Hot. Damn. Someone…read moreonce gave me the sage advice to "never pass up an oxtail" and the special here is a testament to the fact that there are no exceptions to that rule. Smoked to perfection, tender, not stringy, and paired with the brisket baked beans and green beans? Perfection. It was almost good enough to make me forget to review the bread pudding. Just kidding - NOTHING could prevent me from reviewing the bread pudding. It should be illegal to create something that incredibly tasty. Thank Athena I live all the way on the other end of the state or my health would be in massive trouble. DO NOT PASS THIS PLACE UP.

First time visiting this place today...food was SO good! Very fresh and super tasty. The vibe was…read morefun - made me feel like I was in NOLA - fun signage and southern music. And the staff were very friendly and seemed to be enjoying themselves. I can't wait to go back and try more things on the menu!

Popped in for Thurs lunch favoring Pat's with fewer but better ratings and less expensive option in…read moreMurphysboro. First time...so went withh the sampler at $18 and most of their meats are included except the pork steak (makes sense to me since that's usually a separate feature in these parts along with Kentucky). It was three of us and we were given the heads up that the sampler can feed two. Figured we could start with that and order more. The order was a very generous helping of two large rib tips, two pork rib bones, two wing pieces, and pulled chicken, pork, and chopped brisket. Our choice of two sides were slaw and mac & cheese. Three buns were thrown in given the three of us in the party (thanks for the flex). Local bottled Big Muddy root beer is the same $1.50 as the can sodas in the case and it is made with honey and cane sugar. Of the things I tried, I thought the rib tips were excellent - smoked pink and moist - got a meaty piece with only a small piece of cartilage. The chopped brisket isn't my thing - I prefer sliced. My daughter said the ribs were great (figured would be as good as the tips). The wings I believe were smoked too rather than grilled and the taste from the rub/marinade wasn't something I was familiar with. Tender and not dry. Pulled pork and chicken were solid. We still had leftovers - so I'll get my chance to try the ribs and focus on the flavor of the wing. Will have to get the pork steak next time and order plates next time focusing on our faves. Roomy dining area with some tables near the windows. It was getting warm out there so having plenty of indoor seating on a quieter Thursday lunch was welcome over overflow seating outside at the covered picnic tables.

I live in the Midwest, in a small city. Our BBQ places are easy to find: look for a big, shouty…read moresign; the owner's $120,000 extended F250 taking up a space right in front of the door; and an ambiance that includes corrugated steel walls, self-consciously Texas-y lamps over closely huddled booths, and servers all wearing the same hat and shirt. Oh - and the food is usually fine, except no fried okra. Pat's is not in a city. It's outside a small southern Illinois town. Pretty far outside, in fact, which is where true BBQ is supposed to be located. The parking lot is gravel. The only pickups there belong to customers, and their worth is more in the range of $12,000, except to their owners, who use them as trucks. And the sign is a sign. It tells you where you are. Oh, wait - there are BBQ competition trophies in the entryway. Stand and marvel. There are more inside. Marvel more. Because other than these and some pics of family and locals and celebrities I didn't recognize on the walls, that's about it for decoration. Stare at the menu, menu board and signs. Pay attention to the happy person behind the counter when she tells you what they're out of, because the best BBQ places are out of something you want. Note the teasing banter between local customers and the kitchen staff, because everyone knows someone back there. And order. We got the pulled pork plate. My sister got potato salad and green beans. I got the fries. I got the local(?) root beer. They don't do fried okra, but this IS the Midwest. It all came to our table in a reasonable amount of time. The BBQ sauce came in a cup on the side. Ketchup was brought to us. So why only four stars? Everything was perfect, right? And prizewinning? Yeah, but BBQ is personal. Everyone has an opinion. I lived in northern Alabama, which styles itself as BBQ Country. As does Texas and Kansas City and Memphis and everywhere. Pat's, much beloved by regulars for its mild smokiness, juicy juicy soft texture and other features, seemed a bit too mild and even soggy to me. I know - I have no taste. And it was good. Just not five stars great. And not enough sauce in the container, though I could have gotten up to ask for more. And the potato salad was fine and the fries a little too starchy, but only a little. That said, the beans were the wonderful dark green juicy soft salty ones that are too ... wonderful. Get those. The root beer, brewed with honey, y'all, was the best ever. Get that, too. The dessert was what they were out of, dang it! Overall the experience was just great. Someplace to go back to. And you should go there.

Holy moly! This place is amazing! Service was outstanding! Such a friendly bunch. We came in for…read moredinner and the only disappointment was no getting there sooner to try the chicken and wings. We got pulled pork, ribs, fried bologna, brisket, and the sausage though, just to try all that was left and it hit on each one. Unsauced and tried with the various sauces they have (and there wasn't a bad one in the bunch there either). Ribs were perfectly cooked. Just long enough they come off the bone easily but the meat was not mush. Seasoned with a dry rub so good unsauced I nearly forgot to try it sauced (which also slaps something fierce with that meat gold sauce). The brisket is reminiscent of some great Texas style smoked brisket. Nice salt and peppery bark. Got a mix of fatty and lean and neither side was disappointing. The sausage w/ pickle bbq sauce is dangerously good. And the pulled pork was great too, I liked it especially paired with mango fire. Mushrooms were superbly BATTERED (not breaded) so as not to over do the batter to mushroom ratio. The white Mac was also a staple side. Such a good creamy cheese sauce and not soapy on the noodle shells. Last but not least least, DO NOT SLEEP ON THE FRIED BOLOGNA. On some toast. *chef's kiss* they fry it in their own beef tallow.

Road snack! Pit stop for BBQ right off the highway. Wish I could be more enthused…read more We pulled in around lunch time, there were a couple of people seated. To the left of the door was a window opening to the back with a woman standing there with a baby on her hip, we were looking around to see where to go and she let us know to head to the second window to the back. Upon arriving at the second window, there was a young man standing there. He didn't greet us, didn't smile, just stood there. I indicated it was our first time in and asked a question about the menu, he responded with the answer and then just continued to stand there. I was very uncomfortable so just ordered a sampler with nothing else. For the three options, i chose pulled pork, brisket, and 2 ribs. The food came out right away but no comments or anything. We saw the BBQ sauce area and I took a couple of options in condiment cups with no lids available. grabbed some napkins as we would continue our road trip and eat in the car. I am never a big fan of pulled pork; I have my favorite and compare all to it. This had more flavor than most I have had but it was really dry for being ordered early in the day. The brisket was tender and the fat attached gave flavor. The ribs were fine, also dry. This was a pit stop on our road trip because we love BBQ, this just wasn't for us.

Picked up a little carry-out BBQ from Blazing Trails Texas BBQ in West Frankfort. We ordered the…read morePit Master - 1lb ribs, 1lb brisket, 1lb pulled pork, potato salad, BBQ baked beans and buns. We added 1/2lb of burnt ends. It was absolutely delicious. The ribs and brisket were as tender, juicy and tasty as one could possibly hope for. The potato salad and beans made nice contrasting sides. Best of all, we have plenty of leftovers to eat all weekend.

First time visit. I arrived on Friday a little after noon and the parking lot was packed. Also a…read moreline to order. The dining area is kind of like a shed attached to the kitchen. I was there on a chili day and it was quite cozy. WARNING no public restrooms! There is a Porto potty in the parking lot, so be prepared if you are visiting from out of the area. You order at a window and they call your name at another. The line moves a little slow but orders come out fairly quickly. You can see them slicing up the meats from the order window. Everything I saw being sliced looked good. I got a half rack of ribs. I think that was 7 bones. A pretty substantial serving. The first thing I noticed was the bark on the meat. They put a pretty thick coating of rub on the meat before it is smoked and it tastes so good. I had asked for bbq sauce (you do have to ask), but after tasting the meat I'd say adding sauce detracts from the taste. The rib meat was extremely tender, not common with smoked ribs, but extremely fatty. So the meat was outstanding but all the fat knocked it down a notch to me. I guess the fattiness snd tenderness are related, but it was still a little much. I had hoped that the had Texas red chili. They did have chili the day I went, but they called it brisket chili. It was pretty good. Honestly I was full from the ribs and took most of the chili home. It had just the right amount of heat. I had creamed corn and bbq beans for sides. I over did it here and should have canceled at least one side. The creamed corn was outstanding. I'm not sure I've ever had better. The cream was very thick and extremely well seasoned. I'd stop in again just for this alone. The beans were, I think, very molasses based. I didn't really care for them and wouldn't get them again. I will definitely return. Not sure I'd get ribs. Probably should try brisket at a Texas bbq place.

Cannot recommend this place enough!! Food is ALWAYS hot and delicious!!! Staff is always friendly…read moreas well!!!

Fresh food with large portions! The ribs were cooked perfectly can get them with bbq sauce on them…read moreor on the side. The chicken was juicy with just the right amount of crisp.

The BBQ was amazing (we tried baby backs, brisket, burnt ends), prices reasonable, and staff very…read morefriendly and helpful!

We enjoyed the fall off the bone ribs and smoked chicken! We got delivery and had excellent serviceread more

Great barbecue sandwich and fried catfish. They seem to have a very busy drive thru. Every time…read morewe are in town we stop and get our fill of good barbecue. We even ordered a large amount to go for a family dinner and everything was great.

We went to Pop's on a Friday afternoon & it was not busy at all so take that into consideration…read more One waitress, Kirsten. She was a sweetheart & kind to all patrons. She definitely knows the locals, which is always nice. The restaurant was very clean and had ample seating. We received our drinks and food quickly. I had a half rack of ribs, fried okra, potato salad, and coconut cream pie for dessert. My ribs were very tender and did fall off the bone easily. I thought they had great flavor, not being too smoky. I used a light amount of sauce. The okra was great. Potato salad so so but I'm not a huge fan of mustard based potato salad. The homemade bread was very fresh and a nice little touch. Coconut cream pie...oh my goodness! Yum! My husband had a pork steak and some wings, which were both tender and delicious. We were told Friday is the best day to come so we will definitely be back.

Awesome! Had a large reservation of 17 on a Saturday night…read more They texted to remind me. Got to restaurant and had a great waiting area with peanuts (husband's favorite)! Got sat at table and we were lucky enough to get Shannon, the BEST server ever! She is sweet, courteous and patient! Very organized with a group this big!! Thank you very much Shannon for doing such a great job--you are TOP NOTCH! Food was great , salad bar was amazing, good time!! Kretzer's is our "to go" place for lunch or dinner.

We come here every so often and have always liked the food. Today we get here early about 4 pm to…read morebeat the rush. The dinning room wasn't very full but when they seated us they took us to what used to be a patio. Now it's enclosed and there is a bar a stage and plenty of seating. My problem was the fans that were blowing made it difficult to have a conversation with my wife across the table. I told the server it was almost too noisy and was having a hard time hearing him talk. He said he'd talk louder. That didn't really fix the problem. Not real sure why we were seated in this area because the dinning room had plenty of space. We had a little trouble communicating our order because of the noise. As I stated a couple times to our server. I communicated I have trouble hearing in areas like this and he just kept talking louder. Anyway we finally got our food ordered and went for a salad in the next room. My wife even commented on the empty tables and asked my why I thought they put us in that big room. Idk? So we get our salad and it was good. Kretzers had a decent salad bar. One of the reasons we like the place. I ordered a 12oz ribeye rare with a baked potato. Wife got chicken strips with gravy and mashed potatoes and gravy. When the food arrived everything looked good and the server said some things that I have no idea what. Even the wife didn't know. I go to open the butter for my pita and it's not butter. It's an oil whip. I do not eat fake butter. It's harmful. To find out they have no butter in the place. So I tell my server of the situation and looks at me like he has no idea what to do. Turns and walks away. So I eat my steak and stare at the baked potato. I am a recent cancer survivor and have no ability to make saliva. So I needed the butter to make the potato edible. Or even gravy or something. I told the server but I don't think he heard me correctly or didn't know what to do. It was so loud with the stupid fans. So while I do recommend Kretzers and like their steaks and crab legs and salad bar. I don't recommend their new addition to dine in. And if you want real butter bring your own. I was a little disappointed with our experience this time around.

Went on a road trip recently, and spent a few days in St. Louis. Since St. Louis has a whole style…read moreof rib named after it, I had to try and seek out the best in town. My research brought me here to Pappy's. I'm very glad it did. Ambiance starts with a line out the door, literally. You slowly shuffle down a long hallway full of Pappy's memorabilia. Then you make it to the ordering counter, order, and find a table. The dining room is huge, plenty of tables, with a full complement of sauces on each table. The service people at the counter were friendly, and so were the people delivering the food. The food came out quick and hot and delicious. We had baked beans and potato salad for sides, and they were pretty solid. Nothing show-stealing, but no complaints about them whatsoever. And of course, we got the ribs. Tender, juicy, a nice bite and chew, a decent bark, just a really wonderful rib. Better than any St. Louis style rib I've ever had back home in Florida. Other states, hard to say, the jury's out, but in that moment, I was eating a five-star rib. So good. We also got a 1/4 pound of the Burnt Ends. Usually, burnt ends are the king of meats, but I think we've entered the phase of America, where they're just another variety of meat and not necessarily upper echelon anymore. That being said, these were pretty ok. Should have gotten more ribs. Overall, Pappy's was pretty wow. Great local spot with a lot of pride and history, excellent ribs, I will definitely try to come back next time I'm in town.

As good as advertised…read more.. We've only been to the Pappy's in St. Peter's, but the STL location is equally as good... It's not hard to see why The Food Network rated Pappy's as the "#1 rib joint in the country", as this place is next level bbq. You can smell the bbq from down the street and it will instantly make you hungry, even if you just ate... The place has the "cool bbq joint vibes", the employees are ultra-friendly, and it's fair/reasonable priced based on the quality of the food (runs between $40-50 for two people). Strongly recommend getting ribs, but their smoked chicken and turkey are outstanding as well. I didn't love their original bbq sauce (it was too thick and sweet with a heavy molasses flavor), but the hoodoo spicy sauce was out of this world. I would put Pappy's up against some of the other big named bbq joints in the country and they'd hold their own... Definitely worth the stop when in STL.

Excellent BBQ! Place was busy at lunchtime when I visited. Took a few minutes to obtain my to-go…read moreorder, but worth the wait.

This is probably the WORST food I've ever eaten.So sad this is what was once Tom's has become!…read moreTonight was "pasta night". Funny it's supposed to be a BBQ place and there was no bbq. I think Nate and Michelle should stick to running a food truck! Out of everything, pasta was worse than Fazolis, the "fillet" was a cheap frozen pre grill marked steak folded in half to look like a filet, out of asparagus, side was frozen french fries, salad was floating in dressing. Had 3 servers, was told people were walking out so guess that should have been our clue to run for the exit as well! Michelle spilled a drink on my friend's phone, no apologies, I had sweet tea, Michelle sits the pitcher down and says "there's the pitcher". Michelle brings my friend a refill and slams her soda down. No apologies or nothing! I'm sure this place will be going bankrupt soon and back to the food truck big Nate will be going to! We did have lots of laughs because we've all never been somewhere so terrible! As we're walking out Michelle says "be careful don't let grandma fall", the woman she's referring to was highly offended because she's not a grandma! A frozen dinner or McDonald's would be better than this place. Some are food truck people some are restaurant people, we clearly know what kind of people Michelle and Nate are.