Absolutely love love love this place. From great & friendly service to delicious food…read more Plenty of bbq options, as well as bbq sauces to select from. All bbq is fresh and delicious. I would definitely recommend dinning at this restaurant.

I live 2 blocks away and had never made the trip. At first glance it's a neighborhood Famous Daves…read moreand...that's pretty much right. The vibe is as generic "America! BBQ!" as you can get. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, though. It's counter service so you order, grab your drink, take a seat, and wait for your food. We got the "Chopped Chick'n" platter and a brisket platter. The chicken was extremely tender and well seasoned. By far the best thing on the table. The tangy slaw was really good, too. Not too saucy, good texture, and light. The cornbread was not my favorite. Very northern; overly sweet and pretty dry. The crispy edges were great. The brisket was really disappointing. It was over-rendered and really dry. If fell apart (good) because every bit of the intramuscular fat had cooked out (bad). I think they just don't get enough traffic to cook them fresh so the ones from the morning dry out in the warmer all day. I think this is a better option than Famous Daves for larger groups r corporate events but would probably just go somewhere else or smoke something at home instead.

It had been a minute. I remembered it being good, but damn, in fact the food is great! I had 6…read morepiece ribs, beans and greens and this was a MEAL. Ribs smoky and savory, flavorful from first to last. Beans delightfully sweet and tangy. The greens extremely well seasoned with some heat. I went from so hungry to absolutely ready to lay down for a food nap. This is a true personal-service hole in the wall. They were out of a few things. But what I got was perfect, so why would I care?

Wanted to love this place for real, but the food for me was just average. Ribs and wings have the…read moresmokey flavor, the mac n cheese and the spaggetti was susprisingly spicy. The Brisket was a lil too tough for my liking, their bbq sauce was good, that saved my brisket.

I haven't eaten here since??? I can't even remember it's been so long and now I know why…read more I didn't catch a whiff of some smoking BBQ when I walked in. There were zero customers, red flag.The lady behind the counter wasn't welcoming. I had to order a pound of rib tips for just one person, no half orders. My order was ready in 10 seconds flat which let me know the ho jo's weren't fried fresh to order. I took one bite off a tip and put it back. The sauce is bland and watered down and the meat tasted like day old meat. However the restaurant was clean, so I give one star.

Pretty good for up North…read more Ted Cook's is a take out only barbeque joint. No seating, no beer (boo, but I get it, stupid MN liquor laws), with a fairly limited selection. I approve as they focus on a few things and they do them well. It's very plain inside, but that is fine also, as the focus should be on the food, not the folderall (looking at you, Famous Dave's). It reminds me of places I have been down south. Nothing fancy. Staff is limited, but fine, and ordering is in person or in line at the cash register I ordered a full rack of ribs with slaw and what they call JoJo's. More on them later Ribs were just a touch dried out, but very tasty and just the right amount of tender and chew. Ordered mild sauce, and it is ketchup and vinegar base, tangy but not hot. Also on the thin side, just like homemade, not artifially thickens Slaw was good, passed the wife approval factor. Mayo based. Now about the jojos. They are not JoJo's. Which is a good thing. These are almost thin sliced fresh potatoes, dropped in the fryer. Some are browned, some are white. They are all very good. None of this frozen, coated, over seasoned potato wedges. Very solid side.

New place so I'm just figuring it out! Nice menu, my group had salads, ribs, and a burger. All the…read morefood was very tasty, really glad we tried this spot! The seating area is very big, probably more than the parking lot can handle in cars for diners. It's right next door to a brewery so I can imagine can be a real issue. Service was friendly and prompt. The order system uses a QR code, I struggled with it so the server just took our order. Sorry about the bad photos, we were so excited that we ate before the camera could

Wow. I really thought I was going to love this place. They have consistently received rave…read morereviews from magazine and newspaper food critics. I know that they had a food truck, but had never tried them before. So I went in with a very positive mindset. I was actually shocked by how many things I didn't like. The place is very large, but their parking lot is tiny. Which means parking on the street. I can see that to be a challenge considering we were there early at about 4:45, but it still looked like the parking at the State Fair. We were lucky and snagged a spot right when someone pulled out. Bullet dodged. We were seated right away (bullet #2 dodged, because I've heard of multi-hour waits), and were sat at a large communal table. The person who sat us explained that we could use the QR code to order, or a waitress would be by. After a few minutes, a waitress appeared and we were ready to order. She advised us to use the QR code, or "she would come back in a few minutes." I'm not a fan of QR codes, but used it anyway. I dislike that the screen is not in menu order, so there is a lot of searching. The text gets cut off when you view it on a phone, so there is a lot of clicking and guessing. Strike One. While waiting, you can't help but notice all the signs (including one on the table) hyping that "Animales does not accept tips on our food & beverage" except that they automatically charge 20 percent on every item. And, oh, we really want you to order using QR codes, so that we don' have to do it. (Strike 2). By the way, in order to get refills of pop, I had to go up to the bar and have them do it, so again, serve yourself, but give us 20 percent as a service charge (Strike 2.5). OK, but I bet the food, is GREAT! Not so much. In fact, I might have cut them some slack if the food was good. To me, the stars of any barbeque place should be the beef brisket and the pork ribs. I can't comment on the beef brisket because they don't even make beef brisket (they weren't out of it, they don't carry it). That's a solid Strike 3. OK, well, certainly the ribs are going to be fantastic, right? They LOOK great. Wonderful dark bark. They were on the skimpy for a $18 half rack with no sides, except for some shavings on onion and jalapenos. The good news: they were very tender. The bad news is that they were HIGHLY over salted and there was hardly any meat on the bones. I asked the person next to me (at the communal table) how he liked his ribs and he said, "Eh. Very salty and skimpy." We live in an Instragramable world, looks great, so the taste doesn't matter very much. They offer two sauces (which taste very similar) (and ketchup) and they helped cover the salty taste, but that's not the point of good barbeque. This strike was an automatic game lost move. (Did I mention that I had to ask the bar to refill my $3 pop each time?). If you are a BBQ place and don't have fantastic ribs, you ain't a good BBQ place. Period. Full stop. My wife had the cheese steak sandwich she said was "OK" but I tasted it and it just seemed (again) salty and mushy. (No strikes this time, but no more than a single.) Lastly we ordered "Memphis Fries" which are not explained on the menu and google didn't seem to think "Memphis" Fries ($10.46 with tax) are a thing, so a little menu help would be nice, since you can't ask the non-existent wait staff. They are battered, seasoned fries that come with a white dipping sauce and are cooked in tallow fat. My wife rated the fries as 5 out of 5, so I won't take off any points for the fries (I would have rated them lower, but they were OK to good and I'm trying to be fair). For a happy hour sandwich, the "half rack" of ribs, the fries, a beer, and a glass of pop, our bill came to $64.24, which I think is pretty expensive for mediocre food, and difficult parking and a mandatory service charge for no service. My recommendation: Go to Famous Dave's. Pay less, get more, and have a much better food experience (and you can get brisket too). Sigh.....

We had a fantastic Saturday lunch here!…read more First of all, the parking: parallel parking must be done on the surrounding streets. We lucked out to find a parking spot very close, and the restaurant wasn't even busy when we were there. I can only imagine parking is quite a challenge at busier times of day. We had a cozy booth. I had a view of the streetside windows and the dining room. Music was at a pleasant low volume in the background--we had no trouble talking and listening to each other. Our server, Lali, took good care of us. We were never left wanting and empty dishes were cleared promptly. Everything came out at an ideal pace, too. My husband had a beer from on tap. I was very happy that they had a couple kinds of cider, so I had one from Minneapolis Cider. We ordered poutine as our appetizer. It was fantastic, and a massive serving! My husband had the brisket philly for his entree; brisket is one of those meat cuts that is tricky to get right, as it easily gets too dry, but the cook absolutely perfected it. I had the smoked trout and greens bowl, which was no only delicious, but was also a feast for the eyes. I have never had trout prepared like this before, only salmon, and this dish was quite special. Just a wonderful place. I can see why it is so highly reviewed.

We came here for a Tuesday during happy hour, and were lucky enough to get a table on the patio…read more Our server, Megan, was super friendly and shared highlights from the menu options and HH drinks. We tried the poutine and a barbecue platter to share. Both were good and I loved the juicy BBQ chicken, but the poutine was notable because there was tons of beef as well as the gravy, cheese curds and all on top of really good fries. Our food came out super fast and hot, and my glass of House Cabernet for eight dollars was a generous poor and a nice wine. There's plenty of street parking in the blocks around this area, and there is a cute bookstore as well as a sustainable goods shop that you should definitely check out across the street. I would love to come back here again!

Really great brisket. I like that they give you the choice between lean and marbled. If you want…read moregood brisket to go this place is for you. Great portions as well.

Brisket! Love This place. Great bbq just be sure to order early before they sell out!read more

I absolutely love Scott Ja-Mamas. I've been going here for over 10 years and every time I go I get…read moretheir pulled sandwiches with their twice baked potato. The amount of pulled pork they give you is enough for 2 sandwiches. Don't even get me started on their twice baked potato. I dream of them sometimes. Given that I live over 30 minutes away they go out of the way to separate everything so once I'm home I don't have a soggy mess. The staff is incredibly nice. Every time I go they accommodate my request for buns on the side. I'm always offered a soda while I wait for my food. Their spicy bbq sauce is delicious and has a bit of heat to it.

The food is the best rids ever nice place the people was very nice I live here for 62 years I…read morehave lots of ribs all over mpls this place is one of my favorite..

Yum-o! I've been wanting to go here for years and saddened I've missed out on this deliciousness…read morethe whole time - the whole time! I tried the Firebox Fries with extra meat. Somehow the fries weren't mushy. This isn't something I'd normally get, but I was surprised at how good it was. I went with a group and was also able to try the coleslaw, sticky rice, and pulled pork. The meat was juicy and amazing. I love the coleslaw and even compared it to other coveted coleslaw - this is my favorite. I'm picky with bbq sauce, but their bbq sauce hit hard. They have a small parking lot - maybe 3 or 4 spots, but there is plenty of street parking. Also worth mentioning you order up front and get a number. They will bring out your food, but you will need to grab your beverage, plates/napkins, and utensils. Hands down better than any other famous and/or Dave you may know.

Sensational ribs! We…read morehave been customers of St. Paul's location of Firebox BBQ for several years. Last night we placed a take out order as usual. I love walking into the restaurant as the bbq aromas just waft over you in the entrance and get the taste buds and salivary glands woken up and raring to get to work. We both ordered Rib plates. The menu list that as 4-5 ribs, Texas toast and 2 sides of your choice. We both received 5 ribs. I went with Mac n Cheese and Collard Greens. Let me focus on the star of the show - the RIBS! We've always enjoyed them but these were truly outstanding! Tender, meaty and a perfect kiss of smoke. Everything you hope a rib would deliver! The FireBox sauce was perfect as always and only boosted the experience. The sides were great as always. I ended up calling back to the restaurant and spoke to a staff member and share our feedback on how fantastic the ribs were tonight! I encourage everyone to give Firebox a first try and or a revisit.

Stopped here for lunch on a snowy Saturday. I've always heard good things about them. First I have…read moreto say parking in this area especially in the winter is the WORST. Very nostalgic vibes when you walk in with the different phones displayed on the wall as well as the colors and patterns on the walls. The art was interesting too. They have 2 kiosk to place your order. The place is super small with 4 tables and some bar seating. I did dine in. It wasn't too busy but they had consistent customers come in for takeout. I ordered the chicken bacon pocket (w/out bacon), waffle fries, fountain drink & 2 sauces (seasoned sour cream & the special sauce). The pocket was good. I just kind of wish it had some kind of crunch. Next time I'll definitely order it with chips vs fries. The wrap was very filling! I couldn't even finish it with the fries. The seasoned sour cream was pretty basic and didn't taste very seasoned but the other sauce was really good. I accidentally ordered 2 seasoned sour creams. They give you a generous serving of sauce. I didn't have much interaction with staff as they just drop off the food. I for sure want to come back and check out some of the other options.

Kind of an odd but cute food court that houses a couple fast casual restaurants and a bar…read more The staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful! The vibes of the place made it a great place to relax. We enjoyed our crunchwraps. They were filling and tasty. The food is a tad expensive, but it's not a bad option if you're looking for a slightly elevated version of a fast-food crunchwrap.

Best flavors!!! My favorite potato salad ever. Not your…read morestandard mustard, but delightful dill instead! The coleslaw is tangy and crisp! The pulled pork is delicious! Everything they make is amazing.... Follow this food truck!!!

First class Texas style BBQ - 5 stars!…read more These folks are serious. This is some of the best BBQ I've ever eaten in Minnesota, hands down. It's BBQ perfection! I'm pretty stingy about handing out 5 star reviews but Big Daddy's deserves it. I caught up with their mobile food trailer at Elm Creek Brewing Company in Champlin. I ordered the 2 meat platter with two automatic sides of coleslaw and potato salad. Every bite was excellent. I also grabbed a banana pudding special for dessert. Again, good stuff. I wouldn't hesitate to eat here again...and again and again. Thumbs up! -Maxx