My husband and I saw a video review of this place and decided to try it. We arrived with lowered expectations, as we had been disappointed by bbq places before. Arkin's is a small carry-out only place that sells sandwiches, dinners, and meat by the pound. The sides are à la carte; except for the dinners. Before we even get to the food, let's talk about the staff. They are some of the sweetest and friendliest people you could ever meet! Even with the place being busy, they didn't rush us to order or to get out of the door. They chatted with us and made us feel welcome - as if we'd been going there for years! And every time we return it's like talking to old friends. It's so very refreshing in the current social climate! Now the food: 'Delicious' is too weak a word to describe it! I got the chicken sandwich, which came with slaw and jalapeño pickles. The sliced chicken breast was broasted and had a nice crispy skin. The seasoning was so good I didn't even want to put sauce on it! The slaw was awesome and I didn't detect mayo, so I was able to enjoy it. I added a side of greens, which were delicious. Not everyone can make greens.... My husband got a brisket sandwich - also with slaw and jalapeño pickles included. He got a side of potato wedges, which were broasted and seasoned to perfection. I almost regretted my greens choice .. almost.... The piece of brisket my husband let me taste was awesome - and I hate brisket; but not Arkin's! We filled our bellies that day and went back the next day to buy a dinner for my dad plus some meat by the pound for us to enjoy over the snowy weekend. Funny, they didn't seem surprised to see us back so soon! LOL. My dad enjoyed his meal too, and we gave him directions to the restaurant. Our other return visits have been equally as pleasant. The quality of the staff and food never disappoint! Very happy to have our expectations exceeded in this case. Great food, great staf read more

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Great food and service. I'm a forever customer. Best brisket in the city. I don't even like barbecue sauce but I love theirs.

10 out of 10 experience always! I love the flavor of the meat and the bbq sauce is on point, this place never disappoints and they give you a great portion of food! I got the sliced chicken breast with BBQ sauce and Mac and cheese with sweet corn! It also came with a piece of Texas toast. My only suggestion is when asking someone if they want sauce please mention it is an up charge. I didn't realize that the meal came with sauce of the side but the young man asked if I wanted sauce on top and I said yes because I didn't know they would have gave me sauce on the side as well. Sauce on the side is $1 extra so please be mindful as they don't say that to you when ordering. Service was quick and friendly, this is to go only so when you go in don't expect to sit down. I always ordered to go anyway! Worth the drive and the price. read more

Arkin's Sweet BBQ Pit - Barbeque Near Me - Southfield, Michigan

A small storefront with just enough space to line up, but such good food and quick too! Nice employees too. read more

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Food is soo good! The service is great as well! It's take out food! Worth the drive absolutely! Makes my mouth water, just thinking about it! read more

This is the other best bbq spot in the area. This is takeout only, but the interior is cool because you can see the giant smoker that they use. I ordered a combo plate with brisket, pulled pork, and jalapeño cheddar sausage. This came with mac and cheese and cornbread. The meats were fantastic. Great bbq sauce too. The sides were pretty solid; not the stars though which is understandable. You can't go wrong here. read more

Went to Arkin for the 2nd time and split a meat sampler (chicken, brisket, ribs, rib tips, pulled pork, and two types of links) with a side of mac and jalapeño cornbread. Total was about $80. Honestly, we were pretty disappointed. The ribs, mac and cheese, and pulled pork were good but nothing special. The brisket, chicken, and cornbread were all dry. I also tried a piece of the candied bacon they had sitting by the register which wasn't worth the $2 each. It had good flavor, but cold chewy bacon didn't do it for me. I enjoyed it the first time I went years ago so maybe this was just an off night, I'm not sure. I doubt we'll be back. read more

The food was so delicious I had flashbacks of childhood memories. I ordered ribs Mac & cheese and some greens.. excellent customer service and a beautiful restaurant. read more

I've been going there since they opened. Food is delicious. Do recommend it? Yesss it's now 2025 and they are still good. Food still on point love it. read more

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Took a chance off Yelp reviews and I was very well pleased. Everything was delicious! I had the 3 meat combo and I was thoroughly impressed. I had the brisket, pulled pork, and rib tips...amazing! Even the bbq sauce was good too. I also smashed my sides too..Mac & cheese and greens which had a little kick of hotness and that made them even more delicious. I'm determined to go back to try out their smoked wings. read more

Arkin's Sweet BBQ Pit - Barbeque Near Me - Southfield, Michigan

3-8-2025 We got carry out and had to stand in line. Very popular lace! Got the two meat combo (Beef sausage & ribs) w coleslaw (bleu cheese) and m&c. Very good and very filling. read more

Arkins gets 5 stars across the board. The food, amazing the sauce is literally finger licking good . I would travel the world for those wedges they have. The chicken is seasoned to perfection and the beef ribs are like a small piece of halal heaven. I had around before I became a Yelpie and I've been there enough to say they should be one of the best BBQ spots In the metro area. The brisket is another one of my faves. Dont walk or run but speed and do it safely and get you some Arkins...... read more

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Always great food. But the customer service lacked this time around. We preordered a week before for Super Bowl food. We arrived at our pickup time and they were behind by 45 min. Almost missed kickoff. Then they ran out of cornbread and didn't offer anything else to substitute for it nor did they give us half jalapeño cheese cornbread like we ordered, just the plain kind was given. We were charged for the full order so we paid for two more cornbread than we got, waited 45 min longer than our scheduled time, and weren't offered a replacement or credit. read more

Ordered ribs 3 days before Christmas eve for a 3pm pick up. Waited 2hrs in a line only to be told we have ran out of ribs. Unprofessional, unorganized! I will never patronize again! read more

Amazing food and service. Really recommend pulled pork and brisket. The customer service is great too.

We ordered about $2,300 worth of bbq for our backyard wedding. IT WAS AMAZING! I've loved this place for a long time, it was perfect. Weeks later people are still talking about how good the food was. If you have a big event this is the spot! Ill be eating up the frozen leftovers all winter. I'm already making smoked chicken pot pies & collard green dip. read more

Great barbecue place with lots of variety to choose from. The amount of food you get for the prices is insane like huge portions ( can't beat that). Fast service only sad part is no seating so either eat in the car or take it home. Went around lunch time and it seems as people are smart enough to place their orders earlier and then just come and grab it. Will be back Sorry no pics read more

I like this place I've been coming here a couple of years now it's good but every time I come back something is different I used to like the baked beans but when I got some today they taste like pork n beans ??? Yuck. The brisket Mac used to be my favorite but it does not tasted as good as it used to. They are nice and the ribs are never a miss but as far as the sides and things like that go they change too much for you to ever know exactly what you're gonna get. read more

Two words: brisket quesadilla. You're welcome. Yelp won't let me post without more words than that, even though no more are needed. read more

We had not eaten here in a long time. Decided on BBQ tonight and ordered a slab of ribs with mac & cheese, broasted fries and a chicken quesadilla. Wow. It was all great. I am sorry we took so long to eat here again. The ribs were great, and the chicken quesadilla was the bomb. The front counter people were all super-nice. We will certainly being going back when that BBQ craving hits. read more

The hours on their website do not match their hours on Yelp which do not match their hours on Google. Everything has a different set of hours. I called to confirm and someone picked up and said, "We're closed for the night". Before I could even ask what the hours were she hung up on me. I guess I'll never know. read more

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Damn it. Looks like I got the short end of the stick and they served me up old brisket from days before. Got the Fatty moist and it ended up being dry and hard as hell. I'm pissed read more

Arkin's Sweet BBQ Pit - Brisket is dry as hell. Flavorless. Looks like I got the short end of the stick and was served older brisket from the day before. Disgusted - Barbeque Near Me - Southfield, Michigan

If you love barbecue, this is one of the best BBQ places in the area. Take out only! Order online for pick up is the best way to go because they are busy. They have all the favorites--BBQ chicken pulled pork, brisket, ribs, you name it. They even have brisket quesadilla. Delicious side options. I'm most excited about the cornbread. They have original cornbread and jalapeno cheese cornbread. I had the rib tips and brisket combo with baked beans and coleslaw for sides, with additional cornbread. Rib tips were well seasoned with nice crunchy cartilage. Moist brisket. Again, well-seasoned. Baked beans have brisket chunks in them. The coleslaw was good and light. The cornbread was crumbly, not too sweet, or overly greasy. The price may seem expensive, but it is actually very reasonable, given the portion. It's A LOT of food. read more

The food is great! The brisket the ribs, the best in Oakland County. But, the service on July the 4th. Is quite horrendous! People are waiting outside your Restaraunt that placed orders online, for over an hour, in 95 degree weather. You could, at a minimum, offer ice water, does that cost too much? You have people outside, so he could offer water. I'm surprised if no one passes out. I'm rethinking coming back, especially during the holiday. Either take less orders or be prepared to treat your customers with respect. Another thing...you could TEXT when orders are ready. This would allow people to wait in their cars. Is that too much trouble? read more

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The food was fresh customer service very friendly. The collard greens need some more work, but the Mac and cheese was fine overall, it was consumed. read more

Heard about this restaurant via a Detroit foodie 's post on Instagram. I was in the area therefore wanted to buy dinner from this place. I ordered the two piece combo which had Sliced chicken and rib tips with potato wedges and coleslaw for sides. I bought the cornbread as an extra side. I was also given two small cups of BBQ sauce for dipping. Sliced chicken, potato wedges and coleslaw were good. What I liked best was the rib tips..they were covered in BBQ sauce and very tender. Keep in mind: Arkins is carry out only. There is no sit down dining area. Expect a wait from the time you place your order to the time you pick up your order. I had to wait approximately 45 minutes after I placed my order until I was able to pick up my oder. I waited in my car since the restaurant has a very small area to stand up. I did enjoy my dinner and would go back to Arkins again. read more

Arkin's Sweet BBQ Pit - 2 piece combo: Sliced chicken, rib tips and potato wedges and coleslaw for sides and there was Texas toast. Cornbread for another side - Barbeque Near Me - Southfield, Michigan

I have to give it a 9.5/10 because it's amazing. The chopped bbq sandwich was unreal. The bbq sauce they give you is right up my alley - sweet with a little bit seasoning. The home fries were great and the Mac and cheese was pretty good. Tried a piece of the fatty brisket from sandwich and that was unreal too. Best bbq in this area by far. Need to go back to try ribs and pulled pork. This place is takeout only and is very efficient with your order. read more

Arkin's Sweet BBQ Pit - Brisket sandwich, fatty brisket, fries, Mac and cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Southfield, Michigan

It's a small place, about 18 seats or so. It's busy for a Sunday night. Mostly carry outs. Ordered a chopped Amish chicken dinner with the blue cheese coleslaw and a jalapeño corn bread and a Bundaberg ginger beer. $18 out the door. Hoping it's good, I am hungry, but we are doing a progressive dinner, if it's not. Who put the bomp is playing, by Barry Mann. Just Shazam'd it. Never heard of it, but it sounds oldish. Nice old retro music. Google says it's from 1961. Now bad moon rising by CCR. My dad used to listen to them when I was a kid. Our food took about 12 minutes to come out to us. The Amish chicken is moist and tastes good. The blue cheese coleslaw is good, get a slight hint of the blue cheese. The jalapeño had small bits of the jalapeños in it, not bad, pretty moist, would be better if it was warmer. The Texas toast if nicely toasted and crunchy and carby. The food was all good, we would come come back for the chicken, blue cheese slaw and the jalapeño corn bread, maybe ask them to warm it up some next time. ;) read more

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Great customer service as always! Visited yesterday, paid for it and picked it up today! Thanks again for the best food!

If you're planning to go, order WAYYYYY ahead, or bring your patience. I think the long line and wait is a testament to how much people love them. I thought the food was yummy. Service was friendly. They offered chili samples to those of us waiting for our order. Smart move because most of the people waiting for their orders tacked on an order of chili. The only thing that I didn't love was the upcharge for sauce. Really? They should at least offer one sauce option with the plate. read more

Arkin's Sweet BBQ Pit's claim to fame is being voted Best BBQ in Detroit by local news station WDIV Channel 4. This honor is advertised on its menu and in its restaurant. A lot of people seem to agree with WDIV because this place was busy with a constant stream of people coming in to place orders on a Saturday afternoon. After trying the brisket, smoked Amish chicken, and ribs, I just don't get the hype and must respectfully disagree with WDIV. I may not have tried every BBQ restaurant in Detroit but Arkin's meat and sides just do not taste great. I've had better brisket at Whole Foods and better Texas Toast at Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers. My mom agreed with me and did not enjoy her meal. I bought the Combination Plate to share with my mom. I chose Amish chicken, ribs, and brisket. The plate also came with one Texas Toast and two small sides - I chose mac-n-cheese and blue cheese cole slaw. There is enough meat to share between two or three people. The only two items I liked from my plate were the mac-n-cheese and the ribs. Most of what I tried was lacking in flavor. Arkin's Texas Toast is truly bad. Tough and tasteless. Raising Cane's Texas Toast is much softer and flavorful with butter and garlic. I took one bite and that was it for me. I'm surprised my mom managed to eat the rest of it. I expected the blue cheese cole slaw to have chunks of blue cheese or at least taste rich in blue cheese dressing. I could barely taste any blue cheese in the cole slaw. My mom loves blue cheese but did not like the cole slaw either. As I do not have a sweet tooth, I specifically asked that no BBQ sauce be put directly on the meat, and to only serve it on the side. I believe that really great meat can stand on its without needing an abundance of sauce to mask its natural flavor. With or without BBQ sauce, the meat itself should be well seasoned. The brisket and chicken at Arkin's is absolutely flavorless without the addition of BBQ sauce. The brisket was tough and devoid of the necessary fat that makes brisket tender and juicy. The chicken was the same and lacking in flavor. My mom also felt that the chicken came in pieces that were too large and that should have been sliced a few more times. The ribs were much better than the brisket and chicken which I barely touched. I felt bad that I gave my mom the task of eating most of that dry and flavorless meat. I enjoyed the ribs even though I've had better. The ribs were lacking in meat but at least the meat that was there was tender. My second favorite item was the old-fashioned and simple mac-n-cheese. If I ever return to Arkin's it would only be for the ribs and the mac-n-cheese, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here again. read more

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Great tasting BBQ. We got the 2 meat dinner plate with pull pork, beef brisket, baked beans, regular cole slaw and toast. The pull pork was moist, smoky and full of flavor. The bark was a party in my mouth. The brisket was good, a bit dry yet very tender. The beans were packed with lots of meat and flavors of tomato and onion. The regular cole slaw is vinegar based and was overpowered by celery seed. The toast could have been left off the plate as it was underwhelming compared to the BBQ stars in the plate. There is only one type of sauce, tomato based BBQ with a little tanginess and no heat. The website shows seating the in restaurant but upon arriving we found out it's pick only so we eat at Starbucks next door. I will be back for more food and highly recommend Arkins to anyone in the area. read more

Arkin's Sweet BBQ Pit - Two meat combo dinner plate. Pulled pork and beef brisket with baked beans, regular cole slaw and toast. - Barbeque Near Me - Southfield, Michigan

Great BBQ place with lots of choices! Sadly I ate too quickly to get a picture but the food was great! We had brisket over mac and cheese, half a pound of brisket and the A le carte bbq chicken in sauce. We got the brisket fatty moist but it was not as fatty as expected (wish it was). We would've liked a little more BBQ sauce on the side that comes with the meal. The mac was very cheesy and flavorful. Overall great bbq option! read more

Worst bbq I've ever had not a clue! However manager made it right and other customers loved it! read more

Arkin's Sweet BBQ Pit - Barbeque Near Me - Southfield, Michigan

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The food is hit or miss. There have been occasions when it's delicious and others when it's disgusting. However, I hadn't written them off as I am typically a loyal customer. The major issue for me is customer service. I ordered a very large order from them on Saturday for my mother's birthday and it was pretty good. On Sunday, I went back for a small order. I mistakenly clicked "fried"wings dipped in bbq sauce. Before leaving I checked my order and noticed it was fried, with no bbq sauce. I really wanted baked wings with bbq sauce. Therefore, I made a mistake and so did they because it was dipped in bbq sauce. I said, my apologies I'm a long standing customer and I can't eat the fired wings is it possible to swap for baked. He told me, no all I can do for you is dip them in bbq sauce or give some bbq sauce on the side. Well, sir that isn't a favor considering I paid, $2 extra for bbq sauce and the wings don't have it. I always find it disheartening when restaurants open up in areas of color and provide subpar service/treatment that would otherwise not occur in other areas. Long story short, I've given them grace by continuing to patronage the establishment despite their hit or miss performance, as I am often a loyal customer but if the loyalty can't be reciprocated then I will no longer patron nor recommend them. read more

So let me start off with, I get emotionally invested with BBQ. I am from Oklahoma, where we have adopted Central Texas BBQ style and culture. At home, BBQ is meat focused. So I was excited when I saw the photos of Arkins because the brisket looked amazing, and I finally found a place that serves a fatty brisket option. I ordered 1 lbs of fatty beef brisket (to take some home and eat some now), greens, Mac and cheese, a half slab rib dinner with beans and Mac all for $60. I was so ready. We waited in line to place our order and then again later to pick it up. You wait outside, so keep that in mind for hot days. There is no waiting or dining area inside, only room to order. Now to the food. I finally get my fatty brisket, and it was so disappointing. It was as dry as a bone. It tasked like brisket that was one good and then two days later it was reheated and served to me then. The meat was sitting under heat lamps and it lost all of its juice and moisture. The sides were pretty good. But nothing can make up for dry brisket. We won't be back to wait in a line for bad BBQ. read more

Ribs are amazing no sauce needed, great smoke flavor, and the beef ribs are excellent.

Every time I go I get something different and it's always good. I had the ribs with sauce on the side my last experience.

Today's lunch was a brisket sandwich from Arkins! I chose the mix between lean and fatty for my brisket and was not disappoint! The meat was super flavourful and the roasted potatoes were seasoned well! Don't forget to ask for an extra side of BBQ sauce (it's delicious) Also public service announcement: don't eat this for your work lunch you will be so full you won't wanna work anymore. read more

Arkin's Sweet BBQ Pit - Brisket sandwich with roasted potatoes - Barbeque Near Me - Southfield, Michigan

Who Loves BBQ? ‍ It's absolutely no secret that @arkinsbbq is one of the best in metro Detroit! We grabbed some ribs to go. Thry were soft, smoky, meaty & absolutely DELICIOUS! Order in advance online as they are busy & otherwise you will wait. Oh....& don't go too late - they sell out!!! read more

Arkin's Sweet BBQ Pit - Ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Southfield, Michigan

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