Horn Barbecue

In BBQ, everyone seems to have their preferences but one thing that I can't argue was how good their food is despite having your own preferences.BRISKET- The cook was ON POINT! My cut from the point was beautiful marbled with perfectly textured fat and meat. The balance of fat and meat was outstanding perfect. The cut from the point was moist and tender... it's so easy to dry the flat out it this was not! My preference is for a smokier taste in brisket and Horn's smokiness was subtle but I still loved it. HOT LINK- For people who complain that it's too spicy, you ordered a Hot Link and I loved the spiciness! This was a perfect pairing with the brisket.Candied Yams were so good! It was on the sweeter side but not overly. The yams were firm yet tender.Collard greens were also really good. I prefer a bit less meat in it but how can you complain about more meat. What I liked was that this side was not salty but tasty! I love that slight sourness of the greens.I love cornbread... I prefer it light and somewhat crumbly... this cornbread was more textured like a firm cake. Despite that, it was very tasty and filled whatever space in my belly's that was left. It was heavy and two people could share a piece.If you were a a party of two, I'd recommend each person get whatever meat they want and share a small order of sides and cornbread.Loved my experience at Horns and so grateful they reopened! I missed my chance at their other location and will be coming back.Shout out to Nate in the kitchen... he was so welcoming and a great guy to talk to about the food and smoking (meats)!

I literally rented a Zipcar to come and try this place when they were supposed to open on Thursday as I've only heard great things. They opened right on time and the staff was friendly. That said, being one of the first people to arrive I waited about 45 minutes for my food and I only ordered a brisket and some sides... kind of wild how long it took. I was also disappointed to see that they only had sandwiches and the brisket available, no links or much option. I would've thought that by the time Thursday rolled around they'd have a full menu which is why I wanted to come by the first day they opened after the M-W break. By the time the food came around it was definitely enjoyable. I got served 2 slices of brisket even though I saw people getting served 3. It was a bit on the dryer side and needed the sauce for sure (that was very good). The pit beans were fantastic, and the Mac and cheese had big shells in it that were delicious. Overall: probably not worth the zipcar over, but if you happen to be in that area it's definitely the best around which still is pretty.... mid. Compared to something like 4505 in the city Horn Is certainly better considering I only tried 1 of the 3 things I wanted to. I will say I tried their chopped cheese at the outside lands festival a couple years back and it was great. Mid rating on this one.

I had been looking forward to trying the acclaimed Horn BBQ and wanted to walk away with a glowing experience, but instead my visit was chaotic, lingering, and disappointing. I will attempt to buffer the situation by saying I visited at 6:30 PM on a Saturday evening which may not be "prime time" for receiving the best cuts of meat from a BBQ place but on the other hand, the food was available for sale and is thus fair game for critique and much of the disasters I witnessed was not food related.A group of us were next door at Sante Adairius and I excitedly told everyone I would grab dinner from the "reputable" Horn BBQ. I walked over and entered what appeared to be a bustling establishment but I soon realized it was an unorganized situation with severe understaffing and long food wait times. I walked in the restaurant and was met with a congregation of people at the front door. It was complete disorder; some were squeezing into the restaurant, others were exiting, and several were standing in place and looking around aimlessly. This was the main thoroughfare for entering / exiting the restaurant, and also the line for a self-ordering kiosk sitting on the bar top, in the corner. The kiosk was not an ideal location for queuing or enter / exiting traffic flows, and I imagine it was not suitable for the lone table tucked into a nearby corner with people hovering and bumping into their chair.I placed my order (3 Brisket Sandwiches, 1 small Mac & Cheese, 1 Baked Beans) and paid using the kiosk, which was actually easy and efficient to use. I grabbed a seat at the bar and waited for about 10 minutes. I noticed the bar was littered with used trays and cups from prior diners, needing cleared but there was one person behind the bar and they were clearly overwhelmed. She was responsible for making drinks for the restaurant, serving people sitting at the bar, assisting people with self-ordering, guiding people the pick-up delivery people, clearing dining room tables, helping dine-in customers choose a seat, taking food to dine-in customers, taking ringing up orders for dine-in customers, ringing up orders for bar customers, and on and on and on. The one other employee in "front of house" did little to lend support and kept disappearing to the back. She also appeared confused about how or what to do to help.After 10 minutes I told the bar person I would come back in a bit for my order. I did that twice more before the last time when I sat at the bar a bit longer and the "other employee" shouted my name and handed my bag. I was glad to finally get out of that chaos!We opened the food boxes and were greeted with large and tasty looking sandwiches. Unfortunately we soon discovered out the meat on them was a combination of tough, stringy, and fatty. The chunks of fat definitely should not have been served and the tough, stringy pieces required several minutes of gnawing to break down. Sigh. I was the only one that thought the Mac & Cheese was creamy and flavorful, but we all agreed the noodles were over cooked and lacked texture. We also all agreed that the beans were tasty but would have benefited from more cook time to soften up more. Oddly, I would return to try the rest of the menu. I do not think the brisket we had is representative of what they generally serve, and I love brisket so I would try them again. Would also like to try the ribs, sausage, burger and other menu items. I had heard many good reviews about Horn BBQ so surely my visit was just an off day / evening, right?

Went on Friday night because on their website they offered a great coupon for $30 off, so we decided to take advantage. Arrived about 5:30 PM and it was actually empty. Bartender was on her phone, took several seconds to greet us because she was looking at her phone. Not great first impression, but she ended up being pretty cool, so she redeemed herself quickly. Another woman (owners wife?) lurked around for a while, almost "monitoring" the bartender, little off putting. I know what it's like to have a manager hovering, judging and commenting, so I kinda felt for the bartender. But in the end both women were cool and ran the restaurant. It also filled up quickly within 20 minutes, then by 6:30 it was packed. Ordered a lemon drop, it wasn't too bad. It was happy hour so the well lemon drop was only $10. The food was what we came for and it wasn't much to write home about, and that makes me sad. Most everything was WILDLY too salty. Even the chicken strips?!? Why chicken strips?? I LOVE collard greens, especially spicy ones. These were just salt. Not much flavor, except salt. Brisket wasn't bad, probably the best thing we got, just a little pricy for 1/2 lb. Beans weren't too bad, but again, little salty. I didn't try the Mac n cheese, but my friends said it was pretty good. The BBQ sauce sits on the table, one spicy, one regular bottle. I only tried the regular and it was also good. I don't know if I'll come back. There's a spot on Alameda island (Fikscue) knocking brisket out of the park right now, so if I'm craving I'll head there. I hope Horn finds its footing (and misplaces its salt shakers) so it doesn't have to close its Oakland location.

Came to Horn because I seen people review it online and said it was good. I came on a weekday around 6pm. Wasn't busy at that time and staff there were nice! There is a bar and a good amount of seating. Unfortunately they were sold out of a lot of things I wanted to try so that was a bummer. The items we did try were just okay. Nothing stood out and for the price that was disappointing. The one thing that stood out were the beans! I thought they were just a bit too sweet but they were good.

Pretty aesthetic! There is bar seating and table seating for table seating, you order at the kiosk, choose a table, and then pick up your food when your name is called. The staff was available as needed though not anything outstanding, except a gentleman man in the kitchen was very welcoming and came and checked on how we liked the food later which I appreciated. Food was delicious! I particularly liked granny's potatoes. They are like mashed potatoes with pieces, well seasoned with cheese. The brisket was also very well done. The mac n cheese was good, but I prefer my mac n cheese baked a bit more. I knocked off a star because I tried to come here once before and google said they closed at 10pm, their voicemail said 9pm, but when I got there they closed at 8pm and I arrived at 8:15pm which was very frustrating. Also when I mentioned it to someone working there he wasn't at all apologetic. Looks like they have updated the times now. They also do happy hour! I'll likely be back.

I've been wanting to try Horn BBQ for the longest time...FINALLYAmbiance: great music playing. Love the pic of the bull's head on the wall.Service: you order you food from the kiosk. Kitchen staff calls out your name when your order is readyFood: the hype is real. The brisket is very tender n moist. Great peppery bark. The cuts I received had a small sliver of fat...perfection!The sausage is a bit on the spicy side...if you don't care for spicy, choose another option...chicken, pulled pork or pork ribsIf you're in the Old Oakland area....stop by and give them a try

My boss took me out for lunch here since he said it's a good BBQ spot. I decided to trust his judgment since he often visits Texas for their BBQ. Unfortunately, I did not think it was good at all. I ordered the brisket, hot links, and mac and cheese. The brisket was super fatty and chewy. I'm okay with fatty brisket, but it did melt in your mouth. The hot links tasted like it was made in house since they had a distinct crumbly texture that I did not like. If you love hot links, do not get this. The mac and cheese, however, was delicious. It was very creamy, and the noodles were not overcooked. I prefer Pig in a Pickle in Emeryville over this place.

Not sure if it's supposed to be Texas BBQ or something else. Tried to try everything unfortunately ran out of sausage/links. Chickens were salty. Brisket was too dry and burnt despite requested for juicy parts in order. Ribs were dry and cold. Banana pudding was too sweet and loose. Beef chili was too sweet.Service is very efficient with digital ordering with customer pickup. Least interaction with waiters. Yet food is expensive.It's a clean place though with flat wide entry for accessibility. Parking might be challenging in downtown Oakland with paid street parking a paid parking lot next to it.Not excited and sure if I go back.

I'm sorry to say this, but I haven't had such repulsive food in a long time. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich, which arrived as a congealed ball of dry, over-salted pork on a bun. The menu said it would come with slaw, pickles, and onions, but none of those were present. The Grandma's Potatoes were equally off-putting (and had way too much black pepper). I have a strong suspicion that they were prepared in a microwave.The staff was exceptionally friendly though, so plus one star for them.