Great little place thats big on flavor. We ordered the 3 meat plate, brisket, pulled pork, and my…read morewife's favorite turkey. Everything was tender and juicy. Service was good and food came fast considering there were a few in front of us. They have a number of sauces that were pretty decent. Definitely worth another stop when in the area.

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.

Great food and service! Always try to get something different each time we go and their "magic dust…read more" is amazing on everything that they have! And fresh pork rinds are incredible!

Terrible experience!…read more I expected better. After all, this place has won the BBQ World Championship three times. But I was totally disappointed by my experience there. The waitress took my drink order, poured me a glass of iced tea, and then went off to handle another table, leaving my tea on the counter on an 83 degree day. By the time she returned to pick it up and bring it to me the ice was semi melted and the tea was warm. Just what you want to drink on a warm day. I ordered the 2 meat combo of pulled pork and sliced brisket. When I took a bite from both, it tasted like yesterday's leftovers. It was dry, flavorless and simply blah. I couldn't even finish it. The sides were nothing to brag about either. But what really disturbed me was the attitude and behavior of the restaurant staff. When I told the waitress that I was really disappointed with the meal, she became angry, defensive, and accusative. At my request she took the food away (there was still 2/3 of it left), took it to the back, and dumped it in the trash. No apology, no attempt to resolve the problem. Then she brings me the check like she expects me to pay for food I sent back. Not a chance! I told her bluntly I was not paying for it. Another staff person came by and told me that I had told the waitress that "it was good." If I thought it was good, why did I send it back? If it was just a case of I was full or lost my appetite, I would have asked for a box to go. No, it was bad enough that I didn't want to eat it, period. Again, no apology, no attempt to resolve the problem. I got up and walked out. I then attempted to express my concerns at the office next door, but then another person (whom I suspect was the owner of the restaurant and the daughter of the original pit master, Mike Mills) came up to me and angrily told me that she was aware of my complaint and asked me to "get in my car and leave." I complied. Needless to say, I will not be back. If poor quality food and poor quality customer service is what one ends up with, then I cannot in good conscience recommend this restaurant to anyone. Shame on you, 17th Street BBQ! I am willing to bet Mike is rolling in his grave!

Road tripping from St. Louis to Memphis and Sikeston is about the halfway point so we stopped for…read morelunch here. Figured a place close to both BBQ cities would have good BBQ and we were definitely right with Bo's! You order at the counter. They have a overhead board menu with half breakfast menu and half BBQ and both sides are served all day. My sister-in-law ordered the chicken breast plate with green beans and potato salad. Chicken was decent, potato salad quite good, but the green beans were bland. My husband ordered the pork steak initially but they were sold out so he switched to the ribeye steak. The steak was fantastic and actually prepared to medium rare. The side of mashed potatoes and gravy were basic and out of the box, but the quality of the steak more than made up for that. I ordered the smoked chicken drummy plate with german fries and baked beans. The smoked chicken was hands down the best smoked chicken I have had in my life! Smoked all the way through with great seasoning rub. I could have eaten it all day long. The baked beans also on point, a good sweet with a touch of heat flavor. The german fries were essentially home made potato chips, I would skip those next time.

What a perfect little spot! Traveling through town we stopped in for breakfast by doing a quick…read moresearch in the area. What a little hidden gem! The staff was very friendly and helpful, food was served perfectly and the dining area had plenty of seating. You order at the counter, pour your own coffee from the coffee station and seat yourself. Food is brought promptly and served warm! Eggs were cooked perfectly, bacon had an amazing crisp to it and the biscuits were soft! A lovely gentleman walked around refilling coffee at the perfect time as well.

We we're married at Blue sky vineyard and had Great boars cater our wedding. All of the food we had…read morewas absolutely delicious and the staff serving the food was very kind. We live in California so during all of the wedding planning Great Boars was so easy to work with over the phone and email. If we lived out there I would have them cater my events more often. My husband and I are in town now and plan to try their Blue Boar restaurant. Thank you Great Boars of Fire for excellent service and yummy BBQ!!

Amazing BBQ, the presentation was beautiful, our guests were impressed by the chef's hand carved…read morebrisket. They even asked what our wedding colors were so they could match their linens with our decorations. I was a little skeptical of the food from the vendor list Blue Sky requires you to to use but I would highly recommend GBOF to anyone regardless of vendor requirements. In addition to the wonderful food, they create a customized menu to work with any budget. I hate "filler foods" at parties such as unnecessary sides or places that require you to purchase their per person package "deals". I got exactly what I wanted at a fair price. They accommodated my gluten-free diet as well as the allergy and dietary restrictions of our guests. The best part is there was SO much leftover that we got to snack on it throughout the reception!

I love their pulled pork sandwich. I like mine dry and they make it perfectly every time. And for…read moreonly $4.50, you cannot get a better meal than this.

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.!!!

We got the pulled pork nachos and cowboy Mac n Cheese. Both were extremely good portions and some…read moreof the best bbq! Both of our lips were smacking. Five stars all day! Not to mention the people were sweet and service was fast!

We have been to a lot of BBQ restaurants. This one is very good. Waited in line for 1/2 hour on a…read moreFriday evening memorial weekend. Took about 15 minutes after we ordered. Some tables inside and a big pavilion outside. The menu has a lot of options and they have great specials. I feel the price was good. All of the meats were great! So flavorful and tender. The jalapeño sausage was also very good. The sides were not the plain old salads and I assume made in-house. The potato salad sweet and creamy. The slaw has apple slivers in it to give it a sweet crunch. The beans had a little spice to them. The bread pudding is good with no shortage on sweetness.

Something you don't hear about great small town places. This place is clean!…read more I grew up in the area and am well aware of the quality of the Dixie. Today I took my son and was truly impressed with how clean this place is after serving in the same small spot for so many years. Pride in your establishment! Well done.

Stopped at this dinner for lunch because there is not a lot of choices here that were open. I had…read morethe grilled chicken sandwich. It was good but nothing to brag about. The fried mushrooms tasted good. The one thing that stuck out was that they know their customers and address them by their first names. This is something you don't see often any more. The dinner is not big and it can get crowded.

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.

Strand is a 75 year family owned real BARBECUE restaurant in Paducah. Lots of carry out and counter…read moreseating with on table for 4. We live in Dallas and whenever we go back home to NKY/Greater Cincy we almost always drive thru Paducah for a BBQ sandwich

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.

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.

Excellent brisket and slaw! My go to place. The staff are most friendly and efficient.read more