Roadside BBQ

Yet another over priced spot. Ripoff. Nice staff, decent food. Meager portions compared to the price charged. Ridiculous. Test grade of D-. Drive 10 minutes to downtown San Rafael for the wings, or chicken tenders place. You'll be happy. Great comfort food, priced fairly.

best bbq i’ve had since moving to california from the south. sides are a bit on the smaller side for the price but the meat was piled high! Tasted phenomenal. Currently eating my leftovers as I type, lol. Got the bbq brisket sandwich, mac n cheese, greens, baked beans, potato salad, corn bread, and pork ribs. Not a single complaint about quality. Will be back to try those nachos!

This place used to be decent, but on last visit the experience was a complete 180. I always ask for my ribs to be left intact, and what received was a rack about a foot long! I guess they’re using smaller pigs? And the brisket? Seemed as if it were steamed. No flavor, very dry, no bark of any kind. On the plus side, their bbq sauce ain’t half bad. Go to Everett and jones in Berkeley or for more Marin type bbq pig n’ pickle is far superior!

This place is way better than you would expect for a restaurant in a mall setting. The baby back ribs and BBQ sandwiches are tender and delicious. Plus they offer free self-serve ice cream for dessert. I also want to point out how friendly the employees are. This is one of our favorite counter service restaurants for dinner.

I’m from Memphis and I felt like this establishment was being back home. Great barbecue sauce I had the Pulled chicken barbecue sandwich and it was phenomenal. Even got sweet tea and free ice cream at the end.

Decided to check out Roadside BBQ for lunch today. Had the "Two Way Combo Plate" with baby back ribs, brisket, two sides of french fries and a Diet coke. The food and sauces were all just ok. Flavor, tenderness, juiciness were all below average to average. Some of the baby back ribs were severely overcooked to the point where it was almost jerky like and the brisket was really salty. They do however offer FREE SOFT SERVE and a 20% discount for first responders! I won't be back since it costs too much for the amount of satisfaction acquired by eating here. Baby Back Ribs: 6/10 (Some overcooked) Brisket: 4/10 (Too salty) Diet Coke: 9/10 Corn Bread: 8/10 Price: $21.71 (after the 20% first responder discount)

Great food, baby back ribs, are delicious free soft serve with every person workers are very nice got my food in less than a minute great service

Overpriced, but that would be forgiveable if it were good. This places meat is dry and tough- it relies on bbq sauce to be good instead of cooking technique, terribly dissapointing

Food was really tasty and pretty decent price and customer service was great but in this heat air conditioning would have made the experience a lot more enjoyable it was very hot inside the restaurant for someone just sitting down so I can imagine it was very uncomfortable for the staff in this heat.

I came to the Northgate Mall to watch Circus Vargas that's here only this weekend. I stopped by after watching the show since I remember this place from when it was in SF. Thanks to Yelp, I found out about the free vanilla soft serve ice cream and got a cup to eat while I wait for my food. The cashier didn't mention it to me but I saw it on the summary sentence while checking in on Yelp. I bought the 2 meats combo beef rib and brisket, with sweet potato fries, coleslaw, and cornbread. The beef rib was amazing!! It was my first time eating a beef rib that was so tender and yummy! It didn't need any bbq sauce since it was already well seasoned. The briskets were ok. I wished I ordered the pork ribs instead since I remember those were really good when I had it before a long time ago at their SF location that was closed down. They should use different packaging for the sweet potato fries cause it wasn't crispy anymore when I got home to SF, since it was inside a closed box and there was a lot of traffic back due to the Golden Gate Bridge changing into only 2 lanes. The 2 mini corn bread that came with it was really yummy! I would definitely come back when I'm in Marin county again! There is a 8% service charge for employees benefits which is around $2 for my order even for takeout.

The best bbq ribs I've ever had in my life. Huge. Juicy. Tender. Perfectly cooked. And the pulled pork. Omg. Same thing. Juicy. Tender. Perfectly cooked. I got a family pack II meal for $81+tip and received 2 large containers of corn muffins, barbecued baked beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, and three massive beef ribs in addition to a large container of pulled pork. Our new favorite place.

Review based on delivery. The bbq ribs are a must! Nice and tender where the meat slides off the rib.

Highly affordable plate. Honestly small plate (sampler) was enough for me! I chose corn muffins and had expected maybe a couple of corn muffins would come. But actually they gave 4 corn muffins, which I found highly satisfying. Well-seasoned. Slightly dry (the reason I took off one star :(...) but overall I loved the taste! Delicious. Good service, good location to pick up the food

We ordered the Q for10 while camping nearby. The chicken, pork, and beef were all very good. My favorite was the ribs. There were a lot of compliments on the slaw and potato salad. The service was friendly and helpful. I would order this again!

We were eating at Roadside almost weekly from my son was an infant for 6 yrs. After, COVID we noticed a decline in quality but we kept going but not as frequently. We moved away in 2022 and came back for a visit today 2024. It is back and now it tastes better than ever! Whatever changes they made, it shows! The soft serve machine is working, the food tastes amazing, it feels cleaner than before and the service is still very friendly!

Always a good place for a solo rib lunch - $11.50 with tip food great with your attention- yes sometimes slow service but quality takes time

Their ribs are 9/10 tasty!!! And they gave us extra sauce!! Very good service. Their Mac n cheese is legit. And the coleslaw isn't creamy it's tangy and refreshing! And Very nice bathrooms. Plus they give you a soft serve complimentary with your meal!! Old school vibes. Love this place. I'll be coming monthly with my husband.

Tender baby back ribs but not much smoke flavor. BBQ sauce had little depth, more like a good bottled. Garlic fries were delicious!

Inconsistent meat quality, but today's brisket and baby back ribs were delicious. We love their brisket baked beans, and the containers our beans came in were noticeably smaller than our last take-out order in February. What I want to point out to everyone is the "new" 8% Fair Wage Service Charge that I don't believe was on the February receipt. I did not see on the website any reference to this 8% Fair Wage Service Charge. Maybe they added it on April 1st when the Fast Food Worker minimum wage increased to $20? Just wanted to alert all patrons of this "new" 8% fee -- Buyer Beware!

Overall food and staff are great! However, how can you not have A/C during these types of heat waves?? It's summer time and there's no A/C whatsoever. Feels like HELL just sitting inside, and the poor staff what about them?? Honestly, don't come in unless they fixed their A/C...... really unacceptable.

Got the Brisket sandwich to go and I loved it. Wish it had a little more meat than slaw but it was still delicious. Them buns were soft and honey like which made the sandwich all that much tastier. It came with four mini corn bread muffins. I ended up splitting my meal with my sister but I would definitely come back and try other stuff on their menu. *no photo. I was too hungry*

This review is based solely on the amazing smell of the restaurant once you walk in and the chicken wings. The chicken wings were fried crispy, then sauced in a flavorful, tangy Buffalo sauce. Highly recommend! I didn't know the restaurant was in this plaza, otherwise I probably wouldn't have taken-out from another restaurant. That said, I'm looking forward to going back...

I've been to this place more times in the last 2 months than can think of and the thing that draws me to the food is its difference in cooks and the sandwiches. The last sandwich was a grilled chicken sandwich, sort of like pulled pork but on a toasted sesame brioche bun with bbq sauce loaded with the wing stop fries and coleslaw. It was so good I saved some for my dog bandit and he kept motioning to put the their homemade sauce on the fries, I did... and instantly fell in love with the food again!

I love this bbq joint! It's some delicious down home cooking! We need more bbq spots like this one!

You can't beat the price for the food you get here. It is the best food in the mall. Quick easy fast. Excellent food for a very good price. The customer service is always excellent.

Absolutely recommended! Great customer service! Super clean! Amazing food, tasty menu! Good price! And enjoyable meal!

Sides are too inconsistent. On one visit, the mac n cheese is good. The next time we go in it is a soggy mass of mediocre pasta. Same for the beans and brisket. A chunk of meat is served with the beans. The next time, two microscopic shreds of brisket, too much sauce and half a container of beans. On our very last visit the coleslaw was inedible. It was served with a dash of vinegar on green and red cabbage and carrots. If they are out of coleslaw slaw dressing, don't serve it! Absolutely a waste of money for high cost take out food. Unfortunately we will not be returning to this restaurant. We have given them 4 chances because they are local.

This place is very reliable and fairly priced. It's meats are very consistent, and very tasty. I recommend the Baby Back Ribs, and brisket. The chicken sandwiches are my go to for lunch. The sides are also really good, and I recommend the baked beans (full of brisket), the veggies (very healthy and always fresh and tasty), and the coleslaw. Ambiance is not great, but very Texas themed. They have 2 TVs broadcasting sports. Parking is never an issue, and it is in Northgate Mall. I really like this place, and bring their takeout to most potlucks and picnics; and the food always gets good reviews. Happy Holidays

Good Bbq i enjoy baby back ribs the location is very secluded i feel very exclusive there mac n cheese is better than homemade

I haven't been here since they were new because I found their bbq to be dry and sauce was bland. I definitely would've given it a 1 star then. Now, I'd bump it to a 3. The ribs were decent but the sauce was still mediocre. Personally, I prefer a dry rub on my bbq ribs and dip it in bbq sauce as needed. It was an improvement but not by much. The mac&cheese was okay. Again, lacking in flavor. I added salt which helped. Service was pretty decent, food was ready quickly, and customers were nice enough to let a larger family sit at the big booth than trying to push together tables. I wish we had more bbq options in Northern Marin!!!

This was the worst meal and almost inedible. The brisket was dry and tough. It wasn't freshly smoked - they had to reheat the meat. Beans tasted like they opened a can. Cornbread also dry and old. The coconut banana pie tasted like the inside of a refrigerator.

ac doesn't work, and is super hot right now for people to eat inside, food is good, service is good, it'll be great if you guys get the ac working again

Roadside BBQ seemed very franchisey. The meat was ok but real BBQ joints serve sauce on the side not on the meat. Meat should be able to stand on its own and not need to hide behind sauce. I would not recommend this to my friends.

Hubby wanted to go to Black Bear restaurant, but I found out: We're in California, we have Black Bear in Portland! So, we found Roadside BBQ and it sounds good at that time, decided to go in. We're the FIRST customers to go in, a second family came after us. They won't be open yet, for another 10 mins. but he started taking our order: Texas Brisket, mashed potatoes & Cole slaw, comes with tiny size corn muffin. (It's a mouthful size). I was watching them prepare ours: They sliced thinly our brisket, poured some soup juice? Then a small amount of BBQ sauce. And just enough gravy. Don't forget the muffin! As we sat down this is what I thought: "Honestly, is their meat really BBQed, more like STEWED, and yes they're very tender!" I was expecting a little bit more than that! The Cole slaw: Made of vinegar, LOTS of vinegar!

Ribs were exceptional. Stuffed Baked Potato like youd make at home. This was a great place with very fast deluvery-like 20 minutes. Amazing here in Marin to find BbQ so good.

Food was extremely bland. The only flavor I tasted of my brisket was from the bbq sauce. Same with the mac and cheese; bland and flavorless. Also, claims to have sweet tea but is, in fact, hot, unsweetened tea. Gross.

Had the beef ribs and brisket. My son had fried chicken. The meats are ok. Tried the coleslaw, just chopped veggies, no taste. Won't be back.

MEATTTTTTTT!! OMG remember that crappy BBQ place that was on tv so everyone and their mother stood in unnecessarily long lines to get dry, over-smoked meat? The sides were terrible. It was expensive for poor quality food despite the long line. I don't do hype. A lot of people who smoke meat at home think they know what they are doing - they don't. It's bad out there. This is not that. This is the literal opposite of that . This is Marsha and the other place is Jan. Jan in that black curly hair wig. The new Jan Brady Jan. Oh myyyy. The meat here is so tender whether it's ribs or brisket. The smoke? Delicate, deliberate, beautifully balanced with salty and sweet from the rub and the sauce. You can taste the meat - not just a mouthful of "smoke" which is what I resent about poorly smoked meat. The sides are also delicious, which I appreciate. The tender crumb corn bread is studded with kernels of sweet corn making this a wonderful counterbalance to the perfectly sauced meats. The 3 cheese macaroni is cheesy, tender, delicious. The 2 item combo is good for 2 adults who eat proper portions or 1 hungry, indulgent adult. Order over the phone and pick it up or do what I did and have it delivered so you can dance in your livingroom to burn some calories before your feast. Put on your stretchy sweatpants and a tank top, tie your long hair up in a bun and prepare to eat so much delicious meats and sides until your belly begs you to stop, Meat sweats. It was that. It's just so good. Order. Eat. Enjoy. Thank me later. Fiver for this great small business!

So, this is a pretty simple review. We've eaten here many times over the past five years, and honestly I've never had a bad meal yet. This time my wife went for the fried chicken, and she LOVED it - there was so much she took half of it home. I had the BBQ brisket with the baked beans (with more brisket) and a cornbread. I have to tell you I know the BBQ sauces they have, I usually mix spicy and mild together and could honestly just smear that on two slices of bread and eat that (but I won't, that would be gross). There is really just a lot to choose from, so if you like meat this is really the place for you, not Arby's. get it? Convenient location in Northgate next to Kohls, enjoy the 'cue and see you there soon.

Excellent food! Everything was really good. Noice atmosphere and quick service! Highly recommend.

Those poor workers have to put on a face and serve subpar BBQ... Expensive but taste like it came out of a morgue. Water moist pale brisket . I have eaten here at least 3 times.. the food gets worse and worse. Marin County is infamous for expensive living and bad food. Take your family to "Sol Food" they deserve better.

Unimpressed, average BBQ at extremely high prices. The physical set up is like a High School cafeteria. The staff controls the amount of BBQ sauce. Average food from a fast food environment definitely nothing to return to that store. Lunchtime midweek and I was the only customer in the restaurant. Because you place a wooden bear that was cut with a chain saw does not make it Authentic BBQ. Definitely absentee ownership abounds.

Food is beyond disgusting. Like soooo bad. I will never order from here again. This was though door dash so no experience with the actual restaurant or workers. None of the items I got were good, and I what I did eat I threw up shortly after. :(

Got the Q for 2. Not a world beater but does the trick if you're craving BBQ. Brisket and ribs were the best of the meats I tried.

Great meals Variety sides dishes Great restaurant to enjoy Family ambiance Tons of parking spots Good portion on meals Good prices Good place for enjoy dinner dish

My wife and I tried Roadside today. I had an MRI scheduled nearby and the thought of BBQ sounded good. We always look for outdoor seating as we always have the wife's dog. So that was a plus. Really nice pretty much brand new picnic benches out front. Plus #2! My wife went in and ordered the 3 meat combo. That's where it fell apart... the ribs were actually ok. The brisket however was very bland. No smoke, no salt nothing. I'm not a huge fan of sweet sauce but it was ok( the only thing that gave the meat any flavor. The pulled pork tasted old. I'll bet Chef Mike(microwave) had a part in beating it up as it was very watery and chewy. The macaroni and cheese was very grainy. The beans were good but get plenty to drink before trying the cornbread.

This is my second time here first time I walked out because the guy behind the counter was so rude . Sounds like the owner of establishment need to have a talk with there employees. This might save them from having all this bad reviews from there employees. I ordered a brisket sandwich and it was Ok . The only problem is when I asked what sides I can get with the sandwich he said coleslaw and something else .... Didn't know that the coleslaw is in the sandwich .

The vibe was super chill and a great place to eat. The staff were real friendly. The ribs were the highlight of the meal. 4 stars because the garlic fries has way too much garlic.

Q for 2! for our order we got 2 order of baby back ribs (4 pieces of ribs each) beef brisket and pulled pork! I liked the brisket better than the pulled pork, service was easy and quick! Thank you!!

Delicious, authentic BBQ! Had the ribs, slaw & beans. So good! My partner got the Meaty potato with brisket, hugh ! Could only eat half! Sweet tea & complimentary soft serve . Can't wait to come back for more! If you crave BBQ, this is the place !!!!!

I do like their food but there is no excuse for not including a side dish you ordered ....you are already home so there is nothing you can do. Get the order correctly and include everything I ordered ...It's not too much to ask Very disappointed

There are not many BBQ places in Marin, so I am truly glad Roadside is here. I usually have little faith in mall-based restaurants, but this one stands out from the rest, maybe because it seems less like a chain that you would find in a mall, and more like a home-town BBQ place. We sampled several things; ribs, brisket, pulled pork, etc, and found them all to be moist and tender. The side was flavorful and had a homemade way about them. They have good outdoor seating and, at this time (Covid-19) they were following ALL precautions while still making the us feel comfortable and cared-for. The servings were ample enough to take some of it home. Yum!

This restaurant engages in unethical business practices. They add a "living wage" charge after you buy your meal. If I recall it was around 10%. Obviously, lying about the cost of your food is unethical. Increase your menu prices rather than surreptitiously adding fees so customers can actually have an honest transaction and know the real price. If this unethical charge is removed I will change this review from 1 star to 5. Until then I will not be supporting unethical businesses.

Excellent ribs, brisket was a little chewy but tasty. pleasant staff, quick service. Very clean Will be back

I'd been here before, eating in, a few years ago and the food was good. So when we decided we wanted BBQ delivered for dinner, we ordered with some confidence. What we got? It was almost bizarrely bad. The smoked chicken wings were cold. Not as in they had cooled down, but refrigerator cold. But look at this picture. If you had to guess what it is, you'd probably say a side of veggies, right? Wrong. This is their "Grilled Vegetable Plate" for $18.95!! I was picturing maybe some corn on the cob, thick slices of zucchini, maybe skewered onions and tomatoes, all cooked on a grill. NOT what had to be, or at least tasted like, a bag of frozen mixed veggies zapped in a microwave. Which then arrived at room temperature. And for $18.95 this box of seemingly frozen veggies should have been totally full! Yes, it came with two small sides- but that's still ridiculous. I'd say maybe they had a tough time pivoting to takeout/delivery in the time of Covid, but they also have a catering side to their business! I hope my experience was an anomaly, but I'd be remiss in not warning folks away from ordering one of the most expensive dishes on the menu.

I used Grubhub to order lunch to go. Fortunately I went in to pick up because my online order got canceled. Since I was there I ordered the ribs and smoked chicken with potato salad and cornbread. The sauces are ok, I have had better, still they hit the spot that day. I was thrilled they packed everything up quickly and efficiently. The potato salad and mini cornbread were tasty as well. It would have been nice if I had remembered to get napkins, but it worked out as we ate in the parking lot of the mall at Corte Madera. The Northgate Mall was closed obviously as it is an indoor mall. It was great to have such yummy food and fast service on a day our power was out and we had to kill time driving around. It was a late in the afternoon as well. The staff was super friendly and I appreciate all they do! The food is consistent here and that makes me happy as well. Grateful all around!

I don't know what happened as I usually get a decent meal, but not yesterday. My son was at the mall and called and asked if I wanted BBQ brought home since they were at lunch ready to leave. I ordered the combo brisket and ribs. The good: the brisket baked beans were excellent. The ribs OK, but when I requested extra sauces,they just smothered meats in tons of sauce, I expected on the side like you would get in the restaurant. The bad (really bad): the brisket was so dry, even with the extra sauce that I had to spit it out. The cole-slaw was literally shredded cabbage, no dressing of anytype what so ever. How do you serve someone plain shredded cabbage?

I can't believe I've never been to Roadside before!! I'm at the mall regularly, so what was I thinking about not coming here?! We were trying to figure out where to eat for dinner after doing some shopping and couldn't think of an appetizing place nearby. There isn't a great selection of places to eat at the mall, but the bbq here is simply delicious! The service was excellent. We were greeted by the cashier/server and he kindly explained the menu options. We decided on the four meat combo with three sides. Well worth the price for the quantity and quality! Our order: slices of brisket, hot links, pork ribs and beef ribs and also three sides: mac n cheese, baked beans, and potato salad as well as complimentary mini corn bread muffins. I have to say my favorites were the pork ribs and brisket. Flavorful and juicy, not dry at all. I didn't try the beef ribs, but they looked tasty. They offer regular and hot bbq sauces at the table. The regular bbq sauce is really good, not too sweet. It doesn't need to be slathered ontop since the bbq is seasoned well and cooked perfectly. My favorite sides were the baked beans, potato salad and corn bread. The baked beans had bits of bacon mixed in, yum! I ate all of the corn bread muffins and wanted to get more. I'm bummed I didn't know about the complimentary soft serve ice cream. A great reason for me to go back! If you find yourself in a pickle trying to figure out where to eat in the area like I was, give Roadside BBQ a try.