Very disappointed. I ordered the brisket and sausage both were very oily, not greasy but oily. Brisket had too much fat on it making it impossible to pull it apart with your fork had to use a knife. The cornbread had a distinctive metallic taste and no sweetness. While so had the Mac and cheese and potato salad. Both were decent enough but not enough to bring me back. I was looking forward to having a great BBQ dinner, unfortunately, City BBQ missed the mark completely. read more

Whenever I go to Madison I will stop at City bar bq. Clean, everyone is nice, the food is great, prices are good. Food pictured at website exactly what you get, plentiful. Backround blues music nice touch read more

Liked the food, good flavor, not fatty, enough of each food item. Friendly service and the food was packed well. No Styrafoam,

This was our visit to this néw restaurant and wanted to try this for my daughter's birthday party and we ordered for carry out. Ordering process was ok, though a long wait for someone to take the order. After 15-20 mts someone called me to say that one of the orders (Judges sampler) which included the brisket was by available a d offered a free meat substitution. Was a bit disappointed but ok. We took the items for the party and found that the Texas toast and corn bread which was also part of the Judges sampler was not included in our delivery bag. It was too late to call them and complain and was definitely a poor first experience. Food was ok but cold. Ensuring delivery accuracy is a key aspect of carry out orders and if a restaurant cannot reliably ensure that it reflects very poorly. I hope they take this feedback seriously and take mitigating actions read more

Utterly surprising. I had expected to be underwhelmed by the quality of the barbecue (despite how good the wood smoking smells). But my daughter and I went and both loved our meats--brisket and sausage for me (nice heat on the sausage), and pulled pork for my daughter. And the sides were on point as well--those were the best and most consistent hush puppies I had and it is tough to go wrong with beans and bacon. The only drawback was that I had to ask for the sauces I wanted and I did not find most of them to my liking; the tended toward the sweet side. read more

Honestly terrible place. Ribs were dry and had no meat on them. Fries were bottom of the barrel with only little potato scraps. Even the Mac n cheese wasn't very good. Way too expensive as well. Nothing comes with a side?? Would not recommend if you looking to have a quality meal somewhere. read more

Service was amazing this new year. We had the ribs, pork, brisket and bbq chicken, everything was really good.

We used City BBQ to cater our summer camp wedding near Lake Geneva in Aug 2023, and they were absolutely fantastic. The quality of the food and service--our guests loved it. They also made sure to make a plate for both me as the bride and my now-husband--were it not for that I am sure we would have forgotten to eat! To top it off, City BBQ catering was great to work with. Andria worked with us and was such a pleasure--the amount of guests and order changed as we got closer, and she was great at making adjustments and working with us. We also did our tasting in the Chicago area which was so much fun. Shout out to Veneisha who catered that. Highly recommend City BBQ for catering a wedding--the food was incredible. So rare to find great food at a wedding for reasonable amounts! I'd give them 10 starts if I could. read more

This is a VERY poorly run place, they can't keep staff. Maybe treat your employees better!!

I pre-ordered lunch for a group of 12 in a training session. At the time it was supposed to arrive, I realized that I had ordered it for the wrong day. I called, they rewrote the order and put a rush on it. It was done and ready for pick-up within 20 minutes of my call. Everyone was polite, kind and professional. They even carried my large order out to my car for me. The food was great, but they get 5 stars from me just for their flexibility and for the customer experience. Great job to the employees at City BBQ West in Madison! You guys could teach lessons to some of the other places out there! read more

It's good. The pulled pork sandwich is good. The corn bread is good. And the fries are good. It's all around pretty good. Although I will say, the quality went down after the first couple times we went when they just opened. It seemed like the food had more appeal then than it does now. The hush puppies are super good and the desserts slap. I don't have verbally much to complain about...it's good. read more

Really good! We needed somewhere to stop for dinner while we waited for traffic to clear. The kid suggested City BBQ as she had been with her mother in the past. We made our online order, 3 sammiches, fries and drinks ($53) which seems a bit high. But the food really was filling and had great flavor. Hubby and the kid both got brisket sammich, fries with cheese sauce and a drink. Brisket was tender, moist, flavorful and the BBQ sauce served on the side was good. Fries come in a closed box with perforations in the box so that you can tear it open and put your cheese on. Cheese sauce is good, has a hint of spice which is similar to Nacho cheese. I had the Tennessee Hot Chicken sammich, fries and drink. The chicken had a spicy dry rub al over and was moist and hot. Really a great taste. Then I found the spicy Mayo that goes on the sammich. That is so good and spicy, next time I will make sure it is spread over the whole sammich. Quite spicy if you like that. The fries have a good overall taste but they are limp and soggy. They brought our order out to the car and aside from forgetting to give us napkins or silverware, everything was perfect. read more

We had the ribs and the brisket, as well as various sides. The ribs were nice and tender. The brisket was horrible. It was dry and hard, the worst brisket I have ever had from a BBQ restaurant. The service was fast and friendly (we did take out and it was ready early). read more

We have been here several times and have yet to be disappointed by the quality of the food. The major drawback to this place is that they can run out of different menu options by the end of the night. If you're eating with 2+ individuals, I would recommend ordering one of the sampler options - I would say it's the best value they offer (adding on sides can get pricey going ala carte style with the other menu options). The chocolate cake is a great option for dessert! read more

First of all. If I could give stars just for the friendly staff, I'd give 5 stars. Unfortunately, that's where the goodness ends. First timers, my daughter and I ordered the sampler. Don't recall the actual name. Both my daughter and I agree, overall nothing had any flavor, but a ton of salt. I've never had excessively salty BBQ, because the smoked flavor should be enough without pouring on a load of salt. Not here. Nothing tasted like it was smoked. We had 1/4 chicken which was dry and and flavorless. Pulled pork again flavorless. Brisket was crazy salty and excessively fatty. Hushpuppies were fine but not overly special. Now the baked beans, they were actually good. A nice rich sauce and bits of brisket. I love bbq and had high hopes. Unfortunately we won't be back. read more

Friendly service, but food was only fair. brisket was very fatty, pulled chicken was ok. Fried pickles were a big disappointment. The order was huge, way too large for 2 people and the pickle chips were very thick so breading didn't stay on. read more

Food was extremely disappointing. Pulled pork was so salty it couldn't be eaten. The brisket was almost as bad but I was able to choke down a few slices. Ribs were ok but also pretty salty. The fries were a combination of way-over salted and soggy. Even the green beans were a giant salt-fest. The place is new and maybe working out some bugs, but I'll stick with North and South (reliably tasty) right down the road. read more

Have ordered large catering bundles from City BBQ for a few gatherings and a birthday party; it was delicious and people were raving. They even added chocolate cake in one of the bigger orders as a thank you for the order. Was super hot and on time for pick up; reliable for catering orders. We need to get in more for lunch or dinner meals! read more

Great food and service! Got some free Hush Puppies because he overheard us saying we forgot to order them. Def recommend!

The service was prompt and friendly and food was decent. The overall experience borders on fast food but the prices do not. Go 3 blocks up the road to North South . You'll be happier. read more

We were in Madison for a tournament and we all went here to celebrate one of my son's teammate's birthday and were seriously wowed by the experience. The atmosphere was great and despite how busy it was they kept the place clean. The food was absolutely amazing! What really stood out was the people working there, they genuinely seemed like they enjoyed being there, even while they were busy they still took the time to make each of us feel welcome. I want to give them all a shout out but a young man named Philip was making sure the dining room was clean and chatted with us and another man who was making food came out and gave a cake to the birthday boy. This was an amazing experience and a highlight of our time in Madison! read more

The food is delicious. Staff is super friendly. Coming from the South, Im very impressed with the quality and flavor. Also you get alot for your money! read more

I ordered the 14-16 Party Pack this week. Chose double brisket, sides of coleslaw and cucumber salad...added in the the banana pudding. It was all delicious!! Couldn't choose a favorite between the brisket and pudding...dessert first? The pick-up was efficient and brisket was hot. All wrapped up in very friendly service. Thank you again........H. Meyer read more

Amazing barbecue had the turkey cowbell sandwich and I will have it again and again. Tried a couple different sauces and really liked the spicy barbecue. The cornbread pudding was crispy on the top and delicious. Tried the banana pudding which you definitely need to save room for as it was packed full of goodness but not calorie free. Ha ha read more

Everything was dry. Ordered right away when they opened. Never put so much bbq sauce on bbq before just to make it edible.

We tried it on Saturday. I had ribs and burnt ends. My wife had the pulled pork sandwich. It was all excellent. The servings were huge and smokey. The sauces were good too. The people were very nice as well. The star of the show was the strawberry cobbler. It was fresh, hot and delicious. We will be back!!! read more

The more cow bell was delicious! The pork was underwhelming. Lacked smoke flavor and was very watery. Overall, it was a good experience. read more

A couple of months back, a very good review on the Isthmus website got my attention. Intrigued, I gave it a shot. Turns out that the Isthmus review called it. In the past few months my family and I have returned here at least a half dozen times and everything we've ordered has been great. A restaurant that offers a range of regional flavors might be considered wading into "Jack of all trades, master of none" territory, but City actually manages to deliver good "North Carolina", "Texas", "Nashville" flavors and treatments of the usual bbq joint meals. My favorite has been the "More Cowbell" brisket sandwich (the Missus really likes the Turkey version). Brisket has always been done well and I've yet to run across any fatty parts. My daughter ordered the Nashville chicken nuggets for the first time last night which really nailed it (along with your choice of up to three of their sauces). Even their fountain dispensed lemonade is a cut above what you usually expect from a self serve soda fountain in other restaurants. If you're looking for a reasonably priced, quality bbq dining experience, you can't miss here but I can't end the review without also mentioning the service. Mark, the manager has been there every time I've ordered out or dined in. He's got a friendly, easygoing but very professional personality that sets the tone for the whole place. There have been the unavoidable glitches when the order was missing something or we got the wrong item. Any time that has happened, Mark immediately took responsibility for "making it right" - even apologizing for any "grief" by throwing in a free dessert or knocking the cost of the wrong or missing item from the bill (not that we actually had any "grief" to begin with.) read more

Brisket sandwich was great, no fatty pieces at all with great flavor. Fries are great too. Baked beans are good and the slaw and hush puppies. This will be a go to spot since Madison has no good bbq places. You MUST get the spicy bbq sauce. If they sell it I will be purchasing that when I go again. read more

The food here is the best in Madison.. What makes this place xtra special is the Manager Mark.. We recently placed an order and picked it up.. There was a problem with the order I called and asked for the manager.. Mark responded with such professionalism it was amazing.. He not only corrected the problem but checked back with me on the following day.. His kind of integrity and dedication to customer satisfaction is outstanding. read more

Fantastic food! We dined in and it looked like take out was a bit backed up. But we loved all our meats and sides! Try the Mac and cheese!

This was my first time trying City Barbeque. My boyfriend and I each ordered the two meat plate, and Mac and cheese as a side. I ordered the ribs and brisket, and he ordered the brisket and chicken. Both the ribs and brisket were tough and over cooked. The brisket didn't have any flavor at all. The Mac and cheese was ok, not the greatest but not horrible. We also ordered the banana pudding which was probably the most flavorful thing out of the entire meal. This place is pretty expensive as a fast casual type setting; our bill was over $50. The staff was friendly and attentive and the restaurant was clean, however, there was water coming out from underneath the wall next to the bathrooms. We do not plan on returning because the food was not that great considering how expensive it was. I don't mind paying a higher price for a quality meal but this was lacking both flavor and quality. read more

Good good, the brisket was great. I think most of the negative reviews are by the competition, trying to kill a new business.

Great place! Tasty food. Fairly new and has inside and outside seating. Their desserts are delicious.

Stopped at their new restaurant near West Towne for the first time today. Ordered take-out quarter pound each of brisket, pulled pork and pulled chicken all with original bbq sauce. Very disappointing. None of them had much smoky flavor, the brisket was just thin slices, not juicy and tender, more like a slices of overdone chuck roast. I will not be returning. There are much better bbq places in Madison. For example Blowin' Smoke Barbeque food truck (www.facebook.com/blowinsmokebbqmadison). read more

I highly recommend city barbecue. We ordered carry in and both meats and sides were delicious.

So pleased!!! We ordered take out for our wedding celebration. We ordered the shredded chicken and the smoked turkey. They were both SO good. We also ordered several sides (potato salad, corn casserole, green beans, baked beans, and a salad.) Everyone went on and on about how great the food was. It was super easy to order and was ready for pick up right on time - which was a nice stress reliever for the day. I will definitely use them again for a party and also for dinner for the family. Thanks so much for the great service and the tasty food! read more

Stopped in today for first time. Ordered Judges Sampler for 3 of us. Food was warm, flavorful and moist bbq. Service was quick and accurate. Good amount of food for 3 with drinks for under $45. Will definitely return. read more

Second time here and the food is decent. The chicken is very good, mac n cheese was hard like it got too hot in or sat too long in the warmer. The prices are too high for the taste of the food. read more

Have eaten here twice now, I guarantee we will be making this a regular place to eat. The brisket is amazing, and the turkey tacos were fabulous! Love the vinegar based slaw... Food is so tasty it makes me want to try everything on the menu. read more