I've had food from this restaurant numerous times throughout my life in Cleveland. Hell, it's one of our notable eateries. We used to get this food days prior to Christmas so we can feast that day. This will mark the 3rd year that we haven't done it. And here's why:
I understand that over time, things change but Hot Sauce Williams changed for the worst. The meat has gotten to the point where it's either underdone or overcooked. The sauce is absolutely putrid. It was good until they decided to bottle their sauce and gotten too lazy to actually make it, they just use the bottled stuff. Every bottled sauce is largely watered down and makes food taste horrible. You're best off making a decent sauce from scratch, experimenting and let flavors soak in.
The service has gotten worse and so has to people there. Why hasn't the health department stepped in, I don't know but I literally feel the need to bathe by just looking at the building. The people are very rude, spewing out offensive and unacceptable language at a restaurant and give you an attitude when you try to correct their mistakes.
All I can say is there goes the neighborhood in terms of barbecue. Very disappointed to what they have become and the quality of their food. Just save your money, buy your own meat and barbecue yourself. You'll be saving more money and gain more food and more satisfaction to your own culinary talents.
This place is a hidden gem for sure. I'm always willing to drive out here for a polish boy or short ribs. I'm not a fan of coleslaw, but theirs is top notch! They give you white bread with your ribs- my friend who lived in the south was very naustalgic about this. Great place, always get your fries with sauce!
It is NOT cash only- you just need to have an ID and be the person the card belongs to
Had another Cleveland first the other night at Hot Sauce Williams, the Polish boy! Â Dag, soooo good! Â The sauce is the boss here too, and I'm totally gonna buy a bottle of it next time I stop in. Â It was a Monday night around 9pm, but they still had a security guard sitting at a table near the entrance. Â Not sure what they were expecting to go down, but along with the sign on the front door requiring anyone wearing a hood to pull it back before entering, didn't sound like it was anything pleasant. Â The larger old woman sitting behind the counter was probably scratching her head as to why I was there, but was delightful nonetheless, continuing her singing after I'd placed my order. Â Can't wait to get, like, 5 more!
Review Source:CASH ONLY! Just had to throw that in right off the bat.
Since every single other review has been for the original location, I thought I'd give the East side some love. While I didn't have the sass the other people have had with the staff I chalk that up to being Southern, as there's something about a Southern boy saying "please" and "ma'am" that tends to quell the uppity types.
So being said that I'm a Southerner, life is rough in Cleveland when it comes to getting solid southern style BBQ. Now make no mistake, HSW is no Memphis rib joint but in a pinch and devoid as I am of options up here it made a pretty decent substitute. Sure they've got all the southern staples - ribs, chicken, catfish, pork - but there was just something missing.
My buddy and I each opted for the Pork Shoulder sandwich - a large scoop of shredded pork with their traditional HSW sauce, a scoop of cole slaw, and all encased between 2 pieces of white bread. That last bit was a nice touch - everybody Southern knows the value of white bread in BBQ. What made me happiest was seeing 2 things on the menu I wasn't expecting: fried okra and peach cobbler. Both were pretty tasty, but one order of the okra is enough for a few people to share as they give you a ton of the little guys.
They don't take cards, cash only, and expect to wait 10-15 minutes for your food to pop up once you've ordered. There are no fountain drinks - only a couple of Coke machines so if you're dining in make sure you've got some extra cash for those.
I've had considerably better BBQ, but not in Cleveland.
This is a spot for after a night of clubbing. It will be packed with people ordering wings and polish boys. A polish boy is a polish sausage topped with french fries and cole slaw and bar-b-que sauce. Wings are served with sauce too. You can also get fish and ribs. It is pretty cheap. The women who take the orders are smart alecs who can handle the varied crowd that they service nightly. Everything is carry out so call your order in if you can.
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