You can find good anything in big cities. Just because a BBQ smoker person moves from Mississippi to Los Angeles doesn't mean their BBQ tastes any worse.
I'm very -ist when it comes to my prejudice for BBQ joints. I'm ageist, racist, and a body-Famer. Before tasting a thing, there is a checklist. We're all guilty of it for one thing or another.
My pre-judgy list - A BBQ joint is promising IF:
the person running it and/or cooking is fat and/or old and/or black
if the menu has sweet tea AND hush puppies
it's a plus if the menu doesn't attach a location to its items.....don't try to be everywheres, just be what you are. If you see Carolina this and Texas that, it's a bloated generic food factory, not a BBQ joint.