Podnah’s Pit Barbecue

This was on my bucket list and I am so glad we went. My husband and I split their biggest plate which was 24 dollars and easily filled us both up. I especially liked the pulled pork and pork ribs, the coleslaw had jalapeños, which was a nice touch! Add live music to listen to, and amazing banana pudding to finish it off, and I give it 5 stars!

After reading about Podnah’s Pit in a few Portland restaurant blog postings, I finally decided to head on up there for dinner this past Sunday night. We arrived around 6PM and was told there would be a 40 minute wait for a party of 2. Yikes! But my heart was set on it, so we decided to stay and just hang out at the bar while we waited for our table. Even though the bar was a bit crowded and full, it was the right decision to wait it out because our dinner was DELICIOUS! My friend and I shared The Pitboss: ¼ of brisket, ¼ of pulled pork, 2 ribs (that are full of meat), 1 sausage link, cornbread, and 2 sides. All of this for $ 24 — we shared this plate and STILL had leftovers. I’m not mad at that!
The service is great as well. Our server was very attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable with the menu as well as the specials. I would definitely recommend trying this restaurant out, as I will definitely be back again!

After long hours of debating with my wife on what BBQ joint to go to for my birthday.
Podnah’s was it.
From the service to obviously the delicious food.
I had the PitBoss.
I definitely felt like the boss and my taste buds were thankful.
A lot of food for a reasonable price.

Finally got another spot off my must-​try-​for-​science list. Well worth it.
Being more of a brunch person, I came by on the weekends for the special brunch menu, served from 9 to 1. There are several Tex-​Mex favorites, such as breakfast tacos, huevos rancheros, and migas.
BREAKFAST TACOS w/​BACON ($ 9): House-​made bacon. Don’t really need to say much more than that, but if you insist, there’s peppers, onions, eggs, and potatoes with that meat crack, all in a flour tortilla. Two tacos, and mild salsa on the side. Perfectly cooked potatoes. Thick, yet tender bits of bacon. Will travel far and wide to get this again.
Podnah’s serves Stumptown coffee, but yes, people were drinking alcohol in the morning. Because science. There are 6 – 8 taps, plus a full bar.
You can get any of Podnah’s sauces to go.
Regarding parking, I just parked on one of the side streets.
Little to no wait at 9:30 in the morning on the Saturday I went in mid-​December. Other dates and times could have different experiences.

I agree– this is a 3.5 star joint. I don’t want to return so I’m giving it a 3. I’ve developed a recent hankering for all things BBQ and Podnah’s has been on my must try list for awhile. I had the pulled pork plate with 2 sides, cornbread and a margarita. The pulled pork was dry, but drowning the meat with the accompanying sauces really helped out. Margarita and sides were nothing memorable and the cornbread was super dry and terrible. I love the outdoor seating and service was good, but unfortunately nothing worth repeating.

I love bbq food but I really have to be in the mood for it in order for me to give it a go. In fact, my own cousin works at a local bbq joint and I haven’t even been there in the almost two years I’ve been back in PDX. Whoops.
Anyway, my parents took me here and the only way I’ll eat BBQ is if (like I said) 1.) I’m in the mood or 2.) Someone else is taking care of the bill…
Okay, so Podnah’s is totally amazing and delicious. I had the pulled pork sandwich w/​slaw and a side of baked beans. I could bathe in those baked beans. The pulled poork was heaven and I could tell it was slow cooked. MMMMM. The slaw was awesome and had jalapeño in it so I would def ordered a side of that next time.
I love Podnahs, but next time I go I am for sure for sure for sure going for breakast because it looked PERFECT AND MOUTH WATERING.

Came here today for my first time. The atmosphere is real laid back and the service is awesome. Ordered the house special which was a turkey quarter hind, corn bread and a side in which I ordered collard greens. Let’s start with turkey, it was probably one of the best smoked meat I’ve had period. The corn bread and greens were bland and could need some flavoring, but doable. Tried their sauces and their sauces could use some flavoring as well as they were a little on the sour side.
Ordered the banana pudding for dessert and it was BOMB!!! Reminded me of the banana pudding my uncle used to make. I would recommend this place if you want good meat and banana pudding, but you might want to make your own sides and sauces.

If I could give it a 4.5 stars I would. We got the pit boss here which include brisket, sausage link, pork ribs, pulled pork, corn bread, potato salad and collard greens. All the meat was amazing, it was so tender, and the smoky flavor was definitely present. You know they put a lot of effort and work into these meats. The sides and corn bread was good too. The only reason it wasn’t a 5 star is because I felt the sauce they had was not bbq enough. The sauce was more of the sauce that you would get at McDonald to dip with the chicken nuggets, not the bbq sauce that you get at a bbq place. Other than that though everything was perfect. Service was good, parking was easy to find, food came out fast, generous portion, and decent pricing. I would definitely come back here.

Came here yesterday (on a Tuesday), with my boyfriend for the first time & for anyone who has never been here, they have different menus for lunch & dinner. During lunch time, they do not serve macaroni & cheese. Only at dinner time.
Honey & I ended up getting a full rack of ribs (Tuesday — ribs special, so it was a little bit cheaper than what was shown on the menu), plus a dollar off beers ($ 4 for draft)
The full rack of ribs came with cornbread, & 2 sides of your choice (we chose the beans & potato salad)
The cornbread was a huge disappointment. It was salty instead of sweet. We even added the honey to it & it was still a miss for us.
The ribs & beans however were DELICIOUS & the reason why we would be back.
The ribs were cooked to perfect with a lot of meat on them!!! I’ve been to many bbq spots where they served ribs where it was mostly bones, this place however hands down best ribs I’ve had in a very long time.
The beans were so good! I should’ve asked for it as 2 sides. It’s hard to explain, so try it for yourself.
Overall I would definitely be back for the ribs & beans. This time I would try the dinner menu because the macaroni & cheese looks delicious.
Also, service was good. :)

Came here based Unilocal reviews.
The food comes out really fast. Our server was awesome and super helpful in determining how much food I actually needed to order for 2 people.
We got the sampler and the mac & cheese side with jalapeño corn bread. So tasty. Not too spicy.
I would 100% eat here again and suggest you do too.

On another trip we ordered the Frito pie. It’s a mixture of Frito chips, cheese, onions and chili. Everyone loved it!
We also ordered the regular chili. In the past we thought it was too spicy buy today the spice level was much more tolerable.
Also had the sliced brisket. It didn’t disappoint.
The potato salad side was just amazing. They had nice spices on top.
The servers water very patient with all our questions!

You gotta love a ribs place like this place,
and it’s just 10 minutes from PDX. Succulent, smartly seasoned Saint Louis ribs were sensational — and without sauce. But sauce is available at the table if you’d like. At $ 2 a bone on Tuesdays (normally $ 2.75), it was a no-​brainer, and five bones (just under a half pound) had me quite full. The coleslaw was tasty and zippy, with the addition of sliced peppers to the usual veggie-​mix. Top it off with a slice-​of-​pie-​sized hunk of cornbread (and honey) and you may seriously consider skipping your next meal or two. They have a great selection of local beers, as well, but I skipped the brew to make more room for the ‘cue. And finally, the service was efficient, attentive, and cheery. I’ll be back.

This is probably the best experiences I had with a barbecue joint in Portland I had excellent service I got suggested the special everything was up to par I had great company and the service was just out of this world The macaroni with green chiles was exceptionally creamy and spicy not over spicy but just perfect catfish was fried to perfection and the tartar sauce is to die for and last but not least the cornbread and the baked broccoli with cheese with home made onion strings on the top it really doesn’t get any better than that I love this place thank you

If I could, I would rate Podnah’s as 3 ½ stars.
We stopped by on a Friday night for takeout close to closing time. We were staying at hotel nearby, and after driving 3 hours from Seattle, we just wanted some food that was close by. When you walk into the space, you can smell the smoke, which is always a good sign. We ended up sharing the Pit Boss, which included beef brisket, sausage, ribs, pulled pork, and a piece of cornbread. All were good, but I really liked the sausage. For our two sides, we got Cole slaw (different take on it, more pickle-​ly) and the potato salad, which was good and not filled with too much mayo.
Overall, the food was good. If I was interested in barbecue in Portland, I would stop by again.

Wow, I guess the PNW does know how to do Southern BBQ!
This food was fantastic! The brisket was one of the most tender briskets I have had! The green chili mac n cheese was amazing!
Cool location, great service, awesome food, and nice prices. Will definitely return when in town next.

Date of service: Feb 14 & July 20, 2015
Meal: Lunch, eat in
All Ratings out of 10:
Quality of food: 9
Food to Spend Value: 7
Quality of Service: 7
Overall Rating: 8
If you follow any of my reviews, you know that I love BBQ, and I commiserate the lack of top notch BBQ in the Pacific NW. When planning a trip earlier in the year I found a list that ranked their top 33 BBQ joints in the US, and lo and behold I found an entry that was in the Pacific NW. I made it a mission to visit Podnah’s Pit in Portland.
I was amazed how busy the place was on a Saturday. That is generally a good sign, and the BBQ smells overtaking my nostrils made me even more eager to try it out. The menu is fairly simple but still packs a lot of punch. A couple of things ordered at the table included a pulled pork sandwich with potato salad and a beef brisket sandwich with collard greens. The meats on both had a wonderful smoked flavor and were very moist, and the sides were also top notch. The sandwiches were also not stingy on the meat, providing a very hefty hearty sandwich.
I was super hungry, so I went with the Pitboss, which packs your plate with ¼ lb brisket, ¼ lb pulled pork, 2 pork ribs, 1 sausage link, a piece of corn bread, and 2 sides of your choosing. I went with potato salad and BBQ beans. As already mentioned the pulled pork was fantastic, and the brisket was sliced rather than chopped like on the sandwich and melted in my mouth. The ribs had a great flavor and were also very tender, and the sausage link, besides being quite large, had a fabulous flavor. The potato salad was extremely well done, and the BBQ beans caused a flavor explosion in my mouth. I was completely stuffed when I was done, but I was also completely satisfied.
I had the opportunity to return a few months later, and I essentially made my own variation of the Pitboss by ordering ¼ rack of ribs, a bunch of brisket, and a sausage link, along with cornbread and the same 2 sides I had the last time. The meat was just as flavorful, moist, and tender as I remembered, and the sides and cornbread were also fantastic. There is something to be said for consistency, and Podnah’s Pit delivered!
You could argue that Podnah’s Pit is a bit pricey, and I would agree with that statement. Even so, the portion size and quality are excellent. The service wasn’t amazing but was attentive enough, likely in large part due to how busy the place was. The atmosphere of the place definitely felt like a Texas BBQ joint, and on the Saturday we were there they even had a country crooner band playing live to add to the overall feel. Podnah’s Pit doesn’t serve the best BBQ I have ever had, but it does serve the best BBQ I have had in the Pacific NW. If you want really good BBQ and are close to Portland, you should head on over and satiate your taste buds!

We went there on my birthday for a special meal and I really enjoyed the food there. It isn’t what I would consider the best BBQ but what I feel how Portland would do BBQ. I ordered the Pitboss which has a little bit of everything. The meats were all seasoned but they seemed to lack the flavor that I’ve had at some other BBQ establishments. Yes, I can understand dry rub and you put the sauce on later to let the BBQ shine. But the sausage was just dry. Also, if you’re looking for fall off the bone or melt in your mouth feel, you won’t find it in the ribs. You’ll definitely find it in their brisket though. I need to cut the middleman and just have their brisket. Never tasted so melty meaty goodness before. If you’re looking to taste the love in their ribs, well… I could taste the like in them.
My child friends, ok kids, were able to order a couple of ribs and cornbread which they enjoyed heartily. They could have eaten a third but I had to cut them off somewhere.
I really like the look of this restaurant but it’s not quite what I would consider when I think of a BBQ place. It was a bit too austere for that. Our server was very good, she took great care of us. And I ordered one of their cocktails and it was probably one of the best cocktails I’ve had in a while. I would like to go back and try more of their offerings, this place definitely is on the rotation.

I can barely remember my life before Podnah’s. You won’t believe this but I actually hated pork. The look, smell, taste, everything about it. Feeling adventurous one day, I decided to take a sample of the pulled pork from my boyfriends plate. Wow! It was kind of the best thing I have ever tasted. I don’t really enjoy ribs either, but Podnah’s ribs are incredibly delicious. They were dry and I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing, but I certainly enjoyed it.
The wait can be long at times and they don’t take reservations. I have waited as little as 10 minutes and have seen a 90 minute wait (didn’t stay that time). The service is quick and friendly. The décor could be better. Overall, it’s an easy 5 stars and one of the top 5 places I like to bring visitors.

The first thing that caught my attention was the disclaimer on the bottom of the menu which enforced two credit/​debit transactions per table which is something I’ve never seen before. This would never fly in Vancouver due to the cost of living and purchasing trends. I inquired about this disclaimer and our server was polite in explaining the reason which was processing times and efficiency.
We got in just before the dinner rush.
I had the brisket which was so flavourful that it didn’t need any sauce. The meat just fell off the fork it was so tender.
Mac and cheese was smooth and creamy.
The pinto beans were runny and was more like a pinto bean soup. This was a free side, therefore, no large points deducted but something to keep in mind.
Ribs were nice and tender.
The customer service was spot on the ball. We were both served in under 10 minutes. The prices were reasonable.
Lots of seats with rustic clean wood interior.

Portland, day 2, stop 3, dinner
Brisket — ³⁄₅ — Fatty pieces were had good flavor and average moistness. Lean pieces were not moist at all.
Pork ribs — ⁴⁄₅
Lamb shoulder — ⁴⁄₅
Lamb ribs — ⁵⁄₅ — Amazing
Overall, the smoked lamb ribs are «as good as it gets.»