After years of working under Michelin-starred chefs around the world and composing delicate plates at Rocca Kitchen & Bar, chef Tiffani Faison came home. Not quite in a geographic sense—the self-described “army brat” was born in Germany and has lived all over the U.S.—but rather, Faison embraced the cuisine of memory. Eschewing the pomp of fine dining, the chef opened Sweet Cheeks in honor of Sunday dinners and backyard BBQs. It’s a place with jar glasses, string lights, paper napkins, and meat. Lots of it.

Indeed, by late afternoon on a Sunday, families are crowding around plates of BBQ festooned upon Sweet Cheeks’ long wooden tables. It’s the kind of food that comes heaped onto a metal tray or piled into a basket, begging to be shared. The menu lends itself to communal feasting; ribs can be ordered by the slab, and BBQ staples like brisket and pulled pork are sold by the pound. Sides, or “scoops,” divided into cold and hot sections on the menu, come a la carte in small and large iterations. And the biscuits—those toppling, multi-layered hunks of buttery goodness—arrive as all biscuits should: by the bucket.

But this Fenway-neighborhood staple isn’t just a place to fill stomachs; it’s a place to indulge. And that’s why you’ll also find tables of foodies, romantics, and solo diners treating themselves. Faison’s cooking chops are on full display in the hefty caramelized crusts of brisket, the fork-shredding capacity of St. Louis pork ribs, and the confounding juiciness of fried chicken. (The use of quality Berkshire pork, halal poultry, and antibiotic-free beef doesn’t hurt, either.)

All the while, expert bartenders sling cocktails worth a trek out to Fenway alone. The punchy sippers—served over ice in mason jars—never stray too far from the drinks typically needed to wash down fatty, saucy BBQ. We love the Harris Shrub, a rye-based sipper recalling sweet tea, and the Federale, a spicy, citrusy tequila cocktail that’s a better rendition of a margarita.

And it’s exactly here, at Sweet Cheeks’ friendly bar, that you’ll find us on a rainy night satisfying our comfort food cravings, social outing or not. Thankfully the restaurant’s “trays,” which offer selections of up to three meats and two sides, allow parties of any size to dig into heaping plates jumbled with Southern staples. Because this kind of food should be jumbled. Squeeze your fried chicken between biscuit layers with some pickles; let your pork ribs to share fork space with beans and mac and cheese; layer your brisket bite with a bit of fallen-off fried chicken skin and chunky coleslaw beneath BBQ sauce. Heaven.