Mom's Bar-B-Q House

Don't be fooled by the location (a dingy corner of an even dingier Van Nuys strip mall) or the low-rent interior, Mom's makes some of the best barbecue in all of Los Angeles county. Under signed headshots of celebrities like Redd Foxx and Sherman Helmsley, this humble family-owned restaurant that's called the San Fernando Valley home for more than 20 years dishes out pork ribs, beef ribs, links (mild or hot), chicken (barbecued or fried) and fried fish (catfish or red snapper). The pork ribs are falling-off-the-bone succulent, and even the beef ribs, which are by nature tougher than pork ribs, stay tender and and juicy. But what elevates Mom's into the top echelon of barbecue joints is their amazing sauce. Sweet, tangy and with a touch of heat, you'll want to mop up every last drop of this stuff. And at $7.99, the beef ribs lunch special -- three sizable ribs, two sides and white bread -- is one of the best meal deals anywhere!

Unlike many barbecue joints where the sides seem half-hearted at best, Mom's puts as much cared into their sides as they do their meat. The red beans are a standout, and the collard greens are absolutely spectacular, without a hint of the bitterness that often comes from overcooking. Other options include coleslaw, blackeyed peas, potato salad, macaroni salad, green beans, cabbage, baked beans. For a bit extra you can get cornbread, mac and cheese, red beans and rice, corn on the cob, yams or rice dressing.

Definitely save room for dessert, because at Mom's it's not an afterthought. You have your choice of lemon pie, sweet potato pie, pecan pie, peach cobbler and a small selection of cakes. The hands-down winner is their pecan pie with a flaky, buttery crust, soft, rich filling and lightly crusted pecan top that's chewy without being tough or stale. All in all, an amazing place to eat.

Specials: meatlof with rice and gravy (Mondays), smothered turkey wings with rice or cornbread dressing (Wednesdays), smothered pork chops (Fridays and Saturdays).

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