I love BBQ – and finding good BBQ in San Francisco is a surprising challenge. The latest contender is 4505 BBQ & Burgers (or Burgers and BBQ, depending on your priorities) which is along the Divisadero Corridor @ Grove, an area that is becoming the Divisadero Dining Destination (NOPA & Bi-Rite are both nearby, not to mention Popeye’s Fried Foods!). Living in either Alamo Square or NOPA would put you within a very short walk of the 4505 BBQ joint.
I managed to snag lunch there last week – even at 11:30am there was a line (nothing like Ike’s). I had a lovely little spot to myself at one of the wooden picnic tables outside (they don’t have any inside seating except for a few bar stools – this definitely isn’t the place to come and eat when it’s raining, but since we are in a drought….) where I enjoyed an excellent pulled pork BBQ sandwich and fries.
The fries are fried in tallow, which definitely doesn’t taste like fries fried in canola oil. 🙂 They were excellent, freshly crisped up and not soggy at all.
The BBQ pork sandwich was also a keeper – it appears to have arrived with a mustard-based sauce, but I slathered it in their sweet BBQ sauce and the crisis was averted (I have a strong and completely irrational dislike for most condiments, including mustard, ketchup and mayo). The pork was flavorful and tender and moist – well cooked and seasoned!
Of all the BBQ I’ve had over the years in SF, I’d definitely have to put 4505 in the top 3, and I’d probably even have to give it the gold medal. So head on out to NOPA. Even if you don’t want to buy a house, you should treat yourself to an excellent burger or bite of BBQ.