Liz Thompson
It’s an imposter! I don’t mean that in a bad way, either. I walked into Moe’s Original Bar-B-Que expecting just another BBQ restaurant chain that has joined the ranks of Shane’s Rib Shack or plethora of other counter-ordering restaurants. I was pleasantly surprised because what I got wasn’t fast food; it was good food, fast. The pulled pork was tender and melted in my mouth, while the ribs fell off the bone. It was the right amount of sauce and smoke, with a hint of wood and fire. For sides I got collard greens and boy were they a good mix of spice and beefy-vinegary goodness. I prefer my collards with a little flavor, can you tell? I should have tried the pudding, because the people beside me had some and it took everything I had not to casually put my fork in their bowl.
So who is this Moe and where can I get some right? Moe’s started about 10 years ago in Vail, CO. Three University of Alabama alumni wanted to start something new, and Moe’s Original Bar-B-Que was formed from the junkyard pit, literally. These three friends named Gilbert, Fernandez, and Kennedy found a BBQ pit in a junkyard and started working out of a small trailer on a dirt parking lot somewhere in Vail, CO. They had received their inspiration from the college days: love of BBQ and what they learned from a local Alabama legend named Moses Day. With 18 locations around the country, the “Southern Soul Food Revival” has taken shape and will soon grasp you by the nostrils and rope you in. Sorry, that was pretty graphic wasn’t it?
Visit them in midtown, in the Kool Korners Midtown buiding, which is a legendary place all its own. The menu includes sandwiches with two sides and a drink for $9, and platters with two sides, a drink and some delicious spicy cornbread for $10. Catering and family meals are available as well as a full bar. Weekly Specials include $12 buckets of beer on Monday; Wednesday night is ladies night with ½ off drinks for the ladies; and Thursday is team trivia at 9pm with $2 domestic drafts.
Photo courtesy of Ian Davis
Moe’s Original Bar-B-Que
349 14th Street
Atlanta, GA 30318
They have the best BBQ in Atlanta!!