I'm not sure why Rusty Bison doesn't have better reviews because their BBQ was excellent, especially considering the local options. I ordered the brisket plate, and it was delicious tender, flavorful, and with a perfect bark. We also tried the smoked brisket ravioli, which were more like gyoza but absolutely fantastic nonetheless! The fried pickles were homemade and deliciously crisp. Plus, they have ice-cold beer to top it all off. Honestly, what's not to like? Highly recommended! read more

Rusty Bison - Brisket Ravioli - Barbeque Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

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I would give no stars if I could, our server took our order and never came back from over an hour and finally came back to ask how our dinner was and we still hadn't gotten our food, she left to go check and didn't come back for 30 more minutes, then we were told they lost our ticket, never offered to comp our meal, give us a beer or even refill our drinks. Shockingly bad. After two hours and food delivered to everyone around us we got up and left, DO NOT DINE HERE read more

Don't go if crowded at dinner time. Waited 50 minutes after ordering for food for a group of 11. Took 25 minutes for them to take our food order. Not sure if this is standard, no sauce at table, which surprised me for a bbq spot. Fries and root beer were great. read more

Overall it was ok. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We came here over Memorial Day Weekend while visiting Cooperstown and expected it to be packed, but it was a little dead inside.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The whole bar area was closed and they only had one small section of tables open.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] No kids menu but luckily my son is ten and was able to polish off a regular sized burger. The smoked brisket sandwich was pretty good, and my girlfriend enjoyed her Mac and cheese with brisket. Both decent but nothing to rave about. The beer selection was rough. Almost no local beers available, no prices listed, no indication if a beer was available on draft or in cans/bottles. I was surprised that with a world class brewery right in their backyard (Ommegang) they only had one beer from them available, and it was a can pour. Prices are on the higher end as well. $15 for a plain hamburger with fries and $16 for plain Mac and cheese before you add any toppings. It was a decent dinner, but if we are ever in the area again we would probably seek out other options before coming back here. read more

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We were in the area looking for a place for lunch on a hot Saturday, and my wife picked here because they advertised barbecue and had indoor seating (A/C). Upon entering I noticed how busy it was. I would estimate that every single other table had at least someone with a baseball hat on, and it looked like summer sports camps were on lunch break. It was very loud, though thankfully that didn't last all lunch. They had a limited menu, mostly focusing on sandwiches (burgers, fish, pulled pork) and some other things like ribs and wings. No kiddie menu is printed, though they do have some items available on request. I ordered the Nashville hot fish sandwich with fries. My wife settled on the ribs. Food came relatively fast and the fries were excellent. Straight out of a freezer bag but cooked hard until crunchy... just the way I like them. I have never had Nashville hot chicken but I assumed it would be spicy. The fish sandwich (two pieces of frozen fish tenders) I was served was a solid 2 out of 10 heat wise. Perhaps they thought the order was going to a 12 year old shortstop? I was pretty obsessed with carne asada marinade several years ago and that is what the fish tasted like. Not bad by any stretch, but not at all what I was expecting. It was a let down for sure. My wife's ribs were okay, with some smoke flavor and a lot of sweet sauce. The baked beans were good though. The food we had was family chain restaurant quality, but not much more. The smoker in the back wasn't on when we came, which I thought odd for a Saturday during prime time tourist season. If someone had said this was like an Applebees (with higher prices because it is located in a tourist city) I would had more realistic expectations. The ribs are only available sauced, which leads me to believe that they are made in advance (with the sauce already on) and reheated. Of note: every table but ours was filled with kids and coaches playing on their phones or yelling. As a kid, this would be a fun place to go to eat. As an adult, not so much. PS: imagine what a men's room is like after a hoard of kids covered in dirt. Or don't! read more

Food and service was great. Wonderful variety of craft beers. Polish, German etc all you can ask for! read more

Rusty Bison - Brisket sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

3 stars for me and 3.5 for my husband. I had a brisket sandwich and he has the brisket plate. The brisket was too salty for me. My husband said it was fine but it's definitely not our favorite. Mine was so salty I only ate a quarter of half of one. The meat was too tough to my liking. We walked in and the lady up front was great and she let us order and sit up there where it's not in the restaurant while we waited for our to go. 5 stars for service. read more

Rusty Bison - Brisket sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

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Bison burger was great! The mozzarella sticks I still dream about! Lemonade was powdered country crock not good at all! Broccoli left brown water residue which was not normal since it was steamed, but you don't go to these places to eat broccoli so we get it. Overall great choice. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]This place looks great, catchy name but that's about it.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Service and food quality is definitely not their strong suit for the high prices. If you wonder how you can screw up a business between Cooperstown and Cooperstown Dream Park, this is how. Initially ordered loaded tater tots with ranch. I was brought the tater tots and that's it. I asked for silverware. Not sure how the server thought I was gonna eat them. Didn't see the server again until I had to get the manager to get me my ranch. At that moment I asked for the ranch, a blue cheese for my wife and another beer. The server finally then shows up with the beer but no ranch or blue cheese. I then asked for the ranch again. She went and brought the ranch, no blue cheese. I had to ask again for the blue cheese again. Every time an item was brought, she rushed it and ran. I get if you're busy but how about save some trips by listening to the damn customer. Never once was I asked how things were. I then received the $80 bill for 1. Brisket sandwich and fries, 2. "Loaded" Tater tots, which because hardened cheese due to waiting for the ranch and 3. 10 sub par wings, 4. 2 beers, a Shirley Temple and 2 waters. Even charged me $1.00 for the ranch that took forever to get. Laid the check down and ran. Never asked how things were...... I do not recommend! read more

Not a great experience. We walked in and were not acknowledged for 15 minutes. When I finally flagged down the hostess, she was rude. Waited 40 minutes to be seated when the lobby only had 5 people waiting. Sat at our table for 20 minutes before acknowledged by the waitress. It took an hour and 15 minutes before we got our not great bar food. Food not great. Service very poor. read more

We were 2 moms with their moms on Mothers Day traveling for something fun to do. We visited the Fly Creek Cider Mill which had just reopened for the season. Fun shopping finding a few gifts, picking up a few favorites, and having a tasting of a variety of wine, beer, and moonshine since you can mix and match so cool! We nibbles on some darn good Parmesan garlic crackers we purchased while chatting and sipping. After checking out our purchases we decided we were hungry. Mid afternoon we were hoping for an option without a long wait due to the Holiday. My trusty Yelp search served me well yet again and we drove just a few minutes away to the Rusty Bison. They may have just opened for the day but there were few people and no wait. Large dining area with lots of booths and tables tucked away from each other a bit for privacy yet easy to access. Very clean and comfortable atmosphere we went with a booth and after looking at the menu opted for an appetizer and we all went with the smoked brisket sandwich and fries. Never had brisket that wasn't sliced usually thick slabs and this was chopped just enough bbq and we all agreed the best we have ever had. One pic they all looked this good and tasted it too! We go to Fly Creek several times a year and definitely will be back! What a Happy Mothers Day meal! read more

Rusty Bison - Brisket sandwich with fries - Barbeque Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

Had a nice meal with great service. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Not many people there.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I recommend the pierogis. My husband had the wings. read more

Avoid. I paid $18 for a child sized burger that has little to no taste. Over priced, no kids menu and wait staff ignored us the entire time. JD wagon is cheaper, better food and more family friendly. read more

Hostess doesn't welcome baseball families as advertised on their sign. Went in for a large party, hostess was really rude and not accommodating. Realized it was not going to be a good experience and cut it off at that. Went to Brewery Ommegang and was a way better choice than this place and they were super accommodating. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]exceeded expectations - fast service, great menu and sweet environment.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Accommodated a party of 50+ with ease.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Great drinks and food! Super quick and very friendly service. Got us seated immediately and [[HIGHLIGHT]]it has cool ambiance country feeling[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Friendly staff, nice place.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] other than that, a let down. My wife got a glass of Barefoot wine and it was$14 dollars. Drafts were $9. I ordered the brisket dinner, $30 bucks! What a joke! Two slices, one of which was all fat!! Total tourist trap if you ask me! read more

To begin with, took 20 minutes for a waitress to take our order even for drinks. The beer menu had multiple choices. Waitress stated multiple times "we are out of that", ordered our appetizer, arrived at table. We had to eat our apps with no plates/napkins/silverware. Very bad service/experience... will never return! read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Large restaurant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Good service. A fine place to grab a burger and a beer. The BBQ just wasn't great. Ribs way overcooked - chewy and tough. Like they'd been under a heat lamp for 2 hrs. Brisket was better. read more

Food was amazing and crispy and was very fresh. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Restaurant was clean[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] and staff was super accommodating. Had food out fast and quick drink refills. read more

In town for Cooperstown and stumbled upon this gem. They seem understaffed right now so the wait was a bit longer than we hoped but it was worth the wait. I had the brisket plate and it was yummy. read more

Rusty Bison - Rusty Bison outside - Barbeque Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

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I made a stop there during my last trip to Cooperstown with my family. I tried the Brisket Sandwich, i found a lot of flavor in this sandwich. No doubt i will try it again. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The ambiance is Rustic according the area.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Good restaurant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The only suggestion for them is they should include a Kids Menu since they don't have it in the Menu. Overall. Good place. read more

Really excellent service for the large size group of 15 we had. Sat at the bar, too, for quicker drink service. The food was great.

Great food and service. Bison burger and pulled pork were great. Food came quick which is great when you are on break from baseball.

Awesome food! Great atmosphere! Amazing staff!!! Did I mention the awesome food and amazing staff?!?!!

Great service, food came out quickly. Ribs and Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings were amazing. read more

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Very good food! Service was nice and fast, plus, the atmosphere was great! I would recommend going here if you're in the area.

Went to this place, Bison Burger nasty waitress who was insulting. Ordered well done burger, came very rare and was told the only cook medium because they get large groups. Our group was 5. We left and went to Wagon Wheel next door, great service, great food, friendly folks. read more

Horrible Service. Waitress was very argumentative and made excuses for why our food was not cook the way we asked. I do not suggest anyone patronize this establishment. read more

Ribs, ribs, ribs smoked to perfection. Service was good,friendly, efficient. I ate outside on a beautiful full moon night.

Food was good, beer was cold waitresses were friendly!! If you are in town, definitely check this place out! You won't be disappointed!! We had the ribs, brisket, Mac and cheese and loaded tots. All were good!! read more

The food and service were good, menu could be bigger. The restaurant was right up the road from our motel. I definitely thought the restaurant was pretty good, not great. read more

We ate here for lunch during our (amazing) week in Cooperstown. The brisket sandwiches were barely edible. We are not picky eaters, and none of the four of us finished even half of the sandwich. The meat was too tough to bite into, and anyone who eats brisket knows it should be melt-in-your-mouth tender. The restaurant had just opened for lunch, so I'm assuming the brisket had just been horribly overcooked, probably overnight. The fries were good, but that's a small consolation. The lunch bill (for me and my three children) with tax and tip was almost $100!!! Outrageously overpriced for four mediocre sandwiches with fries, and three soft drinks (one of my daughters drank water). I do not recommend this restaurant, when there are others with better quality and more reasonable prices. read more

Rusty Bison - Barbeque Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

Very good food. Service was very fast and good. And it had a great atmosphere all around.

great Mac and cheese with amazing service. They refilled our drinks the second we needed it and catered to our every need

Came here for the Cooperstown tournament. Great place for lunch and dinner. Staff was excellent and accommodating. Food was excellent.

The property and building are beautiful. We stopped in because the lot wasn't too full on the first night of my son's week in Cooperstown Dreams Park. We only had a 5 minute wait, which was nice. As a previous review mentioned, we expected more of a BBQ focused menu. The food wasn't bad but it didn't blow me away either. The service was a bit slow but I think our server was the only one working the dining room. Wanted to love it but wouldn't return. So much potential for this to be an awesome restaurant but it fell short. read more

Very, very good! I had salmon with veggies & they made it dairy free for me. It was so good. I had a large portion of delish sugar snap peas as my side. My husband really enjoyed the brisket. It was very tender & well seasoned. they really enjoyed the fries. My daughter loved her ceasar salad. She said the chicken on it was tender & flavorful. 100% recommend! read more

Good food and good service :) The bison burger and fries were good. They don't have a kids menu but do have chicken fingers and fries so all the kids were happy. We also liked the fried pickles! read more

good food and the severs were realy good and they saved a bee and they food came out fast