Lefty's Barbecue - Waldorf

Ya'll know what this is another 4.5 star review. My cousin previously visited this spot and based on his tastebuds alone me Bae took a chance. Worth it! I'd say it is a hidden gem. On the day we arrived, the restaurant was not crowded. The steady flow of take out orders made us question our wanting to dine in. However, there are tables and chairs. As the afternoon progressed a few more folks started dining in as well. So, you place your order at the counter then either take out or take a seat. What we didn't expect was our food being served in take out containers with the lids. Sounds strange but this makes perfect sense. Less dishes and you can pack up your own food. Perfect system for portion control as well. Bae got the NC pork bbq sandwich w/slaw, potato salad and mac cheese. I ordered the ribs chicken platter w/sauce on the side, slaw and collard greens. To be clear, we are Eastern NC born and raised. The bbq wasn't bad. One of the better attempts I've tasted. Yes. I tasted his food. I was curious about the bbq. The potato salad was very good. For me a little too loose BUT this can be a tricky side dish and a touch too sweet. Again this is for me. I will eat sweet potato salad on the sweeter side it's not my personal favorite. Trust me all the flavors are there. Mac and cheese was tasty. Great cheese pull. Ribs oh boy! Tender but not too tender. Great flavor without the sauce. I prefer to find out if the meat is actually good or if the sauce is carrying it. Look! Run don't walk to get these ribs. This chicken was also delicious with crispy skin! As for the sides, the collards were nicely seasoned and not full of stems. Maybe a tiny tap more of salt. The cole slaw is creamy with a decent crunch. It has visible shreds of carrot. I'm use to you see flecks of carrots or mine at all. Carrots bring in the sweetness. The slaw compliments the bbq sandwich which needs that texture to offset the soft meat and soft bun. This version is tasty as a side but for me it's a toppings slaw like for burgers, hot dogs, bbq sandwiches. I wouldn't order again as a side. Nothing is wrong with it. I'd rather try something else. Bread in a bag? It's bread in a bag. Remember I said that our food was packed to go. For me, I would ask the customer if bread was wanted with the meal. That may save on waste cost. I ate my meat cave man style right off the bone especially since it wasn't sauced. And yes, the sauce was very good. My bbq fans are looking for hushpuppies. Womp! Womp! They were out of hushpuppies that day. Gives us a reason to go back and try more stuff. And shout out to Yelp! I received a $5 off coupon after I checked in. It pays off to check in folks!

We chose Lefty's to cater our wedding 9/30/23 and from the get go we were told by all the other vendors that we chose well. That was the first good sign! Then, our tasting was amazing. We felt welcomed and they let us try whatever we wanted to try and all of it was fantastic. We came by again a few weeks before the wedding to review final details, and had lunch while there I had BBQ chicken sandwich and my husband had the fried catfish. It was as amazing as we had remembered. At the wedding there were no concerns or hiccups, everything was timely and as expected. Our reception planners also stated they love working with that team. Our guests as they walked by our sweetheart table on the day of gave us huge thumbs up for how great the food looked, and everyone commented on how great it tasted after!! We had plenty of food, the service was wonderful, and as a bonus we get leftovers that we are actually excited about. We literally bought a $200 chest freezer the day after our wedding to make sure we could keep ALL our leftovers since we had to leave for our honeymoon. I highly recommend Lefty's for ANY TIME, whether a casual lunch or even to cater your wedding!!

Food and staff are great! The place smells awesome and the food is hot fresh and delicious!

Really great barbecue, i'm definitely in love with the garlic cabbage . Definitely catch those lunch specials.

I drive here an hour once a year for my birthday. The homemade cracklings alone are worth the trip. Best BBQ in the DMV.