Great food with excellent flavor. The portion were ample and I didn't finish my meal. Pulled pork and sausage are delicious and the smoke on the burnt ends was perfect. I will definitely come back when I get into town again. read more

I came here based on a recommendation that this was "the best BBQ." That set the bar pretty high, and unfortunately, the food didn't come close to meeting it. I ordered the two-meat meal with pulled pork and brisket, fiery mac & cheese, sweet BBQ baked beans, and cornbread, plus an iced tea. With tip, the total was $32.04. At that price, I expected a genuinely good BBQ meal. Instead, I left wondering how a place known for BBQ could miss the mark so badly on the meat. The pulled pork was simply bland. There wasn't much smoke or seasoning coming through, and very little about it stood out. The one positive: it wasn't dry. Then there was the brisket, which was by far the biggest disappointment of the meal. It was sliced extremely thin--almost like lunch meat--and had quite a bit of fat that didn't appear to have rendered properly. Yet somehow, despite all that fat, the meat itself was incredibly dry. Good brisket should be tender, juicy, and have properly rendered fat. This was none of those things. Quite frankly, it was some of the worst brisket I've had in years. Ironically, the BBQ sauces were considerably better than the BBQ. You get a choice of Original, Honey Chipotle, and North Carolina Vinegar. I really enjoyed the spicy, smoky-sweet flavor of the Honey Chipotle, but the Original was easily my favorite. That sauce was excellent, and I'd happily put it on another meal. The sides were a mixed bag. The sweet BBQ baked beans were decent and had good flavor. Nothing extraordinary, but I enjoyed them. The fiery mac & cheese had potential. I liked the heat from the jalapeños, but the cheese sauce had a noticeably grainy texture. Whether that came from the way it was prepared or how it was reheated, I don't know, but good mac & cheese should have a smooth, creamy, silky cheese sauce. This didn't. And then, surprisingly, we get to the best thing on the entire tray: the cornbread. I really liked that they put whole corn kernels in it, and the cornbread had great flavor. In fact, it was the only item on my tray that I finished completely. Unfortunately, it appeared to have been reheated--presumably in a microwave--which made some of the corn kernels chewy. Honestly, I would have preferred it served at room temperature. Still, it was easily the highlight of the meal. Even the iced tea managed to disappoint. I initially mixed the sweet and unsweetened teas, but after realizing I couldn't taste much sweetness, I went back and filled my glass with 100% sweet tea. It still wasn't sweet. Maybe the containers were accidentally switched that day, but whatever was labeled "sweet tea" definitely wasn't. For $32.04, I expected much better. When you're selling BBQ, the smoked meats need to be the reason people come back--not something that has to be rescued by sauce. There were some bright spots here: the Original BBQ sauce was excellent, the beans were good, and the cornbread was genuinely enjoyable. But those things can't make up for bland pulled pork and especially dry, poorly rendered brisket sliced like deli meat. Maybe I caught them on a bad day, but based on the meal I was served, I wouldn't return. And I definitely wouldn't call it "the best BBQ." read more

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This is one of my favorite spots in the Alexandria area. It's a quaint spot with wooden decor, a small bar with a couple tv's, and some surrounding couch and table seating. In addition they have ample patio seating just outside the restaurant. The staff are usually very pleasant and helpful. The menu features various items like smoked wings, bbq chicken egg rolls, potato salad, Mac and cheese, and a variety of bbq meat and side combos including smoked turkey, Texas beef sausage, brisket and jumbo spareribs. They also have one of the better happy hour deals in the area (from 2pm-6pm) with several nacho and slider options ranging from $6-$8, and house wines, draft beer, and cocktail options ranging from $6-$12. The food items are delicious and very consistent across the board whether it's the smoked meats, Mac and cheese, or the smaller appetizer items like the pork sliders or egg rolls. Highly recommend giving them a try whenever you're in the area, also don't forget to test out the variety of Carolina-style bbq sauces as well! read more

Not what it used to be, the meat just seemed pretty mushy. No smoke flavor at all, to me it tastes like the meat is braised or boiled. There wasn't hardly a difference in flavor between the chicken and pork. The front door handle was so greasy I wanted to wash my hands immediately upon arrival, but the bathroom was out of soap. read more

I just ordered ribs and collard greens. The ribs are tough and can't chew them! The greens are undercooked and tastes like paper with vinegar. This establishment has went down tremendously on food quality and I'm highly disappointed. This USED to be one of my go to places but NOPE not anymore! And to add to this, I'm so sick right now. I've been to the restroom three times already. It's 8:53pm! This is food poisoning read more

Sweet Fire Donna's - Undercooked Collard Greens - Barbeque Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Decent place to eat and the food comes out fast!The beer on tap came out room temp at best. Cannot serve warm draft beer! The chicken, pork, and ribs were good but a tad dry. The brisket was good but I would not say that it was smoked. It did not have a smoke ring on it. Not sure how you go low and slow with no ring on brisket. The one item I can promise was smoked was the wings. The meat was literally falling off of them. You could see the smoke penetration in them. Cornbread and cucumber salad were good. Staff was nice as hell. I like the place, just a couple things to line out for me to go past 2 stars. Ambiance was nice for a small group. It is more of an intimate setting type atmosphere. I would give it another shot before I write it off. read more

Sweet Fire Donna's - Smoked Wings - Barbeque Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I visited a couple of days ago. Its located in Alexandria by the courthouse. We made a quick lunch stop after working out. The restuarant is clean and cozy. You have to order your food from the front register so no waiter (which is fine) we ordered some bbq tacos, BBQ chicken eggrolls, BBQ tot nachos, key lime pie and bread pudding along with cherry cola and sweet tea. In our honest opinion the only items that were good were the BBQ chicken eggrolls and the cherry cola. Everything was subpar. The key pie was grainy and lacked key lime flavor. The bread pudding was overly sweet and was very hard to eat. My BBQ tots were odd. The cheese sauce that was used tasted pastey and lacked flavor. The BBQ meat that was added to the nachos didnt add any flavor or depthness to the nachos. Lastly the tacos were flavorless, had to cover in the Chipotle BBQ sauce to eat them. Unfortunately the food made us both sick an hour after eating it. We both had upset stomachs. Im not sure what was the items that caused out stomachs to do that but I will not be going back to this place. read more

Outstanding service- I was in a crowd and large line of people but that did not matter to this team. They were professional and everyone got the same amount of attention. Amazingly they knocked out the crowd without incident. And the food was great! Only advice would be to season the ribs. Without the bbq sauce they had great texture and smoke but no flavor. BBQ sauces were amazing as were the sides! I will definitely come back. read more

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I've got to say I'm super disappointed! First time here, they close at 12. I called before coming to make sure the kitchen was still cooking. I arrived at 11pm, ordered wings and a pulled chicken sandwich to go. Everything came out in 5 mins ice cold, as if it were in the fridge. I thought I had found a new gem, super frustrating... wish I could give my experience 0 stars. Bartender Andreas nonchalant, manager not here. read more

Sweet Fire Donna's - Wings, dry rub. Sauce on the side. Ice cold. - Barbeque Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Brisket was overcooked, expensive and very greasy baked beans were mushy and gross corn bread was good though! read more

Sweet Fire Donna's - Barbeque Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

We just finished. The food was all served squished in tinfoil. It was the most unappealing food served ever. I got the 4 meats and they were dry and tasteless. My husband didn't think much better. We packed it up for our teenagers. They'll eat anything I hope. read more

A Local go-to. Simple, good bbq and a friendly bar. Owned by Shark Tank winners Pork Barrel BBQ. read more

Sweet Fire Donna's - Delicious. - Barbeque Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Got the lunch bag combo to go which was really good! The pulled chicken sandwich came wrapped in foil with the bread separate. The collard greens are a little sweet and I added vinegar when I got home. The cookie was so good and soft. It's all a great portion size. Since I went inside I had to get my own sides of bbq sauce and utensils. I also got a drink with the combo and the sweet tea was really good! Very pleased with the value and to-go packaging. read more

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ordered for pickup. their pulled pork and chili (both chicken and reg) are super good! also the ribs. well priced. the salad was also good and fresh with the brisket unfortunately the brisket and the burnt ends were a bit on the dry side. mac and cheese had good texture but the flavor was a bit bland. read more

One of my favorite spots for happy hour! Best happy hour deals in the Carlyle Plaza Their tatchos w pulled chicken are fantastic And happy hour beer/wine !!! Especially great in the summer on their patio :) read more

Their food was excellent! It also came out fast. It's the only barbecue that I've really liked since coming to the DC Metro area. read more

Sweet Fire Donna's - Pick 2 with ribs, pulled pork, French fries, Mac n cheese, and cornbread. - Barbeque Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I'm from Texas and we take our BBQ seriously. Sweet Fire Donna's food truck comes to our apartment complex frequently and i never miss it. Brisket and chicken sandwiches are uncomplicated and delicious. This is a good company that helps the local community by giving food during government shutdowns. I love a good neighbor and will patronize them for everything they do. read more

Eggrolls were pretty good, gumbo was a little bland (better once I added hot sauce)..both were warm at best, but came out fast. Clean establishment, people were nice. I'll likely revisit. read more

Sweet Fire Donna's - chicken eggrolls - Barbeque Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Highly recommend the nachos with the addition of burnt ends! I loved having enough of each topping on the nachos. I always worry about how the meat will be every time I try a new BBQ place, but thankfully the burnt ends were really tasty! It is filling - two people could definitely share it and feel comfortable at the end. They have soft drinks, and a full bar available. Seating available both inside and outside. Staff were friendly! read more

Sweet Fire Donna's - Nachos with Burnt Ends - Barbeque Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I had lunch here. I had the Texas sausage and brisket. the sausage was not great definitely not affiliated with Texas. The brisket was very good. The sides were also good. There was no service other than placing an order at a counter and they brought the food to the table. But for some reason the pay terminal had a TIP option. Why tip when there is no actual service. The ambience was fine. Nothing to get excited about. I may go back but it is not on my list of things to do. read more

If this is southern bbq I'm defecting to the south next week. Don't tell my family in NY. Granted I've only had their ribs, pulled chicken, brisket, beans, mac and cheese and slaw but holy hell what a meal. The ribs were so flavorful and not greasy. The chicken was seasoned perfectly, and brisket was tender and tasty. The beans weren't too sweet, the slaw wasn't soaked and the mac n cheese wasn't over the top with neither mac nor cheese. They put some serious effort into they're quality, prep, and cooking. Spot on, all of it. read more

The pulled pork and brisket was very good. The meats were very moist not dry at all. As for the sides... the Mac and Cheese was ok maybe a bit different. The baked beans were ok nothing special. Overall meat was great and the sides were average. read more

Let's start with dessert...the bread pudding was very good and caused me to give them one additional star that I would have removed for the happy hour sliders. Nice thick bacon on the smoked Turkey sliders but the meat was missing. Now I know it's a slider but it would have been nice to bite into the turkey vs raising the bread to see if it was really there. It was thin slides pieces that didn't even cover the bread and they were stacked on top of each other so you wouldn't get a piece with every bite. I asked for the sauce on the side because I don't like spice and it was pretty tasty. I spied a fellow customer who ordered the chicken sandwich minus the bread and it looked like a generous portion. Special note or disclaimer the bread pudding was a larger slice but I forgot to take the picture before baking started on it ;-) read more

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This is a small BBQ shop but has ample seating plays great 70-80's rock and the food is delicious. The brisket salad is the right amount of meat on top of good amount of salad and a packet of your choice of dressing (blue cheese). Staff is friendly and food comes out quickly. They also have a small bar and happy hour. Weeks ago I ordered the burnt ends which are my favorite! Give them a try. read more

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The servings were huge! The service was great and the food was delicious. We both got the 2 meats with 2 sides. These portions were huge! We could have shared this plate. They have gluten free choices too! Coleslaw and baked beans were delicious. Ribs and chicken were decent... such large portions we had to ask for to-go container. read more

Sweet Fire Donna's - This is one 2 way plate! Ribs, chicken, coleslaw and beans. I liked the sides better than the chicken. - Barbeque Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

We were here for lunch on a Monday afternoon. This place is almost like a fast food. You placed the order and pay first then when it's ready, they'll let you know. We ordered the Whalen (Buffalo chicken sandwich) and the meat platter. Our meal platter came with a ribs, pulled pork, mac & cheese, and the creamed corn. The food were pretty good. The portion is decent. It's definitely worth visiting if you are nearby. read more

Sweet Fire Donna's - Barbeque Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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I ordered take out 20pc chicken wings with their dry rub, and sauce on the side (they only give one sauce option for them to be tossed in). The wings themselves were tender, juicy, and fall off the bone good! The seasoning they had was amazing, and I'm very glad we got the sauce on the side because it was too vinegar forward for me. We preferred the honey chipotle bbq sauce a lot more, and will be back again when we are in the area! The only thing that could be better is if we had the wings pre-sauced for extra flavor. We also tried their key lime pie, which was okay.. and the bread pudding which was PHENOMENAL!!! Im not typically a fan of that type of dessert, however it was so worth trying. read more

Ordered wings and ribs for delivery and both were excellent. Delivery through door dash was seamless and we received the order earlier than anticipated. Sweet Fire Donna's always meets the r exceeds expectations. read more

I thought that the food here was enjoyable but nothing to write home about. Went on a Sunday night and 6 of us were able to get a table which was great. You order at the counter and then pick up your food at the front when it's ready. The prices are very reasonable for how much food you get. I got the sliced brisket and the pulled chicken. Both were good but not great. The corn bread was the best out of everything. Some friends got the coleslaw which includes peppers and they said it was a welcome addition. Their soda machine was not working when we were there. The vibes are very cute though and I enjoyed the pretty lights. They also have a bar and happy hour for those interested. Everyone seemed super nice. I think if you're in the mood for bbq and don't want to spend a ton, this is the spot for you. But if you're looking to be blown away, maybe look elsewhere. read more

Sweet Fire Donna's - Hot Stuff Creamed Corn, Donna's Sweet Cornbread, Hot Stuff Fiery Mac and Cheese, fried pickles, Pick 2 Meats Combo Platter - Barbeque Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I had the loaded totchos (I think that's the name) and they were absolutely delicious. I thought the $16 price was too much at first (I got mine with burnt ends, which adds an upcharge), but the portions were generous - this could easily be two meals. The burnt ends were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. You could tell they used high-quality meat. The coleslaw on top added a nice creamy and crunchy texture. I like the kick from the jalapeños. The tots did not feel like the star of the show (which I was fine with), but mixed well with the rest of the ingredients. Putting the spicy barbecue on sauce made this great dish nearly perfect. 5/5! read more

Sweet Fire Donna's - The loaded totchos with burnt ends - Barbeque Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I don't typically leave reviews but this is crazy for $27, I didn't think I would get 4 pieces of meat. The food was dry but the corn bread was alright. read more

Sweet Fire Donna's - Food order - Barbeque Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Place is nice and clean with a good atmosphere, however the food was just okay. I ordered the pull pork sandwich and baked beans.... The pulled pork was bland. I had to add sauce to enjoy it. I added the NC Vinegar sauce and it helped. I also added the original sauce and it tasted better. The portion was extremely small. Maybe I went in blind because I was told they put a lot of meat on the sandwich. My portion looked like a kids size portion. Anyway, the baked beans are different with shredded pork in them... like a lot of shredded pork. The flavor is different too. Not in a bad way, but different. I don't know if I would order them again but it's not bad for beans. Lastly I had the bread pudding and it is actually good. I don't see myself going back to this spot. It's really a takeout spot with a higher level vibe than most fast food places. read more

Disclaimer: I am NOT a bbq person and a spot like this will never be my go-to cuisine so take my review with a grain of salt. My husband is a big barbecue fan and loved this place. I enjoyed it, definitely a lot better than the last bbq joint I visited. I usually end up getting some sort of sandwich like I did when we went here which was good. We recently moved in nearby so I'm sure we'll be back. I do wish they had more side and draught beer options! read more

Second time here, but this was for happy hour. Rebecca was a great bartender. Took good care of me. They have good happy hour prices and it starts at 2 PM and runs to 6PM. But you have to check out their happy menu for food. Had the pulled pork nachos for $8. It was a huge pile of yummy bbq. It would easy feed 3 normal people or two of me. I took some home. Check them out for happy hour and dinner. read more

Sweet Fire Donna's - Pulled Pork Pulled Pork Pitmaster's Nachos off the happy hour menu. Will feed 2. - Barbeque Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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It's been a while since we've visited here and were in the area so we figured why not grab barbecue. Placed an order for the SFD Tachos w/Burnt Ends and the Sweet Fire Sampler w/Macaroni and Cheese and Baked Beans. The order was ready almost immediately. Only took about 15 minutes. Lots of parking on the street at around 9PM too. The tachos didn't travel too well because of all the toppings but it was still pretty good. There were a good amount of burnt ends, lots of cheese sauce, and pickled jalapeños. Just the tots were soggy. The sampler was also solid. The best part were the ribs and pulled pork. Great smokey flavor, tender without being mushy. Mac and cheese and baked beans were good, no complaints. Still some solid barbecue, especially for Alexandria. Definitely worth a shot and has a great bar area as well. read more

Sweet Fire Donna's - Texas Trinity w/an extra cornbread and burnt ends - Barbeque Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

If you're looking for a quick, great tasting Southern Low Country BBQ, this is your place. It's quick, and it's self sitting. Therefore, you choose to either eat inside or outside. The staff is friendly and when asked about the menu they gladly will give you an answer and details of the ingredients. May also provide suggestions. read more

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The food was pretty solid here! I really like that they're creative with the ways they serve the meat. Most bbq joints only serve the meat plain with a couple sides but there are so many options here! BBQ on nachos, on tots, in creative sandwiches, in mac and cheese, in tacos....YUM!! I ended up with burnt ends nachos and some mac and cheese. The bartender was great and got a delicious beer to wash it all down. Need to come back and try one of the loaded sandwiches! read more

Sides were amazing! I had the greens and the Mac & Cheese. The brisket was a little dry.

Super solid food - great prices for the amount. Love the meats and sauce along with the nachos. I thought they would bring food to you but service is literally just you pay, then they call your order at the counter like at a fast food place. Also you bus your own table and utensils are all plastic. not too much outdoor seating and hidden away but good if you happen to be in the area. read more

I've been to this restaurant a few times to dine in, and the food was good, so I decided to get some take out, and let's just say, the dine in experience is 100% better, my order seemed old, or like it was food they had sitting around. Not good at all, very disappointing, so I'll be dining in, for my next visit.. read more