Photo by Russell Thompson
If you ask around for the best BBQ in Oakland, the answer is inevitably Horn’s. Recipient of a well-deserved Michelin Bib Gourmand award, what started as a pop-up has found a new home. The interior is very simple but very hipster, with a full bar (But no Bloody Marys…what’s up with that?).
Matt Horn grew up helping with his grandmother’s BBQ, and when this Inglewood local caught BBQ fever in his early 20s, he discovered you couldn’t have an open fire there. So, he headed up to Fresno where he perfected his technique. He calls his ‘que West Coast style, but it’s heavily influenced by Texas. He started out selling at Farmers Markets, then pop-ups before going brick and mortar.
Our flight into Oakland was delayed, so by the time we arrived to meet my brother and nephew at Horns they had already ordered the plate in the photo above as a sampler. The brisket, which is cooked up to 18 hours, was heavenly, but the sausage was way too hot for me. It didn’t seem to bother anyone else, so I guess I’m just a wimp.
I went up to the bar to order (then they holler your name from the kitchen when it’s ready). I had to order the burnt ends and greens, Bob’s favorites, beans, and mac and cheese for my sister-in-law. I also ordered corn bread and the banana pudding Matt’s wife Nina makes, of course. Usually with cornbread it is either Marie Callendars-style cake, or dry, crumbly cast iron skillet style. Horn’s cornbread was big and fluffy, like the cake style, but had the flavor of skillet corn bread. It was a nice break between the intensely flavored meats and sides. They were so big we split them in half, so we had lots of leftovers. The banana pudding could have used more bananas, and more time for the Nilla wafers to soften, but the pudding was delicious. Where I jumped the shark was ordering more brisket, which we could not even eat.
Service was friendly and they checked in on us. 10/10 I would go back tomorrow if I weren’t still full 7 hours after lunch. We checked into our hotel and immediately had a nap.
