After visiting the SPAM Museum, we had a hankering for some BBQ and this place was just down the road on Main Street. Inside is nothing to write home about but the Que here is so good! My kids liked their meals, especially with the included dessert of homemade gelato. My wife and I had the Smokehouse Smorgasbord which offered a good sampling of all the meats and sides. We liked all the meat options, full of flavor and tender. Portions were plentiful and we both ate our fill. I have to make a special note on the chicken and turkey, most times, those choices make the bottom of my list but their poultry was so juicy and tender! There was also a lot of variety when it came to sauces - sweet, heat, mustard based, vinegar based, it was all represented. Prices were fair and service was "small town" chill and friendly. Two saucy thumbs way up! read more

See all

Legit BBQ is not readily found in Minnesota. This is the real deal. The restaurant occupies a single long room, the walls lined with amusing tin signs available for purchase. It was getting busier by the time we left at noon; they also handled a lot of take-out orders. I'm glad we were there on a rainy Friday in the off-season--I can only imagine how packed this place would be in the summer! Service was great the whole time. A single-sided big menu has most of the food offerings, but there is a separate Spam menu that can be brought out on request. My husband had a beer while I was happy they had cans of local Loon Juice cider available. For our appetizer, we ordered a side item: fried okra. I don't think we've found okra anywhere else in the state! It was perfectly cooked with a cornmeal coating, piping hot and delicious. I had the Smokin' BBQ Platter. I had brisket for my meat option, with coleslaw and cornbread on the side. Perfectly cooked brisket, not dry at all. I'm an avid home baker and something of a cornbread snob, and this was excellent stuff--a perfect little loaf, sweet and perfect with butter melted within it. My husband had the Combination Platter with pulled pork and ribs. Now, he is a rib snob, having BBQed many over the years, and he declared these to be perfect (a rare thing to find in a restaurant). Not a shred of meat remained on the bone. Pulled pork was great, too, and he agreed that the cornbread was something special. He liked having pit potatoes, too, something that isn't common. Three kinds of BBQ sauce sat on our table in full, non-sticky squeezable containers. I tried the bourbon and loved it. My husband also tried the inferno; he can handle a lot of heat and said it wasn't really hot to his perception, but the flavor was good. In all, a fantastic experience here. I'd definitely come here again when passing through. read more

See all

We stopped here on our way through MN. It's right downtown Austin. Just down the block from the spam museum. It's not a huge place, but there was a few tables open when we got there and the waitress was nice and quick. We ordered the pulled pork sandwich, ribs, and brisket. They had 8 different bbq sauce options and we liked the Jackass and Bourbon the best. The food was good. Not the best BBQ we've had but it was still pretty good. We liked the brisket the best. read more

Piggy Blue's Bar-B-Que - Pulled pork sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

See all

This was an unexpected nice surprise. I am somewhat fussy about BBQ and this restaurant did not disappoint! The menu options were plentiful, the service was great and the food itself was wonderful. I ended up ordering the Kansas City Plate, because I was not massively hungry, but wished I had ordered a bit more because it was so good. I really enjoyed the 6 or so BBQ sauce options (we only had 4 at our table, so i nabbed a few from an unoccupied table :) ) The Pit Potatoes were the bomb, so don't miss that side option! read more

See all

Im from Texas, I know what good brisket is. This is the worst brisket I've ever had. Why was it a grayish brown, but not a normal brown like a dirt color, it was alarming. The brisket was dry, rubbery, and had no flavor. The best way to describe it was that it looked like fake brisket made out of rubber.The bbq sauce provided was watery, it leaked all over my plate it was so weird. It took 45 minutes for us to get the food, the business wasn't even that busy. I didn't speak up because I felt bad but I genuinely think the server forgot about us. The only redeeming thing was the cornbread and the crispy potato's. I've never seen a potato cut that way but it was wonderful. The cornbread was super moist and warm and buttery. I loved the sides, the meat however was disturbing. read more

We drove to Austin and my dad and his wife specifically wanted to take me to this BBQ place in town. They said they like going here and visit it several times a year, and he always goes for the ribs. Well - dang that sounds pretty good to me. We get seated and the menu has a lot to offer. The people next to us let us know that the smoked turkey is superb here. Now I am feeling fickle, should I get the 2 meat Platter or the half rack of ribs? The difference is you only get 2 ribs with the Smoked Turkey for the 2 Meat Plate, while the half rack you get 6 ribs. I asked if they can just give me a side of the smoked turkey, the waitress says you can order a half pound....! No thanks, don't need that much, so went for the half rack of ribs with a side of those crispy potatoes and the cole slaw. Also got a side of the cornbread which she said was phenomenal. They have several sauces to choose from. My dad's favorite is the Jackass which has a slight smokiness to it, some sweet. I liked that too, but also liked the Spicy and the Carolina mustard style too. So I mixed all 3 together like one happy Minnesota Melting Pot of a family. Our food comes out and it's looking good. The ribs were pretty good but luke warm. No wow factor here but for the northern Midwest - pretty good. The cornbread and those fried potato rings were the best things I had here. Very good and I do recommend. A different girl came out to bring our food, so I asked her for a side of turkey, and she said she could sell me an ounce of it, so I obliged and it came out in a small solo cup. I tried it - nothing special and didn't really have that deep smoke flavor. I am glad I did not get the half pound or the 2 meat platter. I could only eat 2 ribs along with the sides and I had plenty to take home. I'd say this was a 2.5 star experience but I round up to 3-stars (OK) because there were a few things I felt that held back from a better review, and yet they are fixable. Our waitress was okay, she wasn't as friendly or nice with that good 'ol small town Hormel friendly hospitality. She only offered us a half pound of the smoked turkey as an option while the other waitress offered an ounce. Not sure if she didn't know that was an option or if she was pushing to upsell for a bigger bill (that's my hunch because she seemed to be an experienced staff). She kinda disappeared after giving us our food, and it wasn't that busy. We had to ask the other waitress for help. She came back much later to give us the bill and took forever to get us our to-go boxes. I will make an effort to avoid her services should we ever decide to come back. I didn't care for the controlled portions, the coleslaw comes out in small solo condiment cups which also doesn't look aesthetically pleasing. And for what they charge - it's too much. I think places like this which want to give you a homestyle diner feel should used a scoop or ladle the stuff on your plate, and not control the portions so much - - which was also apparent in the small ounce of smoked turkey meat I got that came in half of a solo condiment cup. I think they charged us $4 for that and that is true highway robbery. Wasn't enough to have a sandwich - even if you doubled it (which would have been $8) that would not have been enough for a sandwich. It just felt like uptight penny-pinching the customer here who was visiting from out of town eager to try your meats. I am used to better pricing or even a free sample, which is proven to drive up sales at least 10%. I have spent more $ w/ sampling. Had she just said I can get you a sample of the meat to try - then it would have been a much better experience. Most all BBQ places I have been to do that. I find places who do things like this usually limit the amount of success they hope to achieve - as they think too short term about maximizing profit now as opposed to thinking of the bigger picture and long term stability. How that translates is that if I lived here or close by I would come back here more frequently if the service was consistently great and the business was more customer service oriented in offering flexible options along with good portion sizing - as opposed to portions being so uptight / controlled with premium pricing. Because giving the customer a little more and being generous about it (which is literally just pennies on the dollar compared to the big picture) will go a long way and pay them back dividends in the long run with increased repeat frequency of business. My parents live close by and agreed - they don't come back here as often as they could or would for those same reasons. So my next trip back to MN in a few weeks I don't feel that excited or motivated to hurry back and try them again. The cornbread and the fried potatoes aren't enough - - and to be fair here they were pretty good. That's what helped put this at a 3-star instead of a 2-star experience. read more

Traveling to Austin for a January getaway, had to try Piggy's after reading the reviews. Very glad we did as we had a tasty big meal and capable service. They were busy on a Friday evening but we were seated and served up beers and spam fries appetizer promptly. I like Spam so I enjoyed the unique "fries" with ranch. For an entree I had the shredded pork (delicious), coleslaw and incredibly delicious cornbread. Honey butter too! Piggy's homemade sauces were great and fun to try. I liked the gold, bourbon and jackass best. My husband had ribs, beans and cornbread and finished every bite. The space was comfortable and fun to read the sassy signs (which were for sale). Also liked the nostalgia signs and items. Place was clean and family friendly. We were too full to try gelato. I would definitely recommend Piggy's for barbecue. Get the cornbread-you won't regret it! read more

See all

Best beer battered fries in Austin bar none. However, during busy periods the quality drastically decline and can be undercooked. Their menu is pretty basic but the food is really good. I would love for them to add hot links to their menu read more

All areas food, service, ambiance wer fantastic I am not a piggy eater but , the meat was so juicy,tasty. We had the smorgasbord for 2.. actually, for 1 too. We shared it with 3 sides, beans, cornbread, chips. Comparatively m, good for $$ and amount of food. Good food and loved talking with "mkom, daughter". Very friendly and homey vibe. We are from CA, but everyone. Go over there and eat read more

We love to visit crazy places around the US and the SPAM museum has been on our list of places to see for some time now. But one thing they don't have there is lunch - unless you count getting some a can of SPAM from the gift shop and going to town on a bench outside. But they do have a recommendation and that was to Piggy Blues, right down the street. Piggy Blues is a barbecue place and I love barbecue but I was there for something much different - SPAM. Because unlike the people in the Monty Python skit, I like SPAM, SPAM, SPAM and SPAM. So there. We went in and sat down and grabbed a menu and...what the French, toast...there was no SPAM. When our server came over to start our drink orders I told her we were there for SPAM but didn't see any but she quickly hustled-up a menu of only SPAM-centered items. SPAM fries, SPAM burger, 3 piggies and a SPAM Po'Boy. Oh yeah. My poor wifey is one one of those low-carb Diest so she got a SPAM burger without a bun. It was a piece of fried SPAM with cheese on top. But I went whole hog (hehe) and got the SPAM Po'Boy and it was really, really good. If you like SPAM, of course. Thick cuts of fried SPAM and all the other things you'd expect on a Po'Boy sandwich. This was also served on a pretty delightful French too with that great crust that has a crunch but a soft, wonderful interior. Yum-o! There was also a surprise in the package, fries. But not on the side, these were in the sandwich. That just added fuel to the fire, folks. Goooood stuff. I can't speak to the barbecue at this barbecue restaurant but the fact that they had home-made sauces is a good sign. But if you're in town for SPAM and you want a mouthful to go with your eyeful, you could definitely enjoy yourself here. Oh, and I loved all the silly decorations all over including all the Kellogg's cereal memorabilia. read more

See all

Holy cow! Holy pig! Piggy Blue's really knocked our socks off! It was somewhat busy, but they were attentive and super pleasant! Definitely a small town BBQ "joint", and they're doing it right! We knew it was going to be good when we walked in and saw the first sign of a good bbq joint- a roll of paper towels on every table. Calli had brisket and pork, with pit fries - the meat was smoky and tender, and über tasty! Pit fries are potato slices, cooked perfectly with crispy, salty outsides and tender insides - amazingly well done! My sandwich was called "The Queen Of Memphis", and was absolutely the best sandwich I've had this year! Tender pork, coleslaw, tomato, onion, a seared beef patty and pepper jack cheese - damn tasty all the way to the last messy, delicious bite! We finished with a slice of Key Lime Pie - which Calli immediately pronounced to be the best she'd ever had right after her mother's homemade pies - that's high praise! "Best restaurant key lime pie ever!" was the final verdict. Katie was our server, and she was fantastic! They had eight sauces to choose from, and they were so good that we ordered an extra basket of pit fries just to sample all of them several times. We enthusiastically recommend this place to anyone that has tastebuds! read more

Piggy Blue's Bar-B-Que - Look at all those sauces! Something for everyone! - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

See all

Fantastic experience and food. We were looking for the best on our trip. We had so many disappointments. They knocked it out of the park. We had to wait for a table, but they were busy. Staff was very cordial. The atmosphere was just what we needed after a long day on the road. read more

A large menu to choose from. Many good options. The place was packed when we arrived but service was as we'd expect. All four of us enjoyed our meals greatly. read more

We were hoping to get a table at this restaurant for a group of 5. However, the few large tables were taken and the rest were 4-seaters. We tell the waitress that we could pull up a chair at the end of the table. The lady says we can't put a chair in the aisle and that we would have to wait an hour. Okay, first off, this is a small restaurant in a small town. No one is going to have trouble moving around with one chair in the aisle. Second, the table we wanted to sit at was NOT in the aisle in any way. Either the server and the manager have no idea what they're doing or they didn't want us there. Will not come back. read more

Delicious beef brisket, coleslaw and cornbread!!! The service was fast and friendly!

This is the only place where you jam out as well as have great good food, it's a place you'll have to come back to again and a again

We'd done our hour in the Spam Museum, and needed something fairly quick-ish to fuel us for the 5-hour drive home. Based on location, the fact I had fulfilled my spam quota for the day, and because we hadn't yet had barbecue on the trip, I decided to give this place a try. I landed on the Queen of Memphis burger, because coleslaw AND barbecue pork inside a bun? Sign me up. I also got a side of pit beans, because honestly, it's the best side, and good luck convincing me otherwise. When the order came about 20 minutes later, I had seemed to miss the part where the QoM burger was a *burger*, because I was not expecting a beef patty at the bottom. So now I'm staring down a ton of food, as opposed to merely "a lot". (That's on me, though; got to read that menu carefully!) Everything about this burger works, even the oddly pale-colored bun! Coleslaw and pork is a classic combination, and the meat is moist and flavorful. Just in case, the sauce ensures it stays moist, but don't be too concerned. And the ground chuck and pepper jack rounded out a delicious (and unique) cheeseburger. The beans hit the spot, right at the intersection of sweet, savory, and creamy. Just how I like them. Make sure to try the sauces on the side, too; my favorite is the bourbon. A gem of a BBQ place in southern Minnesota. read more

Piggy Blue's Bar-B-Que - Queen of Memphis Burger and barbecue beans. - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

Loved the bbq here. If you're feeling it, they have a Spam menu perfect for a post-museum meal!

Love piggy blues! The food is fantastic, staff is great! Atmosphere very cool I will visit again and again

We were visiting Austin, MN for the Spam Museum (completely my wife's idea) and we were really hungry before getting back to our road trip, so we decided to stop for a quick bite at Piggy Blue's. Several people mentioned it was good at the museum so we decided to pop in. While people were friendly, it took a long time to be acknowledged that we were in the restaurant so that we could be seated. Once they spoke to us, it took another 5-10 minutes to get a table even though there were two clean tables that could fit the three of us. It took another 10 minutes to get our orders taken and the food also took quite a while to come. They might have been short-handed that day, but our quick trip turned into an hour and a half from walking in the door to leaving. I ordered the boneless buffalo chicken wings with their country potatoes and corn bread. The corn bread made me cry. It was so sweet and tasty, I would have been happy just eating that. The thick sliced potatoes were also simple but very good. The chicken wasn't breaded very well so the breading pretty much fell apart as soon as it was tossed in the buffalo sauce. My wife's spam three ways was okay, but not great. Again, they might have been short-handed, but it will not be a very quick meal if you are looking for one. read more

See all

Right across the street from the SPAM museum, this spot is convenient for satisfying your pork cravings after learning about Hormel and its business. Our order: smoked pulled pork, 1/4 or maybe 1/2 rack of BBQ ribs, the meat came with cornbread, butter bread and chips. Assortment of sauces available at your table. We liked each other's dishes more than our own - I found the pulled pork dry, he didn't think his ribs were flavorful - so we swapped and both became happy campers. We agreed that Carolina was the number one sauce among our options: sweet, tangy and fiery all in one. The corn bread was fluffy, the chips were not as crispy from the steam, I would recommend asking for a substitute side. Service was attentive and the interior felt homey. All art on the walls are available for purchase, which I think is a thoughtful way of supporting and promoting other local businesses. I would recommend coming here for a casual bite if you find yourself in Austin. read more

See all

I travel all around the State and this is one of the best BBQ places. I've eaten here many times both for lunch and dinner. Lunch service is very busy and service can be slow. I would plan for 1.5 hours for lunch. Dinner is hit or miss for how busy it is on a weekday. Staff are friendly. The walls are covered with old time metal signs with funny sayings. Prices are very reasonable. They have a good variety of sandwiches, mains, and combos. They have a large menu with good variety. All the meats have a great smoke flavor. They have several different sauces. The sides are consistently good. Portions are good sized. Kids: suitable for kids, has high chairs, a variety of kid friendly foods. They could be more eco friendly and not use straws. read more

Piggy Blue's Bar-B-Que - Brisket and potatoes. This is only 1/2 my meal. - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

I love to visit them but when ordering through door dash the food is not good. Overdone burned and of poor quality.

Not only was the food delish, the service was also wonderful. Our waitress was friendly and personable. The entire family had fabulous BBQ and a wonderful experience! If you're in Austin and hungry, definitely a must try! read more

Piggy Blue's Bar-B-Que - Tacos - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

This place was fun. We stopped in after going to the museum and we happened to be in town during an art fair. We did get a seat despite it being very busy. The menu is pretty extensive and all the sauces were fun. We did wait a bit for our food, but with the amount of people that wasn't unexpected. Everything was got was good. I would stop again if we are in town. read more

Was delicious. My meal: Spam fries Dinner salad 3 piggies The cornbread with honey butter was also excellent. And their homemade chips are pretty tasty too. read more

Piggy Blue's Bar-B-Que - Three piggies - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

Wow. COVID protections in place. QR code menus. Staff in masks. Sanitizer. But the food!! Spam fries were a hit with he kids and husband. But the Queen of Memphis burger was astounding! BBQ Pork, pepper jack cheese, coleslaw, jalapenos, lettuce, diced onion, pickle, and tomato on seared fresh ground chuck. And we picked the Pit Potatoes as the side. read more

Piggy Blue's Bar-B-Que - Queen of Memphis burger. - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

This BBQ spot is located in Austin, MN, just across from the one and only SPAM museum on Earth. During our trip through Austin, MN, we took a quick break at the SPAM museum and had lunch at Piggy's. The interior had the typical charm of a BBQ joint, with friendly service, but the food preparation and delivery took longer than expected. Surprisingly, their version of potato chips stood out more than the main entrée itself. Overall, we enjoyed the food. If you find yourself in Austin, Minnesota, a visit to this place is worthwhile. On the Michelin rating scale, they'd probably earn one star - "worth a visit if you're in town, but not a worth detour or a special journey."...If you know, you know. read more

I was not excited to find out we were meeting friends here. I'm not a huge meat eater...definitely not BBQ. But, OMG!!! I had the best burger I have ever had! I would go there again in a heartbeat! Food portions were great sizes, refills on drinks were offered...Great! read more

Great service, great food and just the right amount of it! It was busy and did t take very long to get our food.

Almost everybody who lives in Austin loves piggy blues. It's very consistent and always good. Just don't expect anything above and beyond. Simple and good. read more

Excellent!!!! Stopped at the Spam museum and wanted some lunch asked at the gift shop and they enthusiastically recommended Piggy Blue's Barbecue. It did not disappoint! The burgers, bbq and Spam offerings are all delicious as a family of four we each ordered a variety of items. The Spam fries are amazing! This is a must for BBQ and/or Spam fans. Love it, we will be back. Oh and don't forget the gelato!!!!! read more

Piggy Blue's Bar-B-Que - Spam fries. - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

Piggy blues is arguable my favorite restaurant and typically always go with the wings. Went big and went for the "Big Mo Sandwich". I estimate I will order this for the next 30 consecutive times! read more

Piggy Blue's Bar-B-Que - Big Mo Sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

In the heart of downtown Austin, I stopped by Piggly Blue's after checking out the Spam Museum, which was located just a few blocks up the street. Piggy Blue's has tons of great BBQ option and my brisket sandwich was outstanding. My server Amber was friendly and was quick with recommendations, which was much appreciated. If you find yourself in Austin be sure to give Piggy Blue's a visit! read more

Very delicious, spam fries is very special, and the beer is also good, we also choose Smokey smoxxxx(I forgot the name) , it is enough for three persons read more

The food was great.. I tried all the different bbq sauces and the potatoes chip fries were the best I have had.

Really good bbq, my wife and I shared the smokey smorgasbord which is a sampling of all their meats and quite a generous helping it was. We had the pit chips, baked beans and corn bread. We sampled all the sauces with our meats, my favorite was the bourbon sauce, the jack ass was also good. The sides were quite good as well, the pit chips are fresh made potato chips with crisp edges and a chewy middle. The beans were also quite tasty and the corn bread was very moist even without honey butter but why pass up honey butter. read more

This is Minnesota BBQ. The brisket had no crust on it, the plate I got was mostly chicken. The pistachio gelato was the reason I would drive back. I kinda think I'm being harsh, the food was not bad for Minnesota bbq but we left a lot of food on the table and that's not normal for is at a BBQ restaurant. read more

Great spot for some bbq! Really enjoyed my pulled pork sandwich and baked beans. We also ordered a side of creamed corn fritters, and got both ranch and maple syrup as dipping sauces. The maple makes it into a perfect dessert. Good value as well, for lunch. We stopped in around 3 pm after a visit to a nearby state park and the place was mostly empty, although some people picked up their to go orders while we ate. read more

Piggy Blue's Bar-B-Que - Pulled pork sandwich with the top off, baked beans as the side, and garlic toast borrowed from my husband. - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

See all

My wife and I were meeting my parents from Rochester in Austin to take a trip to the Spam Museum, so I yelped restaurants in Austin and Piggy came up. When you walk in I noticed a cool beer bottle koozy they have on sale by the door with their logo on it, thinking back, I probably should have gotten it. The walls are lined with old style signs that give the place a very cool atmosphere. They are pretty funny, such as various cultures' hangover cures. I ordered a big Piggy's brew, which is actually a Schell's Amber Bock, quite tasty, and it comes in a great 32 oz mason jar and was priced at $5.50. Yes please! My parents showed up and we ordered. I got the two meat platter with baked beans and a dinner salad. They were out of peel and eat shrimp, so my wife got some turkey and corn bread. My dad got the brisket platter with the sweet corn deal and my mom got a great sandwich with the sweet corn poppers. I ordered another beer, a big Shock Top, which was nice, because all the other taps were crummy light beers. A nice respite to have the wit beer, even if it is a Coors product. Our dinner salads came out and they were a good size, the dressings were pretty lame, but for $3, what do you want. Lots of veggies on top though did a fantastic job as an appetizer. I got the pulled pork and chicken as my two meats. Just perfect! So moist and tender, then a made a concoction of sauce on my plate to dip it into, the Jackass sauce, and the hot sauce. Perfect amount of spiciest to kick up the perfect shredded meat! My wife gave me about half of her turkey meat, and I actually thought that was the best of three, if that was even possible. She loved her cornbread and liked it because it wasn't greasy, like a lot of the skillet corn breads we come across. The baked beans were a pretty small serving, but every bite was lovely. Smokey and thick. Not too much fatty meat in it. Our server was fantastic and super nice. Lots of soda refills for the women and quick with the check when we asked for it. This is a definite must try while in Austin! Very reasonable prices for fantastic BBQ and great service = 5 stars! read more

See all