Vicki's bbq is a Detroit classic staple. Located on Warren just west of the WSU campus it looks like a hole in the wall but really is a hidden gem. There is curb side parking along the street right out front. It's strictly a carry out spot with a couple of chairs inside to sit while you wait. The food is consistent. Made fresh to order with their own unique recipe sauce that boasts a heavy vinegar flavor. They specialize in bbq ribs, rib tips chicken along with fried shrimp. Sides include fries, baked beans and cole slaw. The staff is friendly and cordial and take care of you even more so once they get to know you as a repeat customer. read more

Vicki's Bar-B-Q - Outside entrance - Barbeque Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

I live right around the corner and always make it a point to support local businesses--and Vikki's Legendary Detroit Pit Barbecue truly earns its name. The food is rich with flavor, cooked with love, and always served with that genuine Detroit hospitality that makes you feel right at home. The smoky aroma hits you before you even walk in, and every bite reminds you you're eating something special. This is the kind of place that carries the spirit of the neighborhood--honest, soulful, and unforgettable. If you're in Detroit and want real barbecue made from the heart, Vikki's is the spot. read more

Vicki's Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

See all

I... LOVE...THIS...PLACE... The commute for me is 40 mins each way and i don't mind. First of all, the owner, is exactly who you want there. You get cousin/untie vibes from her and once she knows you, she is definitely going to make you feel at home and kid and joke with you as her attitude is radiant. Even her mother was there once and we laughed about her daughter and her great personality. Now, for the food. I am a half slab kind of dude. Vicky's is a no fuss, rib joint. they don't have 77 menu items but the meat is delicious. I wish they had a different potato besides fries because the fries when wrapped turn to mush in a way. I also think they should make their sides from scratch because they sort of taste like they're from a can or a Gordon's. That aside, if you are willing to make your own sides and just want a good rib, theirs are good. I like it here read more

Food was not good. I don't know what that mystery mix that was the sauce. Service was great.

Since the original owner, Vicki, turned the business over to her son, he is rude and the quality is not as delicious .....sauce , ribs AND shrimp! read more

Very disappointing I been going for a long time well over 30 years at times like this April 26,2025 why would you sell me something that could have been thrown in a landfill these rib tips where like raw hide that you would give your dog hard dried up could not even bite into them so I have been giving pieces to the dog and he is having a hard time chewing them. What a shame read more

Vicki's Bar-B-Q - Raw hide doggy chews - Barbeque Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

See all

Vickies Barbecue is the best barbecue in the city of Detroit. I have gone there as long as I can remember every time I come to Detroit I have to get Barbecue to bring back to Louisiana. There's nothing else they can compare to that taste and the people that work there read more

Food always great if you like char grilled ribs with that great smokey flavor. The ribs are the star, but tge battered fried shrimp are good too. Not much else to talk about-- service is frustrating, but the customers are patient. It's a hole-in-the-wall kind of place frequented by devotees. read more

On a very cold New Years Eve evening back home in Detroit the Lady had a taste for BBQ so we came to this old staple. It's been a Detroit neighborhood favorite for almost 30 years. Because of the holiday they were out of Slabs of Ribs...... Soooo we go 4 pounds of rib tips , BBQ fries and 2 pounds of shrimp. Even though it's been years since I've been here.... It tasted just the delicious same. Love this place! read more

Poor customer service. Raggedy inside and out. And the quality of the food has diminished. And the cleanliness of the restaurant is not there. It's nasty and filthy read more

Always something wrong when I come to this play . Last time they gave me rib tips instead of rib dinner. Now today I get home and the ribs were burnt and i know that they knew what they were doing because they put my ribs on the tray upside down so I wouldn't see it. read more

Vicki's Bar-B-Q - Burnt Ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

After years of going to Vicki's BBQ this is not it anymore. The meat didn't have any smoke in it. I bit into a piece this evening and the meat tasted old in certain places. I won't return because the taste isn't the same at all. It has to be under new management. read more

Good luck for a long-standing standby for many years. There is a sign for yesterday's ribs, half cost, no sauce. I missed it paying full price before noticing the sign. When we got home. The ribs taste like yesterday's ribs with gritty sauce and the hint of signature vinegar. We were really disappointed. read more

New owners. Ribs weren't tender at all. Extremely disappointing from what's been a standard for years. Should have known when pulling up on a Saturday afternoon and the place wasn't packed read more

It's not the Vicki's of old needs some work the customer service was awesome the lady name Gayle make me wanna visit again an the sale buy a slab get one for 10$ was ingenious read more

They completely ruined it. The bbq sauce is obviously diffrent and they won't even admit it. It's not worth the drive anymore.

Old School Pit Smoked Ribs watched the Pitmaster load a case of Ribs in the Smoker. It's a mega pit on the left as you enter the joint. A three plus story high chimney bellows the smoke outside. A absolute wonderful smell as you exit your ride. Got a Slab O Ribs Famous in Detroit many decades, they got lots of Meat. Watched as they dunked in the sauce, cut and placed in container. Come with Bread slices for sucking up xtra sauce and order of thick cut Fries. That sauce a taste of Carolina Vinegar Base with wee bit o heat. Truly a fantastic deal fed 2 of us with leftovers. Been in business for 56 years and they are consistently ranked as one of the top places for BBQ in Detroit. They specialize in Charcoal Pit Smoked Ribs, Smoked Rib Tips and Chicken, and Secret Recipe Fried Shrimp. We going back soon for the Chicken and Shrimp. #vickisbarbq @vickis.barbq #ribs #smokepit #slaboribs #bbqjoint #bbqsauce #gotribs #swdetroit #downriverfriendseat read more

See all

Burnt and cold. $50 , gas and time wasted. Never again BBQ Ribs was terrible. Sauce was awful. I'm done trying with Vickie's read more

Vicki's Bar-B-Q - Never ever again. $50 wasted for the last time at Vicki's - Barbeque Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

I used to frequently go to Vicki's for their barbecue and shrimp. Then it changed. The quality and taste became hit or miss, so I stopped patronizing it. Then, it was sold to new so I cautiosly tried it again. He turned things around and the great open pit smoked flavor consistently returned, and under his guidance, the frying oil is changed regularly and you can tell that neither the fries or shrimp were fried in stale oil. However, one issue remains - poor attitude of staff, depending on their inconsistent mood. They aren't happy to see customers and you'll feel it. The latest example occurred on Mother's Day 2023. I called in to make sure that they had 7-8 pounds of shrimp because one time during the uneven period, I wanted 5 slabs but they had run out of meat so I inquired ,around Noon to make sure they had enough stock prior to coming in. Well, when the female answered the phone, she abruptly put me on hold before I could say a word. Then when she finally came back, she cut me off by saying they weren't taking pre-orders despite what their website days but in any case I wasn't calling to pre-order, I only had a one sentence question that I never got out my mouth before she hung up. I wondered why I felt like I had to beg a place to take my money and put up with rudeness, so I kept driving and kept my money for 8lbs of shrimp @ $22 a pound in my pocket and went elsewhere. There have been 2 bright spots: 1)Vicki's had a great employee early in the new ownership - I think her name was Chloe. She didn't last long and probably was run off by the "Bitter Betties". 2) If owner is on premises, they temper their attitudes but are still never warm. Just be prepared that the food is now good but the staff (except for cook) will not make you feel welcome or appreciated. read more

Detroit BBQ legendary spot. Rough hood so be safe, but worth it. Call order in to save time, gets busy. Everything is good here. Ribs are quality cut of meat, nice grilled charcoal taste. Sauce very good. In between sweet and tangy. Not Open Pit based which is a welcome since far too many urban spots have that taste base. Get the hot bbq sauce on side it is superb. Wonderful kick. I can seriously see using this sauce in a bloody mary. Fried shrimp superb. Good batter and quality shrimp. Packet tarter only miss. Catch 22 is they are better to eat right away because otherwise fried foods can lose their crispiness in bags due to steam (a helpful trick is to keep the bag open and let the steam out). Steak fries are divine. Love the old school transparent fry bag they come in. Careful - you might become a regular or need a monthly fix. Parks and Vicki's are hands down the top BBQ spots in the D, Slow's in third. Both wrap the rib on a styrofoam plate wrapped w seran wrap. read more

See all

Whoever is answering the phone is unprofessional and ignorant. I called to ask a question and this is exactly how staff answered the phone..."Vicki's we not taking any call ins we close at 8"...click (hung up in my face). I had to call back and over talk him just to ask if the establishment would be open tomorrow. This experience alone made me not want to even go and eat the food. read more

Old time favorite. Best charcoal grilled ribs in town. Chicken, ribs and shrimps. The sauce is finger licking good.

Man it pains me to write this review. Especially since it's an update to a former five star review. I have been coming here since the 1980's when I was a kid. It was always a treat to have dad stop and get us Vicki's. I now live an hours drive from the restaurant but I like the food so the drive is worth it. It's a two hour round trip usually well spent. Not today. I should have known something was off when I called on Saturday and just got an employee that answered the phone and blurted out "please come in to place your order we are open until ten". Then hung up on me. I figured that they were busy in there on Saturday night so I waited until Sunday afternoon to drive out. The place was hardly busy if you compare to what it would be like in its heyday. It wouldn't be rare for there two be a line out the door and they could get you in and out in under 20 minutes. I can remember being sandwiched in there between the pay phone and an old Pepsi machine waiting for my order. Today there were 4-5 people ahead of me but that's a slow day. There was a time that I'd have been out of there in five minutes with only 5 orders ahead of me. Today, after I ordered my three slabs with fries on the side with the bones cut and mild sauce, I spent at least 45 minutes checking out the new tile on the floor and wondering what happened to the old pop machine and pay phone. They had a now hiring sign in the window. I could tell just standing in there that the place isn't the same. The crew in there used to be like locomotion!!! I'm 45 years old and have eaten here hundreds of times in my life and never had a complaint or a bad order. Until today. We noticed right from the jump that the food just didn't have that same aroma that is usually has on the ride home. We usually have to try hard not to dig in because that smell is so inviting. No smell today. We arrived home and guess what??? No fries!! I placed my call just to let them know their mistake because I'm not going back an hour to get three orders of fries. The lady answers the phone "Vicki's we are closing, we are out of ribs, we only have chicken and shrimp. Come in to place your order" I had to butt in to say my piece. Hey I was just there and you forgot to put my fries in with my order. "Well come on up and we'll get them for you" I appreciate that but I'm not coming back for the fries. Can I get extra on my next order?? "Come on in and order next week.. then she hung up on me. And it's not just that. The ribs were not cooked right. The sauce was obviously different. Now I have read through other reviews before posting this and have seen several that are long time customers with similar complaints. Complaints that are followed up with "we follow the same recipe since we opened in 1960" or something similar in regard to how the food is prepared. Or "if you're not happy with your order return it and we will replace it for you" I didn't come on here to bash this business. There is nothing that I'd like more than for this place to be what it once was. But the magic is clearly gone. Putting out good orders the first time every time is what made this place such a gem. Failure to do that just leaves you cashing in on reputation which will fade fast. When your core long time customers are writing bad reviews there is clearly a problem. When they stop buying it is too late. There is mediocre BBQ all over the Detroit area. Why would families like mine travel hours to get carry out from you when there is a Famous Dave's 15 minutes away?? I never thought that I'd be comparing the legendary Vicki's BBQ with Famous Dave's. Yet here we are and honestly the ribs at famous Dave's are 10x better than the slop that I was served today. read more

I'm a regular, who use to come frequently but over the last several month's the sauce is always on point but not the ribs , sometimes their cooked nice and juicy and at other times their over cooked and dry not even the sauce can save them. When your paying close to $30 for a slab, they should be good a 100 percent of the time not 50 percent of the time or less. Remember Vick's your name is on these Ribs. I would like to see some consistency, that's all. read more

Great Rib's...periodt. Oh and Great customer service too. This is REAL important. I drive quite a ways to get their real pit barbecue and It's been worth it every time! read more

This place is the bomb for ribs the sides were just OK but I enjoyed the ribs very much the sauce is boss. The lady was very helpful I explain to her I was visiting from Cleveland and she hook me up with a nice dinner with nice desserts they sell such as the lemon pie which I had all it was the bomb. The sauce is very good I was very shocked the taste of it the ribs were just fall off the bone goodness I will be back. Thanks Vickies! read more

See all

My husband and I have been going to Vicki's for over 30 years now. We no longer even live in Detroit, but we still patronize their business. Yesterday my husband drove down to get our monthly ribs and boy were we in for a big surprise.. The ribs were tastefully smoked, but the sauce was clumpy and sparingly applied.. He ordered a whole slab (with extra sauce) for a total of $33. We received one serving of fries, and one slice of bread along with a heel end-piece. This is not what either of us expected nor is it what we recall from our past experience with Vicki's. Obviously they must be under new management, but they will certainly lose customers with this type of downgraded service. I hope they step up to their former standards...we love their ribs. read more

Let's Just Say I Rather Would Had The Shrimp Ribs Was Dry && Chewy The Sauce Was Chunky && Salty Baked Beans Was Nasty read more

Vicki's Bar-B-Q - Rib Tips - Barbeque Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

I tried Vickie's once before but it was crowded so didn't stay. Today I noticed the sign was on and decided to try it out. I ordered a sandwich, received it quickly and headed for home. Although the package was strangely flat, it was heavy and I was thinking boy this is going to be great. What I found in the package was five or six ribs and two pieces of bread. It wasn't great. It wasn't any kind of sandwich at all, with very little meat and not tasty. Big disappointment. read more

This is legit bbq, I loved that the ribs weren't sweet, but instead they had a ton of flavor and were tangy. Personally, I have a thing for homie local restaurants and this is one of those with a simple menu and hardwood smoke. Just buy your food and leave. Make sure you take a ton of napkins with you if you're gonna eat in the car read more

vickies really need to do a better job with serving the public , the cashircharged me for cole slaw and didn't put it in my order. the shrimps was stuck togethe, I bought a pound read more

Came here for the first time and it was my last I was excited I thought the sauce would taste like Parks Old Style BBQ or Young's BBQ BUT NOT AT ALL The service was fine , I ordered rib tips and fries The rib tips were very tough and barely had any meat on them , and the sauce was the worst the ketchup bbq sauce did not sit right with me it was a Waste of travel time and money read more

So I decided to get ribs here on the 4th of July. It was of course insanely busy. I ordered a half of slab with fries. So to start they are not stingy. I had a true to size half slab with tons of sauce and fries. The ribs were great, tender and meaty. Best of all fresh and smoked. The only reason I didn't give it more stars was the sauce and service. The bbq sauce was a little tart and bland. The staff were just a little unprofessional and rude. read more

Vicki's Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Real Pit-style bbq with meat over the fries then sauce on everything shrimp are delicious too

Overrated. It was bland and the sauce was awful, definitely not worth the money or time.

To he first time I went to Vicki's, I ordered over the phone and picked up my order in a Sunday after noon. I was on my way back to Indiana and wanted a snack on the way back. I got in y th he car and said let me try one . I got on the freeway and pulled over , I called Vick's back to tell them oh my goodness, I will never come to Michigan without a stop by. read more

This is 10.29.22- I ordered a slab($27.99) and a 1/2 slab($15.95) - the young lady asked if I wanted the slab from yesterday and it would be cheaper....like $15.00 for the slab and whatever she said for the half. Immediately I knew I didn't want that...I said no thank you and paid for a freshly cooked slab. I paid... and when I got home and it was the slab; I guess... from yesterday because it looked old, and it wasn't hot. The prices of food is high and they want to profit... I get it, but what about quality and quality service? I work 40+ hours a week to provide for my family just like they do! But... please check your receipt, and feel your bag to see if it's hot while you are there. Hey, feel me on this ...this could be a quality restaurant, but this attitude of half-serving us for the full price has to stop! The customer does matter and if we voice our concern, they should at least listen, or we don't shop their business. The only reason I can see that they would treat us like this is that they really don't care! Yes! I'm angry I work hard to make a living and their business lacks quality and ethics! Why would they give us poor service, poor quality, and reconditioned food? And not even take the time to hear our complaint. They hung up on me twice as I expressed my disappointment. Buyer beware! P.S. Terrible customer service...hit or miss? Poor presentation, bad customer service...where is management? read more

Very disappointed!! The bbq ribs had no seasoning and the sauce was okay, fries good. The service was good, professional and caring.

This is my spot to get some great food to watch my boxing events or football.. The shrimp ,ribs and chicken are straight bussing.. The barbecue sauce has no words the best I ever had.. read more

Not sure what all the fuss is about this place.. In an era when the tastiest bbqs have their own style, bbq, ie k.c./st,louis dry rub, texas smoked, etc, Vicky's well, has no style.. Look, the ribs are decently cooked and were fairly tender..The bark was a little too stiff for my liking..but the flavoring of the actual ribs was non-existent.. The best I could surmise is that someone (presumably vicky?) slow cooked these ribs..with little to no seasoning..Then, when all was said & done threw them onto a styrofoam tray & bathed them in bbq sauce..once upon a time, I'm sure this was acceptable..In this day & age with so much solid & tasty competition not so much anymore... Interesting hype for such an old school place, but considering the flavoring of the ribs, as well as this shop's ghetto location, certainly not worth a second visit, in my book. ********** Bumped down to a star because the owner's being a wise-ass- also claiming they have a smokehouse version of these ribs, smoked for 4.5 hours. That's B.S. & nowhere on their menu. Also, it doesn't make up for the fact that their regular slab of ribs sucked********* read more