R & W Bar B Que

One star because it SUCKS that after 12 years, R&W BBQ has permanently CLOSED their doors.
This was primarily due to the plans of the building owner to demolish the O-​L-​D building. But also, Mayetta (the owner) decided it was time to finally retire.
I will miss R&W BBQ, not only because of the good food they had, but also friendships that had been built up since I’ve been going there.

Some of my fellow Unilocalers advised me that this business is family owned and closed during the month of August for vacation. I will most certainly try R&W.gotta support the small business and I hear the BBQ is good. will let you know ;)

A friend and I ended up at R&W after we couldn’t find a more well know BBQ joint. It was the best decision we ever made!
Yes the place is small, yes it is a little worn and yes they do run out of food but the food…
We asked for the rib lunch special with the sauce on the side and greens. At first glance our ribs looked plain but then we took a bite… THE MOST AMAZING FLAVORS I HAVE EVER TASTED BURST INTO MY MOUTH! And this was before tasting the AMAZING SAUCE, which I pratically drank. Of course the greens were perfect. It was soooo good I asked for a piece of chicken, which they ran out of soooo… another rib of course!!! Amazing, amazing AMAZING!!!
I will go back and I will always recommended this as the best BBQ I have ever eaten. I will call ahead and I will take out!
Don’t miss it!

The slice beef is the bomb diggy so are the red beans an rice and the Greens. Wasn’t feelin the peach cobbler tho.

I wish I could make it a half a star… or no stars. It was truly one of the worst meals I’ve ever attempted to eat. As long as I live, I will remember this place to be sure that I will never return. It was 7:30pm on a Saturday night when we walk through the front door. Neither of us smelled any food being kept hot, but we decided to order anyway. I asked for the boneless pork with beans and candied yams and my partner asked for the boneless beef with the beans and potato salad. They were out of the sliced beef, so she went with the hot links. As I looked around, I noticed 6 – 7 already grilled, stubby, gray hot dog looking things on the cold grill. We waited a good half an hour for our food which I thought was odd for bbq joint. And, while we were waiting I heard the microwave go on and off several times. I hate it when mom and pop places use microwaves. It just screams food poisoning to me. We got our food and brought it home to dig in. My pork had more fat in it than I would have liked and sure enough. those stubby hot dog looking things on the cold grill were the hot links. My partner took her first bite and looked at me very disappointingly. She said they tasted like hot dogs. The beans were from a can. The potato salad was mass produced, not homemade. And, the candied yam looked like someone had very thinly sliced a sweet potato, poured white table sugar on it and microwaved it for several minutes. Extremely disappointing! On top of all that, what little I did eat kept me belching all night, with a stomach ache and heartburn. NEVER AGAIN!

As long as I live I will always remember this place. My wife and i were on our anniversary and we were actually looking for another bbq restaraunt but got lost. I went on Unilocal and found R & W and saw that it had great reviews so my wife and I decided to try out their food. I have been to better looking establishments and Bigger BBQ Chains, this is by far was the best bbq i have had since i’ve been in California these last 11 years. The owner and her son were both excellent hosts. They were NICE and you don’t find that alot now days. They appreciated you for dining there and it made us feel welcome. At the end of our meal the owner found out that it was our Anniversary and gave us some cake. She found out that I was a diabetic and scolded me for drinking the soda. I thought that was cute because it showed she cared about people. When we left I felt that we were leaving family but swore we would see them again. To those that like good bbq and great conversation and personality, this is the place for you. To the Owner… thank you for the Diet Soda. We will never forget you.
Love the Allens

When you walk in to this small bbq joint, there is a Kobe Bryant poster and then a signed photograph of Kobe, Shaq, Malone, and Payton. Next to these two pictures is a Chicago Bulls poster from around 1997 and the caption over the poster is «King of Rings.»
I have just finished my first pulled pork sandwich from R & W and I think the King of Rings is apt. I was perfect. Messy on the bun but not so messy that you couldn’t actually eat it. The pork was juicy and tasty. But the sauce is what made it so amazing. The owner asked me how I like the sauce and I told her I like it spicy. The sauce is the sort of spicy that fires up your taste buds without searing your lips and tongue.
My only regret is that I didn’t have enough cash to get a side of chili.
I just finished my first time from R & W. Later today I may have to go back for my second!

Did you make this chili from scratch?
Is that a mini sweet potato pie?
Are these ribs ALL for me?
Are those bullet holes in the window?
These are questions that might come out of your mouth at R & W. My advice is to shut up, stuff your mouth with this delicious food, and keep your elbows off the table (this is a family joint). The only question you’ll be left with is «can I have some more?»

BBQ the way it should be. Family run, slow cooked, and with plenty of soul. The portions on my pulled pork supplied a huge left over lunch, and dont let the bullet holes scare you off, lightning doesnt strike twice.
Coming back to try the collards which were out.

The best BBQ I’ve ever had in my life. Since I’ve never really been to the south (save for a short trip to NOLA), I can’t speak for the amazing fare you can get there. In So Cal, this place is by far the best. My only problem with this place is deciding on what to eat. Their ribs and pulled pork are amazing. Their sides are to die for. I’m not a big fan of cole slaw, but this is the only place where I love it. They also have good catfish.
The place is a little hole in the wall with very little seating, it takes them a while to prepare your food, and they can have an erratic schedule. However, this is a small price to pay to eat some of the best food in the U.S. There are two restaurants I have to go to every time I’m back in L.A. and this is one of them. Go now!

CASH ONLY
Awesome and home-​style bbq place! Staff is very friendly and helpful.
their food is great and for a good price! surprisingly the rice and gravy was awesome! their bbq is really good, i like the sliced beef, big portion! some of their dishes are only available till they run out so come early before the dinner rush.
Their peach cobbler is OMG AMAZING! It’s so good, I was contemplating stealing my friend’s while she wasn’t looking!
Limited seating here so it’s easier to get it ‘to go’

came here once again as part of our halloween time pre-​queen mary haunt dinner tradition. once again did not disappoint. i ordered the pulled pork dinner like last time and boyfriend got the bbq pork rib like last time. OMG just as good as i remembered. i loove their rice and gravy! pulled pork with their spicey bbq is so tangy and just the right amount of sweet. the lady helping us this time was the lady that helped us last time. we told her about the incident of last time but she didn’t remember us. she did wish us a merry christmas and happy new year for when we come back, it wont be till next year. sweet lady but most importantly, AMAZING food.

A-​frickin-​MAZING!
Pulled Pork BBQ Dinner with the Hot Sauce.
Sides: Rice with Gravy, and Collard Greens.
I order this EVERY single time. Sure there are bullet holes in the window but this place is totally worth the 30 minute wait for your food.
ALL of their desserts are made from scratch daily and are DEEEEELISH!
This is my favorite restaurant in ALL of Long Beach.

Food was great and prices were good… staff was very welcoming and pleasant.
I had the lunch special pulled pork and coleslaw w/​a slice of cornbread. Sauce was excellent and meat was even better… you could taste the smokey flavoring even under the great sauce.
Will go back for sure as I overheard the staff discussing what homemade pie they were going to make.

Well, there are some real good and bad ideas at work here.
The Pulled Pork was great. Cooked perfectly. My combination sweet /​hot BBQ sauce was neither, so I am confused.
The potato salad tasted great, but had also been slathered with hot BBQ sauce so I can’t accurately describe it.
My baked beans were great, but I am almost 100% sure they were canned Campbells or Van Dee Kamps.
The service was kind of comically bad. The front door to the place was a heavy duty screen door, that was locked. The woman inside scowled, walked over to it, unlocked it and then walked back behind the counter giving me nasty looks as though I had locked it, when I was the one locked out.
They wouldn’t let me do my bbq litmus test of getting pork and brisket as a combo because I was told over the phone that you can’t get pork and beef together, and I was also told I can only get fries with fish.
Not a bad place overall, but Porky’s slays this joint. Go there if you have the choice.

The catfish is very fishy… maybe try the red snapper instead.
The shrimp is very good. Butterflied and generously breaded with a fine batter, they are hot and crunchy.
These «catch of the day» dinners are fried. The menu says they can come with 2 sides (which I’ve heard is not the case) or ALL FRIES. The fries are crinkle cut. Crisp and hot — not at all soggy.
Not too crazy about the sausage which was like a slightly spicy grilled hot dog. Not a good snap either.
Note: The Gumbo (or was it Jambalaya?) wasn’t available. Apparently they don’t make it when it’s hot out because they say it’ll sour. I wasn’t too upset because it’s $ 13 but I’ll probably get it next time they have it just to try.

Everyone is right! The food there is awesome. We live in the neighborhood and they smoke the meat outside their place… you can smell it in the air in the afternoons! That is the best advertising they could ever do!

Good olé’ comfort food does a soul good.
This place has been here for a while and one that I have traveled by numerous times in the past. It’s one of those places that you store deep in your memory saying that you’ll try it later and then finally get the bright light on that food crave to finally try it.
It’s a small corner place with 3 tables in it. Like most bbq places of this size the better option is to have it to go. But the people who run the place seem so friendly that eating here might be a good option.
The first thing I noticed when I place my order was a tray of small pies behind her near the store. Of course, there’s no way I’m passing up freshly baked goods I don’t care what it is. I asked what pie it was and she said it was sweet potato.
She said it would be a 20 — 30 minute wait which seems standard considering the other reviews. As I was waiting the older woman behind the counter was trying to get my attention. We had a good laugh because I was in a daze staring at the TV. It’s these neighborhood places like these where you find the customers come in and engage in a bit of small talk that gives it it’s charm.
The cooked handed me my order and I knew he missed putting my pie in the bag. So I made sure and the I asked the woman behind the counter and excused herself for forgetting. Just as she handed me my pie she said ‘to be careful ’cause it’s kinda warm, we just took it out of the oven’. Ah, that was a melody to my ears. A freshly baked pie. I know some don’t care for it but I like sweet potato but it hits me quite well. The crust seemed store bought but the filling was definitely hand made. This pie had a nice cinnamon /​nutmeg to with the pie not being overly sweet.
I ordered the boneless pork dinner with hot sauce. The styrofoam container was filled with tender chopped pork in a nicely done bbq sauce. I guess the cook forgot I ordered hot sauce because it tasted mild to me. Although the meal comes with cornbread, it needed some Wonder bread because there’s a lot of meat to pile on. My side of Red beans and rice, again, tasted homemade. Bits of smokey pork meat mingled in with the beans made it a winner.
I think the only thing disappointing about my meal was the cole slaw which was store bought. That being the exception everything else was good. Not the best but good enough to feed your soul.

Oh my! Megan C introduced me to the tasty goodness that is R&W on Sunday. It truly is amazing food. I had the lunch sized BBQ pork that came with a side and corn bread. A bit smaller than the dinner size. I wish I had ordered the dinner size, just for the leftovers and extra side. The BBQ is served with a wonderful sauce, I had the sweet and spicy mixed sauce. The baked beans are incredible and I had bites of the coleslaw (creamy and sweet, so good with the spice of the BBQ) and candied yams (like dessert… there is a reason these sell out quickly). They also have hot links, chicken, catfish, snapper etc.
This is one of those spots you don’t want to share because it will get bombarded with people… but the woman who made our food was so sweet and food so good, you need to share it so she can spread her food love… The food takes about 20 minutes to prepare, so if you don’t want to sit inside or wander over to the shady indoor swap market while waiting, call ahead. (by the way, the Puka bar is right down the street and is a good spot to hit while waiting for your food, but they don’t open till 2:00 on Sundays…)

Since leaving L.A. I’ve been missing fried catfish something awful. You know what’s crazy? It’s been right under my nose this whole time. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve driven by R & W, never really giving it a chance. One night we were at the Puka and decided to walk down and try it out.
Guess what? Their catfish is as good (maybe better) than Chef Marilyn’s in L.A. Their black-​eyed peas are the best I’ve ever had, their potato salad is to die for, their greens perfectly cooked, and their cornbread is a thing of beauty. My dining companion and I split the catfish plate with two sides plus greens and cornbread and it was more than enough for two. All under 10 bucks. Sweet.
The place is a little dated and slightly suspect – just get your food to go. Last time we were there, I wanted to try the peach cobbler, but they were all out; I hear it goes quick. Next time, I think I’ll try the BBQ chicken with a huge slice of peach cobbler.
I only wish they had macaroni and cheese and sweet tea on their menu. I would seriously never leave.
FYI: They are closed on Tuesday and for the entire month of August. August is going to be such a sad month.
Update: It pains me to do this, but I’m changing my review to 3 stars because of their service. I suggested R&W catering for my bridal shower to my maid of honor and she went in there and was given so much attitude. I’m sorry, but if you’re going in to a restaurant to ask about a pretty big catering order, you should get better service than that. Not to mention, they probably need the business. The lady was extremely rude and seemed terribly inconvenienced with my friend’s questions. She couldn’t give her an estimate and told her «I don’t know. I’m going to have to call you back on this. I’m busy.» She never called her. Oh well R&W, we went with someone else.