31 weeks pregnant and I had a CRAVING for Whitt's bbq sandwich. got over there and they were closed. decided I still needed bbq and went to baw baws. let me tell you it was better than whitts and and made my pregnant self so happy. I could've eaten 5 but only had 2 instead. One for me and one for baby of course. And the peach fried pie was so good too read more

Such a friendly, 'make yourself at home' atmosphere! You can smell the barbecue smoke when you get near and it makes your mouth water. It's a super cute restaurant with a homey feel and it's right behind Kreme Delite and across from the Farmer's Market. The atmosphere is very laid back and quiet. Very relaxing. Sometimes they have live music and that's nice too. They have different special events and visitors at times but it's always advertised so you know ahead of time. There is plenty of parking across the street and it's just a short walk to the front door. The menu offers pulled pork plate or sandwich, ribs, chicken, brisket and there's even a barbecued bologna sandwich called a Buster burger. The potato salad is right on the mark with no onions. The baked beans are out of this world with pulled pork mixed in and a nice sweet, smoky flavor. We also got the banana pudding for dessert and it's so good. We've been to BawBaw's several times and we keep coming back. We've had the chicken and it was cooked to perfection. Nice and juicy inside, not dry like most barbecue chicken. But you'll still want to dip it in that delicious white sauce. So yummy. The brisket is fall apart tender and so tasty. The pulled pork is wonderful and not greasy and we love their pulled pork sandwich. The ribs are tender and flavorful. So far, everything we've eaten has been delicious and we have no complaints. We're working our way through the menu. The owners really care whether or not you enjoy your food and usually come out to chat for a bit. All the meats are cooked fresh daily and the sides and desserts are made fresh daily as well. Service is fast and friendly and the food is excellent and reasonably priced. We will definitely be back again and we highly recommend! Get you some BawBaw's barbecue! We are so glad to have this great restaurant in Athens. read more

The brisket is delicious, moist and fall apart tender. It also has a good smoked flavor. The potato salad is good, but the pinto beans are heaven on earth! The ribs were a complete letdown. They were so dry that I gave them to my grandson who loves jerky. I forgot to mention the sandwich included in the picture of the rib/brisket combo. The sandwich is reportedly (future grandson-n-law's take) too small and he would have preferred the slaw on the side. My grandson tried the bar-b-que nachos and says that it was good despite not liking bar-b-que. read more

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A few weeks ago, I was trying to kill some time between finishing work in Decatur and a late afternoon appointment in Huntsville. I thought I'd split the difference and have a late lunch in Athens. I'd seen a video hyping up this place on Facebook very recently. I think it's a fairly new bbq spot as I don't remember seeing or hearing about it until the last 3-4 months or so. It's located in a smallish standalone building not far from the square, just a bit behind the Kreme Delite. There's a large lot nearby for parking. You can smell the smoke from outside, which tends to be a promising sign. The inside is simplistic but clean and comfortable with a decent amount of seating. Personally, I could've done without the Fox News playing on the TV (or really any news - just not the most relaxing ambience at the current point in time, lol) but it was late afternoon and relatively slow so I get playing something to help the time pass. The little stove/heater was cute. You order at the counter. They don't have a fountain drink machine yet so drink options are limited to bottled and canned drinks. The menu is somewhat small but has a large variety of bbq choices, to include pulled pork, ribs, brisket, and chicken. Sides are baked beans, slaw, potato salad, or chips. I like a larger selection of sides (largely because I can take or leave slaw and largely can just leave baked beans, lol), but I understand this is a family-run business still firing up, so it's not a huge deal. Since I wasn't too pulled by any of the sides, I wound up with a sandwich combo with chips and a bottled Diet Pepsi. Service was very welcoming at the register and brought my food out to me with a smile. Two employees/perhaps the owner also came to check on me while I was eating and get my opinion on the food. It felt thoughtful and I definitely got the sincere sense they cared. I got the sandwich all the way, which for here means it came with slaw, pickles, mayo, and bbq sauce. In the future, I'd definitely leave off the pickles just because they quickened the softening of the bun and kind of just dominated the flavor of everything else a little too much. That's okay, they were easy to remove. The slaw was also a *little* vinegary for me, but I like a super creamy slaw so YMMV. That said, I can't remember the last time I had mayo on a bbq sandwich but imo it really worked here! It added a smooth, creamy richness and I was glad it was there. The stars of the show, as I see it (bbq and bbq sauce) were everything they ought to be and I enjoyed them. The sandwich was large and had a generous portion of meat placed carefully on the bun. The sauce is a nice balance of sweet and vinegar, neither too thick nor too thin. I definitely splashed more on my sandwich because I enjoyed it so much. The pork was flavorful, smoky, and tender. There were a few pieces with bark still on them, but not too many, just enough to add a little bit of crunch. The meat was tender but not completely falling apart, which is definitely how I prefer my pulled pork. Also not greasy at all. A very good pulled pork sandwich. Surprisingly, there's not a ton of bbq restaurants in the Athens area, but of the ones I've tried, this one definitely reigns supreme. Give them a try if you're in the area; I'd definitely return when I'm around and craving bbq. I look forward to seeing them continue to grow. read more

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Service was excellent and the atmosphere was great. Pulled pork melts in your mouth and has plenty of flavor (didn't need sauce). Baked beans and potato salad was also great. read more

BawBaw’s BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Athens, Alabama

BBQ sandwich is delicious and packed full of meat. We will definitely be stopping here for lunch again.

Not a worth my money was expecting something good to eat. The pull pork had no sauce with it taste more like vinegar taste

Got two rib plates ribs didn't have much meat on the ribs because of the meat being so dry. you can most definitely tell the meat had been cooked four days ago and being reheated a few times read more

We had pulled pork sandwich, ribs, beans and slaw. We also tried the bologna. Everything was very tasty and the owners and staff are very friendly. For us, the star of the show was the baked beans. They had a great smoked flavor and they were just excellent in consistency and flavor. read more

Fantastic! We went on a Wed night @5. Very slow night in general for Athens bc even iron and ales was quiet. We took my dog so I went in to see what I wanted then my bf went in and ordered. I got the pulled pork and he got the brisket both with Cole slaw and potato salad. The pulled pork was good but the brisket was perfect with a great smoke flavor to it. The coleslaw is vinegar based which I love. I know some people prefer the mayo based. The potato salad was very tasty! The meal comes with a roll as well. I didn't look too closely at the menu bc I knew what I wanted. We took our food to go and ate at one of the tables at the farmers market bc the weather was perfect and bc I brought my dog. They don't sell alcohol but if you want a drink, iron and ales is really close by. BawBaws has the best BBQ I've had in Athens and I can't wait to go back and try the ribs and chicken. You know it's going to be good when you see all the wood and the smoke from the smokers read more

Thank you so much. Such hospitality above and beyond. What a cute feel at home place! When I walked in you made me feel so welcome. Your customers were so nice. Food was stellar. My surprise sandwich was out of this world. Thank you for making me feel 100% welcomed! You definitely know BBQ! ~The Wagon Lady :) read more

Really great brisket sandwiches! The beans are amazing! Everything is cooked daily and the place is super cute! read more

BawBaw’s BBQ - Menu - Barbeque Near Me - Athens, Alabama

The restaurant was super clean and very well set up. Service was really fast and everything was correct with order. Got the pulled pork sandwich and it was really good. My kids loved the brisket sandwich. Their beans were on point super smoky and tasty. Staff was very nice as well. read more

If you haven't had BawBaws you are missing out, great food and great people. And the cutest little restaurant ever.