I may not know algebra or quantum physics but one thing I know for certain is good BBQ. I've been a backyard pitmaster for a long time, have multiple BBQ pits in the backyard, and while I'm not planning on headed to the World Championships in Memphis anytime soon; I'm pretty good. So, when I walk into a BBQ joint I usually can just kind of feel how it is going to go. Frankly, I wasn't too impressed on my visit to Lawless when I walked in the door. That feeling only lasted until my food arrived. Now when I walk in, I feel so foolish for feeling that way that first time. I have tried about everything, and I could run off a list of the things you should try. But that would be my list, not yours. Everyone likes something different. What I can tell you is what they do better than any other BBQ joint I have been to in the Portland Metroplex. First is the brisket burnt ends; Lawless knows how to make a burnt end that is tender with a flavor that will keep you coming back often. Second is their chicken wings. I don't know where their pitmaster finds these prehistorically large wings from, but they are amazing and juicy. If you are a fan of lemon-pepper I highly suggest that rub, but none of them are bad. Third is the brisket. Worthy of central Texas BBQ praise. Everything else is above average, the ribs, pulled pork and sides are all amazing. You cannot go wrong at Lawless. And if I small voice says this might not be a great place when you walk in the for the first time; tell it to mind its own business and order the burnt ends and wings. read more

Lawless BBQ, a great stop! There's a bunch of places to choose from in Portland for your next bbq trip. Lawless was an amazing bbq place that I really recommend. I got the Brisket, Burnt Ends, Potato Salad, and Mac N Cheese. Service was awesome, with plenty of seating around. The brisket was nice and tender and had great flavor, and the burnt ends had this glaze that paired with the meat really well! The sides were just ok in my opinion, as I would like them to be a little more flavorful. But not bad by any means. I didn't get a picture but the Banana Pudding was phenomenal. One of the best banana puddings I've ever had! I still talk about it to my friends. Overall I really think you should give Lawless a try, great bbq and great people. read more

Lawless Barbecue - Brisket, burnt ends, potato salad, macaroni and cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Round #2 coming here and the food is consistent. We ordered delivery and the food arrived on time. The burnt ends and ribs were both amazing and the pulled pork was a close second. The sausage had good flavors and I liked the sauce that accompanied it. The chili definitely stood out among the sides. read more

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Stopped in on a Saturday based on nearby places on inKind. It's street parking which wasn't too bad on a Saturday. You walked in and order before sitting down. There is outside seating out front as well. The person who took our order was friendly and patient while the kids figured out what they wanted. I ordered the burnt ends sandwich which was super good. It's messy to eat and had really good flavor. My hubby ordered the brisket sandwich and he really liked it. We had 3 kids with us. One kid got just plain nachos (just cheese) and liked it. The other 2 got the pulled pork nachos and shared it and had some even left over. We all liked our meals and would eat there again when in the area. read more

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I didn't expect to find good BBQ outside of the south, but this was a pleasant surprise! And honestly, it shouldn't come as a surprise because the food in Portland is some of the best in the country. IMO. This BBQ is Kansas City style, so the sauce is a bit sweeter. We got the brisket, the chicken wings, and sides. We couldn't decide if on the sauce for the wings, so we got all 3 on the side. The Alabama white sauce was A+ The brisket was perfectly tender. It had great flavor and marbling. The wings are full wings with the drummette attached. That's the way to do it! They are smoked and then fried. They got the crisp just right. Let's talk about sides! We got the collard greens, coleslaw, and baked beans. They were all FANTASTIC! The coleslaw is a vinegar coleslaw, which I love. It wasn't the sweet mayonnaise style that most people don't enjoy. It was so good! The collard greens were perfectly flavored and tender! I couldn't have done better myself. The beans were sweet but also savory. Not super sweet, which makes me happy. Very well balanced. The server was super friendly and nice. She explained everything to us and made sure we were happy. They have a bar with various beers. There is indoor and outdoor seating. Very casual but perfect for BBQ. Highly recommend you try this spot! read more

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Everything we have had here has been fantastic. I love it when we get to try a new place with a small group, give me more chance to try a lot of dishes. The sides were a highlight and I am tempted to just order 3 or 4 sides next times. We tried the pulled pork, brisket and chicken wings and nothing disappointed. I look forward to our next visit read more

Lawless Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Disappointed 3 years ago Disappointed again today. It's 12:30 and you're already out of ribs? I'm sorry but you're a BBQ spot, that's crazy read more

Lawless Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I got the 55$ plate from Lawless. It had brisket, smoked turkey, two piece ribs, and a sausage. I thought the brisket was juicy and very tender, flavor was good but not great. Turkey was dry, the sausage was a little too soft for my liking and the ribs were tender and had good flavor. The bbq cause was good and I am a fan of their Alabama barbecue. It's hard to find Bama sauce. As sides I got the baked beans and the macaroni. Not my favorite. The baked beans were tasted kind of like tomato sauce and I'm more of a brown sugar molasses kind of gal. The macaroni was not that great. Kind of dry and bland. The service was great. They were very nice. read more

Food 3/5 Service 4/5 Ambiance 4/5 First time dining here. There's street parking in the area. Inside is spacious with lots of seatings in the back. Ordering was easy and there were lots of items to choose from on the menu. I wanted to try the brisket, so we got that, but we ended up liking the burnt ends a lot more. When the brisket came out it wasn't hot or warm T_T it was more colder room temp, and it wasn't juicy either. The burnt ends were actually warm and had good flavor, more on the sweeter side. The brisket was dry, so I don't have much else to say about it. The mac n cheese was soggy, which was disappointing, and it didn't have much flavor. I didn't try the pulled pork, but my bf liked it and said it was tender, just wished it had more flavor. We asked for their hot sauce, and I highly recommend using that. Overall, it was good to try. I'd come back for the burnt ends and to try more items on their menu for sure! :) read more

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I dream about the nachos here. I was glad to see that nothing changed when they moved locations. I think it's even better now! Great price point too. read more

Lawless Barbecue - Nachos - Barbeque Near Me - Portland, Oregon

DELICIOUS. Found this spot via the InKind app and we've decided this is definitely in the top 3 bbq spots in Portland. Typically, I'm not a huge fan of sausage, but this was the BEST sausage I've ever had. Super juicy and full of flavor. Each of the sides were also superb - we even ordered 2 additional side orders of collard greens to-go after finishing our meal. read more

Lawless Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I recently discovered this place and have eaten there food twice now. Once delivered and once dine in. Both times I liked it, when I ate in I ordered more to take home for laters as there weren't any left overs. I loved their salad it's made with their smoked turkey. The brisket chili and potato salad sides were so good! I would eat that anytime. The burnt ends and brisket were too fatty for me but I like lean, I think most people will be happy. The location is nice, staff are friendly. I was impressed the sides of meat come on a slice of bread to soak up the grease. I can't wait to go back. I'm thinking happy hour for the brisket nachos. read more

The best bbq west of the Mississippi!!! Everything is delicious! We had the ribs, brisket, burnt tips and all the sides including waffle fries for the kiddos which even the adults loved! The collard greens, beans and Cole slaw are also fantastic! read more

BBQ was good but terrible service, took 25 mins for 2 lbs of meat togo. Prices were expensive. Place was clean. Was told w our was next then waited 10 more minutes. Forgot utensils and napkins, seriously... read more

Lawless Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Ordered takeout this cost me $ $20 got one dry piece of brisket and seven pieces of burnt burnt ends they were tough dry and no sauce read more

Lawless Barbecue - Brisket Brisket burnt ends - Barbeque Near Me - Portland, Oregon

1st time i went i had dry fall off the bone mushy ribs 4 years later i waited 18 min for cold nachos. Do you think i will be back? read more

Food (5/5): We ordered a bunch of food including the nachos with brisket, ribs, pulled pork, and sausage. We also got sides like the Mac and cheese, chili with brisket, and waffle fries. All the food was delicious with my favorites being the ribs, waffle fries, and chili. The meat was tender and yummy. Service (5/5): You go up to a counter and order the food then pay before they bring it over to you. The staff was friendly and helpful with questions. The food came out extremely fast and looked impressive. They checked up on us a couple times. Ambiance (4/5): Nice spacious store with plenty of seating. Cool American bbq style shop with ok amount of decor. A bit dimly lit for the restaurant. read more

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Terrific. Outstanding. Note-worthy. All of these describe Lawless Barbecue! We drove by a few days ago and took Yelp's recommendation to check it out. I've been to a handful and BBQ joints around Portland and haven't been impressed by any to come back a second time. Well I've finally found my spot! Lawless Barbecue is casual, fast, and absolutely delicious. I ordered the burnt ends sando (any sandwich that has mac and cheese on it is legit in my book) and a side of collard greens. The burnt ends were so tasty, and there were no chewy/fatty pieces to be found. The collard greens were great as well. And the banana pudding!! Like the menu says, order it. The perfect way to finish a meal. Friendly, quick service, and I found the prices to be very reasonable. Great kids menu too! read more

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Wow what can I say? We had the most amazing experience!! we traveled from Hubbard and Beaverton to Portland to lawless barbecue for the food & experience for my dad's 80th birthday. he really wanted GOOD barbecue and we read some reviews and decided to experience Lawless. We were not disappointed although they were out of both turkey and ribs for a full portion. They treated us so well - they were so busy they let us set up a little table for the six of us and they let us put flowers on the table for my dad and make it special and even though they were busy...they really went out of their way. Really excellent food it really was tasty... We got to try a little bit of everything. They ran out of what I ordered so they substituted a little extra stuff and the kitchen staff even surprised us with some pudding for my dad's birthday. It was excellent. Excellent excellent I cannot say enough good things ! I WILL BE BACK & I Will recommend-the drive was WORTH IT! read more

Lawless Barbecue - Our table (decorated by yours truly) - Barbeque Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Atmosphere: Casual atmosphere. Food: The food is good and I like the way that they offer some unique ways to combine items together so you can get a little of two different items. Price: Love their rotating daily lunch specials and happy hour. That's usually what I go for. Service: Walk up to the counter to order and bus your own tables so limited service. Staff is always friendly though. Parking: Street parking read more

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Maybe the best BBQ in Portland. Phone in the order for the Lawless platter. What a mountain of food. Gal on the phone was nicer than I deserved Brisket was tender with a great bark, turkey was an A+, the pulled pork was very good but that sausage was KILLER! God, I wanted to rub it on myself. Filled with yummy pork goodness and the cheese. I wonder if they are making this stuff themselves, if so I would buy pounds of it. The artichoke pasta salad was a knockout and the beans were great too. I will be back here next time I am I. Portland for sure! Great job Lawless team! Go treat yourself, you won't be sorry. read more

Lawless Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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We enjoyed Lawless! Everything was tasty and look forward to coming back again to try the sandwiches. read more

Lawless Barbecue - Pork spare ribs, loaded potato salad, and baked beans. - Barbeque Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Tried the pulled pork sandwich and the brisket sandwich. Meats were tender and buns were soft with homemade tasting pickles. Mildly smoked flavor and fairly nondescript sauce. Portions are good. Nice place, clean and good service read more

Delicious new BBQ place! First time here and got it to go. They were really busy. Staff was nice, food was great. Never had a BBQ nacho before. read more

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New location and some new food! They have added waffle fries at the new location which is great as the other sides weren't my thing. They were pretty good too, I like the seasoning. My pulled pork was as good as last time. Very moist with a soft bun but I had them only put on the sweet BBQ sauce, they list two and one sounded like it had some mustard which isn't my thing. Husband got a variety and enjoyed it all but said the chili isn't as good as his but I'm sure he is bias. The turkey was very moist and I had a taste. I thought it was a tad salty but he didn't think so. It did seem slow to get served as there weren't many people there but maybe it was due to my fries or just being new to the space. Nice lighting and a lot of room but one suggestion is to work on the cleaning product smell that wafts out when someone goes to the restroom. I found it distracting from the smell of smoked meat, it was pretty strong and I wasn't sitting that close. The hours are odd to close at 7pm seems early for brick and mortar but maybe they will expand in the summer. We will be back I need to try the brisket. read more

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So yummy!! My first time- walked by and scent drew me in! Smells so good! Everyone walking out with to go food was raving about how good it is. I ordered brisket and did not disappoint! Fantastic potato salad too. Great outdoor tables in the sun and inside is big and nice ambiance too. I enjoyed a wonderful strawberry margarita before ordering my food to go. I heard banana pudding was incredible and must be as it was sold out- guess I'll be coming back to try that next. Great new find! read more

Lawless Barbecue - Strawberry margarita in the sun out front on picnic tables - life is good! - Barbeque Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Solid BBQ! We had lunch at Lawless on a Sunday. Service was friendly and surprisingly fast. There is a casual vibe with seating indoors and outdoors. We had the spareribs, burnt ends, mac and cheese, and the potato salad. read more

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We came here for lunch one day as we wanted some bbq. I believe this used to be the old Pacific Pie Co. location. The interior is pretty spacious, and they also have some outdoor seating. We ordered an assortment of items to share among the three of us. We ordered the daily special, which was the Brisket Philly. Brisket nachos, burnt ends, sausage, wings, brisket, and some waffle fries. I really enjoyed their wings, which were smoked and then fried, I believe. I also liked their brisket and sausage as both were flavorful. The burnt ends were a bit on the sweet side for me. The nachos were great to share. Overall, we had a good meal and would come back. read more

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Mac and cheese is tasty! Sausage delicious, with the yellow dipping sauce oh my, ribs fantastic, chicken is yummy my experience was dope! I had a few other food items I don't remember and I must say it was ALL delicious! Would go back again and again. read more

My Australian relatives are here for the holidays and before they go back down under they wanted delicious barbecue. We settled on Lawless and it was a very good choice! We had a party of 10 so I called and while they don't generally take reservations the person on the phone said they'd make sure we could all be together. When we got there we saw they had reserved a large table for us. So nice! This is an order-at-the-counter casual spot with a pretty limited menu. My husband got the brisket and I got the Burnt ends and we shared. We also shared the coleslaw and the Mac-n-cheese. The meat was delicious! Tender and tasty with delicious sauce. I particularly enjoyed the coleslaw which was pleasantly vinegary with crunchy toasted pecans which were a nice touch. The Mac-n-cheese was pretty good, a bit under seasoned but some salt and pepper fixes that. Our Aussie family also got the chicken wings and a brisket sandwich. They enjoyed both and said the wings were large and succulent. I gave Lawless a 4 only because all our entrees were not very hot. Warmish is what I'd describe them as. They tasted delicious though and that won't stop us from returning! read more

Lawless Barbecue - Mac-n-cheese and coleslaw with toasted almonds - Barbeque Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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For the last ten years (when we moved to the PNW) I have been looking for a good BBQ place. Having tried almost all of them up here everyone tries to do too much with it. Lawless keeps it simple and hit the nail on the head. NOTHING we tried tasted bad or was even the slightest bit off. What an awesome experience. Service was good, although on a second visit we noticed take out was fast but it took quite a long time to get in-store at the table. the atmosphere was really casual and quiet. We live in Vancouver and will be making this trip again!! read more

Lawless Barbecue - Brisket sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Lawless BBQ took over the space previously belonging to Pacific Pie Company that I used to visit infrequently and I was excited that a new BBQ place would be right along my commute to work. There are a lot free 2 hour street parking spots in the immediate area which is nice. Despite being a new restaurant, Lawless seemed to run like an experienced restaurant. The space was full and the waitress/cashier we had was extremely friendly, informative, and attentive. I loved the service, cleanliness, staff, and the vibe of the place overall. I ordered the brisket which included a piece of the point and the flat, and potato salad, and the server highly recommended me try the jalapeno cheddar sausage and banana pudding. My dining partner also added pulled pork and mac and cheese in addition to brisket and potato salad. The brisket on this particular day wasn't that warm but tasted good but all the other things on my plate stole my attention to which my buddy agreed with. He reported not loving the mac and cheese and the pulled pork being good but not great. I am usually reluctant to order potato salad and banana pudding and usually only do so when recommended. For me, they are typically bad to mediocre and are very rarely good (especially banana pudding outside of Texas). Well I'm so glad the waitress hard sold me on these things, because both the banana pudding and potato salad along with the sausage were the highlights of my meal. Hell these things were so good that I've been thinking about them after my meal and arranged a second meal there about 3 weeks later. I learned that Lawless BBQ was on the InKind app so on my second visit I was able to use the app with no hiccups and debated on the bbq nachos or a brisket sandwich. I settled on the brisket sandwich and this time the brisket was much better than in my previous trip. I can't wait to go back to Lawless BBQ and try out their Happy Hour (2-5PM M-F). read more

Lawless Barbecue - Probably the prettiest bbq spread I've ever had in Portland. - Barbeque Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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This place needs a big shout out... ya need to go. I had the brisket sandwich, collard greens and Mac & cheese. And yes I had leftovers. Great bbq sauce, nicely season greens, and Mac was good as well. read more

I had this delivered as my mom was crazing "soul food". I was surprised by how seasoned everything was. The greens were delicious, well seasoned, and tender. The baked beans were sweet and smokey. I hope this is consistent because I will definitely come back for the sides when missing home. read more

I ordered the burnt ends and sausage. Burnt ends have great flavor but some pieces were just pieces of fat. Didn't pay $21 for fatty cuts. Wasn't a fan of the sausage and Mac and Cheese. That said, I haven't tried any other options yet, so I'm definitely not going to bad mouth their whole menu. I will continue to order the items that I like. I have to do my due diligence and try their collards next time.. read more

Had a chance to finally try this spot that I've been hearing about. Nice casual space and convenient location. The beer list was limited but good. We had the burnt ends, the nachos, the pulled pork sandwich and the loaded fries. It was all excellent, but especially the burnt ends with collard greens. As my kids say, vegetables taste best when they taste like meat, and that was exactly what these greens tasted like! The service was very prompt and accommodating to our group. Will definitely be back read more

I had an overall positive experience here and appreciated the good service. However, we did notice that the food took a while to arrive at our table. Everything we tried was delicious, with the brisket burnt ends standing out as the highlight of the meal. I found the brisket to be a bit dry for my taste, and the sauce on the side didn't quite suit my taste. The restaurant has ample seating, but it might be beneficial for them to add a few more larger tables -barbeque takes a lot of space even if it's just for two- read more

Lawless Barbecue - Brisket Burnt Ends, Brisket, Ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Great place to eat at if you're trying to scratch that BBQ cravings itch. Definitely a great place to eat at when the weather is perfect. Seating is open and lots of it so makes going out with groups of friends easier. Ordering is easy since you're just ordering from your table. Had no issues at all. Food is amazing! My favorites were definitely the Ribs and Brisket, both so tender and addicting. Friends love the turkey and sausage. Mac n Cheese and Bbq Beans were really good sides. Lawless platter is enough to feed at least 3 people. Nachos were huge as well, we were barely able to finish it. If you drink alcohol or like beer, they do have a nice selection of tasty beers. read more

Lawless Barbecue - Lawless Platter - Barbeque Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Delicious food, preferably my go to now if I want BBQ, I recommend trying the banana pudding.

A decent meal for three today. I had the wings (HUGE), one had the brisket, one had nachos. Disappointed about the omission of spicier sauce options from their menu. Sauce on the nachos was sweet. Nachos presentation was interesting - laid out on a cookie sheet rather than the traditional mountain made it easier to select chips with content and sharing was easy too. Flavor of the wings was nice. Brisket eater thought his meal was just ok. The side of artichoke pasta salad was just ok. I really didn't taste much of any artichoke but beyond that, the flavor was good. Maybe come back again to give it a second try some time read more