My mom and I stopped into Bandana's for lunch last week, and we were honestly surprised it wasn't…read morebusier -- because everything was excellent. The service was outstanding: friendly, fast, and incredibly helpful, especially since it was our first visit. My mom ordered the ribs, and I had the burnt ends with pork. We shared okra, slaw, and beans, and everything was tender, flavorful, and truly delicious. This place beats many of the traditional barbecue spots in Paducah, hands down. Great ambience, great service, and exceptional barbecue. A total win-win. We'll definitely be back.

I love the atmosphere of this place! Totally had a great time and really enjoyed my food. The…read morewaitress told us they just ran out of burnt ends appetizer and then the manager came out with a half portion. Ended up talking with him for awhile, great guy, great service amazing food. Make sure to try the burnt ends they're my all time favorite.

If you ever find yourself on Highway 51 Wickliffe, Kentucky This is the most to stop for some great…read morebarbecue.! Service is great and the food is just absolutely wonderful. Large selection. Outdoor seating only is truly an awesome experience. Get there early though because you're either be waiting for a while or they might run out.!!!

Hillbilly BBQ food truck was at the annual New Vocations Open Barn event. My friend and I shared…read morethe pulled pork nachos. Really good, and lots of pulled pork and goodies. Picture is worth a thousand words. 35

Great food! Great Prices!! Friendly service and fast! I would suggest getting extra sauce though!!…read moreBut overall excellent food and sauce and portions!

We visited Paducah for the Quilt Show, and my wife, a quilter, expressed a desire for barbecue…read more Following a recommendation from a local merchant, we went to Starnes BBQ. The restaurant was quite busy. We secured a table and ordered two sandwiches, an order of coleslaw, and shared an iced tea. My wife is particular about sauces; we both tasted a small amount, and found the sauce to be excessively hot, with the consistency of watered-down hot sauce and lacking in traditional barbecue flavor. While the locals seemed to enjoy it, we did not find it to our liking. Having sampled barbecue in various regions, from California to the Carolinas, we found this to be the worst sauce we've encountered. We did not use the sauce on our sandwiches. The meat was adequately cooked but lacked flavor. The coleslaw was very good, as was the iced tea. The service was excellent. The restaurant is quite small, as evidenced by the previous photos. If you are seeking authentic Southern barbecue, Starnes BBQ falls short of expectations.

This BBQ is awesome. Tried it at a local event. The line to try this BBQ was long but as good as…read morethe food was, it was not a surprise.

From the owner: Test check test onlyread more

We stumbled onto this local little gem while on our way to Florida. Tired of the chain restaurants…read morewe wanted something different and always up for southern BBQ we figured we'd give this place a try. We walked in a party of 6, not sure if we'd be able to all sit together as all we saw were booths. I didn't notice a sign telling us if we should wait to be seated but it was clear it was a local hang out and I thought *maybe we weren't welcome. It took only a few seconds for someone to tell us to help ourselves to any seat and we walked around the corner to a far back section of tables where all 6 of us could sit comfortably. The menu isn't fancy and the food is basic American bar and BBQ food but it was a big menu and cheap! You are not eating healthy here but that's the point!! Our party of 6 spent @ $46 with the tip - 1 kid meal, 1 BLT w/ side, 1 burger w/side, 2 half slabs of ribs, 1 steak sandwich w/side. The staff was friendly, food was good, we were disappointed we didn't find this place sooner!!!

Sweet little local place, great service & a unique menu. The order was perfectly made! If you…read morehaven't been, please step back in time and check this little gem out.

Food was amazing, we had pulled pork and the loaded potato. Staff was friendly! Make sure you buy…read moreextra sauce to take home! Plan to get there early, it's so good that they often sell out.

Visiting from L.A., had the brisket and 'tater a couple times, take out. Tender, not overly fatty,…read morethe way brisket should really be.

Friendly service. Reasonable prices. Ordered a pulled pork sandwich, side of baked beans and a…read moresweet tea. Very generous with pork on sandwich and the beans were tasty. Simple BBQ joint decor. Highly recommend.

Husband and I just popped in on our way to the lake, and we are so happy we did. Tiny little hidden…read moregem, what it lacked in decor it made up for with terrific, on point and kind service coupled with tasty BBQ. The menu is small but mighty. We shared the brisket plate, coleslaw, baked beans, and potato salad. Everything was cooked well and full of flavor, reminded me of home. The girl working the front was super friendly and helpful, chef was also sweet and offered to refill my drink as we left. For the price point, absolutely cannot be beat. We will be back

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.