Unfortunately, our visit to this barbecue joint was a disappointing experience that did not live up to its past reputation. The restaurant was nearly empty, a bad sign that should have been heeded immediately. The brisket was the first letdown. It was served lukewarm and had a very faint, almost non-existent smoke ring. The lack of a proper smoke ring suggests it was cooked too quickly without the long, slow process that gives great barbecue its depth of flavor. The ribs were a slight improvement. The meat did fall off the bone, but the flavor was just okay. The sauce lacked any real punch, leaving the overall experience feeling mediocre at best. While they were above average, they were far from remarkable. We chose to skip the sausage entirely after learning it wasn't made in-house, which felt like a missed opportunity to showcase genuine barbecue craftsmanship. Given the mediocre food and the restaurant's desolate state, I would not recommend returning to this establishment. It's a sad example of a once-great place that has lost its way. read more

Bodacious Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Kilgore, Texas

Quick and smooth service. I enjoyed the dry ribs and onions. It was a side-road bbq pit. Nothing spectacular just hungry

Stopped here on our way to a vacation. Had no idea they had a location off IH20. So convenient. I used to always get their chopped beef sandwich when I would visit my parents in Tyler. Love their barbecue!! Sandwich was delicious as always! Everyone was very East Texas courteous and nice. Wish I lived closer to a Bodacious location. read more

Some of the best barbecue in Texas! Helpful staff, excellent food and some of the best sauce around. My whole family loves going here.

I wanted to come and share our amazing customer service from Bailey and Madison!!!! We came here today and yesterday to (the Kilgore location) and our food was hot, fresh, delicious, well prepared, and very tasty!!! The pecan pie was soooooo good as well.. I had to get them on both days... smiling!!! "THIS PLACE IS POPPING AND WORTH EVERY DOLLAR!!!" THIS WAS THE BEST FOOD!!!!! They're very friendly, well mannerable, courteous, and have a amazing customer service. We thank you both!!!! KATRINA :) read more

Wanting some "authentic Texas" comfort food, we pulled off the highway for a look-see...we ordered enough for the 5 of us and weren't disappointed, not in the least. From the baked beans /mac and cheese / potato salad sides to the ribs, chicken and homemade sauce, it was worth the stopover. A big shout out to server Nina who could see we weren't from around here for suggesting a meal out of the ordinary. If we ever visit these parts again, you can for sure find us here. Military discount, strong free wifi and a clean dining area...good times! read more

See all

Not bad brisket a little on the dry side price wasn't bad for what you got easy access to I-20

The Kilgore location provided ribs, chopped lean beef, buns and Barbeque sauce for 16 people December 23rd. We made our own baked beans and potato salad and lots of extra on charcuterie boards. Everyone enjoyed doing something easier and different this years. Hats off to all Bodacious staff for such a wonderful job. read more

We've been going to bodacious for as long as I can remember. Think were up in East Texas so it was a staple in our family. This time we were driving through and stopped for lunch. We had a little picnic in the back of our SUV while our little dog was able torun around on a leash in the grass. Brisket has always is flavorful moist tender! The sides are fabulous. Will be back. read more

Still my favorite BBQ spot ever and there's no shame about it! I love stopping here when I'm driving from DFW to NOLA. My most recent stop was a few days ago post covid-19 stay at home orders. You can order to go inside and the tables outside are open to eat at. Like always, the brisket is fantastic and the sauce hits the spot! This time I tried the chocolate pie and it was worth every calorie! If you're going to East Texas, Bodacious is a must stop shop! read more

Country Tavern is far better than any other in Kilgore, but if you want to stay closer to town, Bodacious is decent. Meat is dry and tasteless, but with plenty of sauce, it'll do. read more

I can't drive through east Texas and NOT stop and eat at Bodacious !!! The chopped brisket sandwich is out of this world !! I worship the potato salad , the beans , and the slaw !!! The service is wonderful and friendly !! read more

Bodacious Bar-B-Q - Can't wait to come back !!!! - Barbeque Near Me - Kilgore, Texas

Stopped by here on the way home from a baseball game. Let's just say that it was a strike out. I ordered a slab of ribs and a brisket sandwich. The ribs were flavorful but under cooked. If I were closer, I would have returned them. The meat was tough and the the fat was not rendered out. The brisket sandwich was dry and lacked flavor. This visit was a disappointment for sure. The staff never acknowledged my presence until it was time for me to order which was indicative of the whole experience. For the money spent and the Bodacious name, I expected better. read more

Thought we give this a try. Hubby grew up in this area & after hearing about how wonderful this place is compared to Bill Millers. First off I love Bill Millers chop! I guess we all have our preferences based off of childhood experiences. This chop was decent, I've had better The sausage was rather bland. Was in dire need of seasoning. The potato salad was lacking seasoning as well The Mac & cheese was decent. I probably would never eat here again. Seriously the pics are not appealing at all. Save your money could probably get a better meal @ truck stop! read more

Bodacious Bar-B-Q - Just mediocre - Barbeque Near Me - Kilgore, Texas

Closed @7:30 when they're supposed to be open until 8. Workers still inside, just lazy.

Horrible. I mean horrible. The chopped beef and pulled pork had no smoke. No salt. No pepper. No bark. The Mac and cheese tasted like it was from a bag. And the gumbo? Not even close. How do you not season your food? It's obvious that nobody is tasting what they're serving. This deserved no stars but that wasn't an option. read more

The food is good. Could really use a drive-thru window or curbside. I would think for the prices of the meat they could at least do curbside. It would most likely increase sales if they. Lots of disabled people in wheelchairs that just don't want to lug the chair out to go in and get takeout. read more

Great place right off the highway. Beef was tender and chicken was very moist. Very clean and large. Lots of desserts to chose from. Big windows to look out if you need to keep an eye on your rug. Place to park large rigs and 18 wheelers too. We tried the pecan pie and it was good. Everyone very nice. read more

Bodacious BBQ is a hot or miss at there locations. Could use more Wood Smoke and less Gas. I ordered a slice beef sandwich and it was skimpy on the brisket which was very dry and bland....had to really pour on the bbq sauce to wolf it down. read more

Bodacious Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Kilgore, Texas

The daily specials are great. Especially on Wednesdays when they have "the Mailman." It's an amazing sandwich with their best slow smoked chopped beef and spicy links mixed up in the same meal. Top it off with the best gumbo west of the Red River and you have a meal fit for a real mailman. read more

Bodacious Bar-B-Q - The Mailman - Barbeque Near Me - Kilgore, Texas

First time in many years to the restaurant. Very clean. Huge. Customer service was great. Had the ribs. They were dry. The potato salad was good. Mac and cheese was awesome. Peach fried pie...homemade! Great ambience for a barbecue place. Had a beer with my meal. Will go back for sure. ***5% discount when paying with cash! read more

See all

Not very kid friendly and not good food. It's about the only place in town to eat which is a shame. Put a hot dog stand across the street and this place would be done for read more

Not really. Keep driving. Seriously, there are other BBQ joints on this stretch of road. Keep going!

Smoked turkey and sausage are great. As far as Texas brisket goes...seriously lacking in flavor. Probably my favorite BBQ sauce. Staff is mostly robotic and borderline rude. read more

Come on guys, you've been a solid 4**** for the 30+ years we've been eating here. Stopped by today and had tasteless brisket, no smoke ring, connective tissue still intact, spongy, nearly gray meat.......get the idea? We've eaten here easily 50 times, maybe 100, and never had such mediocre (not bad mind you) brisket. Let's pick it up ok? :) read more

Nice folks and good barbecue! We took a coconut pie to go for a party. It was frozen and we were not told that. Bummer. Can't say if it was good since .... frozen. read more

I would come here for high school lunch when I was a junior and senior to get chopped brisket sandwiches. They were cheap, and it was delicious barbecue. This year, we actually ordered brisket for Christmas lunch and picked it up the evening before. It reheated well, and we had plenty of that famous Bodacious sauce to go with it. If you are having a big group of people over, get some meat here. They have the meat. It is also a good place to just stop in and grab some barbecue, and isn't very far from I-20 if you are just passing through. read more

We always stop at this location. 2x/month. Today, we stopped and bought 4 pounds of ribs and the girl on the register told us that we had to pay for slices of bread and that they were only free with a plate. Now mind you 4 lbs of ribs is more expensive than a plate and I was just here last week and the nice young man on the register gave me the bread with my 1 lbs of rib purchase. I am not happy about this. What is the actual policy?? read more

Business Lunch- And Jenn went too! We were in town seeing some suppliers and made the trip up Hwy 42. I had the turkey, Jenn had the chopped and Kelly had the sliced. I didn't hear anyone complain and no one left anything on their plate. Food Quality- Good Service - not so much but it's not a deal breaker. read more

i paid a visit to the kilgore location me and a few patients for kilgore davita just left the clinic after dialysis 3 of us wanted chopped beef sandwiches and one wanted potato salad and a piece of pie as i told the expediter place the sandwiches in individual sacks cause i had their money and as i approached the cashier she was very rude and obnoxious she kept telling me to hurry and pay mind you this was at 2:45pm in the afternoon and i was the only one in line the wait staff was nice but her the cashier attitude should not be in customer service i give this rating of 1 star..will not frequent this place ever again. read more

I have to say that was a prime example of poor customer service! Started to order and my husband stalled for a second on what he wanted and the lady walked away. Then proceeded to get on her phone then turned around and leaned on the counter all the while we are still standing at the counter wondering what just happened. I then got mad and turned to leave and my husband finished ordering. He said the lady never apologized. Sorry won't be back! read more

I had the ribs and they were ok but the cole slaw, potato salad and pinto beans were to throw away Awful awful and I will never ever go back to this place. Save your hard earned money. read more

If you are looking for good Texas bbq, keep looking. I come from the Lockhart school of bbq; If you need sauce, it's not good bbq. I needed sauce to eat this stuff. Without sauce, there was almost no flavor. I knew as soon as I walked in that I was in trouble because that awesome smoky aroma of a good bbq joint was almost non-existant. And I was right because there was very little smoky flavor. In addition, even though I ordered the moist brisket, it was very dry. It could have been left over from the day before. The hot links were better, with a nice bite to them but, again, very little smokiness in them. I was able to enjoy them without resorting to sauce though. It was unfortunate that they did not care enough to slice them all the way through though. Overall, very mediocre bbq. read more

I had the brisket sandwich and some butter pound bread. It was all delicious! I didn't get to try the ribs, but I will next time's if highly recommend this place if you're in the area. read more

We stopped at Bodacious while passing through on a Friday afternoon around 2PM. My wife & I both had the combo plate with Brisket & Ribs. We both had the gumbo, I had potato salad & she had the cole slaw. The Brisket was not bad. Had 2 of the 3 elements of good brisket, flavor and tenderness. Was missing the moistness. The ribs, while promised as "just taken off the fire" by the person that took our order, tasted more like something that had been in your refrigerator 2 days. My ribs smoked on my $45 smoker far outperform these. Very disappointing. Sides were OK, nothing special. All food was hot. Portions were average. All in all, disappointed in the results. read more

Bodacious is the stuff! Great barbeque - does not matter what you get, it's good. This place is huge. Plenty of seating, nice atmosphere, good service. read more

Well there's no question this is the best barbecue in East Texas, but they kinda suck when it comes to customer service. My wife and I live here and go quite regularly, so I know what I'm talking about. They act like they could care less that you're there. No smiling, no emotion - just gimme your damn order and move on. Then when we got to the register to pay, the girl had on headphones and actually got them stuck in the cash drawer when she was getting my change. I know they're just high school kids, but cmon! I spend my money where I know it's appreciated - even the McDonalds staff is trained to smile . So if you're pissed off at something and don't want to talk to another person for a while- but still want a good meal- go here. Or if you wanna see how little some people appreciate having a job and view you as just another bother coming in the door-this is the experience for you! read more

Food was great and seating clean,. But the only thing that bothered me was the flies! I kept shooing them away :(. That's the only reason I gave two. Should have to be bothered by flies especially when eating inside. read more

Texas style BBQ, with all the fixings. Ribs, chicken, turkey, sausage, & brisket. read more

Bodacious Bar-B-Q - BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Kilgore, Texas

See all

Went with family for lunch. Brisket sandwich had four thin, dry, tasteless pieces of meat. The sauce helped a little but good BBQ doesn't need sauce. Beans were hard and seemed to only have a little seasoning but were pretty bland. Prices were pretty steep for what you get. Can't understand why it's so busy when there is much better BBQ around. read more