Reverend's BBQ is operated by Your Neighborhood Restaurant Group, the restaurant group behind Ate-Oh-Ate and Laurelhurst Market, among other eateries.[10] Reverend's has been described as a "sister restaurant" of both Ate-Oh-Ate and Laurelhurst Market,[11] and as a barbecue and smokehouse "spin-off" of Laurelhurst Market.[12][13]
In January 2014, Michael Russell of The Oregonian said Reverend's "has already emerged as one of Portland's most-anticipated spring restaurant openings of the year".[14] The restaurant opened in March 2014.[15][6][16][17]
For the Portland Mercury-organized food event Portland Wing Week in 2019, Reverend's served chicken wings that were brined, rubbed with jerk spice, smoked, and fried with a pineapple BBQ sauce, inspired by Steve Martin's character in the comedy film The Jerk (1979).[18] Reverend's has also participated in the Mercury's Highball and Nacho Week events.[19][20]
Reception
Drew Tyson included the Good Reverend Burger in Thrillist's list of Portland's eight best new burgers of 2014.[21] The website's Liz Childers included the burger in a similar list of the city's fifteen best new burgers of 2014.[22] Thrillist called Reverend's "one of the best-kept smoker secrets in Portland" in 2016.[23] The Good Reverend Burger was selected for Oregon in Yahoo Travel's 2016 list of the "most over-the-top" hamburgers in each U.S. state.[9]The Oregonian's Michael Russell ranked Reverend's sixth in a 2017 list of Portland's ten best barbecue restaurants.[24]
Lakshmi Sadhu included Reverend's in the Daily Hive's 2019 list of Portland's seven "most mouthwatering" fried chicken restaurants.[25] In 2019, Willamette Week recommended the restaurant for inexpensive dining in southeast Portland and said,[26] "Reverend's BBQ is exactly what the mind's eye conjures when you imagine a family-style barbecue joint in Portland. The sandwiches are a perfect jumping-off point to gradually move your way through all that Reverend's has to offer, with the barbecue beef brisket ... being the most sterling representation of its wares."[27] The business was a runner-up in the Best Barbecue category of Willamette Week's annual 'Best of Portland' readers' poll in 2024.[28]
Reverend's was included in Eater Portland's 2020 list of fourteen "outstanding" fried chicken sandwiches in the city,[3] 2023 overview of recommended eateries in Sellwood-Moreland,.[8] and 2024 list of eight "standout" restaurants in the Portland metropolitan area.[5]