I grew up right near this BBQ place and believe it to be one of the better BBQ restaurants in the Atlanta area. My family continues to visit here frequently both to dine in and take out. My personal favorite is their pulled pork (and the brisket is also a favorite). I have always found the service to be great and the food to be consistently excellent. If you happen to be in Marietta and are seeking some great BBQ, I recommend Sam's BBQ1! (I prefer it to Williamson Brothers which is also in Marietta.) read more

My wife and I have eaten at BBQ-1 in Marietta since they opened as a take-out only restaurant, owned and operated by Sam himself. Coming from Texas where we ate a lot of great BBQ, we found Sam's BBQ to be quite good. However, now he has others operating his restaurant and the quality has dropped significantly. A few weeks ago, we pre-ordered a day in advance for a take-out dinner with some friends. Our friends were trained chefs who owned their own pizza restaurants in New Jersey and here in Marietta. Unfortunately, I was embarrassed when I served them BBQ-1. The baby back ribs were burnt with charcoal visible on the outside and most all of the meat cooked off. The brisket was pale and flavorless--no red band along the edges, no flavorful crust on the outside. I'm not even sure it was barbequed; it was more like oven or crockpot cooked. The pulled pork was dry and all small bits, an indicator that it was either over cooked or reheated too many times to where it was dried out. The sausage was ok. Sam's sausage was never anything special, so I didn't have high expectations. We also had smoked turkey, which I didn't try, but it too looked pretty dry. We don't use barbeque sauce; it isn't needed if the meat is cooked correctly. This time though we were even using store-bought sauce I had in the frig to try to salvage the dinner. But, I could tell my friends were unimpressed. Needless to say, I won't be returning to BBQ-1 unless Sam gets back and insists the quality of his products is back to where they were when he opened the store. read more

Received a recommendation from a friend to try this place. I was not disappointed! It was in a plaza with ample parking. When you come in you arrive at the register to place your order. There are tables where you can dine in but I placed my order to go. I ordered a 2 meat combo and chose brisket and ribs with potato salad and baked beans as my sides. The potato salad was so creamy and tasty. The baked beans were flavorful as well. The brisket and ribs were delicious. The brisket was well seasoned and very tender. I didn't need sauce for it but the sauce that came with it made it taste even better. The ribs were tender and very tasty as well. I truly enjoyed my meal! read more

Sam's BBQ1 - Barbeque Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

My wife and I stopped in for lunch today since their power was on and ours was not. The specials board listed an All Beef Hot Dog with one side and a drink for $7.95 read more

Always clean and good service i have been a customer for long time but more importantly their food is amazing taste great veryyy good quality they don't mess around if you want good bbq this is the place and their prices is unbelievable for the food that they provide read more

Sam's BBQ1 - Brisket sandwich and redneck lasagna - Barbeque Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

See all

10/10 My family and i always have loved bbq1! Its never busy anymore but its the best bbq in east cobb! read more

This is one of those BBQ places that was once great! I've literally had delicious lunches there where everyone raved about the food. It feels like that time has been left behind, now it seems like a shell of itself, where the food is good but not great, sometimes it feels dirty and not well maintained. I used to drive a bit to enjoy it but seldom do anymore. This place needs to have someone who cares about every detail again like in the old days. read more

I got take-out, so I can't say much about the ambiance, but the food is absolutely fantastic!

E X P E R I E N C E Store looks about the same. Walked in to order take out. I ordered in the am and when went to pick up, food was piping hot and ready. Employee was short with me. Didn't say much. Prompt to bring me the order. He was not wearing mask so I practically threw my cc at him lol I didn't see any hand sanitizer. F O O D 1 lb pulled pork 1 lb brisket Full slab ribs Fried Pickles 7" pan of mac 12 corn muffins The ribs and brisket were really good this time and the pulled pork was dry. The pickles were extremely salty- just absolutely terrible. I'm all about the mac and sam's bbq1 mac is the fking best. Always made perfectly. Cheesy, flavorful. Amazing. The corn muffins, always amazing as well. Made perfectly. It's fluffy and breaks apart beautifully. I've noticed that on good days, this restaurant provides bomb food, and on other days, the food is mediocre at best. I'm not sure if there are a few chef's working or what, but the consistency of producing high quality food is not there. A shame bc this inconsistency is clear, the past few times we've been here. read more

Sam's BBQ1 - Mac n cheese, muffin, ribs, pulled pork all are to die for (home setup. Super messy but I didn't care. Food was waiting) - Barbeque Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

Great BBQ place in East Cobb! Went with several friends after hiking at Gold Branch down the street, and everybody was happy with their lunch. My order was beef brisket sandwich with mac and cheese side and soft drink (see picture), which was the $10 special. Sandwich was huge and saved half for later. Mac and cheese is perfection here! Others had pulled pork plate, pulled pork sandwich, baked beans, cole slaw; which they enjoyed. Ordering is simple, walk in, order at the cashier, get a number, pay, and wait for your number to be called. Soft drinks are self serve. Sam's BBQ1 wins lots of competitions and is featured in best BBQ in the Atlanta area. Nice inside, but currently am only eating outdoors. They have a small patio area, but it was closed. So we grabbed our collapsible chairs out of the trunk and sat along the side of the building to eat. This review is during COVID. The cashier had mask on and was friendly. Did not notice any hand sanitizer, but always carry one myself. read more

Sam's BBQ1 - BBQ and Mac cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

Took some friends and now they have food poisoning, avoid all costs !!!, I read the article about it being a great place but I guess that is no longer the case. read more

It's simply not what it used to be when Sam ran this restaurant. So unfortunate. The food taste similar, but not quite as good.

Used to be a great place must have changed ownership!!! Food was horrible...Brisket was dry and tasted like dry paper no smoked flavor at all...sauces tasted liked watered down dish water The ambiance was old worn out and not inviting The service was as bad as I have seen in any restaurant...staff looked unkempt and were lazy Will never go there again read more

My fiancé had a craving for some burnt ends last Friday evening, but we couldn't find a place near us offering any and that would also do curbside. We remembered the great experience we had at Dave Poe's a year ago and decided to give them another try, even though it's out of the way for us. Since we discovered Dave Poe's also has shorter hours now due to COVID, we chose to try their sister location here at Sam's which we knew would still be open. We didn't see any burnt ends on the menu, but my love settled for brisket instead and I ordered for us through GrubHub. We didn't have any issues ordering online thankfully, but I did notice the mac and cheese and certain items are listed as "dine-in" options. I'm not sure why that is and why macaroni is not listed also in the takeout section, but for that reason unfortunately I didn't get any this time just to avoid confusion. We got potato salad and baked beans in pints as the sides with extra sauce separately for the meat. When we pulled up to the restaurant the parking lot was dead. We called the restaurant, but no one picked up, so unfortunately we couldn't fulfill our desire to get curbside delivery. After a few minutes, my fiancé went in to grab our order. He said no one was there except the cook and one front counter worker that he could see - no other customers, so at least there was no real COVID exposure risk (if anyone was wondering). The food was great - just as good as we remember it from Dave Poe's location across town. Everything had great flavor and was cooked just right. I have a preference for their potato salad, and I think it's one of my favorites in the area so far. Some places make it to mustard-y or too watery or chunky, but this place seems to slice the potatoes instead of cube and use just the right amount of egg, mayo, and seasonings for my taste. Overall, I would definitely order from here or Dave Poe's again. They haven't disappointed yet. I'll have to try Community Q next in Decatur to see if it holds up to these two sister locations. read more

See all

I love this place the food the staff and the owner. The food is authentic and delicious . I woke nearby and eat there 2-4 days out of the week. Ribs are my favorite. read more

Best mac & cheese in town! I order it for every holiday meal and big events for my kids!

Best pork sandwich and best brisket sandwiches! Love their ribs and for some reason they are really good at fries. I could write a song about how good the mac n cheese is. read more

Sam's BBQ1 - Beef brisket sandwich with crinkle fries! - Barbeque Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

Food is excellent. Down home cooking.brisket and Mac and cheese is great. Would highly recommend

The food was good. Surprisingly. It's hard to find good food in Atlanta but you won't be disappointed. read more

Sam's BBQ1 - Beef Brisket smoked Chicken Mac ' n Cheese and Collard Greens with Corn Muffin - Barbeque Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

Food is still good. Half chicken and Brunswick stew are still my favorites, but the employee at the cash register, who seems to be the only employee in the entire restaurant, is one of the rudest and most unpleasant people I've encountered. Not sure who he is, just an employee or the manager, but I honestly can't believe he's even allowed to work there and engage with customers. read more

Do not order through Yelp! I used this Yelp app for take out. This photo is my $14.15 rib plate. No sides, no muffin or toast. I even had to ask for sauce which spilled out of the container, out of the bag and into the car. I asked why there was no drop down menu for sides. At the restaurant, they said it usually comes with sides, but I didn't list any so they didn't give me any. There was no way to list any. They compromised by giving me about 1/2 portion of green beans. I actually ordered two additional sides. They are $4.00 each instead of $2.69 as listed in restaurant. I called Yelp/Grub Hub and they said it doesn't come with sides, just opposite of what I was told in restaurant. Nobody agrees to an error or a credit. Just a warning. read more

Sam's BBQ1 - $14 four slab ribs, undercooked - Barbeque Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

amazing brisket. I was a bit skeptical because of the run down look of this place. It was Saturday night and we were the only customers! Lady taking our order don't play. Either she didn't want to be there, or she just doesn't give a shit about greeting customers. we stood there looking at the menu, then looked at her at the register waiting for some kind of acknowledgment. I purposely waited to speak until she finally said, "hi you ready? whatever.... guess she was having a bad night. Now, the food was the star of the show. our brisket orders came out hot and very tasty. The sides were delicious as well. They have many trophies, accolades, ribbons, and best bbq magazine covers adorning the walls of this place. We can honestly say they are very well deserved. The meats are outstanding and their sides are fresh, hot, and seasoned to perfection. we will definitely be back. read more

Stopping in after a 9 mile run in Roswell. Craving for some good brisket and banana pudding! Got here on a Saturday afternoon at 2pm. Plenty of seating available and it's more of a quick serve restaurant with dine in and take out options. Three meat platter (2 brisket - wet and dry burnt ends and sausage)with baked beans, mac n cheese, and southern lasagna. Loved the wet brisket, just wish it was cut in strips and not in cubes. Enjoyed both of the sauce options (Kansas city tomato based and N Carolina vinegar based). Baked beans were delicious !! Macaroni and cheese was not my favorite, but seems to be very popular. Sausage was great!! I was quite disappointed with the banana pudding. There were no real bananas and the pudding seemed artificial with Nilla crackers and had a lingering aftertaste. If I come back, it'll be for the wet brisket, sausage, and delicious baked beans! read more

Sam's BBQ1 - Barbeque Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

too much competition to keep people on hold for 5 minutes. Only called because the site they use for ordering is poor. You can't see all the pick up times... and over half the non-meat items are "out of stock". I live within a mile, but will drive to City BBQ... it's probably worth the drive anyway. read more

Brisket was really bad-- like it had been boiled or steamed. No sign of smoke or seasoning- just limp, bland, and wet/mushy meat. It was more like boiled corned beef. read more

I don't even like bbq.. I got dragged here by my friend. They're the best damn bbq place I've ever been to. They're brisket is so tender and juicy. Let me tell you they have the BEST sides. Every single one of the sides I picked were amazing. GET THE MAC AND CHEESE!! I got greens, the lasagna, Mac and cheese, and some fried okra. They were all so good. My friend got the brisket so I tried some and it was bomb. They give you a choice or bread or corn muffin and the toast was good too. A little better than zaxbys toast. read more

My favorite BBQ place in the area!! The interior is comfy, the servers are kind, and the food is to die for. I especially love their mac n cheese read more

Seven of us came in and shared a bunch of plates. Brisket on the bone was very tender and tasty and no issues eating it with plastic utensils. I personally did not need extra sauce so I didn't use the 2 choices on the table, one tomatoey and one vinegary. We also had burnt ends brisket, chicken, fried okra, Mac n cheese, green beans(I loved), tater tots, cole slaw, corn bread, Texas toast(disappointing), and baked beans. All basic bbq fare that I would not turn away. An older gentleman working there, not sure who he was, was a sweetheart and brought the kids mini moon pies. Then he returned a few moments later with really delicious fried, crispy and loud pork rinds with a hot sauce he recommended. My table mates did not think it was hot. The large bowlful was gone in no time! Thank you sir. The place is super casual. You order at the counter and a few minutes later the food is brought to your table. Staff was friendly and helpful in ordering. read more

Sam's BBQ1 - Barbeque Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

See all

Brisket- eat the lean strips with the fatty marbled pieces and you may forget why go elsewhere for brisket. Dunk it in the thin sauce for a vinegar flavor. Mac and cheese is addicting. Pasta is soft and cheese is runny. One side is not enough. Even green beans are flavorful.. Corn bread has the perfect amount of sweetness. Parking is plentiful. Service is prompt. read more

See all

Excellent barbecue. I got the ribs and they were delicious. The sauce is perfect. I also got the Mac and cheese, Brunswick stew and collard greens, which were all homemade and very good. Give them a try. read more

This is only slightly better than a Shane's Rib Shack in my honest opinion. Collard greens were way out there on the vinegar scale. The mac n cheese LOOKS great but tastes very run-of-the-mill. Almost like someone is blindly following the recipe and not tasting along the way. Ribs were not falling off the bone and what little tenderness was there had to fight with bark and an unpleasant char. This was a wild MISS and due the location not only can I not really recommend - but I doubt I'll even be returning for a second chance. Fairly priced, tedious BBQ experience read more

This is exactly what the name suggests; good, non-complicated BBQ venue focusing on essential. Plastic silverwear is more than adequate to work on such a juicy and tender brisket I was given. Friendly cashier commented this one is probably the best they have at the moment while the ribs would be ready after an hour or so. It's just perfect as I will visit here some other day to enjoy the latter, too. This brisket plate with two sides, taken they are cucumber salad and cole slaw, works nicely even for low-carb people, and I did not need too much sauces (two options available, sweet Kansas City and less sweet North Carolina) as the original meat was so delicious as such. There is a small-scale buffet on weekends, too, but without the above mentioned meats. read more

Sam's BBQ1 - Barbeque Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

I ate at Sam's BBQ1 years ago when it used to be known as Sam and Dave's BBQ1. It also used to only be a takeout joint, but now they've opened a dine-in space two doors down from the previous and still existing space. This was a much needed addition as I'm sure many customers were occasionally deterred by the takeout-only option. While Sam stayed here, the other two Daves (there was a Sam, Dave, and Dave) opened their own restaurants. One Dave opened Dave Poe's BBQ across town while the other Dave opened up Community Q in Decatur. Both have dine-in seating, so perhaps Sam opened up his dine-in space as a response. Unless you live in the area, BBQ1 is not easy to get to from any of Atlanta's major highways. It's too bad for the many Atlantans who don't live or work up this way because BBQ1 is pretty good. Out of all the BBQ joints I've eaten at, I've never seen so many trophies proudly displayed inside one restaurant. At a recent Friday lunch, Sam was ringing up customer after customer by himself. The space inside the dining area is comparable to Dave Poe's BBQ, maybe a bit bigger. It consists of a combination of booth, table, and bar-style seating along the windows. This is one of those restaurants where you stand in line, place your order, and take a number. The servers bring your food out to you. You grab your own drinks (fountain drinks), silverware, napkins, and BBQ sauce. This place fills up fast and seating can get tight. You can tell they tried to fit as many seats inside this space as comfortably as possible. Sam offers two kinds of BBQ sauce for you: KC-style (tomato-based) and NC-style (vinegar-based). It's nice that this restaurant offers North Carolina-style BBQ sauce as I haven't found too many places in Atlanta that offer it (Heirloom Market is one of the other ones). The menu offers traditional BBQ favorites including pulled pork, brisket, chicken, sausage, and ribs. Sides include Southern staples such as Brunswick stew, mac and cheese, fried okra, green beans, slaw, etc. With the BBQ, you can order sandwiches or plates. The plates come with two sides and in two sizes: "lunch" and "dinner." The lunch portions are smaller and less expensive (lunch plate is $8.95 and dinner is $11.95). The food comes out surprisingly fast. Items I've tried include the beef brisket, cole slaw, baked beans, mac and cheese, fried okra, fried pickles. My favorite item to get at almost any BBQ restaurant is pulled pork or beef brisket. I almost always get the brisket here because it's very good. It's sliced into small pieces and tender with a good smoky flavor. Their mac and cheese is among the best. Large noodles, very cheesy, though sometimes a bit greasy. That's what helps make it good, though. The slaw is comparable to intown rival Williamson Bros. because of its muted, not-as-sour taste. The texture is completely different, however. The fried pickles are lightly battered and salty. They are not served with any type of dressing or dipping sauce. Sam also offers rum cakes, which are quite delectable. Soft, moist, and melt-in-your-mouth good. Try one - they're located next to the cash registers. So, kudos to Sam for opening a dine-in space. Now he just needs to move closer to town! read more

The only thing saltier than the Brunswick stew is the guy at the register. But the b stew is fantastic as is everything else, so I find myself making that trade pretty consistently. read more

Tasty and nicely moist ribs are delicious- we ordered a full rack which was meaty and tender. As a side, we had the coleslaw, which We recommend as well. read more

Sam retired. This place shows it. All Sam's awards on the wall are deceptive advertising. On a Thurs at dinner, pulled pork was mushy as canned cat food; brisket at room temperature. Asked for more, heated, and was brought more, steamed and wet. The sullen employee said, "Can't do nuthin about the pork." I guess offering another product never crossed his mind. Never again at what was once one of the best. read more

Some of the best pulled pork we've ever had. The fried okra and Mac n cheese are incredible. Excellent corn muffins. This is great to go food. I don't care for their sauce. This is Not a place to enjoy your meal. Gruff and basic, and oh so old school. If they took this food and had a place with some character it would be a smash hit. read more

Sam's is arguably the BEST bbq in Marietta! It never fails to disappoint me! The ribs are always succulent & tender. The okra always crispy & leaves me wanting more. That Mac & cheese though?!? TO DIE FOR! I always regret not ordering more to take home with me! You order at the counter & they bring it to you! Sundays are a bit crowded so aim for a weekday if possible! The staff are always friendly & helpful as well! They offer two different types of BBQ sauce, but that Kansas City one wins hands down for me! It's lap your mama good! I usually get a big glass of lemonade with mine! Guaranteed to make you coming back for more! read more

Sam's BBQ1 - Barbeque Near Me - Marietta, Georgia

See all

I can only speak of this place from a take-out perspective as we have never been there to eat. I was in a bind with some folks coming into town at the last minute and I figured they would enjoy some Southern BBQ. So I ordered from here. We got two plates The good stuff on the plate. The sausage, the chicken, the ribs were are really tasty. I could have had more of that sausage and ribs! The fail on the plate was the brisket. It was dry and tough, super overdone. Each plate came with two sides which were TINY. I hadn't ordered more sides because I figured it would be enough but each side is barely enough for one person, let alone two or three. They really need to work on their side portions. The price was OK all things considered especially because of the amount of BBQ that it was. But I would have given it one more star if they could do better with their sides and if the brisket had been up to the same level as the rest of the meats. read more

Poor Sam. He seems unhealthy these days even with his corny sense of humor intact. He must have a sense of humor as his restaurant appears to be falling apart with unfilled salt containers on the dirty, worn tables. The BBQ pork sandwich was cold, the fries were far from fresh and the Mac and cheese soaked in a pool of rank butter. The old coke machine failed to produce only flat Diet Coke. We asked the cashier with the Mickey mouse eared hair style and 9 inch nails (seriously gross for her to be the first person to encounter and a health hazard to her and the patrons who have to look at them) to fix the carbonation and she said she had to ask someone else who did nothing about it. We asked Sam what was wrong with the uncarbonated Diet Coke and he said some people have more sensitive tastes than others and he could not tell! Maybe if he trimmed his nose hairs he would have been able to. If this place place gets four stars, than the Cobb health department is not doing their job. read more