Who doesn't love a good barbecue dinner; especially on a cold, Winter day like today. So after having skipped lunch, I decided that it was about time that I gave Bad Wolf BBQ a visit, to enjoy an early barbecue dinner. This family-owned and operated, local restaurant is owned by Fred Ellis, with over three decades of experience in the local restaurant industry. He is well-known for his commitment to the "low and slow" tradition of barbecue and for his hands-on approach to business ownership. Ellis originally opened this restaurant in December of 2006 after previously owning another much smaller restaurant with the same name on Plantation Road for nine years. The restaurant is conveniently located on the very popular Williamson Road, in Roanoke, Virginia, very close to the well known Coach & Four Restaurant. Its eclectic architectural design celebrates the restaurant's individuality and creativity. Inside, I found a clean and welcoming setting with a cozy atmosphere and a unique decor with a round fireplace in the middle of the dining area, and high ceilings in a section of the restaurant which also had a small stage. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and its food. As soon as I arrived, the host/server, Haley, a young and very friendly young lady, gave me a warm welcome and invited me to seat at the table of my choice. After handing me the menu, she took my drink order. I ordered an IBC Rootbeer, made with cane sugar. Since they didn't have the Sampler nor the Chicken BBQ at the moment, I ordered the Pork BBQ Platter, with the pork cooked with the North Carolina Vinegar BBQ sauce. It came with 3oz slaw and two side. For the sides, I ordered the baked beans and homemade fries. Their menu had a very limited selection of beer and wine. And I was also disappointed that a barbecue restaurant did not have Brisket on their menu. But what they did have, was amazingly delicious. Starting with their slaw that was so crispy and juicy with wonderful taste. It was one of the best slaws that I've had in a long time. Their fires were cut in-house from unpeeled potatoes, and freshly fried. The baked beans were also very tasty in a thick sauce. And the BBQ Pulled Pork was made with quality meats and cooked to perfection. For dessert I had their very popular Peach Cobbler, that happened to be their Cobbler of the day. I had it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, and deeply enjoyed it. I definitely had a wonderful dining experience here, even with the limitations of lack of items from a typical barbecue restaurant mentioned above. This was definitely a flavorful, home-style barbecue, in a clean and welcoming atmosphere, with top-notch service. read more

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Friendly staff. We went at lunch and it wasn't busy. We were greeted immediately and told to sit anywhere. They had a nice fire going in the middle of the restaurant. Paper menus. We quickly noticed there's no beef. You have a choice of chicken or pork only. We ordered the rib platter with baked beans, collards, slaw and hush puppies. We also got a pulled pork vinegar sandwich. Food came out quickly. I suspect the ribs were microwaved because only certain parts of them were scorching and other parts cold. The sauce wasn't too sweet. The ribs were just Ok. I would expect better for a half rack at $17. We must have had a skinny cow because it was pretty much all bone. The sandwich was pretty meaty. It wasn't vinegary or sweet. I preferred the sandwich over the ribs. Drinks come in a can. Ample parking. We didn't get dessert. Would I come back.... Not sure. It wasn't terrible and there wasn't anything memorable. My favorite part was the fire... I would have liked to be given some wet wipes but luckily I bring gloves wherever I go. read more

Bad Wolf BBQ - Fire pit - Barbeque Near Me - Roanoke, Virginia

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Haven't been in a while but I miss the old location. I thought the barbecue tasted better. Service always good. Hope they have updated the new one bc it seemed run down. read more

Excellent BBQ, outstanding service. Love this place. Give it a try! Love this place. Just bought five racks for a dinner and party. Everyone loved the food! Great staff, good menu. read more

Good food, good service from a long-standing local business. Never have had to complain about anything the few times I've been there. Soft drinks are served by the can. Need to update bar area, would be a nice quiet drinking hangout for beers or wine. Clean up back part of restaurant and not use it as storage. Better outdoor lighting, more social media updates, and longer hours May attract more people to eat there. A lot of people I know thought it was closed because of the dimness, outdated appearance. read more

Wonderful! We were a lil nervous when we pulled up cause NO ONE was there when we pulled up and looked at the parking lot.. But, it was an hour til close and I trusted my fellow yelpers wouldn't steer us in the wrong direction ;) So we went in. Fireplace, in the middle of the place, yes!! Nice and peaceful cause it wasn't packed. Waitress was really down to earth and sweet. Got the bad wolf bbq sandwich w vinegar sauce and a ton of sides a kids meal and same for my fiancé. Bill was awesome. Prices Portions Service Food impressed. Sorry I should have taken pictures for yall, but we'll be back ;) Def recommend. Great, cheap, good food. #happyhappyhappy read more

Bad Wolf BBQ - Cayden enjoying his yummy lemonade - Barbeque Near Me - Roanoke, Virginia

They didn't get anything right. Let me start off by stating that I know that BBQ usually sells at a premium compared to other foods. I ordered the sampler platter that included pulled pork, pulled chicken salad, 2 smoked wings, 1/4 rack of ribs and fries. Their online menu had this listed for $15.50, a little pricey for lunch but I was hungry so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm on the Keto diet so I asked if I could sub collards for the fries. No go. No substitutions allowed. The price ended up being $16.50 when I paid. Now for the food...the pulled pork was stringy like it had been cooked in a crock pot with very little smoke flavor. Some of the worst I've had. Their version of a 1/4 rack of ribs was one bone with barely ample amount of meat. The pulled chicken salad was OK but nothing to write home about. Fries were OK and somehow ended up with an order of collards that seemed to be like the canned version my wife tries to feed me. Food was hot when I ate it in the truck in the parking lot. If you want good Q in the Roanoke area go to Mission BBQ. Pricey as well but portions are much better and the quality is soooooo much better. Oh yeah....no brisket available at Bad Wolf. They also serve a lot of other stuff that ain't BBQ like burgers and bologna sandwiches. Do one thing well I say. Place is run down and the bathroom was outdated and not very clean. Wont be back ever! read more

While this is the best BBQ I have had in Virginia...that ain't saying much. I was excited to see that they had tomato based sauce as the vinegar is just disgusting. But as soon as I tasted all the sauces they were still gross. Just ketchup watered down with honey and a lot of disgusting vinegar. i wanted a decent pork plate as that is what real barbecue comes as. I was disappointed to see that the closest thing came as a pork sandwich or a one pint helping. one pint? ONE PINT? WTF people. I am a man not a 80 pound girl. I ordered a half rack of ribs as I figured the miniscule amount of BBQ would satisfy me. I noticed that the menu says they are "finished on the grill"... wtf does that mean? When I got them I tore into them, the bones came out easy enough but there was no smoke ring...dufuk??? They actually bake them and THEN put them on the grill? What kind of self respecting pit master does an act as disgusting as that? IT'S AN ABOMINATION AGAINST THE BBQ GODS! So the sauce is gross. The meat is OK... but by no means should be called barbecue, the sides are good and the waitress was nice. The people that rave about this place have obviously never experienced real bbq. read more

Came here with a group of what can only be described as manly men. We came on a Friday during the buffet. I ate 2-3 plates of meat and it was glorious. The buffet consisted of 2 forms of pulled pork (tomato based sauce and vinegar based sauce), pork chops, fried chicken wings, collard greens, potatoes, green beans, spaghetti, and rolls. There was also a small salad bar which I completely ignored. I would have liked to have seen ribs on the buffet or some non-pork form of meat but ah well. Service was good and decor is like that of an Elk lodge. The food was good and cheap. I'll definitely have to come back and try the ribs. read more

Considering Roanoke is a southern town, you would think it would have a good selection of bar-b-que places. With the exception of a chain place, this is one of the few we have. The physical building won't knock you over with glamor, but it serves its purpose. The food however is very good. There is a cheap (under 10 bucks) all you can eat Buffett on Friday nights that should fill your bar-b-que needs. They have both sweet an NC style pork to choose from and they both have a nice, slow cooked flavor. They also have a selection of different home style veggies and sweets. I can't say their fodd is healthy, but I can say I left feeling very full, very happy and a tad bit drunk. All in all, a great Friday night dinner in the R O A. read more

My family and myself ate at Bad Wolf BBQ recently. The food was great that is why I gave it three stars, though I have to say that we will never eat there again. While myself and my family were waiting on our order of food. (About $50 worth of food I might add) I started to over hear from the kitchen someone yelling at the cook about putting cheese on the appetizer order of fries. I quickly walked to the doors and looked directly at the man speaking seeing me he still proceeded to inform the cook to inform the waitress that they do not offer cheese on their fries because it is for their salads. (Even though I agree'ed to pay extra for the cheese just to be added because my wife loves cheese fries) He even went so far as to tell the waitress to make sure that the customers knew from now on they would not be putting the cheese on the fries. Now we will never be back (Also have never went back) because of how rude the manager was. 1) Yelling at your staff 2) Acting as if the cheese was going to break your bank (I know where he gets his cheese) 3) Looking Directly at your customer whom you are speaking about and ignoring them as if they do not matter. We paid for our drinks we ordered, we gave a $5 tip (it wasn't her fault she was GREAT as a waitress) and left never to return. read more

This is absolutely the worst BBQ (if you can call it BBQ) that I've ever tasted. It tasted like it was Bunker Hill straight out of the can BBQ. I had a nasty surprise when I paid the bill too. It seems that the drinks are poured from a can and each can (brought to the table in a regular glass) is extra. I had two refills of Coke thinking it was fountain and had no idea that it cost me each time I had a refill. The waitress didn't tell me this, it wasn't posted, and again, who in the world does business like that: fountain drinks are nearly universal unless you know its from the can. After the horrid food and the surprise of the bill, I will never go back to this awful place. Maybe these guys have buddies writing these good reviews or people with no taste buds: I don't know. What I do know is that they got the name right. It is bad, oh brother is it BAD! And you'd have to be as hungry as a wolf to actually want to let this junk touch your tongue. Avoid this nasty place at all costs. read more

This place is alot nicer than expected. Has a fit pit in the center of the dining area. Food was awesome. Great experience and 2 thumbs up read more

Bad Wolf BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Roanoke, Virginia

Setting the bar straight on this place- it's food is very good. The BBQ is yummy and the sides are tasty. However, I did wish they had more sauce options other than tomato base or vinegar, like spicy, mustard, Smokey, etc. Every time I come here, I leave with a tummy ache but I always come back because it's yummy. Pimento cheese sandwich is ok, it kind of tasted like chemicals. The macaroni salad is pretty yummy, very flavorful. The service is sweet, both waitresses are always nice and welcoming, but when rush hour comes, it's hard to get their attention because of how busy the place gets. read more

Passing through and found Bad Wolf's on Google & Yelp. What a treat! Had the classic pork BBQ with slaw, hush puppies, baked beans & cajun fries; all excellent! read more

Bad Wolf BBQ - Excellent! - Barbeque Near Me - Roanoke, Virginia

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Absolutely average. The food was good. The place was a little dark for my taste. But like I said it was just average. read more

Waitress was a ditzy blonde that couldn't answer any of my questions about the menu. I rather go to missions bbq

Every time I come, I'm blown away by how good it is. Like I know it's amazing, but my brain can't fathom how good it really is until its in my mouth again. I have been coming here for years and the food ha never been bad once. And the cashier lady is such a sweetheart every time too. I love you big bad wolf! read more

Found Bad Wolf on Yelp while traveling through Roanoke. Atmosphere is old rustic with a nice gas fireplace in the middle. The BBQ is really good. You have a choice of sweet tomato based or vinegar. I went for the sweet tomato based which is their most popular and very good. 2 of the kids had cheeseburgers which were very good. Really good sweet tea..go for a half and half if you really dont like it too sweet. The slaw was good as well. The service was very friendly and on top of things without being on top of you. It was also very reasonable..$25 for 5 people for lunch. read more

We were passing thru Roanoke at lunch time and decided to stop at Bad Wolf BBQ. A total disappointment. My husband and I both ordered the pulled pork sandwich and macaroni salad as a side. Let me start with the pulled pork... absoooolutely no flavor, it was more "mush" than pulled pork. Almost if it had been boiled. No smoke, hickory or grill flavor. Store bought BBQ sauce has better flavor than what I tasted today. The macaroni salad was boiled macaroni with a few slices of celery in it... Nothing else. Black pepper and salt didn't even help. The McRib sandwich from McDonald's has better tasting sauce and meat. read more

We were traveling through the area and stopped at Bad Wolf BBQ for lunch. I love BBQ and was eager to see if BBQ was good in Virginia like we are used to in Oklahoma and Texas. I am sorry to report that the BBQ at Bad Wolf isn't close. We ordered the Combo special with a pulled pork sandwich, macaroni salad and a bag of potato chips. We wanted to try the local vinegar sauce but there was no flavor to it. It just soaked into the meat and made the bun soggy. The pork was tender and juicy but had no smoke taste. We finally dumped some of their tomato based sauce in an attempt to get any flavor at all. The macaroni salad was inedible. We didn't open our chips but saved them because we figured we would need a snack down the road. I don't like giving bad reviews but there are several reviews on Yelp that praise this place. If you are looking for better BBQ than Bad Wolf I would suggest stopping at McDonald's and picking up a McRib sandwich. Less money and more flavor. Their hand cut Cajun fries were good, however. Now it is on to Memphis to see if they can cook some good Q. read more

Bad Wolf is one of the better barbecue places in Roanoke. Their pulled pork is excellent and their sides are very good. The decor is not great, but the barbecue is. read more

Tis place sint that great like everyone else says The ribs were OK and the sides were terrible. I should have known this place was bad whem i saw a group of hillbillys crowdning around a small table near the front entrance. read more

From the moment you walk in, you are surrounded by the heavenly smell that is BBQ. This is a super casual place with one waitress and great food. We decided upon the BBQ rib platter and the BBQ pork platter. Each comes with slaw and hush puppies and in addition you can pick 2 other sides, so you end up with a nice sized meal. Prices are all very reasonable too. They bring out 3 types of sauces as well, so there is something for everyone's taste. read more

Yummy Goodness......we had the BBQ sandwich combos with fries & potato salad. Seriously fantastic BBQ and we got the tomato base sauce. Total f2f or two people at lunch $13.46 delicious food and affordable.....outstanding service too!!! read more

Bad Wolf BBQ - BBQ sandwich & Fries - Barbeque Near Me - Roanoke, Virginia

Feeding extended family tonight. We got the "feeds8" family pack...it feeds eight nicely. The BBQ is great. The beans are very tasty and the cole slaw was super fresh. Cole slaw is one of those things that is either good or bad - no in between. Bad Wolfs is always good. read more

Unless this place has REALLY changed since the last time I was there I would not waste your time or money. Service was good, the atmosphere was dated but clean and welcoming but the BBQ was just awful. Very fatty and gristle. They seem to depend on seasoning after the BBQ has been cooked. read more

Potential, but missed the mark. Barbecue sandwich was great, but fries were soggy and wings were dry. The atmosphere could be awesome, but the bar looks like a basement bar. They do allow smoking in bar, but I do not smoke and don't enjoy being around it. The dining area could be really nice with large windows, lofted ceiling, and fire place in the middle of the room, but the other half of the room is used as storage or something not ready for service. read more

Not bad. Not great but not bad. Prices are reasonable. Service was great. On to the BBQ. Not technically good. All sauce no smoke. I had the tomato based sauce. The sauce is pre mixed with the meat. That is not something you do with good pork. I will try the vinegar based next time. Hope they aren't using vinegar to hide decay. For the pork 2/5. read more

Pretty good pulled pork. The Texas toast turned out to be regular toast so that was disappointing. But all in all it wasn't bad. Juicy pork. Good tomato-based barbecue. read more

The restaurant is clean, and the server, who is the only one there on a sat beside the cook, was very nice. The food is bland, low grade cafeteria food. Pulled chicken sandwich was bland mush on a cheap bun. Collard greens were just boiled with no seasoning. I ordered cajun fries and though they seem to be hand cut, they are limp and covered in cheap Cajun seasoning. Hush puppies were again bland. I didn't waste my time trying the coleslaw. I'm not a picky eater, but I left 80% of my meal on the plate. You can buy better BBQ at a fast food joint. read more

I love a deal!!! So I took advantage of a Roanoke Daily Deal coupon a few months back for Bad Wolf Barbecue on Williamson Road where old Paulo's was and Village Pizza was before that. WELLLL.... that place has magnificent food and the BBQ is just awesome - this comes from someone who eats very little meat. They offer tomato or vinegar base, and I am a HUGE fan of vinegar base NC style BBQ which is just delicious there. The Daily Deal I bought was for 3 separate meals. Once I opted for a healthier meal and got a lemon and garlic marinaded chicken breast, green beans and mashed potatoes. OH MY ---- out-of-this-world GREAT!!! One of the deals was for a 4-Pack-To-Go. It came with enough BBQ, cole slaw, either baked beans or potato salad, buns, plates, plastic ware, etc everything you need for a nice little picnic. So, their to-go items are great as well. Another feature is eating inside the restaurant on a cold evening next to the little gas log fire pit. The place is nothing fancy, but it is exactly my style - casual atmosphere, AWESOME food at a good price. Why it is not packed every time I go there? Along with good BBQ, I love a good hush puppy. The traditional NC style BBQ is accompanied by long skinny type of puppies which is what Bad Wolf offers. The servers were very sweet, attentive and knowledge too. It is just an Awesome place!!!! Goooo there.... just not on a Sunday evening or Monday when they are closed. read more

My family and I are trying to find a good BBQ place and were pretty disappointed with this one. While the service was great (friendly, prompt, thorough) and the price was reasonable, the food was mediocre at best. The kids ordered chicken nuggets, and while I know that's not really normal fare for a BBQ place, the nuggets were clearly the frozen kind. You'd think that with a kitchen made for BBQ, they could come up with something a little more fresh. The BBQ sauces (yes, we tried every one) were blah, lacking flavor in a big way. The vinegar based sauce tasted like Italian dressing with added vinegar. Ick. The tomato base just had no flavor at all, my chicken sandwich tasted almost like plain chicken. If there was one thing I enjoyed besides the service, it was the fries, but even they were in dire need of salt. We won't be going back. The search for decent BBQ continues. read more

Love their barbeque, so delicious and fresh and reasonably priced. The ribs are great too. Bad Wolf BBQ catered our office Holiday party a couple of years ago and made a customer of me. The kids like it too, because the atmosphere is kid-friendly. read more

This was the first place we ate at upon arriving in town, and we got the Bbq combo and it was a lot of food. I'd recommend the tomato base over the vinegar base option. It came with a cup each of shredded chicken & pulled pork, 2 ribs, cole slaw, and fries, the fries which were homemade and tasted similar to in-n-out or five guys, if you ever had those. For a little over $10 for that meal was a small price to pay for fresh, which you wouldn't think came from a pub- looking exterior. I liked how the sweet tea didn't taste extremely sweet like the way its typically loaded with sugar. The service was great and even the cook himself brought us out a bun to eat the pulled bbq like a sandwich, which you must try with the chicken/cole slaw combination. They only charged like 35 cents for the bun. Prices for everything else were great, an awesome deal. We were even going to go back again before leaving but too bad they were closed on Sunday. Wife and I had a great time just sitting and chatting over good food by the fireplace. read more

BBQ was great! We had a mix of the BBQ sandwiches, ribs, bologna sandwich, chicken tenders and more. The hot wings were delicious also! Don't let the look fool you, they are open and have good food! Only gave four stars because their sides could use some improvement. Otherwise it was delicious! read more

Bad Wolf BBQ catered my wedding at Parkway Marina on October 8, 2011 at Smith Mountain Lake. Our wedding was an informal casual affair and their food was excellent. Everything was tasty and delicious! Fred was awesome at organizing our event, knowing what to serve, making suggestions and keeping our price down. So appreciated it as we were on a fairly tight budget!! Guests talked about how good the food was and we had wonderful leftovers. I can't say how pleased I was about the whole experience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

this is the worst bbq I have ever had, and I grew up in North Carolina (with both vinegar and tomato based kinds), plus family in Texas.

This is a great option for cheap, good barbeque. The pulled pork is good but not smoky and you can get your choice of sweet or carolina sauce. One drawback, if you don't like the smell of cigarette smoke, is that the adjoining bar is open to the dining room, and there are folks smoking in there. That's why three stars. Otherwise would be four stars. read more

Some of the best BBQ I've had. I was only in town for one day and I was sorry I couldn't eat there twice! Very reasonable prices and good portions. If I'm ever close by again, I am definitely planning a return visit. I got the pulled pork sandwich platter; it included slaw, hush puppies and two pretty big sides. Collard greens were great as was the potato salad. Cool place inside but easy to overlook from the busy road. I'd definitely recommend it. Also, they have a kids menu for the little eaters that may be picky. read more