Today's review is Rusty's BBQ located at 7484 Parkway Drive in Leeds, Alabama. They are a family run business and have won several awards over the years since opening in 2009. Rusty's is hands down the best BBQ in Alabama, I drive over 50 miles at least three times a month or more to eat here. They offer up pork sandwiches, plates, ribs, brisket, cheeseburgers, a vegetarian BBQ, chicken, sausage, world famous collards, homemade pies and more along with a variety of sides. I don't eat vegetables so I double down on the fries, I cover them with their sweet BBQ sauce, which I also love on the meat. The serving size at first glance looks a little small but don't be fooled, it will fill you up along with the generous helping of whatever side you order. The last time Julie was with me she ordered the ribs with okra and mac & cheese, both were enough to feed a family of four. The ribs were fall off of the bone and cooked to perfection, not burned like some rib places around the area. As for me, like I said, I always order the pulled pork plate with double fries, sweet BBQ sauce all over both. I have tried the spicy BBQ sauce and at first taste it was a little hot for my taste buds, but over time I kept dipping my fries in it and once I got used to it, it was pretty good, I would not put it directly on the meat or fries. I also tried the house sauce, it was just a sauce, kinda like if you didn't want your BBQ plain, best I can describe it is like drinking water instead of anything with taste, it's something to wet your throat. They offer a white sauce but I did not try it. The sweet tea is also very good. The service is good as well, someone came out and checked on me as I was eating, they play the blues on the radio but not too loud, the decor is local with lots of hometown football and area sports decor. The only thing I did not see that makes a great BBQ joint a legendary BBQ joint is a picture of Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, all of the legendary BBQ joints in Alabama have a picture of the Bear. Rusty's offers ample indoor and outdoor dining and plenty of parking with handicap parking available. Now to the only negative, when I order I always emphasize that I want NO pickles on my plate, I can't stand pickles or pickle juice. Several times they have put pickles on my plate, it's just a couple of small pickles and I remove them but it's the fact that I point it out plainly when ordering and they still get it wrong. I don't let little things like that slide when reviewing restaurants. If you are a local and eat here alot be sure to put your phone number in when paying to earn points for your reward, it's only 5% off, but every little bit counts. Overall Rusty's hits a home run when it comes to BBQ in the state of Alabama, it's worth the drive. 5/5 read more

Rusty's Bar-B-Q - Pulled pork plate, double fries, not pictured 2 slices of white bread and your size choice of Pepsi products or tea. - Barbeque Near Me - Leeds, Alabama

Terrible Potato Salad. Needs a new recipe. Onions, celery, mayo, sweet relish, Salt, pepper, dry Hidden Valley Ranch Powder. Cole Slaw, add a little vinegar and white sugar, mayo. Your coleslaw has no flavor. Some places add sweet relish too. I bought the 1/2 Chicken, but I didn't have any BbQ sauce in the bag. Chicken was good. Very nice People! Great Service! Ambiance was nice and clean. read more

We are constantly searching for a rather out-of-the-way barbecue joints that are local, small, independent...and star-worthy...Of those aspects, Rusty's is definitely independent, small, and local. Unfortunately, food falls far short of the stars I had hoped to find here. While service was friendly and quick, the food that was delivered simply did not score well. Chicken and Brisket were our choices and they both lacked depth of flavor. Most importantly - both were quite dry. (Chicken skin was moist and crisp, but meat was not. We all know chicken dries out pretty quickly.) I was especially disappointed by the brisket. (Good brisket is one of my frequent nation-wide food quests.) The brisket shown in my photos should be moist and tender, with a slight glisten on the surface and a bit more color on the edges. But, you can see how dry my serving was - (FYI no altering of the photo on my part.) : -( Sides received mixed reviews from us. Star of the whole show were the collards - savory and served piping hot. Okra had a nice light coating and not greasy at all - but they were not very warm (temperature). Potato salad was pretty plain. Marinated coleslaw got one thumbs up and one down from us. It reminded me very much of old-fashioned vinegar chowchow minus the other veggies; biggest downside to it was the size and inconsistency of the shreds...just too clunky. Spicy jalapeño mini muffins....excellent. Plain white bread? (no butter or spread?) Wish I had ordered the baked beans (2 kinds). And a last note - sauces were thin and simply not memorable, lacking true character. Locals....please keep coming here...I'm sure there are combos we did not try that are pleasing. But as for us, we need to keep travelin' on. read more

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I had the best ribs, collard greens and spicy baked beans on my recent dine in visit. I was assisted quickly in placing my order. The service was fast & pleasant. I sat at a booth in the bigger seating area. They also have table & outdoor seating available. This is definitely a casual environment. Rusty's has many menu items to pick from but the ribs are my favorite! I love their spicy bbq sauce so much. I highly recommend paying them a visit if you get the chance. Highlights - Easy parking drive thru is available Easy to find in Leeds, Al read more

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The food is wonderful and the service is great! One of our favorite spots! We are mostly stay at home people so we get take-out often. Orders are always correct! read more

Rusty's is known for their amazing bbq, but their cheeseburger is fabulous as well! Fresh ground beef seared when you order, nothing frozen here. Also, the fries!! Crispy on the outside, soft, hot, potato on the inside. That first bite, oh my goodness.... it is sooo good! read more

Been a while since my last visit to Rusty's and it just wasn't what I remembered. My mom had the pulled pork baker potato. Definitely not comparable to the size at some other bbq places and not very loaded for $11.99. BBQ sauce bottle blew up all over us at the table. I got the pulled chicken sandwich meal with a premium side. Did not ring up as the price on the menu which I missed being distracted by the hustle and bustle at the register. Chicken meat was dry but the white sauce on it helped. The macaroni and cheese is NOT casserole style to be considered a "premium" up-charge side. I only ate half and did not bother to take the rest home. There is inside and outside seating available but parking is tight. The drive thru is kinda in the way. Unfortunately, I really felt like we could have just stopped at Buc-ee's and been better off read more

There food is always good, their sauces are the bomb! The staff always answer my questions and are friendly! Of course the atmosphere is awesome, I love the license plates so cool! read more

Even though Rusty's is known for their barbecued meat, all of us aren't meat eaters. Have no fear y'all because the veggies at Rusty's are scrumptious! I usually order the veggie plate, and I get the collard greens cooked with Conecuh sausage (yum); mashed potatoes with gravy and fried okra with jalapeño cheese cornbread. Listen, the fried okra doesn't taste like that frozen stuff you buy at the grocery store, I honestly think it's the real deal. And the veggie plate only costs a little over $10. It has been my experience that everyone who works at Rusty's is always ready to serve the customer very well. Since I usually get my food to go, I really don't know what it's like inside the restaurant, but I do know that it smells real good when I drive up to the window to pickup my order. I challenge you to try Rusty's Bar-B-Q, and I don't think you'll be disappointed when you do. read more

Zero stars if I could. We stopped in on a road trip, and regret all $45 we spent. The brisket was gray. GRAY! It was dry, too. The ribs had absolutely no flavor; the "Alabama" style sausage, described as "Cajun" tasted store bought, and was not good. The potato salad was loaded with mayo, not loaded with flavor. The worst we've ever had. It was not fresh, seemed to be reheated either in the microwave or on a griddle. Don't stop. If I could dispute the charge, I certainly would. read more

Stopped here after reading great reviews online, and was not disappointed! The ladies working were so friendly and welcoming, and the food was delicious. Everything came out quickly, and the restaurant was clean with lots of fun decor. My husband and I split a slice of the coconut cream pie after our meal, and it was phenomenal! Definitely recommend this place. read more

Rusty's Bar-B-Q - Interior is clean and fun - Barbeque Near Me - Leeds, Alabama

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First time here and stopped based on Yelp reviews. Not disappointed. The ribs were the best outside of Memphis! The brisket was good and tender. The potato salad, Mac and cheese, and both types of slaw are good but drive the 4 vs 5 rating. Our food came out quickly, lady working behind counter was cheerful and helpful. The decor is an old building typical of a small town/ local bbq joint. It was good, but the ribs were spectacular! read more

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The absolute best burger I've had in a long time is it's expensive but worth every penny

First time in Birmingham and we went out to Leeds to try this rustic southern BBQ diner looking place. They have their own food truck that has a portable smoker so you know they do it right. It's got the southern look and feel inside and just feels very cozy and homey. It was easy to order from the front counter and I got their platter that had the chicken, pork and beef ribs. I got it with a side of fried okra and their deviled eggs. This is a true southern style bbq and the food was great. It's definitely a fast casual type of place since even if you're dining in it's served on disposable plates. I couldn't finish it all so took it to go and they were nice to give a takeout box. Would love to come back again to bring friends if I'm ever in this area again. read more

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Surprisingly delicious roadside dive. Randomly stopped in for lunch. Ordered the large brisket sandwich. I couldn't believe my eyes or taste buds when I realized I was just handed the BEST BRISKET I've had in YEARS. Crispy crust, savory mouthwatering protein!!! 4 different homemade sauces on the table. Looking for a reason to work in their area again!!! Well done. God bless you. read more

Rusty's Bar-B-Q - Best Brisket in Alabama! RIP Charlie Kirk!! - Barbeque Near Me - Leeds, Alabama

I really liked this Tennessee staple. We have a similar place that does burgers flame broiled in the big easy, but they don't touch BBQ with a 10 foot pole. Thank You for the hospitality Mr. Robert!!! read more

Rusty's Bar-B-Q - New BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Leeds, Alabama

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The food was delicious, as always. I chose this restaurant for its location, good food and good service. I called ahead the day before to see if they could accommodate our group of 12. Yes, they would pull tables together. And I gave my name to _____. (I won't list his name in this review. ) However, when we arrived they had seated another group of 12 at the tables they had pulled together for our group! Fortunately there were four booths at the side of the entrance. Unfortunately, several of our group have mobility issues and fitting into and sliding across seats in booths is difficult. They apologized and we worked through it. The food was very good and I think everyone enjoyed it. I didn't see many leftovers! I had the ribs, marinated coleslaw and potato salad. Others had the baked potatoes with barbecue. read more

Great ribs, chicken and fried okra! Don't miss it! Traveling and needed to go thru drive thru. Will definitely return when I am next in the area. read more

On our way down to support our son playing football in Leeds we stopped in at Rusty's as a suggestion by our head high school football coach. He stated on his Coach's show that they stopped in and tried their Brisket Cheesesteak while doing a sight visit. So my family and I go in and the atmosphere is like a small town restaurant, which I love. The restaurant is not huge, but had a decent amount of tables and booths. There are also tables outside to utilize on warmer days. We waited in line to place our order at the counter and then they give us our cups and a number and tell us the drinks are on the side of the wall and we'll bring the food out to you. I got the brisket cheesesteak sandwich combo. FYI, you order the sandwich and you can make it a combo for an upcharge. My wife and son got the loaded pork baked potatoes. I want to say we waited 10 minutes or less and they had to the food out to us. I have to admit that the sandwich was pretty good. I do think a little mayo may have made it better, but used the spicy BBQ sauce that was on the table and the sauce was very good! They had a few different sauces to choose from if spicy stuff is not your thing. My wife and son's potatoes were very good they stated and very filling! I tried my wife's potato and I agree that it was good! So if you are in the Leeds area for a sporting event, visiting the shopping outlets, or seeing family then I suggest stopping in and trying it for yourself. The food is good and the staff is friendly! read more

Rusty's Bar-B-Q - Brisket Cheesesteak and Fries - Barbeque Near Me - Leeds, Alabama

Awesome! Great counter service. Delicious food. I had the pork plate with fried okra and onion rings. Very good and sweet sweet tea. 4 bbq sauces to choose from. Comfy temperature in the building. read more

Very impressed with the Bbq pork!! Potato salad and baked beans tasted homemade! Looking forward to trying more on their menu! read more

I spent ten years in North Carolina, and as a former Ohioan, it deeply informed my (up until then nonexistent) understanding of good BBQ. Moving from NC to St. Louis expanded upon my appreciation of such things, as STL has its own approach to delicious BBQ and all of the fixings, even if some highly opinionated folks disagree with me about that. Did you know that people have really, really strong feelings about BBQ? I didn't until I moved to STL and made a post about local BBQ vs. NC BBQ, and about 2567987235097 reactions and heated comments later, I decided never to post about BBQ again. Fast forward to this past weekend, when during a trip with some fellow tattooed, band-shirt wearing aging hardcore kid brethren, I decided to eat at the one and only Rusty's BBQ in Leeds, Alabama, located about 15 minutes outside of Birmingham, where a punk & hardcore weekend called Furnace Fest was happening. I'm not entirely sure what the folks at Rusty's thought about us showing up there, but everyone was polite, friendly, and guided us kindly through their assortment of options. Freaking delicious BBQ pork, chicken, brisket, ribs, and more; greens that felt like they'd been ladeled out of some Southern great-grandmother's soul; tiny cornbread muffins filled with green peppers and cheese; potato salad that wrecked and rebuilt me; spicy beans that I could have kept eating for days. Y'all - this place isn't doing anything edgy or groundbreaking or fancy, but what it is doing, it is doing well, and in a way where you can taste, see, and savor the roots and history. In regard to ambience and aesthetic, Rusty's feels like the kind of place that you'd stumble across while on a long, meandering road trip in the 1970's, driving off-highway with your family in a station wagon with wooden siding and no seatbelts in the back seat. It's clean, bright, colorful, and filled with the requisite wood paneling, faux-leather-covered booths, worn round tables with chairs, road signs hanging on the walls, posters for blues, soul, and Southern rock concerts, and a general sense of 'this is a local place largely for local folks, but we're sure glad you're here'. Rusty's was the BBQ I didn't realize I needed or was missing until I had it, and good Lord, I look forward to someday having it again. read more

Luckily, in the past, I have had the opportunity to try Rusty's BBQ at their food truck twice, so when I saw that they were part of Birmingham Restaurant Week, one of my favorite events, my husband and knew we would have to visit their restaurant. It is about a 30 minute drive from our house so we decided we would have lunch and then visit the Grandview outlets. We headed out on a Saturday afternoon and unfortunately found that two lanes of 459 were closed with traffic backed up for miles. We took the closest exit and pretty much had decided to head home, but at the last minute we changed our minds and decided to take the back roads to get to Rusty's. When we got there I ordered off the restaurant week menu, a half of chicken, two sides, two mini jalapeno cornbread muffins and a dessert for $15. What a deal! My husband ordered the pulled pork plate which was on the main menu, so we could share. They have several different sauces to go with your BBQ. I chose the sweet sauce and my husband also got the sweet sauce as well as the spicy sauce. The chicken was very tender, and very good, but I preferred the pulled pork with the spicy sauce. It was incredible. Definitely worth the 30 minute drive with the traffic. For the sides, I ordered the sweet baked beans, which were so good, and the mac and cheese. I was disappointed that they were out of the marinated cole slaw. For the dessert, I ordered a slice of chocolate pie. I hadn't had chocolate pie in years, and it was always one of my favorite desserts when I was younger. It was so good, and brought back memories of visiting my grandparents. I also tried my husband's banana pudding. It was filled with vanilla wafers. Yum, and tasted like marshmellows and bananas. read more

Rusty's Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Leeds, Alabama

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This is a city staple of Leeds, Alabama. Great bbq and southern style sides as in Brunswick stew , slaw, potato salad, collard greens, and Amazing southern Deserts. Can't go wrong read more

We had an awesome time here with our dad, who is more of a local. We wanted a vegetarian option with the jackfruit for our family and he still thought the place was delicious enough with its meat offerings to put it into his rotation. Delicious and varied enough for these city folks and their country papa. read more

Ribs are delicious, so tender off the bone. Baked beans are very good, a lil kick to them. Potato salad good. Then the banana pudding, very good. Also had a turkey sammich which was juicy and tender, and good. Sauces on the table were sweet, house, and spicey. All were good too. First visit but will be back. read more

Ordered the turkey plate, and it was thick, juicy and delicious. The service is fast and this is a quite little place.

Decided to eat local and check this place out today. It was wonderful! Definitely going to be one of my stopping places when I commute thru this area while traveling. And the staff couldn't have been nicer! read more

Rusty's Bar-B-Q - Nice patio - Barbeque Near Me - Leeds, Alabama

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Amazing spot off the beaten path a bit but not too much of a detour if you're headed to Atlanta. Mac and cheese and cornbread are baller sides. The collards are spicy and savory. All of the meats were smoky flavorful, and served dry with sauces at the table. The house and spicy sauces are the best, though there is a sweet option if you're into that. read more

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Picked up drive thru tonight.. they were busy so I expected a wait. However, after almost 30 minutes I was brought fries and cheeseburger that were barely warm. I walked inside and they replaced the fries but no apologies or explanation as to why i received cold food. Disappointed in service and quality tonight. read more

I recently stopped by Rusty's after attending the Rickwood Classic. In years past, I went to Dreamland. I wanted to try another BBQ joint. I am primarily a brisket fan, but I decided to try ribs this time. It is an Alabama specialty, so why not? My decision was rewarded. The ribs had smoky, fall off the bone meat. I had feared getting the sauce slathered, chewy dog bones some places call ribs. But that was not the case at Rusty's. No sauce is needed for these awesome ribs. The wife had pulled chicken, which was moist and also had a smoky flavor. We had Mac and Cheese and sweet baked beans as sides. The Mac and Cheese was good, although a little sharp cheddar would make it off the hook (as the kids say). The beans were addictive, and like having bean candy. For dessert, we had the chocolate pie. It was a good chocolate flavor without being too sugary. If you are passing by Leeds, I urge you to stop at Rusty's for great Alabama BBQ. read more

What a great hidden gem. Our favorite go to recently closed. We were concerned that we would not find a place to get good ribs. This place nails it. Nothing better than smoked ribs. We have found our no go to. The atmosphere is good too. What you would hope to find in a small town hole in the wall bbq joint. If you have been, give it a try. You won't be disappointed. read more

They were so kind. Food was good. They were generous enough to give us a bottle of bbq sauce also. I highly recommend everyone to stop by and get some good southern cooking here. Will also say Alabama BBQ don't play around and holds its own against all the others. Loved it. read more

We were traveling and found Rusty's on Yelp, so I asked someone in a store if it was good. We were told, "No, it's dry." I wish we'd heeded that advice. In short, nothing was fresh and the meat was, indeed, dry. We ordered the brisket salad and the pork platter, with potato salad, creamy coleslaw, and jalapeño cornbread. The salad is small and comes with 4 oz of brisket, which is dry and without much flavor and even the blue cheese wasn't quality. The creamy coleslaw was wilted and flat in flavor, seemingly left over from the night before. The jalapeño cornbread didn't have enough jalapeño to taste like anything but plain cornbread. We like trying sauces, but all of theirs taste like they're ketchup based. Spicy: ketchup with a heavy dose of cayenne. Sweet: ketchup with brown sugar. House: ketchup, thinned with water for the bottle. The ladies behind the counter were sweet, so I'll give them 2 stars. read more

Rusty's Bar-B-Q - Pork platter with creamy coleslaw, potato salad, and jalapeño cornbread - Barbeque Near Me - Leeds, Alabama

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Great bbq, really nice sauces to go with, and a substantial list of side items to choose from. All delicious. Not far off I-20, and only a short drive from the Buc-ee's that you've already gotten off the highway for. Eat local! read more

Solid bama bbq. Nothing jumps out as special but everything was pretty good. I would go back if in area.

I went solo to Rusty's BBQ Saturday night. I got the pork plate with sweet Baked Beans and fries. The fries were too hot to touch when delivered. The beans were hot and sweet too. Both of these items were great and flavorful. The BBQ was out of sight. Tender, meaty, lean and lots of it. The bread was soft and fresh. Service was friendly and fast. The place was clean inside and out. I will be back there soon. read more

Stopped here during a road trip. Bbq had a good taste but i will say the ribs were pretty greasy. I did enjoy the potato salad though. Good service, no frills bbq joint. read more

Some of the best bbq I've had in the BHM area, and I am happy to have it in Leeds. Service is good, and the ambience is nice for a hometown bbq place. Lots of Barber Motorsports stuff for decor. Make sure you have the Mac and cheese! read more

Hands down the best double cheeseburger and fries in the area!! Last night went in and the whole staff was amazing! Thank you for fresh food and friendly atmosphere! read more