Bubba's Texas BBQ

19 W Girard Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(267) 324-3530
Website

Editor's note: photography was not easy here, so apologies in advance for the lack of visual representation here. Just take my word for what you're about to read.

First, the good. The wings were great. Smoked, then fried, they were packed with flavor and served in a spicy and deep hot sauce. I would go back for these alone.

Now for the bad. The service, atmosphere, and BBQ. Which is kind of a big deal for a * ahem* BBQ joint.

Service: Our waitress was texting WHILE I was ordering. I thought it was some kind of new tablet system that sent the orders to the kitchen. Until I got done and she said, "sorry, what was that again?" and she pulled out a notepad for me to repeat my order. Come on.

Atmosphere: Weird. It was part Applebee's and part Famous Dave's. Had a feeling of weirdness all around.

BBQ: Most disappointing. We each had a sandwich, one pulled pork, one chicken, one brisket. All were served on a LeBus roll that had no business housing BBQ. The tops of the bread were so big they were discarded by each of us, while the thin bottom let you holding a soggy piece of roll covered in meat. Not to say that the meat was abundant. The pork was flavorless and dry (no sauce served on the table) and overpowered by the enormous piece of bread it is served on. The chicken was just okay, until I bit into a bone, that's all I'll say about that. The brisket was the best of the lot (as it should be for Texas BBQ) but again, it was not as juicy as it should have been. At least it had some sauce on it. The menu said each sandwich was served with half sour pickles. Well each one in our group came with a sad little slice that was roughly the size of one McDonald's french fry. Big disappointment, especially for the $11-14 price tags on the sandwiches. The chips were pretty good, especially because they helped bulk up what was not exactly a heaping portion.

I would go back for a $3 Kenzinger and some wings. That is about it, and barely. Just a disappointment all around. Especially with their competition around the corner.