Tasty Q Bar-B-Que

Second stop on today’s barbecue outing. Tasty Q is close to JR’s Barbecue, and it’s equally good but different.
I ordered the spare rib sandwich with beans and hot sauce on the side. It comes with two slices of white or wheat bread, your choice.
The ribs I got were from the long end, but they were still meaty and tender. They were really fatty on the bone side, though. Scary fat. Anyhow, they were quite similar to JR’s, except they were seasoned with a little black pepper and sugar in addition to salt.
I liked the beans. Not too sweet, thick and creamy, with some leftover pulled pork to give it a little smokiness. They would have been great with some roasted poblano peppers.
The hot sauce was not as hot or vinegary as JR’s, but it tasted pretty good. Definitely tastier than any of Phillips sauces. I’d say that’s the deciding factor between these two places.

very good flavor on the BBQ, they only have hot and mild, but are willing to mix ½ and ½ or 60 – 40 or whatever… but to me good bbq is not the hardest thing to come by even in LA… good greens and neckbones however are, and Tasty’s has very country (as in rural Missouri country) style… and when you really want to treat yourself well and plan on burning a lot of calories afterwards, do an order of neck bones backed up with an order of rib tips!
They do a great fried turkey here as well. We’ve done it a number of times, no problems, just have to do it at their pace and be calm. They don’t want to hear about «special orders», they are just good folks preparing it their way on their timetable… I say don’t mess with a good thing.
note to folks from the ‘burbs …Tasty’s is a converted Taco Bell and bears a «B» or «C» rating, some of us think that makes it «real».

This was the worst nightmare food FIASCO & experience I have ever had, without exception. I ordered and gave a $ 70.00 deposit for two deep fried turkeys for Thanksgiving this year and they were supposed to be ready to pick up on Wednesday the day before Thanksgiving. When I went to pick them up they were NOT ready, and that they would call me when they were. I got a call @ 7:00 a.m. the next morning from them saying my order was ready. When I got there only ONE was ready and they would not give me another one, and said to wait. I waited an hour and then left as I had to go get the meal ready and try to get another turkey to accommodate my 30 guests that were coming. The next day I called and no one answered for two days after. To add insult to injury, the turkey I did get was nothing to write home about, very mediocre at best. I’m still trying to get my $ 35.00 deposit back. I spoke to the owner last night a week and a half after Thanksgiving and asked to be given a refund of my deposit. He said sure, come by tomorrow. I went by and the shop was closed up at noontime, with no one in sight, which seems sketchy and suspicious to me. I don’t know if this was some kind of scam but I am beyond furious due to the fact that I’ve been lied to and cheated and have spent over 4 hours just driving back and forth, not to mention the numerous phone calls.

We were feeling like some soul food and BBQ… links, collard greens, baked beans and ribs… so we decided to roll down Crenshaw and go to Tasty Q’s. Its a pretty darn run down place which doesnt look like its been renovated since the 80’s.
We always end up getting the combination family platter with pork and beef ribs, links, chicken, and tips. Their meat is much more significant than BBQ King, and the taste is average to good. It’s worth getting the family meal, but I would rather have more of the other meats and less chicken. The rib tips are my favorite.

Checked out the Tasty Q tent at the Thursday night Sunday Market at Riverside and Woodman Ave (right off the 405) in Sherman Oaks.
First BBQ I’ve had in Los Angeles (been missing BBQ ever since I left North Carolina). Very tasty… my fingers are still greasy from the succulent Fried Chicken and rip tips. Bakes beans are loaded with fat and sweetness so tasty, if not most healthy thing. Appreciated the potato salad with mustard also.

went through the drive-​through. the window was open. the woman answering was somewhat hostile. We were hungry and tolerated it. She said the $ 3.50 BBQ sandwich my friend and I both ordered wasn’t available. So we upgraded to one order of a $ 7 sandwich we were going to split. they immediately closed the drive-​through window while preparing the food. we could not see the food being prepared. I was then given the sandwich which we ate — we were hungry!
It was extremely slimy for a BBQ sandwich. As we drove off, I noticed they kept the drive-​through window open for the next customer while preparing his food. I suspect they spat in our sandwich because my friend was an asian female. That slime did not look like BBQ sauce, let me tell you! NOT COOL. I will never go there again. I recommend Philips, Earle’s Grille or Chef Marilyn, all nearby.

I love Tasty Q’s BBQ. I actually had them cater my wedding reception. Everyone loved it. I highly recommend the baked beans. They are the best I’ve ever had. I also love the fact that you don’t smell like BBQ after you eat there. I can’t stand it when the smell lingers long after you’ve left the restaurant. The staff is very nice too. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Stopped here with my buddy Magic Man from Venice. He is a major pit master. He has an electric «smoke shack» smoker. I prefer the gas variety. He had been trading smoking tips with the owner and he is a true master of the Q-​pit and has experience with all sorts Q-​ing devices. He has a hard wood brick pit in his store that delivers the goods. We rolled in with the intention of trading BBQ tips…
I grew up in Benton Harbor, MI and Magic grew up in the DC area. Both could easily be DMZs in some third world nations. If you’ve been to either you will understand. The place is not for the faint of heart… no wimps… Only true BBQ aficionados allowed. This place is true southern BBQ experience in a homegrown sort of style. The location looks like it used to be a hamburger drive thru in the 60s. The trailer in back adds a little deep south charm…(if you’ve been there you know what I mean). They do a great job smoking their meats and birds. They have a sweeter southern style sauce — I prefer a spicier sauce with habenero or jalapeño. Best part is the beans! They rock! they are cooked in a large bubbling cauldron… they toss in wing tips, rib tips and other parts to get the true Q flavor for the beans. I mean these babies are off the chart. I packed 4 quarts in my cooler and drove them home to share with my gal in San Jose. This on my must stop list when I’m in the area.

COming here was a complete accident, but one that Im glad happened.
Its unfortunate that Im gonna start like this: This place is the definition of ghetto bbq joints. I thought that the Original Texas King BBQ was pretty bad (the old location) being a reconverted garage turned restaurant. This place doesnt have a speakerphone in the drive-thru…it has a non-​lit menu behind plastic (not even glass) and you have to drive around and wait for someone to come to the window to take your order.
Yes, it sounds like Im badmouthing the place but its these little quirks that I love. The girl at the window (i always get a girl) is always all business but toward the end of me ordering she always has sugestions for what else i should get.
I’ve got the baby-​backs and they’re good. My favorite, though, is the rib-​tips dinner. Their meaty and juicy and I get A LOT of em for $ 9! It was suggested to me, the first time ive been, to get the cabbage and Ive been coming back for it ever since. They cook it like collards and although not as meaty a vegetable as collards it holds its own. The beans are decent and i like the potato and macaroni salad. Not a sxual experience but they are delicious sides.
Ive also got the beef sandwich, its spicy goodness. Its not really juicy, per se, but it has a nice flavor, nice spice and frankly its balanced.
They dont have it all the time, im told, but the banana pudding was as good as it gets when it comes to desserts ive gotten at bbq joints. Not too sweet, no overpowering banana flavor, its really good. I know I could make it at home, my sister’s boyfriend from New Orleans keeps saying, but they have it ready for me and the wafers are always perfectly softened.
I will admit that you probably wont have a bbq-​related orgasm here, but its cheap (order off their plate dinner menu) and filling and good. If you’re trying to save money but want bbq, come here. if you’re doing a bbq crawl and need more bbq places to go to, put this on your list.
Hell, If you dont like getting out of your car, you should come here. Its not «the best» but if you’re in the area and Philip’s is on fire or something, come here.

I have to admit… I use to love their fried turkey and have had it on several occasions, including a few past Thanksgivings but not sure what’s happened to the place… their customer service was awful and their turkey only so-​so! Yes, the big guy at the turkey fryer was very nice, however, cannot recommend getting a turkey from Tasty Q’s for any special occasion. Here’s my experience:
THURSDAY (week before Thanksgiving): called to place turkey order… they don’t take phone orders so had to wait until I could get down there in person and give a $ 20 cash deposit.
SATURDAY before Thanksgiving: went down to place turkey order and $ 20 deposit. Should have turned around at that point when they told me I’d have to go outside behind the restaurant under the makeshift canopy to place the order and should have heeded to the warning of their «C» rating. They told me to pick up late Wednesday (after 7pm) since they would not be open on T-​day. Asked them what time they would be closing and they said 9pm on Wed.
WEDNESDAY: T-​day eve — drove down in the rain to pick up fried turkey at 8:30pm. They told me it wasn’t ready yet and to «call» in 2 hours to see if it’s ready. WHAT!!! They claimed whoever gave me a pick-​up time was mistaken and I shouldn’t have been given a time. When I described the person, they all suddenly had amnesia about who was working on that day. No apologies whatsoever. After my hubbie calmed me down and got me back in the car, we went home. What else could we do and where could we possibly get another whole turkey at 8:45pm on the day before Thanksgiving?
10:30pm — called back… turkey not done yet… told to call back in 2 hours. WHAT!!! I thought they were supposed to close at 9p?! They said they wouldn’t close until all the turkeys were done.
12midnight — called back… turkey not done yet… told to call back in 2 hours. At this point now my husband was also upset. He told them he wasn’t driving to LA to pick up a turkey at 2 in the morning!!! They finally relented and said we could pick up Thanksgiving day (why didn’t they just say that at 8:30p???)
THURSDAY — T-​day — 8am… called back… turkey FINALLY ready after 12 hours behind schedule!!! I was just glad the dinner was at our house and we didn’t need to drive anywhere… that would have been a disaster!
3pm — carving turkey… dark meat not done… I don’t mean pink, I mean bloody!!!
Yes, their Cajun seasoning that they inject in the turkey is delicious, but at my age, this is WAY too much drama to endure for turkey. Maybe they WAY oversold beyond their capacity???

4 Stars for food
2 Stars for sanitation and environment.
They have quite the selection of Beef/​Pork/​Chicken/​Turkey BBQ entrées. Ribs, necks, beans, greens, all kinds of stuff.
My sliced beef sandwich was about the right size, but the cup of macaroni that came with it was very small.
The peach cobbler in a styrofoam cup was fine until she microwaved it in the cup to make it warm. I think that is some sort of health violation?
Prices aren’t cheap, but it is definitely an interesting experience.

2.5. I’m sorry to be a party pooper, but I was wholly unimpressed with this place, and frankly, dissapointed. Especially unfortunate because Billy, the truly lovely and friendly guy manning the big-​ass smoker in the back, was so nice. I just found the smoked beef sandwich way too full of barbeque sauce and gristle.
I’ve eaten at some grimy-​ass places, partaken of streetfoods in various countries, but this place seemed to take the cake. Barbeque joints are inevitably a bit grimy because of all of the smoke that can stick on surrounding walls, but Tasty Q looked like it hadn’t been changed/​cleaned in so long, even I was kinda grossed out (read: it was to’ up).
I’d give the place another try, just to be fair (and maybe get the ribs this time), but when in the area I’d sooner go to Marilyn’s or Chili John’s.

Every Thanksgiving, I start salivating. Every Christmas, all the people I know start looking at me longingly. My dog starts practicing his mournful, I’m just a wee dog who doesn’t get fed too often look.
The reason for this? That would be the fried turkies I pick up at Tasty Q every year. These things are marvels of juiciness, with deep veins of something yummy and spicelike running through its succulent flesh.
Turkeys often have the problem of being too dry and bland for me to truly enjoy them. All in all, fowl are not my preferred meat of choice. None of this is true for my beautiful fried turkey from Tasty Q.
When I pick it up, still in the aluminum pan and all covered with a plastic bag, I can’t wait to get it home and start picking at it, sampling the crunchy bits, etc.
I haven’t had the bbq here, but if i’ve heard good things.

I’m no BBQ expert — I love meat and gristle in almost any form, from almost any animal. And I’ve only had the rib tips, not the fried turkey which Jonathon Gold singles out as Tasty Q’s specialty (keep in mind for T-​Day, $ 2/​lb, bring your own bird). So frankly, I’m not qualified to say how good Tasty Q is compared to Phillips, which by all accounts is the best BBQ in LA.
However, I do love a good story. After dropping off the kids at violin lessons, we did some Halloween shopping at Smart and Final and agreed to grab something quick at Tasty Q next door. We got to talking with the owner/​chef Leroy, who gave us generous samples of the peach cobbler and banana pudding. The pudding is delicious but pricey at $ 25/​pan. Still, as an original dessert for a potluck or Thanksgiving, it may be worth the splurge.
Leroy then talked us through turkey basics, explaining why hens are better for eating — plump breasts — while toms are all bones and no meat [insert your own snarky comment here].
As we headed back out to the car, Leroy came out and showed us his smoker and a stack of oak chips (I didn’t realize that one needs to have a permit for hickory chips in the state of California). I told him I thought he could fashion a coffee roaster with the same equipment, and he said he didn’t need to serve coffee. Sure, breakfast is the highest-​margin meal of the day, with your typical 3-​egg breakfast costing 30 cents, but Leroy said he’d leave breakfasts to the McDonald’s and the 99-​cent soul food down the street to their respective markets.
Tasty Q has been in its present location for 12 years; Leroy had to relocate from Vermont and Coliseum when the Raiders left town. Leroy didn’t seem to be in any hurry to update or expand the current locale. Indeed, if it’s got a functional drive-​through and room for the turkey fryers and the smoker, why change? BTW, we ordered, ate, watched Monday Night Football, glanced through the LA Weekly stories on Miguel Contreras and Pinkberry, sampled and shot the breeze with Leroy all in less than half an hour.