Sweet Heat BBQ

I stopped by here because I had a craving for brisket and I wish I had just not given into my craving. When I walked in, I was greeted and the woman behind the counter was helpful. I ordered the 2 meat combo with mac and cheese, corn and corn bread. The brisket looked and tasted like salty pot roast with au jus drizzled on it. The ribs were fatty and had the look and taste of a steam table item. The mac and cheese were greasy and the noodles were overcooked. The only item that I enjoyed was the corn on the cob, though it was in desperate need of seasoning and needed to be cleaned of the gunk at the ear end. Also, my cornbread was missing from my take out order. I will definitely not be returning.

Keeping in mind that my first order at this restaurant was using a 50% off coupon–
The food was bland. I ordered 1lb of beef brisket and a quarter serving of the mac ‘n cheese and I was disappointed. The mac ‘n cheese is missing the basic component of salt. Other than that, the texture of it reminds me of cheese curds and pasta. Not terrible but still disappointing. The beef brisket… well, they either need to change their recipe or they need to change the name because what they have now is actually just roast beef. It looks like roast beef and tastes like roast beef.
I also imagined that 1lb of beef brisket would entail large pieces of brisket but instead I got shreds of meat. They must have hand shredded/​pulled apart the brisket to fit it into a clear soup container, and they could have avoided this by simply packing it in a takeaway box. The beef au jus in the bottom of the container also reminded me of roast beef because the flavor was just plain and salty. Nothing about the beef brisket was bbq-​y or flavorful.
Being that I paid only half of what the full price for the meal would have been, I honestly feel that the food still isn’t worthy. I really hope they change the recipe for their brisket! I would like to try it out a few months later to see if anything changes because I REALLY want a great bbq place in our area.

Looking for real BBQ? Keep on looking. Overpriced under quality. Had the half chicken with baked beans and cole slaw. Chicken was not smoked. Looked like it was baked in the oven with some spices on it and BBQ sauce sqeezed on it. Baked beans were Bushes, straight out of the can and warmed up. Cole slaw was good.

I don’t know what the deal is with all these bad reviews… the food is actually amazing. Way better than any other BBQ in the reston area and it delivers. With that said they seem to still be working through the kinks with service & delivery. They also have issues with their menu not being very flexible & it’s a little hard to order. The pricing could also be better if you bought more quantity which seems to not be the case. But the food is awesome… so much better than the other crap we have available in the area. I would suggest people around the area need to remember to support this restaurant so it doesn’t close. We have such limited good delivery options in the Reston area.

Absolutely a SCAM… I placed an large order and was given a Price, then went to pick it up on Saturday and then was OVER charged by 200.00. No one was available to talk to. Just talked to Richard, a «manager» who said he was the «boss» and «over ruled his store employees and could charge what he wanted. Please be careful… order somewhere else.
I had a house full of people, so had to pay. I just thought it was a miss understanding and it would be taken care of on Monday.

Subpar BBQ. I have been here twice. The brisket is the best item on the menu. Not a fan of the pulled pork and especially not the presentation. The sides are not much better. Extremely bland coleslaw and BBQ beans. They have several very tasty sauces, really the only redeeming factor. If you go, only the brisket is worth it.

Delivery took 3 calls and 1 hour and 56 minutes. I am live less than 5 minutes away. Not even an apology? I was polite as I could be but this is unacceptable.

Overpriced and underdelivers.
$ 17 for sandwich, coleslaw and water.
Meat was so soggy it ruined the bun. Tasted like roast beef rather than anything that had been properly smoked. Sauce tasted straight out of the bottle.
Lady behind the register was nice, though.

I wasn’t as pleased with Sweet Heat this time as I was before. The food all seemed way overpriced and none of it really wowed me. The portions for my 2 meat entrée of brisket and chicken were really small as well. I did get a free sliver of cheesecake via check in. And, I am glad it was free, not because I needed a bigger slice, but it was so thin a slice that I could not imagine paying $ 4 for it! (See photos of how I received food, this was how it looks before eating it!) They forgot to give it to me as well, and had to ask. The brisket really tasted like pot roast this time, not sure why? The mac & cheese is really bland, lumpy and not mixed well. I wound up getting mashed potatoes and biscuits over at Popeyes instead to go with the meal since Sweet Heat doesnt have mashed potatoes. I think I would prefer Popeyes altogether next time, at half the price.

April 2016 update about BBQ Burrito:
This a full-​contact all-​in meat BBQ burrito. So juicy I was afraid it would explode on first bite. This deep fried torpedo should have been served to slow the Southern advance during the Civil War. It is packed with HUGE chunks of fall-​apart sweet juicy brisket. Just meat. No filler. No rice. No lettuce. Just the real deal. Sampling their great sauces you can easily taste the inspirations from four BBQ Meccas. Oh, did I say this is on the appetizer menu!
Original review: Pulled pork was moist and tender in egg buns. Fries have a very good flavor. Grill toasted buns would have been nice.
Staff is very happy and helpful. Manager was attentive to the details and made the rounds to ensure all was well.
Very dog friendly with a huge bowl of water and a table outside for those who like the current crisp temps.
April 30, Great back cracking next door by Dr. Bruno and then juicy pork bbq nachos at @sweetheatbbq with canine foodie Rikki. Every piece of meet was (I’ll say it again) juicy meat with great color and char. Add their awesome sugar and applewood smoked baked beans. Clearly a standout without the sauces, but clearly use drops of them to entertain the pallet nice variety. Chips have some flavor, but could be custom made to stand up to the juices.

Sweet Heat is a welcome addition to the Sunset Hills and Wiehle corridor. There have been a few restaurants that have failed in this location so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Sweet Heat’s longevity. While the interior is nothing to rave about, they make up for it with the grub. Hands down, their mac and cheese is fantastic. It’s made with three cheeses. I swear, the recipe just gets better and better each time I order it. I’m also a big fan of the brisket/​pork combo sandwich. Sweet Heat has four different sauces; Killer Sauce, Carolina, Kansas City, and Jerk sauce. Personally I’m a Carolina bbq girl but to each their own.
I particularly like that they deliver as I live about a mile away from here. I do recommend asking for your preferred sauce along with your order. Otherwise you can end up with no sauce (that has happened) or a mix of sauces that you don’t even want. If you are feeding a group, the Food for Four deal is a steal at $ 59.99. It comes with 1lb of pulled pork, ½ chicken, ½ slab of ribs, 2 of their over sized smoked sausages, and three sides. It’s enough of a variety to satisfy everyone with plenty of leftovers.

Moved to Reston in 2014 and periodically come across this place either through marketing material or a search of «food delivery» in the 20 190. Pics looks good. It was close and who doesn’t like BBQ right?
Ordered delivery through a 3^rd party and sat back to wait for our: 2 meat (ribs +$ 3 and chicken) chicken with beans, Mac and Cheese and some cornbread.
Greasy, overpriced, bland and the quality doesn’t even come close to what you charge.
I won’t say I wouldn’t give you another chance but it is VERY UNLIKELY… incredible disappointment.

Do NOT order delivery from this restaurant!!!
The first time we ordered, the order was delivered over 45 minutes past the estimated time. The food was cold, soggy and mediocre at best.
A few months later, we decide to give it a second chance. Things happen. Restaurants get behind. Drivers get lost. Etc. etc.
Nope. Another +45 minutes past estimated delivery. No apology from restaurant (called for status and «manager» Beverly had no explanation). Was told it would be another 10+ minutes before driver arrived (and food had been out with driver for 30+minutes.
Requested cancellation. This place is horrible.

By far the greasiest and most unappealing BBQ I have had in a long time. I ordered delivery here today and I will never ever ever make that mistake again.
I ordered nachos and a burrito, with a side of Mac and Cheese, thinking whatever I didn’t finish today (as I was torn on what to order), I would eat for lunch tomorrow. Instead I tossed pretty much everything in the trash. The nachos chips were stale and unsalted, the guacamole had no flavor whatsoever, the only palatable parts of this huge pile of stuff was where there was pork, cheese and beans were together, which mind you was only the top layer. Although the meat was dry, I will say that at least it had some semblance of flavor. The burrito on the other hand, was a fried disaster of sadness that I can’t even explain. Please see video of unending dripping grease.
Then the Mac and Cheese was lumpy, bland, lukewarm and just unappealing.
About 5 minutes after I posted pictures of my meal, the manager on duty called AND texted me (before I had even started writing this review!!!) and asked how she could make it up to me. I asked if she had seen the pictures of the grease, she said yes and very somberly added that that is not how food usually comes out of the kitchen. After a very brief discussion, she acknowledged that she understood why I wouldn’t want anything else from them after this first experience.
Maybe the kitchen was having on off day, you know, I honestly don’t know. But this first experience was so bad that I will not waste any more money here to find out.

Honestly, probably the only local BBQ in the Reston area. Had the pulled pork which was super tender and juicy. The Mac N Cheese was on point but the Cole slaw was average. Friend had the Brisket sandwich that looked yummy. Great sauces.

I have been here multiple times, and I started ordering food here when it was fairly new to Reston. Unfortunately, I think the quality has continued to drop.
I have always ordered in the brisket/​pork combo sandwich which usually is pretty good. Unfortunately the last two weeks, it has been horrible. They usually place two pieces of brisket on there and pork on top. Recently, the pork and brisket have been overcooked, and it has been terribly salty. I am considering trying the big meat plate, but my friend got it and wasn’t too impressed. The big meat plates do come with two sides.
Now, the sides are actually decent. The Mac and Cheese is my go to… and this is why I rate it 3 stars. The unfortunate part is you get a very small serving for 4.99. You would imagine it would be much larger. I know it says the sweet potato fries are the customers favorite, but I was not impressed.
Overall, this place is just okay. Not sure I will continue to come here if the food quality continues to drop…

Done with this place. I tried it one more time, since the 2^nd time I went the macaroni was so good. This time I ordered for pick-​up. The macaroni and cheese was nothing like the time I had it before – it was bland and boring. They handed me the bag of my stuff and told me «here’s your order;» I got home and realized they put no BBQ sauce on the sandwich I ordered and didn’t include any on the side – yes this is technically my fault for not realizing I needed to get it on my own, but considering once again I was the only one in the place and four employees were standing there watching me leave, you’d think someone could have said, «don’t forget to get any BBQ sauce you need for that over at our sauce table!» I also ordered corn on the cob and they didn’t include it. When I called back to have them not charge me for it they didn’t apologize and they didn’t apologize for not including BBQ sauce, just said «you were supposed to get it yourself” – yeah, thanks for telling me that when you handed me my food and watched me walk out!
I told my boyfriend what happened and he was like, «I don’t know why you even went back there two more times, yes the food is decent but it’s outrageously overpriced and obviously the service is a joke, not to mention the owner was a dick to us the first time we went in.» He’s right! No more chances for this place.

I was looking for a bbq place close to my office and I found Sweet Heat BBQ via Unilocal.As a person raised on NC style BBQ I’ve had it my entire life.
What I found here was tasteless (no flavor in their ribs nor pulled pork). You can also tell they reheated (but not long enough) as it was cold in the center. I ordered a side of coleslaw and found this to be soggy and lacking any flavor as well.
Quality is not something that I would say this place has.
My $.02

Ok. Time to update. Been thinking about this place for a while. That I need to revisit. Well saw a living social deal that I got and brought my daughter back.
Totally different experience.
1) walked in. Was greeted by both cashiers. Jose V helped us. He saw me looking at my phone and asked me if I was using living social and I said yes. He very jokingly said no I can’t. He was very friendly, helpful and when you go into a place and get greeted and helped the way he did, it’s what you hope for. Thank you Jose.
2) Didn’t do the kids chicken nuggets. Didn’t expect a change there. So got my daughter the half smoked chicken. Let me tell you. Amazing. Cooked perfect. Very juicy and flavorful. Daughter loved the chicken. She also loves the fries.
3) I got the 2 meat platter. Got beef brisket and had to give the ribs another try since that was my major disappointment last time. First. The beef brisket. Amazing. So tender, juicy and flavorful. I expected the brisket to be sliced but it was more shredded which I prefer.
Now for the big disappointment last time. Ribs. Well I messed up. Meant to ask for them with no sauce. I can’t do a lot of sweets so I prefer dry ribs and sparingly using sauce. But there was not too much sauce on them and they looked great. I was able to scrape some sauce off and totally a different experience than last time. The portion looked a little bigger this time and the meat fell off the bones. They tasted fresh and was worth it.
I got cole slaw and corn as my sides.
Corn frozen. But very good. Loved the corn. As for the slaw. Last time was not impressed. Was not bad. Was not great. But this time. Amazing. Slaw was very fresh and flavorful and has sliced apples in it which took it over the top.
For around 7:30 on Saturday night they had a decent amount of customers. Probably because of living social which is working on giving them more foot traffic. With the way the food tasted I hope the promo helps give them repeat customers.
I know I was harsh in my first review. But being a big fan of Texas Petes BBQ that use to be there I had high hopes for this place and felt let down. But with the food tonight I highly recommend this place. Oh the bbq sauces are great also. Love the hot sauce. Very nice heat and flavor and not too much to make it uncomfortable. The Kansas City sauce is great also.
If I could give the owners recommendations it would be 3 things
1) Trays!!! When your order comes in 5 – 6 little baskets. A tray would be very helpful taking your order to your table.
2) The guy who I think is the manager. He came out and asked customers next to us how there food was but did not to us or the 2 other tables. If your going to come out and ask customers how the food was do it for everyone. This should be a normal routine.
3) Use Unilocal to your advantage. I see comment from owners on some positive and some negative reviews but not much. If your going to comment. Comment on more especially negative reviews. Was disappointed my review was ignored. I was honest in my less than expected experience. Think what really upset me last time the most was the chicken tenders that I got my daughter.
But in closing. Change my review from 1 to 4 stars.

There is potential here. After noticing the change due to the signs lining the road the hubby and I decided to do lunch.
After perusing the menu we decided to try the two meat combo with brisket and ribs… Ohhhh great up charges on both of these. The combo also came with two side so we selected the baked beans and coleslaw. Normally on a first visit we don’t ask for any changes as I want to see what they present. The exception was that we asked for the brisket as a sandwich. They were nice enough to do that although the waitress was confused if she could. Drinks are in a serve your self fountain…
Let’s go back to service… It’s as all place and while I do enjoy table service I think this place would run smoother if everyone just ordered at the register and they bring to the table.
My other suggestion is get a sandwich and side lunch combo option. The sides come in a bowl meant or sharing… Way tooo large if dining alone or your dining partners can’t agree on what to order.
Have to say the baked beans were a surprise hit. I liked the pinapple and sausage in it. I would have preferred if they had been cooked down a bit more as they were soupy but I really enjoyed them. It said there was coconut milk in the but I didn’t taste that.
Brisket was amazing. Agreat crust and very favorable. It came sans sauce which we like.
Okay so if I had only the brisket and beans this probably would have been a 4 star review…
Let’s talk ribs! From the pici saw here I was expecting something glazed with sauce… What I got where ribs that were more steamed/​boiled the smoked. (See pic) I could taste a brine but I can’t recommend these based on what I was served… Even if they had been glazed it wouldn’t have helped. I don’t know there preparation method I just can comment on what was presented and tasted. So yes they were fall off the bone tender but not much more.
Will I returnfor the brisket? You betcha!