Lovey's BBQ

Lovey's BBQ
208 Marion Street
Winnipeg, MB R2H 0T6
(204) 233-RIBS


Nothing fancy, just damn good barbecue.

It has been a while since the BAGz have been able to get out again, but we finally did it on December 21st as a little pre-Christmas treat. Our choice for the evening was Lovey's BBQ, a small, independent BBQ joint in Winnipeg. While it is a small place, Lovey's doesn't lack for flavour and value. The customer service is also quite friendly and helpful.

As you enter, tables are everywhere and you immediately notice the menu written on the side wall. Tables also held printed menus which included take-out options as well. Once you've decided, you head to the counter at the back to place your order. While Lovey's certainly isn't fast-food, the service was very fast and brought to our table in just a short while.

We all ordered combo platters -- 2 with brisket and chicken, 2 with brisket and pulled pork -- and we all ordered macaroni and cheese to share. We also ordered a starter of fried pickles to share, which were a real treat! The portions are very generous at Lovey's, and one could easily share a combo platter, or have plenty to take home for the next day's lunch.

Combo platters came with a choice of fries or potato salad, both of which were quite good and obviously made from scratch. The platters also came with BBQ beans, corn bread and coleslaw. The BBQ beans were a mix of several kinds of beans and were excellent. The corn bread and coleslaw were also good, but our Southern girl notes that neither was the sweet kind she is used to in her neck of the woods. However, the corn bread was very good -- dense but not too dense, and very flavourful, despite not being sweet corn bread. The macaroni and cheese -- homemade and baked like good old-fashioned mac and cheese should be -- is gooey cheesy heaven, but we all agreed that it didn't need the addition of bits of ham in it. It was quite a wonderful dish on its own.

The brisket was smoky, tender and wonderfully done, but needed a bit more trimming on the fat edge. The chicken and pulled pork were also very well prepared and flavourful. The key, of course, is Lovey's BBQ sauce which is reminiscent of the South Georgia style of BBQ sauce -- a balanced blend of tart, sweet, peppery and tomato-y. They serve two varieties -- the regular and the spicy, which could have been spicier, but then that is why there is Tabasco (or in Lovey's case, another brand of hot sauce).

Lovey's really pays attention to details with their menu, providing an authentic, homemade BBQ experience. Even the homage to the Southern mama's favourite family dessert -- nilla wafer pudding -- was done with obvious knowledge, attention to detail and homemade loving care.    A nice surprise is that several of the menu items are gluten free: not only most of the meats -- brisket, pulled pork and chicken, ribs and farmer sausage -- but also including the BBQ sauce itself, beans, potato salad and coleslaw.

We highly recommend Lovey's for dinner and are sure it would also be an excellent lunch choice as well. Parking is off street, but sparse and if it is full, there is no place to wait inside, but a wait in the car would be worth it as far as we're concerned.