I know New England isn't known for BBQ, so my expectations aren't high but our order was mostly tossed out tonight. We ordered pickup: BBQ brisket - there was hot sauce but no BBQ sauce included. He said the brisket was okay, but the cheese didn't even taste like cheese. He didn't eat most of it. BBQ seitan - I liked the texture, but BBQ sauce was barely there unfortunately. The cold slaw smelled terrible. Mac & cheese - the cheese didn't taste like cheese, barely any flavor Brussels sprouts - this was the worst! Soggy and burnt! So bad we couldn't eat them, I spat them out! We took - picture. Corn bread - only thing good enough was the piece of corn bread. I'd honestly like the business to offer a refund. read more

Great Northern BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

UPDATED: They charged me an extra $4 for picking sweet potato fries as the side despite the menu clearly saying "choice of side." Nowhere does it say that a certain choice will incur a higher charge... feeling a little scammed here! Here is the five star review I left BEFORE getting the check but I have to say it left a bad taste in my mouth hence the 3 stars: A great spot for some great BBQ! I say this as someone from the South-- I do think they did an excellent job with their BBQ and their name makes me laugh because it feels almost like a disclaimer. I got the pulled pork plate and it was delicious-- the cornbread had maple syrup on it and it was so yummy! I got sweet potato fries as my side and they were so good (maybe some of the best I've had?) I saw someone else had mac n cheese and it looked good so I ordered mac n cheese as well-- also delicious!! My boyfriend got the brisket which was great and enough to take home for a second meal. The plates are a great bang for your buck, not to mention delicious!! The vibe is like dark/casual/BBQ-- relaxed and spacious seating. Service was good too. There's parking outside that can probably fit 6-7 or so cars-- we got lucky and snagged a spot. There's some street parking around too though. read more

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The first time I came here was to sing Christmas carols. I had an amazing cocktail and the ambiance was amazing. I ended up bringing my family back to eat and had a great meal. So many options no matter what your dietary restrictions are, which is really impressive especially for a bbq place! My brother raved about the brisket and my aunt raved about the mac n cheese. The Brussels were amazing and I really enjoyed the salmon. read more

Great Northern BBQ - Cedar Plank Salmon - Barbeque Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

I'm a bbq connoisseur, this place had my taste buds exploding with flavor. I ordered takeout: small platter(ribs,pulled pork, chix wings, cornbread and slaw) potato wedges, Mac and cheese Ribs were my favorite, very meaty fall of the bone, juicy far from dry Pulled pork was great, not shredded to a pulp nice chunks in there(there house bbq was slamming) Wings were good, would have been perfect if tossed in a sauce. Cornbread, Mac, and potatoes were A1 read more

Great Northern BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

RI Food Fight Wing Review: We stopped in for the Wings but found a little BBQ sanctuary in providence! The decor of GNBBQ is sending exclusivity and solitude vibes. Dimly lite by candles on tables and dim lights really made me feel like it was a secretive kind of place and I really liked that! The wings were good. We went with Buffaque. Not my favorite of all wing flavors but I had to compromise with my husband. We requested well done and that how they arrived- just how we like them cooked. I also cannot say no to cornbread. I tried their little cornbread muffins and not the best- not the worst. Will order again. This place is on my return to list! True Score: 3.5 read more

After half a dozen visits over the years, I'm not that big of a fan. Smells great but everything is always dry. I love sauces and gravy, and this has decent flavor - but always too dry. read more

Great wings, loved the spot! Dark aesthetic if you are into that like me. Smoked wings but so juicy! Sauce was good as well! Mac and cheese was a huge portion loved the burnt ends, liked how they wrote out the daily specials on the tables each night too, waitress/bartender was super friendly as well. Def will go back read more

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We came for the RI Wing challenge, this was our first time here. Food is amazing! We tried Nashville hot wings - and tangy - both were good - but Tangy was the winner. The wings had a little char to them which added extra flavor! Not too crispy. The ambiance is eclectic, Lindy rustic, kinda funky which I enjoyed. We had wings, a brisket dog, fries and nachos - all excellent... my rest of a place really is tge fries and they were hot and yummy!!! read more

Great service! Kitty from NY was personable and just awesome. Wings were fire. One pound of Buff-Q wings... best taste. Smoked. Hot. But. That. BBQ. If you want BBQ or just a fan of wings and a pint of your favorite Kolche, IPA, or local beer then come to Westminster Street to say hi to the friendly talented staff. Best wings ever! read more

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Stop #7 of the @rifoodfights #LordOfTheWings challenge was also a strong contender in last year's challenge. @greatnorthernbbqco again brings an impressive entry. Their hot house sauce came recommended by Denny, a new chef in the kitchen and is his own creation. The wings are smoked but then fried up for a Smokey flavor without sacrificing the crispy. The sauce had a kick but was very different from a traditional buffalo sauce. I couldn't place the flavor but it was a nice change from the usual hot sauce. The staff was super friendly and I got into a great conversation with Adam (manager/owner?) I felt like a regular! I'll be back! read more

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Great wings. Cold beer. Community. Cool bartenders. Killer brisket. I'm moving out of the west end and will miss this place dearly. I love Great Northern!! read more

Great Northern BBQ - Ice cold Gansett - Barbeque Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

The Good - Mac and Cheese, Brussel Sprouts, Potato wedges were all tasty. The Bad - Baby back ribs were dried out. The Ugly - Driest corn bread I've ever had. Nearly inedible. One and done and it's a shame as it has a big menu and the place itself is kept up nicely. read more

Went here on a Friday night after craving some smoked BBQ. Not many people were in there. Had a calm atmosphere with typical BBQ decorations. Service was attentive. Ended up ordering the huge platter of food to share. It came with brisket, ribs, pulled pork, sausage, chicken wings, and corn bread. Also ordered a side of fries and Mac n' cheese. All the food was really delicious. My top three favorite meats were the brisket, ribs, and chicken wings. The corn bread was great, made like it is in the South. The Mac n cheese was as I expected, but would say the fries were better. The fries were perfectly crispy and seasoned. Total was around $97 with tip. Definitely get a lot of meat. Can only see myself ordering that platter again if there's a group of people. There were left overs for days. read more

Great Northern BBQ - Huge Platter - Barbeque Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

Great northern is our favorite stop for BBQ in PVD, so we were happy for an excuse to visit as past of the RI Food Fights Lord of the Wings competition. While this is a small, busy place on the weekends, we settled in to the comfortable little bar with lots of fun decor to peruse. As we expected, the smoky wings were crispy & tasty. We had them dressed with a good, savory buffalo sauce. A side of delicious, creamy mac & cheese cooled off the fire from the spicy wings as did a great IPA. A bowl of brisket chili with cornbread was meaty, tasty & filling. We will keep returning! read more

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Great Northern BBQ has the BBQ done very well, and the other aspects of the food done okay. The brisket I got was melt in your mouth and delicious. The cornbread was pretty dry. The Mac n cheese and the coleslaw were good, not great. I wasn't disappointed for a platter that size and price. My boyfriend got mashed potatoes as a side, and I think that was a better choice than the Mac n cheese. They brought the food out really quickly after we ordered and gave us enough napkins and wet wipes for a good BBQ experience. The restaurant has a small bar and a lot of small to medium tables. The decor is sort of fancy rustic, with an overall casual atmosphere. read more

Great Northern BBQ - Brisket platter with corn bread, coleslaw, and Mac n cheese. - Barbeque Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

We found this spot while visiting for the weekend. The atmosphere is nice. The music is good and is a little bit of everything. The music was a tad loud since it was pretty empty in there. I would recommend the Mac and cheese, brisket and wings. I would not recommend the collard greens, ribs or cornbread. I also didn't like the coleslaw. read more

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No frills, the real deal BBQ joint. Friendly staff, plenty of seating outside, and delicious eats. I was visiting Rhode Island and my coworker had suggested this place. I got the Great Northern Burger and the name speaks for itself (and then some). It wasn't just great, it was absolutely delicious. And look at these portion sizes? Incredible bang for your buck here. Will be returning next time I'm in Providence! read more

Great Northern BBQ - Brisket Plate - Barbeque Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

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I feel like when you think of barbecue, you think of sweet succulent, smoky meat. I've tasted some award-winning barbecue before, so maybe my pallet is a bit... ???, but I found that the barbecue here was a little salty, not sweet and everything was kind of overly vinegar-ie. I'd recommend a finishing salt instead of the large kosher salts used. I know all bbq doesn't have to be sweet but I like mine sweet and with a good balance. Also adding a little sugar to the bbq sauce would not hurt.. even honey.. they're really nice and chill though and I like the vibe. Would I eat here again. Yess!! Are they the best bbq in town .. probably not. But they aren't the worse either. I appreciate more bbq places popping up besides Wes ribs though! read more

I visited as part of #RIFoodFights #LordoftheWings competition and this was my first time ever here. Thank God I finally visited here, but better late than never. Cool little spot, emphasis on little, with an extensive Mixology menu and interesting cocktail list. Only a few draft beer options, though. They ended up having my favorite wings of the whole competition. They marinate their wings for 24 hours in a citrus lime type of brine before smoking them. Flavor is incredible and good portion of meat on the wings. Need to get back there and taste the rest of the menu!!!! read more

Beer and food were good-however, political conversations should not be had between a bartender and their friend at the bar out loud. You dont know who your audience is. A total turn off. Maybe you should tell your employees not to do that with other customers around. Wont be back read more

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Service was very good, our waitress was attentive, but not overbearing and helped me pick out a beer I probably wouldn't have chosen on my own, but really enjoyed. Ambiance was good too, a divey feel (in a good way.) I was craving BBQ and the food absolutely scratched the itch. Was it the best I've ever had? No. Was it pretty good? Yes. The people with me enjoyed the ribs - the one I tried had kind of a chemically taste to it which I didn't enjoy, but that seems to be a one off. The brisket was a bit tough but with enough sauce was good! The Mac and cheese was ok, which was a bit of a surprise because usually burnt ends are such a treat. I was a little confused that there seem to be two different types of cornbread, but both were good so I'm not complaining! read more

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I've been here a few times and the food is always great, however this time around it wasn't as good as it used be. The ribs were extremely salty and at room temperature, not sure if they just sat in the kitchen waiting to be picked up. The corn bread tasted stale. The only good food item was the Mac n cheese. Hoping the kitchen was just having a bad day or the main cook was out sick ‍ read more

Not Great BBQ. Went here recently and had some food with friends. I won't go again, and can't recommend it for any reason. We got a "wedge" salad, which was a complete joke. Not a wedge, but sliced old wilty lettuce, a few chunks of sadly soggy bacon, and no blue cheese dressing. I asked our server and they did apologize and brought us a side of the wateriest blue cheese dressing imaginable. This salad never should have left the kitchen, let alone any server bringing to a guest. That was a disgrace. The meats we got were fair at best. The pork ribs were very dry, and even though the menu said all meats are served with BBQ sauce, there was not a drop of sauce in the platter. I thought about asking for some, but the result with the salad dressing made me figure it wasn't worth asking for. The pulled pork was dry, not very flavorful and just disappointing. The chicken wings were okay, but dry again, and of course no sauce. Beer options are decent. Cocktail list looks good, but we didn't try any. Service is concerning. First of all, to the management, you need to tell your servers that playing with customer's dogs, petting them etc., is NOT COOL! I can promise you that no hands were washed after I watched our server petting and playing with someone's dog, and then continuing to serve. And while we're talking about basic hygiene, clean the damn tables off between parties, clean your gross bathroom, and put some paper towels in it. Food - 2 stars Service - 1 star Ambience - 1 star read more

I stopped in for takeout to enjoy a late lunch at home and ordered a full rack of pork ribs with no sides. I nearly had a stroke when the bartender told me the total was 42.00!!!! I paid anyway since I was hungry and have been wanting to try their bbq. After receiving my order several minutes later, I took my food home and opened up the container and was in all of the glorious site before me. The ribs looked and smelled delicious and were coated in a thick brown bbq sauce with the most intoxicating aroma emanating from the pan. I promptly cut the ribs apart with a knife while placing them on a plate. I sat down in my living room and started devouring these delicious ribs with wild band. The ribs were cooked perfectly. The pork meat was literally off the bone. Occupational the first half of the rack OK I was full at that point. I saved the second half for dinner that evening. I must say that I love the ribs, but being on a relatively tight budget, I can't afford to go back in there anytime soon until the price of ribs drops dramatically. The price of them I couldn't afford to pick up any signs to go with them and that's a shame because I really wanted to sample more of the menu. It seemed like a cool place in the dining room and bar area and they also had an outdoor area that was stealing all the business on the warm and sunny day. Maybe I'll go back just for drinks sometime to further check that place out highly recommend the ribs at least read more

Great Northern BBQ - Pork Ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

Stopped by Great Northern for the first time and was not disappointed! The decor is fun and there are indoor/outdoor seating options. Meg served us at the bar and made some killer cocktails (10/10). We also ordered a slice of cheesecake to split and it was delicious. The manager Hannah stopped by to check on us and she was a delight. I cannot wait to come back and try their BBQ. read more

Great Northern BBQ - Bar area - Barbeque Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

Ordered takeout and the brisket was cold. Other food was good, but the brisket had to be reheated

I had heard good things about this place but the experience was completely disappointing. Not sure if we just caught them on an off night but the service was quite slow. No one even came to our table for 30 minutes, and they weren't very friendly or welcoming when they did. The food wait seemed a little longer than expected, too. When the food did come, our orders were completely wrong, not to mention cold. We got brisket instead of pork and the wrong sides. The meat itself was pretty good but there was almost no sauce, which was strange when the menu says it comes with their BBQ sauce. But unfortunately our meat came completely dry and cold. As far as the sides, the pickles tasted like cucumbers, but the fries were pretty good. The restaurant also has a cool interior and vibe though, so there's that I guess. All in all, this visit felt like a waste of time and money. We won't be back. read more

Barbecue was dry and cold with cold sauce. Tasted like old reheated ribs. Didn't finish meal thank god. Felt sick all night. read more

I would rate this place 3.5/5! I don't eat pork, which my friends liked. I tried the beef brisket and chicken wings. Beef brisket's marinade was good, but the meat was dry. Chicken was moist, but it was very salty. I did like our Mac and cheese, corn bread, and potato wedges! The cole slaw was a bit bland for me. Price is reasonable, and we're all glad we tried! read more

Great Northern BBQ - Huge Platter, Mac & Cheese, Jojo Potato Wedges - Barbeque Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

Wow! I can't believe I'm now just trying this place out. I've heard amazing reviews about this BBQ spot! We ordered the lemon pepper wings (the special of the week) and the burnt ends dog. Service was quick. Everything was amazing! read more

Placed order via DoorDash delivery. Brisket plate and a wedge salad. The wedge salad was not a wedge salad but a pile of on the verge of going bad lettuce with some cukes and small tomatoes. No bacon, no wedge. Restaurant says the can't refund my $12! They say they don't refund DoorDash deliveries. DoorDash says they won't refund. I won't be ordering from here again. $12 for a nasty salad that was incorrect is unacceptable customer service. read more

Great Northern BBQ - This is what they sent me as a Wedge Salad. It was disgusting and it was not a Wedge Salad. Charged $12 for this. Get your act together. - Barbeque Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

Great service! Amazing barbecue! Best in Providence! We always feel very taken care of when we dine here

My boyfriend and I were excited to try out this little gem in a lovely little area of Providence we weren't too familiar with. We left pleased, and with left overs! So here's the thing... my boyfriend is a bit particular about BBQ. He smokes his own meats AND is also from The South...so he's got his opinions on things. ;-) His own words were "Hmm. It's not Southern BBQ...but this was a good meal with good meat." We agree with some things we saw in other reviews... it's "Rhode Island BBQ" - and that seems super fitting! The atmosphere is cozy with options for indoor and outdoor seating. We were seated (inside - 'cause this heat, am I right?!) right away and the server was friendly, bringing over our drinks promptly along with a pitcher of water. We decided on the following for food: * Wings with the Sticky Sweet BBQ sauce as an app * He got the brisket plate (with Mac n Cheese as his side) * I got the Sticky Sweet baby back ribs plate (with Potato Wedges as my side) First, the wings... smoked nicely and they were a nice size - and meaty!! They also came with their homemade coleslaw & pickles and we opted for some ranch dipping sauce for the side. The sauce on the wings was yummy though it did get a little overwhelming after a while...it's a very interestingly flavored bbq sauce (we guessed pretty heavy with molasses?). I enjoyed dipping the wings into the Ranch...which is homemade, by the way!! Excellent Ranch as long as you love dill, cause it's VERY dilly... And the pickles - oh my, the pickles!! Love. They are like a cross between a Dill and a Bread & Butter pickle... I also loved the coleslaw!! Just the right amount of creaminess and a nice mix of sweet and vinegar... Then came our entrees... both entrees also included more pickles & coleslaw, along with corn bread muffins (which, unfortunately, were super dry - as mentioned in some of the other reviews). My boyfriend enjoyed the brisket...he said it was "smoked nicely" but did need more flavor. Nothing that merits removing a star from this review, but just something of note... The mac and cheese - really good!! My boyfriend is a Mac n Cheese snob and he approved - which is big!!! This place really knows how to do sides. I only had a couple of my ribs because, frankly, I was getting really full. (The portions are big!) The ribs were good, and the exact texture you'd want from a smoked rib. (I'll be honest, at this point I was getting a little tired of the flavor of the Sticky Sweet BBQ sauce - and I'm a sweet sorta gal - but I know for next time to request their Tangy BBQ sauce to try instead as the sweet one really has some particular flavors in it that, after a while, were a bit much. -- My potato wedges were great, and I enjoyed dipping them in the left over Ranch from the wings!! Over all, I'd rate this place a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars, but it's definitely the sort of quality where you round up, not down. We're looking forward to going back and getting some of the same things...and swapping out some of the others for different things... Happy to know Great Northern BBQ is so close by!! read more

Great Northern BBQ - Brisket plate and baby back ribs plate - Barbeque Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

The place looks amazing really good ambiance but the food is so bad I downloaded the app for the purpose to write a review on how bad it was I love BBQ and always wondered what bad BBQ was this is it. First rule of serving sauce with hot food is make sure the sauce is hot it was cold. The wings were not bad overall Horrible worse BBQ I've ever had would never go back, don't go save your money. read more

LOVE this place! My personal favorite things: 1. The meat is SMOKY!! One smoked chicken wing is enough to single-handedly cure my seasonal depression. 2. The meats were all the perfect texture- there were no chewy/tough parts or weird bone shards. Great attention to detail on the cuts. 3. The SEASONING --omg!! I've found that at certain BBQ places, all of the meats have the same smoky flavor and that's it. They really set themselves apart here with the platter because the blend of spices for each type of meat is really we thought out. You get great variety- spicy, warm, sweet, salty. The house-made coleslaw and pickles complemented them perfectly. 4. The staff is super sweet and thoughtful 5. Uhm HELLO they have a giant meat smoker in the back and you can smell it 2 blocks over! 6. They have their own parking lot so you can easily get takeout. THANK GOD. I immediately texted all of my friends about this place after the 1st bite. Will def come back again (ESPECIALLY for the wings) read more

Great Northern BBQ - Medium platter (takeout) - Barbeque Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

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Home Run and welcome addition to the West End. Very Authentic including a huge smoker out back. If you love BBQ this place is a must; give it a shot and decide for self. Service A+ friendly but focused on efficiency. Baby back ribs Mac and Cheese with burnt ends Both A+ Solid draft selection. read more

I went in with high hopes since I've heard so many great things about this place but it wasn't all that. I ordered the sweet and sticky glazed baby back ribs and my friend the brisket. Our sides included collard greens and Mac and cheese. I actually thought the highlight of my meal was the Mac and cheese, it's actually pretty good. It's not too cheesy in the sense that the cheese is stringy when you pull on it but it does have a thick cheese sauce that manages to give it a good flavor. The brisket was my favorite meat so I'm bummed I didn't order it for myself. It was tender, had a smoky flavor, and very flavorful. However, the ribs were burned too much. I understand the idea of giving it a slight char to give it a change in flavor or an authentic barbecue feel but these were burned on the outside. I was also expecting the glaze to be absorbed into the ribs but it was just lightly spread over them. I did like the cornbread, I think it has like a sugar coating so it contrasted the savory meat. The pickles weren't my favorite since they were way more salty than they are dill but they had a nice crunch to switch up the textures. The cole slaw was okay (my favorite cole slaw is from KFC so maybe I just don't have a good meter). There is a parking lot but because it gets packed soon chances are you may have to park on the street. However, it does seem like they have a lot of street parking options. I would recommend making reservations if you're planning on going. They were able to accommodate us but it was a bit of a wait and the staff did seem overwhelmed since it was only two of them. The inside decorations weren't my favorite but I did like the dimmed lights. read more

Great Northern BBQ - Sweet & Sticky Glazed Baby Back Ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

New to the area and was in the mood for BBQ last night. After an extensive Yelp search, we decided to place an order for delivery- bad idea. Unfortunately, our night featured THE DRY (smoked chicken wings), THE DRIER (pork ribs), and THE DRIEST (brisket). Whew, we were chewing and chugging water on repeat. The coleslaw and pickle were horrible as well. I lived in the Kansas City area for some time and I wasn't exactly expecting to be blown away by Great Northern but I did, at minimum, expect that my chicken would be cleaned well. My wings had more feathers than Big Bird -_- Needless to say, our trash is full of last night's dinner and we will never go back. read more

Great Northern BBQ - Smoked chicken wings- feathers included - Barbeque Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

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Our family of 4 had a great time here tonight. We got the brisket and pulled pork platters. Both were excellent, and my kids loved their meal as well. The Mac and cheese, slaw, mashed potatoes, and corn bread were the perfect sides. Chef Sean was kind enough to show us the BBQ, and the staff was very accommodating, which we always appreciate taking two little kids to a restaurant. read more

The restaurant is very cool and welcoming. The food was amazing but.... The brisket plate and brisket dog were stellar with crazy great mac & cheese. I got a wedge salad with a side of pulled pork that was scant, for an $ 8.00 up charge. I have dietary restrictions and get whacked. Great place but they need to figure this out. read more