Black Bark BBQ

This is probably the best bbq in the bay area. I feel like im in Texas! Bbq and the sauce is so good to be true even the staff! Can’t say anything wrong because eveything is beyond perfect! We’ll be back for sure :)

Meat was awesome but the side orders have a lot to be desired. Greens were yummy but the cornbread was dry and the coleslaw was watery. The sweet potatoe pie tasted like pumpkin and dry. Would come back for their meat and ice tea! That I give a 4 star!

My gf and I were craving some BBQ so we stopped by bark. though we love 1300 Fillmore. I was hoping this would be on par. No way. Cold steel stools very uncomfortable paper plates. Just not what we were expecting
Oh the food? Just marginal at best. The brisket was the mealiest disgusting piece of meat I’ve ever seen. The chicken was so so. The BBQ sauce was very weak. No need to go back. 4505 hopefully will be better.

Okay, finally made it today. So here’s my assessment:
Ordered 2-​meat plate with ribs and brisket. 2 sides: sweet potato fries and cole slaw. Portions were a pretty decent size, though not huge. I actually thought the ribs were pretty solid. On a scale of 1 – 10, I’d give them a solid 6.5, maybe 7. Nicely done. They were definitely tasty and my favorite of the lot. The brisket was okay, but definitely not anything to write home about. Flavor was okay, but it was served shredded and kinda stringy which I found a bit unusual and wasn’t what I’m used to. Doesn’t look like some of the other brisket photos I see here on Unilocal.
As for the sides, sweet potato fries were pretty good (though kinda hard to screw that up) but I was probably most disappointed in the slaw. Pretty bland and low on flavor, not nearly tangy enough. The sauces were pretty good, definitely liked the spicy bbq sauce the best but took work to get it out of the bottle. Meal cost $ 19. Not a bargain by any rate, but under 20 bones ain’t horrible either for the amount of food.
Décor was really nice actually. They’ve done a nice job with the space. Very clean and food came out pretty quickly. Staff was friendly.
All in all I’d rate this place a 6/​10, or maybe 3.5 stars out of 5. Worth a visit.

The place is new so I’ll go easy. Eating brisket is my hobby. And I can tell you that the brisket here is fantastic. They achieved the «meat candy» effect and the cuts are perfectly fatty. The people complaining that it is served luke warm. don’t know BBQ, that’s how it’s supposed to be served.
They need to go back to the drawing board on all the side dishes though. The greens were watery and lacking flavor and the slaw was pretty bland as well. (It is nearly impossible to find good coleslaw in the city, so they are missing an opportunity to differentiate themselves). And from everything I’ve read on their other reviews the Mac & Cheese, beans, and sweet tater casserole are no bueno as well.
I showed up right when they opened and the staff seemed to be caught off guard. No music playing, TVs were off, register had no cash drawer, they were still filling sauce bottles and doing sidework.
Let’s hope Chef Lawrence sees these comments and makes the tweeks needed to make this place live up to its potential.

Great Ribs!!!
I brought my family and friends here the first week they had opened and it was wonderful!
I order everything they make and we had a all out feast !!!
I will definitely put black bark in The rotation of great place to eat in SF !!

I’ve been meaning to write this review… so here goes.
I gave three stars because the place is so-​so.
I’m not a big fan of open seating arrangements; the seating is limited so if you come during a rush… you’ll be waiting awhile to sit or have to or to-​go.
I ordered the 1 meat combo meal (I believe that’s what it’s called) with brisket, mac&cheese, & collard greens. My gf ordered the 2 meat combo meal with ribs, chicken, smoked mushrooms, & potato salad. We both ordered the refillable sweet tea, too.
The food is served on a large paper-​lined tray. My brisket wasn’t too great in terms of flavor or tenderness… it was quite dry honestly even when paired with one of their three bbq sauces provided at the table (1 vinegar based, 1 tomato based, 1 mustard based… or at least that what my tastebuds understood!) The mac&cheese was very, very delicious & the collards were okay.
My gf mentioned that her ribs could have been cooked longer, but she enjoyed them nonetheless. I don’t believe she mentioned anything regarding the chicken… must’ve been good! Her potato salad was simple & tasty, just how I like it. The mushrooms… freakin de-​li-​cious! I know because I sampled both.
I could eat the mac&cheese and mushrooms all-​day, everyday!
We enjoyed the tea, but both agreed that the brew could have been stronger.
All in all… we enjoyed ourselves & may be back someday!

So we picked up a ‘Small Platter’ ($ 69 assortment of meats & sides, intended to feed 5 – 6 people) for our small Super Bowl gathering. We thought it was fantastic — service was speedy & courteous, they did a great job even though the place was totally packed.
Meats were all high-​quality, slow smoked, very tender, super delicious. I did add salt to a few but I tend to like salty food, and it’s easy to add a finishing touch — some people will find it way too salty otherwise.
This fast-​casual place probably should be solid 4 stars but there are so many BAD reviews, unfairly weighing things down, I’m going to rate higher, to get the overall numbers to be more representative of the experience. I’m reading through these reviews and seeing a trend I often see with pizza: ‘I’m used to BBQ [pizza] a certain way … this place makes BBQ [pizza] a DIFFERENT way, and I don’t like that, so I think this place sucks.’
Value was great — we got way more food than we were expecting, for the price. we will definitely be back.

Black Barkin baby!
bum bah bump, bump
Black Barkin on the Fillmore!
woooooooaawoah
Black Barkin baby!
bump buh bump, bump
Black Barkin on the Fillmore!
lemme see you grill your horns
bee bee! cue bee! bee cue!
bee bee! cue bee! bee cue!
moistish PULLED PORK made it worthwhile
not the RIBS mzafzas
CORNBREAD x COLESLAW like textbook
three SAUCES were weaksauce #osnap
surprising amount of BLACK customers
food was BETTER than initial reviews
but SKIPPABLE overall bc #pricepoint
it’s so meaty, it’s so right
it’s so meaty, to rockit all night
Black Barkin baby!
bump bum bump, bump
Black Barkin on the Fillmore!
nowwsayitagainnnn
Black Barkin baby!
buh bah bump, bump
Black Barkin on the Fillmore!

So this was my first time here and I am sadly disappointed in this Urban BBQ Place.
First the location is great only down the street from my job so only a walk away. The business looked great and the staff was friendly.
Now the prices for what you get is crazy
hot links meal for 12:00 with only one link cut up with no sauce on it. The small Green’s and Mac and Cheese were not worth the money.
Now flavor:
Hot link was not good at all very gummy tasting and dry.
Mac and Cheese was watery and had onions and red peppers or tomatoes.
Collards Green was bland and lacked meat.
Lemonade was the only thing worth having but not for 4.00 $
Also I was charged 20 for two bags when I only got one bag. I will not be returning to this place.

Ate here for the first time tonight with my wife.
Ordered ½lb brisket, 6ribs, cornbread, and a 2 meat platter (same meats) with Mac n cheese and the sweet potato pecan casserole. Oh, and a lemonade which was great!
To the haters who complain about the meat needing salt or being too dry, you’re crazy. This is spot on Texas style.
The brisket is easily the best I’ve had in the Bay Area, and I’ve had it pretty much everywhere. Pro tip: ask for it extra fatty, and thank me later.
Real talk: The ribs are second to 4505 meats, but still fantastic. Basically they could be a bit meatier, like the ones at 4505 and 3 pigs. But the smoke ring and the rub is spot – friggen – on.
Mac n cheese was really great, but a tad runny for my liking. Just my preference. Wife loved it.
Sweet potato casserole was not my favorite (though it never is anywhere). Personally I would have liked it to have some brown sugar or something to make it sweeter.
To the people complaining about the portion size of the meat plates, order a la carte. That’s how it’s meant to be ordered, which if any of you have been to a place outside of California, would know.
Staff and owner were warm and friendly, music was odd (but whatever), but will absolutely be returning every time I want bbq.
Overall 4.5 stars, rounded up to spite the haters who are wrong, and bring up the rating to where it deserves.

Oh. My. God.
Seriously, I don’t know what to say.
I’m writing, not to condemn, cajole or berate; I’m writing to inform.
One word: SALT
Everything needed salt. Even the salt — needed salt.
Praise Sweet Jehovah that other UnilocalERS felt similarly & have written much of the same.
I pray Chef/​Owner — David Lawrence & his wife Monetta, are made aware of these comments/​experiences before it’s too late.
They appear to work hard, but anything this bad is surely doomed to fail.
I was part of a group of four. On this night, my mission was twofold:
(1) As a southerner, I was anxious to try the newest BBQ spot
(2) I wanted to introduce friends to the talents of the team behind 1300 Fillmore
Black Bark BBQ, like it’s older brother, 1300 Fillmore, has the potential to be ROCK SOLID.
But right now — their newest venture is the relative nobody wants to sit near, let alone speak to.
If only the food were as appealing as the layout/​dining room.
They’re «new,» so I’m believing a great deal of the obvious issues will be worked out (please GOD)
Specific Issues on Saturday, January 16^th:
— poorly kept dining room (tables not cleared/​cleaned quickly enough to support crowd flow)
— difficulty with ordering (staff offered no suggestions/​help with menu items)
— ridiculous inefficiency at the register (the line took forever)
— food temperature (items were «warm» but not «hot.» the mac-​n-​cheese was a congealed, chunky mess, the collard greens, shockingly bland)
We ordered:
Beef Brisket — Baked Beans — Potato Salad
Pulled Pork — Collard Greens — Coleslaw
Link Sausage — Mac-​n-​Cheese — Sweet Potato Fries
Spare Ribs — Cornbread
Wine
To be clear, none of it was «bad,» it’s all edible.” It’s just really NOT «good.»
Not a single «crave-​able» item made it to our table. No, not one.
Part of the disappointment from my group (I’ve cut their faces from the photo — to protect the innocent) rests primarily in the fact that they had such «high hopes» for a BBQ spot in SF.
I let them down — and Black Bark BBQ let me down.

We ordered the Platter ($ 69) which came with ½ lb each of brisket, chicken, pulled pork and sausage, a full slab of ribs, 3 1 qt sides and cornbread.
The one word to describe the BBQ was DRY. It was not moist at all and had a hard time eating the meats without a heavy dousing of sauce.
I did enjoy the smoky wood flavor and the mac n cheese side but that is about it.
I prefer 4505 for their BBQ of the places I have tried in the city.
Hope they work out the kinks because good BBQ is hard to find in SF.

Not very good after all the hype and excitement to find a decent BBQ place in the city. We didn’t find it with this place.
The sausage sandwich was very very dry and $ 9?! The sweet potato pecan casserole was ok but not worth $ 4 and having to bus your own table. They REALLY don’t want our tips obviously.

If people are curious what I did Christmas day, I flew across the country, and slept the majority of the day. I pretty much missed the holiday. However, I woke up the next day to 4 2 lb beef tenderloins. And you know what I did with them? I smoked them. Because thats what I enjoying doing when I am back in Atlanta with my friends.
Having that be a few weeks ago, I realized I needed a smoked meat fix stat. I was led here by fellow Unilocaler who knew my insatiable love for good old ‘cue. Having this place be new to SF, I knew I would be in for a treat. Or would I?
I got there a few minutes early to scope the place out. Parking was a joke, but I was able to get garage parking in the attached building (Fillmore Center).
I was expected to be greeted with the intense smell of smoke, but it was only faint. I arrived at 11:29AM, and there were already 2 people in line. I figured being there first would guarantee me the juiciest and the freshest of meats.
To get a diverse selection, I got the 3 meat (see pic). It came with two sides. I chose sweet potato casserole and mac n cheese.
They have communal water in a large steel urn so I got some along with my cream soda (they sell bottled drinks and beer too).
The food came out fairly quickly (they use a number system to deliver food). It was time. I went for the links first. I noticed they had 3 sauces, but weren’t labeled. One was mustard based, one was vinegar based, and the last one, well I couldn’t even get it out (their sauces are in glass jars?!? Who does that? It looks like I was trying to beat off a horse. Cute, but impractical).
The links with sauces were ok. I liked the mustard base better with it. Then I went for the ribs. They were interesting. I ate them dry (a decent test). In the same rib I managed to get a dry and juicy combo. It tasted like they use peach wood (a fantastic wood for all day smoking). This was probably my favorite.
The last meat was the brisket. It was completely forgettable– even with the 2 sauces.
The sides were a miss too. The mac n cheese almost tasted like macaroni with pimento that wasn’t drained of the water. Even soaking it in sauce didn’t help. The sweet potato cass was unique, but it made me thirsty, quick.
After eating, I washed my hands (more on that in a sec). The bathroom was clean and simple. The owner (I presume) called me out on my accent when I ordered. All tables were asked how their meals were but me. Oh well.
You know you eat good cue when you wash your hands and you still sniff your hands hours later and show your fingers off to your friends. I don’t see that happening with me.
Maybe a few months down the road recipes will get tweaked and the sauces will be able to get utilized. Hell, for a $ 30 lunch that was that disappointing, how can I come back? The people of SF deserve real pit cooked ‘cue, if it is even legal out here…

2.5 STARS
«No wood. No good.»
That’s what it says on Black Bark BBQ’s wall.
I nodded my head in agreement.
BUT, I don’t think the owner (s) had morning wood on their mind like I did.
Sorry, I just had to go there.
OK, back to the point. I think everyone in San Francisco can agree that solid BBQ is seriously lacking in the city. And, don’t get me started on the overpriced, hipster BBQ places that charge $ 15 for one rib. *Ahem Smokestack*
When there was a media explosion on every SF food publication about the opening of Black Bark BBQ, from the owner of 1300 on Fillmore, I screamed like a little school girl. FINALLY, there’s going to be a legit, non-​yipster BBQ joint in San Francisco!
NOPE…
IT’S. ALL. HYPE.
During their second day of opening, I went to Black Bark BBQ for a lunch meeting. Come early because the guy next to us in line said, they sold out of 4 of their 6 meats by 1 pm the day before.
BBQ Meat Selection: Beef Brisket, Spare Ribs, Pulled Pork, BBQ Chicken, Link Sausage (Chicken) and Turkey Legs.
They’re available by the HALF pound for $ 9-​$ 13 or in Combo Plates with 2 sides (1 meat — $ 12, 2 meat — $ 17, 3 meat — $ 22). For sides, there’s baked beans, potato salad, collard greens, coleslaw, mac & cheese, sweet potato pecan casserole, sweet potato fries, and smoked portobello mushrooms. They also have salads ($ 9-​$ 22), sandwiches ($ 9-​$ 11), and dessert: cobbler or sweet potato pie ($ 6/​slice). There’s large platters for 5 – 6 people ($ 69) or 10 – 12 people ($ 115) which include all the meats (except turkey legs), 3 sides, and cornbread. Beer and wine only.
Beware, the portions are small and inconsistent from table-​to-​table. The sandwiches looked like a big slider.
I ordered a 2-​Meat Combo Plate w/​Brisket, Ribs, Collard Greens, and Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole ($ 17):
. Also, ordered cornbread ($ 2) but never received it.
The two thin slices of brisket had a nice smoke ring, tasty fat cap, and were pretty tender:
. But, the guy at the next table got three thick slices of brisket in his combo plate — what’s up with that?! *shakes fist*
The dry rub ribs were sorely disappointing. I read an article that the same ribs at the owner’s other restaurant, 1300 on Fillmore were SO good that he couldn’t keep up with the demand and would always sell out. Seriously?! These ribs were terribly dry, chewy, and devoid of any flavor or spices but smoke. There wasn’t much meat on the ribs and the black bark tasted like old jerky. C’mon at 11:30 am?!
The collard greens were really tender (not too bitter) and helped cut through the richness of the meats. However, I only received one tablespoon of greens floating on top a cup of stewing liquid. The pecan sweet potato casserole was just mashed sweet potatoes with pecans sprinkled on top. I enjoyed it as a dessert.
There were 3 sauces on every table (no hot sauce):
*Tomato-​based: Best of the 3; tangy and very mildly spicy.
*Mustard-​based: Meh, like deli yellow mustard.
*Vinegar-​based: Meh, like red wine vinegar.
My boss got the 1-​Meat Combo Plate w/​Chicken Link Sausage, Baked Beans and Mac & Cheese ($ 12):
. The portion of sausage was laughably small but he said, it tasted much better than my brisket and ribs. He barely touched his sides. He later told me, they were not good.
Our other colleague ordered a 1-​Meat Combo w/​Brisket, Baked Beans, and Coleslaw. He wasn’t impressed and barely touched his sides as well.
Did I mention, both these guys are from the South and can eat?
As for the service, the cashiers were great — welcoming and cheery. Too bad, I can’t say the same about the rest of the staff. It’s self-​service but the manager checked in with the table next to us (his friends?) and looked at the other tables like he couldn’t be bothered with them. It’s a small space so if you check in with 1 – 2 tables, you should take the extra 30 seconds to check in with other paying customers especially during grand opening week.
Additionally, the manager wore his sullen attitude on his face and it trickled down to the food runners. It’s only day two and they look like they’ve been working at the dmv… for years. =/​I worked as Al Bundy for 4 years so I get it. However, like everyone else in the service industry, I was paid to put a smile on my face and do my job… even when a customer threw a shoe at my face (no joke!).
I really like what they’ve done with the space. It’s very modern, casual, and lots of flat screen tvs for watching the game. There’s only 9 small tables, one large communal table, and bar seating so you may have to hover for seats until the hype dies down.
Back to their catchy phrase…
Given our experience, it should say, «Too much wood. Not good.» The bark on the ribs was so not the business.
I mean, it’s ALL about how you work that wood. Am I right — ladies (and gentlemen)!

I wasn’t cool enough to know about the soft opening on Sunday, January 10, but I arrived around 10:45am to wait for Black Bark to officially open on Wednesday, January 13. A line began to form closer to 11:30am than 11:00am, and they opened the doors about five after the scheduled time. It was nice to see the pies and other baked goods make their way into the front door before the restaurant opened up.
After asking what the cashier’s favorite sides were, I went with the two-​meat plate ($ 17) with brisket and spare ribs, plus mac ‘n’ cheese and collard greens. Cornbread is an extra $ 2, but I went crazy and ordered it anyway. My friend wanted one of his meats to be sausage, but they didn’t have any pork sausage today, so he had to get the chicken sausage. (What a weird oversight.) I skipped the drinks this time in favor of good ol’ tap water, which you serve yourself in 12-​oz mason jars.
We picked out a table in the middle of the seating area and hung out with the three bottles of barbecue sauce. The food came out pretty quickly on metal trays covered in brown butcher paper reminiscent of southern barbecue, but someone forgot about my cornbread. It didn’t take too long to flag down a server and bring this to her attention. But how did the food turn out?
BRISKET: *drum roll…* It was still too dry for my Texan taste. We speculated whether it’s because Californians are more health conscious than the friendly folks in the South and only use leaner cuts of brisket. It did have a good crust on it, and we were forcibly able to cut it with our forks, so it does have something going for it.
SPARE RIBS: Also a bit too dry, but I like that it was dry-​rubbed and not drowning in sauce when it arrived at the table.
CHICKEN SAUSAGE: The only time I eat chicken sausage is when I buy it at the grocery store and heat it up myself because I felt guilt about having pork sausage. This one broke up very easily and was not terribly exciting.
MAC ‘N’ CHEESE: Weirdly, it was way too heavy on the cheese sauce to macaroni pasta ratio. But the sauce was tasty and had a little jack cheese kick to it.
COLLARD GREENS: The second-​best thing I ordered, and it also had a nice spice level.
CORNBREAD: My favorite item this trip. It had the right texture and tasted on point.
I didn’t have any room left for dessert, but I really wanted to try the sweet potato pie. Maybe I should give it another try after a few months to see if anything improves after they’ve gotten into a rhythm.
For those with children, they have a couple of kid’s menu items, but why would you let the next generation settle for grilled cheese at a barbecue joint?

Barked, smoked and tender.
The meats fill more on Fillmore.
Soul is full from sides.

Line was slightly out the door, checked out to see what this place was about.
The cashier was friendly as I didn’t know what to get. Ordered the 3 meat special, tried ordering the turkey leg but it was sold out. So I just went w/​½ chicken, beef brisket, and pulled pork. For the sides I went w/​Mac and cheese and sweet potato fries.
Got a sweet tea initially but found out that you can change it to lemonade or a ½tea and lemonade. The sweet tea is sweeter than what I usually drink. It’s like somebody poured sugar syrup into it. The lemonade is a bit tart but not tart like the chick-​fil-​a
lemonade if there was a scale on tartness to measure it to. So ½ and ½ was a good mix of sweet and tartiness, a bit weird initially but I got used to it.
The chicken had a nice smoke flavor to it when you bite into it. Easy to eat and almost fall of the bone quality.
Beef brisket was flavorful and a bit fatty.
Pulled pork was a little dry, but good thing they had some 3 different BBQ sauces to help bring out the taste. One tasted normal, one was a bit runny w/​a little vinegar taste, and the other was thick mustard. I’ve tasted the runny one sauce by itself is terrible, but when you combine it w/​the pulled pork it tastes a lot better.
The Mac and cheese tastes good on the top portion but as you ate your way into it, the cheese started getting a bit gritty.
Sweet potato fries were a bit different as it tasted a bit sweeter than what I’m used to, so it was a welcome change.
I’ll be back for the turkey leg, links, and ribs for my next visit!

It’s a new place, I get it. I’ll go easy…
I love BBQ and I feel like it’s a rarity in the city. I got excited that this was opening in my neighborhood so I was definitely looking forward to eating here.
It’s such a nice place, love the décor and every detail from the utensils to the water dispenser (which is self serve). They have a cute outdoor seating area, but since it was raining, I didn’t see the chairs/​tables set up.
Food wise? Awww, man. I’m sad.
Arrived around 6:00 and by 7:00 they were already turning people away since it seemed like they were running out of food.
If you get anything, get the BRISKET. That was probably the best thing out of what we got.
Sweet Tea was sweet, but where’s the tea? It was more like sugar water. :(The mac & cheese was «okay,» the potato salad was alright, and the cornbread was a little dry.
I’ll give it a try in a few months hoping things get better!