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    Uncle Earl's BBQ Bistro

    4.2 (45 reviews)
    Open 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    Order Uncle Earl's BBQ Bistro Takeout or Delivery

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    UNCLE EARL'S BBQ BISTRO ATMOSPHERE

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    Uncle Earl!
    Lois M.

    Oh my goodness... the best brisket ever! Uncle Earl's BBQ's extensive menu makes it so hard to even choose what to order but I think brisket is a good way to determine how good a BBQ place is. So of course, that's what I went with. Truth be told, though, I was so hungry that I went with the same thing my son ordered, which was The Arnold - a 1/2# of brisket, a side and a corn muffin. We both chose mac 'n cheese as our side and I gobbled it right up, along with the corn muffin. We were very impressed with how tasty and tender the brisket was - and that sauce? Holy BBQ sauce! What a delicious sauce! Uncle Earl is delightfully charming, serving up a big huge smile along with his food. He personally delivered our meals to our table inside the building and insisted on taking a picture with all of us. He is wonderfully happy and his laugh is so infectious! Not only is his food fabulous, his presence makes the entire day that much better. Oh yeah, he even had doggie treats for Penelope, the little pug we had with us. I can't wait to go back and try something else from his menu; I'm sure everything is beyond delicious! I'm thinking it might be hard to pick something other than that brisket because it has to be the best brisket ever but I'm sure gonna try!

    BBQ ribs and cornbread
    Jerry P.

    I can't comment on the restaurant because I used DoorDash to get my meal. However, it was delicious. The ribs were nice and tender, the sauce was extremely balanced and good and the cornbread muffin was moist. I'm going to have to visit the restaurant itself one of these days soon. But the food was excellent.

    Best barbecue in Portland! Come get you some! The flavor don't lie amazing Service, and in a great spot!

    Jennifer L.

    When our nearby go-to wasn't accepting delivery orders we decided to order from here. I hate to say it, but this has to be some of the worst BBQ I've had. The price for the amount you get does not compare to other places. I was excited to see how it was but it was dry and pretty flavorless. You get a little cup of sauce which is honestly just not enough, plus you get a little soggy corn muffin. We ordered extra sides and they were bland and overpriced for the very small portions. And the burnt ends beans really had no meat. None of us will be back and I can't recommend this place.

    Uncle Earl's BBQ Bistro Cart
    Gary Q.

    Uncle Earl's BBQ Bistro There's a food cart pod just off of SE 82nd Ave in Portland, Oregon. A side street called SE Lafayette heads off at a right angle just before SE Powell Blvd heading north. I happened to see it on my way home from Pensey's Spices and a restaurant supply store where I bought a cast iron tortilla press. Tacos may ensue. The cart pod, called Collective Oregon Eateries, seemed inviting enough, so I parked, and got out of the car. That's when the sweet smell of smoked BBQ hit me. I find it hard to resist that smell, so I made a bee line to the source, which is Uncle Earl's BBQ Bistro. Uncle Earl gave me a wave when I took a picture (included here) of his cart to send it my wife to let her know that there was BBQ afoot. She was agreeable, so I ordered. Brisket was the obvious starting place. Brisket is key to knowing whether a BBQ joint knows its business. Rounding out the meal were pulled pork, and a half a chicken. Our sides were mac and cheese, and corn bread muffins. After a ten minute wait, I had a bag of BBQ to take home. Which I did. This is where it gets complicated. Fear not. The outcome was satisfying. I don't answer phone calls while driving, yet Uncle Earl tried to call to tell me that he had forgotten the pulled pork. I got the voicemail when I got home. I called back, and I made arrangements to pick it up later. So, missing the pulled pork, we dove in. The Brisket: Cut-it-with-a-fork tender, juicy, and smokey, it really was the star of the show. There is no doubt that Uncle Earl knows brisket inside and out. There really is not much more to say about it. Gather your best superlatives in a basket and fling them at it. See what sticks. The Chicken: Chicken is a demanding bird. Prone to dryness, and yet hard to cook all the way through without becoming dry, it's easy to cluck it up. This chicken was midrange moist, but not dry. The rub was nicely spiced with a satisfying amount of smoke, and it went well with the BBQ sauce provided. Mac and Cheese: Much better than I have gotten from other BBQ places. It is not an afterthought. It even has a little smoke to it. It is not the gloppy style. The macaroni had a good coating, enough to hold everything together, but not too much. Some types of mac an cheese demand a lot of sauce, but I think that Uncle Earl's would suffer from too much. It had a fairly intense flavor. Too much sauce could overpower the noodles. Corn Bread Muffins: Corn bread tends to be dry, and this was no exception. It was, however, moister than most, and I could eat it without butter or honey. In the South, there is a distinction between corn bread and what is derisively called "Johnny Cake", which is Sahara Desert dry, and requires copious amounts of butter to make it palatable. This was not Johnny Cake. Lighter in color than many an inedible corn bread muffin that I have had in the past, it had a fresh, corny (not corn-mealy) flavor, with what looks like a small amount of diced red peppers inside. Pulled Pork: After finishing the meal, we drove back out to the cart to pick up the pulled pork. I know that mistakes happen, but Uncle Earl wasn't giving himself any slack. He apologized a number of times, and threw in some ribs to sweeten the deal. Like the brisket, the pulled pork was a masterwork of smoked meats. Tender and juicy with all the appropriate superlatives flung at it, it shines brightly between the teeth. Ribs: The bonus ribs were likewise excellent. Not wanting to be too repetitious, I will leave it at that. If you are in the area, follow your nose from 82nd and Lafayette Street, and settle in for some excellent BBQ. Try not to notice the self-inflicted boot print on Uncle Earl's back side. He won't be forgetting your pulled pork.

    Epic Mac n' Cheese with pulled pork!  Yum!
    Mark M.

    Uncle Earl's BBQ always hits the spot! The brisket is melt-in-your-mouth, and the Mac n' Cheese makes you want to slap your Auntie. Best BBQ in town

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    Ask the Community - Uncle Earl's BBQ Bistro

    Is the Mac n cheese vegetarian?

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    Reverend's BBQ

    Reverend's BBQ

    3.8
    (777 reviews)
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    You had me at BBQ…read more Everything was awesome Service attentive Love the booths We will be back

    Ordered through Grubhub and this is the second time they have done this!!! I think they try and get…read moreaway with sending meals out on delivery that they know would be sent back and refused if ordered at the restaurant itself. Absolute RIP-OFF! Pictured is a "half pound of brisket" for $23.00 and 60%-70% of it is just inedible fat! What was edible (3.4 ounces), was honestly disgusting and looks nothing like the photos they show online, as you can see for yourself. $11.00 for a cup of sour smelling banana pudding that was immediately tossed in the trash. $4.00 for a "chicken breast" that was literally 2 bites... This is the second and last time we will ever order from them again. I have never been more disappointed in an order of food in my entire life. We spent over $70 for the brisket as shown, a small salad with 2 bites of chicken, soggy coleslaw and sour banana pudding. Beyond unacceptable! Never again and truly hope this saves someone else from the disappointment that Reverend's BBQ truly is. Complete waste of money! Edit: It has been about 45 minutes since I ate what little of the brisket that was actually meat and not just fat, and I am extremely nauseous. Not worth the money, disappointment or naseau. Just looking at the photo alone, I wonder why I even tried eating it. Absolutely disgusting.

    Photos
    Happy Hour menu items
    Happy Hour menu items
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    Ribs, Fried Chicken, Polenta & Collard Greens
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    Eem

    Eem

    4.4
    (1.7k reviews)
    5.7 mi
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    Eem was such a fun Portland food experience! We tried the white curry with burnt ends, and WOW, it…read morewas weird in a good way. A Thai-meets-American bbq. The the combination of smoky, tender barbecue with the creamy Thai curry was so good. The burnt ends brought that deep, savory, slightly charred flavor, while the curry gave it a completely different dimension. The flavors worked well. I just wished the burnt ends were more fatty. We also tried a pork belly dish, which was another highlight. The pork was rich and flavorful, and I loved the crispy fried egg, green beans, cucumber, and fish sauce with it. If you're visiting Portland and want something playful and different, Eem is absolutely worth checking out!

    Thai bbq and cocktails?? I love that Portland has SE Asian flavors AND great cocktails at the same…read morerestaurant. Drinks: I cannot handle day drinking anymore, but I couldn't resist... - Acid test: bourbon based - Separation anxiety: rum based, tiki; I was hesitant about the lychee (not a fan), but it was very well balanced. This was my preferred cocktail Food: family style - Sweet and sour chicken: even the small was a big portion. Flavor was great on this, and it had a crisp, crunchy batter - Wok fried yu choy: great wok char - Smoked pork krapao: crispy pork belly pieces, a fried poached egg (literally deep fried). Break up the yolk to dip with the pork. The cucumbers and green beans are a nice clean accompaniment; spicy fish sauce was great - White curry with brisket burnt ends: I've never had a white curry, but the white curry and cauliflower was a great match for the super rich brisket pieces. I love the interesting combination! Note: pretty much everything has some spice to it, so for kids, the jasmine rice and yu choy are the main items, though my older daughter did ok with the fried chicken and brisket! Music was great, and all of the food flavors were bold. Though flavor combinations were unique, everything was cohesive. They were packed on a Wednesday for lunch, so I'm glad we got here before noon to snag a table. I wish the Bay Area had more interesting fusion done right like this (I feel like fusion is a bad word in the food world...)

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    Wok fried yu choy
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    Screen Door Eastside

    Screen Door Eastside

    4.4
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    What an incredible experience! The location is so cozy, with the restaurant itself giving the same…read moresort of vibes. Immaculate atmosphere and the exact sort of thing we were looking for for breakfast. We didn't get her name but saw on the receipt her name might have been Davi, she was such a bundle of light and life, so attentive and kind! She immediately gave us wonderful recommendations which we all adored. The table ordered praline bacon to share (do yourself a favor and get this), one ordered the praline bacon waffle, another ordered the bananas foster waffle, and I got the seasonal vegetable hash. We were all in HEAVEN with what we ordered. From the first bite to the last it we were all absolutely stunned by how delicious and well made everything was. I savored every bite as did my compatriots. One gal ordered a couple things to go for her family (huevos rancheros for the hubby and cinnamon rolls for her kiddos) and our waitress Davi recommended they bring out the cinnamon rolls unfired so that she could pop them in the oven when she got home after a short drive. It was such good attention to detail that felt like such a friendly offer. Absolute superstars, the lot of you. Next time I'm back in Portland I'm absolutely spoiling some friends here with what I can only describe as a transcendent experience.

    I. Love. Breakfast. And when I saw some videos of SCREEN DOOR, to say my mouth was watering would…read morebe an understatement. So i hopped in my car and drove 15 hours from LA to SCREEN DOOR. As i approached the building, I noticed that it was full of people. I fell into the street. I was in and out of consciousness. My heart was racing at the thought that I drove 15 hours and could not get a seat at SCREEN DOOR. As I walked into the building a humble man greeted me. He told me that they would clean off a table for me. WOO HOO. I bursted out crying at the thought that I finally got my seat. As I sat down a soft chair graced my bottom. Beautiful. I looked around and the scenery was beautiful. As I looked at the menu, my eyes sharply turned to the chicken and waffles. Deliciously perfect choice. I ordered my food and got a coffee. My chicken and waffles arrived and I took a bite. I started floating. My soul left my body. I looked down at my body as I floating away, I was enjoying every bite. I reached the heavens. A loud voice said "Its not your time yet. Return and enjoy the rest of your meal." I ascend back to the chair and every chicken and every waffle was gone. The servers were SO kind. I got my check and shead a tear, knowing that was the best meal of my life. Over all from kind servers to and delicious food, SCREEN DOOR was an awesome experience. SCREEN DOOR deserves a 5 star, however I am going to give it a 5 star. I loved every moment. Thank for read my review. Love you.

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    Inside - Dining Room
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    Uncle Earl's BBQ Bistro - foodtrucks - Updated August 2026

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