the MEAT was excellent, albiet drowned in sauce. the service was decent (not too much attitude from the people behind the counter). When I went to get a wet-nap they gave me one. When I asked for one more, they gave me four more. I like the bumperstickers everywhere. They are fun to read while you wait for your food. They could step up the packaging a little bit better. They use the cheapest paper plates available covered with foil. They have a few outside tables. One was overtaken by a guy selling t-shirts. Again, the food was tasty, but at $16 for a combo plate, I could use a little more ambiance read more

This is what I'm talking about. Or would be if my mouth weren't full of delicious smoked and charred meaty goodness. Unlike another "barbeque" joint that I've lambasted here, this is the real deal. It goes like this: It's a hot summer day in Oaktown. I live in a 1br apartment with a fire escape instead of a balcony. There is a communal garden at my building, but it stinks like a hippie after a marathon through the sewer thanks to the compost heap. Plus, if I were to even think of breaking out a Smokey Joe down there, I believe I would be kicked off the premises by the gigantic black horseflies that have taken up residence. But, where I come from, a hot summer day calls for barbeque and beer. I've got beer in the fridge, all frosty cold and ready to be consumed. The only missing ingredients are some hot, spicy-sweet flame-and-smoke cooked meats drenched in sauce, a scoop of tater salad and a slice or two of buttered wheat bread. Oh sure, I could add some greens to that, but today is all about the good stuff. So, into my Maxima and down San Pablo Ave I go. The unassuming little shack is easy to miss if you're not paying attention. But, like Toucan Sam, if you follow your nose, it always knows. I pull into the lot, and smile as I see the smoke billowing out of the chimney at Everett and Jones Barbeque. This is where the magic happens. Upon entering the establishment, one cannot help but be entertained by the plethora of witty bumper stickers adorning the wall behind the counter. With the smell of smoked meat in your nose, many otherwise mundane things become interesting and fun. There are no less than 4 people behind the counter, all of them in some state of activity. They don't say "Welcome to Everett and Jones" as I walk in. In fact, they don't even seem to notice. POW! A cleaver hacks through some ribs. POW! POW! The ribs go in a to-go tray. Deep red sauce sloshes out of an unmarked plastic jug and cascades over the meat. A scoop of potato salad is unceremoniously plopped into the tray,resting in a pool of sauce. The man with the cleaver looks up at me and nods... my cue to order. "Two meat combo: chicken and brisket," I call out. "Mild sauce." I go with the mild because I've tried the spicy sauce before. Spicy doesn't even begin to describe it. It was like meat swimming in lava. So spicy I could see through time. Made me scared of trying the medium sauce. But, just to show I'm no coward, I ask for some extra containers of the medium sauce on the side so I can try it. Within mere moments, I hear POW! POW! POW! and my chicken arrives in a to-go tray, followed by some reasonably well-trimmed brisket. The sauce pours down over the meat, the potato salad makes its plop into the tray, and the whole presentation is sealed away and bagged up. Two slices of wheat bread in a little sandwich baggie complete the order. The nice lady at the register rings me up. I can't remember exactly how much it cost, but it wasn't much. And it's always worth it. At home, third or fourth beer resting comfortably next to the remnants of my quintessential summer meal, I lick deliciousness from my fingers, and remember the moist chicken... the brisket as tender as a mother's love... and I resolve to get the medium sauce next time. Damn, I love me some E&J. read more

I just had such a bad meal at E & J 's that I actually joined Yelp to write this review. Let me start by saying that I am a Berkeley local and grew up eating at E & J's. I also LOVE me some BBQ. What I just ate is a terrible insult to BBQ. Seriously. It was beyond awful. An abomination. Now for specifics... The ribs did not look like ribs - more like roadkill. Seriously, a few burnt ends that was kind of like carnitas and fatty gelatinous slabs of fat. Maybe one decent bite of rib meat in the whole lot. How does one ruin links? Well, now I know you do it by overcooking it to the point that it is crispy, kind of like a link potato chip. It pains to write this as E & J's was my intro to BBQ many many years ago. What I just ate was so bad that it wiped out 20 + years of fond feelings about that joint. I shall never go back. read more

So i've ate at many other E&J, but i have never tasted an E&J place that serves some dry bbq. I'm talking about the beef links were burnt. the beef briskets were super dry. The ribs were small and just not juicy. It was just disgusting and definitely not how E&J should be. It's like i'm eating slave food..1 star read more

I love their beef brisket...this place has a smoker...yummy BBQ! You should get mild sauce or mild/medium combo sauce...

They are getting 2 stars because E and J used to be on hit. now that they arent hungry any more the quality of their bbq is just nasty... the customer service is bad and quite frankly I got sick the last time I had a rib and link plate. talk about runnin to the border.( if you get my drift) couldnt get there fast enough. it is what it is and now for me.. it aint no more. read more

Went in here for the brisket sandwich today. What a loser!! $10.40 got me some tough, chewy meat, most of which went into the garbage can. Not to be forgotten were the two pieces of squishy Wonder bread and the mediocre potato salad. I don't mind paying good money, but I expect a good product. I will definitely not repeat. I can't help but wonder how a place like this stays in business. read more

Got take out from the San Pablo Everett & Jones on Christmas Eve and it was DREADFUL!!!! I wish I could give it no stars at all. The "brisket" was so tough I could barely get a steak knife to cut it, much less the fork tender I expect from bbq. As the quote marks imply I don't even think it was brisket. Looked and chewed like some crappy cut from the round. Also got ribs that managed to be both fatty and tasteless at the same time. Most of over $60 worth of food went into the garbage, that's how bad it was. I had been to this Everett & Jones a couple years ago and while it wasn't great, it was at least tender and tasty. I will never go here again. read more

I drove past this place a million times and I've always been curious since the smell is so good. I finally decided to go in yesterday and I ordered the brisket sandwich. I hate to be so negative but it was awful! tough as leather, lots of fat, i couldn't even chew large parts of it. It came with two slices of cheap bread and some mediocre potato salad. Since i ordered a sandwich i expected to get a sandwich, and on a decent bread, especially since it costs $9 something.. This was honestly the worst brisket I've ever had. on the plus side, i'm sure the chicken and hot dogs are better since they are much harder to screw up. They should also work on the cleanliness of the place. It looks very dirty. read more

Well the food is good but the service was horrible!!! My boyfriend and I ordered catering for a family event. The order should've been $550 but in the end they tried to charge $724 for the amount with no explanation that Imani placed the order wrong and didn't charge for one pan of chicken. It was a mistake on their part and wanted the customer to pay for the mistake. The balance was paid by the phone and was never told that there was a difference in the original quote. Customer service is everything and I'll choose to spend my money elsewhere! Shady business is not good business... read more

I came in to order 2 sandwiches for my husband & myself as it was his Birthday.. I hadn't been to this particular establishment in about 15 yrs & I wasn't chancing it on buying Dinner portions... I ordered a Link & Rib sandwich. I was told that I was Lucky because the links were fresh. They were right! But they forgot to say that the Ribs will be hacked up & Tough/Chewy drizzled in watery BBQ Sauce! Disgusting Potato Salad! Now I know I Won't Ever be back. To stay in Business you need to represent your product & Cook with Love!! When you don't do that you have a Crappy Business that will be closed down before you Smoke your next Brisket! Very Unhappy Still after 15 yrs!! read more

Good bbq. The ribs and brisket are good. Plus the mashed potatoes. They give simple slices of bread to eat with. If I'm in berkeley, then I'm going to come here and eat. read more

No other barbecue can compare to the hot links with medium or hot sauce here. (Beware -- medium can be called hot for those who don't know Southern BBQ). It has this measure of just right sweetness/tang/spice/heat that I have never been able to find anywhere else, and the smoked hand packed links crumble and taste just right with the sauce poured over.. Now, while the potato salad may not satisfy the snobs -- it seem like a perfect simple compliment to the BBQ sauce -- why would you really want something fancy to balance? The dining area location is not intended to be some type of safe feeling suburban family dining experience, and the service is not by some underpaid trained uniformed monkey in fear of management, so I'm amazed some rate lower based on that. Real people, real emotions that may be high or low. This is street, and has character -- the loud and angry cleaver chopping of the links part of the flavor. Take to go, if you don't want to deal much with that, or live you life in the mall. Having tried all the BBQ joints in the Bay Area -- I can say this is unique and alone in getting hot links in sauce just the way I want. (Not so certain about some of the other meats, as the links are such perfection, no reason to bother with anything else.) Anyone who disagrees -- well, guess just does not understand or like things as I do -- and I've had decades of BBQ experience around the world to compare this to. Yes, there may be off days. This is not some big corporate franchise, with some quality control department (and if you want consistency -- you can now get their sauce at Safeway). But they know some BBQ, and have been doing it like no others can for decades now. #1 Links with BBQ sauce in the world wins five stars -- no matter how ratings may fall in other areas. Rare, outstanding in what they do best- not trying to make everyone happy. (Would one give Usain Bolt an average "3" as an athlete, because he does jump well or had a less then a record breaking day?) This is really one of only two restaurants I still miss in the East Bay since moving on up to S.F., something that can't be replicated. Anytime I'm in Berkeley -- this is the place, even miss just waiting in line here (and I hate lines!). read more

Speedy service. They do not serve yams and cornbread as the two locations in Oakland do. The mac and cheese is nasty. The noodles were over cooked and lacked flavored. read more

hands down, the best bbq in the bay area. all you city folk can take your Memphis Minnie's talk and blow it out your asses. is that what you do because you're too lazy to hop on BART and come out to the east bay? talk up your shitty west bay restaurants to make yourselves feel better? i digress. E&J is the best bbq in the bay area and this is my favorite location. its one drawback is that the only side available is potato salad (i hear the fancier jack london square location has plenty of sides). i'm not the biggest fan of potato salad, but i'll give up the mac & cheese and/or baked beans available at those other inferior bbq joints because this place is simply the best. at most other bbq joints, i'll stick to the ribs and brisket because those are my favorite. but i'll eat anything from E&J that comes out of that oven. even the chicken here is great (the downfall of most bbq joints i've been too). the spicy is really spicy, the medium is still hot, but even the mild is tasty (my gf can't handle the medium so sometimes i have to get the mild). the meat is flavorful and the sauce just adds to it without drowning it (and yes they DO give you lots of sauce, unlike that sauce nazi at Memphis Minnie's). yes, the cashier is slow and sometimes "snappy," but never rude like some people seem to be saying. just read the bumper stickers all over the register and you know what to expect. don't be a tool and you won't get treated like one. sheesh. stop reading, just go. read more

I had the pork ribs and hot links. Hot sauce was good but a little on the spicy side luckily I ordered it on the side. Will definitely be back. read more

not your five star restaurant so don't go in expecting that kind of service. The food is good and the sense of humor is plenty. That's what it's all about... enjoy! read more

This is the best E & J location, but recently the quality has gone downhill. The last time i got brisket to go, it was more like fat with a side of beef. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that until i was back at the office. It's not as good as homemade, but will do in a pinch. read more

Holy BBQ!!! I have been by this place dozens of times and smelled all the good smells and said to myself... someday! This weekend was the day! BBQ brisket and chicken are some of the best I've ever had! Will be back for sure. The girls that took care of us were very welcoming! See you next time! read more

Best BBQ I have ever had. Mind blown. I live in Texas, we have some good BBQ down here but nothing that compares to this.

I'm not sure why this is considered cheap eats! This is not cheap. It's takeout, but $15 isn't cheap to me. And $15 is the cheapest!! The BBQ is fine, but give me a table to sit at at least! read more

I've been bamboozled! Place looked legit but the food was mediocre at best. The quality of their meat was very subpar. Three of us had the same opinion. They drown it in sauce to try to hide the poor quality of meat. What's up with the generic white bread? Avoid! read more

Ribs to die for... limited drink menu. My last visit was late and the ribs dried and a little tough but when I mentioned it they just added a mountain more that were succulent. Sauces are rich, sides great and a regular stop whenever I return to this area where I lived for several years. Staff friendly, decor funky and provocative, picnic tables in front on busy San Pablo Blvd where you can watch the busy world go by. BYOBeer. read more

I really have a thing for the Everett & Jones on Fruitvale in Oakland but I tend to stop here as well when I am in the area. I sit outside with my dog and let her have my Rib Bones ...I think she likes this locale better then the Oakland 1. read more

The food wasn't good. Brisket was very tough and dry so it was hard to chew on. Ribs weren't fall off the bone tender (it required lots of gnawing) and it was very fatty. Medium BBQ sauce wasn't bad but the mild one lacked sufficient flavor (sweet or savory). Sides weren't anything to boast. Was expecting way better, but by far it's the worst BBQ I've had. read more

This is a review for the brisket and not the ribs. The brisket was drenched in sauce and I could hardly taste the meat and it was cut too thin for me to get a sense of the quality. Kind of chewy sometimes and hardly tender. It was served in a pool of sauce that negated any smokey flavor that may have come from the cooking process. Maybe their ribs are better but this place is pretty mediocre in terms of brisket. Really not that great. Not horrible but for 10+ dollars, some cheap wheat bread, and lame potato salad? Not worth it at all. Lower it to $7 and I'll go again. Stay away from the brisket. read more

Really not worth the price used to love this place but it's tanked.. I'll take my 22 bux somewhere else..

what i ordered... pork ribs w/ medium sauce and potato salad ribs was awesome, fall off the bone tenderness with so sweet tangy sauce which may be too sweet for most but that's the way my discriminating tongue likes it. potato salad was ok. ...lowdown was that they pushed in a couple slices of the boneless end part of the rib slab in my order and it was inedible, torched and tougher than my boots sole. ambiance... so-so(seems like a rundown fastfood joint) service... ok(cashier was ghetto but the food expeditor was cool) cost...$+(if the two slices of meat were edible, it was a good value place) read more

This resturant deserves no less than a 5 star review. There is not many great BBQ places in the bay area and we travel over one hour to this place for some great food. Everything is good from the cornbread to their BBQ sauce. Its worth the drive every time read more

Don't like how they treat people, and the proportion of food they give you sucks big time.....AND THEY ARE TOO EXPENSIVE.

I was virtually perplexed on wither I should give them a 4 star, as I rightly believe they deserve, or up to it 5 stars because the bbq is so damn good.. As an African-American myself, I can safely say, no matter which Everett and Jones BBQ joint you go too, the service well be sub-par but the food will more than make up for it. So please do not take the inpromptu service personally..It is equal across the board. I believe it is because everyone goes there (to the one on San Pablo) that they realized they really do not need the money. So customer service pretty much went out the window. But they have to sell something to pay for the shiny yellow corvette blocking the driveway; so they make the food ridiculously delicious. I attempted recently to go to KC's BBQ up the street. My experience there lead me to my first Yelp blasting ever. I shame myself for trying another bbq joint..."If its not broken don't fix it." I eat here once a week at least; and although I am somewhat scared to ask a question to the charismatic gentlemen taking my order, the meat is immensely juicy and soft, and the sauce is out of this world..And all for a great price..You really can't go wrong.. I went with the 5 stars because I know I will not eat better ribs or better steak..EVER.. read more

I won't be coming back. The sauce and the beans are watered down, so theres not that much flavor. They give you a small amount of sides and the meat was not as tender as I remembered. Plus my drinks came to $21.04! Not worth it. I guess new management..... so sad. read more

Went there today pay $26 for 3 Way combo and a soda I asked the waiter to put my sauce on the side cuz I wanted to taste the flavor in the meat meat had no flavor at all some of it was dry potato salad was extremely bland I feel like they hide their food in their sauce cuz its the best thing they have there is the sauce which is killer but $26 for bland food I can make better barbecue at home on my grill won't be going there again the two stars is for the sauce lol lol lmo!!! read more

I ordered a brisket sand which for $10.40. Really small portions, the brisket had a lot of fat, and only had water available to order with the meal. I found it underwhelming. read more

This is my first review ever. I use YELP constantly and now it is loaded on my iPhone. The dinner I had was so bad I had to finally contribute to YELP so others can learn from my mistakes. I confirm what other have written about this place. DRY CHEWY and BURNT pieces. The last time I came here it was th same issue but I quickly forgot due to the awesome sauce. Thats what the one STAR is for. I usually get the 2-way combo of brisket and links. I am usually happy with the links, but the brisket is sometimes chewy. Tonight I got the chicken and it was ok. My wife had the Ribs and Brisket. She could not finish it due to chewy and burnt parts. The ribs DI NOT fall off the bone and the brisket was tougher than jerky. I am now in search of another BBQ place in Berkeley. As for the E&J in Jack London Square, it is very good. ONE IMORTANT TIP for the Jack London spot: Order the sauce on the side. That way they cannot give you the burnt or dried out pieces. They usually hide the bad pieces in the sauce. This works EVERY time!!! read more

The place is a hole in the wall (Literally). Poor ventilation because the smoke was killing me while I waited for my order. They do not take credit cards? Really? The 60's called and they want their business model back. On top of not taking credit cards, they did not have the proper change to break my twenty. Ok, on to the food..... Not good. The ribs were cold and rubbery and the potato salad was warm. I ran across this location while on a business trip and was not impressed. read more

Went to this place with some friends from Cal. They heard that it'd been one of those hole in the wall kind of places with amazing BBQ. Took the bus here all the way down from campus and it was definitely worth the adventure. I got the spicy ribs and pulled pork and it was AMAZING. I'm a big fan of spicy food and wow, it was just like HOT FIYAH IN MY MOUTH. Hahaha, if you're looking for some solid BBQ, I definitely recommend this place. read more

Tiny, not in the best neighborhood, but absolutely fantastic BBQ. Sooo tasty ummm Everything is good. If you like BBQ or are EVER in the neighborhood you have to eat here. yummy read more

Classic, Bay Area location. When you think of BBQ in the bay area. E & J has to pop into your mind, not sure of any other BBQ place that has been established as long as E & J. I have eaten all the meats that they serve and all are great. But if i had to choose one. It definitely would be the sausage. Love homemade sausage with that sweet BBQ sauce that they make..SCRUMPTIOUS... Potato salad is ok, could be better. I'm not there for the sides, so i give it a pass. Parking is ok, you have the street along with the shopping stores parking lot. They also sell cakes and pies, Hit or Miss on those read more

Solid bbq when you're craving it. Once you've had Memphis, NC, and Texas BBQ though, your standards are too high.