Hambones BBQ & PO Boys

Tanya Wade

There's no star for this place in Bellflower California please if you value your health do not eat there the food that's being served to you no matter what it is it's old as dirt basically it's totally totally unhealthy called the health department please don't eat there they get a ----000 and it's not people friendly you will be mad at the fake services.

Raul Nieves

What happened to this place?? I used to come here 2 years ago and it was so delicious. Ive been back 3 times since then, 2 times the food was 4/10 and the customer service was bad. They gave me cornbread that was black from the bottom and the burnt taste got up to the top. The rude cashier said all the cornbread was like that and didnt want to refund me. The third time the doors were wide open and the open sign was up but noone was there and i waited 10 minutes before a mechanic came from the back and looked at me like i broke in telling me they're closed. It was 2pm on a wednsday how was i supposed to assume that. I feel they are racist towards latinos. (Yes black people can be racist.)The new spot isnt any less arrogant and rude. Im done with this place forever.

Jay Keyes

Hambone's is a popular BBQ joint in Bellflower owned and operated by pitmaster Kenny Hamilton who has come to Los Angeles via Mississippi. What drew me here was that this is one of the restaurants around south Los Angeles that sells what has become known as "black tacos," which refer to tacos sold by black-owned businesses to predominantly black customers. Hambone's serves a very basic "black taco" with chopped barbecued meat with sauce on flour tortillas, dressed with lettuce, shredded yellow cheese, and diced tomatoes. I was a bit bummed on account of not being able to taste the difference between the "Pulled Pork Taco" from the "Beef Tri-Tip Taco" due to the BBQ sauce on the meats being so sweet and pervasive that it made both tacos taste the same. My fascination with "black tacos" aside, I could smell Hambone's hickory-smoked meats from my car as I entered the parking lot, which put me in a mood to have something more substantial than a taco. I'm often disappointed in Southern California's BBQ restaurants, so I crossed my fingers as I ordered a "Half Rack of Spare Ribs." The ribs were neatly trimmed in a way that made me a little skeptical (in my experience, "pretty BBQ" is usually bad BBQ), but only in the brief moment before I began eating them. I was delighted by a persistent hickory flavor throughout textured, dense pork that cleanly snaps off the bone with a tug of your teeth. My biggest fault is that, like the taco meats, these ribs are heavily sauced with a thin glaze that is sweet and sticky, reminding me of an Asian-style sauce one would eat on the magenta-hued spare ribs found in Cantonese restaurants across America. Don't get me wrong, the sauce tastes fine -- I just wish there was less of it and that I had an opportunity to apply it myself. It's a shame, because Hamilton is proud of his rub and speaks of if it as his most secret of weapons, but I could not discern where the rub stops and the sauce begins, and the sauce made everything sooooo sweet. Next time I will ask for the sauce on the side. I also ordered "Collard Greens" that were flat greens heaped on one other -- again, almost "too neat-looking" for collards -- but nonetheless tender, piquant, filled with pork flavor, and just a touch of acid. Sippable pot liquor remained once I quickly dispatched the greens. These were very good by Southern California standards, even if they'd be average in the south. This is an older restaurant that has aged on the exterior, but is a friendly, clean place inside. Izzie at the front counter took my order and answered all of my questions. On the whole, a pretty good BBQ spot.

May Umpornpuckdi

This is a hole in the wall spot with some really good and affordable BBQ. The people are nice and the food is so tasty. They have daily specials too and it's easy on your pocket. Totally worth the try. Ribs, rib tips and brisket are my favorite here. Gotta try their cat fish and filet o sole next.