I know I am in the minority and this is not what most people say about Fox Brothers BBQ, but I was pretty disappointed. I was really excited about the prospect of enjoying what many have described as the best Q in Atlanta, and as we waited in the parking lot for our table, the visuals of the plates going by and the smells that permeated the entire area raised my hopes.

Immediately after being seated we ordered the Lopez and the Fried Pickles. The Lopez was tater tots smothered with brisket chili and cheese. There was barely any chili on our serving smothered, suffocated and overwhelmed the tots; it broke the rule more was not better. On the other hand, the fried pickles were pretty good, but they were extremely salty; you had to dip them in the ranch dressing to soften the saltines6. I will rate the Lopez a 2 and the pickles a 7.

Onto the main event…we ordered a Combo Plate (chopped brisket and sausage) and an Everything Plate (doubling up on the ribs and pulled pork).

Ribs. Of the smoked items, the ribs were the best. A good amount of seasoning and the smoking created a great crust and fall off the bone preparation made these very good, but I was not a big fan of the seasoning. Dipping the fall off the bone meat into the BBQ sauce lessened the overwhelming seasoning. I give the ribs a 7.

Pulled pork. This was very inconsistent. While I really liked the first bite, the second was incredibly disappointing. There was no smokiness in the latter and it was similar to biting into boiled pork. I immediately went from a believer to a nonbeliever. This is rated a gentlemanly 4.

Brisket. Let’s start with the portion size, ridiculously skimpy and a slap in the face to all BBQ lovers. My guess is 2 ounces. After tasting my portion, it did not bother me that much as one forkful was enough. Again, there was little smokiness to the dish. I’ll be generous and give it a 3.

The best of the sides was the mac & cheese. This was delicious, a creaminess that was fantastic, the shells were cooked perfectly and the cheese melted to great lusciousness. The M&C deserves an 8.

The other interesting side was the Frito Pie, chili, cheese, onions inside a Fritos bag. It was both fun and tasty, and for a side a good option. I give it a 7.

Service was great. Our serve ensured we ordered enough for the three of us and kept our sweet tea glasses full. Best art of the meal and deserves a 10.

Overall, I was expecting greatness from Fox Brothers and was very disappointed.