Dusty’s Barbecue Restaurant

I tried it over the weekend. It is NC style BBQ in Atlanta.
The pulled pork was very good, tender vinegar based.
The ribs were very good, with a great BBQ sauce.
They have many side items including a great batch of Brunswick Stew.
They are located in the Decatur section close to Emory University.

First Lydle Brothers and now Dusty’s? Definitely sad to hear about Dusty’s closing. I’ve been going here for a long time.
I called to confirm and they said that their catering business in Avondale is still going and that they will be serving lunch from 11 – 2 (or maybe he said 3?) there. So you can still get your Dusty’s fix it sounds like.
215 Laredo Dr
Decatur, GA 30 030

Well, it is the end of an era. Dusty’s has closed the restaurant.

I have been meaning to check out dusty s for a while. My search for decent BBQ in Georgia continues i’m afraid.
First off I heard the chicken wings were really good here so i go to order them and they are all sold out. No problem, it happens. Perhaps ill make it back here to get an order to go to see what the buzz is about.
I go ahead and order a rack of ribs with Brunswick stew and southern green beans. The ribs were dry as can be and I wasn’t really all that impressed with the amount I got, especially with the price point of 15 bucks.
Id say there’s better places around, but if so I haven’t been there yet. Next on the list to try before I get some angry emails is Fox Bros and Fat Matts. yes, theres still hope!

Long time fan of Dustys. Dad introduced me to it close to 20 years ago. Now that I am back at Emory for classes, I have to stop by and get a taste of the good stuff. The pork and ribs are staples and you cant go wrong on a platter served with a pork rind garnish. The sauces are really what make Dustys unique. Quite spicy and overall good. Sandwiches and slaw are good for those on the run, and I love the carolina corn salad… a real treat on hot days. Sweet tea is as southern as it gets and the service is always quick and friendly. The building has been there for quite some time and it just feels like a barbeque joint should. Gotta have my Dustys!

Years back, my brother lived in North Carolina. On my drive back to grad school in VA, I was waylaid in Durham due to a combination of snow and exhaustion. Don’t get me wrong. it’s not like I was in the Shackleton party; I just got a late start leaving Florida and ran into a bit of a snowstorm which can be a bit disconcerting for someone WHO’S NEVER SEEN SNOW. Fortunately, this happened about 30 miles away from my brother’s house, so I had a place to, er, crash (or, more accurately, not crash.) I also think this was God’s way of introducing me to North Carolina BBQ.
When the snow subsided, my brother told me, «I’m going to take you to try this weirdass BBQ they have up here.»
My brother is not much of a salesman.
Despite the «weirdassness,» he ordered a huge amount of the stuff, along with the usual sides of mac and cheese, collards, and, for some reason, a giant tub of cole slaw. I learned about the cole slaw later. I examined the pork. No sauce? «Oh, there’s sauce in there,» my brother explained. «You just can’t see it because it’s made of vinegar.»
Huh?
I tasted it and sure enough it was made of vinegar. And sure enough, it was weirdass. «What the hell?» I asked. My brother just laughed.
«You’ll see.»
I copied what he did. I made a sandwich of the pork, topping the weirdassness with more weirdass cole slaw. I ate my lunch. Then, to my surprise, I made another sandwich. And then another. By the time I left the next day, I ordered a couple pounds of weirdassness to take with me to Virginia. «It’s weird, but it’s addictive,» my brother finally admitted.
On to Dusty’s. As far as I know, this is the only true NC-​style (more specifically Eastern NC-​style) BBQ place in Atlanta. The Local is close, but it’s more of South Carolina-​style. With Eastern NC-​style, you get pork and lots of it. Instead of a tomato-​based sauce which characterizes what most Georgians think of as BBQ, you’re going to find a lot of white vinegar. And black pepper. Sometimes you may find red pepper flakes too, but Eastern NC-​BBQ is typified by an ad hoc, almost watery vinegar sauce or as it’s known to others, «weirdass.» But my friends, it IS addictive especially when eaten the NC way (and that would be topped or alongside a mound of cole slaw which helps cut the acidity of the vinegar.)
For being the only game in town, Dusty automatically earns 4 stars. However, if you’ve never noticed, the pork isn’t cooked on site, but cooked in Dusty’s kitchen and then brought over. As a BBQ purist, that makes me cry and creates an automatic deduction. The sides? They’re serviceable, but nothing special. Though in true NC-​fashion, they’ve got hushpuppies. The homemade potato chips are nice though, but if you get them at the wrong time, they can be kind of greasy.
So what do I give Dusty’s? Some, who fear weirdass ‘cue, wouldn’t give poor Dusty the look of love; they’d pass right on by with Dusty asking, «What have I done to deserve this?» But, despite wishin’ and hopin’ for some changes (like an onsite pit), I’m going to give Dusty its due for serving up some pleasant, weird-​ass memories for me. Dusty, I may not have to say I love you, but for NC-​style in Atlanta, I only want to be with you. Four stars.

So I ended up here for my second dinner of the night after my first dinner was way over-​priced and under-​filling. I was actually driving by, heading for Chick-​fil-​A, when I figured I passed this place all the time and I might as well give it a try. I’m glad I stopped. It isn’t the best Que in town, but it’s definitely not the worst.
I’m more of a pulled pork girl, than chopped, but the chopped sandwich was pretty tasty. It was definitely on the smallish side, but the meat was nicely seasoned with something vinegary even without putting on the sauce and served with a giant pickle slice nearly as big as the bun. I thought the sweet sauce was pretty bland and the hot was a little too hot for me, but I mixed the two together and got something pretty decent.
I also had the homemade potato chips and those are pretty good as well. Served hot, with just a smidge too much seasoned salt for me and a dipping «sauce» of sour cream mixed with chives.
Overall, a much better dinner at $ 5, than the first one I paid substantially more for.

I’ve driven past Dusty’s countless times but didn’t venture in until recently. I do enjoy good barbecue, and Dusty’s is definitely good barbecue. The service left a little to be desired. We only saw our server when we sat down, ordered, and when he brought our food. The potato salad was very bland, but the baked beans were decent. I wish there were more barbecue places ITP, but if you don’t want to drive OTP, Dusty’s will cure your barbecue cravings.

I drive past Dusty’s everyday going to work and I never seem to stop. It is my wife’s favorite BBQ joint. Personally I like it. Food is very good and priced reasonably well. Inside is kind of small, but service is quick.
I never really get anything but the pulled pork and the homemade chips are awesome.

Ok,
If you live in town and you need BBQ quick, this is the place. Drive through BBQ? Awesome — you cant beat it. Now I wouldn’t fool with the big plate specials, but the large BBQ sandwiches are a great deal and the sides are good. The stew is nothing to write home about, but dang it’s convenient.
The one out-​of-​this world item; home made fried pork rinds; only ones you will find better will likely be sold out of the back of a pickup truck on the side of 441 — try em.

Dusty’s is a tradition.
Who’s tradition?
I’m not sure.
I just like to stop off and get some BBQ. I guess this is NC BBQ, what does that mean? Again, not sure. It does have a certain quality that is its own, not so much sweet as punchy with tomato and vinegar goodness.
Lunch items:
The pulled pork and bbq chicken. Potato Salad as a side, add on some fried okra, both winners in my book. Ribs are good but I always go for the baby back rib sandwich. Smaller, travels easier, partner that up with some of their homemade potatoes chips and you have a sweet tango of taste you can call your own.
They have four levels of BBQ sauce, I like a little of the regular and the Sizzlin Hot-​t-​t-​t-​t
It’s more spicy than hot but that battle will be left for the vernacular Gods in the sky.

I visited Dusty’s today for lunch and it was so good that we came back for dinner the same day — and only one of us is omnivorous!
I fear having to move out of Atlanta because I’m in love with the homemade cole slaw made with Duke’s mayonnaise and including bits of pickle and celery.
The breaded okra, too, is field-​fresh and fried in a perfectly salted batter that provides the ideal background for the juicy jewels inside, still intact until they pop between your teeth.
I’m not usually a big fan of potato salad, but Dusty’s is among the best I’ve ever had, and I’m looking forward to making a Tampa-​style Greek salad with it (they sell cups, pints, quarts, and gallons at prices comparable to supermarket store brands).
My wife had pulled chicken at lunch and enjoyed it with a mixture of the regular and sweet barbecue sauces. The French fries were admittedly foodservice stuff from the freezer, which is a notable lapse given the mouthwatering homemade potato chips, still warm from the fryer, dusted with a spicy-​sweet powder that you’d swear must have crystal meth in it to be so addictive.
Closely-​held recipes aside, the real secret of Dusty’s success is their careful attention to doing things the right way. At dinner, my wife ordered a quarter-​chicken dinner. Almost as soon as it arrived, the kitchen staff decided that in retrospect they were ashamed of the measly size of it and sent out another one to make up the difference. The front-​of-​house staff are knowledgeable too, able to discuss the distinctions between North Carolina barbecue from the eastern part of North Carolina and North Carolina barbecue from the western part of North Carolina! (Dusty’s represents the eastern NC tradition of vinegar-​based barbecue, whereas western NC barbecue is mustard-​based.)
We finished our dinner with peach cobbler, which tasted like the love child of a peach orchard and a field of oats. At other barbecue restaurants, peach cobbler can be so cloying that you’d be forgiven for thinking you were drinking a pint of Karo syrup. Dusty’s lets the natural sweetness of the peaches shine through.
I don’t know how their prices can be so good, but they are. For dinner, we had a quarter-​chicken platter with two sides and hushpuppies, a four-​vegetable plate with hushpuppies, a «small» order of homemade potato chips (actually enough for two to share), a peach cobbler, an iced tea and a diet Coke, and the total (before tip) was under $ 20.
I try to mention the downside when I write such a glowing review, and I did mention the formerly frozen foodservice fries. For me, though, the worst thing about Dusty’s is that as I write this review, I’m salivating once again, and they’ve just CLOSED for the night! I’ll have to content myself with happy memories until I can get back to Dusty’s.

One of the better barbecue places in Atlanta, but that’s not saying much.
The meat tastes like warmed-​up, leftover barbecue and doesn’t really taste like it was cooked over a flame. (Didn’t see any smokers or pits anywhere around, either, so I’m guessing it’s oven cooked.)
One of the only places in town you can get North Carolina vinegar-​based sauce, and the Brunswick stew is actually pretty good. If you need a barbecue fix around Atlanta, this is one of your best bets, but don’t expect greatness. It’s still heads and shoulders above the blues bars that serve food that pass for barbecue places here, though.

I took the wife to Dusty’s because my neighborhood association has been saying how awesome they are. Unfortunately, I just did not have the same experience they did.
Reasons why I only gave this two stars:
No pulled pork — wtf? How can it be Georgia BBQ and not have pulled pork
Meat not really seasoned — the meat should have a good taste on it’s own without sauce. To me it just tasted dry.
No mac & cheese — Again, what good is a BBQ place without mac & cheese? I would have given them bonus points for any kind of «greens» (collard, turnip), but not luck there either.
My first experience there was just entirely unremarkable. I’ll admit maybe the food was off, because so many people I know swear by it, but I don’t see it.

I love Dusty’s BBQ. First, I love NC bbq sauce more than any other sauce. I’m a vinegar kind of girl, what can I say. Second, the pig mural on the wall cracks me up.
I always get the chopped pork plate, and vary my sides. I love the carolina corn salad, brunswick stew, baked beans, cole slaw… pretty much everything. And like other reviewers have said, the hush puppies are delish! If you still have room after all that food, the blueberry cobbler with ice cream is a fantastic way to finish out the meal.
The prices are reasonable, the service is always fast and friendly. They even have Cheerwine in cans sometimes! Dusty’s always satisfies my BBQ cravings — I don’t go anywhere else in Atlanta.

Dusty’s is great for chopped chicken sandwiches! I’ve been several times, but only in drive-​thru. The chicken is in chunks, and I dare say that the bun is a size smaller than regular. I don’t eat hamburgers, but I’ve had my share of Chick-​fil-​a sandwiches, and I can tell you with near certainty that you get smaller buns at Dusty’s. But I digress…
The sandwich comes with your choice of sauce (I prefer the sweet) that gets served in its own lil’ container; if you are someone who likes a drippy sandwich, you’d better ask for 2, maybe 3. I think one container holds one tablespoon of sauce (remember, the buns are smaller than normal).
I’ve found the staff to be quite friendly and family-​like. Don’t let a line at the drive-​thru turn you off! It moves fairly steady.

Every time someone recommends a bbq joint around town that I haven’t tried. I inevitably end up comparing them to or wishing that I just gone to Dusty’s.
The chopped chicken and pork are well done. Juicy and flavorful. All of their homemade sauces are outstanding. I like to mix the sizzling, the regular and the sweet all on one sandwich. I want my bbq messy and dripping. The hush puppies and the Brunswick stew are certainly not the best I’ve ever had. But I grew up with a southern grandma that lived to cook. Both offerings are however note worthy and perfect additions to the bbq itself. I also really enjoy the potatoes chips, pork skins and okra, all obviously deep fried in greasy southern love. Large, generous glasses of sweet tea and a slice of chocolate pie, round out a truly filling meal. I hear the nanner pudding is really great, I’m not a fan, so I wouldn’t know. I do like looking at paintings that give my meal a human-​like face, while eating. So the murals are a kitschy bonus. The staff is friendly, though slow if busy. That just gives you a chance to observe the vast range of diners that they attract. When you visit make sure to buy a couple bottles of the sauce to go. It makes a great gift for your friends who don’t live near good BBQ, and its rocking on all kinds of other foods.

I love Dusty’s! The hushpuppies are so good, they are like dessert. One of the few places to get NC style BBQ in Atlanta. Plus prices are reasonable. Don’t let the «Hole in the wall» appearance fool you, if it was bad or unsanitary all those smart Emory and CDC people wouldn’t eat there…

I drive past Dusty’s Barbecue everyday on my way home. Everyday. I’ve lived here for almost a year and I never got around to stopping by and having one of their apparently famous bbq pork sandwiches. What took me so long?
I think many of us envision some of the best barbecue that can be found being made in small shacks out in the middle nowhere. Where no one goes and they have all the time in the world to slow cook meats with recipes created and perfected by long dead relatives. Dusty’s looks like that shack — even more so in real life than in that picture.
It’s even better when you step inside. Small and filled with two seater tables covered with red and white checkered-​picnic– pattern table cloths, this place is great. It looks and feels great. It feels country, almost allowing you to escape the very busy intersection of Briarcliff and Clifton, a mile away from Emory and the CDC. Pig photos and ceramics of various sizes hang on the walls and sit on the shelves all over the place — and why not, they obviously love pork, just not in any sort of humanitarian-​vegetarian fashion.
This is North Carolina barbecue at it’s best in Atlanta, Georgia. Skip the babyback ribs. They’re honestly not worth remembering or even trying. Go with the goods, and that’s the chopped pork sandwich and then pour one of their bottles of bbq sauce over the meat. This is what made them famous and apparently why that guy on This Old House stopped by a while back. Unlike many bbq spots, the sides here are actually pretty good. Although I’d argue that the hush puppies are as good as everyone seems to say they are. Sadly these are just okay. They’re not bad but I’ve had better hushpuppies almost everywhere else.
The staff is friendly and more than willing to have a conversation with you if they have the time. It’s relaxed and they walk by often so you don’t need to worry about flagging anyone down for drink refills — or to order another side like I did.
Dusty’s Barbecue is good. While I sat eating my meal I noticed that nearly everyone coming in was recognized by the staff. Apparently the regulars are remembered here and it showed on the customer’s faces how much they appreciated the welcome. I know many foodies who would never stop at this shack. They’re always chasing the next and newest name restauarant in town. Too bad. Well, it’s probably a good thing for us because then we won’t have to sit next to them while we eat our bbq pork sandwich with some close friends.