Tasty Q Barbeque

Tasty Q on Crenshaw comes across as a uniquely Los Angeles BBQ spot: Louisiana roots, drive-thru convenience, and a heavy emphasis on turkey alongside the usual ribs and links.

Housed in a retro Taco Bell building, it keeps the fast-food architecture (arched windows, working drive-thru) but layers on hand-painted signs, a mural of the owner deep-frying turkeys, and a battered roadside sign that barely spells out "Tasty Q Barbeque." Inside, trophies from old Beat L.A. BBQ contests hint that this place has some local cred.

Service is friendly and conversational—the owner and counter staff are happy to talk BBQ, the menu, and their process, all while sporting Bluetooth headsets. The menu is broad, with handwritten specials posted near the entrance. The standout deal is a $7 lunch special: one spare rib, two beef ribs, chicken links, beans, potato salad, and two slices of bread. Your sauce heat level ranges from mild to a tongue-in-cheek "sign-a-waiver" hot.

The food holds up well. The spare rib isn’t fall-off-the-bone tender but still flavorful. Chicken links are bright and herbaceous, with seasoning that pops. The beef ribs are the star—tender, smoky, and deeply satisfying. Although the owner would prefer hickory, he uses oak due to cost and availability in California, and it delivers a solid smoke profile across the meats.

Sides are as memorable as the meat. The BBQ beans, enriched with smoked turkey, are rich and satisfying—good enough that Kevin, a visiting writer from Variety on a self-styled BBQ tour, calls them the best he’s had in L.A. The potato salad is well-seasoned and homey, the kind of side you’d proudly serve next to a long-smoked roast.

After the meal, the owner proudly shows off his Ole Hickory smoker and talks about his Louisiana heritage, clearly invested in both his craft and his story. Between the distinctive turkey offerings (including deep-fried turkeys around the holidays), the drive-thru setup, and the personable owner, Tasty Q stands out in the L.A. BBQ landscape.

If you make it there, especially for lunch, it’s worth trying the rib-and-links combo with beans and potato salad—and experiencing the rare novelty of solid drive-thru BBQ in Los Angeles.