The 7th Street corridor that made West Oakland the Harlem of the West is mostly gone. Flint’s closed in 2010. Brown Sugar Kitchen shut in 2022. Uncle Willie’s got pushed out by a Marriott tower next door. But if you want barbecue that still tastes like the East Bay — slow smoke, family recipes, no tech-bro polish — these five spots are still standing.
1. Everett & Jones Barbeque (Oakland) — 126 Broadway in Jack London Square.
Founded 1973 by Dorothy Turner Everett with $700 saved and nine kids to raise on her own. The Oakland Asian Cultural Center ran a 50-year anniversary exhibit in 2023 called “7th Street’s Secret Sauce.” Hickory-smoked pork ribs, spicy beef links, brisket, and the Saucy Sisters sauces from Mild to Super Hot. Plates $15–$28. The MacArthur Blvd location at 4245 MacArthur is the smaller, more neighborhood version. This spot got soul.
2. Horn Barbecue (Oakland) — 464 8th St in Old Oakland.
Pitmaster Matt Horn pulled a James Beard nomination for Best New Restaurant in 2022 and a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2023. He calls his style “West Coast barbecue” — Central Texas technique, Black South tradition, NorCal ingredients. The original Mandela Parkway spot burned in late 2023; he reopened in the former Matty’s Old Fashioned in April 2024 and told Oaklandside in March 2025 the Oakland location is “still very much in operation,” with live music being added. 18-hour brisket and Texas-style beef ribs are the move…