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Even with dining rooms and patios in Seattle allowed to open at 50 percent capacity, Labor Day weekend may be a quieter celebration this year during the COVID-19 pandemic. But that doesn’t mean families (or roommates) can’t hold a small, stay-at-home backyard barbecue. Here are some of the best spots to get wonderful brisket, ribs, sides, and even some cocktails to-go, listed north to south. Since services shift often now, call ahead to make sure each restaurant is still open (places with limited dine-in services are noted). And if you see any changes, or if there’s a place you’d like considered for the list, send us a tip.
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Where to Order Labor Day Weekend Barbecue for Takeout and Delivery
Smoked meats and sides for those staying home
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Brileys BBQ and Grill
This Lake Forest Way restaurant has a smoker that imparts the flavor of cherry- and applewood into everything, from sausages to brisket, ribs, and chicken, available by the pound. The fries are pretty solid, too, especially topped with barbecue sauce and Brunswick stew. Open for takeout with curbside pickup (and its patio is open for sit-down service).
Bitterroot BBQ
Ballard’s barbecue specialist serves outstanding sandwiches, such as the pepperoncini-braised beef, as well as big platters of meat, from pork belly to ribs to smoked chicken. There’s beer, wine, and cocktail kits to-go as well. Available for takeout and delivery through Chownow, and limited outdoor seating.
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Jack's BBQ
The barbecue purveyor in South Lake Union — known for its Frito pie, rib tips, barbecue tacos, and brisket — continues to expand as it offers takeout and delivery. There’s also limited dine-in services at its SoDo location, which has a patio.
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Meaty Johnson's BBQ
This Capitol Hill restaurant often sells out of standards such as brisket and pulled pork, which are sold by the pound. It also serves Uli’s hot links, St. Louis ribs, chili, mac and cheese, kimchi potato salad, and jalapeño cornbread. Available for takeout with curbside pickup. Closed Monday.
Meet Korean BBQ
The new Capitol Hill Korean barbecue spot has launched a takeout and delivery service in conjunction with sibling restaurant Chan. Items include chicken wings, and bulgogi sliders, as well as a chef’s choice of four cuts of assorted meats, either grilled or raw, with japchae, banchan, ssam, and pa muchim. It’s also open for limited dine-in services.
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Ben Paris
This summer, the State Hotel’s brunch and drinks destination has turned Sundays into a barbecue feast, featuring shrimp skewers, pork ribs, andouille sausage, baked beans, mac salad, collard greens, and cornbread (available as a family meal that feeds four). There are also cocktails to-go, including bloody marys, Manhattans, and hurricane punches.
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Ivar's Acres of Clams
For the first time in the 82 year-old history of Ivar’s, there’s a full-fledged barbecue menu section. Among the new items at Ivar’s Acres of Clams and Salmon House (available for delivery and pickup with online ordering) include racks of spare ribs, pulled pork, and Uli’s Famous Sausage Louisiana hot links.
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Wood Shop BBQ
Owners Matt Davis and James Barrington bring flavors from their Texas and Kansas childhoods via a food truck and this Central District restaurant, which reopened for takeout and delivery earlier this summer. The meat is hickory-smoked in a custom Texas-built smoker named Brad Pit, and must-have sides include the mac and cheese topped with 12-hour pulled pork.
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The Barbecue Pit
This longtime no-frills favorite — known for its smoked ribs and hot links — reopened this summer at 17th Ave and East Yesler Way, after it closed down its previous location at 23rd Ave and East Cherry Street in 2019. Owner Edward “Pookey” Whitfield’s strong reputation as one of the city’s best barbecue chefs continues.
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Buddha Bruddah
What started as a food truck turned into a fast casual restaurant on Rainier Ave, with combinations of Thai dishes and items inspired by the Hawaiian plate lunch. It now has a full barbecue set up in its back lot, grilling up items like crispy pork belly, sticky and spicy ribs, and Thai sausages, available for takeout or delivery.
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Pecos Pit
There are excellent pulled pork sandwiches and hot links at this converted gas station in SoDo (with some food trucks around Seattle, Bellevue, Woodinville, and Everett). Pecos has been giving back as well, donating 100 meals every month to health care workers and others on the frontlines of the pandemic.
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Lil Red Takeout & Catering
This unassuming catering operation on Rainier Ave S is one of the better barbecue places in town, with an extensive menu of Jamaican jerk chicken, whole snapper, oxtail, and wings, along with satisfying sides, such as fried yams. It also recently acquired a new slicer for house-smoked bacon and sausages.
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Lady Jaye
This West Seattle smokehouse has takeout meals that can feed four or more people, with items that have recently included smoked bologna sandwiches, prime bulgogi short rib melts, fried pork shank confit, and black pepper biscuits. There are also a few bottled premixed cocktails to-go, and the patio is open for limited seating.
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Emma's BBQ
Pulled pork, brisket, chicken, and sides like cornbread, mac, collard greens, and baked beans are all worth a visit to this Hillman City classic. There’s takeout Thursday through Saturday, with an outdoor grill cooking up a variety of meats for pickup earlier in the week, on occasion, until the restaurant sells out.
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Drunky Two Shoes BBQ White Center
Some may bristle at the garish decor at this White Center spot, but the meat selection is no joke. Best bets include the rib tips, smoked bone marrow, and the barbecue parfait: a jar of meat and sides. Available for takeout with curbside pickup; larger orders can be delivered.
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