Dave’s BBQ, Virginia Beach, VA

October 1, 2017

We recently had the opportunity to attend the Grand Opening of Dave’s BBQ in Virginia Beach, VA. As much as we love to find new bbq to be able to check them out on their first day in business is just an awesome treat for us. I’ve been checking Dave’s out on Facebook for a couple of months and was thrilled to learn of his opening day. And no I did not let Dave know that we were coming. Here’s how everything worked out.

Where is Dave’s BBQ?

Dave’s BBQ is located on Virginia Beach Blvd. in Virginia Beach, VA. They can be a little tricky to find. We turned onto Va. Beach Blvd. from London Bridge Rd. This put us almost there. My GPS did let me down and we passed them the first time. If you come in from that direction Dave’s will be on your right and if you pass the 7-11 at Highway Lane you missed them. However if you’re coming from First Colonial Ave. this would put you almost there and you should be looking to the left from that direction. Once we came back that way and Dave’s was on the left I caught a glimpse of their sign on the roof. If it helps they also share a parking lot with a U-Haul rental location. They are across the lot from each other. I don’t think I’d have a problem going back but a temporary sign at the road entrance would help first time visitors.

The Restaurant and Staff:

Dave’s BBQ is just starting out. Even though the restaurant is brand new, Dave has been working smokers since he was 12 years old. You’ll have to stop by and ask his age if you really want to know how many years. Let’s just say for quite some time. Recently he has run a catering business and a bulk order pick up service. Everything he does is homemade. He refuses to take any short cuts, firing up the pits around 3 am to get the pork ribs sausage and chicken going for the day’s service. I agree with Dave when he says good brisket is one of the hardest things to master. I’ve said for a long time if someone can master brisket they can smoke anything.

Don’t think Dave does all this by himself. This is a family affair. On opening day his wife, Patti and sons, Jason and Josh were working just as hard as he was. I believe I overheard someone saying that Patti made the banana pudding. We’ll talk about that later. All four of them were very nice and truly seemed to appreciate every person that came in while we were there.

Their dining room is very small. There are about 3 tables and a counter with I believe 5 seats. They want to add some outside tables. I think this will need to be done soon. I checked with Dave Saturday night to see how Grand Opening went and He informed me they sold out of everything except coleslaw and 2 sausages. So the small dining area did not defer customers. So let’s get into some food and see what we thought.

My Choices at Dave’s BBQ:

Our Choices at Dave’s BBQ.
Virginia Beach, VA

I’ll start with my choices. Today I went with a 2 Meat Platter with Pulled Pork and Pork Ribs. For sides I chose Spicy Slaw and Smoked Baked Beans. Starting with the spicy slaw I thought it was very good. It was not too spicy but did have some kick to it. Nice choice if you like a little heat but it will not light you up, so don’t be scared of it. The smoked baked beans were killer. They had a great flavor to them. The sauce had a unique flavor that I couldn’t pin down. I loved them. I think I’ll have to eat some more to try to figure out what they make them with.

The pulled pork was wonderful. It also had a great smoke flavor. The smokering was incredible. And it always helps to have some bark mixed in which they did. The pork ribs were awesome. Just pork, smoke and rub, what more could you ask for? Oh, how about fall off the bone tender? Yep, they were all that. My compliments to Dave’s BBQ for a fantastic meal.

Tammy’s Choices at Dave’s BBQ:

Tammy also chose a 2 Meat Platter. Hers was with Sliced Brisket and Smoked Chicken Salad. She went with the Creamy Slaw and Mac & Cheese for sides. She also added 3 muffins to the order for us. So I didn’t get to try Tammy’s slaw though she did say it was wonderful. It was creamy and crispy with long shreds of cabbage. She did polish it off without any help. Her mac & cheese I did get to try and it was very good. It had a good cheesy mixture with spiral macaroni. Really a great tasting side.

Brownie with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Chunks.

Let me just say that the Smoked Chicken Salad at Dave’s BBQ is the bomb. Even I, though not a chicken fan, would order this. This chicken had some of the best smoke flavor of any chicken I’ve ever eaten. The rest of it was good as well but the chicken really made an impression on me. And the brisket? It was fantastic, having great smoke flavor, bark on the outside and moist and tender on the inside. Along with that I must say that timing is everything. She ordered her sliced brisket just in time to reach the end of the brisket. The burnt end was to die for. And as a note, please believe me when I say that no sauce should ever touch this brisket. As I told you, Dave believes if you master the brisket…Well done my friend.

I don’t want to leave the muffins out but I can never do them justice after our meals. They were really good too. Remember I mentioned everything is homemade, no muffin boxes here at Dave’s BBQ.

Sauces:

I did try the three sauces offered at Dave’s BBQ. I tried all three on my pulled pork just for the sake of tasting them.

The Sweet Sauce is a good basic tomato base sauce. Sweet with some nice seasoning in it.

The Spicy Sauce is similar to the sweet but is spiced up a little more. Again, like the spicy slaw, it is not too hot but just enough heat to catch your attention. I enjoyed this one the most but still not enough to cover my pork with it.

Finally there’s the NC Sauce. This is just a good vinegar sauce. It went well with the pork too.

I will say as good as these sauces were I did not use much. A sampling is all I did. Nothing I ate at Dave’s BBQ required sauce and I was enjoying the meat selection too much to add sauce with it.

Desserts:

Homemade Banana Pudding.

Now you know we couldn’t get out of here without trying a couple desserts out right? Tammy had a Brownie with chunks of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup mixed in it. Let me just say that the piece she gave me was wonderful. Tammy did offer more later on, to my shock, but I didn’t want to take it from her.

I went with the homemade Banana Pudding. All I can say is it was great, I loved it and you should save room for some.

Final Thoughts:

Let me just say if you haven’t figured it out that I love Dave’s BBQ. I am so glad that we were able to be there for their Grand Opening. This had to be an exciting day for Dave and his family. It was also exciting for us to be able to share a part of this day with them. I believe that combined with the families’ personalities and the great food, Dave’s BBQ will need to expand soon. I look forward to hearing what everyone else has to say about them. Also, I can’t wait to go back and try some other things on the menu. I know there are also beef ribs and sausage to try.

Now For Your Thoughts:

I’m not going into a paragraph for the regular’s to comment. They’ve only been open for a couple of days as of this writing. So let’s just leave it open for anyone that has been to Dave’s BBQ to fill us in on their thoughts. You’ve heard mine. How about the beef ribs and sausage. Anyone tried them? Here’s your opportunity to let everyone out there know what you think about Dave’s. I also welcome comments from Dave or his family and friends. Anyone can chime in here to give their opinions. Let’s talk it up and see what everyone else thinks. Just leave your comments on the post and I’ll add them in as soon as possible.

I look forward to hearing from you.