Forkelo ranking · Updated September 2026
16 pork ribs across San Francisco, ranked on what people say about the dish itself — never the restaurant's overall rating.
Drew's Barbecue · Visitacion Valley
29 dish-specific mentions · 97% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026
Smoky, well-rubbed ribs from a tiny carry-out, usually in two-way plates with chicken or links. Diners had no complaints about the ribs, but it is a small, little-reviewed shop.
Pete's Bar-B-Que · Mission
71 dish-specific mentions · 79% positive · 4 source types · menu verified September 2026
Rotisserie-turned ribs with a dry rub that regulars have loved for decades. Others call them salty, dry or rubbery and nothing like Southern smoked barbecue.
Prubechu · Mission
42 dish-specific mentions · 79% positive · 4 source types · menu verified September 2026
Chamorro ribs grilled over fire with a sweet, sticky glaze, often called fall-off-the-bone tender. Several diners found them overcooked and dry, and pricey for a few ribs.
Brenda's Meat & Three · Western Addition
67 dish-specific mentions · 76% positive · 5 source types · menu verified September 2026
Saucy, tender spare ribs as the meat in a Southern meat-and-three, with sides many rave about. The knocks are skimpy portions, heavy rub and dry, tough racks.
Let's Eat BBQ and More · Bayview
32 dish-specific mentions · 78% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026
Almond-wood-smoked ribs with the sauce on the meat, called world-class by fans. A few plates arrived cold, dry or skimpy for the price.
Baby Blues BBQ · Bernal Heights
109 dish-specific mentions · 78% positive · 4 source types · menu verified September 2026
Meaty, smoky Memphis-style spare ribs that fans call tender and juicy with charred edges. Critics hit dry, tough or fatty racks and small portions for the price.
74 dish-specific mentions · 68% positive · 4 source types · menu verified September 2026
Dry-rubbed, oak-smoked spare ribs that fans call meaty and the best thing on the menu. Dryness is the running complaint, along with ribs served lukewarm.
Smokin D's BBQ · Inner Sunset
47 dish-specific mentions · 64% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026
Smoked St. Louis ribs that fans call juicy and fall-off-the-bone. Others got undercooked, chewy or salty ribs, and they often sell out.
15 dish-specific mentions · 73% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026
Since the reopening, diners call the St. Louis ribs tasty and generous, with inventive sauces. A couple of plates came out dry and hard to chew.
Big H BBQ · Bayview
6 dish-specific mentions · 83% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026
Charcoal-grilled ribs under a sweet, tangy sauce from a small Bayview pit. Diners who mention them like them, but very few have written about this shop.
Hard Knox Cafe · Outer Richmond
45 dish-specific mentions · 76% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026
Oven-baked, sauced spare ribs that soul-food regulars keep coming back for. Delivery orders drew complaints of tough, stale or undercooked ribs.
Bullshead Restaurant · West Portal
18 dish-specific mentions · 78% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026
Meaty, flame-grilled baby backs with a mild sauce, and regulars steer newcomers to the full rack. One diner got a rack charred outside and underdone within.
24 dish-specific mentions · 67% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026
Smoked ribs with a good dry rub and an Asian-style hot and sweet sauce. Some found them underseasoned, dry or short on ribs.
PoBoys Kitchen · Potrero Hill
27 dish-specific mentions · 67% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026
Sauced spare ribs that fans say fall off the bone. Critics found them meager, bottled-sauce ordinary and more poached than smoked.
179 dish-specific mentions · 62% positive · 6 source types · menu verified September 2026
Peppery, heavily barked spare ribs with good char and sauces on the side. Many diners find them dry, chewy or salty and lean on the sauce.
Perry's on Union · Cow Hollow
24 dish-specific mentions · 71% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026
Glazed baby back ribs that fans call crispy, very good and a huge portion. Others found them dry, boiled-tasting or smothered in sauce to hide it.
Every score is built from evidence about the specific dish: how often locals recommend it, how strongly, how recently, and whether independent sources agree. A restaurant's overall star rating is never converted into a dish score.
Quality and confidence are reported separately. A dish two people loved can score high, but it is marked limited data until more evidence backs it up. The whole calculation — every constant, and three dishes worked through line by line — is written out on the methodology page.
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