Living in Kansas City I am a certified BBQ lover. Am I an expert? That's a laughable title for someone that doesn't own a smoker or a restaurant, but I do enjoy comparing. With 120+ BBQ restaurant reviews under my belt, I feel that I've got a good handle on what differentiates a BBQ joint from good, to excellent to world class. If John Hardy's was located in KC, it would be in the middle of the pack, but for being in a small market town like Rochester, I'm gonna give them a solid 4 stars with a few stand-out items on the menu. My wife had the small brisket plate with fries and black eyed peas - $14. I had the 2 meat combo with beef, ribs, sweet potato tots and slaw- $15. Garlic bread was also provided. Meats: Ribs were smokey and tender. Beef was thin sliced eye of round, tender and worked well to sample the sauces. Brisket was an extremely thick cut although the menu says thin - it was more of a prime rib slice than what I consider brisket. I thought it was wonderful, although my wife thought it was to fatty. I would have no issue re-ordering any of the three, although I would like to try the sausage. Sides: Black eyed peas are not found on many BBQ menus but were straight from a can or at least had no added ingredients to make them unique - blah. Coleslaw - creamy and nice, but nothing that a 100 other places haven't done before. Fries - crispy, plentiful and perfect. Sweet Potato tots - where have you been all my life? The best damn deep fried potato side option I've ever had. Garlic toast - again a side that I don't often see in a BBQ joint but the warm bread liberally coated with hot garlic butter was the best bread option i've ever had - I ate all 4 slices, making small sandwiches or for sauce dipping. Sauces: Mild and medium were almost interchangeable in taste. The Sissy Boy sauce was a robust sweet sauce that reminded me of some of my favorite sweet sauces back home. Sissy Boy? Really? Overall it was a very filling lunch that was priced right with a solid meat selection and some stand out sides. This Kansas City boy was reminded of one my long standing sentimental favorites back home - Rosedale BBQ. John Hardy's is similar in that it's been around for decades and provides what I call "blue collar BBQ" Nothing is best in class, but a quality product at a good value that stands the test of time. Hell; I even bought a T-shirt for $12! That should get the local joints asking questions when I sport a Minnesota BBQ logo here in the world capital of Burnt Ends and Cheesy Corn. read more

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1st visit this past weekend for family lunch - we had a total of 11 people in our group (7 adults, 4 kids). It was a super hot day and it was a little warm In the restaurant. The servers were very nice and friendly. The food was decent - ribs, wings & turkey were good, the other meats we tried were ok. The garlic bread was soggy (would have been much better if it was toasted slightly). My two little guys got kid's meals and liked them. read more

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Our serverJoshua, was friendly and fun. The food is to die for! I had the Combo Meal Dinner. The chicken was deliciously smoky, the French fries were hot and freak, The beef brisket was the best I ever had. This place looks a bit rough, but that's cool because this barbeque, not French food! Highly recommended. read more

Pros: Good portions, very tasty food, decent sized restaurant Cons: Service is usually good but can be slightly inconsistent. Details: As a kid, we came here a few times, and I had the opportunity to visit with a family group as an adult. Admittedly, it was a large group, and our waitress seemed new (she may have said as much), so service was a little iffy. But the food was as excellent as I remember. I liked the options of meat, and the sides were all hood too. We saw several people take food to go, so I imagine that's a common thing in Rochester. read more

Twice in a row. I showed up early to make sure that I had a chance to get ribs right off the smoker that had not sat unsold. This is so disappointing because they have served me awesome plates before. Again I got ribs that were dried out and lacked any flavor. I ordered a rack to go hoping that they would sell me a set of ribs that were recently off the smoker, unfortunately once food is over cooked you can't do anything to recover the flavor or texture. So I got another set of ribs that were over cooked. I've never complained about the drive from the Twin Cities before but two but experiences in a row will have me rethinking the trip. read more

We have been long time fans of John Hardy's. We were here for a visit back to our hometown. Ate here twice and had to pick up a half dozen jars of sauce for gifts and home use. I love the pulled pork and jo jo potatoes. Nice sized portions, plenty of seating, easy parking. order comes with garlic bread. Don't miss out on this treasure if you love bbq. read more

Excellent BBQ. It is rare that you find a good Hot Link/Sausage in Midwest BBQ, let alone a great one! This place has a great one, I should have gotten some of the frozen ones to-go. The JoJo's are awesome and even better when you pay more to load 'em up. You can pass on the green beans, they are just out of a can (nothing special). But do not pass on the bread, shit it's good! The pulled pork could have used a little seasoning after it was pulled (IMO) but still tasty and smoky, without any fatty bits. I'll be returning for sure. read more

John Hardy's Bar-B Q - Smoked Hot Link & Shredded Pork Combo Plate (I made the JoJo's loaded) - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

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The ambiance is alright, and the staff is friendly...but the food is mediocre at best. My partner and I ordered the Brisket, Beef, Pulled Pork and Chicken. The Brisket was dry and flavorless, the pulled pork was ice cold in the middle, the chicken was undercooked, and the beef was three paper thin slices of eye round that looked like they were boiled then served. I don't know what we were expecting from a BBQ place out in the midwest, definitely does not hold a candle to the BBQ we've had in Texas. The business ought to rebrand themselves, because that was just not BBQ. read more

The worst BBQ I have ever had. No smoke ring, flavorless ribs, obviously reheated. Meat was no where close to a serving temperature. read more

Excellent BBQ at a fair price - 4 stars. We stopped by John Hardy's for dinner on the recommendation of my traveling partner. It didn't disappoint, the food was great. I was also impressed by the reasonable prices. John Hardy's is a small place and very casual, nothing fancy. There are 2 of them in Rochester. I started things off with onion rings and the house honey mustard dipping sauce - yum! We both got combo plates, and our beef brisket, turkey, and hot links were great. I also enjoyed the sides. Everyone who orders a "John Hardy Meal" or a "Combo Meal" picks 2 sides plus an automatic order of warm garlic bread. I got fried okra and crinkle cut fries. My friend got flat sliced jojos and okra stew. All of it was very good. They have a few beers on tap and a lot more in bottles. I also got a kick out of the various sauces (see photo). There are 6 of them, ranging from "Sissy Boy Sweet" to "Bad Boy Hot". Excellent! Finally, they have a display case where you can grab sauces to-go and t-shirts. They also have a cooler with "Grab N Go" smoked meats. Cool! (My friend grabbed 2 sauces to take home.) The service was excellent. Finally, I found a recent article on-line celebrating Black History Month in the City of Rochester. It featured a biography of John Hardy. Unfortunately, he's no longer with us. He passed away back in 1986. I found it interesting that he was mostly a vegetarian. But he sure knew how to cook the hell out of Southern Style BBQ! He sounds like a really cool and exceptional dude. I would have enjoyed meeting him. I'm glad they're keeping his creation alive. Thumbs up! -Maxx P.S. I read a lot of the previous reviews, some are pretty bad. It seems like things may be somewhat inconsistent here. But on the day we visited, everything was great. read more

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Always good food and service! Frontage Rd location. Nice BBQ option for the area too!!

Just ordered a pound of brisket @20.99lb and a pound of pork for 15.99lb the pork is average but the brisket is absolutely terrible. Zero flavor zero smoke looks braised and super tough amd chewey. Never ordering again. read more

My husband and I stopped here for dinner on our drive to Iowa. With the divey atmosphere we thought food was going to be amazing. We both love places like this. Place was busy since it was Friday evening but we got seated right away. Our server was amazing, very friendly. I have to say 5 stars for service. Food was a whole different experience for us. We both love bbq when done right. We decided to get half rack of ribs and Cuban sandwich. Food came out real fast. The ribs lacked seasoning/flavor and needed more time in the smoker. There was still so much fat on them it was just off putting to me. Cuban was decent nothing to rave about. We couldn't wait to get out of there. Other than great service it was just a bad experience for us. read more

John Hardy's Bar-B Q - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

First time here and probably the last. Positives: friendly waitress. I ordered Barbecue Cuban Sandwich with fried okra and jo jo potatoes. Portion size was huge. The sandwich however lacked flavor and was very bland. The potatoes were thinly sliced like chips but greasy. The grease the okra was fried in tasted old. I brought most food home to my 17 year old son. I tried 3 different barbecue sauces: sweet, mild and medium. I was very underwhelmed. Maybe I'm becoming a barbecue snob, but when my own food off my Traeger tastes better, I won't return. read more

I go here about 6-8 times a year . The chicken dinner was filling but lacked salt like a lot of items . The jojos we're crispy as asked if you ask for them that way. I recommend it.. The garlic toast or drowning in butter always prepare yourself. The green beans are canned and the corn is almost un seasoned but all the sides need salt. The bbq sauces are very vinegar forward they have about 7 different levels of heat . Hot being my favorite . Just enough heat . All in all Rochester doesn't have much for BBQ . Don't go in expecting the best bbq you've had and you won't be too disappointed . read more

John Hardy's Bar-B Q - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

I have been eating at John Hardy's since 1973. Always the same order. Pulled pork dinner with Jojo potatoes and hot sauce. The flavor of the sauce changed a little after John died. Still good but slightly different. Then the new owners added three new sauces (spicy hot, big boy hot, bad boy hot). When they did that the hot sauce lost some of its heat. Some people said I should try the spicy hot. I did. Still not as hot as John's sauce and taste nothing like John's sauce. It has been a year since the last time we ate there. I had to pay $2.oo more for extra Jojo potatoes. My wife had twice as many French fries than I had Jojos. The hot sauce tasted nothing like John's hot sauce and had slightly more heat than John's mild sauce​​. So disappointed. I would recomend eating anywhere else if you want BBQ. read more

Wow! I just got my salad and bread and I am automatically a fan. My local customers recommended this place and I had to come back to town three times before the schedule opened up to enjoy a lunch break. Parking lot is always full so don't let that scare you away they are well staffed! I sat where the plates kept passing by, I was checking out all the yummy looking stuff. Lol But finally - the ribs and brisket were so good. Great sauces-I got the big boy hot and it is really good. read more

John Hardy's Bar-B Q - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

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I'm a 'regular' at this place, so I have about 4 decades of experiences. I just had terrible cheese curds (small curds, small serving, overcooked). The meal itself was okay. The pork was great, as usual. The jojo potatoes were crispier than normal. The fried okra was fried together in clumps of 4 or 5 pieces. The beans were not up to par. Lastly, the waitress got my beer order wrong. We will hold off going back for now and hope it returns to better food and service. read more

Wait staff very friendly cozy little place with a bbq/blues type atmosphere. Unfortunately that's all I can say was good about it. Ribs were very greasy, fatty and dry and tough. I only got through 2 and called it quits. The Quarter chicken was more baked if anything very dried out and burnt skin. The sides very small for the expensive price. $2 up charge if you get chicken and ribs together for a total of $18.99. The free garlic bread wasn't even cooked just plain white bread with a spread on it. The sauce in the bottles on table were just vinegary bbq sauce with no flavor and they seriously need to be wiped off!! Better off going across street and getting a large pie at Mr Pizza. For cheaper It'll feed 2 and you'll be happy. Famous Dave's is a little pricy but it puts this local joint to shame!! Sorry guys but you seriously need to improve your food before I eat there again. read more

John Hardy's Bar-B Q - Rib chicken plate - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

I ordered the nachos and the 6-piece chicken wings. The nachos were delicious. Unfortunately, the chicken wings left much to be desired. The chicken barely had any seasoning. You definitely need to get sauce to accompany the wings. However, the wings were well cooked. read more

As a Texas man, the bar is pretty high and I wasn't impressed with the smoked chicken or the brisket. They both lacked smoke. I must admit, the done-ness of the chicken was good, tender and juicy, must have finished it off with steam. Just needs a bit more seasoning and smoke. My coworker had the pulled pork and was wasn't moved either. That said, I do appreciate a clean restaurant and good service. I could possibly come back here..... someday. read more

As near as perfect as you can get. This place has amazing BBQ! There bread pudding is amazing too. Variety of sauces was great - there sweet sauce was awesome and you can call me a sissy all day long for loving it. Atmosphere was perfect with the blues playing in the background. Highly recommend stopping at John Hardy's any chance you can. read more

John Hardy's Bar-B Q - Picture of our spread. And my husband for a bonus ;) - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

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Service and food was good. Their medium BBQ sauce was delicious. The chicken was a little dry but still had good flavor.

I've been her 3 times. I won't be back! Their BBQ is mediocre! BBQ ribs are burnt to a crisp and bone dry! Let's not talk about their shitty attitudes! read more

This is a busy place and you'll find out why during your first bite of food. When walking in this place isn't pretentious at all. It is casual and very busy with comfortable level of chatter. I saw two police officers eating there when we arrived and I knew I had to be on the right path to good eats. I got the half rack of ribs and it was amazing! The ribs are hearty and smoky! They offer a variety of sauces that don't disappoint. The magic happened when I found the sauce that I liked and paired it with the ribs. Amazing taste profile with the right amount of tug of pulling the tender meat from the bone. Heaven for true lovers of BBQ! This is a wonderful place with great service that doesn't disappoint and I will be returning! read more

Not sure what happened to the portions, I had the combo meal with upgrade to brisket for $2.00 and ended up with a couple small thinly slice pieces with one being very fatty. Where's the beef? I felt like they didn't have enough meat left to serve but decided to just put it on my plate anyway. I will say the sever was very good. I've been to the other location on Broadway many times, and always had good portions. Next time I'm in town I'll go to the other location and see if the portions are just as small. read more

I've been going to John Hardy's for years and it never disappoints! The food is always just what you expect...hot, fresh and they have a very friendly staff! Great BBQ place to hit up! read more

The service was outstanding! Unfortunately I suspect that the ribs were warmed up from what was actually ready to be served yesterday. Very dry and not tasty at all. Two weeks ago I got an unbelievable good plate of ribs but the plate today was very disappointing. read more

The north location falls victim to the same negatives as the south side. The jojo's are usually soggy unless you ask them to be extra crispy. The garlic bread is completely soaked in butter. It's a real shame because my family used to ask for seconds, it used to be so good! On the plus side, the meat choices are decent. I usually get the pork or beef plates. The beans are really good (although they are assuredly just canned beans) but they throw in some shredded pork/onions as well to jazz them up. I like the sauce variety, and I usually opt for mild sauce on the side so I can apply liberally to my hearts content. All in all, it's just an average bbq in Rochester. Good bbq in Rochester is pretty elusive, so this place gets my business from time to time if u want fast bbq and with friendly service. read more

John Hardy's Bar-B Q - Regular pork plate takeout. - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

The service at the north side sucks. I was not greeted. I stood there for 15 minutes. If I hadn't already ordered, I would have left. Maybe they don't like catering to blacks. I will not be back. The south location got more decency to speak to their customers. read more

Been going to John Hardy's for years. I basically order the sliced pork plate wet with medium sauce on the meat and jo jo potatoes(soft). Always enjoy this specific plate choice. The sides I enjoy are the baked beans or Cole slaw. French fries are great. Cheese curds not so much. I have enjoyed dining here since the late 70's. read more

John Hardy's Bar-B Q - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

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Wow! This place has awesome BBQ. My husband and I are from the south, and the food lived up to its roots. We ordered the onion rings, pulled pork sandwich, and dinner plate. The only thing I will say is my sandwich stated it came "topped with baked beans" and served on garlic bread. I got just regular bread and no baked beans. I was a little disappointed by that. But the food was so good that I'm still giving 5 stars. Will definitely be back! read more

Im gonna first off say i am a big fan of BBQ, every new town i go to i try and find the best brisket the town has to offer. John Hardy in Rochester failed to deliver. The "brisket" was the worse I've had since i started BBQ. Didnt look as if it was smoked properly. The meat was dry and it had a funky smell to it. The meat was firm and hard like jerky and ive always had brisket that can be easily pulled apart. I had 2 bites and couldnt eat anymore. I tried smothering bbq sauce on but it made no difference. Now i could have came on an off day but what i was served was bad. The green beans that was my side looked and tasted as if it came out of a can. The thin cut potatoes was just slobbed on the plate and i am pretty sure the grease used on the potatoes was poured over the meat. What good i can say was the service to which I was served. Our server was outstanding, she apologized and addressed the issue then adjusted it on my check. In all honesty i wont be back, theirs better BBQ out there. read more

John Hardy's Bar-B Q - This the "Brisket" Combo - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

Great BBQ in Rochester. Being from Memphis I was skeptical about the BBQ but I'm glad I did. Very impressed with the meat and sauce. If I'm ever back in Rochester I'll be making a stop read more

First time here and DEFINITELY the last!! We had the full rack rib dinner and they were the worst ribs we ever ate in our lives! They were ALL fat and had a terrible smoke smell. The people that gave this restaurant a good review obviously never had good baby back ribs. These looked like the ribs of an oversized hog in fact my husband asked if they were beef ribs. I would NEVER recommend this restaurant to anybody! The only decent thing about this place was the lady that waited on us, she was very nice! Horrible!!! read more

They normally have good smoked meat. The last few times the pulled pork had been too dry. The ribs that we got had more fat than I'm used too. The rib tip was beyond cooked, more like burnt and uneatable. Had to throw it away. My kids said the chicken was good. They didn't save any for me. They were better in the past. I'll give them one more try to see if they can improve. read more

I've been coming here for YEARS and I've enjoyed myself every time I come! This time was no different.... Service is top notch....you seat yourself and someone pops over to start serving you right away... Food choices are awesome! It's a BBQ joint so I shouldn't have to explain the menu to much...the sizes of the meals are huge and will guarantee to fill you up....don't be surprised if your taking leftovers home This has been a staple for years in Rochester..My grandpa went here all the time while I was growing up......Honestly I have nothing really bad to say....Every time it's always great service and food! Recommend for sure! read more

John Hardy's Bar-B Q - Sign that you see from the frontage road - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

The only good thing was the bbq sauce. Unfortunately, the meals were very small, I also felt the food was subpar. A lot of locals/frequent fliers seem to return often, I am just not one of them. read more

Always great! Been going there since John Hardy himself was behind the counter. Best bbq in Rochester.

Rochester is blessed with great barbecue, especially Roscoe's and John Hardy's. Love 'em both but I like the ribs here better as they're not fall off the bone. Some prefer that but to me that means they're over cooked. Not to miss at Hardy's is the fried okra. Just like my momma never made. :-) read more

John Hardy's Bar-B Q - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

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