Bobby-Q’s Comes to Biltmore

The Place: Bobby-Q’s | 3154 E. Camelback Rd, Phoenix, 85016
The Dish: Q-Rolls, Sliced BBQ Prime Beef Brisket, Smokehouse Burger, Apps and Bevvies
By: Laura Stoddard

Some of the best smells in the world: freshly-baked bread; newly-cut grass; a hint of rain in the air; and…barbecue.

We were recently invited to check out visionary restauranteur, Bob Sikora’s latest valley culinary venture—Bobby-Q’s, located at the busy crossroads of 32nd Street and Camelback Road in the Biltmore area. Sikora is pretty much legendary in Phoenix for bringing to life delicious and welcoming restaurants, lively music venues, and extremely popular night-time hotspots (you may be familiar with Bobby McGee’s).

This is the second Bobby-Q’s Sikora has opened, the other being in Mesa; and like that restaurant, we see this place packing in the crowds. We walked in and were immediately greeted by a rich, smoky aroma and welcoming smiles. We smiled ourselves, as the ambiance of the place embraced us. Bobby-Q’s has a unique vibe, meshing comfy with cool. The décor includes exposed brick, industrial pipes overhead, arched entryways, dark, sturdy furnishings, wrought-iron candlesticks, an intimate patio, a good-sized dining room (reflected in polished, copper ceiling tiles), and a well-stocked bar with TVs and electric blue under-lighting.

We sat in the bar area so that we could watch mixologist Chris Ortega work his magic. Something we noticed right away was how beautiful Bobby-Q’s craft cocktails are. They boast vibrant colors, tasty garnishes, and are served in myriad vessels; from martini glasses, to mason jars, to pineapples. We tried the lavender sour (which was just the right amount of sour), and the coconut lime mojito, which was TO DIE FOR.

On to executive chef Mark Hittle’s contribution: the phenomenal food. You know grub is good when you walk away still talking about it, and that’s exactly what happened here. From the first bite of the signature appetizer, Q-rolls—deep-fried rolls filled with tender, smoked prime brisket accompanied by chipotle dip and BBQ sauce—we were hooked. Our server was very friendly and attentive, and waited patiently by while we tried to decide what to order. We finally decided on the sliced barbecue prime beef brisket (a hefty portion of 18-hour smoked gloriousness) and the smokehouse burger. This beautiful patty of fresh ground beef, cooked perfectly to the medium-well requested, was topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, crispy onions (they passed the crunch test), BBQ sauce and Bobby-Q’s secret sauce—which is worth the trip itself.

Like the cocktails, our dishes were beautifully presented, containing nearly every color of the rainbow (thanks to veggies like tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and kale). Accompanying those sumptuous selections was mac and cheese you’d swear your mom made, and deliciously seasoned, roasted corn. Every bite—literally, every bite of our meal, was the right amount of juicy; the right amount of tender; and more than the right amount of flavorful. And at the end of our dinner, we received a complimentary paper sack filled with homemade mini donuts, dusted in sugar. Such a fun, unexpected way to cap off our evening!

Folks, Bob Sikora has done it again. We absolutely loved our experience at Bobby-Q’s and are already planning a return trip. Go get your barbecue on at a place that takes it to the next level.

eat | drink | share