I'll never understand a BBQ place which doesn't strip the membrane off of its ribs. Losing half the smoke! I steer clear of the ribs anyway. The brisket and pulled pork are where it's at. It's meat. In this day and age, expect high prices. Not their fault, I suppose, but for what it is, consider it pricey. read more

Consistencey and great food and always very clean and inviting they have the best nacho plate (my favorite) I also enjoy their pork steak (another favorite) there's not been one time I've been there in 20 Years where my order was wrong or the quality of food was poor I highly recommend read more

I gave them a try for lunch and it wasn't worth it. The brunt ends were dry! The cheesy potato tastes like they were made with Kraft cheese sauce. Surprisingly the potatoes salad was pretty good. read more

3-2-23 Ambiance - Pleasing To go order. Parking- Good and blacktop surface. BBQ shredded pork - 1 pound....absolutely delicious no bun. Side order cold slaw sweet vinegar dressing. BBQ sauce on the side (sweet) I normally order bbq chicken excellent and no fat or grease. Always Perfect. Leftover pork from refrigerator the next day. Pork is always excellent but today took a few bites of the pork straight from the refrigerator, did not heat, pork was still very good but you could taste the greasy bbq. I follow a strict no grease diet so in the future I will stick with the excellent chicken. This is always excellent bbq but with my restricted diet.....it's strictly bbq chicken for me. Highly recommend. read more

The house bbq sauce has a hint of spice and a hint of sweet that pairs beautifully with all of their meat offerings. The ribs are consistently perfectly seasoned and cooked - a crisp outside and juicy meat closer to the bone. The potato salad is mustard based and mild. Their sides stand out - baked beans are rich and flavorful, green beans are slow cooked deliciousness, and the cole slaw is tangy and finished with sesame seed kernels. The pulled pork is not my favorite. I find it to have a slight funkiness to the flavor that I don't enjoy. The rotisserie chicken is the best in town but due to supply chain issues it has skyrocketed in price and they rarely have it. read more

What a great BBQ place! Went in for lunch on a work trip and was very pleased. Ordered the brisket sandwich (after Fawn's recommendation) and it was amazing. Great meat, solid bun, a ton of chips, and a nice pickle. Others got the Carver's sandwich and the pulled chicken, and they both cleaned their plates. Excellent food, service, and price. Thanks! [Out-of-towner looking for good local places to eat.] read more

I ordered the meat by pound. The brisket was probably the best I've ever had. Good smoke flavor and very moist. The pulled pork was a little watery and lacking charred areas for me, but still flavorful. The chicken wings fell off the bone, but they weren't soggy or blubbery. The green beens and slaw were OK. I can't believe I'm a local and I'd never been here. I went back two days later. read more

Love this place. Try the Rib burger.. I know, it sounds weird, right? It's not! I got the rib burger sliders. Very tasty! The dudes are good, too. I've only eaten inside once but it's very clean and servers are nice. I mostly order to go. Everything is packed nice and exceptional service always. read more

Love Bar.B.Que, therefore I love Carver's. They have a good selection of meats and a good selection of sides to go with it. The service is friendly and fast. The ambiance is typical of a good Bar.B.Que restaurant. read more

Very good, family run bbq restaurant in Godfrey IL (near Grafton). Nice, clean, ample seating area with waitress service - didn't expect it! Menu offers some great, unusual options besids the standard pulled pork sandos and plates - such as tasty rib meat sliders and bbq meat loaded premium baked russet potatoes. Both were served hot, fresh, and proved perfectly filling when we stopped off for lunch this weekend. Nothing too fancy; good for families, private parking lot. Definately worth the drive as a break from eagle-watching or antiquing in the charming flatlands southern Illinois!! read more

We were pleasantly surprised with our dinner tonight. This little mom and pop BBQ restaurant that has been around since 1999, totally hit it out of the ball park. It is located on a side street, the storefront is very plain and the dining room is as stated in another review, very minimalist. However, their ribs and side dishes are top notch. In fact, they are better then some of the popular BBQ joints in the big city of STL. I drove by after work, running a local errand before going home and saw on their marque, Rib Dinner for 2 $23. Sounded good to me, so after completing my errand I called home and suggested their deal for dinner. We agreed to take a chance and give Carver's a try. I already know I will be picking dinner up from here again, in the future. Our dinner included; a full rack of ribs, four individual sides and two dinner rolls. Both of us enjoyed the cole slaw which was in a light vinegar and oil dressing with sunflower seeds sprinkled on top. Great flavor, it was not neither to sweet or tart. Goldie Lock's would say, "it's just right". I enjoyed the the green beans, which were fresh and made with bacon. Enough said, we all know everything is better with bacon. My dinning partner loved his baked beans. They were in a rich flavorful sauce and they too had pieces of bacon. It was obvious the sides we choose are definitely made in house. Our ribs were the biggest surprise. At first I had my doubts, when I saw they placed them in a Styrofoam container. I thought they'd wrap the whole rack up in aluminum foil, so we could cut them up at home. To our delight when we lifted the lid on our container, it was full of individual ribs. They had already done the carving for us and each rib was full of pull off the bone tender meat. Their dry rub added enough flavor for me, so I did not need either of the sauces they provided. The DP, did use the sauces and totally preferred their house which is a spicy sweet. The service was what you'd expect at a mom & pop, small town restaurant. It was relaxed, casual and friendly. They say, good things come in small packages. Perhaps we can also say, good restaurants come in small towns. When: 28MAR14 Why: Dinner read more

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This is a fantastic local BBQ joint. It is definitely not in a fancy building and when you drive up to the side of a run-down strip mall, you may think twice, but don't stop - head on in and you will be delighted! We ordered carry out and had the pulled pork, rack of ribs, smoked chicken salad, burnt ends, and a pork steak. The pulled pork was smokey and juicy, ribs were tender and full of meat, but the real star was the smoked chicken salad. Holy cow I could eat so much of that! It was served simple between two slices of sliced wheat bread, but you can also order dollar buns to make your own sandwiches if you'd prefer. Me, I loved the simple wheat bread sandwich and it did not disappoint. The only disappointing items were the burnt ends and pork steak. I have to admit, I don't order burnt ends, but I thought they were just too fatty. Maybe that's how folks like em, but for me it was too much. For the pork steak, that's an STL staple that I feel like you can't mess up around here. This pork steak was an inch thick and had way too much fat. I like a nice thin pork steak with good marbling, but this was just gross. We will definitely be back - oh I forgot to mention, their sauce is fantastic and makes everything better! Get the sweet and the hot and mix them together - perfection! read more

I would normally leave Carvers a 5 but last night I had the baked beans. They tasted like they came straight out of the can and heated. Terrible. If they start cutting corners with the rest of their food, they will lose me as a customer. read more

They always have great roast beef waiting for you. Friendly folks and reasonable prices.

Do not order from Carter's BBQ. There is a bait and switch price gouge in the restaurant. The price online shows $31.99 for the rib dinner for 2. When you order from the menu it is $44.00. I feel cheated. If they know( according to the worker) that the prices are not correct, then why not correct them? Customers beware! read more

Stopped in for lunch the other day with my daughter. Have eaten here before and know it is good food. Daughter orders side salad and shredded chicken sandwich. She said both were good. I had the shredded chicken nachos (chips with shredded chicken, queso and bbq sauce, jalepenos/sour cream on the side). Carver's makes their own sauce. I added a little more sauce to the top of the nachos. First time I had ordered the nachos here, was a little disappointed. Good flavor, but I felt like it was a bit too much cheese. I just felt they were lacking a bit in some way. Will definitely be back because they have really good food. read more

This restaurant was introduced to us by the local people. It was a rainy day, we came to Carver's to carry out some food for a party. The whole rack rib was only $17.99. I love them cut the rib for us. The meat was soft and nice. Light flavored, good for senior people. I love their BBQ sauce, both sweet and spicy are delicious. We also ordered 1 pound of beef brisket, $13.49. Soft and nice. Everyone likes it. And 3 quart sides, $7.75 each. The baked beans are amazing. I have to say that baked beans is not my thing. I never liked any baked beans before until this. This baked beans was sweet and soft. I really like this one. Not only me, the kids also love this baked beans. This potato salad was another thing that everyone likes. We'll definitely come back next time when we visit Alton. read more

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A full (albeit small) parking lot at 1pm midweek speaks to the popularity of Carver's. The St. Louis area has dozens of BBQ places with a number nationally ranked. Carver's might earn a spot on any short list of top suburban Q places. This place keeps its menu simple and straightforward. For midwestern BBQ fans that means the holy quartet of meats: chicken, ribs, pulled pork, and brisket. To satisfy St. Louisans Carver's also supplies pork steaks, which aren't on every other local BBQ joint menu. On a previous trip I enjoyed the tender, moist pulled pork. This time I tried the ribs, which come in 1/3, 1/2, and full rack options. I ordered the smallest with two sides. Four meaty ribs showed up with green beans, sweet slaw, and Texas toast. The tender meat easily detached from the bone. Because Carver's cut is the spare rib--rather than the St. Louis cut that removes the tip--you have to contend with the meat and cartilage bits of the tip. Ribs are dry rubbed but two sauces--sweet and spicy--are tableside. The spicy isn't too much, providing just a tongue tip tingle. Green beans were done well with bits of smoky meat added; the slaw wasn't overly sweet and included sunflower seed kernels on top for a signature effect. Carver's dining area is a plain eating space reminiscent of a lot of small town family restaurants. It's large enough for one or two groups, if necessary. read more

These guys catered for my visit to Ameren in Alton and I was impressed. So after work later that week, I visited the restaurant. I had a mixed platter of bbq and ribs. The food was excellent and the service is fantastic as well. Definitely recommend and will be back next time I am in Alton. read more

Good bbq, good prices and plenty if food. Being from the NC we love bbq. Wife had the ribs, were moist, tasty and sauce was very tangy and good. I had the smoked chicken wings. Loved the seasoning and they were very tender. A must stop. read more

Good BBQ! I come here at last once a week. I'm a big man but I can eat. I always leave ful.

Don't be fool by the look of the restaurant. Read my review below The service The servers were quick and fast. They took your orders and friendly. The food I did not expect that much from this very basic looking restaurant, but the ribs were great. Unlike a lot of restaurant claimed they have the best ribs, this one does not yet they really deliver one of the best. The meat of the ribs were grilled and cooked in a perfect way. The meat were so tender. You will love it. It was not hard at all. The bean beef soup were also great. Surprise surprise the atmosphere Might not be one of the top design restaurant. It is very basic looking. More into home style diner in a village. the decoration is minimalist. Yet you will feel comfortable inside The location Quite far and they have a private parking space that are not too big or too small. Should not be a problem to park. Without car, will be a bit difficult to get here read more

The food is always delicious. ALWAYS Unfortunately we made the mistake of going on a Friday at 6:30pm. We were immediately stopped as we entered the dining room by a young , blonde waitress. She told us in a very loud, rude tone that they were closing in 30 minutes. We asked if it was okay to still order food, since we already knew exactly what we wanted. She, very reluctantly, allowed us to be seated. You could tell by her attitude that we were not welcome. There were 4 other tables filled with dine in customers and some were still waiting for their food. So we didn't see the issue. We got our food and ate quickly. When we got up to leave, there were still two tables occupied. We went to pay and leave. After we paid, the young dark haired girl behind the counter, yelled at us as we tried to exit out the front door, saying that we couldn't go out the front door and had to exit through the dining room door. As always, the food was great and usually our service there is awesome, but we usually get the older waitress, not the young girls. Unfortunately I think the young girls were angry because they wanted out of there to go out and were not concerned about customer service at all. We felt embarrassed at being yelled at twice by your employees in front of other customers when we were just trying to eat some dinner. We will come back, because the food is really good. But if the customer service doesn't improve, we won't come back for long. I give 5 stars for the food but take away 4 of them for the extremely poor service that we received. read more

Great bbq, awesome sides! Great place to dine in or takeout! The bbq sauce is yummy!!

Verrrry disappointing meal at Carvers BBQ in Alton. Our first time there and we both ordered the Rib Tip Special.....Never order anything that's on Special. The rib tips were so dried out and had that left over taste that neither one of us could eat it. Apparently, their attempt at covering up this jerky with BBQ sauce and serving it still didn't hide that old leftover taste. This place may have many good reviews on Yelp, however it sure didn't make a very good first impression on our first meal there. I also noticed that the waitress didn't bother to ask how our meal tasted during our entire time there either. This meal we had today at Carvers was absolutely bottom of the barrel of any that I've experienced from other BBQ places. Places that serve food like this will only get me as a customer once.....and never again. read more

We stopped in for lunch while visiting our home town Alton. In all the years of coming back for visit I have never been here. What a wonderful choice and special find! We love BBQ and were in heaven when we ate here. I had a rack of pork ribs and my wife had a pork steak sandwich. The ribs were cooked EXACTLY how I like and were very oversized containing plenty of meat. My server also knew to ask if I wanted them sauce or not. I like getting ribs plain because many places like this have more than one variety. Carvers offer two sauce one being sweet and the other sweet with a medium spice. The sides of baked beans and coleslaw were amazingly different but delicious. If you are in the area and love BBQ Carvers is the place to go around Alton. read more

This place serves really good barbecue, better than most places in NYC, and I kind of like their style better than Carson's in Chicago. I tried the pulled pork, some ribs, and pork steak. Yummy. For sides, I really enjoyed the slaw (non-mayo-based, which had sunflower seeds) and green beans. I'm usually picky about the green beans because most canned ones remind me of how my elementary school served them (canned and had weird smell). In this case, these beans didn't have that scent, and there were pieces of meat (probably to offset typical scent). Anyway, I highly recommend this place with slaw and green beans. Tried the potato salad, and it was good, but a little to heavy with what I ordered. I would definitely come here again. Btw, their grill is a contemporary one, and this place is very clean. Saw them unload racks and racks of ribs. read more

Saw this little hole in the wall place while visiting my dad so we decided to stop in. Boy were we were in for a pleasant surprise! I couldn't decide if I wanted the ribs, brisket or pulled pork so the very friendly waitress suggested I do the try 3 sampler. I got a little bit of each meat and I'm so glad I did that because they all were delicious!! If I HAD to pick one I think of pilchards the pulled pork. Either way though, you won't be disappointed! read more

When it comes to BBQ, Carver's does it pretty well. In fact, they have a set amount they produce each day. So if you stop by after the lunch rush, you might miss out. The Pork Ka-bob is absolutely delicious and won't cost you an arm and a leg. The selection of sauces is minimal, but still a good place for a quick bite. read more

Absolutely Fabulous BBQ! Very quick and friendly service and excellent finger lickin food

Godfrey's best kept secret! This place has THE best BBQ and great menu of sides. Great service! We love this place!!

Ordered take out from this "Barbecue"" restaurant and got it home and "No" barbecue sauce I specifically ask for on the side! None on pulled pork at all??? Threw it in trash can- When I contacted the owner Jeff he said he would make it right on my next visit. Ordered again last night and I went in and he was there - He remembered the incident and said I will give you a bottle of 5.00 BBQ sauce so if we forget next time you will have it! REALLY.... I said keep your dinners, and left. Horrible customer service- If you keep treating your customers that way you wont have any business. read more

I actually cannot believe all of these good reveiws. The food was cold, the ribs still had the membrane on the underside, the brisket was sliced on the grain, the chicken was dry. None of the meat was smoked, though the restaurant descriptions say that meat is smoked daily. No visible smoke ring on anything. The smoker was outside and covered with a foot of snow. I am accustomed to great smoked meat, as my husband is an avid bbq'er. Even my children were disappointed, especially my 12 year old, who ordered the totally tasteless brisket sandwich. None of the meat was seasoned properly or sufficiently either. The only passable meat that we tried was the pulled pork, but still it was cold. I am not a bitcher, and have never left a negative review for a restaurant in my life. I love food, and love really good food, but these fundamental mistakes were just unacceptable for a strictly bbq restaurant. We love to frequent locally owned businesses instead of chains, but this one really needs to take a look at what is coming out of the kitchen a little closer. Plusses- the slaw was great, and the server was attentive. The pulled pork was decent. The restaurant was very clean. read more

Small but accommodating seating area with friendly service. Don't get to go often, but always enjoy it.

Great service and food in this family operated BBQ spot. 5 of us ate for about $70. The owner came out and talked with us. Don't miss this BBQ gem. The owner uses Mom's recipe for the sweet slaw and BBQ sauces. Put this on you gotta try list. read more

Carver's is the best BBQ in the RiverBend area. We always get the Family pulled Pork. Feeds 4-5 of us with some left over for less than $35. The sauce is great too. read more

Carvers is The best place around to get bbq! Plenty of options to choose from, but my favorites are the Ribs and Pulled Chicken. Always have a positive experience every time I go there. The staff and owner's are super friendly and the prices are great. You cant go wrong with anything you order, its all amazing! If i could give more than 5 stars I would. read more

Great BBQ. The spicy sauce has a good kick. I find the problem with a lot of St. Louis BBQ places is the sauce is always too damn sweet or just plain weak. These guys aren't afraid to do it right. Our sides were great too. My wife loved the home-style apple sauce. Takeout was very quick - just as fast as any fast food place. The dining area is extremely no frills. For all intensive purposes, this is a takeout place. Highly recommended. read more

The food is here is fantastic. The loaded baked potatoes are great and delicious. Pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans and cheesy hash browns make a great meal. The bbq nachos are very good also. The service is very good and attentive to the customers. read more

Best place to get barbecue in Alton. Recently went with a group and me and two others shared the meal for two. Comes with a little bit of all the meats and 4 sides. The ribs were delectable. Meat came cleanly off the rib. Not drenched in sauce, but there are three sauces to choose from on the table. All are very good. Original, sweet, and hot. Pulled pork was nice and meaty, not overly shredded, great flavor. Brat was tasty. Chicken kabob was a little dry. The king of the plate was easily the pork steak. I love pork steaks. It had sauce on it already. For sides we had two things of potato salad, beans, and cole slaw. The potato salad and beans were pretty standard, the slaw was vinegar based and actually a little too sweet for even me, it also was a little overloaded with sun flower seeds. The space is really nice inside and the waitress was very friendly, helpful, and attentive. Jacki said loving the pulled pork sandwich is an understatement. read more