No ordinary Joe is this, critics would have you believe. Instead, they insist, this has been one of the best 59 restaurants in the Phoenix area (Phoenix magazine, 2002). Located in a 1929 brick building that saw its “hay day” in the golden age of agricultural Arizona, it retains the charm that helps make downtown Gilbert a popular destination. Originally built in 1929, the building has had a long history. It was once home to a grocery store called Safeway Pay n’ Takit, storage building, movie theatre, lamp factory and finally a church before it was bought in 1997 and became Joe’s Real BBQ.
The name “Joe’s Real BBQ” says it all! Joe’s specializes in Texas-inspired barbecue though the flavor profile of its smoked meats can best be described as a mix of Texas and Kansas City styles. Meats are slow-smoked for hours using Arizona pecan wood. Joe’s is known for its brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork, chicken, and sausages, but its sides are a big draw as well. The dining experience is cafeteria-style, similar to a traditional “meat market” style spot. Guests can watch meats being smoked in a “Smoker Pavilion,” an on-site feature where expert pitmasters smoke meats over Arizona pecan wood. The spot also features a festive picnic park. The large outdoor patio that often includes cornhole boards for customers to play. The patio is spacious, kid-friendly, and a popular spot, particularly during nice weather.
A 1948 John Deere tractor holds a position of honor in the restaurant’s dining room and might remind you of the opening sequence of Green Acres (a popular 1960s television comedy) in which Oliver Wendell Douglas bounced up and down on his chugging tractor as he surveyed his worse-for-wear farm. Guests are cautioned not to climb onto the tractor. The main 77-foot-long mural at Joe’s Real BBQ is titled “The Fruit of Our Labor”. Painted by artist Joel Coplin (and transferred onto the wall by Pete Martinez), it vividly depicts Arizona’s agricultural heritage and history during the 1920s. Both the mural and the tractor are befitting Gilbert’s agrarian past.
Joe’s Real BBQ was featured on Season 13, Episode 8 (“Good Times”) of Check, Please! Arizona (one of my very favorite food shows). Host (and highly acclaimed chef) Mark Tarbell and guest reviewers highlighted its hybrid Kansas City-Texas-style barbecue, locally sourced ingredients, and family-friendly outdoor space. Guests praised Joe’s Real BBQ for its authentic, welcoming atmosphere and high-quality, locally sourced smoked meats. They described the pecan-smoked meats as “phenomenal” and “tender,” particularly the brisket and St. Louis-style ribs. The four-meat platter was recommended for trying a variety of items. Among the sides and desserts, the pit beans (packed with meat) and cornbread received praise, along with the combo cake (lemon and root beer).
Joe’s menu features large selections of meat, each cooked “low and slow” over pecan logs. The closer you draw to the restaurant, the more the enticing aromas enrapt your taste buds and olfactory senses. By the time you’ve parked your car and queued up to order, you’re likely going to be drooling (which presents an interesting ordering challenge). That’s how alluring the fragrant bouquets emanating from the restaurant’s smokers are. The winding ordering queue moves quickly even though guests tend to request samples of sides they’re considering. Everything on the cafeteria style trays is tempting.
5 August 2026: Even though 21 years (2005 – 2026) had transpired between visits, my taste memories of Joe’s Real BBQ remained rather vivid. That’s especially true of the BBQ pit beans (seasoned with Joe’s signature barbecue spices and slow-cooked in a traditional pit, allowing them to absorb the savory, smoky flavors of the nearby meats), a signature side dish. The beans are thick and hearty, the antithesis of thin or soupy beans. Known for their rich, smoky, and slightly sweet flavor profile and being cooked to a tender consistency, they’re among the best pit beans I’ve ever had. Instead of getting two sides, I ask for two portions of these outstanding beans. Comprised of kidney, lima and Navy beans and subsidized with sausage, chicken and beef, they are worth a visit to Joe’s on their own merit.
My two-meat-platter also included pit ham and sliced brisket. Slow-smoked over pecan for several hours until it achieves a tender, succulent consistency, the pit ham has a distinctly smoky flavor, balanced with a savory, savory-sweet profile. It is served sliced, showcasing a deep pink color from the smoking process. More than any meat at Joe’s, the pit ham does not require amelioration from Joe’s sauces (Joe’s original, hot BBQ sauce, mustard sauce). Joe’s Texas-style sliced brisket is is lightly seasoned, focusing on a savory, smoke-forward flavor rather than a heavy rub, allowing the pecan wood smoke to be the highlight. It typically has a well-developed, dark, flavorful bark (my favorite part) and a rendered fat cap (for great flavor).
My Kim’s two meat platter was porcine-centric. First was pulled pork, tender, juicy and balanced between smoky, sweet and savory, it fell apart easily without being overly mushy. Because it’s shredded rather than chopped, there’s a good mix of bark (the dark, seasoned exterior) and tender interior meat. Pulled pork is very sauce-friendly and my Kim likes a lot of sauce. The pork ribs are tender, flavorful and not overly reliant on sauce (though you can add as much as you wish). They’re not quite “fall off the bone” tender, requiring an easy tug. This is indicative of a long and slow cooking process and a pit master with real skills. My Kim’s sides were cornbread (with a honey butter) and a fresh beet salad (which she didn’t like).
The dessert menu features comforting, house-made temptations. Highlights include a rich chocolate root beer cake made with house-made root beer, a moist zesty lemon cake, a seasonal fruit cobbler, and a half-and-half (root beer cake and lemon cake) cake slice option. My Kim won’t pass up a chocolate cake and considered Joe’s chocolate root beer cake easily the equivalent of Haus Murphy’s chocolate sauerkraut cake and better than her former favorite from Portillo’s. That places this cake in rarefied air. Should you decline to have dessert at Joe’s, walk just a bit north to Topo Arizona, a walk-up outdoor dessert and burrito stand. Topo is famous for its soft-serve ice cream which comes in such flavors as prickly pear.
Joe’s homemade “real” root beer is available on tap and is quite good, especially if you love creaminess and effervescence. It’s an outstanding root beer, but equally tempting is Barq’s red cream soda. Joe’s Real BBQ may not always have been a barbecue restaurant, but it certainly has achieved excellence in the pursuit of smoking meats.
Joe’s Real BBQ
301 North Gilbert Road
Gilbert, Arizona
(480) 503-3805
LATEST VISIT: 5 August 2026
PREVIOUS VISIT: 28 March 2005
# OF VISITS: 2
RATING: Very Good – Good to very good food; generally solid; delivers consistent quality, strong technique, and a comfortable, enjoyable dining experience
COST: $$
BEST BET: Pecan Smoked Pork Ribs; Baked Beans, Sliced Brisket, Pulled Pork, Joe’s Root Beer, Barq’s Red Cream Soda, Root Beer Cake