Mike's BBQ sits on S 11th Street in East Passyunk, running on a Lang smoker — an old-school stick burner the restaurant's founder drove to Georgia to pick up after apprenticing around the country and running a South Philly gastropub. The space has both indoor and outdoor seating.
Everything on the menu is smoked the same day it's served, and the kitchen leans on high-quality ingredients over sheer volume. Brisket comes up again and again as the cut regulars point to when the kitchen is on.
Mike's has built a genuinely passionate following, with regulars citing the food, service, and authenticity as reasons they keep returning. That said, some longtime customers point to a change in ownership as a turning point, describing more inconsistency in day-to-day operations and inventory than in the restaurant's earlier stretch — a shift that's left a few former fans less enthusiastic, even as others still show up for the brisket when it's good.
Everything on the menu is smoked the same day it's served, and the kitchen leans on high-quality ingredients over sheer volume. Brisket comes up again and again as the cut regulars point to when the kitchen is on.
Mike's has built a genuinely passionate following, with regulars citing the food, service, and authenticity as reasons they keep returning. That said, some longtime customers point to a change in ownership as a turning point, describing more inconsistency in day-to-day operations and inventory than in the restaurant's earlier stretch — a shift that's left a few former fans less enthusiastic, even as others still show up for the brisket when it's good.