Best BBQ I have found in Louisville! I can't believe I almost drove by and now I will have to make plans to stop with my family when traveling south in the future! I walked and sat at the bar and was probably greeted by a lady that I soon figured out was one of the owners. She took really great care of me as I told her I had never been here before as she served up fresh-brewed sweet tea before I cross the Ohio River back to questionable sweet tea land. I chose Sampler #1 that comes with 3 wings, ribs, and 2 sliders which I chose one with pulled pork and the other with brisket. I wanted potato salad and had a hard time choosing between mac and cheese or beans. She was so nice she told me she hated having that option and she brought me both! She wanted me to try a turkey rib so she snuck one on my plate! This was more food than what the photos showed! The 1st thing I tried was a turkey rib and I could not believe it was turkey! She said they smoke it and deep fry it as it was drizzled with the sob sauce and I dipped it in the white sauce. I tore into the smoked wings next followed by the ribs, pulled pork slider, and brisket slider. All were fantastic but I would say the brisket was the one I enjoyed the least. All sides were fantastic but when I come back I know which 2 to choose...potato salad and beans! The potato was a creamy mustard base and the beans were sweet. The mac and cheese was great and if you love mac and cheese, that's what you should get. I just thought the potato salad and beans were better. There are 4 sauces. A white Alabama sauce you need to request that goes well with turkey and chicken. Sop sauce...a thick and sweet vinegar base that goes well with everything. A tangy mustard sauce perfect for pulled pork. And last of all, a hot BBQ sauce made with ketchup and habanero. I love spiciness and some heat and I would say it was about a 4 out of 10 for me on the heat scale. But I eat habanero sauces often so it will be hot for those who do not. Shack in the Back will be added to my must stops in Louisville because of the amazing food and even better hospitality from the owner. read more

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Went on a Saturday night and there was an excellent singer on the patio; he covered favorite 80's country songs. Had the turkeys ribs, baked beans, & burgoo. We ate inside but the sound was throughout the place. Service was fine too. read more

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The BBQ was worth the drive. The reviews were right and I am glad we tried the turkey ribs. They taste like the State Fair smoked turkey leg. Wonderful food and atmosphere at a great price. I wish we lived closer. read more

Shack in the Back BBQ - Pulled pork, baked beans, green beans. - Barbeque Near Me - Fairdale, Kentucky

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The food is pretty good, usually good service have had to wait awhile carry out orders tho

After getting our hair cut across the street we were hungry and lunched at Shack in the Back. Good service, modest prices and good barbecue is all the reason to return. Of course they were crowded at lunchtime as evidence of the full parking lot. Fortunately, they have excess parking spaces a little further away. Once inside we were seated within 5 minutes and given a menu. A friendly server took our lunch order and in a short time we were rewarded with a tasty barbecue meal. No complaints here. read more

Shack in the Back BBQ - Pulled pork, Mac and cheese plus coleslaw. - Barbeque Near Me - Fairdale, Kentucky

This place is just so overrated. My "pulled chicken" is clearly a chopped overcooked chicken thigh. You also get an attitude from most employees when you call in and then pick up the order. It's very frustrating. We have eaten here periodically over the years and I'm shocked when we get good service. The food is hit or miss. read more

Shack in the Back BBQ - Pulled chicken sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Fairdale, Kentucky

The food is absolutely amazing and well worth the wait! Service can be a little slow at times, but the quality and flavor of the food more than make up for it. Definitely a place we'll be coming back to. read more

Food is so good meat is tender fall off the bone type servers were Great .................................................. read more

Shack in the Back BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Fairdale, Kentucky

I used to really love shack in the back. But feels less familiar than before. They still remain my go to for white lightening sauce and pickles. I am not a fan of placing the meat in a plastic baggie. Meat by the pound should be wrapped in foil or in containers. read more

Love the place. Have even catered from there. New location is great. Food awesome. Try one of the platters !! Service is good. Prices reasonable. If into desserts after. Yes. Try one read more

This place is a true hidden gem. We went with the Combo number 3. It comes with 2 sandwiches, turkey legs, 2 sides-Mac n cheese and the fries. This is A Military friendly restaurant read more

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This was a yelp find for me on a trip to Louisville. The turkey ribs caught my attention and I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did. The turkey ribs were unique and very tasty! I sat at the bar and chatted with one of the owners and got a little history on the turkey ribs. I also had their wings. Smoked to perfection and not rubbery. Great flavor! The skillet fried corn was next level as a side. Great atmosphere and great food! read more

Shack in the Back BBQ is a solid spot for BBQ. My co-workers and I were looking for something different to have for lunch and we decided to check this place out. We went around noon on a weekday and it was pretty busy. There's a private parking lot which is nice, and we were able to snag a spot easily. Upon entering, we were greeted by a staff member and seated immediately. Our server was so nice and patient. We wanted to order family style and she recommended some options for us. We went with a family combo which included 1 pound of meat and 3 sides. We ordered 1 pound of Brisket, Skillet Fried Corn, Baked Beans, and French Fries. We also ordered a half pound of Pulled Pork. One of our co-workers ordered a sandwich meal which came with a sandwich and two sides. Most of us also ordered the Sweet Tea. Our drinks and food came quickly. The tea was very sweet (to be expected for Sweet Tea) but it was good. The Brisket and Pulled Pork were both flavorful and tender. There are 4 different sauces available. The Hot BBQ sauce was tasty. It wasn't hot though. The sides were all solid. The corn was buttery and the baked beans were tender and had a slight kick. Nothing special to mention about the fries but they were okay. Overall, giving Shack in the Back BBQ a 4/5. Service and staff are amazing. The BBQ is solid. Would recommend to anyone in the area looking for BBQ. Would come back again when visiting. read more

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Shack in the back was an awesome experience. All our food was good, except for one item and the service was an A+. Called in our order and picked it up. We both ordered the option number 2 to instantly try several items on one order. It comes with bbq ribs, sausage, two small sides and two small sandwiches.We also ordered dessert. All of my food was good and made just right. The bbq was falling off the bone, beef ribs with plenty of meat, loved the sausage, potato salad and corn was on point, my small sandwich of pulled pork and chicken was a tender treat. The Banana putting looked good and tiny and not much taste to it. The parking lot was full and I was lucky to find a spot to park. It was easy to order and my food was ready when I got there. The food cost around $60 with a tip. Next time I will order single meal and try their skins. This will help lower the cost of the amazing food here. If I had a magic wand I would make the sides 20 percent bigger, but a great experience overall. read more

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Place is in a good location, but contrary to some reviews this is definitely not the best place in town. Brisket was flavorless and dry, pork was also very dry. Required a ton of bbq sauce which thankfully was pretty good. Mac and cheese was good as were the baked beans. Staff was super friendly! I wanted this place to be good and the food to be real good. It's just not. read more

Foods good, but efficient they are not. Three parties that arrived after us were sat before us because the hostess keeps track of parties on a scrap of paper. Please join us in the 21st century and get a tablet. Additionally, they should ditch the live music. This is a small building and I'd like to hear myself think while I wait (a very long time) for my food. read more

Ten minutes until the Hostess greeted us. Another ten until our server appeared. Told they were out of the appetizer we ordered, but when we didn't choose another appetizer, the one we wanted magically appeared for us. I know this is a taste thing, but restaurants choose Pepsi because it's cheap, and we diabetics have to drink kerosene-flavored Diet Pepsi, or windex-flavored Diet Mountain Dew because restaurant managers are cheap. This visit did not begin well. We're approximately 15 minutes into waiting for our appetizer, 35 since we walked in, and I'm wondering if anyone is actually being fed. In the entire room there are two appetizers on the tables, no entrees. I've seen a couple of plates go to the patio. The place smells amazing, so presumably they're cooking. Can't be sure though. The decor is pretty good, so at least there's a nice place to wait. Wait we shall. I assume the food is good because despite the above, there are quite a few people waiting for food here. Twenty minutes in, our entrees arrived before our appetizer. The food runner has no idea why and wants to 'check on them.' Yay. Pulled pork and brisket sandwiches are cold. Sides are microwave hot, though. That's something. The sandwich would be nothing special if it were hot. Mid chopped brisket on a cheap hamburger bun. I've had better at Buc'ees. In fact, Buc'ees brisket is far better. Another ten minutes of eating this and I'm informed that my appetizer is delayed but is still coming. I'm 1/3 through with my meal. Nobody appears to be in charge, and I can hear the other diners griping about the service and the food. We're seated near the hostess' stand and incoming diners are waiting longer and longer for the empty tables in the dining room. 32 minutes from ordering, the appetizer arrives, looking every bit like it's been in the warmer the entire time. The melted cheese won't cut with a knife. The best thing I can say about these potato skins is that they're hot. Bland and flavorless, but hot. I guess I should be grateful we got what we ordered. The folks to our left got the wrong wings, and a couple has come in from the patio and is sitting near the hostess' stand, requesting their food to be changed to Carryout. I'm assuming they're tired of waiting. 46 minutes in, the 8-top to our right has just seen food. They were here before us. I have rarely been more disappointed in a restaurant experience, and observing that others around us are going through the same thing is somewhat comforting but also the reason I'm writing this review. It's not just a bad table, the whole room smells like charcoal and regret. Even the golfers on the big screen are struggling. An hour in, I really just want the check. The dishes have been cleared and to-go drinks refused. Who wants a Diet Pepsi to go? At this point I'm willing to pay to be allowed to leave. Alas, there's no check to be found, no server to be found, and Emmitt Smith just shanked a ball out of bounds. It's a Pro-Am, just like this restaurant. Check finally arrives, and we just want to go. There's a surcharge for using a card, about 5%. An adequate tip gets us out of here and we can't run fast enough for the door. Is it petty to warn people walking up the parking lot? I feel like it's my duty to do so. 2/10, would starve before I ate here again. read more

My favvvv place for bqq one the best and the potato salad is the best... and when they have live music I love hearing people sing

I had missed an early morning flight from Chicago to my Atlanta residence and needed to get back that night. Thus, 800 mile drive here I come. I have never been through KY but have ALWAYS heard good things about Louisville. While driving (I think I was only passed once over the 800 mile stretch), I yelped BBQ for Louisville. Obviously this place came up. It was a little further off I-65 than I anticipated, but it is what it is. I think many of the photos were old and mentioned ordering at the counter, so I figured quick food, quick eating. When I arrived it seems it is waiter service now. That said, the restaurant and service sensed I was in a hurry. They accommodated my party with quick service and quality fare. The Brisket was awesome, the soup Louisville's version of Brunswick Stew had great tang. Banana pudding was yummy. Seems there is a nice bar here, likely with draft beer. I briefly noted it and could for sure imagine knocking back a few pints here. That said, I was gone in a flash and nourished. Good place. Good find through yelp. read more

Shack in the Back BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Fairdale, Kentucky

I found this place on Yelp with a 4.4 star average with 373 reviews and figured it's a no-brainer. We drove over from the hotel (thank God for GPS!) and made it within an hour of closing time. We each had the brisket dinner meal. I got potato salad and "skillet" corn for my sides. I got a hint of the smoke flavor which to me is perfect. I put sweet bbq sauce on. My only complaint was with the bun. It must be the cheapest bun available. It detracted from the brisket frankly. The ambiance was awesome. They have an old 1950s pickup out front, you can smell the smoke outside, and the interior was very unique. Intimate and open at the same time. read more

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Great cuisine nice environment to dine. Price is a little high. Wait time for carry out was okay

My first ever visit to this restaurant. I never was one to enjoy un-air-conditioned places or eating outside in the heat of the summer. They have done a complete renovation with a very nice dining room, spacious. Our group of 14 had a wonderful lunch there yesterday. Speedy service, very attentive, wish I would've been offered a refill, but that's OK. I see some reviews in the past speaking negatively of a few issues. I found absolutely none of them in our recent visit. Absolutely delicious pork barbecue sandwich. Homemade potato salad, green beans, baked beans. I heard rave reviews of the baked beans. I loved the green beans, just enough ham flavor. And let me tell you, I promise you will not be disappointed in the portion sizes. All the sides were mounted up as was the pork barbecue sandwich. You add your own sauces, I believe about four different ones. The sweet spicy was absolutely delicious. Everyone loved what they got. The only negative thing I have to say is, although we were stuffed to the gills, I wish we would've gotten desserts to go. How could we pass up that homemade peanut butter pie? This may deserve another trip! Enjoy. read more

Shack in the Back BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Fairdale, Kentucky

Today we ate lunch around 12. There were quite a few people there, but we were pleasantly surprised at how quickly we got seated. Our server came to our table quickly and took our order immediately. The outside patio area where we ate is fully gated which is perfect for eating with kids! It makes eating out easy! The food today came out quickly and everything was prepared well! read more

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Shack in the Back is a true Louisville(ish) gem. We visited here a few years ago, before the move to the new location, and promised we'd visit again. Then things like COVID happened and life got in the way...so we finally made it to Shack in the Back again. Woo-Hoo! While the original location definitely had its own charm and character, the new location is freakin' gorgeous. It's probably 3 or 4 times bigger than the original location, it has a large outdoor seating area, and even a few table on the second floor. (Yes, a Second Floor!) We visited on a Saturday afternoon and were seated immediately. The weather was fantastic and there were a number of people eating outside (not me...I'm not an outdoor seating kinda guy). Our server greeted us immediately and got our drink orders. The menu isn't extensive, but it doesn't need to be. It's well suited to Shack in the Back's focus (BBQ) and doesn't clutter the menu with nearly the same items. I love, Love, LOVE the interior. It's kind of rustic inside with a lot of exposed wood, several television screens showing various sporting events, and the most unique gift shop I've ever seen. I get the impression that some time before it was the improved Shack in the Back that it was a bank. The gift shop is inside a literal bank vault. #CompletelyAwesome! I had the pulled pork nachos (I'm a sucker for nachos anywhere I go) and we delighted to find they're served on fresh-made potato chips instead of your average tortilla chips. While I've had pulled pork nachos before, they did not measure up to Shack in the Back's. Our server (Abby?) was spot-on with drink refills, making sure we had what we needed, and stopped for a friendly chat a few times. I absolutely love the new location of Shack in the Back and I feel bad that I haven't been there in so long. Gonna have to fix that and go again soon. read more

Shack in the Back BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Fairdale, Kentucky

Amazing food, friendly service and super pet friendly on the patio. They even gave our dog some chicken and a water bowl to enjoy. read more

Shack in the Back BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Fairdale, Kentucky

Shack in the back bbq is a local Lousiville and Fairdale community bbq joint that has a massive and cult like following. This place will be on a lot of lists for favorite local bbq. For years shack in the back was a literal small shack that had very limited dining. In the year 2021 they started building up a newer location in town and that location is now complete and the upgrade from small hole in the wall bbq joint to boujie bbq joint is complete. The new setup is very nice and spacious. The decor is really cool and includes a cool old pickup truck out front. The food while a little higher than the past is still just as good. My personal go to is a pulled pork sandwich with baked beans. If shack in the back doesn't have my favorite baked beans in the city then it is at minimum tables 2nd. The menu overall is pretty good and you can't go wrong. Service at the new location could be better. It's a tad on the slower side. Maybe it's an adjustment going from mainly takeout orders to now having full on dining experiences. So that could be a kink easily ironed out. Overall you can't go wrong with shack in the back. Good old fashioned down home bbq. And while the nostalgia of the small old shack will be missed the new setup is super nice. It feels like a Completely different place all together but still has the same tasty food. read more

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First time here, And last time. By the look of other reviews, this is similar. We went inside it had a decent crowd which is a good indication that people like it. I've only heard good things. We went to the bar to sit and order because there was no staff to seat us or give a menu. We sat there for a long time and the people (2) working saw us and never asked if we wanted anything, no menu, not even a hello. They took care of the customers that were already at the bar, that was it. We looked at the menu on line and continued to wait. There were 3 workers sitting at a table, talking and carrying on. They saw us because I was looking at them. We called them (while sitting at the bar.) and ordered our food to go. The lady at the bar finally acknowledged us and we told her we just ordered it to go. She said they only had 2 people working the floor. A lady in a UofL healthcare uniform apparently works there too. She was sitting with the other workers at the table. I went outside, got it to go and the lady checking us out had no personality at all. (And they wanted a tip). We took our food home to Cedar Grove / Shepherdsville and by that time it was cold and very dry. The brisket, the baked beans and potato salad had a great flavor and probably would've been great if it was fresh and hot. We planned on eating there and enjoy our first time trying it. We drove a long way, out of our way to try it. I would not drive out of the way to try it again. There was a "strange lady" (trying to be nice) at the bar that was not in reality... again, trying to be nice and not give an in-depth description. Shepherdsville needs a good sit down BBQ Place. Getting food to go just to eat it cold is not enjoyable. Especially at that price. read more

A large group of us were there on Monday. The food was delicious, the service was great, our drinks were refilled without asking and our waitress was amazing! If you like bbq-the sauce is served on the table so you can pick from mild to hot.The potato salad is delicious and so were the baked beans. There are several meat choices available-chicken, pork, beef and turkey! read more

Food was great here and we loved sitting outside. Service wasn't the friendliest but we came in an hour before close and it might have been a rough day for people. We'd return! read more

This was our first and definitely not our last time here. We kind of made the mistake of coming later in the evening, so the items we wanted were no longer available and our food items were a tad dry. Thus, we hope to experience them on an opening time to truly experience the quality that this place exudes in the layout of the store, menu and location. Given that I had not been here before, my original vision of this place was nowhere near what was seen. It exceeded my expectations! Price, quality, and service was all within reason which makes the desire to return all more worth it. Compared to the BBQ places we have in our area of Hardin County, this makes the drive worth it for us on future visits. Military discounted honored. Their sauces are good. The white sauce makes it all worthwhile. My tidbit is to add it to your coleslaw for the kick it needed. The potato salad is on point. We hope to experience the brisket on our next visit. We look forward to bringing family when they come to visit here as the go to for a local institution! read more

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If you are looking for an all around great BBQ joint, look no further. Great BBQ, great sides. Comfortable atmosphere with inside and outside seating. My favorite thing is the Turkey Ribs with the white lightning BBQ sauce. Don't skip out on this BBQ joint! read more

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I personally love this place. Their Turkey ribs with white lightening sauce & wings with spicy bbq are a favorite tie for me. Aside from their spicy pickles. The baked beans & potato salad are my go to sides They have a lot of different appetizers & dinners I have yet to try but I'm sure it's equally good. I love supporting a local family. A win win for BBQ read more

I got the 1combo with mop and white sauce . The white sauce and ribs were good everything else was mediocre . The burgoo was meh with hard carrots. I was asking the server if the Mac and cheese and other side dishes were good good . She kept saying huh after every question and then a yeah . I won't make the drive again read more

Shack in the Back BBQ - I got a combo #1 with burgoo ( the carrots weren't cooked ) and potato salad . - Barbeque Near Me - Fairdale, Kentucky

Great interior and wonderful food. Service was good, though server seemed more attentive to the "regulars" than this newbie. Definitely try the wings which were awesome. read more

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New location and first time to check out the new digs. Dinner was great! Service; friendly and welcoming, we chose patio table. Prompt service helpful with new menu. Happy we stopped by and we look forward to returning. read more

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Arianna was our server for this visit and she was extremely helpful in giving us the best option for a great experience on our first visit. The Turkey ribs are one of a kind and the restaurant is relaxing and great. The good overall is simply incredible and you can tell the family has invested in their food and service. I would come back if I lived closer. Amazing! read more

Shack in the Back BBQ - These Turkey Ribs are FIRE!!! - Barbeque Near Me - Fairdale, Kentucky

Stopped in during a road trip. I had the ribs and my husband had the platter. Great food, great service!

Previous visits have always been great but tonight was a total miss on their part. We arrived and knew we would have a wait-totally ok with waiting. All tables full and super busy hostess. When she got to us she started a wait list and said it would be about 10 min for a table. We looked around at every full table and saw that no one had food, so we knew the wait would be longer-we were ok with waiting. We sat down to wait and after 35 min she started seating people that had come in after us. They want to save the booths for larger groups-we get that. But after the 3rd group got seated we noticed that she had abandoned the wait list and instead started asking people waiting how many in their group and sat the next group instead of us-clearly seating based on number of people in their group vs people on the wait list. After 50 min there was an open table and we approached the hostess who completely forgot that we had been there waiting. She was very apologetic. We sat down, and then noticed a couple just getting their food, they had sat at their table right when we arrived to the restaurant-they had been waiting close to an hour to eat. We waited another 10 min and no one came to take our drink order. After realizing it was going to be another hour before we would even eat we left. One of my problems is that the hostess completely failed to see that the wait was going to be considerably longer. She should have told us that the wait would be 30-45 min or so. And, they only have a handful of booths so I understand wanting to seat larger groups there, but at some point they have to stop ignoring the smaller groups that have been waiting longer. read more

Ok I think I reviewed in 2011 but just back to the new location and was still great BBQ. Combination platter is perfect for two that wasn't to experience a little of several menu item. We got ribs fall off the bone tender, Smoked sausage and it's a great sausage. Sliders one pulled pork one brisket both fantastic. Sides were baked beans and these are for real great beans in the straight from the smoker kinda way. In house chips with some dry rub and bbq chips the way they should be. Service was good busy night and still prompt. Love the new look miss the old place. Great memories from a work stop and Mike in the shack always remember 2+2= yeah I love a beer read more

This has always been one of my favorite bbq places and I stop anytime I'm coming through. The food has changed a little since the location change the green beans were still great, brisket was ok but they did not have the peach cobbler when I was there. The service was good, the new building is nice and clean. read more