Oakhurst Gains a Texas-Style Barbecue Joint This Weekend

A second location of Tucker-based barbecue restaurant Ford’s BBQ opens Saturday, October 9, in the Oakhurst neighborhood of Decatur. Owned by James Maggard and Justin Bradford, Ford’s BBQ replaces their former restaurant Matador Mexican Cantina, which the pair closed this summer in the heart of the neighborhood’s commercial district.

Seating 60 people between the dining room and the dog-friendly patio, the menu for the Oakhurst restaurant mirrors that of the Tucker location, serving barbecue and sides described as “Texas-style low and slow BBQ with Southern sides that have a Mexican influence.” Vegetarian options include a smoked beet Cubano, lentil tacos, and a vegetarian sloppy joe. Oakhurst also features two new dishes on the menu: chicken tortilla soup and the Gobbler, a pressed hoagie stuffed with turkey, cranberry chile chutney, chihuahua cheese, and onions.

The grand opening of the restaurant, taking place from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., coincides with a block party planned during the annual Oakhurst Porchfest this weekend.

“Similar to Matador’s, we aim to be a neighborhood gathering place,” a representative for Ford’s BBQ tells Eater. “We have deep roots in the Oakhurst community with two of our owners living here with their families.”

Maggard and Bradford, who also own the Stratford Pub in Avondale Estates and the Local No. 7 in Tucker, first opened Ford’s BBQ on Main Street in Tucker last December. The restaurant resides across the street from Local No. 7 in the city, just east of Atlanta.

Take a look at the menu:

350 Mead Road, Decatur. fords-bbq.com.

• 26 Essential Barbecue Restaurants to Know Around Atlanta [EATL]
• Ford’s BBQ to Open a Second Location in Oakhurst [EATL]