Andy Nelson’s Southern Pit Barbecue

Andy Nelson’s serves some of the best BBQ in Baltimore! I always get the pit beef since that is a Baltimore BBQ staple but my family and I also sometimes get the beef tips and turkey. Their mac and cheese is among the best I’ve ever had and the potato wedges are a great vehicle to enjoy more of their delicious BBQ sauce. Fair warning — if you want the beef tips you need to get there early because they typically run out very quickly.

Best brisket we’ve ever had! Love, love, love this place! All of the fixin’s are great and service is always quick!

Andy Nelson’s is an institution. If you want amazing local barbeque with culture go here. My wife showed me this place probably 7 years ago and I’ve been going ever since.
Favorite Dish: CAT FISH FRIDAY!!! Amazing Blackened Smoked Cat Fish. Comes with sides.
Favorite Sides: Mac and Cheese and Greens. The greens are fabulous.
I travel all over the country for work and this is one of the best places for BBQ.

Staff is nice and service is great. We came many times and tried practically everything on the menu. All is delicious, ribs and pork sandwich are excellent. But I would not recommend this for vegetarians. Highly recommend this place.

Love Andy’s. The pulled pork is on point, I’m obsessed with the mustard sauce, and I could eat a whole pan of that cornbread.

Speaking as a Native Texan, I was pleasantly surprised when I walked up to a place that looks like many in the Southern states.
Ordered beef brisket and wow, was it good. Moist beef and their sauce is has a kick with flavor. BBQ Beans had jalapenos but still good to the last bite with a potent flavor. Baked Mac N’ Cheese wasn’t bad either.
Oh, and lemonade made from scratch. Yummy!
I am only passing through but I’d happily sample the whole menu!

The value for what you pay is nothing short of fantastic! I’m new to the Baltimore area and Andy Nelson’s has already become a regular spot for truly excellent BBQ. The sauces are delicious, the food is incredible (some of the best dry ribs and pulled chicken/​pork I’ve had) and the service is ALWAYS fast, friendly, and fun. PLUS — the restaurant always has great music playing inside. Would recommend without hesitation (and have!)

Came in got the brisket sandwich for the first time, was sort of optimistic after reading Unilocal reviews, but I have it a shot. Wasn’t dry at all lots of yummy fat and super tender and juicy! Will be back tomorrow at lunch for another and will also try wings. Could have got four and a half maybe even 5 but parking sucked and was only one person on cashier and it was kinda busy, made me late back to work on my lunch break. Still the brisket sandwich was amazing! Will definitely be back today!

Everything was great, the best BBQ I ever had.
The Bama sauce is the best. The employee’s are very helpful. Great place to eat

Hands down the best BBQ i’ve had in the Baltimore area. I regularly eat lunch here and I experience the same atmosphere every time.

I really like the fact that Andy Nelson’s is in my town. Tasty and juicy pit beef sammich with just the right amount of char. Pit beef tastes even better with all the flavorful sauces that they offer.
Meat lovers will go crazy over this place. Also, I like the atmosphere of this place. It is more family-​friendly and offers more seating, compared to other pit beef joints. Having said that, I didn’t particularly enjoy the mac and chz as my side. But overall, I was satisfied.

Lived in the area for almost a decade. Andy Nelson’s has been a go-​to staple the entire time. Not a bad time of year to eat their food. We’ve made our way through most of the menu and there’s really nothing I’ve had I disliked. That said, I prefer the pit beef with fries and slaw. The beans are fantastic also. Also had their catering multiple times, and it’s just as delicious. For those uninitiated, sitting in the garage at the picnic tables eating Andy Nelson’s on a summer evening is almost heaven.

Tasty sauces! Really liked the peppery vinegary taste of the thicker one. They also have a Carolina style one which was very mustardy. Beef tips are not to be confused with delicious burnt ends. They were good but not amazing. Pulled pork and ribs were tasty.
Neat atmosphere for family and friends. Nice outdoor seating in a side garage as well. Would def return for another round.

If you ask a local for a top 3 of BBQ joints in the Baltimore area, chances are they’ll mention this one. So if you want real BBQ, Andy Nelson’s is definitely BBQ. They smoke their own meat and don’t just grill it like a lot of other places in town that sell pit beef, a Maryland style of «bbq» that BBQ purist/​snobs would argue isn’t BBQ until they’re blue in the face and not just from the blue hickory wood smoke from Andy Nelson’s smoker.
I happen to love BBQ, love trying different styles of BBQ, and am one of those carnivores that will probably drive an hour in the opposite direction of where I need to be to eat exceptional BBQ. While Andy Nelson’s can hit the spot if I’m jonesing, it’s not the kind of BBQ I’d go out of my way for to try if I wasn’t already a 15 minute drive from it. I’ve had the food here probably half a dozen times over the years bc my friends really like it. To have the best experience, I’d recommend dining in. My last few carry out experiences were subpar, with the brisket and ribs being really dried out. I particularly like their chicken, which I found very moist and smoky. Overall it’s a good solid BBQ spot and I’d definitely give them another one if I was dining in next time I’m in the area.

I used to LOVE this place
Last 2 time I went of have gotten brisket sandwich and wasn’t happy
Really dry, no smoke ring
After eating at Franklin BBQ in Austin Texas it’s just a matter of taking the time to do it right, and that may take a longer time
Mac n cheese wasn’t crusty and was runny
My collared greens were good but my beans weren’t
I’ll keep trying them because I am loyal and the owner went to the same high school as me
I do LOVE their sauces
I wish they had TONS of raw onions and tiger sauce available
I did have good luck at Dinosaur recently and they have a much bigger menu
I’ll still go to Andy’s when in the neighborhood and keep giving them a try

I visit Andy Nelsons often and get the pit beef sandwich. It comes piled high on a roll and is good. Its usually served very rare/​red and is chewy and stringy at times and in the past year the pit beef sandwich has gotten worse in taste, texture and flavor. I will be switching up my main item because I do love the restaurant but lately the pit beef has not been for me.
The sides however are great, I usually get the cornbread and the potato salad which is divine. I like the ice tea and lemonade options and its free refills which is great as after a massive express lunch you will need a couple drinks.
The service is very friendly and I like the atmosphere.

The ambiance isnt the best but the food was delicious! Staff was Helpful in platter selection! Ribs, Pulled Pork, Chicken Quarter mac & cheese all on point Authentic southern flavor!
The potato salad, greens and cornbread fell short. Greens had strong vinegar flavor, salad not seasoned well, cornbread overcooked. && My date & I stood out if you know what I mean but … I will order again «To Go» or «Drive Thru».
An Upgrade from Mission BBq.

I suspect the word ‘barbeque’ is on its way to eliciting a Pavlovian response for me: say the word, and I can nearly taste succulent pulled pork, fall off the bone ribs, and almost feel my face slathered in sauce. That was the case when a friend mentioned Andy Nelson’s, swearing up and down it was the best barbeque in Maryland.
Well, he was not far off. The pulled pork was juicy and tender, falling apart with the slightest tug. They mound it high on a kaiser, to which you then add various sauces. I have to say though, I’m not a fan of the tangy and thin sauces they had to offer. I like a richer, sweeter and thicker sauce to smother my barbeque with.
The chicken, albeit cooked well, was lacking in that spicy smoked flavour noted on the menu — thus quite disappointing.
Fortunately, the sides were quite good. The cornbread was moist and toothsome, the coleslaw was tossed in a sparse and tangy mayo (exactly how I like it, not drowning in sauce). The potato salad didn’t wow me, but my friend seemed to enjoy it.
I like the ramshackle picnic seating areas in the building and lot. It seems very homey and relaxed, which is perfect for barbeque. Overall, I would give Andy Nelson’s a 3.5, and would make a repeat visit (called by the bell of barbeque) should I return to MD.

So… I am new to Maryland and have been in the search for a good bbq spot. I’ve tried corner stable and chaps pit beef. They were ok but not great. I came across Andy Nelson through urbanspoon.
I must say OMG THIS PLACE IS AMAZING!!! I got the half rack dry rub with baked beans and collard greens. The ribs were falling off the bone with this buttery flavor mixed with the seasonings which were like a party in my mouth. The collards had a nice vinegar taste like I’m used to and the beans were different but good. It came with a nice square of corn bread which melts in your mouth. The only problem I had was that the Mac n cheese was sold out by the time I got there.
The staff was friendly and I love the picnic still seating reminds me of home (down south). I keep thinking about it all the time.
They have a nice variety there. Ribs, brisket, pit beef, etc. what ever your heart desires.
It’s been a while since I’ve left a review but this place deserves it!!!

As a person who doesn’t «do swine,» eating at most bbq places seems to always be a tricky and limiting challenge. But, hey, what can I say? I still love me some bbq! With all of that in mind, I can’t really tell you about popular dishes many others have reviewed like the beans, pulled pork, or ribs.
Anyway, Andy’s is new for me, but that’s okay. If I had to recommend one thing, it would be the wings because they’re well-​seasoned and have a great smoked flavor. They taste absolutely delicious without any sauce.
Speaking of sauce, I like mine much sweeter; unfortunately, their sauces were more tangy and vinegary (tasted similar to A1 steak sauce, to me). Though not off-​putting, they weren’t what I had in mind.
I also tried the beef brisket sandwich, and it was good, not great; I wish it was just as flavorful as the chicken.
As mentioned before, because I don’t eat pork, there weren’t many sides to choose, so I tried the mac & cheese (pretty good) and the potato wedges (eh…not too crazy about them; way too thick, not cooked evenly, and needed more seasoning).
Will come back for more wings and to try the potato salad.