Nate’s Home Bar B Que

We ordered a party tray for $ 90 which can feed up to ten people. It included brisket, hot links, and ribs — not bad when you divide it down, that’s like $ 9 each. Not only is the price good, but the meat was pretty damn good too.
The brisket was freakin’ amazing! Soft, not chewy, barely any fat on it, and the BBQ sauce blended so well with the meat, not too much and not too little, just at the right amount. As for the ribs, the meat fell right off the bone just like how I like it, and as for the hot links… it was spankin’ hot, filled with lots of spiciness because it surely did put a sizzle in my mouth.

4 stars for their hospitality and enthusiasm but as far as the food, I feel BETRAYED. After the big tasting event with Robert I was underwhelmed, and now I know why. I have since learned that instead of smoking their ribs for 3 – 4 hours, the owner says they smoke them for only 1.5 hours then take the ribs into the kitchen for their «special tenderizing process.» Steaming is my guess. Maybe they used to do it the authentic way, but no more. I really wanted to believe the super-​positive reviews here and love Nate’s… oh well.

Wow. The most distinctive barbecue I’ve had so far. The sauce has cumin in it, not allspice. It really ties everything together when also using lots of black pepper. Woody’s makes a similarly peppery barbecue, but I felt that something was missing.
Like other good barbecue restaurants, the sauce is not overly sweetened and gunky. I’m not sure if they have a hot sauce, but the one I had was mild. That was probably for the better, because of something else I haven’t seen before — the flavor of tomatoes actually comes through. It’s livelier, more vibrant. Tough girl barbecue? Nate’s is yin to Bludso’s yang?
The rib sandwich comes with four ribs, three slices of bread, and a big scoop of two sides. That’s more food for the money than Bludso’s, but it’s so good you’ll tip them the difference.
The pork ribs I had today were as good as it gets: succulent, tender, and smokey. The meat slid off the bone and had that all important smoke ring. As for sides, they didn’t have any collard greens today, so I went with baked beans and macaroni salad. The beans are also spiced with cumin, and they were thick and earthy. The macaroni salad has a little touch of pickle juice, but not so much that it thins out the dressing and overpowers the mayonnaise.
All in all, a solid contender for best barbecue in socal.

The «King» (Phillips’ in my eyes in terms of bbq) has been replaced. It was short of the old king being assassinated, it was just more of hand over of the title. This was our fouth stop in the hood bbq crawl that Tony C. and I threw. Thank goodness it was one of the last places, because I know for sure, if this was the first spot, I would have not left.
The oldest bbq restaurant in Compton, it’s kind of hidden in a plaza surrounded by other stores, a liquor store, other restaurants, but you will find it if you use your nose (by sniffing out the wonderfully delicious smelling smoke being emitted from their grill), or your eyes (by actually seeing the ladies manning the grill).
Nate’s wife (he’s since passed) and the ladies running the place are really kind and treat you like you’ve known them for years. They were chopping it up with us telling us about the business and about their food. They also asked us how everything was (as we were chowing down on the hood of my car, because there is no seating here). She can tell we were enjoying our grub and a huge grin was on her face. You can tell she’s serious about her ‘que.
The ribs were nicely seasoned, smokey, and wonderfully tender. The flesh literally fell off the bone and the sauce, ugh, orgasmic. It’s mixed just right, a little tart, a little sweet, a little spice. The marriage of flavors was perfect.
The interesting part of this place, was while waiting, we saw two pit bulls running up and down the street (almost like a Snoop Dogg video). Three gentlemen riding horses, yes, horses in the parking lot, and last, but not least, the elderly (homeless) gentleman preaching to us about the bible and God, then asking my friend for some «sugar» and also telling her about him giving her some «good loving». Awesome.
Yes, this place is in Compton, but seriously, I did not once feel danger of my life, nor did I see any «C’s» or «B’s». I will be sure to pick up ‘que here again and enjoy it at my friends place. I can’t wait. Party anyone?
*No seating at all, call ahead of time to have your order ready to pick up and enjoy ASAP at home

Nate’s Home BBQ’s claim to fame is that its the oldest BBQ joint in Compton. Its been around since 1961 and it certainly looks like it. Its located in an ugly strip mall that most people would just drive by. But don’t let the sketchy ambiance scare you away. There’s a reason why this place has survived for so long — it serves some of the best BBQ I have ever had in LA County. I would have never found it on my own, but that’s why I joined Tony’s UYE BBQ Crawl that day.
The place has an interesting set up in that they smoke and cook their meats on the side of the parking lot on the strip mall’s parking lot. The menu counter is a bit daunting — I’ve never seen duct tape liberally on a menu board before. There’s only two chairs and no table inside. So this is really a take out place. When we ate, we simply used Tony’s car hood as our table. I did feel sorry for one of the female Unilocalers that was in our group — she attracted the unwanted attention of the neighborhood lecherous bum and it was a little bit of a challenge to shoo him away. I am glad that the employee’s of Nate’s stepped in and told him to leave her alone.
Tony called our order in advance, or the wait would have been much longer. So I would suggest ordering in advance I did post pics of the menu if you want to call ahead to save on the wait time. While we waited for the barbecue to arrive, the employees showed us a photograph book of most of the parties that Nate’s has catered. We were rather surprised that Nate’s is popular for catering Bar Mitzvah’s of all things. I guess BBQ is kosher as long as you don’t serve pork. If I was filthy rich, I’d had a party catered by Nate’s and their nearest, competitor Bludso’s, and have a BBQ showdown between the 2 of them.
The meat quality of the pork ribs is very good. Its moist, tender and has a good smoky taste. I have to admit that on that particular day, the BBQ was actually better than my all-​time fave Bludso’s. Its a good thing they are just a few miles away from each other, so if one place is closed for the day, you can go to the other.
I think most of the Unilocalers in my group really loved Nate’s. It was the 4^th stop in our 5 BBQ Crawl list, and they just gorged on all the meat. Most of us were almost too full to eat at the last stop. Their sauce is not overly sweet and its a little on the thick side, which I prefer.
Even though the strip mall is a bit sketchy, and we were eating from a car hood, what really struck me was seeing two Mexican cowboys come strolling down on their horses. Yes, this area is zoned for horses which really gave it a Texas feeling in a ghetto sort of way.
We didn’t order any side dishes here, so that’s on my To Do list the next time I visit. There is ample parking in the strip mall.

Stop #4 and my all around favorite stop on the BBQ crawl. Our stop at Nate’s had it all, great ribs, friendly people and some very interesting characters. We called ahead from Jay Bee’s to put in our order at Nate’s, one slab of pork ribs. We got there an they weren’t quite ready yet, which was alright since it gave us a chance to chill outside and digest the last 3 places. We also got to experience the area culture, which included the older, possibly homeless, gentleman propositioning one of the young ladies in our group, 2 pit bulls running free down Compton Boulevard and three guys on horseback trotting into the parking lot.
After a short wait, our ribs were ready. A little worried because we forgot to tell them to put the sauce on the side (in case it wasn’t good), our worry quickly disappeared as we dug into the box of ribs. Everything about these ribs was perfect! The ribs were tender and smokey and the sauce had a great flavor. A few of us were glad we didn’t overdo it on the ribs from the previous places so we could put down a few extra of these. Not only were the ribs my favorite, the ladies working here were extremely friendly and made sure we were enjoying our food. While we were eating, we got to have a great conversation with a gentleman named Will who was a true BBQ veteran around the area!
Note, Nate’s is easy to miss because it’s in a strip mall, set behind another building and it only actually says Nate’s on the window. The sign on the street and above the window just says «Home Bar B-​Q Pit». Just look for the place on the East end of the strip mall on the Southeast corner of Wilmington and Compton Blvd though, you’ll find it (and you’ll be glad you did)!

This is the ONLY review (beyond the 1 line blurb via Google) you’ll find on Nate’s Home Bar B Que.
But! This is still only the second best cue in the great Compton area.
I’ve previously pumped and shilled Bludso’s BBQ, now let me hype Nate’s Home BBQ of Compton, CA. First off, don’t get the beef brisket. Second off, their telephone number listed publicly is WRONG. So herewith is the CORRECT telephone number (and yes, it’s on my speed dial, in case it’s Monday and Bludso’s closed): 310−763−1970
Nate’s was owned/​operated by Nate himself until his recent death. His wife has stepped up as the proprietor. According to Mr. Kevin Bludso, of Bludso’s BBQ, Nate’s father was a preacher with a own church before the venture went south; he then went on to open this BBQ joint back in the day. It seems safe to assume it was called Home Bar B Que, which later became Nate’s Home Bar B Q? If you check the parking signage, all you’ll see is Home Bar B Q.
The rib tips here are much fattier than what’s found at Bludso’s. They’re chunked bigger, with less cartilage and severely more bone+marrow. Some folks like it like this. D&A — which I previous reported on Unilocal,also of Compton, makes it a wee bit like this.
Otherwise, the racks of pork ribs are smoked in outdoor barrel smokers (as is the standard for most of Compton) with mixed wood but… Wait til you see the size of the custom built-​in indoor 15 foot long, 3 wide barrel smoker. The top lid is so heavy it requires a counter-​weighed pulley system to keep open. No shit. And yes, on a rare occasion, it’s still used.
The sauce here, reminds me of. again, Bludso’s… Smooth, not too tangy, barely a hint of hotness, plenty of spices. It utilizes more corn syrup hence sticks a bit better on the meat, but no mater. Always sauce on the side for me. Tasted this way, the rib flesh nearly fall of the bone, have plenty of salt & pepper, plenty of smoke, shallow ring of deep-​pink smoke ring, but lack the overall complexity of Bludso’s prep.
There is, much like all the BBQ shacks, no indoor seating. The restaurant’s layout is completely off with ²⁄₃ of the old dining room fenced off by drapes and older smoking barrels lined up against the wall rendering the entire dining room table less. The smokers are 20 yards away in the middle of the parking lot against the fence and if you’re lucky, there will be 2 women manning the station pulling multiple duties from working the register to chopping the ribs to running the smokers outside.
And yes, craploads of pix of various products from Nate’s … on my blog.