat at Dickey’s and Sonny’s or eat the pulled pork sandwich at Wendy’s, this isn’t anywhere near the best BBQ you’ve ever had. I’ve spent the last 15 years traversing the US and eating BBQ in shacks, restaurants and high end spots, and Leatha’s remains average compared to most of the best spots.
I’m not a hater, rather a realist. We enjoyed our time here, particularly due to the friendly family atmosphere. It’s clear the restaurant is clearly in the family tree. And, the dining experience is fun and different. The building looks like it was a vacant storage building for an old farm, even through it’s minutes from society.
But, we came here expected world-​class BBQ and didn’t get it. You’ll find the menu is small and simple. We did like the chicken. The chicken fell off the bone, but that’s the case with most BBQ places. The pulled pork tasted like pulled pork, just like it does everywhere else. There’s nothing in either of these meats to set them on top of the elite competition. We did, however, enjoy the side salad which came with homemade ranch dressing and crisp greens, rather than poor iceberg lettuce like you’d normally get at a BBQ place in Mississippi. The fried potatoes are simply fried potatoes. Nothing special, as is the bland, grocery store type roll.
Sure, Leatha’s is a place to go in Hattiesburg and all the visiting sports teams and fan that come to play the Golden Eagles seem to end up here. And, it’s decent BBQ, but not the best in Miss, or the South or the US. If you believe that — it’s time to branch out more. It might, however, yield the best hospitality.

«Wow, look at all the four and five star reviews!» you say. «Why should I listen to the guy who gave it two stars?» you say. Let me tell you:
Boiling.
There.
First, you oughtta know I’ve eaten BBQ all over the place, a few places in Texas and Oklahoma, a few more in Memphis, and an enormous amount over the years in Kansas City, not to mention all the places I’ve hit in travels here and there. I’ve even had a bit of that South Carolina BBQ some people like. The one thing all these quintessential styles have in common? Nothing is boiled, for Pete’s sake.
There are those who think that the secret to moist and tender BBQ is pre-​boiling the meat. It’s not so much a secret as a cheap shortcut (if not a dirty trick). Yes, even a beginner can make tender BBQ that way, but a real pitmaster doesn’t need to cheat.
Boiled BBQ is tender all right, so much it falls off the bone. Now people like to say they like ribs that fall off the bone, but they usually don’t mean it literally. Like, if you pick up the end of a bone and lift it, it comes out clean and the meat stays on the plate. That’s what you get at Leatha’s.
And moist? Not so much moist as soaking wet. It’s BBQ for people with no teeth. It could come in jars. Gerber’s BBQ. It’s like eating BBQ and drinking a tall glass of warm water at the same time. You don’t walk away waddling, you walk away sloshing.
So why two stars instead of one? It was, hands down, the best boiled BBQ I’ve ever had. I can even see me having liked it when I was a kid before I discovered real BBQ. It’s got some smoke, it’s not over-​seasoned, really not bad for sopping wet meat. I can see how people who have never had good BBQ might really like it. And so far, I’ve found no good BBQ down here in Southern Mississippi (don’t get mad, locals, that’s just my experience so far). Nevertheless, I wouldn’t eat at Leatha’s again unless somebody I was with insisted AND they were buying.
And while the BBQ is half water, everything else is half sugar. The sauce tastes like someone took a jar of Memphis style sauce and mixed it four to one with simple syrup. Somebody remarked you could make lollipops out of it, it was so sweet. That was not hyperbole or exaggeration. That was a dead accurate description.
The potato salad was incredibly sweet. Never had it that way before. The baked beans tasted like a can of Bush’s honey-​baked beans with a couple of tablespoons of sugar mixed in. Even the coleslaw was sweet. Actually, the coleslaw, which I usually hate, wasn’t bad. The sugar covered the bitter in the cabbage, and there was none of that nasty celery seed in there. It was more a vinegar and sugar with a little salt dressing like you usually find with sliced cucumbers and onions or in a three bean salad.
Sadly, the rolls, while not sweet, were baked from sour dough that night. No, not sourdough, I mean dough that had been left out so long it went seriously sour. Ever smelled rotten bread dough? This is the first time I’ve ever tasted it. I hope it’s not that way every time. If it is, somebody has a very wrong idea about dough fermentation.
The thing that really made me sad, though, was I loved the atmosphere. Great building and interior for a BBQ joint, relaxed, comfortable, lots of character. If you like mushy BBQ and all your sides sweet as candy, this is your place. But it isn’t mine.

Found Leatha’s on Unilocal on way through Hattiesburg to Jackson. All I can say is DO NOT MISS this gem! The portions are big. My big football player couldn’t finish the ribs. Sweet family service. We will be back!

Excellent food! The staff is friendly, they provide good portions for decent prices. The place is a little hidden, but a great gem for traditional southern BBQ! The beef I got was so succulent it melted in my mouth. Mmm.

This was my first visit to Leatha’s but it won’t be my last! I ordered the Lunchtime Small Portion Beef Rib Plate ($ 13.99) with potato salad, baked beans, pecan pie and sweet tea. The beef ribs were excellent and very sweet. The potato salad was delicious. The baked beans were average. The pecan pie was excellent as well ($ 4.00). Servers kept my large glass of tea full but I was disappointed that Leatha’s does not serve coffee which would have been great with that pecan pie! This «Lunchtime Special» cost me a few pennies short of $ 20 not including tip. For a senior citizen that is steep for lunch but I certainly would be willing to do it again!

We stopped at Leatha’s on our way back from the beach. Based upon the 5 star reviews we were looking forward to a great meal. However we had 2 star experience. The ribs were adequate at best, over cooked till the wouldn’t hold a bone. The sauce was good at first taste but was so sweet it was unpalatable after the first couple bites. The fried potatoes were extremely greasy which means the oils not hot enough. Slaw was bland and the pulled pork was so fatty to be inedible. My son loved the half chicken and the ladies serving and taking orders were very nice. However, I can’t recommend the food to anyone, too greasy, too sweet, no spice, not enough salt. Below average restaurant at best. Sorry, I really wanted to like this place, kind of had a little bit of the original Dreamland in Tuscaloosa vibe, kitschy cool, but the food really let it down big time.

wonderful BBQ. I had the 4 meat plate. it tasted wonderful and the pork ribs were the best! the plate is served with two large sides, rolls, and a pitcher of sauce. the sauce is like syrup. the potato salad is very mustardy — as is the secret cole slaw. the staff is very friendly.

It’s been awhile since my last visit to Leatha’s, but this place is the real deal and I highly recommend!
After a day of driving through Virginia, Tennessee, and Alabama, we were in serious need of some southern food and Hattiesburg was more than happy to provide! Seated at a table with wash clothes for napkins and extra large cups of sweet tea, the Bar-​B-​Que feast was nothing less than perfection.
If you are in the area — do yourself a favor and check out Leatha’s!!!

Solid BBQ spot in Hattiesburg. It should be noted I’m more of a dry rub kinda guy, but there isn’t much to complain about at Leathas. The restaurant is exactly what you would want a down-​home BBQ joint to look like and the staff couldn’t be nicer. I got the mixed ribs and truth be told it was too much food, but I ate it all. Meat was fall off the bone tender. Beans were also spot on, but I could have done without the cole slaw as it was simply mixed with honey mustard. It’s a local joint and this time the locals don’t love it because it’s the only option… they love it cuz its good! Go and check it out… you will be glad you did.

This place is not at all what it’s pumped up to be. Before I came to Hattiesburg I was constantly told this was the place to end all places (ok, exaggerating a little).
No matter, it’s good, but I’ve made better. If you’re going to smoke, make the flavor go through out. Their smoke flavor only goes the first half inch of the roast, the rest is just cooked. I started to think they parboil before putting in the grill, I can’t confirm but I can’t help but wonder.
The sauce, HEAVY on brown sugar, could make lollipops out of the stuff. It was tasty, but it’s merely a tool to cover up the lack of pork ands smoke flavor.
I’m one and done here.

I realize that this place is very well known and has been in business for decades. My opinion is that its reputation exceeds reality. This week I had the pulled pork sandwich plate for lunch. I thought the pork was very basic in taste. Their sauce is extremely sweet. Too much so for me. I also had their beans and slaw. Both were 3’s but the pulled pork was a 2. Service was average.
I have also had their chicken before and wasn’t impressed. Perhaps their ribs are good however I am not a big rib fan. Also they do not serve any brisket here.
I am sorry but I have had far better bbq from many other places. Perhaps years ago it was better but my experiences leave a lot to be desired.

This restaurant is exactly what I think of when I think smokey bbq. Shed appearance on the outside with plywood floors on the inside. Just looking at the place makes you wanna eat meat. Extra star for Packer memorabilia. I had the pork ribs with salad. Ribs are very tender, falling off the bone. Sauce is sweet, doesn’t take much to flavor the ribs. I don’t love salad in general and wouldn’t get it here again. Good for groups, long term girlfriends, day out with the guys. Not a place for first dates.

I’ve always been a fan of Gates new in Kansas city but this place could give it a run for its money. Great food and and amazing slaw. I will be coming back!

I haven’t been to Hattiesburg in over 20 years, but last weekend we took the RV out for a quick spin and headed to Picayune and then Hattiesburg for a quick day trip.
We didn’t arrive in town until 2:00 PM and were ready to eat lunch. I pulled out my phone, clicked on the Unilocal app and filtered out the top rated restaurants. Low and behold, Leatha’s was the top rated pick so we opted to give it a try. The address is correct in Unilocal,however, the map location is not correct. The restaurant sits way back off the highway, so it’s easy to miss if you are not paying attention to the signage on Hwy 98.
Anyway, we found the place with not too much trouble and there was plenty of room for RV parking off to the side of the restaurant. The building itself is very unassuming, but in a cool, rustic kind of way. And you can see the small smokehouse outside the restaurant where «all the magic happens».
When we walked in, we noticed that there were plenty of picnic style tables setup and the floors were unfinished plywood; all of which added to the rustic charm. We were immediately greeted by our server Glenda, who was the nicest and most attentive server ever. She introduced us to Ms. Leatha’s 2 daughters that run the place now that she has passed away. However, Ms. Leatha’s picture resides on the wall right above the entrance to the kitchen as a reminder of her legacy. We were told that only her daughters have the recipe to her secret BBQ sauce.
Now to the food. My wife and I split the four meat plate, which included a ¼ chicken, pulled pork, pork ribs and beef ribs. The chicken was super juicy and cooked to perfection. The skin was slightly crisped with a deep smoky flavor. The generous serving of pulled pork was so tender that a simple stab with the fork shredded it up one bite at a time. The pork ribs were as tender as I imagined and fell off the bone as soon as you bit into them. However, it was the beef ribs that truly one me over and made me such a huge fan. I’ve eaten a lot of BBQ, and some places just don’t know how to cook beef ribs as I’ve had then served tough and sometimes rubbery. However, Leatha’s beef ribs (served off the bone) are just as tender as the pulled pork and they melted in your mouth. I would have liked to gnaw on a beef bone, but these are the best beef ribs I’ve ever had.
All of Leathas’s BBQ is served with their secret sauce on the side. And when I say on the side, I mean we got a mug and a small pitcher of BBQ sauce along with a platter of delicious hot rolls. The sauce has just the right blend of sweet/​vinegar/​tangy flavor that is best kept a secret. For those who don’t like BBQ sauce, the smoked flavor from Leatha’s smoker is delicious all on its own. However, I’m a «saucy» guy and poured it on thick.
The potato salad was ok and featured huge chunks of potatoes mixed throughout. It definitely had a little bit of a mustard aftertaste with it though. The cole slaw was just ok and also had a pronounced «mustardy» taste as well. I’m not a huge mustard guy, so I thought these sides were just ok. However, the baked beans were delicious and had a pronounced BBQ/​brown sugar sweetness that I would definitely recommend.
This place is very kid friendly and they encouraged my picture taking, which I politely asked before proceeding. All in all, we left very happy and very full.