Johnny Boy’s Ribs

First things first, I suspect that my experience wasn’t the norm, but it was awful. We got the minced pork sandwiches with a side of fries, and neither were even close to edible. Someone else mentioned that salt must accumulate at the bottom of the batches of meat, and if that’s the case, I would guess that’s what happened to us. The pork was intolerably salty, and tasted bizarrely akin to Slim Jims. I like Slim Jims, but that’s not exactly what I was looking for. I tried my best to eat it because I don’t like to waste money, but even after trying various sauces there was no way to subdue the saltiness.
The fries would have been great, but here too we ran into a major salt problem — some of them had literally no salt, and others were so caked it seemed like they had been dipped in salt water. All in all, we had to throw away the majority of our meal and opt for a bunch of snacks from 7 – 11 instead — which were way better.

I’m kind of torn on this one. I like my divey places and was looking forward to some authentic BBQ. (There was another one up the street but it looked almost too nice for BBQ :) It was a tad pricey (we got ½ a slab, sandwich, 2 sides and 2 drinks and it was $ 34). The sliced pork sandwich was pretty darn good and the ribs were a little better than average. They were out of the macaroni salad I ordered… fine. The sodas were both flat so I took them back up and they offered me lemonade instead… fine. The baked beans were just ok. They seemed kind of runny and plain. I like mine more sticky and with chunks of meat in there (just personal preference). Then when we got home l, my son had a chunk of some weird thing that he sucked up with his straw. Maybe like a fatty piece of meat. Not really sure what is was. Needless to say, neither of us really felt like finishing our lemonade.

We bought 2 rib dinners with sides (coleslaw & baked beans), 1 rib sandwich, sliced pork sandwich and 2 large ice teas. In each rib dinner we got 5 – 6 SMALL ribs and maybe 1 rib had meat on it that was edible. The meat was so tough I gave the rest of them to the dog, tried the dry coleslaw (threw it in the trash) and ate the baked beans. The ice tea had so much sugar in them — we had to wait til we got home to mix it with unsweetened ice tea so we could drink it. Paid a little over $ 68 for baked beans, 3 ribs, slice pork sandwich, a rib sandwich and 2 ice teas we had to fix so we could drink them. They used to have good food but that was quite some time ago and I will never waste my money there again.

Not what it used to be. Dry rub is over-​seasoned with spices. Sauce is not the same – too hot and not enough flavor. I no longer smell hickory or see smoke when driving by, so I don’t know if the new owners use wood or charcoal. I wish they would return to a simple salt and pepper rub, use the original sauce recipe, and try cooking with hickory. Don’t mess with what were the best ribs I ever had anywhere.

Hard to find good ribs in the District — this place got some good ribs (cash only). Be prepared to wait a few minutes. This spot is my go to for ribs — they can also handle a cater.

Posted hours are 11am to 8pm. When I pulled in the parking lot at 3:03pm, there was an open sign in the window and the sign listing the daily specials was out on the front window as usual. As I walked up to the window, I was told that they were now closed because it is a rainy day. In the 11 years that I have lived less than half a mile away, I have visited the restaurant at least once a week. This would never have happened with the previous owner. Each of the long-​term friendly employees have been replaced one-​by-​one over the last year. Several other little things have made the experience less and less enjoyable since the changing of the guard. This last episode has been the last straw for me: today’s visit is definitely my last.

My husband is from GA (we live in DC now) and for his birthday he really wanted some authentic roadside BBQ. With a recommendation from a friend we and some friends from San Francisco made the trek out to La Plata, MD and we were NOT disappointed. This place was EXACTLY what he was looking for, it was amazing. The best BBQ sauces in our opinion were the Carolina Gold and Carolina Vinegar. Combine those sauces together and it was so bomb. If you you’ve got some spare time on a lazy saturday and sunday, the drive out there is totally WORTH IT!!! I got the shaved BBQ pork sandwich, the meat was so thinly sliced and tender, and very little fat, and you can add slaw to your sandwich. This is so so shameful but we loved it so much we got an extra sandwich to bring home =) =) My husband got the slab of pork ribs and they were massive, tender, and plenty left to bring home as well! I don’t think any other place in the DC metro area will be able to compare to this place now that we’ve had it! The quality of the meat was fantastic, and the homemade sauces were too. FYI its all outdoor seating on picnic tables. Very casual and fun. If you’re coming from the DC metro area, definitely bring some friends. They take cash and card.

Something has changed be it the management or the cooking staff. I can’t give it 5 stars anymore. Their sliced pork sandwich used to be the best in southern Maryland. Not so now.

Haven’t been to Johnny Boy’s in years… maybe even a decade plus. Still pretty darn good BBQ. Love the spicy sauce. BTW, Unilocal says closed on Sundays, but was fully staffed today — a Sunday in July 2015

Awesome ribs, fried fish and wings!
I am not sure what Tron T is talking about but the ribs are great. They use a dry rub and they are very tender and meaty!
Half a rack is more than enough for one person. A full rack is $ 24.95 and well worth it given the amount of food you get.
Definitely want to catch them early. It was packed when we got there. Thank goodness they were quick to serve.
If you like ribs, check them out!

Don’t let the appearance of this place fool you! BEST food, hands down. So
Good, in fact, I have never been able to give the place across the road a chance. The minced pork sandwich and macaroni salad are sure to make you smile!

Note to TRON T. I’ve been eating here since 1981 when it was owned by Johnny Katsouros. They always have used a dry rub. When the Stewart’s bought it in 2012, they used the same rub but eliminated the salt. We were concerned that the new owners might mess with the recipes, but the food tastes the same as it always has. Anyway…
The ribs are still seasoned with a dry rub. They tasted great (like they always did).
The minced pork and minced chicken sandwich is terrific. I like to dip mine into Mama Sofia’s sauce with every bite (gotta have that sauce!)
I had the fried fish, which is now on menu daily. It used to be on fridays only. The breading was a tiny bit too salty, but it had a nice crunch and the fish was cooked perfectly. Along with the fried fish I had the fries. The fries were incredibly good: crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside. Good job.

Dis spot has changed ownership. It’s now some booshit. What used to be classic bbq ribs has turned into some mess. They trying to fancy up they shit by puttin some dry rub on they ribs and it suck. Tastes like some sweet cinnamon and cummin shit. If you truckin up or down the 301 skip it. Texas Ribs right up the way which ain’t much better but at least they do a classic no BS rib. Herd.

I’ve ate BBQ all over this country, and I will say that I was pleasantly impressed with this place. With that, they’re super friendly and welcoming. I swung in on my way home from a few days of riding my motorcycle and they packed me a nice to-​go meal to bring home and it was great! Prices seemed a little high, but it was good so I guess it’s a trade off. You can go to a change place and pay less, but you can tell that the effort does not go into bbq’ing it properly.

I have heard about this place, so I decided to take a ride to see about them. There are three key elements for ribs, smoke, taste and the density of the meat. The smoke was there, but the ribs were lacking flavor and the meat was tough. Ribs should be flavorful without sauce, sauce enhances
The flavor. Review for 2014– Honest and Simple

There are now four places inLa Plata to get ribs, but there is only one place where the ribs taste like what you would expect in Texas. Of course that’s Johnny Boys!
The ribs are large, smoky and delicious. They are tender and juicy and don’t quite fall off the bone. Just the ways I like them. The fries remind me of Thrashers on the board walk especially when you add salt and vinegar instead of catsup.
Good Eats!

Reading these older reviews of folks talking about «going deep into the country», «out in the middle of nowhere» had me chuckling. Those are some sheltered urbanites if Johnny’s is deep in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, the food was not great. I had the brisket sandwich (usually my favorite BBQ) and tried several of the sauces. The meat was tough and chewy, although the portion size was huge. The staff was friendly, but the food was just not good. Having driven buy many times it seems the locals agree becuase there is never more than three cars in the parking lot.

We always stop at their competition across the road, but we decided to try this place today. The food comes out fast and you can eat at picnic tables or in your car. There is no indoor seating.
Jeff and I shared a pork ribs platter, which came with 6 huge, meaty ribs. The platter comes with 2 sides. We chose cole slaw and beans. I thought the beans were excellent and the close slaw was pretty good. It’s not full of mayo, which is definitely a plus.
They have a wide variety of sodas and sweet and unsweet iced tea. There’s no dessert and nothing for a vegetarian to eat except cole slaw. All the other sides probably have meat in them, which makes them so good, haha.
We couldn’t decide which sauce we liked best. All 4 were finger lickin’ good.

This is for the Whiting fish which is only served on Friday’s. Two of us ordered a sandwich and a dinner. We shared the 2 sides that came with the dinner. We ate at the outdoor picnic tables (no indoor seating) because fried fish is always best when piping hot. For sides we ordered the vinegar based cole slaw (delicious and crunchy) and the Mac & Cheese (not so good). The Mac & Cheese was cheesy but there was some flavor in it that I did not like. It was «clammy» in my mouth; like extra starchy tasting. I’ll order another side next time but the fish is worth working through this minor distraction.
There are bathrooms next door for your use.

A tradition of SOMD! This little roadside place is home to some of the best BBQ east of the Mississippi. The ribs are deliciously smoked and flavorful, to the point the meat can and does fall off the bone. I have had dreams about the fries and the sauce!
It’s recently changed ownership, and there have been some changes – new, non-​splintery picnic tables, for one, and last week there was a fellow set up to play guitar