We found AJ while coming out of a Real Estate closing that took way too long. We could smell the BBQ from inside the building and thought we would stop by. 1st impressions, this is such a small joint with humble surroundings that we were not expecting much! We walk in and were quickly greeted by a friendly waiter asking us to grab a seat of our choosing. We settled in and looked at the very concise 1 page menu. Not too many choices, but enough if you like BBQ and Catfish. My wife had the Catfish and Okra. She loved it. Catfish was flaky and tender with steam bursting out. Lightly breaded with a flavorful breading. Okra done right, not overcooked but just the right texture that well prepared fried Okra will have. I had the 2 meat plate consisting of Brisket and Sausage. The Brisket was chopped instead of sliced, however, some of the most tender and moist I have ever found. With a gentle hint of Hickory it was a fantastic taste with or without their BBQ sauce. Now as for the Sausage, this was the best Sausage I have ever had in my life. In my family, I have 2 uncles with butcher shops and my grandpa also was known for his smoked meats, sausages and head cheese. Each makes their own smoked sausage. It is so good that some customers order it from across the country and have it shipped via dry ice. I can honestly say, the Sausage I had at AJ beat my uncle Marty's and tied my Grandpa's homemade Sausage. I will be coming back just to take a few pounds of theirs home to South Dakota and Nevada... The waiter had informed me the Sausage was just finishing as I arrived so I only hope our next visit, it taste 1/2 as good as the 1st batch. I can hardly wait... read more

Visiting from Long Island with our 3 children, it's tough to please everyone, but AJ's nailed it. We all loved our dishes. Great Brisket, pulled pork, and Catfish. My daughter even said the chicken fingers were the best she's had. "Dad these are the best fries since the beginning of time." The service is also excellent! Thanks for the memory! read more

Absolute worst Bbq I have ever had. I really like the location but the food was horrible.

I decided to try it out even though my wife kept trying to change my mind. Glad I stuck to it! The food was on point! And the atmosphere was great! On my way out I decided to take a shot of whisky and pin a dollar to the ceiling. Both the owners came and joined me with shots and said " No one drinks alone here " Yep that made my day! ...My wife said she was glad she picked this place to eat. LoL! read more

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AJ's was recommended by the concierge at our hotel. The experience was so bad I don't know where to begin. I'll stick to the basics. It took almost 2 hours to get our meals. When the food came it was hot and good. My frito pie was great. It is too bad that any good here was so overshadowed by such poor service. The owner, when it was time to pay, stood by the table waiting for his money; refused to split the check, lost a credit card and blamed the guest. Too bad. This place has potential. I won't go again, and neither should you. read more

I've had most of the main dishes on AJ's menu. Last night I tried the smoked chicken... Maybe the best I've had. Great flavor. Great texture. I highly recommend. AJ's is a comfortable place. It's like eating dinner at your parent's place...just kinda feels like home. And then there's that one waitress, Morgan. She's the best. read more

Awesome frito pies, have it topped with the chopped brisket for even more awesome flavor experience. Our table was served promptly, food came out in under 10 minutes. Owners were friendly and overall no complaints. Will hit it again when the full menu is in play (during festivals and events they have a limited menu to get people served faster) read more

Came in for lunch from out of town. This restaurant came highly recommended. I just left. 1.5 hours waiting for food and I am told they are out of fries. Out of pork. This may be a very great place to eat, but I truly have no idea. I will give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe serving 2 tables of 9 people is simply too much. Maybe this is a better place to eat alone or with a friend. I do NOT recommend that you dine here if you have a larger party. Owner person seemed friendly but that doesn't put a plate of food in front of me after waiting 1.5 hours. I would def not recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

What an awesome little bar and restaurant. You have got to try the smoked chicken and French fries! Sooooo good!!! I was hungry for lunch and short on time and stopped at the first place I found. It didn't look like much from the outside but a total hidden gem and a really neat bar also. read more

This is a decent barbecue place in downtown Grapevine and just about the only barbecue around the area. The sliced brisket and pulled pork are really good and they do a great job with the fried okra. read more

Stopped in for a quick lunch. Everything was fantastic. The beef rib was the most tender I've ever had and so much flavor! Excellent service and friendly staff. Our order came out in just about 5 minutes. Highly recommend. read more

For the price it wasn't worth it. Let's start with the service... The little blond girl who waited on us was not very personable she seemed like she wanted to be somewhere else... Anywhere else other than work and that's not my problem. "Here's your plates" Really? What really wore me out was she never checked back on us and to get a drink refill I had to walk in and hand her the cup and ask her for a refill. And now the food.... It was really good except the chicken. I don't know how to explain it maybe over smoked but yeah it was just not good at all. Funny thing is it's not my first time going to AJ's and the previous time I went it was amazing. Even stood around outside with Aj himself and BS'ed by the smoker. I'll be back, I'm all about good days and bad days people have them. Just hope this review helps with customer service and the chicken. read more

Charming little spot in historic Grapevine. The ribs were smoked perfectly, no toughness and fall off the bone delicious. Staff was incredibly gracious and friendly. Love the fried okra and tasted my wife's sausage sandwich all very good. Excellent taste of hickory smoke on the ribs. I'd come back read more

I came here about 9 months ago. It was amazing. It felt like home. The hospitality was great. Thank you AJ's!

Grapevine district in Texas have a lot of delicious places to try. If your looking for that hickory wood smoke taste in every bite of your Bbq sandwich this is the place. Can't forget a cold beer to follow. Cole slaw was different I'm use to the Carolina style cole slaw so this was different but still tasty. read more

AJ's On Main - First bite was delicious you can really taste every bite of love that was put into this Bbq. - Barbeque Near Me - Grapevine, Texas

I'm from the East Coast, so it's a real treat to get beef ribs. I also tried Frito pie, chili with Fritos stirred in. The slaw was tangy instead of creamy, another change of pace. It was a small restaurant with about two dozen seats indoors, and more outside. The food was good. My waitress, Demi, did a great job. She was attentive without being intrusive. Not great BBQ, like The State Line in El Paso, but good enough to satiate a craving for Texas BBQ. read more

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This place is fantastic!! This is a must stop! The service was outstanding and the BBQ is delicious. I would suggest the sausage, it is fresh and made on location. There is a great variety of beer and the atmosphere is extremely friendly. If you decide to get dessert go for the bread pudding. I am a fan of bread pudding and this is in my top 5. I can not say enough about this place. My wife got the chopped beef and there was very little fat, just a great cut of beef. We were blessed to meet the owner and it was a treat to visit with him. Give this place a chance you will not be disappointed. read more

I love this place and AJ is great. The only issue, is there are a few times where I have been in there and was overlooked for a bit. Which is a difficult task as small as the place is. Today, I had lunch there, waited for about 10 minutes for the waitress to come take me drink order. When I finally got that order in, the food came quick and was great. The only issue, is that I asked for an order of beans, but those never came. I assumed that they just didn't hear me or something. Then when I paid, I fully believe that I paid for the beans, even though I never got them. Unless the prices on the menu are wrong. As, with a 6.99 sandwich and tea being over $10 seems a bit high. If she would have presented me with the receipt or a bill, I would know for sure. Anyway, it's all good and the food is amazing, just wish the service was a bit better and more dedicated to serving. But please visit this place. It really is great overall. read more

Just had a great meal. The Dinosaur Brisket was off the charts good. Glad that I just ordered an single portion. A second rib would have really tested me. The meat was smoked to perfection. Owner AJ suggested just the right brew to go along with my meal. Almost as good as the meat was the bread pudding desert. Was so tempted to order another. This restaurant is anything but fancy. It's kick back and friendly atmosphere is anything but pretentious. Run, don't walk, to AJ's on Main read more

AJ's On Main - Barbeque Near Me - Grapevine, Texas

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Thought I would try this place out since I drive by often. Service was great, love the location. I ordered two meat platter, brisket and sausage. Very flavorful but was disappointed they only serve chopped brisket, but it was good. That was a first for me. BBQ sauce was normal. They do not serve smoked turkey either, bummer. I will return and try ribs next time. Close to train station :) read more

My youngest daughter is a high school freshman and asked me to take her to homecoming. Afterwards I took her to AJ's on Main - at her request! AJ's is a family favorite our ours for great barbeque (love the sausage), fires that are hot and crispy and spicy, and wonderful cannoli's. But last night was really special because AJ, his wife, family and team made my daughter feel like a homecoming queen. My wife and I enjoy the community that has built up around AJ's establishment. It is a real special place in Grapevine. Super food with great heart and soul! read more

Being new to Texas, we have been trying as many of the local food establishments as possible and this little gem is definitely a favorite ! A nice quite, simple but comfortable place that has a good homely feel about it. Not the biggest menu - but what is on it is good, as are the selection of beers. I will always bring customers from out of town here after I pick them up from DFW airport - everyone raves about the ribs & brisket. Make sure to check out the BBQ Smokers outside. Actually my profile picture was taken outside AJ's ! read more

Pulled pork was delicious as was the tangy sauce. Beers are cheap and my wife's white chicken plate was great also. Sitting on the outdoor patio was fun seeing the historic area. Would go again. read more

AJ's On Main - Train smoker in use - Barbeque Near Me - Grapevine, Texas

Such a fun place to stumble upon. The food is great and made fresh, the drinks are strong and AJ and his team will make you feel right at home! read more

Amazing night! We had our District dinner here. AJ was fantastic. Best service ever! Food was best bar b que I've ever had We had the best time read more

In response to Mike N. sliced/chopped....brisket/beef, yes it is on the menu sir... It was definitely not a special request. Your probably one of the relatives or something... lol read more

I refused to eat my sausage sandwich as it tasted at least a week old. The mac/cheese was a glob of lard and the two people that did eat their brisket sandwiches got sick later that day. French fries were NOT American style- more like battered Cajun. The salads were good. Man, NEVER AGAIN.... I will have to say the waiter was good. read more

I don't know JR N has anything to complain about. If AJ gave his mom a sliced BBQ sandwich then that was a special request since it's not on the menu, cuz it wasn't on the menu I had! I enjoyed the service and the small place. Beverage was stout and BBQ pork was excellent and I see why they run out! Go have a good beverage, good BBQ and good time! read more

Stopped in spur of the moment for lunch today. We were a little nervous due to a negative review & number of stars. So glad we "risked it"!!! Super friendly, yummy & at a great price! Dont hesitate to go in. I got the brisket sandwich w/fries & my hubby got catfish. Both were good but i thought brisket the best. read more

This place was a joke. I recommend driving a bit farther down main to Bartley. I had chicken dark meat lunch. ...... it was the size of a mini baby chick. sides were good. Parking horrible. Won't be back. read more

Wait staff seemed uninterested in being helpful. AT ALL. Almost as if they were annoyed you were there to eat. I can deal with that if good BBQ is to be had. But Brisket only comes as chopped. Not sliced. Very confusing. It was dried out, as were the ribs. This was during a weekday lunch hour, so it wasn't like I waited till the end of the day when everything has been sitting under a heat lamp all day. I expected more out of this place. read more

I was looking forward to trying AJ's. The building is a nice small fairly clean place right off Main Street. The food smelled good before we even got in the building. The menu is a little small but I guess it would be hard to have a larger menu with such a small venue. The meat choices were smoked chicken, chopped beef (no sliced), pork ribs, pulled pork and sausage. I got the three meat plate and tried the sausage (pretty good) chopped beef (average) and pork ribs (very tender and nice flavor but small portion). You only get one side with the plates and the sides are coleslaw, potato salad, salad, french fries or fried okra (which they were out of). The meal took a very long time to come out. My friend's ordered the smoked chicken and said it was extremely dry, though they said the potato salad was decent. No bread was served with the BBQ plates. Another friend got the frito pie and while he said it was good he also said it is pretty hard to mess up chili cheese and fritos.... I was a little disappointed with my experience with AJ's I really wanted it to be better. There were many things missing I associate with a Texas BBQ restaurant. No pickles, onions, jalapenos, bread and they do not cut the meats in front of you. read more

If I could give it zero, I would. Although we went during Grapefest, we were treated awfully. Our Hispanic friend was discriminated against, and the manager tried to pick a fight. Simply for the fact that we were upset about the food and our friend was ignored completely because she is Hispanic. The food was terrible. The manager then proceeded to try and fight me because I complained. Do not go here. read more

We went to the new Sunday Brunch this past Sunday and the atmosphere, as well as the special, "AJ's Bloody Mary," was simply awesome! Just leaving there again - had the sausage plate and slaw' .... thumbs up!! I read a few of the reviews, and must say - ignore some of them...especially the comment on discrimination. Not here, not this place, nor anyone who works there! It's a great place to mingle, drink, sit inside or out, meet some new friends, and eat some great BBQ! read more

This is one of the best BBQ places I have been to in a long time! Owned by a man by the name of AJ and one of the sweetest owners of an establishment I have ever met! The wait staff is phenomenal and very personable! The food is top notched and made fresh! The smoked chicken is very tender, juicy and melts in your mouth! The fried catfish and mustard potato salad is out of this WORLD! This a place you can bring your family and have a wonderful, intimate time! I am going back to try the ribs next time becuz they looked amazing!!! An extremely clean place! I will definitely become a regular! HATS OFF TO AJ! You have created a brilliant spot!!! read more

In Dallas for a meeting and stopped into Grapevine looking for Texas BBQ. Walked into the restaurant and was treated like an old family friend. The pulled pork was rich in flavor, moist and oh, so delicious! Didn't need the bbq sauce because the meat was perfect! Loved the beans.... loved the entire meal! Definitely will be back and recommend. read more

My two friends and I ate here yesterday and we are terribly sick today. Throwing up and stomach cramps so beware before eating here. Such a shame bc the food was good before this feeling. read more

Well worth a stop. Dive bar with a couple of offset smokers out back. Great prices, they set me up with a brisket pork combo. Pork was ok but I'm a bbq snob, brisket was excellent. Very unique flavor between the rub and smoke, I'd stick with that next time. Someone got ribs which were decent spares, maybe held a bit too long but still flavorful. Frito pie and potato skin apps were fantastic. Extremely friendly staff, it was just 2 guys but they were nice and accommodating. If I'm ever in the area again I'll certainly stop back. read more

Reading these reviews has me befuddled. While everyone has different tastes and expectations, I had a drastically different experience here than most. Raised in Texas and a bit of a barbecue snob, this is some of the BEST I have EVER had!!! The brisket flavor was spot on. It's lean and does come chopped, so I agree it's a little dry, but I did not feel the need to "drown" it in sauce - a little was enough. Pork ribs and beef rib were juicy, flavorful, and fall-off-the-bone tender (btw, "too tender" just isn't a thing) and had no need for sauce. Beef rib was a new flavor for me that I just didn't want to stop eating. Sausage was perfectly seasoned for me (it's not spicy). Cole slaw was not my favorite as it is heavily vinegar based and I prefer something on the sweeter side. If you like Hard 8, Meat You Anywhere, or (god forbid) Springcreek, this may not be your joint (unless you are looking to broaden your horizons). If you like Rudy's or Terry Black's in Austin, this is your DFW spot right here! If it ain't smoked, it ain't barbecue! read more

Great food, easy going atmosphere and cheap drinks! The pork was a bit on the dry side, but their BBQ for sure made up for it. It was so great and the fries were amazing. Loved it all for the price. read more