Dwight's has best ribs in town, just blocks away from Penn's campus

When it comes to ribs around campus, it's easy to feel that the best option is Chili's much-hyped, but often disappointing, baby back ribs.

However, just a few blocks to the north, you can find the slightly less convenient, yet infinitely more delicious ribs at Dwight's Southern Bar-BQ.

Located at 4345 Lancaster Ave., Dwight's is just far enough away from campus that most students seem not to have heard of it. The short trip over to Dwight's, however, shouldn't be an excuse for missing some of the best food in West Philadelphia.

Showing up at Dwight's, one may question how good the food could possibly be -- certainly, the restaurant that many heralded as having the best ribs in Philadelphia would have a more impressive location?

Dwight's has a humble street corner location that's easy to walk right past. Stepping inside, all that's there is a small waiting area and a kitchen. However, don't let the fast food, take-out atmosphere stop you -- the food and friendly service more than make up for it.

Having heard that Dwight's was the "Pat's and Geno's of ribs in Philadelphia," I had high hopes for the ribs. The beef ribs ($21.95 whole slab/$13 half) stole the show: tender, smothered in barbecue sauce and falling off the bone, exactly the way I'd always pictured good southern ribs. The delicious pork ribs ($21 whole slab/$12 half) also approached the ideal of what it meant to be good ribs. Slightly more crisp on the outside, but still tender inside near the bone, these ribs were satisfying in every way.

After sampling the ribs, I thought I had passed the pinnacle of my meal, with the chicken and sides only serving as a somewhat disappointing follow-up to the ribs. I was wrong. The barbecue chicken ($15 whole chicken platter/$10.55 half) was cooked to near-perfection, making the chicken more than worthy of sharing a meal with the ribs.

Not wanting to be distracted from the heavenly chicken and ribs, I hesitated even to try the sides of greens, macaroni and cheese and macaroni and tuna salad. However, the sides did not disappoint either.

The macaroni and tuna salad in particular received glowing reviews from my companions. I was only disappointed to find that I wouldn't be able to sample any of the candied yams or sweet potato pie, since Dwight's was out of both that evening.

Dwight's may just be the best ribs I've ever had, and most definitely the best I've had since arriving in Philadelphia. It's not far, but if the trip to Lancaster Avenue can't be justified, consider Dwight's catering, which should be the highlight of any gathering.

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