Sweet and Sour in Boston

Chronicle did a profile of Lester's Roadside BBQ and when they said it was located in Burlington, I immediately thought it was Vermont, not MA. After a quick interweb search, this BBQ joint was indeed located in Mass, so I knew we'd be taking a short road trip to try it out. Today was that day.

First, there's ample parking in the rear. As you walk in, you see a very cute restaurant with gas station type of memorabilia on the walls. It's done in a nice manner too. (This is something some restaurants just don't get. There is a very thin line between "ultra tacky kitsch" and "well theme decorated".) You order to the left of the counter and wait for your number to be called. All the BBQ staples are there: pulled pork, ribs, brisket, etc. They do have some specials in sliders and blackened catfish too. Abby went with the pulled pork sandwich and I went with a 2 BBQ combo plate with pulled pork and ribs. I wasn't sure what I wanted between ribs and chopped bbq beef, so I asked our very friendly server what was best and without hesitation she said the ribs. The cook standing next to her nodded as she said that, so I knew that was the way to go. (Again, I like when servers answers questions like this without hesitation. I hate when they say things like, "I dunno..depends on what type of mood you are in" or something similar, basically deflecting the question back to the customer. You work there and obviously know what's good and what's not as good...please, I want your opinion.) For sides, Abby got the potato salad and I went with baked beans and mac and cheese.

We took a seat and the server brought over our $2 beer. It was just PBR, but $2 is $2 and that's a good price for a nice cold beer on such a hot day.



Right along the main counter there are the various homemade BBQ sauces. Hot, Sweet, Sweet and Tangy, North Carolina Vinegar, and Habenaro Vinegar. Though they were a little watery, they were all really good. My favorites were the Sweet and Habenaro Vinegar, but I dipped my pulled pork into all of them.



Speaking of pulled pork, our food was ready in a short time and we dug in. The pulled pork was so tender and juicy, not dry at all. (You could tell how juicy the meat was because the piece of white bread under the pork was soaking through.) The ribs were also cooked perfectly, not dry at all and extremely tender. The sides too did not disappoint.




Overall Lester's is a must hit if you live in Burlington. The portions are good and the prices are really good. Sandwiches are about $7 and platters range from $10-$15. I will definitely be back for more BBQ. I give Lester's Roadside BBQ a 4 out of 5.