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    Dowd's BBQ

    3.9 (42 reviews)

    Dowd's BBQ Photos

    DOWD'S BBQ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Divey
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Dowd's BBQ

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    Kim P.

    This is a family owned business in the "beginnings" of something GREAT!!! The location is a little hidden as it is in the back of the 76 gas station but they are expanding as we speak:) My first visit consisted of finally deciding on the famous ribs, with the mac and cheese that I hear is soooooo GOOD and fried okra. I got the Hubby the 5 piece chicken wing and his sides were greens and mac and cheese. I also added the fried chicken gizzards, it's been a while so I had to get them:) The food was OUTSTANDING!!! My husband took a bite of the mac and cheese and his first comment was "mmmm, I feel like I'm back home" (St. Louis) the greens were outstanding!!! and the rest of it was too! Unfortunately the sides filled me up so much that I only had room for 1 rib and 1 of the chicken wings.... I guess that tells you how deelicious the food is and how plentiful the portions are! The menu is RIDICULOUS!!! Martin pretty much makes every Southern dish you could think of, well for the most part:) I highly recommend this joint and as it expands I'm sure it will be a 5 star establishment!

    current menu 9/15/2013
    Jayson J.

    I went to Dowd's with my family last weekend after they appeared on King 5 news on an unrelated story. The food looked good in the story. Good enough to warrant a trip. The food was excellent. don't let the looks of the place fool you. The fried chicken, catfish, and pork chops were each individually perfectly seasoned and cooked. the sides were good too. They were out of all deserts but it happens. One of the dishes I had was a catfish bites snack with catfish pieces, fries and a drink for 4.95. the snacker was so much food that it was a complete meal within itself. The value along with the great southern cuisine make Dowd's worth the trip to the southern most tip of Tacoma. The prices are good but the food will make you come back.

    Neko G.

    Yummy! I was here a year ago and I'm so happy we came back. We got the family meal for $24. The cashier/owner/cook was extremely nice. Chicken wings, ribs, hot links were all made to order. (Side of greens & potato salad). I would def recommend this place!

    2 ribs on a couple slices of white bread.    Lazy bastards.
    Tina M.

    Lazy that's a good start. The bbq beans taste pickled. Seriously. Wtf. Their potato salad crap tastes heavily pickled as well! WTH GUYS. They we're out of bbq pork so they said they could use a couple of ribs. I was like ok. I figured since I said sandwich they would have a brain and rip the meat off the bones of a few ribs and put it on the Bread since its a sandwich. No they put 2 bone in ribs on 2 slices of regular white bread. Looks like something a 3yr old made.

    Stephen J.

    It's located in the 76 gas station, and there's only a few tables so it's best to order to go..Go early to get fresh side dishes.. Other then that the catfish sandwich is excellent, and the portions are great for the price!!

    Awesome as always :)

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    11 years ago

    BBQ was great but cornbread was so dry it crumbled to pieces and they forgot to put my beans in the bag so that was annoying

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    11 years ago

    These guys are great. Went to a open house that they catered. Food is fantastic, people are even better.

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    I keep striking gold here. It's our second experience and I feel like the food was even better than…read morethe last time. Our server was Briana (I hope I got that right). She was fast greeting us and so sweet. It felt like we were eating at a family's house with much better chefs. This time we had the ribs, hen, Caesar salad, and steak sliders. I almost ate the plate because the food was so good. I didn't want to leave anything behind. My wife didn't quite enjoy her drink this time "the sunset" but I had a great glass of red wine. The steak sliders are worth a second mention. I would eat that every day. It was also happy hour so we tried a lot more than we usually would. I'm really loving this place.

    Terrible experience. Anyone with industry experience would be horrified by how the situation was…read morehandled. From our table of 4, one person's order never got put in. The server didn't come by to check after food was delivered, so over 30 minutes went by before we could flag him down and ask when the 4th entree would be coming. He admitted he forgot, promised he'd get it going ASAP, and that he'd adjust the bill (unprompted, mind you!) Another 20 minutes, no food. No one checks in about drinks, no updates about the order, nothing. My friend has to flag the server down and ask for it to go; we just want to leave. Next, no itemized bill was presented before paying, so we had to ask for a breakdown. The server had given us a 10% discount on JUST her entree. $3 off a $250+ bill after making her wait nearly an hour for her food. They didn't offer to comp the meal - in fact they said it wasn't an option. "My hands are tied. This is our policy for when food comes late." They only agreed to remove the price of the entree when she said she didn't want it anymore and gave the to-go bag back. On the way out she stopped to speak with management, come to find the server didn't tell the whole story to his own boss. He said our table was merely upset about late food, not that the server never put in her order in the first place. Management retrieved her order from the kitchen and gave it back to her, though who knows what may have been done to it. Two stars because the food that we did get was delicious, but it wasn't worth the wait.

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    4.1(50 reviews)
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    Really good vegetarian options! The hotpot veggie broth is deeply flavorful, so the tofu, taro,…read moremushrooms, broccoli, pumpkin were great. The kimchi was tangy and not spicy. It grilled perfectly. I am not sure if the kimchi was vegetarian or not, I eat fish so I didn't check. My kids got the hot beef broth and liked it. There are many noodle options, including ramen, which the kids liked. They also enjoyed the brisket. The restaurant was clean and comfortable. Staff was friendly and checked on us a few times. How it works: Select your tier ($35/$45/$55). The whole table needs to be on the same tier. Pick two broths. Select five meat/seafood/tofu/noodle options to start. Go to the self serve area and get your veggies. Go to the self serve sauce bar and make up your dipping sauce. Cook your food. Value: three people, with soda/tea was $135 and I tipped $15. We got the first tier only. Hot food like egg rolls and pot stickers are extra and we didn't get any. Soft serve ice cream and cookies are included at no extra charge. I appreciate the pricing model but I found it expensive. This is more than we spend on sushi.

    Was excited that another Hotspot spot opened up down south and it also had kbbq. I know a lot of…read morethe reviews reference that its $48 a person, which I agree is kinda steep since you have to pay for drinks like a can of soda separately for an extra $3. And if you want something a little fancier, they do have mocktails at $8. I spent $185 including tip and taxes for 3 people. The set up is nice as you can grill and have soup on the next grill. They do have a few booths and then some tables. But if youre a larger party, you might get split up if they're busy. I'd recommend reservations if you have a large party. But getting to the food. For the Hotspot portion, you can pick 2 broths and its set up in a yingyang formatted pot. Then you go to the "buffet line" to get your veggies, meats and etc. They do have some hot foods like chicken wings and some type of fried roll. Hotspot was just okay. I was hoping for more flavor. The kbbq was just okay too. But one thing to keep in mind, this spot does not have the exhaust pipes/hood like they do at kbbq to help with the air, so prepare to smell. Leave your fancy/dry cleaning clothes at home. When my friends and I went, it got pretty hot inside, and there was only a box fan. So being next to a grill and no A/C made it more hot and uncomfortable. Maybe its changed now hopefully. The staff was nice and service was decent. Oh, and they do have an ice cream machine, so that's what made this spot like a 3.5 out of 5.

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    Dowd's BBQ - southern - Updated September 2026

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