Horse Thief BBQ

Delicious! Had the rib tips with potato salad and macaroni and cheese, must say everything was delicious. I love the outdoor seating atmosphere along with the music they play there. The only downside is the parking is eight dollars, no fault of the restaurant just a fact of downtown Los Angeles.
The barbecue is delicious, it is actual smoked barbecue and not just cooked on a grill.

This BBQ is very good. I have had better but being this is located in downtown LA I was surprised at how southern the macaroni and cheese was. Horse Thief is a solid BBQ choice while in the Grand Central Market!

My sister and I spent last Sunday afternoon exploring DTLA and just had to stop at the awesome Grand Central market. We had our pick of spots but we both opted to Horse Thief BBQ.
We shared a two meat plate of brisket and pulled pork, which also came with two sides. We chose the coleslaw and sweet potato crumble. Holy hell, I was blown away. This is easily the best BBQ I’ve had since moving to LA, and I have tried quite a few from living on the Westside.
We loved everything, but my hands down favorite was the brisket. I am usually weary about trying brisket due to the consistency of getting dry meat at each BBQ spot I’ve tried. Horse Thief seems to have mastered any hint of dryness with moist, flavorful, juicy, and just the right amount of meat to fat ratio. YUM!
The service was great and the guy at the window was super friendly. I plan on going back to try the chicken and ribs soon. If the brisket tastes this good, I have very high hopes.
While you wait for your food I recommend a peach Bellini from the outside bar next to Horse Thief.
*Tip — The two meat plate with two sides is enough for two people to share.

Just went for the first time on Sunday 6 – 5. This place has a great setup. There’s a side bar where you can get beers/​wine and a nice patio for great outdoor seating.
We had the ribs and rib tips and both were amazing! We have a bbq place, Bludso’s near our home and this place is definitely on par with them. The portions were generous and the meat is sooo tasty. I also had the jalepeno cornbread and baked beans. The beans were made with what looked like to be molasses and had a dark rich sweet taste to them. The cornbread had a little kick but was dense and thick.
We’ve been to the Grand Central Market several times before but have never tried this place. But now I don’t know that we’ll come down here and NOT eat here! If you like bbq, you’ll love Horse Thief BBQ!

Coming here I liked the fact that there is so much space outside. it’s nice when it’s such a nice day outside.
When receiving the food, it did have a good taste but it was not hot at all. I was so hungry that I just overlooked it.
The lemonade there is perfection.
I also wish that they had much more options of different plates combos. But there are only limitations.
it was ok I would give it another try.

Two meal plate is the only way I do it. My first time here I got the spare ribs and beef brisket with sweet potato casserole and Mac n cheese as my sides.
The outside skin is just the way I like it burnt to a crisp, that nice charred looking. Only part I didn’t like (and this could be because of the fact I came here 30 min before it was closing) was that the meat wasn’t moist and melt in your mouth that I was hoping for :/​. But overall the meat was pretty darn good. The barbecue sauce is nothing special which is a god damn shame.
The Mac n cheese tasted like a bite of cheese pizza which I really dug, and it was cheesin good!
Sprinkled with crumbles of cashews and brown sugar underneath, the sweet potato casserole grows on you.
And to wash it all down with some sweet lemonade! I have to say this place is great and they even have a small bar on tap right beside it! Outside seating is great with long benches and on a beautiful day (which always is here in sunny California) there’s nothing better than to be eating bbq and a pint of beer!
Finding bbq around town is rare, but its even more rare when its good!
Come check it out, I doubt you’ll be disappointed
Cheers!

Jury Duty Day 2, I decided to try Horse Thief BBQ. I love the out door seating under trees.
I asked what were some of the popular/​recommended items, the girl told me for plates, pulled pork and for sandwich, brisket. So I tried the brisket sandwich with french fries and bbq beans (oh boy) with ice tea.
The sandwich was good but not great. But the guy at the pick up window was very nice and noticed that I was hoping to get refill for ice tea and got the refill for me.

If you’re looking for decent BBQ under a semi-​budget, then check this out. If you’re looking for better tasting, but willing to spend a few bucks more, then check out other places in LA.
For parking, we parked near the Broad museum. ($ 12 until 1 am) However, I think there’s a parking structure right next to the Grand Central Market. The BBQ joint is right in front of Grand Central Market facing west. It’s hard to miss.
The ambiance of this market is enjoyable for millenials because of the throwback music they were playing and the overall vibe. It’s also fantastic if you have a large group because they set up the tables so that it could fit enough people. In addition, if you’re bored on a Thursday night, they also have board games that you can play.
Since I came on the tail end of the night, there was practically only a couple people left. I ordered the tips with corn bread, sweet potato casserole, and bread. P. S. the white bread is free upon request! The corn bread was super dry and the meat was a little bit overcooked. I couldn’t even enjoy my corn bread, so I ended up giving it to my friend. The sweet potato casserole was actually pretty good, but it’s hard to mess up a sweet potato dish. A couple of my friends who weren’t sweet potato fans didn’t enjoy it, but they never appreciate sweet potato anyway. I liked how they added bits of nuts into the sweet potato, which gave it the crunch. However, I think the sweet potato was too soggy and seemed overcooked, too. Maybe, all the food that I received was either overcooked or dry because I came at the end of the night? Not sure. But I probably wouldn’t come here again because it’s LA. So, there’s a lot of other food that I would want to try out. Especially in Downtown.

Finding high quality BBQ in LA is like finding high quality tacos in the Midwest, it’s not happening. However, finding acceptable BBQ is what you should be concerned with, not finding Texas’s best BBQ in LA, that’s just foolish. On top of that, BBQ in LA just isn’t a thing, it’s messy, sloppy, and overall just not what LA people are looking for in food. With those things factored in, you can’t expect much from BBQ reviews on Unilocal,you gotta get out there and try it yourself.
With that said, this place is definitely worth a visit for LA quality BBQ. The chicken was very good and moist, something hard to find in the BBQ game, which is often flooded with dried out meat and very chewy. The brisket was also quite nice. It peeled off like it should, and also wasn’t dry and tasteless like a lot of briskets I’ve had around LA. The Mac and Cheese was solid, as was the potato salad. The cornbread was pretty average, but then again I’m not a huge corn bread fan to begin with.
The only downfall is they only had one choice for BBQ sauce. If they step up their sauce game then we got a real winner. People are simple, woooo them with 4 – 6 sauce options and people will jump for joy. The whole simple hipster menu approach just doesn’t really go well with BBQ. The thing about BBQ is options and lots of them. Hipster menus keep it simple, which often works, not not for BBQ.

The food is delicious, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that for $ 22 dollars I want a little more than a fried chicken sandwich, mac and cheese, salad, drink, and free white bread. Now I know this might sound like a lot, but check out the pictures associated with this business. The portions of the sides are TINY.
This place is reflective of the current problem in Grand Central Market, with high prices and smaller portion sizes. It’s good for a nice treat, but if you eat out a lot you will not be satisfied.

Review based on chicken.
Horse Thief BBQ is on the other end of Grand Central Market. It’s an outdoor patio with long communal benches. Basically any food you put on those benches is Instagram worthy. I ordered the herb oil chicken roast with a side of Mac n Cheese, cornbread and sweet potato casserole. The chicken skin was crisp and flavorful but the flavors didn’t penetrate beyond the skin. I found it to be pretty bland and unsalted. The sides were alright. The sweet potato casserole was a bit too sweet for my taste. If I come back here, it would definitely not be for the chicken.

Horse Thief is located in the Grand Central Market place and has its own outdoor seating. The beef brisket, pulled pork and chicken was awesome. The meat was tender, tasty and not overly smothered in BBQ sauce with penty of sauce and honey available to customize.
Our kid inhaled the fries I didn’t even get a chance to taste them.
My favorite side was the mashed sweet potatoes with pecans. Quality food worth the price.
The banana pudding cake in a cup was great. Definitely returning for more.
They open at 9am and plenty of seating as long as you get there before 11am.

The only reason why I am giving this place 1 star, was because the bar attender.
She was extremely RUDE, I mean it!
First I asked for the menu and she didn’t say anything grabbed it from her area and just put it in front her instead of me like really?
then my fiancé walks over to ask for some water and she SEES that he is waiting to be attend and she kept talking to her friend the whole time until he had to make a hand gesture, extremely rude she puts the water on top of the counter and says nothing walking away.
I will NEVER come back here just because of hospitality, think about it why in the heck would I pay money to someone for rude service? when in this market place there is so many good places that have good food and better service, PERIOD!
What a buzz kill, def not worth it.

Overall good experience here. Perfect for a warm southern California night. Brisket was awesome and I liked their greens. Some of the details in things could be better but then again that can be said about a lot of place.
I didn’t like their chicken, the spices were off. It just tasted like a bad rotisserie chicken.
The sweet potato casserole thing was a good idea but the topping was less than desirable texture and kinda sandy.
I liked the whole vibe and the evening was perfect. I’d definitely come back here again.

Excellent BBQ to be found here!
Located right out front the Grand central market with tons of outdoor seating under shady trees, it felt like a picnic in the middle of downtown, very cool.
Walk up window, they hand you a beeper and you come back and get your food a few minutes later, very easy, no huge lines or hassle.
Service was great, I have been here for a quick breakfast where they offer all you really need in the mornings, tacos and mimosas, a a great combination and at $ 3 a pop per taco a way to get to sample different types of meat without breaking the bank.
Tacos were ok, not a huge fan of the egg that they used, the meat is the real star here.
The bacon was my favorite, nice and thick, great flavors.
My other trip here we had the brisket as well as the pulled pork sandwich and really enjoyed both.
Very tender and loved the sauces they use as well.
Food comes out quickly, prices and portions are fair, especially for BBQ.
Worth a stop while downtown!

My friends and I attended the Happening in DTLA Boardgames and Barbecue event at Horse Thief. It was my first time at Grand Central market and because it was late I didn’t get a chance to explore the area but I was happy with my meal and experience at Horse Thief. The guy at the register was nice and answered our questions about the menu. I ordered the beef brisket sandwich with a side of potato salad and mac and cheese. Also because we played games at the event they gave us complimentary queso and chips. The brisket sandwich was really good and the queso and chips were yummy but I wish the queso was a little hotter. At the end of the event they passed out coupons to use for the next visit so I will be back!

Some bullshit ass reviews on here. My food tasted like it was boiled. No smoke flavor at all. The food was a bit expensive for one piece of meat. And a couple of sides.
This is mediocre at best BBQ.

Rating: ⁶⁶⁄₁₀₀ pts
I love how diverse the Grand Central Market is. If you’ve ever set foot inside, you’d know there’s great Asian and Latin food abound. What may not be as obvious is the strong Southern BBQ presence you have just outside the premises on Hill Street.
My ever-​trusty foodventure accomplice in tow, we set out this time for some good ol’ American food. (That’s not to say we didn’t also sneak in a taco or two; hello again, Villa Moreliana.)
We each put in $ 10 and split a double meat tray of Brisket and Pulled Pork, with sides of coleslaw and jambalaya.
I can immediately say the better of the meats was the Pulled Pork. Tender, moist, and flavorful, this was good to go as is, and difficult to keep your fork out of. The Brisket was good as well, but slightly dry and more resistible than the pork. It went great with some BBQ sauce, but might get tiresome on its own.
The coleslaw was on the weak side – way to runny, you end up with a pond of mayo-​water at the end. The jambalaya, which was welcomely hand-​written on the menu, was markedly better, and great to see outside of New Orleans.
The meats are well-​portioned. The trays for the sides are on the small side, and you will probably end up hungry if you get two vegetable choices. Better to go for one carb and one vegetable. Other pictures show the meals coming with white bread, but mine didn’t.
Flavor-​wise, Horse Thief is a solid four stars. However, for now I’m going with three, because there is slightly better BBQ in LA for a little less. For the area, and for the Market, this is nevertheless a great choice.

My cousin and I visited Grand Central for the first time a couple weekends ago. Since we were starving for lunch at 2:00PM, we did not want to wait in the long lines at Eggslut and other more popular establishments. Looking at the map, we noticed that there was one BBQ specialty place and immediately went for that (growing up in the south, who can blame us?)
The place is located just outside Grand Central Market. It has ample seating with many covered benches. There was only one person ahead of us in line, and I had just decided my sides when we were called up to the front. My cousin bought the pulled pork meat plate with mac n cheese and french fries as his 2 sides ($ 11.95). I bought the spare ribs plate with baked beans and cornbread as my 2 sides (13.95). The people up front were nice and served us with a smile. They will also give you slice bread if want (and we gladly accepted) We grabbed our # and waited at one of the tables. Soon after, our food came out and we dove in.
My ribs were stiff and chewy. Definitely not the fall-​off-​the-​bone tender meat I was hoping for. I felt like every time I had to take a bite, I had to tear off meat with my teeth, thereby creating a comical appearance where food was perpetually in between my teeth. Note: the baked beans do not look that appetizing. They remind me of a darker version of natto (Japanese fermented soybeans). The best way I can describe it is VERY hearty, with a touch of «Bush’s baked beans» flavor to them.
My favorite thing on my plate was actually the cornbread. It was sweet, still warm to touch and tasted just like what you would find in a southern comfort food restaurant.
You can use their specialty BBQ sauce, which was just normal tasting to me.
If you have babies in strollers or come with dogs, this place will give you a large enough space to sit and eat comfortably– uncommon at Grand Central Market. But if you have neither of these in tow, then I suggest you try somewhere else in Grand Central Market.

My friend and I decided to eat here because it was extremely crowded inside Grand Central Market and the lines were too long at the other places that we wanted to eat at.
I ordered brisket w/​baked bbq beans and cornbread with an arnold palmer while my friend ordered pulled pork w/​coleslaw and mac&cheese and a water.
The food took around 10 minutes to come out and we got BBQ sauce and BBQ/​Spicy Vinegar for the meat. It didn’t take us too long to find a seat outside — however, there were a lot of flies around the picnic tables.
The food was just average. I thought the brisket was nice and tender, but it wasn’t as juicy as I would have liked it. My sides were just average; I wasn’t able to finish the cornbread. The Arnold Palmer was not as sweet as I’d like either. As for my friend’s meal, he said that he enjoyed the coleslaw most.
We have both been to Phil’s BBQ and my friend went to Rollin Smoke Barbeque in Vegas so maybe our experiences there made this place seem sub-​par… If I ever eat here again, I will drop a bit more money to get the spar rib and hopefully I will enjoy that more…