Botto’s BBQ is a barbecue restaurant located at 3120 SE Milwaukie Ave. Botto’s started as a food truck that opened in the spring of 2016, though they have since moved locations twice before settling at their current location. Botto’s makes their meat with a humongous wood-powered smoker in the back of the restaurant that can smoke several cuts of meat at once.
When you walk inside Botto’s you immediately feel like you are in an old-timey Texas diner. Something else that I thought was cool about inside the restaurant is when you are paying for your food, they offer free stickers of the owner’s dog. Their menu also has a cool, handmade design, and I feel you don’t see menus like that at other restaurants. The building they’re in also has a unique feature: a triangle-shaped roof that adds a cool touch.
Botto’s serves a Texas-style barbeque that consists of brisket, pulled pork, turkey, and sausage. Botto’s also has a weekly special menu, this week consisting of prime rib french dip, prime rib a la carte, pastrami brisket, beef ribs, and burnt ends. Botto’s has a diverse side menu including coleslaw, potato salad, and pork and beans. I thought the fact that they served pork and beans was pretty unique considering I’ve never gone to any other BBQ place that has done that.
If you’d like to go a level up on the sides, they have a premium menu with baked mac, sweet potato, and collard greens, and a broccoli cauliflower bake. Something different about Botto’s sides is the fact that you can order a pretty sizable amount of one side to feed a ton of people.
Botto’s menu also includes sandwiches with your choice of meat and sauce, meat with your choice of weight, and meat trays that come with two sides and two sauces. Customers of Botto’s enjoy the restaurant because of the premium meat they sell. Other customers who left reviews on the website said that Botto’s had amazing customer service with great food.
When I went to Botto’s I purchased their ⅓ pound brisket sandwich.
The customer service was amazing, the food came extremely fast and I went with my family so there were two other sandwiches as well. The sandwich was stellar; the meat was expertly seasoned, and the brisket had a nice smokey undertone. Also, their Texas sauce and coleslaw complemented the sandwich well. The coleslaw added a nice freshness to the meal while the sauce really helped bring out the flavor in the sandwich.
However, there are some flaws. The menu is a little on the pricier side with some of their sandwiches coming in at 18 dollars for a half-pound brisket sandwich—but do keep in mind, they serve premium cuts of meat. Also, I would say the food presentation was a little off. They served the sandwich on a plastic tray and had some pickled vegetables weirdly placed on the side.
Overall, Botto’s is an amazing spot and a great place to go get some BBQ. I highly recommend the brisket sandwich because it has great flavors. Botto’s is definitely worth going to check it out.
