Along bustling State Street, about 10 blocks upriver from the entrance to the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge over the Delaware River, Sweet Lucy’s Smokehouse stands out as primo place to grab a delicious BBQ meal.  

Opened by Chef-Owners, Brooke & Jim Higgins in 2003 as a lunch truck in Northeast Philly, Sweet Lucy’s brick and mortar restaurant came on line a few years later in Tacony.  The converted factory seats about 100 customers who mostly line up at the counter to order before finding a seat.  There is a full-service section, too, including bar seating. 

The menu has everything a Bar-B-Cue lover could want, from brisket to chicken to pulled pork to ribs.  Everything, including their sides and desserts are made on site.  The sides, which can vary seasonally are amazing and fresh.  Their breads are fantastic, too from the Italian style and round rolls that they use for their sandwiches, and that BBQ standard  – cornbread which is anything but standard.  It is a work of culinary art.

Service is amazingly fast on a Thursday afternoon when I ventured in right at the lunchtime rush.  A steady stream of customers were grabbing their take-out orders.  We pulled up to a booth overlooking State Street and were soon chowing down on a chopped brisket platter with tomato-cucumber salad, roasted Brussels sprouts and bacon, cornbread, pulled pork sandwich, pork baked beans, coleslaw, mac & cheese, and a Philly Beef Brisket sandwich.

For those of you who are too young to remember, the toll to cross the Delaware River on the Tacony-Palmyra bridge was a nickel when it opened in 1929. It was still five cents when my family would cross it on their way to the shore until the Summer of 1975.  That’s when the “nickel bridge” became the “double nickel bridge”!  In that same spirit, Sweet Lucy’s Smokehouse is a great value.  The cocktails are about 50% of what you’d pay in downtown Philadelphia, and the sandwiches and platters (with 2 sides) are all $13 to $20.

They have a thriving catering business, too, in case you’re looking to throw a party at reasonable cost any time soon.

So, yeah, when in Philly youns can expect your finest soft pretzels, cheesesteaks and scrapple, but Sweet Lucy’s might catch you by surprise with its delicious taste of the South.

www.sweetlucys.com/