Craig LaBan reviews Blue Belly BBQ on 6th Street on the border between Queen Village and Bella Vista and finds the sandwiches are the thing at Gene Giuffi’s small spot.

[T]he best reason to visit Blue Belly is ultimately its inventive sandwiches. That isn’t surprising, since it was initially conceived as a lunch option for the Bella Vista-Queen Village neighborhoods it serves.

And I find myself craving a number of Giuffi’s internationally inspired creations, at least with the appropriate sauce adjustments, as each one begged for just one more flavor flourish. A gingery Korean beef sandwich laced with spicy kimchi and crunchy fried shallots needed just a line of sweet barbecue sauce to be complete. The grilled jerk chicken breasts, aromatic with allspice, habanero powder, and the juicy pucker of pickled green tomatoes, demanded an extra spice-jolt of sambal-fired hot sauce. The slow-smoked cuminy lamb, so bold in its lambiness with radish and tortilla salad on top, needed vinegar sauce for moisture and tang.

Two Bells – Very Good

Blue Belly BBQ hours have recently been extended:

Sunday, Wed., Thurs: 12-8 p.m.
Friday, Saturday: 12-9 p.m.

Blue Belly BBQ [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Blue Belly BBQ [Official Site]