This is a great place to go for barbecue! This was only our second time here, but we will be back! You can see it inside or outside very casual service was great and the food was great! read more

Tom's BBQ - 2 meat dinner (pork & chicken meats), Mac & cheese & fries for sides - Barbeque Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

The food is really delicious but the employees are rude especially the owner. They care more about being right then offering exceptional customer service. Make sure to not ask for the coleslaw that comes on the pulled pork sandwich on the side. They'll tell you no, want to charge you for a side of coleslaw then take you in to the mens room to show you a sign as to why they will not put the maybe one tablespoon of coleslaw that you're technically paying for on the side. It's on the sandwich or none at all. There are other BBQ restaurants near by that offer great food and awesome customer service go there instead. read more

Went here with the family hoping for some good food and atmosphere. We started with the combo appetizer of fried onion, zucchini, pickles, and mushrooms which was just a mess of overly greasy veg piled up in a paper tray. The batter had a good crispiness/texture, but just no flavor (unless you consider grease a flavor). To big a chunk to fry. I mean zucchini cut into quarters and long thick slices of pickles and whole mushrooms aren't great for frying, you want small bite size pieces in my opinion. For my entree I ordered the two meat combo with pulled pork and beef brisket with fries and coleslaw. The beef brisket was okay, had a good texture and okay flavor, but it was overly smoked in my opinion (maybe its just the wood they use), but if you like a strong smoke then you may enjoy it. The pulled pork was rather bad, flavor was so-so but it was just a glob of mush and again overly smoked. I was hoping the sauce would save the day, but alas no. Not sure if it is made in house, but it tastes suspiciously similar to K.C. masterpiece. Compared to the meat, the fries and coleslaw were the best part of the dish. The coleslaw was actually pretty decent and the fries were just so-so. As for the service, we were greeted nicely and seated quickly. They were quick to take our drink and food orders, but kind of slow after that. Especially trying to get out of the place, the waiter seemed to want to just talk to a table of regulars instead of bringing the check and to-go boxes/bag. Overall probably won't go back, I'd rather drive an hour to get good bbq than take the 5 minute trip to this place. read more

Great food, large portions and very friendly staff. What more could one want from a barbecue restaurant?

Really awesome place! We've always wanted to try Tom's due to the # of times we've driven past the cute pink van. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich and we had the fried pickles as an appetizer. SO good! The house horseradish sauce is great. Service was wonderful and they had an assortment of tables inside and outside. We'll be back read more

If you like fresh quality food, this is not the place for you. The chicken looks and tastes like process meat. Pulled pork... what was that? Brisket was dry and tasteless, and the ribs ehh. Potato salad was a mush and there was more syrup in the beans than there were beans. At almost 40. Bucks for two... this was a complete waste of our money and time. Left hungry ... First and last. Wish I could get a refund :( read more

I have been a Tom's BBQ fan for a few years. The food is good, the best I've ever had? Probably not, but definitely up there on my list. Besides BBQ, one thing that is way above average is the fish, simply top notch. But here's the real reason (besides great food) I keep coming back, It's the service. The servers bust their asses here, they make sure your experience is a good one. Even the manager, he greets people personally and checks on you. At Tom's, you can rack up points to use towards your bill. I forget about it sometimes, but my server always reminds me about the points and if I want to use them. Yes sir, the food is very good, but the service is the main reason I keep coming back. read more

Tom's BBQ - The place never disappoints - Barbeque Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

I am only giving a 3 star to this place. I ordered a chipped beef brisket sandwich, bun was great, meat seemed smoked good, but the sauce was terrible and they put way too much on my sandwich, so the whole thing fell apart and was hard to eat. I got some beans on the side, they were nothing special, and had aging too much of their barbecue sauce, so everything tasted too much of the same. I won't eat there again! read more

I am an admitted Chicago snob. Lots of places like to say they make Chicago hot dogs (Sonic? Please.) or authentic Italian beef, but many of them don't live up to their boasts. Well I'm glad to say Tom's BBQ was good enough for me to return. We had a variety of foods, which for the most part were great. The mac n cheese balls were not fabulous (they were cold in the middle) but came with a great gravy, full of spicy tomato flavor. We had ribs, pulled pork, and buffalo wings from the BBQ side of the menu, and Italian Beef and hot dog from the Chicago side. My only quibble was that they used a stacker pickle instead of a kosher spear on the hot dog. Other than that, everything was tasty and filling. It's casual and fun, the service was friendly and relaxed, and the beer was CHEAP. I'd definitely come back here on my next trip to AZ. (Oh yes, this was a trip here to visit family... I chose to visit here in July just in time for the 4th hottest day in AZ history. I am insane.) read more

We have been to the Mesa location(on McKellips)a few times and have never, ever had such an awful experience. We understand short staffing and problems with new hires, but when a manager doesn't know up from down that is inexcusable. Here was our experience on Saturday(4/16/2022): Our son was visiting for Easter, and since he grew up in the Chicago area we decided to take him to Tom's for dinner. Initially he was impressed by the decor and menu. That proved to be the hilite of our experience. First, there was no bartender but we were told that our drinks would be brought over after we placed our order at the counter. The person at the counter took our food & drink order and we seated ourselves in a booth with our table number in plain view. Then we waited. And waited,waited,waited. Finally, an employee went behind the bar and I went up to inquire about the drinks we ordered. She curtly said that the person who took our order would bring the drinks. I told her of our long wait time(and mind you, the place was not really busy at all)so she told the manager . The manger then brought our drinks over. After we had waited a bit more our food finally arrived. Two of the orders were fine, but when the employees set an au jous cup down in front of me, I said it seemed strange that he gave me that since I ordered an Italian sausage. He looked at the sandwich in his hand, said he'd check on it and took my sandwich back to the kitchen. That's the last we saw of him. After I insisted that my wife and son start eating since the food was getting cold, they did. When they were about half way through, I went up to the counter and spoke to the manager. I told her of the situation and she said she was aware of the problem with my order, but also stated that unfortunately they ran out of Italian sausage. I questioned why no one told us that. She shrugged and said that she would "comp"my sandwich order, to which I replied "Really? How can you comp something if I never received it?" She said I was being sarcastic. Sarcastic? For stating the fact? Oh, well. I paid the bill and returned to our table. The manager later came over to explain to me what "comp" meant. I told her that she didn't know because if she did she would actually take money off our bill for something we actually did receive. She then backpeddled and said she should have said "voided", which is what she did to the price of the sandwich on our bill ...the sandwich I never received. Her one sort of saving grace was that she did offer to make our next meals there "on us"(Meaning Tom's)but I refused that offer since she said we had to fill something out and trust that someone from her staff would remember that we had a free meal coming. Rather than have that potential for a future confrontation, I stand by my refusal of the offer. As far as the food we did receive, my wife's hamburger was mediocre at best . My son's Italian beef was a bit dry and was not charged as a combo with the frys as the counter person stated. So, for $14.98 I think that Portillos would have been a much better choice for dinner. All in all, these employees really need to be trained better. The guy who screwed up our order can't take all the blame since he has only been working there for three days. But the so called manager is another story. She is lacking in so many areas, but customer service is probably the biggest in addition to not properly training and guiding the staff. But the blind leading the blind is not a business model in any thriving business. So, Mr. Pawlik pay attention to what's going on in your restaurants. Don't rely on a good reputation.....I think at this point it is tarnished. Don't let it get any worse! Virus-free. www.avg.com read more

I ordered the Burnt Ends Steak Sandwich. The meat was tender and juicy. But they forgot to put on the steak sauce. So it was rather bland tasting. read more

As a former Illinoian, this is a pretty good place to watch a Bear's game and enjoy some classic Chicago sandwiches. The Italian sandwich is super spicy and delicious and the au jus sauce was authentic. The baked beans were sweet, but soupy. Fries were freshly cut and Chicago style greasy goodness. My personal fav is the Beef Brisket sandwich with spicy BBQ sauce. It's perfectly cooked and the juices just soak into the bun. The service was friendly and there are plenty of TVs to catch all the action. We'll definitely be back for more! read more

Ordered the brisket, wife pulled pork. The brisket was very good and the sauce was even better. the curley fries were better then the regular. The potato salad was probably one of the worse ive had. didnt have any flavor and i couldnt eat it. I ordered a Chicago dog and the toppings were top notch but the hot dog itself was bad, dont know if it had been sitting around all day or what. read more

Had the all in sampler delivered. Mediocre at best. The brisket was dry, the pulled pork was soggy. Had beans, which were probably the best part of the meal, potato salad, which was not good, corn on the cob, which was okay, and a side of cornbread, which was dry and rubbery. Definitely a lot of better barbecue in the area. We won't be going back. read more

This is a updated review I posted back on 8/1/2013 We hear all the time that Tom's BBQ is a great place. My wife now and I decided to give this place a second try with the hope of maybe service, food, management, has changed. Service, food, and the atmosphere of the restaurant was great. Last time my wife and I went, the restaurant was dead and service was terrible. There was a huge difference on our second visit. Don't know what happen and don't care what happened but we had a great experience. The wife and I ordered pulled pork sandwiches. Ordered a basket of curly fries wasn't greasy like the last time. Very tasty and filling. Definitely recommend it. Pecan Pie is tasty as well. Presentation of our dishes were awesome. Our server was great. Pricing on the food is fair and portion of food served is awesome. Definitely will recommend this place to get some good grub with the hope that no one will ever have the experience I had when my wife and I went. read more

Not the BEST BBQ I've ever had but pretty good!! Its conveniently located right across the street from my work so its a good, quick lunch. Got the pulled pork sandwich and it was yummy, the bread its sort of different, its like buttery? I wish I was hungry enough to try some of the sides!! Will update this review when I go back & try some. read more

Tom's BBQ - Bbq pork sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

If you come here for lunch, it is a great deal. You get to put your favorites onto a sandwich for a great deal. If you happen to order fries, they give you enough to feed an army. The flavors are great and you can add hot peppers and BBQ sauce to enhance the entire experience. read more

Good food but EXCELLENT SERVICE!! I'm a very impatient person so if service was bad walking in the I would just leave......Toms BBQ on the other hand had great service!! I had the BBQ pulled pork sandwich, which was excellent...wasn't too crazy about the fries but it did fill me up... So far I have been back twice = ) read more

I smoke meat and even won a rib contest so I know what a competition rib should taste and feel like and this was very good. People who go on about "fall off the bone ribs" might as well be eating pulled pork. Ribs should never fall off the bone and these didn't. Great texture and taste. Burnt ends were also excellent. Had beans (good) and Mac n cheese (average). Service was good and everyone at my table loved their meals. read more

The service was exceptional and the atmosphere was down home be sure to take advantage of the Friday night fish fry all you can eat I myself enjoyed the catfish. read more

Tom's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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I've eaten at their food truck a few times when it came by my work and loved it. The coleslaw was to die for. I decided to try the brick and mortar location to share it with family, but the experience was nothing like the food truck. I ordered the shrimp and fish plate. The shrimp was over cooked and rubbery. The fish was also over cooked and hard to cut apart. The tarter sauce was very bland and the cocktail sauce was like jelly you'd spread on bread. The fries were the only good part of the meal for me. My family wasn't very impressed with their meals either. read more

We've visited Tom's BBQ, Mesa, AZ for a number of years and have had no problem with the food or service until today. We put our order in at the counter following two orders ahead of us to "eat in" and took a seat as there were plenty of tables to choose from. All patrons that were already there had their food and were eating. Our beers were served immediately. We then watched table after table receive their orders (people that arrived after us) and we were still waiting on our order. It became apparent that we were not getting served anytime soon, so we cancelled our order and requested a refund only to be told that "we are understaffed and have a full house". I inquired about the "tip" that we gave and was told that it wouldn't get refunded until later in the evening. We will NEVER give a tip to any restaurant prior to receiving our order again. TIP means "To Insure Promptness". We will NEVER return to this restaurant again. Clearly this restaurant is more concerned about winter visitors than the year-round residents of Arizona. Not to mention the fact that anyone in "authority" was present to inquire or to apologize of the poor service. read more

Definitely the best bbq!! Prices are good, they're fast and VERY good. Everything is homemade. The people are so friendly. You can get anything here and not be disappointed! read more

Tom's BBQ - Pulled pork and hand cut fries - Barbeque Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Really salty texture is like baby food I only gave two stars because of the employee that helped me

We ate at Toms BBQ last night. I've been here before. The food is delicious. I used to live near the owners and they always sponsored our neighborhood BBQ. So something suspicious happened here last night, that I have only seen on the TV show Restaurant Stakeout and this is it, I went to the ladies restroom and when I threw away the paper towel there were some guest checks used to take orders in the trashcan. It looked like some orders were thrown away. Anyway this did not seem normal to me. I went into detective mode and took a picture of them with my cell phone. Plus I kept them. I hope no employees are stealing from Tom. Business is hard enough as it is without stuff like this going on. read more

Tom's BBQ - Guest checks. - Barbeque Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

We have visited a couple times and the service and food was excellent. Very friendly read more

Went to Tom's for the fish fry & we sure wish we hadn't! It was awful! The ONLY good thing about it was their coleslaw. The fish was dried out, yet mushy, the fries were over cooked, the hush puppies were nothing but fried dough, (no seasoning in them at all). The coating that they use on the fish tastes like Cajun & we are not fans of that! In Chicago you ALWAYS get beer battered fish! When we got home we both got sick & were sick all the next day. Will NEVER eat here again! We tried the fish back in 06' or 07' & it was awful then, but we agreed to try again figuring maybe new cook or such & it maybe got better, but no way, in fact I think it got worse. Our waitress was really nice, & she tried to please us in every way possible, but the food could not make up for her being a wonderful friendly waitress. It was NOT an inexpensive meal, & we were so sorry that we ate here. read more

This place is great. Anything BBQ from this place is amazing. Meat is soft and tender and the sauce is just perfectly sweet. We ordered the BBQ platter, pulled pork sandwich, fish and chips, and 3 drinks for about 40 dollars. Which isn't too bad because the food quantity is a lot!! The fish and chips from here isn't too bad, it's a lil bit on the salty side but I ain't complaining. Will definitely come again! read more

Excellent service and great meal for lunch. We tried the pulled pork with mac and cheese and it was delicious. read more

Tom's BBQ - Pulled pork dinner special. With some cornbread and mac n cheese on the side. Very delicious. - Barbeque Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Any place that has the words Cornhole Corner written on the patio wall has my vote! This place is awesome. I love BBQ so that helps. Nice little patio, awesome brisket!!! Good Menu!! Laid back... Great for a starting place to drink and maybe walk across to Monestary. read more

Discovered this place today because of its bright pink pig truck parked outside. I'd seen the truck around, and I'm a real fan of checking out food from moving vehicles, whether it's a taco truck in San Diego or a neon pink truck with a curly tail. My son and I got out of the drive-thru lane at Wendy's and ventured over. We found the truck empty, but the restaurant was right there, so we headed inside. We both ordered the pulled pork sandwich with curly fries. And I must say, I've never had pulled pork melt in my mouth like that before. I'm a pretty good cook and slow roasted or smoked pulled pork is my specialty. But this was better than mine. It was delicious, the bun was soft, the curly fries were thin and tasty. I will definitely be back with the rest of the family! My son is still talking about how great it was. read more

If you love bacon and you love bbq I highly recommend this place. I just tried the Bacon MAC-Attack and I'm drooling writing this. It was amazing!!!! The customer service was phenomenal and we'll definitely be back!!! I even asked if I could buy the bacon because it was so good. Sadly they said no, but seriously hands down the best food I've eaten in a long time!!! read more

We have been coming every Friday for the last few weeks for the fish fry Friday. We have a large family and Tom's is always accommodating and has wonderful service. The whole family, even my five year old love the atmosphere and the food. read more

Found in a shopping center plaza...I had the chili which was very well seasoned, and had a good spice to it. My dad had the bbq salad which he enjoyed. Check out the restroom, it's pretty cool. Overall, on another trip out that way, I would go back and sample some other plates. read more

I can't begin to tell you what your missing if you don't try this place! The owner has specialized whiskey that is to die for, BBQ that melts in your mouth and fish that will blow your mind! Seriously try it all, everything is delicious! Must eat here.... put it on your bucket list!! read more

In short the only reason I'm giving 2 stars is for our sweet waitress. Been driving by here since moving to AZ in 2015 and decided to stop on the way back from the lake. The brisket was awful. Very dry. Bland. Just not good. It was like it had been sitting out since the day before. The Mac and cheese was tasteless and watery. Again awful. The roll was dry and again tasteless. The cornbread was dry and crumbly. In short. The meal was horrible and at $16 for a brisket dinner we will not be back. Kids said the pork was fine but the restaurant insists on making you eat it with slaw (it's even posted in the bathroom as so). My husband couldn't hate cabbage more if it was dog poop. It's my sandwich. I DONT WANT SLAW ON MY SANDWICH. I DONT LIKE IT. IT ENHANCES NOTHING. If your meat doesn't stand alone as great no amount of BBQ sauce or nasty slaw will make it better. Don't waste your time or money here. Go to Jalepeno Bucks or even the Roadhouse. read more

Moderately good bbq (3 stars) and deceptive pricing left a bad taste. Ordered takeout based on pricing from their website and was quoted a price that seemed high. When I arrived to pick up my order I was greeted by a sign that effectively immediately all menu prices have increased by 15% across the board. There was no mention of this price increase on their website and no mention when I phoned in my order. I felt cheated and will not return. read more

Horrible expensive dinner. Just had dinner there. Ordered a mix drink off their menu and the server made us feel like e ordered something out of this world. If your bar is closed then say the bar is closed. A girl tried to make it and it was basically sweet tea. We purchased two of them. She made it and brought it over. Then left. She came back and we asked for the other. She made it and came back and said we didn't pay for it. No receipt given. Didn't check back on us. Our meal was 51$ for one peach tea and two entrees. Fish and chips and three meat meal. Horrible. read more

Stopped here for lunch. I ordered the ribs and my daughter got the mac and cheese. The ribs seemed reheated or just not prepared that well. They were a little tough and had that not made today taste. The BBQ beans I got as a side were very good though. I got the mild sauce on the side which had a heavy cinnamon taste to it, which I did not care for very much. My daughters mac and cheese was spicy. It is not labeled as such on the menu. The waitress said it comes that way as it is a nacho cheese sauce. It tasted like it had jalapeños in it. If your kid has sensitive taste buds, steer them away. The waitress did offer to give her something new. She had got us chicken tenders, which took a while, but my daughter enjoyed them very much. The biggest complaint I had was the amount of flys at our table. Make sure you bring a fly swatter! read more

Great service! Good food. There is a bad review about the Mac and cheese... We decided to try it anyway and were glad we did. The pulled pork was succulent and tender. Sausage was decent. But i agree with other reviews who say the owners and staff are what set this place apart. read more