Highlights
- Little Miss BBQ-University ranked No. 1 on Yelp's Top 100 BBQ Restaurants in the U.S., released May 2026.
- The ranking drew from ratings and review volume by Yelp Elite Squad members; the University Drive location has more than 3,000 reviews averaging 4.7 out of 5 stars.
- Four other Valley barbecue restaurants landed in the top 100, including Caldwell County BBQ in Gilbert at No. 8.
- Little Miss BBQ operates a second Phoenix location near Seventh Street and Dunlap Avenue.
Little Miss BBQ-University, the Central Texas-style smokehouse near 40th Street and University Drive in Phoenix, ranked No. 1 on Yelp's Top 100 BBQ Restaurants in the U.S., a list released in May 2026 and compiled from ratings and review volume submitted by Yelp Elite Squad members.
Owners Scott and Bekke Holmes opened the restaurant in 2014, according to Phoenix New Times. The University Drive location has accumulated more than 3,000 reviews and an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on the platform. The restaurant smokes its meats over Arizona white oak, pecan, pistachio and mesquite wood, using smokers the owners fabricated themselves from 1,000-gallon propane tanks. The menu is listed on Yelp as Central Texas-style barbecue.
A second Little Miss BBQ location operates near Seventh Street and Dunlap Avenue. The University Drive location is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Dunlap location runs Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Four other Valley restaurants placed in the same top 100. Caldwell County BBQ, whose Gilbert location at 18324 E. Nunneley Road uses 100% wood-smoked mesquite and pecan in homemade smokers and is expanding to a third location in Peoria, came in at No. 8. Eric's Family Barbecue in Avondale ranked No. 36, Smoking Tiger Korean BBQ in Mesa ranked No. 61, Hapa Food in Mesa ranked No. 83, and Bobby Q at 3154 E. Camelback Road in Phoenix ranked No. 88.
The full Yelp Top 100 list, as reported by KTAR, is available on the platform.
Around the web
Minimal public engagement; one Reddit post expresses disagreement with the ranking.
Public discussion (links to original posts):
- Reddit · r/phoenix, u/mwskibumb (25 upvotes · 44 comments)
- Reddit · r/phoenix, u/just_lurking88 (5 upvotes · 4 comments)
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- ktar.com retrieved 19/05/2026 05:22
- Phoenix New Times retrieved 19/05/2026 05:22
- whatnow.com retrieved 19/05/2026 05:22
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 19/05/2026 05:22. Every claim traces to a source.
