Sweet Pork Wilson’s

Nothing says summer like good barbecue. I first heard about Sweet Pork Wilson’s on the All Things Food in Cleveland Facebook group and was very impressed by how they handled a complaint in the group. The person complained about their visit, and the owner responded and apologized and urged them to come back. A week later the person posted a glowing review. Every restaurant can have a bad day. This is why I write about restaurants here after two or three visits. But the way a restaurant handles complaints says a lot. My friends and I were impressed and decided to give them a visit.

We met for lunch. It’s located on the corner of Madison and W. 117th. I parked across the street in the RTA parking lot, not realizing that there is a parking lot in the back. But there are also a few parking spots in front on the street. There is a big parking lot in the back where the smokers are, but you have to walk to the front to enter. The first thing we noticed after walking in was the really nice antique wood bar (there is a framed photo of it when it was new when you walk in). It is impressive. There is bar seating as well as tables to the right.

I started my meal with the Back Porch Lemonade (vodka, organic grape, blueberry, and cherry punch, grape liqueur and lemonade), which was really refreshing and delicious. I would definitely get it again.

I need to be honest and admit that I’ve never been a huge fan of barbecue (and especially the sides, which tend to be afterthoughts at BBQ places), but man, everything was really GOOD. I ordered the two meat/two side meal with ribs and brisket and collard greens and smashed potatoes. Those smashed potatoes are probably the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot of mashed potatoes in my day. Little pools of butter floating on creamy mashed red skins. Collard greens are usually hit or miss for me. These were delectable. They use smoked turkey necks to make them. They add a nice flavor to the collard greens. The smoked brisket was tender and succulent, and the ribs were great (warning: if you prefer fall-off-the-bone ribs these aren’t for you, but if you love some pull you’ll be pleased). You can sauce it up however much you’d like from the bottle of BBQ sauce that is on the table.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals. I had a bite of the smoked turkey, and we shared a big bowl of fried pickles. The fried pickles were fun – and were served with ranch and buffalo ranch dipping sauce. I really enjoyed the buffalo ranch.

Several of my friends enjoyed the brisket sandwiches, and one of my friends loved their Grand Slam sandwich (which is smoked chicken, coleslaw, mayo, pickles topped with BBQ sauce). Unfortunately the Grand Slam did not photograph well.

It was just an enjoyable meal from start to finish, and the owner, who came out to thank us for coming, and our server could not have been nicer. The owbner told us about thinking about implementing a Smoked Seafood Saturday – featuring smoked walleye, smoked salmon, smoked shrimp cocktail and smoked lobster tail. One of my friends went back the next day and loved the seafood. The honey glazed corn bread is moist and wonderful and worth the trip alone

I also stopped there on my own when I was craving some good meat and wanted to treat myself to an early dinner. I started with a happy hour $5 cocktail, which did not skimp on the alcohol. I only ordered one because I was driving and then pivoted to iced tea. I ended up ordering the smoked ribeye with a side of mac n cheese and those smashed potatoes. Both sides were excellent. The mac n cheese is creamy and delicious, and the potatoes were just as good as I remembered. The ribeye was perfectly cooked to my medium rare specification. Just a tasty steak.

I also got a pulled pork sandwich with french fries and cole slaw to go because I wanted to try the pulled pork. I heated it up the next day in the air fryer, and it was quite tasty but I’d probably get a brisket sandwich next time. The brisket is phenomenal. I wish I lived closer, because I would frequent this place a lot. One thing is for sure, I will definitely be back. I’d rank this place among the top barbecue places in Cleveland. Great meals, great barbecue, great sides, great people. And as I’ve said, for me it’s all about the sides.

Contact info:

Sweet Pork Wilson’s
11634 Madison Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44102
(216) 938-5673