Genny's BBQ

So I was CRAVING good BBQ before I went on my way back home to Stockton & I love me my Everett and Jones but I didn't have the time to wait 1 hour for my food. So I found Genny's on Yelp! Hella surprising because as many times as my man and I drive down this street, I never noticed it! It's on the corner of Havenscourt & Bancroft. We arrived and nobody was there, given we arrived at 11:05am and they opened at 11am lmao. I'm a fatgirl. The lady told us to come in, we looked at menu.They forsure can make a new menu, there's was all torn and beat up. You could barely see prices of dinner plates. We got 2 lunch plates, hot links w/ potato salad and baked beans. I was skeptical because we ordered lunch plates just we each got an extra side which should've been the price of lunch plate w/ price of extra side. Our total was $33 even. Then she goes in the end... "you know what y'all owe me $7.. cause y'all hot dinner plates." Huh? Never that. I didn't wanna be difficult and my boyfriend hates when I complain about things he just goes with the flow. Then lady says but you know what.. just go across street and buy me a $2 pack of napkins and we'll call it even. She also asked since we got dinner plates if I wanted bread or cornbread. I said cornbread but ofc someone walked in and began talking to her as she was asking me a question and she completely ignored my response and never gave me my bread. Anyway, so my boyfriend did just that. Napkins ended up being $4.75. No biggie. Just customer service was off. I go home, heat my food. I was excited because I heard the hot links are homemade from other reviews. I heated my food and got my lil wheat bread from my pantry, sat down hella hungry & excited... potato salad was regular, had a lot of pickles for my taste buds. Beans were average, honestly tasted like a can of bush's baked beans lol. The links... my god I never had hot links that gave me that feeling in my mouth. I'm so sorry but they lacked flavor, heat, texture. Everything was a miss for me from food to service, even located as there's literally NO parking in that area. I wouldn't be back.. just wasn't my forte. If you like so-so customer service and okay bbq, you should come here.

Absolutely delicious The food, service and price was beyond my expectations. The meat was smoked,texture was right and the sauce must've came outta a secret vault.That cornbread, moist and sweet. The sides, not only flavorful and delicious, they were good portions size.Homie vibe, felt like granny's house; Granny in the kitchen cooking, uncle smoked the meat and aunty serving plates. Definitely worth the money. Ignore the esthetics this place is a true gem.

I come here because I want to try black people bbq- I have a friend in oakland a she say this one good. we order the rib and the brisket and I really like. bbq sauce good and also genny, yes I find genny really there. she no want to make talk much but she take order and black man cook for us and I really like. a lot of meat too, bread I no like and green vegetable I no like. feel like a home style place.

This was a good experience with more hits than misses! The Bay Area isn't known for barbecue, so the wonderful Genny gets a qualified thumbs up.-Pork Ribs, Greens, and Candied Yams: The meat had a good smoke. It was a mix of ribs and sliced rib ends, and a VERY large portion. It was bigger than the box and heavy. Good flavor and some chew; people seem to think that all barbecue should be a soft mush, but that's not always better. I liked their sweet sauce. Greens were tasty and a little smoky, too. I couldn't finish the yams. It was way too sweet for me like literal sugary candy, but I didn't grow up with the stuff.-Barbecued Chicken, Mac and Cheese, and Beans: They didn't have beef left so I sadly got the chicken--but it was really good! Same sweet sauce I think and a good smoke on the big half chicken. The beans were decent and a little sweet.The mac was nice and cheddary on top.-Cornbread Muffin and Peach Cobbler: Muffin was pretty standard, but not bad. The cobbler was ok. It had a lot of butter and a little too much liquid for me, though the peaches had a nice texture. The crust was thin and a little too oily for me; I prefer it more biscuit-like!Note if you get nervous in social situations: I went last month when there was no indoor seating and kind of had to yell my order from the front door to Genny who was behind the counter 15 feet away. There was no menu, so I just asked what they had and tried to remember it all while deciding. The older gentleman helping her was very nice. If anything, this was all kind of funny.

Once in a while one runs into the real deal and finds a slice of heaven on earth. I often hear the hipsters are looking for the "real thing". Well, this is it. More importantly it is delicious. They use real wood to slow cook a lot of flavorful cuts of meat. The meat tastes like bbq meat and has a bit of sauce on it. The sauce compliments rather than covers the flavor of the meat. It does not need to be overpowered with sugary thick sauce. The yams were extremely good and so were the boston baked beans and the red beans. The greens were great, but a bit bitter (used larger older leafs) than I prefer. The oxtail was a bit of heaven with gravy so delicious that I can only hope the recipe is archived for the benefit of the human race. The customer service was very good and the owner clearly loved her cooking. Her employee was a kind young man. The place had none of the fancy decor tourists look for, instead it had stacks of wood for the fire and an open kitchen so you could see they were clean and filling the food with smoky love.

Still yummy as ever!!! I was really excited to stumble upon Ms. Genny's reopening here on Yelp. This was a fantastic surprise because I went by her place moons ago and found the door ajar and no signs of even a morsel. The place was so empty I thought we'd never have the chance to eat the best BBQ (since Flints) in Oakland again. When I pulled the door to I figured it would be my final connection, but thankfully Ms. Genny is feeling better and is dedicated to her business (during a pandemic no less). Quite honestly I have been avoiding interactions during the twin-demic to a near pathological level (lol), but under these circumstances I had to make an exception. As soon as she opened (she's closed on Wednesdays) I called in an order of ribs and links with sides of potato salad and macaroni and cheese. We had plenty of everything and I felt like it was the best exception to my rule. Here's what you need to know:--Call ahead to check the menu and place your order. --For social distancing wear your mask and be prepared to stand at the front door to pay and pick up. --Bring cash only, I'm sure smaller bills would be appreciated. --Things are well wrapped but consider bringing your own container to carry your BBQ home. --There's nowhere to sit, all of the food is to go. --Provide your own utensils and napkins --Tip, tip, tip (I never suggest this, but this is a special time and set of circumstances)

Didn't get to take a photo before we devoured this plate, but so far the best BBQ I've had in California. The service was great and you can tell that they put love into each and every dish.

I ordered the 1/2 rib dinner, unfortunately half my order was the small end of slab which was pretty chewy. I also had the oxtails and they were half as thick as the ones you get at the supermarket. They were very good (not salty or greasy). The sides, greens and yams were great. Overall they were not worth the $70 price.

The food is great!!!! The customer service is great as well. I highly recommend coming to tasted this well seasoned food!

Genny's food is very tasty! Benny herself is very sweet and generous. It's a hole in the wall kind of spot, but that's where the best food comes from. Prepare to wait a little while for your food, but it's worth it for sure. If you're from Oakland you get it, but if you're not, don't let the neighborhood deter you!