Boston Barbecue - North Andover

Great secret hidden in Andover! Price per person: $20–30 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5 Recommended dishes: Sliced Beef Brisket

Edit to my original post: after speaking with the owner, we decided to give Boston Barbecue another try. We ordered the same two meats brisket and pulled pork with collard greens and potato salad. The minute we were served our meals we knew it was not what we had on our first visit. The brisket was moist and delicious with the attached fat which made it tender. The pork was also delicious and we added some of their sauce to it. The collards were cooked perfectly, which isn’t easy. The potato salad was good and we enjoyed every component of our meal. Great job Boston Barbecue! Thank you for responding to my post. We will be back. Original post: I really don’t like to give such a bad review, but after speaking with friends I decided that it was necessary. We went on a Friday night for dinner and were excited to try it out as we have had a lot of barbecue in other states and wanted to try a local place. We were the only diners initially and a woman came over to greet us. Not super friendly but informative. We ordered Cajun catfish bites to start, brisket for one dinner and brisket with pulled pork for the other. Both had sides of Cole slaw and beans with a piece of cornbread. We got drinks from the bar and waited for our starter to come. After 30 minutes I caught the server’s attention and asked about the catfish bites. She kind of brushed me off and said they would be right out. There was only one other table of diners and their starter had already come out. Ten more minutes passed and the cook walked by. I asked him about the starter and he said it was probably put in with the dinner order and he would get it right out. I told him I do not like the starter and dinner to come out the same time hence the name “starter” and he said it would be no problem. Yes it was, as 5 minutes later everything came out together. Ugh. We put the dinner aside and ate the Cajun catfish bites. I expected Cajun catfish to have a seasoning, be a little spicy, something reminiscent of being Cajun. It was plain fried small bits of catfish. Not what I expected but ok not great. We started our dinners still hopeful. The cornbread was a very small rectangular piece of dry tasteless cornbread with no honey butter which was advertised. The Cole slaw was supermarket quality but edible. I was hoping to have the beef and pork in my beans which it said on the menu, but they were like canned Campbell’s baked beans with no meat. The brisket was so bad it was incredibly dry and tough and must have been several days old and reheated many times. I couldn’t eat it. The pulled pork was ok and the best thing on our plates. No one came by to check to see how our dinners were but left the check. They brought boxes which I was happy for as I was bringing the meat home for the dog. I ate one bite from each part of my meal and that was it. Honestly it was the worst barbecue and also the worst meal I have ever had in an establishment. I had to cut the meat into very small pieces for our dog as she is older and her teeth aren’t great. For a lousy meal it wasn’t cheap either it cost almost $65 for just our food. Sorry Boston Barbecue but that was horrible.

Our lunch order was delivered on-time in a very professional manner. BBQ arrived warm and setup with chaffing dishes was handled by Boston BBQ staff. Their setup created a festive atmosphere. Prices seemed high to us, but our employees enjoyed the BBQ and commented the food was excellent. Service: Delivery Meal type: Lunch

This is a very hidden spot! the food is so so good! you get the smokey flavor and the meat is so juicyyy! 10/10 cooking place! Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5

The best brisket I’ve ever had in my life. Amazing good and incredible staff. I would also recommend the ribs and potato salad Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5 Recommended dishes: Sliced Beef Brisket, St Louis Ribs, Ribs Fried Catfish, Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese, Cornbread Stuffing, Baked Mac N Cheese