Watts Family Grill

What's it like?

I miss Southern barbecue. Ribs, chicken, brisket—mmm...brisket. Serve it with saucy baked beans, macaroni and cheese, and green beans with bacon, and I'm happy.

Several barbecue joints and smokehouses have sprouted up in Fresno over the last few years, Watts included. I've watched reviews for a few months, and tried it for the first time a couple of weeks back, joined by Alisa, Matt, Ryan & Jenna.

Inside, the place is clean, with several large TVs on the wall. We missed the lunch rush and were able to walk right up to the counter to place our orders.

Jenna ordered a sandwich; the rest of us chipped in for the Watts Riot, a heaping plate of ribs, tri-tip, chicken and hotlinks, served with two large sides—with drinks and tax, the meal came to about $10 per person, and we could have shared with at least one more person. It's a lot of food.

For our sides, we ordered macaroni and cheese (average) and baked beans (pretty tasty). The tri-tip was a bit overcooked, and left something to be desired, but the ribs were good, the chicken was juicy and the hotlinks were addicting. As if we didn't have enough food, we also received a plate full of buttered toast.

I'd agree with Chuck's comments on the sauce—it did upstage the meat a little. But overall, the food was tasty. Right, Ryan?