There are few meals more satisfying than a smoky, perfectly sauced, or rubbed piece of barbecued meat. If you’ve got a craving, we have the best BBQ restaurants in Las Vegas, NV, that will leave you stuffed and satisfied. From saucy to spicy, beef ribs to pulled pork, fall of the bone to perfectly shredded, here are the top BBQ dining spots in Sin City.
Best BBQ in Las Vegas
John Mull’s Meat & Road Kill Grill
John Mull’s Meat & Road Kill Grill isn’t one of the usual restaurants in Las Vegas. The walk-up stand is the restaurant side of John Mull’s Meat, and you’re almost guaranteed to find a line there on any given day. Don’t worry. It’s worth the wait. Here’s why.
First, they have a reputation as being the best BBQ in Vegas. They’ve also been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. The meats are tender, juicy, and perfectly smoky. The portions are huge, and it’s all priced very reasonably.
Choose a Las Vegas favorite, like the beef ribs, burnt rib tips, or hot links dinner. If you can’t decide, choose a combo with huge portions of two or three meats. The side dishes are simple classics but arguably the best. The baked beans, mac and cheese, and chili are all on the must-try list.
Take your meal to go, or enjoy it in their outdoor picnic-like dining area. Road Kill Grill is located at 3730 Thorn Blvd. in Las Vegas, NV. They’re closed on Sundays but are open every other day from 11 am – 6 pm.
Best BBQ Runner Up
Yardbird Southern Table & Bar
The Yardbird Southern Table & Bar is an award-winning, James Beard-nominated southern-style restaurant located in the Venetian. Their list of awards includes Bon Appetit’s Best New Restaurants, Bourbon Magazine’s Best Bourbon Bars, and Southern Living’s Best Fried Chicken award.
Yardbird might not be what first comes to mind when you think of a traditional barbecue restaurant, but their flare for southern cuisine awards them one of the top spots on our list.
Enjoy dishes like St. Louis-style pork ribs, sweet tea braised short ribs, and chicken n’ watermelon n’ waffles. Southern street corn, bread & butter fried okra, and house fries with buttermilk ranch are just a few of the options for rounding out your southern meal.
The prices at the Yardbird are a bit more than other BBQ places in Las Vegas, but each dish is well worth it. The Yardbird is open daily for lunch and dinner and closes at 11 pm. You can also join them for brunch on Saturday and Sunday, starting at 9:30 am.
Best Slow-Smoked Ribs
Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que
Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que is located in the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, NV. Lucille’s is known for its tender, slow-roasted ribs that pretty much fall off the bone as soon as they reach your lips. The slow-roasted flavor is perfect on its own or complemented by one of Lucille’s Smokehouse sauces.
Lucille’s Baby Back Ribs are slow-cooked with sweet hickory smoke before they’re grilled and basted with just the perfect touch of Lucille’s sauce. The St. Louis ribs are slow smoked and dressed with a special dry rub before they’re basted with sauce. Then, there are the straight-up beef ribs that embody barbecue yumminess.
There are other barbecue treasures, too, like an Alabama-style half chicken that’s brushed with white Alabama BBQ sauce, southern fried chicken, build your own combos, and gut-filling family platters. Make sure you come hungry!
Best BBQ Brisket
Wild Fig BBQ
Wild Fig BBQ smokes and prepares their food daily, which means it’s always at its best when it reaches your plate. They have just about every type of great BBQ meat you can imagine, but it’s their BBQ brisket that gets our attention.
Their beef brisket is coined as the best Texas-style brisket in all of Las Vegas, and I don’t think we can argue with them. Really good beef brisket isn’t always easy to find, but they have it mastered with smokey, tender, juicy flavorfulness. Order your brisket by the pound, have it chopped, pile it high for a brisket sandwich, and try a little of Wild Fig’s garlic sauce on the side.
Wild Fig is take-out, or you can enjoy it at one of their outdoor picnic tables. Because they make everything fresh daily, they tend to run out of things as the day goes by. If you’re worried about missing out on the brisket, you can always call ahead and reserve your order.
Best BBQ Food Truck in Las Vegas, NV
Project BBQ
Ok, if BBQ is coming from a food truck, you know it’s going to be good. There’s just something about this experience that never lets you down. Project BBQ is no exception, and they win our choice for Best BBQ Food Truck in Las Vegas, NV.
Project BBQ has a permanent location and has become a fixture of the Fremont Street Experience. It’s a BBQ joint that has the “backyard on a lazy summer day vibe.” The main specialty is Carolina-style barbecue meats, but there are all sorts of smoky deliciousness on this menu.
Try the smoked pulled pork, hot links bites, or the Garbage Bowl with brisket, pulled pork, sauce, and cheese all piled on the house-made Project Chips. Project BBQ is also open until 2 am every night so that you can satisfy those late-night barbecue cravings.
Best BBQ Sauce in Las Vegas
Jessie Rae’s BBQ
BBQ lovers come in two types. Those that adore the rich, smoky meats that have been smoked to the perfect tenderness, maybe with a bit of a dry rub, but it’s really about the meat and the meat alone.
Then there are those who are in it for the sauce. Yes, great meats are the foundation, but it’s the sauce that really draws them in. If you’re a sauce person, then Jessie Rae’s BBQ is your spot for barbecue in Las Vegas, NV.
Jessie Rae’s claim to fame is their God Sauce. If you’re thinking that the name is a little egotistical, you only need to taste it to understand. It’s robust and a bit peppery, with a tinge of sweetness that really does go perfectly on every single type of meat they offer. Try the sauce on a rack of baby back ribs, hot links, chicken, pulled pork, or on one of their sandwiches. Pair it with fries, red slaw, or fried tots, and you’re good to go.
Jessie Rae’s BBQ is located on Valley View Blvd and is open daily from 11:30 am – 8:30 pm.
Best Dry Rub BBQ
Big B’s Texas BBQ
You know that feeling when you’re driving along and get a whiff of a roadside BBQ pit. Your stomach starts making those noises, and your mouth starts watering. This is exactly what happens as you approach Big B’s Texas BBQ in Las Vegas, NV.
Big B’s wins our choice for the best dry-rubbed meats in Las Vegas, but it doesn’t feel fair to focus just on that and not everything else that will make them a crave-worthy regular on your list. Big B’s really does feel like a backyard barbecue, with outdoor communal wooden picnic tables or smaller tables if you’re looking for something a bit more intimate.
They serve everything family-style, and all the meats are cut by hand in the quantities you want. There’s BBQ sauce on each table, but it’s doubtful that you’ll need or want it because their spice rub is just that good.
Enjoy meats like pulled pork, beef ribs, baby back ribs, chicken, brisket, tri-tips, and more. There’s also all your favorite side dishes, like mac and cheese, french fries, fried okra, BBQ beans, pasta salad, cornbread, and so much food you won’t know what to do with yourself.
Best BBQ on Las Vegas Blvd (AKA the Strip)
Rick’s Rollin Smoke BBQ & Tavern
If you like your barbecue with a dash of celebrity, you don’t want to miss Rick’s Rollin Smoke BBQ & Tavern. Rick Harrison of Pawn Stars fame is behind Rick’s Rollin Smoke Barbeque. You can smell the mouth-watering hickory-smoked meats before you even walk through the door.
Rollin Smoke turns BBQ meats into an art form. They offer up pulled pork, beef hotlinks, brisket that’s chopped or sliced, burnt ends, baby back ribs, St. Louis ribs, chicken, and even a smoked meatloaf. There are also sandwiches, salads, sides, and sweets. And, of course, what’s a BBQ joint without a bar to wash down all that food with your favorite adult beverage? The Rollin Smoke tavern technically closes at 10 pm, but the official closing time is whenever the party ends.
Bottom Line
Las Vegas, NV, is a food lover’s paradise with all sorts of amazing cuisines. Sometimes what you’re really craving is a down-home barbecue that gets your mouth watering just thinking about it. These barbecue spots are the best of the best, with John Mull’s Meat & Road Kill Grill winning the top spot, but others following close behind. Bring your appetite and get ready to find your new favorite BBQ joint.