Niners Barbecue

TERRIBLE!!! Potato Salad, the potatoes were not cooked! It had no flavor, you better find a new recipe because that ain’t nothing special. The ribs were okay but i would of rather ate my own shoe!

I urge you to think twice before dining here. I ordered the combination plate with ribs and brisket. I was served three ribs and NO brisket. The ribs were so tough, I had to ask for a steak knife. Never again.

I went to this place a few months after it opened. It was a Sunday afternoon and I had the mid day munchies. I had been anxious to try this place since it opened. Sadly, I was extremely disappointed. This is not your traditional type of BBQ. This is crock pot style BBQ at best. Not that crock pot cooking is bad, but I can do that at home and, the results will be much better.
I ordered the brisket. Turns out, Not a smoked brisket. It tasted like an over cooked piece of tree bark soaked in mud and then disguised in their awful BBQ sauce. The only thing that gave them one star was the sides. They were OK. The BBQ? Go get the slop bucked from your local grocery store next to the meat section. It will be a better Sunday afternoon snack.

I tried the tritip sandwich and it was so so. Nothing to rave about so sorry I can’t give more than 3 stars.

Nothing is smoked or bar-​b-​qued here and the ‘grand opening’ and come and gone, pretty bleak.

I have to preface the rating. I was starving after a long, hot road ride up Mt. Hamilton and was craving BBQ. A quick search on Unilocal informed me that Niners was the closest to me. So, off I went! I arrived and was immediately confused. The place was being set up with formal ware and decoration. I said to myself «i’m not looking for a hoity toity spot!» It turns out the restaurant was preparing for a party and was closed to sit down eating. So, I ordered the ribs and brisket combo as that is what I use to gauge a restaurant’s street cred!
After arriving home, I opened the container only to discover the brisket was shredded! OMG! WTF? This isn’t Texas Q?! I then remembered their menu saying their brisket was Jalapeño style. What is that? After perusing Google, I discovered their style of brisket was crock pot Jalapeño brisket cooking. So, take this a fair warning. If you’re dead set on authentic style Q, then you’ll be sorely disappointed. With that in mind, here is what I thought of their offering:
Potato salad — Very good, except for the addition of olives. Olives?! I would come back here just for the potato salad.
Chili beans — They said I would love this. Unfortunately, it lacked any flavor or anything memorable.
Brisket, Jalapeño style — It appeared and tasted like it was cooked in a crock pot. It had good flavor but was a bit tough.
Ribs — Not smoked as far as I could tell. The sauce that covered them had good flavor. The ribs were not «fall off the bone» type and had a nice bite.
Will I be coming back? i doubt it as I’m only interested in true Q. However, it appears the locals like them!

Tried the beef brisket sandwich. The bread looked inviting but all I wanted was a snack so I passed on the roll and ate the pulled brisket with a fork and sauced a little as needed. Pretty good but not as tasty as other pulled meats I have tried at other BBQ places. The server was very nice and the food came out in a reasonable amount of time. I liked the decorations inside that supports the local sports teams. The place is clean and the prices are fair. Maybe a return visit is needed to roll up the stars here. Will try again but 3 stars for now.

I really wanted to like this place, but unfortunately it fell short of my expectations. There was no sign of bbq’ng going on when we arrived which shouldve been my first clue. The ribs were boiled and oven baked… definitely not bar-​b-​qued or smoked. I was really looking forward to that nice savory bbq flavor and this just wasn’t’t it. The tri tip was moist but very bland and also had no bbq/​smoke to it. The potato salad was ok… but the chili beans were so plain and flavorless. I won’t be returning.

We like to support our neighborhood and welcome new restaurants. This one however we won’t be going back too. Place was empty on a sat evening which raised our suspicions. No BBQ smells! So we tried the jalapeño brisket it was like eating boiled meat soaked on cold water. The beans tasted like 4 week old beans left in an open can potToe salad had no flavor at all. We tried the ribs… Over cooked way to salty and no flavor but smoke… The fries were way too salty dripped of grease. Our last hope was the diet coke alas it was Luke warm. $ 30 and we had 1 or two bites. We look forward to the next restaurant to open at that location. Avoid this place so it will go out of business quicker.

I read all the Unilocal reviews and the GF said lets give it a test anyway. So we do just that. We arrived about 6:30-ish and the place is empty. I can smell a faint odor of smoke. We tried samples of the brisket and tri-​tip, then ordered the ribs and brisket combo with chili beans and potato salad, along with a tri-​tip sandwich. We found a table and the food arrived a few minutes later. The place is new and very clean and orderly.
The ribs were tasty and not drowned in BBQ sauce as other reviews have indicated. I’ve had worse and I’ve had better. They were edible and the best of the meats we ate.
The brisket was just plain strange. It is shredded and done in a jalapeño style that has a little kick after-​taste, but I would prefer a more BBQ style of flavor. It was also dry with too much of the jalapeño style juice which did not help. We did not finish it all.
The chili beans were meaty, but nothing special, not enough chili flavor. The potato salad was bland and just average. The two hot buttered rolls came in handy. We made little brisket sliders out of them.
The tri-​tip sandwich was disappointing, especially for 10 bux! As stated in other reviews, it consists of several slices of dry beef on a plain roll. They did give us a bottle of sauce which was way too sweet for our taste.
Lastly we tried a small strawberry parfait. It was more like yogurt and not like any parfait I’ve ever had. It was OK and could have been much colder. In defense of the lack of coldness, today was 93 degrees or something like that. HOT!
Our meal cost $ 32.00 and we were full. But I did not have that warm after glow of a good BBQ chow down. BTW: They do not bake the meats as one reviewer stated. I saw the large smoker in the back full of ribs and chicken and beef. There is some smokiness flavor in the meats, just not enough for me and definitely not real Texas Style! Real Texas Style BBQ can be smelled for blocks and blocks! I grew up in Texas. Now the owner may be from Texas, but his BBQ is not. The food is not bad, thus the three stars, just not as good as it could be.
Lastly, the plastic knives and forks and styro-​containers are not meant to be used to cut meats! Gimme a china plate and a real steak knife please!

I really hate giving bad reviews, but never again. First off the place was empty, didn’t have that smokey BBQ smell you get at a real BBQ joint.
We were greeted and asked if we wanted to try samples. In my mind when I think brisket it’s juicy burnt on the top and melts in your mouth. We were handed shredded beef. Then handed a sample of the tri-​tip very dry and no seasoning. Then handed a sample of the pork rib. Ok tasted good
We ordered the ribs, then a brisket for my son and a link for my brother. Waited about 10 mins and headed home. To open the boxes and find the ribs aren’t even bbqed or smoked. They are baked. Chewy and not appetizing I think I took three bites, potato salad tasted like mayo with no crunch. The beans are from a can and the Mac salad was absolutely disgusting.
The hotlink looked like it was grilled on a pan then sat for 10 hrs. My son liked the shredded beef, but I tasted it and it was dry and tasteless.
I added this stuff up when we left it should had only been 25 bucks and I was charged 35.
The only thing that’s gets a star is the cleanliness, but no where in sight was a smoker or BBQ pit.
Never again. Wasted my time my money and my taste buds

Dispute the review I came here to try this place with my husband. He was pretty excited and I was hoping it was good for him.
I got the Tri tip, brisket, and I wanted a size of hot link. My husband got the tri tip and the ribs. When my food came I noticed that my Tri tip was dry, my brisket looked like pull pork, and my hot link came with a bun. Hmmm not what I expected compare to over places. Now the taste, Tri tip was super dry and it seem like they cooked it in the morning and put it back on the grilled to get the smoked taste. I didn’t even touch my pull pork, and my hot link? I disregard the bun and attempted to eat the link and it was okay nothing special.
The location was new and clean, but what BBQ join doesn’t have hot sauce?!? Really!!! I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone and my husband was very disappointment by the meal.

I am sad, and my sadness reflects on my disappointing experience with the food. I was expecting much much more with the food. We ordered the tri-​tip sandwich ($ 10) and the brisket combo ($ 12) to go.
For the sandwich it was just a couple of sliced meat slapped on a warm bun and that’s it. The sandwich wasn’t big and there wasn’t any condiment on it. Is this how Texans have their sandwiches? I’ve had better.
The brisket (jalapeño style) was shredded beef with a side of beans and macaroni salad. My brother who ordered it just looked at it, tasted a bit of the brisket and pushed it away. Harsh!!! would have been better if it wasn’t shredded.
Garnered two stars mainly because of the ambiance. The place looked cool with its sports mural of Niners, Giants and Sharks. A sports buff would be happy posing on the place. Other than that I’ll prolly go somewhere else.

One of two new barbecue places that have opened up recently near me (North-​East San Jose, off Mckee and Capitol), this ‘cue joint is in a small neighborhood storefront area on Alum Rock & White Rd. The other place is a Memphis styled BBQ eatery, but that’s for another review.
They have a definite sports theme going on (in case you couldn’t tell from the name), with floor to ceiling murals of the Sharks, 49ers, and other big bay area sports institutions. Décor is a bit conflicting, with the previous resident’s architecture being left unchanged and giving off the ambiance of a flower shop or perhaps a Greek restaurant. The owner could definitely make some changes to play up the sports or Texas-​style ambiance.
Right, I should mention the owner is a former Texan, now striking out to the west with Texas-​style barbecue in the SF Bay Area.
Texas BBQ usually means smoke roasted meats served simply on butcher paper or styrofoam boxes. They cook meat low and slow for hours in a smoker, melting all the touch connective tissue to yield succulent, smoky, and tender meat.
The counter girl was definitely nice, offering my group of 3 samples of their ribs, tritip, and brisket. We opted to try all 3. They also have chicken, though we didn’t taste it.
Sure enough, everything arrives in styrofoam boxes. We had to pay $ 1 for water bottles, guess they don’t have free cups of water. We each had the one item plates which come with 2 sides for $ 13 each.
Beef ribs were disappointing. Yes, they were proper Texas style dino-​sized beef ribs, but they needed to be cooked much longer. The meat closer to the bone was still quite chewy and tough – not easily pulled from the bone. The sauce was a little different from what I expect – for Texas ribs I imagine either dry or a more beefy sauce to complement the smoke. This one was just sweet and one dimensional – like a store bought bottle.
Brisket was interesting, easily my favorite meat of the meal. They do it a little different by roasting the meat with Jalapeño, infusing it with a nice spicy kick to back the meat flavor. Yet, the texture was a problem again. It wasn’t slices of brisket, but more like shredded beef. Very moist shredded beef, but shredded nonetheless.
The tri-​tip was dry, though very well permeated with the smoke flavors you want in authentic barbecue. It had been taken way past well done to overdone, with no juices left in the meat. It’s not Santa Maria style, and not particularly well executed Texas style either.
The sides were unremarkable. Potato salad and macaroni salad tasted nearly the same, with only the meatier bite of the potatoes letting you know which was which. They could have benefited from some acid – lemon, mustard, vinegar, anything to cut the one dimensionality of the straight up mayo. The beans were chili beans with a hint of smoke and not much else. Our buttered bread rolls were large and soft, but boring and unexceptional, no better than a pack of supermarket dinner rolls.
Sloppy technique leads to sloppy food – hopefully the owner steps up as his restaurant gains in experience.

I first learned about Niners Barbeque (NB) about a week before they opened from my barber, Mario, who just happens to be located just a stone’s throw from this location. Being an avid BBQ chef and aficionado I was eager to check this place out especially after the closure of the East Side’s only legit BBQ joint (Texas Smokehouse). I really got excited, too, after reading some glowing reviews from Unilocal friends and some word on the street. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to make it out here until today almost a month into their opening, but it was well worth the wait. The first thing you have to know about NB is they’re not your traditional BBQ joint; they do a more West Texas-​style BBQ (aka Cowboy Style) that involves a more direct heat method than a low-​and-​slow method that most of us equate with BBQ. So now that we’ve edified ourselves. Let’s dig into some Q!
Sides:
Chili Beans– NB serves up a nice, mild version of what I’d call Northern Chili. It’s really basic with just beans, ground meat, spices and water. The beans were cooked perfectly and the meat and spices were just OK; I added some of their fabulous sauce and it really picked it up. 3*
Macaroni Salad– The mac salad is made using a Rigati pasta and not the traditional Elbow pasta that most of us are used to. They use a lot of yellow mustard in their mac salad, and I’m not a big fan of yellow mustard. Again, their BBQ sauce saved the day as it helped mute the mustard flavor. 2.5*
Meats & Sauce:
Pork Ribs– Nice big moist and meaty ribs that are grilled nicely. These aren’t fall-​off-​the-​bone ribs because I don’t think they’re meant to be with this style of Q. They have a nice light rub on them and are slathered in their delicious BBQ sauce. They’re also very generous with their portions. 3.5*
Hot Links– They serve up two different types of Hot Links here at NB: Spicy and Pineapple. I tasted both types and I preferred the Spicy. The Pineapple was a bit too sweet to me, but my 3-​year-​old loved the it. Spicy-​4* Pineapple-3*(5* for kids)
BBQ Sauce– NB’s BBQ Sauce is really quite fabulous and compliments everything they serve up very well. It’s got the perfect blend of spices and an excellent sweetness. My only criticism would be that I wished they had a spicy version of this sauce to compliment their Mild version. Maybe something to look forward to in the future? 4.5*
Beef Brisket– This meat is the real star of NB! Their Beef Brisket is advertised as «Jalapeño-​Style» because it’s cooked with slices of Jalapeño in it. The Brisket was so juicy and flavorful and the Jalapeño flavor just really pushed it over the top. You really have to taste it to believe it. Magnifique! 5*
Value– NB sells different combos of BBQ plates for around $ 15 that are stuffed to the brim with meat and sides. It could easily be shared by two people. 5*
Service & Ambiance– NB is a very nice and clean establishment with really cool painted murals on the walls representing all the Bay Area sports teams, and not just the one it’s named after. The place itself can comfortably hold 20 – 25 patrons and the only thing it’s missing is a soda fountain machine. I interacted only with one of the owners, Sandra, and she was a sweet as could be. She even brought my son out a Pineapple Link on the house when she saw that he was being fussy with the entrée selections I had made; now that’s service! This is exactly the kind of small business owner that you definitely want to support. 5*
While NB is not perfect it is an outstanding addition to the BBQ-​starved East Side and with friendly owners that are charming and personable I see big things for them in the future. They also have a fantastic location right next door to what could arguably be San José’s preeminent bakery (Peters’ Bakery) If I lived closer I think Niners and Peters’ would be a regular combo in my household.

This place is more like a 3.5. The BBQ is pretty decent. The brisket was good but the pork ribs were pretty tuff. The macoroni salad needs some improvement because it was tasteless. The meal could also use a piece of bread to make it complete. I will go back to try the BBQ chicken.

I was really excited to learn a BBQ restaurant was going to be located near my home. I was waiting for the perfect time to go and tonight was it. After getting my hair done at Dop 180 across the street I decided to head over and pick up a to go order since its on my way home up Alum Rock. I called in my order and the lady over the phone was really nice. I think she may be the owner. She even asked me how soon I wanted to pick it up. I told her 5min since I was only across the street. I walked in and received my order right away. I ordered the bbq chicken with macaroni salad and baked beans. I was pretty stoked to get home and grub. I love bbq so I can be a picky critic. The first thing I noticed was how much chicken I received. It was equivalent to half a chicken. The sides were a pretty good size portion too. I’m a business women and I believe they shouldn’t give this much chicken in one serving. I would add an additional fee for the extra piece I got, I know people will pay for it. The one thing I look for in my bbq chicken is that the skin is crisp. The skin on this chicken was loose and floppy, I couldn’t eat it. I disregarded the skin and ate the chicken. Their bbq sauce is good, not great. I like a little kick to my bbq sauce and I like it caramelized on the skin, I didn’t get that here. I may go back. Great service. Food is good but not outstanding. I would try it out if you do like bbq though.

I developed a taste for Texas barbecue when I lived in Texas. Niners Barbecue has great tasting meats and sides. I have tried the tri-​tip, the brisket, the chicken and the sausage. I think that the tri-​tip is the best but the others are very good too. The potato salad and baked beans taste homemade. I did not taste the macaroni salad, but I am sure that it is good too.
This is a family business. It is family run and caters to families. It also has a takeout business.
This restaurant is just getting started and the owners are open to suggestions. The owner told me that they had a smoked salmon special that was very well received.
The inside is clean and the staff makes you feel at home. This is not «fine dining» just great food. I highly recommend it if you like barbecue. I have very much enjoyed my meals here.

What a treat! The service was impeccable, the food tasted like it was home made and the proprietors were very personable and wanted to know how they can improve their service to their customers. As far as I am concerned, they have done an excellent job and really I see no room for improvement. As far as people who critique and comment about calories, carbs and cholesterol, I would invite them to cook for me and we can compare who does a better job.
.Nners barbecue rocks! Also, let us not forget how clean the restaurant is, which means a lot to me.

Being a cowgirl from the Midwest, I’m always looking for a good barbecue place. I was so surprised when I heard a little rumor about a little place in Alumrock that was new to the hood. It’s called the Niners barbecue! That’s perfect name and perfect place for a Niners cowgirl!
I headed over here tonight with my cowboy to check out the rumor. When we opened the door the smell of Texas barbecue was amazing! We took our place in line at the counter and spoke with a woman who was at the register. Turns out she and her husband opened this restaurant just a week ago.
We ordered the beef brisket barbecue plate. We also ordered the pineapple hotlink. For dessert we had s a small strawberry parfait. The cost was about $ 21 very reasonable for a large quantity of food.
The food here is absolutely the best barbecue in San Jose! The service is unbelievable because Sandra and her husband are so personable. Both of them came to our table and chatted with us about the business and George’s soon-​to-​be infamous beef brisket recipe and Sandra’s equally famous strawberry parfait creation.
We tested almost everything on the menu. Really whatever you order here you can’t go wrong!
Welcome to the hood, Niner’s Barbecue! As the current Baroness of Alumrock let me herold your praises by saying San Francisco Niners and the Niners barbecue are the best in town, all around!