A Sad Decline from a Local Legend…read more Carolina BBQ used to be the place. Back in the day, everyone knew about it -- people would drive from all over just to get a plate. Now? I wouldn't drive across the street for it. The food has lost every bit of the flavor that made it famous. The BBQ is bland, fatty, and feels like it's been sitting around waiting for someone to remember what seasoning is. The potato salad? Completely flavorless -- someone forgot that mustard exists. And the hush puppies, once crispy little bites of heaven, now taste like fried bread that gave up halfway through. And all that grease makes it slide right thru. It's honestly sad to see a local legend fall this far. The place that used to set the standard for good southern BBQ now feels like it's coasting on nostalgia alone. Carolina BBQ didn't just lose its spark -- it lost its taste, too. And the parking lot? Please save your tires and park elsewhere. I have attached a picture for reference.

This place was very clean, warm and inviting. The bbq was delicious…read more We ate the buffet. My only issue was I wish the food was hotter. The hush puppies were just OK. We really enjoyed our meal. Love the staff.

Everything and everyone at Blue Colllard is wonderful. The food is so delicious and I really like…read morehow helpful the staff are to help with whatever you need, whether it's a quick meal pickup, or a big party you're planning. The chef has been recognized as the best chef in Aiken and Blue Collard was voted best caterer so the people have spoken and they are spot on. The Blue Collard team goes above and beyond to bring Southern food to your home. They are like family and truly care about each person they interact with. I can call with questions or just pop in to grab something on my way home from work and I'm never disappointed with the variety of mains, sides, desserts, salads and more. Love this place!

Omg yum!! From their savory market selections, to their tasty desserts, you can't go wrong with…read moreBlue Collard. We love their take and bake meals and you HAVE to get the peanut butter pie! Trust me. Support local!

First review of 2025 and it's a good one! We finally got back to Freeman's before they sold out and…read moreit did not disappoint. I'm not necessarily a culinary professional but I am a southern gal who loves food and loves to cook, and my family and I have strong feelings about BBQ. Since moving to the CSRA, we've found lots of "pretty good" bbq but nothing GREAT. Then we finally had Freeman's! They make traditional BBQ, slow smoking the whole hog and they only smoke about 1000lbs a week and they sell out in the three days they are open (Thurs-Sat). The pulled pork is great (and for other reviewers questioning, pulled pork is the real BBQ, other meats can be good but don't bother on a first visit with anything other than pulled pork), I think it can stand alone without sauce just because it's tender and smoky, but the sauce (a delicious and not too sour vinegar based BBQ sauce) only makes it better. I've got strong feelings about hash too, and their hash was quite good. A little on the watery side for me BUT it wasn't liver hash (a pro in my mind) and it was not overly sweet like many hashes tend to be (including my own recipe, that I'm now going to fiddle with). The Mac and cheese was good but needed salt (as most restaurants do, we love salt). That's all we got- pulled pork, bbq sauce, hash, Mac and cheese. We went there to order takeout and brought it home so I cooked rice myself. They have a very small seating area inside, a few tables with hole-in-the-wall vibes. I definitely think they are better suited to doing what we did- takeout to eat at home or elsewhere but the restaurant dining area was clean and if we didn't have a toddler who can't sit still I'd probably be more inclined to stay and eat. Their menu is limited but that is a GOOD thing, and I can only vouch for what we had but I suspect the other sides are good too. We talked with Mr Freeman, the third generation owner, and he was very helpful and kind in answering my questions about BBQ and helping us decide how much food we needed for our group. IMPORTANT: as I mentioned, they run out of their pulled pork every day. The first time we tried to go was at 5pm on a Saturday and they were sold out. The second time we went was around 12:30 or 1 on a Saturday and he said they were already on their way to being sold out for the day. Go early (they open at 11) to ensure you don't miss out on the best BBQ in the CSRA!

Stopped by here the other day to try their south carolina style bbq of pulled pork with vinegar…read morebased sauce and hash and rice as well as a half slab of ribs. Coming from Texas I am not a huge fan of the vinegar based bbq sauce and more of a beef guy but I had a decent experience here. Everything was about a 4/5. The ribs were tender and smoky, very soft. However I felt they could use a little bit of salt. The hash was interesting, more of a meat gravy that went well with the rice. The pulled pork was similar to the ribs in that they were very tender and soaked in the the carolina bbq sauce . Ordered the collard greens as a side which were relatively standard fare. Overall pretty quality bbq, pork done right- especially if you enjoy the south carolina vinegar based bbq sauce .

Today I did take out. Time from paying to getting my order was about 6 minutes…read more There is a nice indoor area to order and wait. It is separate from the line for the buffet. The food is definitely worth taking home and eating it. If you have time, the buffet line is worth the price. This is a casual environment with a lot of TVs to watch. Take your time and have a relaxed meal. If you have a large group, call ahead and reserve the back room.

Love it every time we come. Nice environment. Comfortable…read moreand spacious. The food is hot and delicious. Great choice of drinks. The staff is so friendly and helpful.

I love the BBQ at this location@ I am definitely going…read moreback. The sstaff were the best. Absolute best. I asked about side and she got me samples so I could choose. Above and beyonbeyond! It was clean but drab.

This place is a solid bar b q joint. They use real wood real smoker and have great service. Brisket…read moresandwich was a lil dry. The mark of a good bar bq place is tender smoky brisket. The mac and cheese was good as were the green beans. The inside was nice w tables and picnic tables outside. Gives you feel of being at a bar bq spot. Maybe I caught them on off day but will come back next time in Aiken

Great place for lunch, and maybe dinner ( just haven't been there for dinner)…read more I've been twice and had the fried chicken both times, very good! Their homemade collards and Mac n cheese are awesome. My guests really liked their meals as well.

Food is subpar. Far better home cooked meals around. I went with 2 friends and the feeling was…read moremutual. I hate it because we sure need some better restaurants downtown in Aiken Had the baked bbq chicken, others had the meatloaf and fried chicken. The gravy was super dark and strange tasting. The baked bbq chicken was moist but not worth a second visit. Inside the restaurant was very nice. I like the ambiance.

A little on the darker side for light in the seating area. This may be an attempt to make it more…read moreintimate. Service was fairly quick. The servers were very polite and helpful. The food came out hot. The wings were strong on the lemon flavor which is the way that I like them. For a quick bite, this is a good place to eat. They had a couple of TVs on but I don't know what was playing.

Big Daddy was good , but this peach cobbler was not done. I never saw liquid , doughy peach cobbler…read morelol. Whoever prepared this around 8pm aught to be ashamed. Just wrong lol. The ladies up front were very nice. Very warm and engaging. But y'all this peach cobbler, yall just wrong for that lol. And I just moved here from Atlanta

This was a good restaurant! Honestly, the chicken was kind of dry, but the toppings almost saved…read morethe tacos. We tried it at Aiken barbecue fest, and we did like it, but we were kind of disappointed in the quality of the meat. The service was pretty fast, our food came out in about five minutes. Honestly, I think they may have been overwhelmed with the volume of the customers, and we would love to try it again when they are less inundated with people.

This is easily the worst buffet I have ever been to. Most of the food is usually cold or lukewarm,…read morethe chicken is greasy, and much of it seems like it's been sitting out for a couple of days. They say they close at 8:30 pm, but I have been there several times at 7:30 pm and they start mopping the floors so you are smelling chemicals while you're trying to eat. It always seems like they are trying to rush you to get out so they can leave. I would give it a -5 if I could!!

I've been passing by this restaurant for years, but never stopped however, on yesterday I craved a…read moregood barbecue rib. I was highly disappointed as the ribs were more so boiled then barbecued they did not taste fresh how ever the parking lot was crowded so I'm guessing maybe it was just a bad day.