This is a little gem. A have to try eatery, if, you like barbecue. Unlike most places, the meat "(pulled pork)", is the star, not the smoke. Give it a try. Your belly will thank you. read more

Two old foodie guys do all for this little casual diner. its ready within 5 minutes after you order at counter. Pulled pork Barbecue is reasonably priced and very tasty. Hush puppies made with extra ingredients and yummy. Potato salad, Cole slaw and baked beans all flavorful and banana pudding made with peanut butter cookies on top for extra zest. read more

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I'll have to give the place another try after reading these reviews. The meat was OK, it was dry...and I think overcooked or a couple of days old. It is close to home, though, so I'll give it another shot. Since it is local, if it is better I will update this review but if it isn't I won't write anything worse than 3 star. read more

The food was hands down the best bbq we have ever had. The ribs fell off the bone and the brisket melted in your mouth. Everyone loved their bbq sauce and the Mac n cheese was phenomenal. The owners were so sweet. Loved the feel of the place being an old gas station. read more

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If you're looking to support a local family-owned small business with conservative values and wonderful, homemade food made with love in a unpretentious setting look no further. My hubby and his work crew have gone here many times for lunch during the week. The lines can be long during lunch (because it's so good), so plan ahead, but it's worth it. Prices are pretty reasonable overall and the food is worth the 40 minute drive from our house for dinner. The husband and wife team running it are freaking awesome. The love their customers and their community and you can tell the community loves them. I look forward to coming back and supporting a business with values that match our family's values. read more

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My husband and I stopped here on a whim while on our honeymoon trip and wow are we glad we came in. The food is absolutely amazing. We had the brisket and ribs. The ribs quite literally fell off the bone and were so flavorful. We also got a whole bunch of sides. Our favorite were the Mac and cheese as well as the potato salad. The food came with some of their bbq sauce that was so good we bought two bottles to go. Aside from the food, the staff and owner were just so kind and fun. We loved chatting with them and learning a little about the place. Definitely 10/10 recommend coming here. (Also try the banana pudding) read more

Love that BBQ was a great find, and did not disappoint. At first, when you pull up, you think it might be closed down. Don't let that fool you! What may have lacked for exterior presence was made up for by their service and delicious food!! It was very much a local place, nothing fancy. It was wonderful and is recommend it for anyone looking for great bbq! read more

Don't be fooled by the exterior look of this place!! The BBQ here is absolutely delicious!! I can't say enough about how good the ribs are! I was also very impressed by the potato salad!! I'm not even a potato salad fan but this was great! The service was great!! read more

Love That BBQ - My lunch!! - Barbeque Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

You can't even tell this place is a restaurant from the outside. You get out your car and everything smells amazing. What looks like a gas pump is more just where this giant smoker is and this guy just makes brisket all day. You walk inside and they're super friendly. Everyone that walks in and out are family and friends, like they get to know everyone who walks in there, catching up. Got the large brisket burger with a friend. Literally feels like home on the inside. Shit was so good, absolutely inhaled it. Gotta go back very very often. read more

wow so they were sold out of the ribs when I arrived so I got a pulled pork sandwich and it was amazing! And then the owner ended up carrying in about 10 slabs of ribs and they looked perfect highly recommend read more

Love That BBQ - menu - Barbeque Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Great BBQ experience! Stopped here for lunch while traveling through the area. Got the pulled pork and brisket sandwiches, and was lucky enough since it was a Thursday, to get some banana pudding to go. Great table service by the owner's. And yes, this is a side of the road BBQ Shack/"hole in the wall" kind of place, with great food! read more

Love That BBQ - Pulled pork and Brisket sandwiches. Hush Puppies. Mac n Cheese. - Barbeque Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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I could go on and on about how good the food is, but you would just have to check it out for yourself, some of the best BBQ and service I've had. read more

HOLY PORK. We were looking forward to stopping in Knox for BBQ on our way to Asheville. After sifting through a few choices we decided on Love That BBQ. I think we made the right choice. The owner was friendly and happy to make suggestions. The atmosphere was exactly what you would expect from a place that makes good bbq. It's clear they care more about their food than their ambiance, which is fine by me! We had brisket and ribs, with coleslaw, tator salad, beans and hush puppies. I'm hungry just recalling it. The only disappointment was that they only have banana pudding Tuesdays and Thursdays and we stopped on a Wednesday. Stop by Love That and you for sure won't be disappointed, it's plain to see why it's the highest rated bbq in town. read more

Love That BBQ - Map of diners who have visited Love That from all over the world! - Barbeque Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

I loved discovering Love That BBQ during an introduction to an area of Knoxville I wasn't yet familiar with. Walking in, I loved the authentic feel. It was Wednesday lunchtime, but not overly busy. The menu had the perfect amount of options -- enough to satisfy any craving, but not too many that I couldn't make up my mind (yes, it's a thing lol). I went with the BBQ sandwich and two sides meal -- baked beans and hush puppies. The hush puppies were awesome. If you like garlic, you'll love these. For sure, hush puppies will be something I get every time. The BBQ sandwich was great, I added the hot BBQ sauce. I can't wait to have the brisket next time... the owner (super friendly and personable), was kind enough to give me a little taste. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it. I'm looking forward to my return visit. I'll also keep this place in mind when I host a dinner/party and need a crowd-pleaser without doing the cooking myself. FIVE STARS! read more

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This is a BBQ place in an old converted gas station. The smokers sit out front under the old pump roof. The signage is worn, and the inside is a bit divey, but the food is good and the service is friendly. They had the best coleslaw that I had eaten on this trip, (and I'd had a lot). We just shared a pulled pork plate with baked beans and the slaw. read more

Great little local place outstanding customer service if you haven't tried it you should !!! I believe in supporting local businesses thank you ladies for welcoming us with such a delicious barbecue lunch read more

Good atmosphere, great food, phenomenal service. Convenient spot close to the city and close to campus, 10 out of 10 would recommend and I will most definitely be coming back here. read more

Best BBQ in Knox. The prices are more than fair and has a great home town feel. Recommend to anyone wanting BBQ near campus.

Really tender ribs, like fall-off-the-bone, eat-it-with-a-fork tender. Not exactly the place to go to if you want a fancy, sit-down restaurant but if you're looking for a casual place with good BBQ, I would definitely recommend trying it out. Fries were also really crispy and flavorful, loved the hush puppies, and coleslaw was aight. read more

Love That BBQ - a piece of meat on a fork - Barbeque Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Fantastic BBQ in an old gas station. Don't be scared off by the exterior, the food and owner are both great! Large portions and fair prices make this a must try! We stopped on our way to Gatlinburg and the owner gave us directions for the back road scenic route! 5 read more

ridiculously good bbq food and sauce. worth a detour for sure. sauce so good, had to buy a bottle

Love BBQ? Try Love THAT BBQ! Nestled in the shell of an old gas station, this place offers some of the best (hell, maybe the actual best) BBQ in Knoxville. Fall-off-the-bone ribs, smoked bologna, Mac n cheese, and banana pudding. Check off all the food groups for your family dinner. Service is always quick and staff is always welcoming. read more

I came from out of town and was looking for a good BBQ experience. Good is not a word I would use for this place. Instead I would use the word FANTASTIC. I was craving a decent BBQ and decided to give this place a chance. Thank god I did because the food had our whole table silent as they practically inhaled all the food we ordered. Well priced and the food came out pretty quick. Seems to be a local favorite as it quickly packed up with workers from the area for lunch. I would recommend timing your bathroom visits as there is only one restroom however it did not take away from the restaurant at all. (Especially since it is well kept.) The inside of the place gave me a very home-like vibe and the owner was very kind. read more

Not much seasoning or flavor to the BBQ, but the sauces were tasty. Meat was tender, but it was a bit watery. Portion sizes were huge, so we left full and content with our choices. The hush puppies were so good we ate them up before I could snap the picture. Beans, coke slaw, and Mac and cheese were just fine, nothing to rave about. read more

Love That BBQ - Brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Food was great! BBQ sauce was so good! The service was great and so friendly. Nothing but friendly conversations. The place itself was charming and old school. Loved it! read more

Good bbq. Good prices. Family friendly staff. Unfortunately the location is a little out of the way for most people but not for me.

Based on the reviews, the we were excited to try this restaurant for the first time recently. But, we were very disappointed as the bbq appeared to be left over from the day before as it was in a crock pot being - what appeared to be - reheated and as a result was very wet. The brisket was nothing more than poor quality pot roast. While the owners were very nice and kind, the combination of the poor quality food and non-existent ventilation system are enough for us to declare "one and done" read more

If you read my previous review you will see I love food and different experiences in the places I've traveled. I am a New Yorker, so in no way am I an expert in great BBQ. I do know I love BBQ and I love Love That BBQ! My wife found this place on Yelp as we were spending a few days in Knoxville. Our family was craving some BBQ. The outside looks like an abandoned gas station, the inside is filled with friendly service and some really succulent and mouth watering BBQ! We had the ribs and pulled pork! Ribs fell right off the bone! I loved it with the smokin hot bbq sauce they had available! The little hush puppies, holy crap, so good. I even liked the Slaw! The ladies who were behind the counter were really friendly and patient with us as we trying to figure out what we wanted. If ever back in Knoxville area, Love That BBQ will get a return visit. read more

I had the very tasty brisket with the baked beans, which were delicious. (Fries were fine.) The outside is unimpressive, but the food is really good and the people are very friendly as they serve great food. read more

We stumbled upon Love That BBQ on a trip south and boy are we glad we stopped! The owners are the sweetest and really know what they're doing. My only regret was not being here on the Banana Pudding day. This is definitely some of the best BBQ I've had. We had a lot off the menu, brisket, ribs, pulled pork, chicken sandwich, pork nachos, coleslaw, fries, Mac & Cheese and Hushpuppies. All was delish! read more

Love That BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Been there, done that, going back again, again, and again... I love BBQ but smoked bologna sandwich with trimmings is in the run for me! One, if not one of the best in East Tennessee! read more

Man this was amazing! I'll definitely be back again soon! Best barbecue I've had in a while, got the big barbecue sandwich with 2 sides! You can tell this man has the experience. Everyone needs to try this out no lie! read more

Friendly folks, absolutely terrible food. Came in with 4 people, 3 people were served disgusting, overcooked and dry "barbecue" ribs that had never seen any seasoning and were finished off in a pot. The ribs were pulled off the smoker "yesterday" and were the worst barbecue ribs I've had in ages. I ate one and left the rest of the dry, gray, tasteless meat sitting on the plate. The other poor fool got a plate of "brisket" that was pre-cut, and looked like it had been reheated a dozen times. Brown on all sides, no bark, no flavor. Their sauce is actually good, and the potato salad and hush puppies were fine. Skip the Cole slaw. Seriously. I've had some phenomenal barbecue from little joints like this, but this place is perfectly willing to reheat your ribs in a crock pot in front of you before serving and the taste reflects that. The fact that the ribs were plainly, visibly dry and gray illustrates that the nice folks here had no problem taking almost $20 a head for plates of ribs that were plainly fit for dog food. read more

If you are looking for a hole in the wall, local, country bbq place-this is it. Excellent food! The pulled chicken was excellent. And a bonus, the owners are genuine, kindly people. Recommended. read more

Food is pretty decent. I got a pulled pork sandwich and fries, definitely not bad food. My complaint more focuses on the atmosphere. The old guy at the counter hasn't stopped staring at me for the whole meal. Also they're blasting Christian music, 0/10. read more

We were looking for a great countryside BBQ place and this was it. Worth a drive into the countryside outside of Knoxville. The smokers are out front and the results are inside waiting. Our party of three ordered brisket and ribs, maci cheese, beans, slaw, potato salad, smoked sausage, and sweet tea. Excellent flavor to the meats and sides were outstanding as well. Nice basic clean interior to eat in or use the outside tables. They were doing a stellar take out business as well. Fast efficient and pleasant service. Great bbq place to take visiting guests to for a real TN BBQ experience. read more

Great charming barbecue place with country feel to it. As we were driving to get there through lots and lots of car junkyards, we know we gonna get real barbecue and this place doesn't disappoint. Highly recommend!! read more

My wife and I stopped by after finding this place on iMap searching for a nearby place to eat lunch. I have to admit, upon approaching the restaurant you're not exactly sure what to think? Is it an abandoned gas station? Is out-of-business? Is it a hole-in-the-wall neighborhood gem? (The last guess is correct!). It doesn't look like much outside (or inside either), but the staff is friendly and efficient. The menu is extensive, the prices are good, the place is clean and organized, and the kitchen is open (for transparency). We each had a pulled pork sandwich, mine with slaw, my wife's with potato salad. I liked the chopped Cole slaw, and we both enjoyed the pulled pork. It was tender and plentiful. They have a variety of sauces to choose from too. I went for the mild, my wife for the Buffalo. We'll look forward to returning to sample other menu items. read more

TLDR: Some of the most solid bbq in Knoxville at completely reasonable prices. The sauces were very good, with the hot actually being hot. The hours are not so great (close at 7 and closed on Sunday). Bbq nachos, brisket, pork, and ribs were all good, but the ribs needed more seasoning. They have a sampler plate not listed on the menu. Full Review: We came for lunch a few Saturdays ago. The restaurant is on scenic Maryville Pike much closer to Knoxville than Sweet P's. The building is a converted gas station with picnic tables and the smokers under the roof where the pumps used to be. There is ample parking. The place is pretty homey feeling on the inside despite the sterile light from the fluorescents. The kitchen and the dining area are separated by a counter where you place your order. We were greeted by the couple that owns the place and they were the only two working that day. The website dubs the husband as Boss Hog. Both were friendly. Our table of four gave our orders which consisted of a brisket plate, two rib plates, a bbq sandwich, and bbq nachos. For sides we got slaw, fries, beans, and potato salad. I was disappointed by the lack of greens on the menu. Each plate came with hush puppies which I had heard were good. Drinks are a little stingy here. If you get lemonade or tea you are only allowed one refill. If you get soda, juice, or milk you get no free refills. The ubiquitous soda fountain is not present in the dining room. You are given a cup of ice when you order and can fill up on tea or lemonade. My better half thought the lemonade was quite nice. Given the amount of food we ordered, I thought the prices were pretty reasonable (somewhere around 28.00 for half rack plate, brisket plate, nachos all-the-way, and one drink). After we ordered and got drinks we sat down and waited for the food. The sauces were up at the counter. They had three types, mild, hot, and smokin hot. I'll get to those later. Our intention was to have the bbq nachos as an app and then eat the rest. This was not really possible because the plates and bbq sandwich came out almost immediately with the bbq nachos coming out later. If you go in and intend to have something as a starter, you probably need to let them know that before ordering anything. The half slabs of ribs were a good size, much bigger than what I usually get at Sweet P's. As far as smoke flavor and texture, these were unequaled in Knoxville. They were very tender and you could taste the smoke throughout the meat. The chef's skill at smoking meat was immediately apparent. My problem was with flavor. The ribs needed minimally some seasoning, but ideally a good dry rub or mop. Other than the smoke flavor, they were pretty bland. The brisket was also extremely tender and had a good amount of fat on it. Boss Hog came by while I was cutting into it and said he leaves the fat on to keep it tender. I told him I wasn't complaining bc I love the fat. Like I said, the brisket was extremely tender, but this time I thought it was a little less smoky than I would like. This is where the sauce came in. I tried both the hot and the smokin hot. All the sauces seemed to be tomato-based, but not too much tomato. Both the hot and smokin hot actually had heat, though I didn't think the smokin hot lived up to its name. Both had good flavor and were not hot for hot's sake alone. They were an excellent addition to the brisket, the pork, and the ribs. The bbq nachos were pretty good too. The bbq pork was tender and flavorful. Not the best pork I've had but some of the best I've had in Knoxville. We got our nachos all-the-way, which I recommend, and they were a huge plate for 5.50. The sides were ok. The slaw was pretty good, but the wife didn't care for it. Same with the potato salad. Neither blew me away though. The beans were similar. They were good, but not much more than that. The hush puppies, which I had heard about, were pretty solidly bad. They had good texture, were crispy on the outside, soft but not mushy on the inside. Unfortunately someone stubbed their toe when adding the salt. My wife loves salty food but she couldn't palate more than one of these puppies. I'd try them again, though, because maybe they just messed up on the batter this time. They had some strawberry cake on the counter. We had too much food to try it, but it looked damn good. Also on certain weeknights they have banana pudding they make with nutter butters instead of vanilla wafers. I want some of that. The only problem is they are open only until 7PM so on weeknights it's hard to get out here. All in all our experience was a good one. I will certainly be back. This food at this price was better overall than any other bbq restaurant I've had in Knoxville. Also, the owners were friendly and checked on us several times. Now we'll see if they can keep it up through multiple experiences. read more

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Well my first experience here was an all around winner. I got a full rack of ribs with slaw and beans. The owner came to the table and said, "give that bone a pull". Well I did and the slightest pressure yielded a clean separation of bone from meat. He said, "we don't serve 'em unless the bones'll do that". Meat tasted amazing. Slaw is handmade by grandma every morning. A true Knoxville gem and one of the finer BBQ spots in the south. Go today. read more

Love That BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee