Stopped into this little gem, while out of town for a softball tournament, with a group of 9. The seating in this spot is limited, but the food is delicious. They have three round barrel high top tables (5 people?), one long table for 8-10 people, and a few swivel stools along the wall for seating. From the moment we walked in we were greeted by the employees and they were very helpful in answering our questions when we had a tough time deciding what to order. Platters come with two sides, pickles, onions are an option too, but I'm not a fan, and a piece of cornbread. I initially planned on one type of meat and some sides, but after watching those ahead of me in our group get their food I couldn't decide. Opted for a three meat platter and was very glad I did. Three meats I chose included pulled pork, brisket, and ribs. The ribs were falling off the bone, full of flavor and a great option. Brisket, which I don't usually choose because I don't enjoy the fatty pieces, was phenomenal. Pulled pork came in bigger chunks and was fine, but the brisket and ribs were the star of the show. Each piece of meat was pulled from the oven and sliced for us right at the counter. My sides were mac & cheese and the cucumber salad. The mac was nice and creamy with the right balance of cheesy goodness and salt, making sure it's not just a blah noodle. The cuke salad was also a delightful surprise. I was expecting more of a vinegar base since it is listed as fresh cucumber salad, but it came out as a creamy salad with dill. The tomatoes mixed into the salad are marinated, giving it another burst of flavor with each bite. The cornbread was a little dense, but it was sweet, and served with a hefty amount of butter. Overall, this southerner would rate this as the best BBQ I've found so far in Wisconsin. My father-in-law, who is hard to please when it comes to food, was also with us and I overheard him telling someone on the phone that "it was the best BBQ he's ever had." My husband was hoping to try the burnt ends, but they weren't quite ready for serving while we were there. During our visit, a team of employees was also preparing for a catering event. They all sat down at a barrel top table and discussed the upcoming event and the plan for the evening. Everyone seemed fully informed on what their job was and the upcoming menu and when it was to be served. I would have confidence in this group if I had an event they were catering based on the taste and their thoroughness in planning. read more

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Ordered ham, brisket, sausages and turkey with red potatoes, potato salad and cowboy beans. Sides, ham, sausages were great. Brisket was on the dry side but saved with the sauce. However, the turkey was so very dry it literally flaked and turkey is my favorite, but not this turkey. Sorry Karl, not sure if I'd order again. :( read more

First time trying Karls and this is the best BBQ we've tried and found in Wisconsin. Employees were super friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. Well definitely be back! We don't have any pictures of the pulled pork, potato salad, corn bread, or turkey because we ate it so fast. read more

I took my dad here and Father's Day. We each got a two meat platter. The meat was very delicious. The burnt pork belly ends were amazing. The brisket is decent. The size were also great. Fast service. It was busy. They do a brisk carryout business. We ate in. Bottled soda and water only, no other beverages or alcohol. On each, had to take a go box and got an extra meal out of it. read more

Karl's Bar B Q Express - To meet platter with burnt pork, belly ends, brisket, coleslaw, and beans. - Barbeque Near Me - Eau Claire, Wisconsin

I got a 3 meat combo with pulled pork, brisket and turkey. The cowboy beans and potato salad are also my go to for sides. Karl's catered our wedding 2 summers ago and everyone loved it! We sent guests home with leftovers and everyone now craves Karl's bbq! We live in Las Vegas during the school year and there is not a single bbq joint in Vegas that can match Karl's!!! Sorry no pics as we ate too fast! read more

The takeout was very mediocre and not particularly cheap. The beef brisket was very dry, ribs were just ok, and pulled pork was decent. The side of potatoes swimming in butter was great though! read more

Ribs were the star of the show! Fall off the bone! A good dry rub but wish it had a bit for flavor where you didn't have to supplement with the bbq sauce which was generic. The cornbread was also great and plenty of butter was provided. The beans were tasty and the Mac and cheese tasted liked Kraft. I love how the to go box comes with onions and pickle slices. Just 4 rib meal filled me up and then some. Will definitely be back! read more

Karl's is fantastic! Food is always 10/10. An employee explaining to me that he doesn't eat pork because the Bible says it's unclean, as he chops up the pork I just ordered, not my favorite experience. But it didn't seem to be done with malice and the service is generally as good as the food. read more

Karl, I was really looking forward to getting food from your restaurant. I'm leaving 3 of 5 stars and hoping we can get things adjusted for my next trip to Eau Claire in 6 weeks. Food - Taste and Variety - 5 Stars Staff Accuracy in making the order - 3 Stars - They missed two of my six sides - missing coleslaw and the cowboy beans (and I was really looking forward to the beans) plus the extra BBQ sauce I paid for on my order, - Note, between a full rack of ribs, brisket platter, and pulled pork platter I was given two little cups of BBQ. I would expect normally 2 little cups per each order - my wife needed 1.5 cups for the pulled pork and I sparing used the last 1/2 cup for one of the 4 pieces of brisket. - So I was missing 1/3 of my sides. I just took the bags they handed me and didn't examine everything. The sides are almost $4 each plus $0.49 for the extra sauce. Ordering Process - 0 Stars - I looked to place an order first on Doordash - nice UI but a few issues - 19% surcharge - The 3-meat platter gave me a rib option - I decided against Doordash because it was just a 6-minute drive from my Dad's house. - I looked then to use the other the other delivery option EatStreet - The available options on EatStreet are missing a bunch of items from Karl's web menu and Doordash - I looked to order via the option for Order Pickup - which uses Clover - Clover showed the hours as 11 AM - 7 PM -- but the main Karl's site shows the hours as 11 AM - 8 PM on Saturday - Clover would not show the Doordash Ribs for the 3 meat option either, but it did have the full menu. - I decided to order a Full Rack of Ribs (I'd split with my Dad who only wanted the 4-bones), Brisket Platter because I wanted Ribs & Brisket, and Pulled Pork Platter for my wife - I tried checking out as a guest and it failed - Clover didn't have the Apple Pay option working - I tried entering my credit card Info and it kept saying that an error occurred. - I decided to try and call the phone number listed on the site - I called 6 times between 6:57 PM and 7:10 PM - 5 times there was no answer and when it went to voice mail it said there was no mailbox set up and I had to hang up - 1 time there seemed to be an answer but no one said anything - In desperation I decided to try Clover once more and created an account via email - Once I was logged in I was able to place my order and pay via Apple Pay, but... - I was told my order would be ready at 11:10 AM Sunday -- because Clover has the wrong hours in their system. So I drove over hoping the hours were right on the web site and worried about my order. I get there around 7:24 PM, my order was submitted at 7:09 PM. - I asked if they had my order -- NOPE - While I was there the phone rang once -- maybe it was Karl - but the woman who answered proceeded to walk away from me and chat for several minutes. - When I later mentioned I had called and never got an answer, she told me how swamped they were. There was 1 guy in the restaurant. No other pickups while I was there -- though 1 Clover order seemed to have come in while I was waiting. Again I had called 5 times to place and order and once after my order was placed and said it would be ready Sunday morning. Karl - I would look to get the ordering options fixed and I would get a local phone option (dedicated phone with a 715 area code - could be a cell phone). I would assume some credit for my future visit in late-September for the missing food items. I'll look to re-evaluate my review after that visit. read more

Definitely worth a stop if driving through Eau Claire. Owner was great, offered a couple of samples - smoked pork belly, brisket. Sold! I ended up with the briskest sandwich and homemade potato salad. All good. Like their two sauces, too. Would recommend. These are the kind of establishments to support. Will be back as possible. read more

Karl's Bar B Q Express - Brisket Sandwich- Generous - Barbeque Near Me - Eau Claire, Wisconsin

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We had a small XMas party for our group of 20 attendees. The food that Karl supplied us was excellent!!!! We had more than enough with everyone taking something home. Everyone complemented on the meal- brisket, pulled pork, baby reds, mac/cheese. Our group will have Karl back again. Darrell - EC Evening Lions read more

Delicious barbecue! Brisket, pork, chicken, turkey and burnt ends - all delicious! I had a super-loaded backed potato - incredible flavor and big enough for 2 meals. Service was quick, friendly and professional. As it was our first time they gave us a sample of some of the meats. Highly recommend! read more

Karl's catered a family reunion for us. The food was great with a nice variety of chicken, brisket, Mac and cheese potatoes, beans and corn bread. Everything tasted great and he was right on time for our event. Would highly recommend. read more

Food was okay but it is so damn over priced! I'd pass. Staff was short with us... spent 65.00 bucks only to be treated as if I was at some chain restaurant. I doubt I'd go back again. read more

Absolutely amazing food. I kept wanting more after every bite couldn't get enough. The meat is juicy and flavorful along with the sides just makes the whole meal delicious overall. read more

Karl's catered to our military event and I have never tasted better food. He brought large quantities of high quality food and a wide variety. Highly reccomend. read more

Way to over priced and the ribs were tough and undercooked, super dry hot links and real chewy, ribs were rubbed with sauce with no flavor of any kind of rub smoked on them, tasted like day old ribs as well.. first time I went here it was really good but last two times has been not good, I have tried them twice since my first time and now I'm never going back read more

This place is a hidden gem! The food is excellent and the service is outstanding. It's been a bit difficult to find good bbq in Wisconsin, but the pulled pork and brisket here are very good. The sides are also no joke. If you're passing through Eau Claire and are looking for a relatively fast, but quality meal then Karl's is the place. Can't recommend this place enough! read more

All I can say is yuck. The brisket was not fully cooked, still pink, rubbery, and not even a hint of smoke flavor. The pulled pork was lukewarm and quite fatty. Bbq sauce tasted like Open Pit brand cut with ketchup. Totally disappointed. read more

Had the pork sandwich and it was excellent. Quality sandwich at fair price. I would recommend this place. Similar to the old Mikes Smokehouse. read more

Should be on Diners and Dives Show. The food is worth traveling for although it is right here in our city! You must try everything at least once. The best Barbeque in town right down to the best beans and Potato Salad! read more

Stopped in last weekend for a family pack that included ribs, brisket and pork as well as sides. Best brisket I've had! All the meat was excellent and done to perfection. Cowboy beans were great. Really enjoyed the meal and will definitely be back! read more

The only barbecue that has compared to this is 2000 miles away. Generous portions and reasonable price. The crispy outside of the pulled pork was sooooo good, combined with the juicy, tender meat. Wow. The type of food that you'll think about for months. Friendly staff as well. read more

Oct 2023 My husband and I have both worked in the industry and LOVE BBQ... not only going out to eat but enjoy smoking at home. We have a genuine appreciation for the skill it takes to smoke. The atmosphere is rustic and a complementary change to the city outside. Oldies playing low, whisky barrel tables and the owner himself carving the meat. There was line when we walked in--the place had been open 40 minutes. We ordered two of the 3 meat platters, and an extra two sides and some beverages. We wanted to try as much of the menus as possible. The meats were smoked well. The sides could use some spice tweaking but were not bad by any measure. The food was underpriced. If you do enough traveling and your enjoy eating out--you will appreciate this review. They were appropriately staffed for this time of day and year. We will come back if we are in the area. Minor issue on ticket and the owner took care of it immediately. Zero complaints. read more

Tasha was our server today. WoW unbelievable bad attitude and plain rude. Should not have her interacting with customers. Plus she look to be under the influence. it's a great experience in this store when the blue hair guy is there. That guy is great. He should be running that place. I will be turning around at the door if hes not working from now on read more