Uncle Pete's Hickory Ribs

Uncle Pete makes absolutely the best ribs for 100 miles around Boston.  The restaurant  is in a converted Dairy Queen in Day Square, East Boston. 

The only thing that may be a disappointment is that he is not open for lunch on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Check his web site for hours, or even better, call to make sure.  http://unclespletes.com. 

Uncle Pete will come out to your table and tell you lovingly about how it takes about 14 hours of careful processing smoking, basting, and preparation before a batch of ribs is ready for the table.  The pork ribs are the classic fare, although there are beef ribs (if you eat the entire rack you get your picture taken with Uncle Pete and posted on the wall - make sure you look for my picture above the candy / menu station), beef tips, a great grilled catfish, fantastic grilled vegetables, a great honey-spicy chicken wings, and an "asian slaw" which is a variation of cole slow with honey-vinaigrette sauce and chopped peanuts on top.  The pulled pork is as good as it gets.  Sauces get as hot as you can stand, and then some.

Uncle Pete's barbeque chicken is so authentic it evokes another story.

To get there, go past the airport one exit, go to the off ramp, but instead of taking the Uturn back south to the tunnels, go left under the highway, then left again into Day Square.  Look for the shape of the classic Dairy Queen barn.  Parking all over the place.   It is possible to also take the Blue Line to the Wood Island stop, where today there are no woods nor any sign of an island.  When you exit the station turn left, go under 1A, and you  are right there in Day Square -- the place is on the left, first block of buildings past the gas station.

Last visited Holy Thursday and Good Friday, 2001.