After reading through reviews, I guess I'm "glad" it wasn't personal that the woman running the register was so incredibly rude as though we were inconveniencing her to stopping to eat there. We didn't exactly know the process to ordering when we first came in and to say she was unfriendly to my daughter is an understatement. No establishment, no matter what food it is, is worth going to if you're going to be treated so poorly. The other staff seemed very kind but it would be to your benefit to move her elsewhere where she isn't working with the customers directly. read more

Feels like the Bad Bones folks need to chill. They have great food but it seems tense there. Last time we were there some guy working the smoker told us to leave because he was aggravated at so many customers. They had only been open for 30 minutes at that point. Dude, you are running a business and we had just walked up and had not said a thing or done anything. Why? read more

Today was my first visit to this place. I heard rave reviews from a family member and had seen the cars parked out along the highway so maybe my expectations were too high. I ordered to-go because of having young grandchildren along. As I drove in there were no parking spots for pick-up orders which I kind of expected from my experiences with other places. My daughter jumped out to go get the food. I was pulling out to find other parking when two vehicles came in. One was parking along the drive so I needed to wait before moving. Before I could pull out some establishment person of authority came out and yelled (my grandson said he was very loud and mean looking) at me for "parking" in the middle of the parking lot and to go park on the highway. The pulled pork was flavorless and dry, the ribs were not fall-off-the-bone if that is what you like this is not the place for you. I don't do sauces so maybe that is where all the flavor comes from because the ribs were pretty blah too. Fries and coleslaw were delicious but I've had better without the abuse. read more

Wow! Great food and quick! Lots of GFS options for sauces as well. Will definitely be back to his place.

In the area from Atlanta for work, I ran across this place on Yelp and decided to stop in based on the good reviews. Definitely a family owned feel. Service was friendly, preparation was prompt, and this was literally one of the best pulled pork sandwiches I had in my life!- A+ read more

Bad Bones BBQ - Pulled pork sandwich and beans. - Barbeque Near Me - Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin

The service was awful. It was our first time here. We didn't know how the ordering worked. The lady that took our order was rude that we didn't immediately know what we wanted. We weren't sure if we were to be seated first, or order first. You order first...based off the chalk board when you walk in. We had my 1 year old niece with us and the lady we ordered from looked at us like we were crazy when we asked for white milk. She rudely responds, "we do not have milk." The food on the other hand was fantastic! Loved my ribs!!! It was confusing how the sauses work for the meats. There's a table qith sauces. Some customers took their own bottle, some put some sauce in a cup. Not really clear what the process is. Great food, terrible service and confusing for a frist time customer. read more

Bad Bones BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin

Service sucked. Food sucked. Owner was a prick. About ten tables inside. They forget some of our food. The owner's wife smells and has the manners of a pitbull. Their bathrooms look like they haven't been cleaned in months. read more

Slap yo momma good!! Pork was very tender. Good bun. Hand cut fries on point. So many sauces to choose from so no matter where you're from there's something for you. Deep fried bread pudding is also mouth watering delicious! These folks are doing bbq right, y'all! Casual ambiance with lake views and nice people. read more

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Food was delish and portions were big! Tried the brisket, kids loved the Mac and cheese and pulled pork. We will definitely be back next time we are up north! read more

Good BBQ food, but small place and terrible parking lot. Some people had to park on the street, Highway 70. Staff were nice and polite. Sandwiches were not cheap, but good size. No table service. You walk in, place your order and pay. They call you when it is ready, usually pretty quick. If you want water it's serve yourself from a cooler next to the sauce counter. Plenty of BBQ sauces to choose from, mild to very hot. read more

We just came back from an early supper and we absolutely loved it! They have outdoor seating with a beautiful view of Little Muskie Lake. My husband had the Bomber Sandwich, I had the Chicken Caesar Pita, and we shared the Poutine Fries and Buffalo Mac and Cheese. All tasted SO GOOD! We would both highly recommend stopping here! read more

Bad Bones BBQ - Poutine, Bomber Sandwich, Buffalo Mac and Cheese, and Chicken Caeser Pita. - Barbeque Near Me - Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin

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This place is always packed out too the road. But it has some of the best bbq i've ever had! We live 7 hours away and come up here every year and come to this place! read more

Best smoked meats around! Excellent service! Great atmosphere! The ribs fall off the bone. Delicious! Brisket is done to perfection, not dry and not fatty! read more

I was not sure what to expect honestly when we arrived, being that "up north" is pretty far away from any city known for its bbq but it is absolutely phenomenal food. I had the pulled chicken basket and it was the most delicious and flavorful thing ever. The Carolina sauce is on point. So tangy and yummy - the perfect complement to the chicken. While the meat is obviously the main attraction, the sides were delicious too. The Fries have a great flavor and the cole slaw was incredibly vinegar-y. It is so hard to find good cole slaw in the Midwest but they nailed it. We also had the "southern cheese curds" and they were delicious! I sure wish this was closer to home - we'd be in all the time! read more

Bad Bones BBQ - Pulled chicken with fries and slaw - Barbeque Near Me - Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin

There's not much I can say. The pictures speak for themselves. You cannot go wrong with any item on the menu. The meats are simply mouthwatering. I visited the area for a short fishing trip and was lucky to enjoy this gem twice. By far the best bbq in the Northwoods. read more

Bad Bones BBQ - Smoked prime rib - Barbeque Near Me - Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin

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Not real bbq but better than some. Parking bad, hot & nowhere to get cool. Loud speakers for table announcements are obnoxious.

We stopped in on a Sunday night for carryout and ended up having a an absolute feast on our last night in Vilas County. We had 2 meals - a half rack of ribs, sliced brisket, with cowboy beans and southern slaw, and a pulled pork dinner with slaw and potato salad. The food was ready quick and was delicious - the ribs fell off the bone (but still had some bite), the pulled pork had a ton of crispy bits, and the brisket was perfect. Overall A+ BBQ. read more

Bad Bones BBQ - Ribs, brisket, pork, sides, Texas toast, gingerbread houses (not included). - Barbeque Near Me - Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin

Oh my goodness....We were told this was a great place to eat so we decided to try it. We couldn't decide what to eat so we got a little bit of everything. The ribs...oh so good, perfect crisp for a bark, fall off the bone delicious. My hubby n I are sharing and I had to stop myself to save him the last 2. Then I went on to the chicken wings. I didn't really want to try them, didn't call to me but I decided to try them anyway...you know, just incase...OMG,OMG...that's what I kept saying. The skin was so crispy and same as the ribs...the meat was fall off the bone delicious. Then I moved on to the nachos...those were the best nachos I've had. I wasn't sure about pulled pork on my nachos...I like my normal, not outside the box, nachos but these have topped anything I've ever had. I'm so glad we decided to try such a variety. Bravo to the cooks!! MAGNIGICO!! A MUST stop if in the area. read more

This is the spot to eat at of your in the area and you LOVE BBQ. Service was wonderful! The girl that checked us out was very nice and personable- funny too, said she takes shots of baked beans . We ordered Dixie signature sandwich and pulled chicken- coleslaw, baked beans, bayou fries, cheese curds. Everything was excellent and they load up on the meat! Great outdoor seating and inside is pretty cool too. Best BBQ we had! read more

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Just thinking about writing this has made my mouth water. Get the brisket. Trust me. And do not pass up the fries. As we were entering a woman said "I could eat here every day!" Ditto read more

I want to start out by saying this food is DELICIOUS. Probably the best food I have gotten all my years of coming up to the Minocqua area. They had a ton of bbq sauce options to put on the meat, I would estimate about 10. Staff was a little short with my group. We took a little long to order because there is only one large menu to order off of and it is hard to huddle around during COVID. You order and pay as soon as you come in, pay, find a seat, and they call out your number to come get your food. There were operating normally the last week of July 2020 with exception of them not serving pizza. I didn't think this was a big deal, why would you choose pizza when the smoked meats are the star of the show? Ample outdoor seating and the water, which was pretty, the area seemed a little thrown together and was muddy. read more

Bad Bones BBQ - Brisket and pork dinners with coleslaw, fries, and baked beans - Barbeque Near Me - Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin

Just went there Jan 31, this place isn't closed, it does have different winter than summer hours. Pulled pork and chopped brisket sandwich were outstanding. Loved the options to have different types of bbq sauce availble. read more

Great BBQ! Sauces are excellent. Staff is friendly and the food value is outstanding. Best BBQ we have eaten in along time. They know their craft. Make sure to get bread pudding before they run out read more

Bad Bones BBQ - Great view of the lake from the patio at Bad Bones BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin

Aaron and Jess do an outstanding job of delivering competition quality BBQ on the daily with a friendly atmosphere. They're a tremendous asset to the Northwoods. We are all better off for having them here. Thank you for taking the risk and moving to tree city. read more

This Northwoods divey BBQ restaurant serves up some of the finest food anywhere. I enjoyed the best brisket sandwich EVER. The meat is prepared perfectly and very flavorful. There are a plenty of BBQ sauce options and they offer Pointe and Sprechers sodas. It was winter so we'll definitely be back during the summer when we can enjoy the food and the beautiful scenery. If you're within 50 miles stop in you will not be disappointed. read more

We love BBQ and smoked food and this place looked great with great reviews. Got there 10 minutes before they opened so waited with a lot of others. Good sign! We ordered as the 3rd group. My friend da right behind me. I ordered ribs and chicken. Tons of sauces and excited I'd found a great place..... until I saw the ribs. Thin and dry and very disappointing. The. I saw our friends ribs. Big juicy and wonderful. They never should have served me mine. Seemed mine were like left overs from the day before. Other than that the food was pretty good. One of our friends is vegetarian so couldn't find anything. That would be another suggestion. Offer something non-meat that isn't just a side. read more

By far the best bbq I've ever experienced.the brisket is to die for, pulled pork too.Great homemade sauces and the best fries in the world !

Tonight my husband and I went to Backbones to get takeout. We decided to get one dinner with a full rack of ribs and it came with two sides. We chose fries and baked beans. It also came with a piece of Texas Toast. The service was great, the girl behind the counter was sweet as could be. There's not a lot of tables and you can eat outside but it was cool so we thought we would take it home. We ordered, paid and got a number. The food was up in a reasonable time. The French fries were so heavily seasoned that they were so salty, you could not eat many. My husband said the beans were okay. The Garlic Toast was greasy and not great. The ribs were awful. They were still hard to get off the bone and you had to naw them off the bone to get the meat off. Ribs should be done but not fall off the bone but you shouldn't have to naw at them. Now, I could be spoiled because we spend seven months of the year in the low country where they know how to smoke ribs. This place wouldn't last a month in our area. read more

There is no better BBQ in Wisconsin. Real wood smoked. Tender and juicy every time. Great selection of different entrees, sides and sauce. Definitely a staple when we head north! read more

Great food and a great lake view out back. And their gyros on Wednesday's are amazing!

My wife and I came here during a little getaway to Minocqua. We'd never really been to a strictly bbq place before, but the reviews we read made it sound legit. We got a brisket sandwich and smoked chicken wings. When we ordered, I didn't realize this food was going to change my life... All wings are ruined for me now. I can't find a chicken wing that compares to these. They're smoked all day, then they're dropped in a deep fryer. This results in the outside being so perfectly crisp, like the body of Christ, and the inside is tender like getting cocoa butter rubbed on you while listening to a Marvin Gaye song Sex is also ruined for me now. Every time my wife and I knock boots, I can tell in her eyes that she's not thinking about me...she's thinking about those goddamn chicken wings, and the 27 different sauce options. I thank God everyday that I live an hour and a half away from this joint. Because if I lived closer, I'd be wearing XXXL shirts and sweatpants everyday, and my body would develop a natural scent of smoked chicken. 10/10 read more

Bad Bones BBQ - My face whenever I reflect back, thinking about the smoked chicken wings. - Barbeque Near Me - Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin

The brisket at the end of the day was awful we were unable to eat it as it was only pieces of fat

Just straight up delicious. Food comes up fast and I couldn't stop eating long past when I should have. Like a dozen sauces to experiment with, but you won't even need them. Lots of things are good here, but don't miss the brisket. read more

Favorite, love everything! Try the mac and cheese, pizza and every bbq sauce. This place is a little high priced but worth it, great outside seating too. read more

Bad Bones BBQ - Amazing food love this place! - Barbeque Near Me - Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin

Honestly if there was a lower rating I would give this restaurant that. Both food and customer service only get worse as you compare the two. The gyro was one of the worst I've ever had. When I took it back the cook in charge he was rude and nastier than the food. He proceeds to tell me they're a bbq spot gyros are just something they do because no one else does them. 1st off if that's your only reason for selling a product please don't waste customers time and money buy selling it. I was also told that the 25 minute drive from Boulder Junction was not long enough for the to be days old. By far one of the worst experience I've had since coming to Wisconsin. In response to your comment. Sir let us not go there. You never offered a refund that would've been better than the second and also failed attempt and ended up in the garbage like the first one. Which is also where the rest of your lamb jerky is. The rest was under the dry pita I was given. You also replaced the Mac and cheese because it was also untouched. When I brought the situation to your attention you immediately got defensive and started defending your dry bbq that you said you were known for. I'm a chef as well and I was coming back to give it a second chance because we all have off days. But this is just lack of passion. This is just sad now you also have to make seem as if you did everything right when you and I both know Chef to Chef this is a disgrace to your brand and name. But hey if you sleep well at night knowing what I purchased today was ok. You'll wake up from the nightmare one day. read more

Decided to go here on a whim. We are from St. Louis and to be honest, we didn't expect to find goof BBQ in the north woods. We were very surprised the minute we walked in the door. The smell of smoked meats grabbed us and pulled us in further. We had the brisket and cheese curd pizza and it was spectacular. My son drove over to meet us and ordered the Judges plate which was equally as awesome. We will absolutely return. This place is awesome. Update: we ordered takeout for the extended family and had another amazing experience. Several different plates. Brisket by the pound. Mac n cheese (excellent). Literally nothing was bad. It was so good I'm looking forward to our next trip to the north woods for a return visit. Well done Bad Bones BBQ. WELL DONE!! read more

Being from Texas I've tried my share of BBQ. The variety of dishes is outstanding and this is Dang good BBQ Y'all. Definitely worth a try!

Food was good. Had the pulled pork with a side of potato salad and Nicole had the chicken nachos. I liked that they have numerous varieties of BBQ sauce available that you can just grab and apply yourself. You order and pay when you walk in and than wait for them to call out your order number. This is fine, but it felt wierd tipping before eating our food. I suppose you could tip on the way out, but I was using my card and didnt have any cash. There is a small deck for outdoor seating that looked nice. Beer selection was pedestrian, but they did have a nice selection of Sprecher soda flavors too choose from if that's your thing. Overall a nice lunch, food was prepared quickly and was very good. Will return when it's a little nicer out and sit outside. read more

I stopped here when in town from Chicago 10/10/21 and this is honestly the best BBQ I have ever had. I travel for work across the country and eat BBQ more than the normal person so trust this rating. This place is 10 out of 10 (maybe 9.99 as I needed more napkins not in my Togo bag) read more

Yum. The reviews were right on. It was great food. It was a little loud but we had a seat by the window to see the lake. They call it Little Musky. The fall colors were great. The portions are more than generous. Staff were very welcoming. Sunday evening and no wait was a bonus after a long hike at Copper Falls. read more

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