Counting down to Gatlin’s BBQ opening
Pine saplings and shrubbery are freshly planted around Gatlin’s BBQ’s big new home on Ella, and a huge “Now Hiring” banner flaps out front. Barbecue fans who mourned the passing of Gatlin’s original Shady Acres cottage — which closed in February when its lease was up — will be pleased to hear that the new location should open over the Labor Day weekend.
The 4,200-square-foot quarters occupy a corner slot in a sleek, limestone-look strip center at 3510 Ella, near the intersection of 34th Street and just a couple of blocks south of the “Welcome to Oak Forest” sign.
It’s a far cry from the original 700-square-foot Gatlin’s on 19th Street, where a slow-moving line often snaked out into the parking lot.
At the new place, there’s an imposing wooden compound out back, enclosing a mammoth smoker. And there’s an application for a beer and wine license affixed to the front windows. That’s a big change, and a welcome one, for the familyrun spot.
Pitmaster Greg Gatlin and his parents, Mary and Henry Gatlin, earned a strong reputation for their hickory-smoked brisket, ribs, red-peppery house-made sausage and Louisiana-influenced sides over the five years they were open on 19th Street. Their definitive brisket sandwich, piled high on a toasted bun, was the stuff of dreams; and such dishes as the dirty rice or Mary Gatlin’s peach cobbler were habitforming.
Gatlin’s ranked at No. 57 on the Chronicle’s Top 100 restaurants list last year; and it has appeared on the list every year since it was launched in 2011. For awhile, after closing on 19th Street, the Gatlins operated out of a food truck; and Greg Gatlin took on a role with Jackson St. Barbecue, a downtown venture in collaboration with chef Bryan Caswell and his operating partner, Bill Floyd.
In just a few weeks, Gatlin will be running his own show again in a very spruce space that was slated to finish construction in May but took longer than expected. It may not have the charm of the wee cottage (what could?), but it is guaranteed to be more comfortable for staff and customers alike.