Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ

We accidentally "bumped" into the new Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ in the back lot at Tempe Marketplace while doing some shopping Saturday. The smell of the rich BBQ smoke in the parking lot had us drooling by the time we got inside. Lucky for us, we were rather early in the evening because within the next 30 minutes, the place was packed. Our server was great, gave us advice on the menu, and kept our fresh lemonade and strawberry lemonade promptly refilled. Drinks come in large mason jars and the whole decor reminded me of visiting a family member out in the country. (Except for the live Blues music wafting over from the bar area.)

While waiting, we ordered an appetizer from a list that included some Southern specialties like Fried Green Tomatoes and Deep Fried Dill Pickles. We ended up ordering the onion straws appetizer---wow--- at least 8-10 inches tall and wide of ultra thin sliced onion delights cooked crispy and served with a sauce that reminded me of light BBQ and Mayo---good, but not the usual sauce seen with onion rings

The smoker is right in the middle of the dining area and the number of hours of smoking for each item is listed on the sign. I had a pulled pork sandwich that was so tender it practically melted in my mouth. Daughter #1 and Hubby had brisket that showed a beautiful smoke ring and was equally tender and juicy. The three sauces on the table were each distinctly different with the Memphis style quickly becoming everyones favoriteenough bite, enough spice, enough sweet--- just yummy BBQ goodness. I am afraid we now have a new favorite BBQ place. By the way, come hungry and plan on bringing food home with you. The desserts looked great but we were too stuffed to find out how great.

Good Bar-B-Q.... Southern style sides...grits, sweet potatoes, fried Okra and green tomatoes...but too expensive !

The atmosphere is great at Lucille's, I felt like I was on vacation in the southeast. Unfortunately, the service was very slow and not very attentive. The menu is very extensive and pricey. For a combo meal with choice of 3 meats and 2 sides it was $25. I would be fine spending this if the quality was up to par. The chicken was delicious but there was very little meat on the ribs. The flavors of the meats were very good just wish there was more there. When I eat barbeque, I love the meats but the sides are something to look forward to. Their corn was on the cob but was chewy and disgusting - tasted like corn gum. We were really looking forward to the macaroni and cheese unfortunately, Kraft out of the box would've tasted better. It tasted like it came out of a can or a box. If I am going to pay $25 for a combo for barbeque I would at least like the sides to taste fresh. I can go to Joe's BBQ in Gilbert for 1/2 the price and 10X the food quality.

We went as a family, and the food was pretty good. The servings were average, on huge plates, to make it look like you get more. But the prices were way more than most average families can afford on a good day. It's pretty neat to watch them pull meat from the smoker while you eat. And the checked print on everything gives a southern feeling, along with drinking from Mason jars, reminded me of home in the deep south. Their original sauce is super yummy. I took a bottle home, that they wrapped in tissue and put in a cute lil bag to go. I'm not sure if its "better" than Famous Daves, but its pretty darn close in the race, as far as the food goes. Daves is the winner in prices tho. So, thats where i'll keep taking my family in the future. However, if you have plenty of money to drop, go and enjoy Lucille's.