LBJ's6617 Cherry Ave.
Long Beach
562-422-3606
LBJ's is really a soul food place and not a BBQ place. But I wanted to give it another try. The first time a buddy and I did a taste test between LBJ's and Smokey's BBQ. The ribs from LBJ's were some kind of smothered ribs, not the BBQ ribs you see in the pictures. So either my buddy ordered the wrong item or LBJ's gave him the wrong order.
Anyways pictured is the mini pork ribs dinner for $7.57. The mini dinners include rice and gravy and one side. Regular dinners are about $4-$5 more and include two sides and more ribs. The ribs are not smoked. They may even be boiled first and then cooked in the oven. The ribs are too tender, falling off the bone, which I don't like. They had no smoked flavor at all. They were meaty and a good size.
I loved the rice and gravy. A rich gravy that was well seasoned and had tons of flavor. The mac and cheese was some of the best mac and cheese I've ever had. Very soft mac and creamy cheese, they don't cheat you on the cheese, there was a ton of cheese. The cornbread was nice and crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside.
While the ribs weren't to my liking, LBJ's is much better than Ruth's Place.
I would not go back to LBJ's for the ribs. But I would try some of their other items like smothered chicken, fried chicken, and smothered steak.
Service was good but the person taking orders has a thick Spanish accent that makes it hard to understand her at times.