Phat Matt's BBQ
3415 Telegraph Ave.
Oakland, CA 94609
www.phatmattsbbq.com
Update 6/22/2020
"It is with heavy hearts that we announce that we will be closing permanently. We have had a wonderful last 10+ years and unfortunately it is no longer feasible for us to continue during this time of uncertainty. We will still offer catering and do the occasional pop-up. Our last day is 6/27/20. We wish our customers all the best and we’ll see you soon. Stay safe."
-----
There's a long history of barbecue in and around Oakland, CA. They say that the barbecue traditions of the South came along for the ride with folks migrating to California in the 1940s to work in the East Bay shipyards of WWII.
But that's not the tradition behind Phat Matt's BBQ. Matt Gonzalez's BBQ tradition comes from the City of Broad Shoulders, Chicago, IL, where he started barbecuing over 30 years ago. He and his wife, Charlotte, started cooking for friends in the backyard, graduated to barbecue competitions, started selling barbecue at a local farmers market in Oakland, and eventually opened the restaurant.
Phat Matt's BBQ is located on Telegraph Ave. in Oakland, in what many would call a "gritty" neighborhood. I met a friend there for lunch on a Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM, parked on the street around the corner from the restaurant, and felt perfectly safe doing so. In addition to street parking, there are reserved parking lots around the corner and behind the restaurant.
The place has sort of a 70s-funk-meets-Raiders-Nation vibe to it. The room is divided into two parts, with mirrored walls and colorful Formica tables on the left, and a Raiders paraphernalia-decorated sports bar with TVs on the right. You step up to the register to order and they bring your food to your table.
The thing to say right up front about the food, and my biggest criticism, is that everything except the collard greens is cooked without salt or with minimal salt due to Charlotte's dietary requirements. If you're on a salt-restricted diet, head on down to Phat Matt's because they're cooking barbecue with you in mind. But for the rest of us without such restrictions, the barbecue is not the best it could be. Salt is a flavor enhancer, and it's well known that adding salt to meat before cooking, where it has a chance to deeply penetrate the meat, is more effective and flavorful than adding it after cooking. Adding some barbecue sauce to the meats helped a lot, even though it's salt-free, too. But when eaten straight up, I found all the meats to be on the bland side. That's not to say that there wasn't good meat flavor--it was definitely there--but some salt in the rub would take all the meats to the next level.
My friend and I ordered meat by the pound, trying 8 ounces of brisket, a half-slab of St. Louis-style spareribs, and 8 ounces of pulled pork. We also tried a side of mac & cheese, the collard greens, and a piece of cornbread. The brisket was the star, followed by the pulled pork, and the ribs. We got some lean and fatty brisket, and the fatty portion was my favorite. The pork was very moist and was served as long strands of meat, not chopped or chunked. The ribs were good, but cooked just a little under. I was surprising because most restaurants go the opposite direction with "fall off the bone" ribs that most people seem to want.
The mac & cheese was made with four kinds of real cheese and was tasty, the style that you need to eat while warm because it starts to solidify as it cools. The collard greens were very good, probably because of the small piece of ham hock (with salt) that flavored the greens. The cornbread was nice, with just a bit of sweetness.
Meats on the menu include hot and mild links, chicken quarter, pulled chicken, and the aforementioned brisket, St. Louis-style spareribs, and pulled pork. These are available as individual or combo plates, as sandwiches, or by the pound. Sides include yams, baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, corn, and the aforementioned mac & cheese and collard greens. Beer, soft drinks and iced tea are available.
Matt makes some specials that are only available on certain days of the week. While we were there, he was taking pastrami out of the JR Manufacturing Oyler pit...but it was not for sale on Sunday, it was for later on in the week. I should have asked for a little taste, but I didn't. Oh well...I wonder what pastrami without salt tastes like?
We didn't pay any attention to the desserts on the menu--a peach cobbler and pecan pie--but I couldn't help but notice that A Taste of Denmark Bakery is right next door, loaded with pastries, cookies, pies, cakes, and other sweet treats. If you go to Phat Matt's for lunch or dinner, I'd suggest saving room for a treat at the bakery afterwards and also taking home one of their delicious pies as a souvenir.
One more important note: Phat Matt's BBQ is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Check their website for hours of operation; at the time of this writing, they're open Wed-Sat 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM or until sell-out, and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM or until sell-out.
Here are a few photos I took during our visit. Enjoy!
Can't miss Phat Matt's BBQ on the awning.
The dining half of the restaurant, with kitchen in the back.
The sports bar half of the restaurant, heavily Raiders themed.
One of many articles and awards adorning the walls of the restaurant. The subtitle of the article is pretty accurate, I think.
Our selection of meats and sides. A very generous lunch for two hungry boys!
Matt Gonzalez about to take some barbecue out of the Oyler Pit, if only camera boy would hurry up taking his tourist photo!
Proud co-owner and pitmaster Matt Gonzalez...one last piece of pastrami brisket to remove from the pit.
Continued...
3415 Telegraph Ave.
Oakland, CA 94609
www.phatmattsbbq.com
Update 6/22/2020
"It is with heavy hearts that we announce that we will be closing permanently. We have had a wonderful last 10+ years and unfortunately it is no longer feasible for us to continue during this time of uncertainty. We will still offer catering and do the occasional pop-up. Our last day is 6/27/20. We wish our customers all the best and we’ll see you soon. Stay safe."
-----
There's a long history of barbecue in and around Oakland, CA. They say that the barbecue traditions of the South came along for the ride with folks migrating to California in the 1940s to work in the East Bay shipyards of WWII.
But that's not the tradition behind Phat Matt's BBQ. Matt Gonzalez's BBQ tradition comes from the City of Broad Shoulders, Chicago, IL, where he started barbecuing over 30 years ago. He and his wife, Charlotte, started cooking for friends in the backyard, graduated to barbecue competitions, started selling barbecue at a local farmers market in Oakland, and eventually opened the restaurant.
Phat Matt's BBQ is located on Telegraph Ave. in Oakland, in what many would call a "gritty" neighborhood. I met a friend there for lunch on a Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM, parked on the street around the corner from the restaurant, and felt perfectly safe doing so. In addition to street parking, there are reserved parking lots around the corner and behind the restaurant.
The place has sort of a 70s-funk-meets-Raiders-Nation vibe to it. The room is divided into two parts, with mirrored walls and colorful Formica tables on the left, and a Raiders paraphernalia-decorated sports bar with TVs on the right. You step up to the register to order and they bring your food to your table.
The thing to say right up front about the food, and my biggest criticism, is that everything except the collard greens is cooked without salt or with minimal salt due to Charlotte's dietary requirements. If you're on a salt-restricted diet, head on down to Phat Matt's because they're cooking barbecue with you in mind. But for the rest of us without such restrictions, the barbecue is not the best it could be. Salt is a flavor enhancer, and it's well known that adding salt to meat before cooking, where it has a chance to deeply penetrate the meat, is more effective and flavorful than adding it after cooking. Adding some barbecue sauce to the meats helped a lot, even though it's salt-free, too. But when eaten straight up, I found all the meats to be on the bland side. That's not to say that there wasn't good meat flavor--it was definitely there--but some salt in the rub would take all the meats to the next level.
My friend and I ordered meat by the pound, trying 8 ounces of brisket, a half-slab of St. Louis-style spareribs, and 8 ounces of pulled pork. We also tried a side of mac & cheese, the collard greens, and a piece of cornbread. The brisket was the star, followed by the pulled pork, and the ribs. We got some lean and fatty brisket, and the fatty portion was my favorite. The pork was very moist and was served as long strands of meat, not chopped or chunked. The ribs were good, but cooked just a little under. I was surprising because most restaurants go the opposite direction with "fall off the bone" ribs that most people seem to want.
The mac & cheese was made with four kinds of real cheese and was tasty, the style that you need to eat while warm because it starts to solidify as it cools. The collard greens were very good, probably because of the small piece of ham hock (with salt) that flavored the greens. The cornbread was nice, with just a bit of sweetness.
Meats on the menu include hot and mild links, chicken quarter, pulled chicken, and the aforementioned brisket, St. Louis-style spareribs, and pulled pork. These are available as individual or combo plates, as sandwiches, or by the pound. Sides include yams, baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, corn, and the aforementioned mac & cheese and collard greens. Beer, soft drinks and iced tea are available.
Matt makes some specials that are only available on certain days of the week. While we were there, he was taking pastrami out of the JR Manufacturing Oyler pit...but it was not for sale on Sunday, it was for later on in the week. I should have asked for a little taste, but I didn't. Oh well...I wonder what pastrami without salt tastes like?
We didn't pay any attention to the desserts on the menu--a peach cobbler and pecan pie--but I couldn't help but notice that A Taste of Denmark Bakery is right next door, loaded with pastries, cookies, pies, cakes, and other sweet treats. If you go to Phat Matt's for lunch or dinner, I'd suggest saving room for a treat at the bakery afterwards and also taking home one of their delicious pies as a souvenir.
One more important note: Phat Matt's BBQ is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Check their website for hours of operation; at the time of this writing, they're open Wed-Sat 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM or until sell-out, and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM or until sell-out.
Here are a few photos I took during our visit. Enjoy!
Can't miss Phat Matt's BBQ on the awning.
The dining half of the restaurant, with kitchen in the back.
The sports bar half of the restaurant, heavily Raiders themed.
One of many articles and awards adorning the walls of the restaurant. The subtitle of the article is pretty accurate, I think.
Our selection of meats and sides. A very generous lunch for two hungry boys!
Matt Gonzalez about to take some barbecue out of the Oyler Pit, if only camera boy would hurry up taking his tourist photo!
Proud co-owner and pitmaster Matt Gonzalez...one last piece of pastrami brisket to remove from the pit.
Continued...
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