Suzy Q's Barbeque Shack

On Friday for lunch, we had BBQ from Fat Bob's Smokehouse. The following day, one of us had Famous Dave's BBQ, which could easily be the best BBQ place in Buffalo. However, there are a few more local BBQ places to cover, even though there aren't many BBQ places in Buffalo to begin with. We would have gone here probably a year ago when we found out about it... they are not too far from downtown, but they do not deliver. We called at 11am when they open to see if they are open for lunch today and we put in a reservation.

Suzy Q's is an independent place near downtown Buffalo not many people from Buffalo are familiar with due to its location along Niagara St. by the 190 that doesn't warrant a lot of traffic. Compared to a chain, their menu is more limited and constricted. There are no nachos and the restaurant aims to be more Southern BBQ. The appetizers and starters are scarce to choose from. However, for only $10.50, you get to order two of their meats and two of their sides. They are not open on Sundays and Mondays and they only accept cash. Since they only take cash, the prices on the menu are reduced and lower by almost half of what Fat Bob's charges on some of their menu items.

When we walked in, we were welcomed and greeted by Suzy herself. There was a piece of paper on our table that said 'save this table' for us. She told us right away when we sat down that a few items were not available, which included the fire and ice pickles and the ball tip beef, which was a disappointment. Seeing that this place has won best of WNY awards for their pulled pork, all three of us ordered the pulled pork and two of us tried out the smoked turkey and the chicken. None of us tried out the sausage which we heard was their best meat. On the front page of the menu, it says how they smoke fresh BBQ every day, but then it says, "Your best bet is to call ahead, 'cause when it's gone, it's gone, and so are we." We also found out that the cornbread was a side that cost extra.

Suzy was the only server and waitresses there. She was very attentive covering all the tables in the entire restaurant. Judging by the people inside who were eating with us, we knew we came to the right place. There were a group of biker guys, a group of five cops, a lady who came back by herself after a great meal over the weekend, and a group of guys in suits and ties... so a very diverse group of individuals.

We were served with plastic forks, cups, and knives. Our drinks were actual cans of pop that only cost a dollar. This place has a lot of methods of keeping their costs down to provide their customers with a cheaper dining experience that still has fine BBQ.

With our meal, they ended up giving us eight big square pieces of their cornbread for the price of two. These were not your typical cornbreads either. One of us who isn’t a fan of cornbread liked it very much. There was actually more cornbread on the table than actual meat. It had some sort of sugar coating on top like it came from a fair and the crust was toasted like it was almost eating a dessert as we joked about eating it as our dessert too.

There were three BBQ bottles out on table. One was called North Carolina which was a vinegar, liquidly sauce. The original everyone enjoyed and their hot BBQ sauce was used often on our food. We learned from Suzy that her husband makes all the sauces from scratch. They also sell t-shirts that say 'nice rack' on them as well as other designs. There's no bar in this place but they do serve alcohol.

When the food came out, they were on styrofoam plates and the sides were in little styrofoam cups. Everyone had fantastic things to say about the sides, which was a highlight of our meal. The baked beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, fried corn, and the macaroni and cheese were all very delicious. The fried corn had a nice hot kick to it as Suzy warned us ahead of time and it may have been the best corn this person ever had. The meats, however, were smoked without the sauce so we had to add the BBQ sauces from the table to put on our food. The turkey was quite normal, but the chicken was very tender.

Overall, the food and experience of having a lunch in this little place were terrific. There's no sense or aspect of this place being a chain at all. Stripped down, this would be considered a small gem of Buffalo that’s still running successfully. The cornbread and sides were outstanding, but the meat and atmosphere were far none better than a place like Famous Dave's if you want to bring family and friends out.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

Suzy Q's Barbeque Shack
www.suzy-que.blogspot.com
2829 Niagara Street
Buffalo, NY 14207
716-873-0757