Mac's Barbecue

I grew up in Portland in the 80s and 90s so I have fond memories of Mac's. I haven't visited in more than 10 years but my memories did not hold up with today's outing. The ribs were truly fantastic, get this and pass on the rest. The sausage was good, but nothing mind blowing. Brisket was moist, but uninteresting. Sauce was thin and uninspired. The sides were the biggest disappointment. Tasted as if they were out of a can or a box. Mac's will live on in my memory as once having fine Q, sadly no longer available.

This restaurant pales in comparison to what it used to be. After the last three terrible meals that we've had there I'd be hard pressed to recommend it. This place is/was a local icon. That is the only reason I see that it is still in business. The flavor of the food hasn't changed but the quality of the cuts has, drastically. I used to take any visitor to this area to eat there, now I bypass it completely. The staff apparently doesn't care about how much fat is being left on the brisket or the "doneness" of the chicken. The last few times I have been there they have run out of their signature meats way to early.  That is a management problem.  With the increased competition in the area I would think that Mac's would step up their game. They have not.

We tried the two meat plates, my wife had the sausage and brisket and i had the ribs and brisket.  The pinto beans were really good and the brisket, the ribs were good too.