If walls could talk, the ones at Johnny's BBQ would probably tell you they've seen more sauce stains and first dates than anyone in Cullman. This place has been holding it down since 1963, and they've got the plaque to prove it, proudly posted as a member of the Alabama Barbeque Hall of Fame. When you walk in, it feels like you just stepped into a time capsule where calories do not count and everybody knows how to properly pronounce "slaw." The ambience absolutely screams old school BBQ joint. Wood paneling. No nonsense tables. The kind of place where you half expect your uncle to be in the corner arguing about college football. Now let's talk food, because that is why we're here. The pulled chicken? Outstanding. Tender, juicy, packed with flavor. It showed up ready to win. If it ran for office, I would vote for it. That chicken understood the assignment. The BBQ chicken had that beautiful crisped skin that makes you lean in like, "Oh yeah, this is about to be serious." But then it hit the plate a little under seasoned. The sauce was on the thinner side too. Not bad, just more "light drizzle at a picnic" than "bold backyard pitmaster energy." And let me take a moment to publicly thank the potato salad. Special shout out. Creamy, balanced, and clearly made by somebody's grandmother who does not measure anything and does not need to. All in all, Johnny's is a solid four stars. Historic, nostalgic, and when they hit, they really hit. I'll be back, mostly for that pulled chicken and potato salad combo that had me considering a second plate and a nap. read more

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Cute little BBQ spot. We stopped on a road trip. I had the pulled pork sandwich. It came already sauced which made it hard to taste the pork so I was a little disappointed in that. Also came with the slaw on the top - good. The pork was tender and well-trimed, but I didn't catch much smoke. We had a side of fries, they were nice and fat, but not super warm. We had a side of green beans. They were a little overcooked but had a nice flavor, with a slight bit of a pickled flavor. Good value for the price. read more

We came down to Cullman to see a museum and visit a few farmer's markets. Johnny's wound up being the call for lunch. This is a long-standing bbq restaurant in the area. The parking lot was busy when we arrived for lunch around 12:45 PM, but we found a spot easily enough. A sign instructed us to seat ourselves when we walked into the restaurant. We found a booth and a waitress came by with menus shortly after. They offer chicken, pork, or ribs in plates or on sandwiches, as well as a few other bbq favorites like Brunswick stew and loaded potatoes. Somewhat uncommon compared to your average bbq restaurant is they also serve fried fish. My parents both got bbq pork sandwiches (dad with fries, mom with onion rings) and I got my safe-food for bbq of unknown quality: a loaded pork baked potato. We all agreed the pork bbq was decent to pretty good. Nothing mind-blowing, but not overly fatty and pulled into nice-sized pieces. We enjoyed the slightly thin sweet bbq sauce. The onion rings were great, but the fries were really not very good at all. They were very soft and soggy and undersalted. I don't think any of us had more than one or two of them. My potato was a good size and mostly cooked well, except for a few small mealy bits at the very bottom. I liked the copious amount of sour cream on the potato, though in a perfect world I could've done for some more cheese. Sauce was served on the side, which was good since I don't like sauce on my potato. The sweet tea to drink wasn't super flavorful but it was passable. Our waitress was prompt with our food and ticket but otherwise not very friendly. Overall, this was a serviceable lunch experience. We all agreed it was about worthy of 3 stars, so here we are. The bbq itself was probably the best thing here, as it should be, but it's not among my favorite bbq in the Alabama area. read more

Johnny's Bar-B-Q - Loaded pork potato - Barbeque Near Me - Cullman, Alabama

Just ok BBQ. Their sauce is not to my taste so that kinda harsher my buzz on the place. I will try other p l aces before I return here. It is pretty dull inside. NO booths and just ok food. Not for me. read more

First visit to this small town BBQ joint. They opened their doors in 1949! Had the pork plate with sides of baked beans, coleslaw, fries, and hush puppies! All items were excellent, their bbq sauce is also very good. Service was quick and efficient and prices were fair. read more

Johnny's Bar-B-Q - BBQ Pork Plate - Barbeque Near Me - Cullman, Alabama

Very disappointing experience. Very nasty waitress who seemed to act as if it was a bother for hee to have customers. Then when I asked what was good. She gave the universal answer that nothing is good by saying "it's all good". I asked about burnt ends and she told me nobody eats them even though they have them. I was confused because they didn't have brisket on the menu. I ended up with the BBQ plate pulled pork. It was just pulled pork swimming in sauce in the most unappealing presentation possible Then... make matters worse. The food was cold. How!?!?!? Overall bad. Just dont. read more

Food, service and ambiance was great! Even my picky son was pleased. I will go back.

Piss poor service When we walked in, we were not greeted at all We were not given menus We had a six month old baby with us and I had to go and get my own highchair from the other side of the restaurant and nobody offered to help me Everyone in there looked at us like we were aliens It was my first and only time in there Obviously, it is a small town hole in the wall redneck trash place We could not even get any service because the people that worked there were eating They were hanging out in the back and talking And did not care that we were there If you are not living in a residence within 1 mile of that place and go there every that day then please do not stop in there because you will not be welcome When I went to pay, nobody was there to take my money It was outrageously overpriced $70 for three adults and one four year-old to eat one meal If I could give this negative stars, then I would read more

Best barbecue stuffed baked potatoes around.Always enjoyed the full slab of ribs also.

We wanted to eat at a local, family-owned bbq joint & we struck gold at Johnny's! Packed with local folks, so we knew it was gonna be good. The food was EXCELLENT; perfect (large) portions, great presentation, toothsome flavor, & great-value-for-the-price. Morgan, our server, was a real sweetheart; pleasant, professional, & very attentive. She checked on us often & kept our glasses topped off. Thanks, Johnny! We'll be back! #SlapTheBulldog! read more

Johnny's Bar-B-Q - Pulled pork bbq plate! - Barbeque Near Me - Cullman, Alabama

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Usually we have a good experience when we get the to-go orders. The pork family pack was fine and tasted good. We ordered dessert this time and my wife's lemon icebox pie was pretty much just a wad of meringue. Not the best experience. read more

Looks like things have not changed since the first time a friend and I ate there 15 years ago. Same awful BBQ pork. It was so bad 15 years ago that we just got up and walked out without paying. How does this place stay in business? read more

Johnny's Bar-B-Q was listed as obe of the restaurants in Alabama you have to try before you die. This Cullman, Alabama institution has been feeding the people of this area and road weary travelers for decade after decade. This restaurant has been in business since l at least 1950's. I pulled in well before noon find me parking lot full already. However, I was seated within five minutes of being there. I ordered the small combination barbecue plate, which was three ounces of pork, a quarter chicken, coleslaw, potato salad and a roll. My food was brought out rather fast and I wasted no time staring into my lunch. I had then bring me both the red and the white barbecue sauce, which I used liberally on both the pork and chicken. The pork was tender and you had a great bark on the outside, making the skin almost crunchy. The potato salad was finely minced and had a great vinegar base. The coleslaw was a bit strong with the onion, but otherwise all was great. Service is very friendly, almost to the point that you would see an old movie about small town country folk. I would recommend if you are in the area to seek this place out. read more

Johnny's Bar-B-Q - Small combination barbecue plate - Barbeque Near Me - Cullman, Alabama

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This is our favorite local BBQ place for food, service is always good, restaurant is clean, and the decor is of your normal BBQ joint.

Good service and good food. Sides are really good especially Brunswick stew. The staff is always friendly. read more

Amazing food. The server was so nice and on top of everything. Will be back. Nice atmosphere. read more

Johnny's Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Cullman, Alabama

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Looking for some new BBQ to try and my wife and I settled on this place. I will say, everything up until paying my check was spot on. Server was sweet, attentive and answered all our questions. The food was good, like really good. But then.... we got up to pay the check. The person working the register was very rude to me. I was joking with her, and she said "can I just have your check please" really snotty. Not sure what her problem was. I handed her the check, paid and we walked out. My wife said I showed great restraint not getting a manager or telling her off but I was in a good mood and wasn't going to let this person ruin it. Didn't catch her name because I was floored at her attitude. I do know she was kind of short, blond hair and wore glasses. We shall not be returning here. Pucket's just opened and their BBQ is AMAZING and everyone there is friendly. Maybe Johnnys should take some notes??? read more

Johnny's Bar-B-Q - Ribs with fries, baked beans and bread. Was really good - Barbeque Near Me - Cullman, Alabama

They have great catfish, chicken stuffed potatoes, hamburgers and especially their chocolate pies!

The jalapeño poppers were of the frozen variety, the pulled pork had no flavor, and the ribs tasted like they came out of a crockpot. Good bbq does not need sauce. This bbq is inedible without it. Not impressed is an understatement. read more

Love this place. I get the large stuffed potatoe. Service is always great. Will definitely eat here when in town.

I was visiting my sister andwe went to Cullman, Al and we were looking for a place to grab some food and decided on Johnny's BBQ. Our server was Morgan and she was GREAT !!! I ordered the hamburger steak with onions and gravy for the sides we had fries and the bake beans and my sister ordered the ribs. Ohhh man the ribs were tender (fall off bone) seasoned well, the hamburger steak was juicy and tender and the gravy was thick and rich. Baked beans had a sweet smoky flavor and the crinkle fries were cooked to perfection. We ordered wings and ribs to go for the Bama game on Saturday. I'll post about the wings later. We had lemon pie for dessert sweet and lightly tangy(so good) the lemonade was excellent. I will definitely go back the next time I'm in Alabama. read more

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Great Bar B Q! Brunswick stew was the worst I have ever had! And I have had many. No meat! Screwed up the order after I placed the order. The facility has not changed much in many years and is a very home feeling atmosphere. Overall a bad experience this time! Been going for years! Not sure what was wrong this day. read more

We came here for lunch one day, I wasn't 100% sure what to expect, but I had been told it was the best. Maybe I would've been less disappointed if I hadn't been told that beforehand. The service was fine, lots of older waitresses, but they do a good job. There were quite a few people inside which indicated that it should be good as well. The tables are a start haha, it looks like it started like an advertisement opportunity, but haven't been updated in many moons. I can understand how they might be trying to have like a local vibe, but its kind of bordering on tacky. We ordered and were brought our food in a reasonable amount of time. I think the portions are pretty appropriate, and the price seems pretty fair for the quantity. I had a half chicken with potato salad and mac n cheese as sides. The husband has a pulled pork sandwich. I enjoyed the chicken a bit more after I added sufficient salt, but I could definitely tell it was slow cooked in a smoker or some thing similar. I didn't particularly enjoy the white sauce that comes on the plate, but other people definitely might. I believe it's a vinegar mix, not for everyone, but some people like that. The Mac n cheese was good, not like amazing, but probably my favorite part of the meal. The potato salad was a bit too sweet for my taste, and the texture was not my favorite, my best description is puréed which kind of threw me off. Overall an okay place to eat, but I wouldn't make it a 'must do'. read more

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Eating here since a little girl, if from Cullman, you judge all Bbq on Johnny's. Best in the area! Always consistently good.

Will not eat here again! These servers have to be the most rude I've ever encountered at a restaurant! I had ordered a barbecue plate which said it came with bread. The food was brought out, it was a little pricie for the small dinner portion I was given and I asked if I could get the bread that came with it. The server was already walking away and I said, excuse me! can I get some bread please? And she turned and very rudely and loudly said, oh you want some bread?! Five minutes later two thin slices were dropped into my table and not a refill on my drink. Rudest servers I've ever encountered! Go to Williams BBQ in Cullman, the service is so much better. read more

We were excited to visit this barbecue restaurant based on the reviews. Total disappointment. The server was gracious different. Had to ask twice for sweetener for my unsweet tea. They were not crowded and yet everything was slow. All three people in our party said we would not return. Slow service. Average food. At checkout took almost 10 minutes with three people in front of us. I would never go back. So sad. This place has potential. read more

Everything was great. Everyone was friendly and helpful. Food was delicious. Pricing was reasonable. I will go back and I recommend it.

Excellent food and service! Delicious Bar-B_Q and the best fries! Always friendly staff and always fast service too. Have always enjoyed eating there! Highly recommend them! read more

One of my favorite places to eat in Cullman! Our server tonight was friendly and attentive, checking on us to make sure we had plenty to drink and seeing if we were in need of anything. I had the open face roast beef and it was so tender and delicious! Highly recommend and will be back soon!! read more

Meh. Made me sick to my stomach, meat was cold. Service was good. As many people as there were; I was expecting good food.

I placed an order to be picked up. Upon my arrival at the window I was asked if I'd be paying with cash or card. I said card. She then handed me the their card machine and proceeded to tell me if I wanted to leave a tip to leave the amount or press 4. I PRESSED 4!!! I'm sorry... I take that back. I'm not sorry!!! A tip is really only meant for a waitress or maybe even a pizza delivery guy but mainly for a waitress. Waitresses are normally paid less than minimum wage and survive on tips. I've always left a tip. If I got great service I left a generous tip. If I got horrible service I left a quarter. If it was somewhere in between then you got whatever I thought you deserved but I'M NOT TIPPING SOMEONE FOR HANDING ME FOOD OUT A WINDOW LIKE IM IN A MCDONALD'S DRIVE-THRU! I'm not tipping people like subway employees either. I'm not paying them extra for doing their jobs when they make a fair wage. I've never been tipped for doing my job. If I'm at a restaurant and I get good service I'll tip accordingly but this tipping for nothing or tipping someone for the job they're supposed to do has gotten out of hand and I'm sorry that Johnnys Barbecue has become part of it. I've always enjoyed their food but when they start pressuring people for tips for handing food out of a window it's time to find something else and I could even see the disdain in the girl's eyes as I pressed 4. They try and pressure you so you'll pay the extra and in today's time who can afford to pay extra for no extra effort involved? read more

If you want a great local Bar-B-Q, you must try Johnny's. I've had BBQ from Co, TX, NC, SC and now AL. Hands down the best I've ever had, homemade BBQ sauce with a homemade white sauce. We also couldn't ask for better service if I could bc it was awesome. Busy as heck but was amazing after closing they still had patrions inside and never rushed them out. Great atmosphere on top of all that!!! 10/10 read more

I like to eat local and tried this place. The food and service were very good. The sweet tea was a pleasant surprise.

The staff was very friendly and that's the only true compliment I can offer. We were deciding between stopping at Puckett's and Johnnys as we drove up to Huntsville. We are BBQ lovers and try every place we can while we travel. We ordered a pulled pork plate and a quarter chicken plate. The pork was over sauced, their sauce is sweet and almost like a grocery store brand cut with vinegar to make it runny. The chicken was very dry and the coleslaw tasted as though it was going bad. The baked beans were also runny and the potato salad was a mustard based (which we typically like) but also sweet. We left and decided we have had better bbq sandwiches at Buc-ees. Again, the staff was very nice and attentive but we were not impressed with the food. read more

We arrived at Johnny's a few minutes before they opened at 11am today, went to the door to wait and found the door ajar because it wasn't locked. My watch read 10:56am. (Some eateries, from my experience, will welcome you in a few minutes early and invite you to sit down). Immediately this young server/hostess/whatever, unwelcomingly approached saying they were closed until 11am, and when I mentioned it was getting hot outside asking if we could please just sit in the air conditioning until then, she insisted we go back outside to wait. For four minutes! For a business that has right on their door they close Sundays to go to church, I find this behavior to be very petty, unchristian and not an example of southern hospitality. Apparently they did not want my business nor my money. (We left and found another restaurant that did want our business.). Best wishes, Johnny's, will not be back. read more

I am (or was) on the fence about 2 stars or 3 stars; I landed on two stars for several reasons. I ate at Golden Rule in Irondale yesterday and it was fantastic. Golden Rule serves chopped pork with a nice mixture of inside meat and crispy bark. The French fries are freshly cut and crispy too. That's my thing. Johnny's has been in business for 70 years so they definitely have a following. I found the meat to be watery (like Whitt's bbq) and the fries were frozen crinkle cut (cooked but certainly not crispy). Anyway, Johnny's was just ok. read more

This place has blown me away for 40 years. I have Ate BBQ all over the U.S and ant nothing like it. There sauce is so unique and tangy. If in cullman you must stop here. read more

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Good food and service. Informal, would be a regular customer if I lived nearby. I was surprised and frustrated to see 4% added to my bill without any notification or warning when I signed my credit card receipt. read more

Good food good service would recommend. Value for quantity could be improved. Excellent loaded baked potatoes.

Less than average barbecue. Large chunks not properly shedded/chopped. Sometimes as you're eating feels like a wad of tobacco. Dried and makes it even unable to eat especially on a sandwich. Now on to the service. Older lady working front area is rude and very short and makes comments about other customers after they leave. As I was checking out, she read my order and I corrected her...her response "that's what I said, that's just not what you heard." Live near Cullman and pass through the area. Given Johnny's a couple opportunities, but won't be back. read more