More than a year after an overnight fire forced its closure, award-winning restaurant Horn Barbecue will open a new location in the East Bay. According to Instagram posts from the restaurant and its chef-owner, Matt Horn, the location will open Wednesday at 3422 Mount Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette, about 20 minutes east of West Oakland, where the business got its start.
Since April, Horn Barbecue has been operating out of the former home of Matty’s Old Fashioned, the owner’s burger restaurant at 464 8th St. in Oakland. That location will continue to operate as well.
“This is just the beginning of a new chapter,” Horn said in a statement provided by a spokesperson, “one that will not only strengthen our legacy but also allow us to serve and uplift a new community with the same dedication and care that has guided us since day one.”
The new Horn Barbecue marks a milestone for the beleaguered chef, who fell from grace in recent years following allegations from employees and vendors of financial mismanagement. A former partner sued Horn, alleging he was not paid for his work getting the business off the ground and was later pushed out. Horn settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount in fall 2022.
A former employee this spring alleged that Horn owed him “more than $200,000” in back pay for overtime, missed breaks, and withheld tips. Adding to the tumult, the Oakland Fire Department in May confirmed that it is investigating the November 2023 fire at the 2534 Mandela Parkway location as arson, telling Eater SF that “the fire was intentionally set.” No information about the investigation has been made available since.
Horn’s West Coast-style barbecue rocketed him onto the national food scene when he operated as an intermittent pop-up. The brick-and-mortar Horn Barbecue debuted in September 2020 after extended permitting delays; Horn become a poster child for the struggles restaurant owners faced during the early months of the pandemic. In the years after, the operation garnered accolades, including a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand and a finalist for the 2022 James Beard Award for best new restaurant.
Horn published a cookbook in early 2022 and opened two more restaurants, Kowbird and Matty’s Old Fashioned, between January 2022 and July 2023. Just a few months later, reports began surfacing that all was not well within the fast-growing empire.
According to Instagram, Horn Barbecue will operate Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 9:30 p.m. According to a spokesperson, the menu will include both the slow-smoked barbecue that has always fueled the restaurant’s popularity and an “off-the-grill menu.”