Tried Buddy's for lunch before the Tennessee Wesleyan lacrosse game today. Buddy's has a drive through and a dining room. You order at the counter and wait for it at the counter. We were asking the staff some questions about the food and the local area, but they didn't have much to say to us. We got the brisket dinner with slaw and green beans (comes with hushpuppies as well) and 16 hot BBQ wings. The brisket is sliced (sandwich style). The green beans were quite tasty. Slaw was okay. Didn't try the hushpuppies. The wings were good. Not bad. I would come back to try something else. read more

Buddy’s bar-b-q - Brisket dinner in the foreground and bbq hot wings in the background. - Barbeque Near Me - Athens, Tennessee

We always go to Buddy's for good local BBQ in Athens, TN. Their serving sizes are nice and you can get a small or large pulled pork sandwich. I love their half smoked chicken. We have really enjoyed the sides as well. My mom (age 94) gets so excited to see her dinner come through the door. Lemon pie is our favorite dessert. And the staff/family is kind and friendly. They go the extra mile for their customers. read more

Great place to eat , friendly staff and good service, the food is really good if your in the mood for BBQ.

The food is always fresh, hot and oh so good. Value is great and customer service is excellent.

Everyone is friendly and good was great! always love coming here! my favorite is the hawgback potato with por. The hot fudge cake is awesom!

while their food is delicious, their customer service is not! It's wonderful to work young people - I applaud you for that but PLEASE train them in the area of customer area, seriously lacking! I came in yesterday to place a large order and a couple of the employees were just rude. retuned today to pick up my $200 order and again just rude, no CS experience. "Whine", no one even offered to help me carry out 4 large boxes, one contains 5 1/2 gallons of tea. I mean? I don't usually complain but how does that help the establishment to do better? sorry. read more

Ok so this is the Tennessee's version of Sonny's barbecue. It has a drive though the food is good for fast food but not Barbecue enthusiasts. The meet Was like deli meat. The little boys running the front were funny to watch as they tried to act grown up. read more

The buffet was delicious and certainly worth it. My fish was hot and crispy,but not burnt! The chicken was good and not the green beans and the greens were very good. Price was reasonable and the buffet was nicely laid out. Plenty of sweets for the sweet tooth st the end. I did use the restroom and they could definitely use a little TLC! Nice meal ! -1* because of the restroom. read more

great food and great service you can always count on! it's a local favorite of ours !

A great, local barbecue spot. Pulled pork, green beans, baked beans, and wings (dry rub) were all tasty! The hush puppies were exceptional - super crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. I believe you can get more hushpuppies at no extra cost too, as they offered us more at our table. I also appreciated the fact that the pork wasn't drowned in barbecue sauce, a big mistake that i see far too often. read more

Buddy’s bar-b-q - ows a tray of food - Barbeque Near Me - Athens, Tennessee

Good pulled pork sandwich but nothing special. Very nice folks, though. Recommended.

10/29 around 6:45p I went to Buddy's in Athens. When I walked up to the counter to order, the cashier definitely didn't want to be there. She was very standoffish, never smiled one time while I was ordering. I ordered the half chicken with corn on the cob and potato salad. The chicken was TERRIBLE! The skin was burnt and distasteful. The chicken meat was dry and almost inedible. I took it back and asked for another one. It was the same way. I love love corn on the cob but this corn was cold. Not even warm and I was to the end of my rope and my meal ruined. The dining room floor was dirty and many of the tables needed to be wiped down. When I got up to leave the cashier was just standing leaned against the wall by the register. read more

I was wooed by the tag line of the BBQ that fed the world. Maybe in 1982 the freshness was better than it was during my visit. The French fries were cold, the bun was bordering stale and the brisket was meh... it made me wish I had one of those New Cokes everyone at the fair went nuts about to wash it down. The counter staff was polite but they didn't seem very excited to have a customer there maybe their ennui seasoned my meal. Maybe they need a little Sunsphere in their lives. read more

Good barbecue for a reasonable price: we got the pork plate and pork sandwich and side. It's actually a better deal to get the dinner and 2 sides. Still, it was a good size sandwich, ample green beans, and everything was good. They aren't too busy tonight, but everyone who is here is enjoying the food. Staff is friendly & efficient. Restaurant is clean. read more

Buddy’s bar-b-q - Pork sandwich and green beans - Barbeque Near Me - Athens, Tennessee

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I enjoyed the food but my husband didn't. It's all in individual taste. I went through the drive-thru. All were very nice.

When we started planning a trip to TN, my daughter's boyfriend said his one request was to stop at a Buddy's BBQ. We stopped for gas in Athens and found one just down the road for lunch. You can't beat the reasonable prices and the size of the portions - take advantage if you can, especially if you are headed to Gatlinburg where everything is overpriced! We each got a BBQ pork sandwich. The meat has no sauce on it, so you can add either of the two sauces at the table if you want. I'm a fan of sweet, thick sauce and enjoyed the mild sauce. The fries were absolutely covered with goodness and huge chunks of chicken, not just little shreds. None of us got the hushpuppies, but they still came by the table and offered us some. The hot fudge sundae is only $2 and is a huge brownie/cake with tons of ice cream and hot fudge. I couldn't believe how big it is. Can't complain when we got all that food as well as three drinks for about $25! read more

Buddy’s bar-b-q - Regular pork BBQ sandwich and fries - Barbeque Near Me - Athens, Tennessee

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Always a solid choice for a tasty meal. Their baked beans are the best in town! Yum!

This is a favorite fast food barbecue I mean where else can you get a huge potato full of barbecue cheese sour cream for less than 10.00 with your sweet tea!!!! We love it on any busy day and it will fill you up while keeping those taste buds bursting with flavor read more

Very interesting place to say the least. Funny enough we were riding around Athens TN looking for some breakfast and we noticed this bbq place nearly packed and decided to try it. You may laugh but we had bbq for breakfast. It was the best bbq sauce I ever had for starters and the meats just fell off the bone. And the best part? Cheap!!!!!!! And the staff? Super friendly read more

Buddy’s bar-b-q - ows a tray of food on a table - Barbeque Near Me - Athens, Tennessee

Stopped here for lunch yesterday while I was passing thru and got the BBQ Chicken meal with BBQ beans and French fries. They also include hush puppies with the meal. The smoked BBQ Chicken was excellent, great smoke and flavor, very tender and juicy. Tried both BBQ sauces on the table which were the house mild and then the hot, both were quite good but since I would be driving back to the Atlanta area and be in the car for a few hours figured I would use the mild and not risk the flaming rectum sauce. BBQ beans were very simple and appeared to be canned beans with some BBQ sauce added so nothing to write home about but they are still good; just not the best BBQ beans I have ever had, not even in the top 10 but they tasted fine and I ate them. The fries were actually quite good, would have liked it if they had given me a few more and that they had been hot and fresh which was weird since they literally had just opened but they too were eaten and I would get them again. The BBQ Chicken was the star and I would not hesitate to order that again and would definitely eat here again. They had several dessert options including the fudge cake but I did not try anything else. Recommended strongly with a caveat; my review is based upon one visit. They could improve on making sure the BBQ sauce bottles at each table are cleaned each day. One of the bottles at my table had some dried sauce on the bottle. Dining room itself was actually very clean with the exception of a fly that had obviously come in from outside when the door or drive thru window was opened. I did use the restroom to wash my hands before leaving and it seemed well stocked, and clean. read more

I went there to order the ribs sauce on the side and now that all I want I want to try something else but I'm hooked on the ribs they are awsome read more

went tonight. three up 1) bbq was good 2) tea was good 3) girl at window was friendly three down 1) fries were stone cold and mushy 2) no sauce on the side as we requested 3) no slaw or anything on the sandwich, just plain read more

Loved this place. We were visiting from out of town and saw this place and figured we would give it a try. Jacob and Kaylee were wonderful and really showed us some southern hospitality. Food was Ok, but right now with service jacking this place deserves 5 stars just for that! read more

Still good but not as good as was years back. BBQ still got a great taste but seemed dried than before.

Good food, fast service and correct delivery order. Excellent burnt ends and brisket.

My spouse and I were looking for good southern style BBQ while driving north through Tennessee. This place is a chain originally started in knoxville, tn. It is average for what we had. The BBQ chicken sandwich was good, fries average. They have loaded baked potatoes, but ran out just before we got there on a Sunday at 12;30 pm. Loaded pork French fries did not cut it. The complimentary hush puppies were good. Will not return real soon. read more

Stopped here for an affordable lunch while driving through. Hubby and I split a combo dinner plate with green beans and slaw. The combo dinner comes with ribs, pork, and chicken. The ribs were amazing, the meat came right off the bone and was juicy. The pork wasn't bad but the chicken was a little dry. The slaw tastes like KFC's which to me is yummy. The green beans well, were green beans. Hubby enjoyed the hush puppies. For BBQ sauce, they had two options at the table, mild or hot. The mild had a little kick but nothing my sensitive taste buds couldn't handle. Hubby said the hot had a tangy kick, like Tabasco. Overall not a bad choice for an affordable quick bite to eat. On a side note, the bathrooms could use some up-keeping. read more

My husband ordered the brisket dinner and I ordered the brisket sandwich. The meat was dried out like jerky. Saw mostly kids and 1 middle aged man working in the kitchen. We barely ate any of our dinner and left. We won't go back. read more

Love love love their BBQ and hushpuppies! I grew up eating Buddy's and there's just nothing like a pulled turkey BBQ sandwich with Buddy's hot sauce and a side of hushpuppies. When I visit home, we love to pop in Buddy's and get the lil' piggy packs, as its the perfect amount of BBQ to eat while on a road trip - no one wants to feel hugely full riding down the road! It seems like the piggy pack sandwich has gotten smaller, as its now just a bit bigger than a Krystal, but honestly, it is so good. I love that the pack comes with animal crackers; I always save them for later. Our food was absolutely perfect on our last visit. I wish I had more time to explore their menu, or that I was there on a weekday, when they seem to have awesome specials ($1 hot fudge cake?!?!?). Yummy! Buddy's, move to Atlanta!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 read more

Buddys BBQ is some good eatin'. It's a fast food BBQ place that claims it "cooks it slow, serves it fast". The food was 3 stars and was decent but what gives it a 4 star rating was it's price. The dinners are only $6 to $10 and you get sides. Is it the best bbq, well, no but it is decent and a deal at that price. read more

Very good pulled pork sandwhich. I ordered the large sandwhich (which I would call regular) with french fries and tea all for $6.61. So, a great price. I would recommend getting the fries unsalted unless you are fond of it. Will try potato salad next time. Great convenient location from I 75. read more

I love their lemonade also the hot fudge cake with icing omg lol I can taste it while writing this lol.

Walked in this evening and a new person on the register taking orders. Place wasn't busy but there was a line at the register which was confusing. One couple asked for two half chicken dinners with other fixins and drinks. They paid and waited to be told a few minutes later the restaurant was out of half chickens. The young man on the register asked them what they wanted in its place and they said their money back. They wanted nothing else. As they was leaving a young lady employee walked up confused and didn't understand why they had left. She was told "you don't have what they wanted" and they left. She still didn't understand. It was my turn to order and I asked for the all you can eat ribs which they have on Saturdays. The register guy asked the young girl "do we still have the Saturday all you can eat ribs? She said no and they was out of ribs. Ok, so you are out of ribs AND half chicken dinners? They lady looked at me and said "do you want to order something else? I said no I had my heart set on the all you can eat ribs, I'll go somewhere else. I never saw a manger and the employees looked like they was all lost. One employee was cursing a lot behind the counter which was unprofessional. The place was dirty, dirty floor, dirty tables so I'm kinda glad I didn't eat there. Before I walked out I looked back to see if there was in fact a manager and I never saw one. I don't think I will ever go back to this buddy's bbq. The company really needs to step in at the restaurant. read more

I gave this place 2 stars because the wings were terrible and the BBQ sauce was real vinegary. For this being the south I expect great BBQ. This was cheap fast food. I had never been here and figured I'd give it a try. I'll never eat there again. The wings tasted like a sterile hospital smells. read more

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I just moved from Birmingham where we have some of the best bbq around. Buddy's is very good bbq and I frequent it often . Highly recommend it. The sauce is very good read more

We usually love Buddy's BBQ. Both my daughter and I have some health issues and cannot eat gluten. Usually Buddy's in other locations have been understanding with us and willing to substitute items. We asked if my daughter could switch out the cookie for a small bit of ice cream. The cashier was understanding and called over the manager named Martha. Martha was very curt with us. She didn't know what gluten was and we tried to explain that it's anything with flour. She was very rude and short with us and said they would not do that and walked away. I will be writing the company next. We asked very nicely. There was no reason for the rudeness. It would not have hurt them at all to substitute a small amount of ice cream for a cookie for a little girl who gets sick if she eats gluten. I am very disappointed in the attitude given to us by this manager. read more

Not a bad dive for a small town barbecue joint. Good barbecue and even better brownie. Great quick fix when you are craving barbecue.

Pretty good for an order-at-the-counter place. Got the combo, pulled pork, chicken and ribs. The pulled pork was good. Chicken was dry (even the dark meat) and the ribs a tad on the chewy side. Sauce is in the side, which I prefer, and is their own. I tried both the mild and the hot, and both were good. Sides were good. I got green beans. Very flavorful. Their hush puppies are indeed excellent. Made with green v white/yellow onions which was new to me. read more

Was hoping for something better than fast food, but this wasn't it. Slow, confused service. I ordered items listed on theirmenu with no special changes. I had to ask for the cup for my fountain soda, defend my choice of a shake to lady who wouldn't make it and instead asked the cashier to do it (it was shake mix plus chocolate syrup), and repeat the sandwich order 3 times to the cook. read more

Always fresh, always fast and always better than McDonald's! I even like the sweet old lady's who comes around with a basket passing out extra hush puppies...great place for lunch. read more