West Side Steak & BBQ

This is easily one of my favorite restaurants in Worcester, for the following reasons (in no particular order):

1. outdoor seating
2. BYOB/proximity to a liquor store (great/better!)
3. good food
4. cheap

The place is located in Tronic Square, (don't feel bad, I'd never heard of it either) which is actually the formal name of the little area on Pleasant, right before it hits Chandler.

I went there for dinner with some friends on Friday evening at about 9:00 pm. The restaurant itself has about 7 or 8 outdoor tables, and the adjacent businesses (a convenience store & a coffee shop) each have the same. The area is quite popular on a nice evening. This includes the non-English speaking group that seems to know EVERYONE that drives by, provided they are in an Audi. However, they actually don't get up and go over to talk to their friends. Instead, they just shout accross the entire patio. Their friends then beep the horns back in morse code. Considerate.

While we were getting settled, and being given a hard time by the waitress (who is awesome) for having over a week in between visits (moderately embarrassing), a member of the party went into the liquor store next door for (I think) a six-pack of UFO. As I mentioned before, this place is BYOB wine/beer. Always in style.

I have been frequenting the place for well over a year now, and I will admit that in that time I have only ever had (2) items off the menu: Cajun Chicken sandwich, and the Pulled Pork sandwich. And one time I had 1/2 of the buffalo chicken wrap. But just that one time. The mix of spices used in the Cajun Chicken is absolutely delicious; the proof of this is how rarely I will pass up buffalo-chicken-anything. Sandwiches are served with your choice of regular or (!) sweet potato fries, as well as coleslaw. I opt out of the coleslaw, always. Sometimes I even get double fries in exchange.

Prices are extremely reasonable. Burritos and a few other small entrees start at around $4, and the majority of the menu is under $10 with the exception of a few larger dinner plates. There are non-alcoholic beverages for sale, I think. The dessert menu includes ice cream sundaes and, I'm told, a fried cheesecake. I will have to investigate this further.

The inside of the restaurant is small, but very clean and very well done. There is a giant, colorful, farm mural on one side of the wall, and an equally giant mirror directly across from it. The lower half of the walls is all varnished wainscoting (adorable!), and the tables are clear varnished so that you can see all the jointing (like in an expensive cutting board). It's owned by a Brazilian family, and they all try to wear the same color solid T shirt when working together. For example, some days it's a "hunting orange" day, and some days it's a "royal blue" day. Sometimes, not everyone gets the memo, and there are three "lime greens" and one lone "hunting orange". Plus, in the winter, they had at least (3) different shapes of Christmas lights decorating the windows. LOVE attention to detail.

Excellent restaurant, I wish I could still walk there! (And more importantly, walk home!)