Mike’s BBQ Starts Making South Philly Meatier This Week

South Philly gets better access to brisket, ribs, cornbread, and mac and cheese this week as Mike’s BBQ opens up January 3 (Wednesday) in the old South Philly Barbacoa location on 11th and Morris.

The project has been a longtime dream project for Mike Strauss, the co-owner of gastropub Taproom on 19th, just a few blocks away. On the menu is (perhaps unsurprisingly) ample smoked meat (brisket, chicken, ribs, pulled pork), including those meats in sandwich form. Classic Southern sides will be on offer too: think collard greens with black-eyed peas, corn bread, and slaw. A few twists will be thrown in as well, with an Italian take on mac and cheese, Filipino-style macaroni salad, and a “cheesesteak” with brisket and Cooper Sharp cheese (the full, final menu is still to be confirmed).

The restaurant hours are still to be confirmed, but it was previously suggested that Mike’s would open Wednesday through Sunday, and it was confirmed that on opening day (January 3), it’ll be open from noon to “5-ish”.

A few sneak peaks of the restaurant — including the cumbersome process of loading a 2,000 pound smoker through a window — were shared online over the holiday season. Take a look, and have a drool napkin ready.

Mike’s BBQ isn’t totally new to Philly’s barbecue scene — Strauss has done catering, events, and pop-ups around the city under the same name for a while now. But this is the first location where Mike’s will be regularly and permanently smoking up its wares. Oh, and it would behove any would-be customers to get in early: last summer Strauss told Philly.com that the restaurant would do “ a limited amount of barbecue until we sell out”.

STATUS — Mike’s BBQ opens Wednesday January 3 at 1703 S 11th Street from noon to about 5 p.m. — other days and hours TBA.

• Mike’s BBQ [Official]
• The 13 Most Anticipated Restaurants in Philadelphia, Fall 2017 [EPHL]