Some say the best ribs in metro Atlanta can be found way up yonder in Acworth. Whether that’s true or not, the ribs are definitely good and worth ordering. This longtime restaurant and catering business serves everything from those popular ribs and wings to platters of chicken and pork smoked over pecan wood. Make sure to order a side of mac and cheese and Zeigler’s banana pudding for dessert paired with a glass of sweet tea.

Wallace Barbecue has been turning out smoked meats in Austell since 1966, and its prices are a nice throwback to that era. A sliced pork sandwich will set the wallet back $4.25, while a 12-ounce rib eye dinner costs right around $23.

Family-owned and operated, Ohio Hog Company brings a bit of Cleveland-style barbecue to the South. Look for beef brisket, slabs of glazed ribs, smoked chicken plates, and a take on Cleveland’s famed Polish Boy sandwich stuffed with smoked kielbasa. It’s then topped with fries, coleslaw, and tangy barbecue sauce.

Dave Poe opened his barbecue dream restaurant in 2009. In addition to the traditional barbecue mains and sides, Poe serves the ridiculous "redneck lasagna," which is macaroni and cheese topped with Brunswick stew.

Run by five brothers, this is where to head for smoked ribs near Truist Park before or after a Braves game. Make it a sandwich with a side, a plate with two sides, or a platter with three sides and nearly a pound of ribs. Order a bowl of Brunswick stew and a slice of pineapple upside-down cake for dessert.

Owned by Willie and Ramona Griggie, the big, ranch-style lettering outside this College Park barbecue joint is inspired by the Lone Star State, and so are all of the smoked meats at Hattie Marie’s. The pit-smoked brisket is the real standout here, but try the pork ribs (cooked over cherry wood), sausage links, and Cajun-fried catfish.

This Cobb County barbecue spot has limited seating, but chefs and owners Cody Taylor and Jiyeon Lee bring more than enough flavor to compensate for the cramped quarters or a ride home with a to-go box. Taylor and Lee’s Southern-Korean barbecue restaurant offers a must-try spicy Korean pork sandwich on its menu with chopped rib meat marinated in fermented chile paste, topped with kimchi coleslaw, black sesame seeds, and a sliced scallion. Order the sandwich with a side of Brunswick stew, cucumber radish salad, or kimchi slaw. 

This Westside smokehouse serves brisket and pulled pork by the pound, sausage by the link, and pork ribs by the rack. The menu also includes sandwiches and plates with traditional barbecue sides. A second, larger location with lots of outdoor seating is now open in Grant Park.

Award-winning pitmaster Rodney Scott opened an Atlanta location of his popular Charleston barbecue restaurant in 2021 across from the Met. Like Scott’s other locations, head in for South Carolina-style whole hog barbecue, ribs, and chicken and Southern sides, like collards, golden cornbread, and banana pudding, which can come by the pint or quart to go.

Since opening his restaurant in 2004, Sam Huff has lived the dream of being able to quit his day job as an attorney to run a barbecue joint full-time. Sam's is a favorite of former Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson, and catered several lunches while he was in office in Washington, D.C.

Billed as small batch Texas-style barbecue, this pop-up serves plates and sandwiches of pastrami, pork belly burnt ends, pulled pork, Spanish manchego links, and beef ribs smoked over oak and pecan wood. Folks can catch Secret Pint BBQ hosting intimate backyard dinners around town or slinging ‘cue at Atlanta breweries on the weekends. Follow on Instagram for pop-up dates and menu details.

Ron Newman opened Daddy D’z in 1993 between Hill and Fort streets on the edge of Grant Park near historic Oakland Cemetery. Christianah Coker-Jackson purchased the barbecue joint from Newman in 2017.  The ribs and Brunswick stew far outshine the decor here. Start with the famous ‘cue wraps and settle into the bite-size barbecued pork that's wrapped in dough and deep fried.

Don’t be deterred by the line out the door or the lack of parking. The line moves quickly and parking spots appear out of thin air at this Piedmont Road mainstay. Heralded by the late Anthony Bourdain, the restaurant hosts live blues bands that play sweetly to the tune of rib-eating patrons.

Pitmaster Brian Keenan has been smoking meats most of his life and definitely knows his way around a wood-fired barbecue pit. Keenan’s specialties are whole hog barbecue using Berkshire Breed hogs and Texas-style brisket done up as sandwiches or plates with sides of baked beans and freshly made coleslaw. Folks can often find Keenan popping up at breweries around Roswell on the weekends, as well as festivals throughout the year. Follow on Instagram for details. Catering available.

If the Archie Bunker sandwich, complete with smoked pulled pork, mac and cheese, sweet barbecue sauce, and cheddar cheese on Texas toast, doesn’t do the trick, the banana pudding will. Dine here for a rambunctious patio in the heart of Virginia-Highland and return to try all of the creative barbecue combinations here.

Kick off the meal with pimento cheese wontons at this Poncey-Highland restaurant owned by Howard Hsu and Anita Hsu, who started it as a Sweet Auburn Barbecue food truck and a counter food stall at Sweet Auburn Curb Market. Try the St. Louis spare ribs, Texas-style brisket, or pulled pork bowl with cheddar grits paired with green papaya slaw, bourbon baked beans, or wok-fired green beans. Don’t forget to order a side of pimento cheese wontons, too.

The reliable pulled pork is enough to fill up the Decatur location, but the unconventional and creative side dishes take the cake. David Roberts’ infamous mac and cheese blends rigatoni, cheddar, Monterey Jack, parmesan, and heavy cream, and the blueberry-pecan bread pudding will satiate any sweet tooth.

Tookes keeps its menu tight serving up classic Southern barbecue plates of smoked chicken, racks of ribs, smoked sausage links, and pulled pork sandwiches paired with Brunswick stew, fried okra, and potato salad. There may be a wait for food here as this is a small operation, so be patient.

BBQ Cafe serves what’s described by the owners as traditional, slow-smoked barbecue rooted in recipes from Mississippi. Meats on the menu here include pulled pork, ribs, and brisket, and smoked chicken and pulled turkey on the weekends, with Southern sides like Brunswick stew, corn salad, bread and butter pickles, and baked beans. There’s banana or bread pudding for dessert, too. Barbecue plates feature one meat, two sides, bread, and sauce.

Once a metro Atlanta chain, the last remaining Old Hickory House is still going strong in Tucker after over 50 years. This barbecue institution serves hickory-smoked meats on its menu like baby back ribs, sliced or chopped pork, and half chickens. Don’t pass on the squash casserole or Brunswick stew here. For those not into ‘cue, Old Hickory House also doubles as a meat-and-three, of sorts, with platters such as country fried steak and catfish served with a corn bread muffin and a choice of two vegetable sides.

Ford’s Barbecue opened on Main Street in 2020 serving Texas-style barbecue plates and sandwiches. Look for St. Louis rib or pulled pork butt sandwiches and smoked turkey or brisket plates here paired with sides like Brunswick stew, fried okra, and chili con carne. A second location is also open in Oakhurst.

Located next door to a Citgo gas station, Crazy Ron’s serves wood-smoked ribs, chopped pork, chicken, and even hots dogs on the menu. There’s also the option to order just a vegetable plate here. Order a Lunatic sandwich — nearly a pound of chopped pork topped with coleslaw and pickles with a choice of sides, including greens and baked beans.