Moved out of Portage 5 yrs ago. Driving down S Westnedge I noticed many new businesses. One being a City BBQ. My Florabama (Southern Alabama) reared wife thought BBQ sounded good. I'm always hopeful but heck this IS the North. It seems something falls short. At least for our meals City BBQ was fantastic! Wife had pulled pork sandwich, baked beans & potato salad. Potato salad had that southern type whipped potato coating on the potato chunks. Me? I had two meats. Great pulled pork & chicken. Tried ALL of the BBQ sauces. If anything negative was to be said, would be the meats were quite juicy. Oh Well! I'll suffer!! Excellent coleslaw. Not too much vinegar or attempt to cover old cabbage with too much cream. Perfect balance. Now my big surprise for here. Collard greens. PERFECT side dish!!! Then there's Bob at the register. Friendly, willing to offer information on the menu. Too many now days could care less. But HE was upbeat & made you feel like you choose the right place to eat. Also every employee working there had a nice smile. Simple business benefit that doesn't cost anything to implement. I did not get the name of the nice employee who brought me my walking staff, but he did it with another nice smile & a warm laugh. I will come back to CITY BBQ to see if they continue to give the same kind of service & excellent BBQ with that extra attention paid to those telling side dishes. read more

First time trying this place. I was surprised they were open on Memorial Day and I was there when they opened at 10:30 to pick up an order I had placed on-line the night before. I was welcomed by all the staff and my order was taken care of by who I assume was the manager. All the staff were very nice and friendly, but he went out of his way to take care of my order and to make sure that I had everything I needed. If I owned a restaurant I would want this guy representing my business. The ribs I ordered were very good. I will definitely be back. read more

City barbeque is probably one of the worst barbecue places I've ever gone to I was incredibly disappointed when I tried their food. Their meats are very dry with little to no flavor no seasoning is added. If you're looking to bite into some juicy brisket or pulled pork this isn't the place you would have better luck probably finding something that they can make on the Texas Roadhouse menu The servers were friendly but they also rushed us at the same time despite the fact that there was nobody in line behind us. If you're going to go to get barbecue I highly recommend going somewhere else this probably isn't the place for you if you're an enthusiast when it comes to barbecue. read more

I would give a negative mark if I could . Pretty bad when you go in and they run out of everything and won't make any more.

Cit's BBQ has the best smoked meat in town. Large portions and friendly service. we even order our annual Thanksgiving feast from City BBQ! read more

At 6:15 on a Thursday, they were out of brisket, smoked turkey and cornbread! We thought we were early. read more

I've eaten here several times before. Today at lunch was not a good time to go. Very short staffed which made them only be able to handle 2 walk in orders at a time. Didn't want to wait 30+ minutes for fast food so I left. read more

Second time here. First time was, ok! Nothing bad but nothing exceptional, so thought I'd give 'em A Second chance. So went to Yell snd got their website then the Menu. It's already past Nine and don't want to eat a lot. So I ordered the Pulled Pork Nachos. About $9, ok! Place my order. Minute or two later they call me saying they are out of pulled pork. I suggested beef brisket. They agree. Pick up my order a couple minutes later. Bag feels kind of light. So when I crack them open. Man! Super tasty. And it was the perfect size. I hear they have other special! Would recommend! read more

Great food and great service. Very clean and gave me and my friend two free drinks with our food.

Tried this place while in town for work...If you are from the south, DO NOT eat bbq in Michigan. This was probably the worst "BBQ" I've eaten in my life. They have Texas style sausage on the menu but have obviously never been to Texas, it was so over salted it was inedible...and was served on a folded piece of Texas toast with a dollop of cole slaw. Like WTF??? Same with the green beans, pretty sure my blood pressure shot up 100 points due to all the salt. I could only stomach a couple bites of each. Cole slaw was completely opposite, no taste at all but at least they did get the consistency right. I can't recommend skipping this place enough. read more

Went to order the motherlode for dinner...sold out. They were out of chicken and turkey....AT SIX pm. So I ordered 2 family meals, one with pulled pork, the other with brisket, for delivery. I get a message from the DoorDash person when they showed up to get our order that they are out of all meats except ribs and sausage. Why the hell, when they saw an order they couldn't fill, didn't city bbq contact me directly instead of wasting everyone's time and putting me in a position where I felt like I had to take the substitutions because I was dealing with the driver who would have gone out there for nothing otherwise? Tried to call the restaurant, sat on hold for 10 minutes and nobody answered. Extremely unprofessional and disorganized. Poor customer service for online ordering. read more

raw meat, missing drink, shitty quality, dont waste your money for glorified E-coli, absolutely do not recommend

I've gone to City BBQ since opening and was impressed from the get go! Orders were right, food consistent, restaurant clean. We even ordered Thanksgiving dinner for our families last year! Earlier this year though, noticed over several visits- none of that was happening. I called and spoke to a manager only hoping to make him aware of what was happening and hoping for things to improve. I placed an order recently and was happy to see the improvements. Food always delicious. Thank you! read more

Walk in the door and the smell is delightful! Place is clean and orderly. Place your order at the counter, get you drink, sauce, and utensils. Wait for your name called and pick up and pile into good food. Tried the brisket sandwich and pulled chicken, with side of mac and cheese and potato salad. The brisket is smoky with not being overpoweringly so, same with the chicken. The Mac and cheese just like my mama makes, cheesy and tender. I put a daub of brushfire sauce on it and stir. Yumm !! Had a Christmas party and no time to make food and bring. I got on the website and ordered catering kit for 12 brisket sandwiches. Food was ready and hot when I arrived. Got to the party and let's just say no leftovers to take home. Guess I will have to get more for Xmas eve! read more

Another excellent meal at City BBQ. This time I had the ribs with sides of mac and cheese and green beans. Really cannot sing the praises of those beans highly enough...cooked with bacon and absolutely awesome. read more

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Went there again about 4 p.m., and they didn't have any pulled pork left?? I decided to try the bone-in chicken. I got the leg/thigh selection which also comes with a toasted roll, and my husband hot a regular sized soft drink. The total was $11.00. Unlike some of the drive-through chicken shacks, this leg and thigh were large in size and had a good taste. My only complaint is the skin could have been a little crisper. Sorry, I ate it before thinking about taking a picture. read more

City Barbeque - Pulled Pork Sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Portage, Michigan

Portage's City Barbeque far exceeded my expectations of a chain BBQ restaurant. The line wait was quite long (I had a group of 2 and group of 3 infront of me), and it took about 25 minutes (which seems to be the average trend of 5 minutes per person to order, even in the drive through) from entering to exit to get my take-out, but the smell of the place is incredibly smokey, if you weren't hungry for BBQ, you certainly will be when waiting in line. The menu size is very good, and the prices are a bit high, but are very fair for the amount of food you get. For 20 dollars, I got one and a half meals worth, but didn't get any sides or drink. As for the quality of BBQ, I was surprised. I had moderate / mediocre expectations going in, but the meat was far better than what I anticipated. I tried the Brisket & 1/4 Chicken (thigh). I also wanted to order ribs separately, but cashier told me you're only allowed to order one entree per person because of the system, so I wasn't allowed to order or try the ribs, sadly. The brisket, as another person said, doesn't have much bark, but the flavor was still nice and salty, and the texture was good and had a nice amount of tug. Wasn't under or over cooked. The chicken was a tad on the dry side, but it was very smokey and flavorful, you don't really even need the sauce because it does have a pretty good flavor - though I used the tangy carolina sauce to change things up. It came with texas toast, which was good. The sauces didn't seem to be all that mindblowing, but the BBQ was good enough where it didn't matter. The people were also very friendly and seemed to enjoy working there. Overall, I'd say this is one of the better places for BBQ in Portage/Kalamazoo where you get your moneys worth. read more

City Barbeque - The Pick 2, 1/4 Chicken Thigh + Brisket, Carolina Sauce, and a free cake sample they were giving away. - Barbeque Near Me - Portage, Michigan

Was pleasantly surprised by the experience here. Interpretations of barbeque can be hit or miss, but this was mostly hits. I tried the pulled pork, Mac and cheese, slaw, and various sauces. Others in my group also tried the ribs and brisket. The staff was pleasant, and the food held up well for takeout. read more

City Barbeque - Counter - Barbeque Near Me - Portage, Michigan

I really enjoyed my takeout experience here while I was visiting from out of town. I was so hungry that I busted into the banana pudding before I made it back to my hotel room. It was amazing! Placing my order was quick and easy with no issues, and they had good customer service. I took my 2 meat combo back, and it was still warm after a short drive. The food was yummy with no complaints. read more

Great atmosphere, great service, great food. We've been waiting for those guys to open for weeks now. Finally, sept 26 2022, we got to try them out. I think Skinny Kenny's got competition. read more

The food here is decent. My smoked briskit was generous with meat, however, too much bark forced me to discard protein(not good). My companion ordered a salad that was also generous in portion, allowing take-home. We also ordered fries and coleslaw. The fries could have done better with another hot oil bath. Ordinary slaw. TRIGGER WARNING: The smoke level inside the restaurant is pretty high. We went home and had.to air out our clothing. I have CPOD and I am sure asthmatic and allergic folks might take care. read more

This place is sooo good! They just opened and it is very clean inside, it was pretty busy and the food is great! We ordered the Judges Sampler so we could try a little of everything. Comes with half slab of ribs that fell off the bone, pulled pork that is lean and delicious, 1/4 chicken that tasted great and was juicy, and brisket that was not full of fat. Also comes with cornbread, garlic bread, and two side which we chose the creamy slaw and corn pudding. There are quite a few sauces you can choose from if dining in to smother or dip your meat in. They also have fresh tea, sweet tea, and lemonade. The employees were all so nice and check on us a few times to make sure we didn't need anything. I would definitely say this is the best barbecue I have had in Kalamazoo and I have tried quite a few places. Can't wait to go back, will have to save room for dessert next time because the chocolate cake and bread pudding both looked yummy! read more

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Everything was great! Amazing mac & cheese. The cornbread was both sweet and savory. Pulled pork was my favorite. Will definitely be back!

I'm not someone who complains but this is very much warranted. If I could leave 0 stars I would. Never had a problem in the past, but I guess they changed management since I was last there. I paid over $80 and received old food that made my family sick. We ended up throwing away all of it! This place isn't going to be around for much longer and I definitely will never be returning. Days later and we are STILL sick from this garbage. You need to be investigated. read more

One star only because zero is not an option. Order pulled nachos and brisket. They were out of pulled pork at 6:00pm I guess dinner time is a surprise for them. Brisket was 90 percent fat and un-edible. Potato salad was below average so best, could only eat a couple of bites. The nachos that went mostly uneaten were meh at best. We were the only ones in line and waited 15-20 minutes for un-edible food. The biggest concern was how slippery the floors were. The counters and tables and silverware were filthy. read more

Food was delicious. They were out of the pulled chicken for my sampler selection so I tried the sausage. A delightfully unexpected taste and portion. Delicious natural lemonade. Only thing that could be improved was the cleanliness. Corn pudding was sweet and oven hot. Hush puppies are different than expected as they are fried cornbread with no seasoning. I was expecting them to be more like Long John Silvers but with the honey they had on hand, we're tasty. We wiped down our table and bench seating as both were dirty as were all tables. Staff wiped tables down as we were leaving and they were closing. Great sauce selection. read more

First visit here, and I will definitely be back. Great food, great customer service, and they support veterans. Well done, City BBQ. read more

Great BBQ and service! I love walking into this restaurant and smelling the smoked food!!! Awesome! read more

The best brisket in town! I like mine lean with extra bark and they never disappoint! And the BANANA PUDDING!!!!!! One of my favorite desserts ever! read more

Food was incredible. Hubby and I shared three meats and two sides. Brisket was phenomenal. Flavorful and so tender. The chicken and ribs were moist and smoked all the way to the bone. Green beans a little salty for me, but nicely flavored with bacon. The macaroni and cheese was also very good. Service was very friendly and helpful in what to choose. Good size portions to where we had leftovers. Nice seating inside and out. We found a new place to get lunch and/or dinner! read more

This place is absolutely fantastic and i have eaten here 3-5 times a week for almost 6 months straight now. The barbecue sauce is not good, but the food itself is amazing read more

Had been there 4 X Before. Always had been Delicious. This Trip the Beef brisket & Green Bean side, were So Salty, they were truly Inedible. Family Pack- Feeds 4- $40. Carried Out. We All Threw it Out. Mgr when I Called, was Unconcerned & Unapologetic. Blamed it On their "New Seasoning". It was Obviously either the Recipe or the Cooks Hand. I Do Not & will Never Recommend Or Return. read more

This restaurant just opened and while start-up pains are apparent, my server went out of her way to make it better than right. Offered free drinks, free dessert, for just confusion. Offers to help carry food to car, all above and beyond. Meanwhile, the food is delicious! Give them a try and hopefully they will work through the hiccups! read more

The brisket chili is amazing! However the slow drive through ruins it. The previous times, it was slow. However the last time, there was only 1 car ahead of me at the drive through. I waited over 10 minutes behind him while he waited for his order. I had to jump out of line and go somewhere else. read more

Better than expected. I didn't expect much from a chain bbq place, but this was pretty decent. Not mind blowing amazing, but food was pretty tasty, staff was super nice and food was ready on time as promised. read more

Since I discovered this place last September, I am here at least once a week, usually twice, often more. The food is excellent. The prices are on the low side. The portions are generous. Did I say that the food is tasty? The staff is friendly, welcoming. The music is genuine blues; there are times I stay longer simply to listen. I might add that the food is awesome. Adam the manager is doing a great job and that shows in many ways, including the excellent customer care and superb product served. I am very happy to bring family and friends here, as they end up loving the place as much as I do. read more

Ribs are dry and lacking flavor. I emailed their headquarters to let them know and never heard back from anyone. Sad Their brisket sandwich is great.... read more

my son in law and I were in Portage shopping and decided to try the new bbq joint. After a long peruse of the menu and talking with the wait staff, I went for a smokehouse salad with smoked chicken and a side of mac and cheese and Joe got pulled pork sandwich, hush puppies and fries. Everything was moist and delicious even the smells! We got samples of the nashville sandwich and it was delicious. The atmosphere was charming as was the staff. It was our first time there but I assure you it won't be the last. Mari K Constantine MI read more

Horrible drive thru experience. Took forever to order, get the food at the window and nobody said a word to how long the "wait" would be! 25 minutes is unacceptable from the time I ordered till I got my food! read more

Preface: I have been smoking meats for 15 years. I am an avid BBQ fan and travel to the South often for work, Kansas City for family, and always try BBQ/Smoke houses. BBQ is obviously very subjective. Walking into City BBQ, the smoked smell was right which peaked by excitement - were they really smoking meats on-site? A smokehouse's worth, IMO, is based on how they do brisket - the most challenging of the meats to smoke RIGHT! If you can't cook brisket right, every DAY, then don't have it on the menu. It's expensive, takes 10-12+ hours to properly smoke, you need a skilled knife person to properly trim it, and it can be ruined if not done right. I Ordered the Brisket - lacked any smoke flavor (tasted like pot roast), was insufficiently moist. By appearance, did not seem to actually have been smoked! Lacked any bark! (noticed that they did not have bark on the menu - perhaps a telling sign?). If you like pot roast, you may like their brisket. I Ordered ribs - they did better on the ribs, these DID actually appear to be smoked, though they had very limited smoke flavor. They were no where near as moist as they should have been - just-smoked ribs should be quite moist and juicy (re-heated or yesterdays ribs - not so much). IMO - nothing at all special about them. Sauces - tried their original and their version of a "hot". The original is BBQ sauce - nothing unique, memorable or special. Their "hot" had a moderate amount of heat to it, but the overall flavor was not appealing to me. People's tastes for smoked meats and BBQ vary widely, same for sauces. While City BBQ did not do it at all for me (and I would not bother going back), your preferences may differ. read more