Stopped by for a weekday lunch with family. Vision is unassuming on the outside, but the inside is stuffed with personality. There are decorations on every wall and disco balls hanging from the ceiling. Service is also exceptional; we were seated immediately and provided service with a smile. Our food came out quickly; I got the brisket smash burger with a side of macaroni and cheese. The burger was smoky and tasted great, though the mac and cheese was on the dry side. Overall, I would be back to get a different side. read more

Vision BBQ - Brisket Smash Burger - Southern Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Went to Vision BBQ for pre-concert dinner (show was at Ting Pavilion). Walked in on a Sunday afternoon about 5. Very slow, business wise. Server (Brianna) started out good, fairly attentive until I got my food. After I got my food I got one cursory "all good?" and that was it until I got the bill. Anyway, on to the food: ordered two meat plate (brisket and pulled pork) with fries and coles slaw. Fries were the highlight of the meal. Hot, crispy, seasoned...awesome. Cole slaw was good....but it was super tangy (vinegary) for my taste. Don't get it wrong, it was good, just hard to eat all of it thanks to the tang. On to the meat. Got a pretty good sized pile of pulled pork and a couple slices of brisket. Both meats were lukewarm at best. Pork was dry (thank goodness for the NC vinegar sauce). The brisket made up for the porks dryness, it was extra greasy and extra fatty. Like, for real, do you think people are going to eat the fat layer between the lean point meat and the fatty upper meat? Yeah, not me. But since the brisket was also lukewarm (more like lukecold) it really didn't make a difference. I did think the Vision BBQ sauce tasted pretty good. If Brianna would have come back by after I got my meal I would have sent it back....and probably would have just left without worrying over a replacement, or a comp, or anything. Secondary issue: went to the mens room. It was just nasty. You get once shot to make an impression, and this one was not good. Would not/will not repeat. read more

Vision BBQ - Two meat plate. - Southern Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

1st time here was looking for good down south food. Mac and cheese taste like overbearing cheese sauce on shells. The baked beans were hard spicy kidney beans and the collards were tough and undercooked. The pork bbq was a little on the bland and dry side cat fish was very greasy . I would recommend Moes. read more

Vision BBQ - Baked beans - Southern Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Ribs were burnt, tough, and chewy. Brisket was dry, but I would try it again. Service was good read more

Food was horrible. Chicken sandwich AND fries were burnt to the point of being inedible. Literally a crisp. 40 minute wait for trash food. Fighting in kitchen. Overall terrible experience. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE!! Worst chicken sandwich in cville. read more

Vision BBQ - Fried Chicken Sandwich - Southern Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

We came here for delicious bbq and that's what we got. We started off with fried green tomatoes as an appetizer and I was starving and ate mine in about 2 minutes. My wife said, are the tomatoes supposed to be cold? Sure they bough her half was ice cold, which means mine was too. My teacher wife teacher told us the server to touch it and she did before she could think and was like, wow that is cold, let me fix that. Fix it she did...those were even better the second time and luckily for me my wife was already eating her meal when they came out. My wife ordered the two meat plate, with chicken and pulled pork, with fries and Mac n cheese and got the three meat plate, with burnt ends, brisket and pulled pork. All of meat was great, but the sides were not equally amazing, just average. I did not come here for the sides but for me, that is the difference between 4 and 5 stars. The beans were hard, the same problem when I use kidney beans for mine, the collard greens were not super flavorful and the Mac n cheese was just ok. read more

Vision BBQ - Fried green tomatoes - Southern Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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I visited vision bbq on a Saturday afternoon to pick up a quick lunch before getting ready for a wedding. I was hoping for something decent enough to tide me over that would work faster than the hotel restaurant which took over an hour to get an order out. I was blown away. The smokers out front were a dead giveaway that we were in for some good food. The folks inside were friendly, took our order, and then it was out in about 15 minutes. I would've loved to stay and enjoy the cute decorations and friendly atmosphere, but we had to run. Now for the food. I got the brisket, Mac n cheese, and house made chips with the vinegar bbq sauce. I was certainly not disappointed across the board. The brisket was nice and moist, and the Mac was good, but those house made chips really stole the show for me. They were so amazing; crispy and seasoned to perfection. If you find yourself in Charlottesville, I would definitely recommend this spot! read more

Vision BBQ - Southern Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

I was SO excited to try this please after reading all the glowing Yelp reviews. When I saw the smokers in the parking lot, my heart skipped a beat and my expectations soared even higher. Overall, it was a good experience. The people and service were super! The food, OK. My wife and I visited them for dinner on a Saturday night. Lots of free parking in their enormous lot - a big plus. When we entered, two gentlemen greeted us warmly. We requested an outside table and they were happy to oblige. Our server was extremely helpful and attentive--taking the time to tell us about the specials and providing some additional info about the more popular items on the menu. Our meals arrived promptly. As for the food, I really wanted to like it more, but it just didn't agree with me. For starters, the brisket and the baby back ribs were only slightly warm. The ribs, in particular were almost cold. The meat was dry and only had a hint of smoky flavor. The brisket was a little better on the temperature side--looking like it came out of the smoker a bit more recently. The meat was juicier, the flavor slightly better than the ribs, but not by much. Some more BBQ sauce might have helped but Vision only gives you one small condiment cup of sauce for each meat entree. Extra sauce is not expensive (only $0.25/cup), but it's kind of a hassle to keep ordering sauce IMO. Based on the glowing reviews, I think I might have caught the on a bad night, or maybe I need to come when the place is more crowded so the food turns over faster and the meats are fresher. Looking forward to giving it another try b/c the people are great and the atmosphere is lots of fun! read more

I should have known...it was 12:17 and there were no customers inside. The food looked great but it was not good at all. Waaay too much dill and salt in the potato salad, along with potatoes that were not quite done. I was told that the chicken was from the thigh, nope. That poor little chicken had to die not fulfilling his purpose. The meat was a dry and stringy breast. The sauce was supposed to be sweet...Ok the good part...The service was very good hence the two stars. And whoever decided to put sugar in the collards made a big mistake. read more

We're from out of town looking for great spots to eat and this was a hit for me. I got the ribs plate w/ fries + house salad + Vision bbq and it was very tender in the center, flavorful/smoky. We also tried the fried green tomatoes and they were delish with the pimento on top! It wasn't very busy on a Tuesday at 1pm; people were mostly hanging at the bar area. I would definitely come back. read more

A welcoming, cozy place for BBQ downtown. The pulled pork is very tasty and well prepared. The brisket, however, was dry, stringy and fairly tasteless. Good, solid slaw, very good fries, and some of the tastiest home-made pickles anywhere. All in all, a mixed bag, but with some strengths. Worth another visit to try ribs, chicken, burnt ends and more sides. One major red flag: no sauces on tables, each comes in a tiny cup, and you pay extra for more. read more

Really good BBQ. Very knowledgeable about gluten allergies. Everything except Mac and cheese is GF. Collared greens are exceptionally good for a side. I think there is brisket in them. Yum. read more

Really wanted to like this place. Maybe it was an off night...Service was pretty friendly but we had to ask three times for our sides and finally got them about 25 minutes after meats came out. They have a serious cooker outside so we were expecting pro level bbq. Instead, pulled pork and chicken were bone dry, under seasoned and with overwhelming vinegar. The brisket texture was great with a nicely developed bark but all three meats were devoid of any smoke flavor. For some reason, everything is gluten free. And while the biscuits were not terrible, they fell apart and had a bitter aftertaste. The Mac and cheese was good. The collard greens were super salty and drenched in vinegar- almost inedible. We also asked if we could get a tiny taste of the pastrami and would be happy to path for it but were told we had to order a full Ruben sandwich for that. Seemed like a small request given all the food we ordered. Prices were very reasonable Again, possibly an off night... read more

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Service was great, no brisket and I was really looking forward to that, the pulled pork was tender & juicy. Wasn't impressed with the beans, but the coleslaw was good. And I liked their pickled onions. read more

Just can't go less than three stars even with a subpar effort! Trying to be the best every day! A place like mission bbq is factory style! Vision is locally own owned ! They cook old style and pound they cook must be sold ! Service is good! Very slow at 4:30! The free pork sandwich was at least 3 days old! Corn bread is different from original recipe but good! Pull chicken was good! Love hamms beer! Collards and potato salad ! Look out for the 3 percent surcharge! We just took it off the tip! Service was really average! $2.50!extra for brisket sliced the wrong way with the grain ! Ambiance was great with good blue grass! $47 for two ! Corn bread was $5. I know it's hard to run a business. We left somewhat happy and certainly full! I just read one of the owners left! Probably the reason why the quality has suffered! I realize the Pitmaster left over a year ago!!! This not the same quality it was! It's more of a bar thing going on! read more

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The place is cute and the BBQ is legit! The catfish bites were amazing! The sauces were wonderful. Good BBQ takes time. Be patient. read more

Vision BBQ - 3 meat and 2 sides. - Southern Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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We pulled in and it was a BBQ vision, two smokers doing their thing with smells that made us immediately say, we need to try everything...and we sure did our best. We sat at the bar and ordered some fresh from the tap cold beers and then each went with the Three Meat Platter so we could try an array. Moist brisket, dry rubbed wings and juicy ribs w coleslaw (made with Alabama sauce so had a great horseradish kick) and potato salad w fresh herbs - also got to pick a sauce and went with Sweet & Sassy, nice balance of sweet w some heat. Second platter was pulled pork (we also got the NC vinegar sauce for dipping and it was amaze!) smoked chicken and our favorite of all the meats, the house made hot link with hand cut fires and decant mac&cheese. We loved the hot link so much, we also tried the Jalapeño and Cheddar link - those sausages have a snap (if you know, you know!) And if you like hot sauce, real hot hot sauce, make sure to get the Face Melter - a little dab will do ya. We will be back next time we are in the area read more

Vision BBQ - Three Meat Plate with Two Sides: dry rubbed wings, tender ribs and juicy brisket with potato salad & coleslaw - Southern Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Driest philly cheese steak in town. Forgot to put the cheese on it. Was just a bunch of dry old meat on bread. The worst part is they did this twice -- I came back to them because they used to be good. Something is just wrong at this place now. read more

Nice people there. But why why why does every bbq spot around keep their meat in a steam table. I got a barely edible ball of damp gray pork on my sandwich. Not to mention small not jumbo dried out wings. Will try again someday but not someday soon. read more

I really wanted to like this place because it was so close to my hotel. Went there for lunch and had one of their specials. Quality of food was average at best and portions were small. They also up charged for everything. I would stay away as there are many other barbecue places in town. read more

You can see where this Charlottesville barbecue joint has potential but really falls on its face with correctable mistakes. Starting with the one strong positive, the brisket was moist and Smokey. Brisket is usually a tricky cut of meat to cook correctly. They nailed the cook but failed on the rub which only tasted of salt. It goes downhill from there. The pork suffered from the same over-salted rub and was dry. The red BBQ sauce couldn't save the pork because it only tasted of gloppy brown sugar. All the sides we ordered were bad. The corn bread was soggy as if the kitchen spilled something on it. The Mac and cheese was a lump of overcooked rotini with little flavor and mushy texture. I can see where Visions can improve and the BBQ reach the heights they're shooting for. Or maybe I just hit them on a really bad day? I'd be willing to give them another shot. read more

Vision BBQ - Cocktails - Southern Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Nice place for BBQ. I came to meet up with some work friends. It was a friendly spot, and we were all happy with the spot and the grub. Rick P served our group tonight. He was a humble and friendly servant. He and his team got our food out super quick. I ordered The Illness. It is (was) 10 oz of pullet smoked brisket with melted provolone, red onions, and smoked poblano peppers. It was a good size, and hit the spot. I also tasted a smoked chicken wing with dry rub, it was delicious. I downed my food with Devils Backbone Vienna lager. Left just enough room for dessert. The dining area was open, there was a bar outside and inside. The pit area looked open and there were seats at the bar. Not too shabby for BBQ in Virginia. read more

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Class act. I ordered delivery and the Uber driver stole my food. Not only did the fellas take care of my order, they also gave more than my order and refused to accept payment for it. The food was great. They have a different style, in a good way, to their food and flavor that you dont get in most BBQ joints. On a day that you find out your 7 yr old daughter's kidneys are failing her, someone stepping up and trying to right a wrong like a thieving delivery driver means more than it normally would. Thanks guys, truly. I'll make sure to hit you up every time im in town and need a meal read more

$21 for a plate of BBQ and it comes with a tiny cup of BBQ sauce of the flavor of your choice.... LOL.... Extra cups of sauce cost extra..... What's up with that?... Why not put the bottle on the table? read more

The BBQ is juicy without being sloppy and flavourful throughout. I wasn't a fan of the smoked chicken but that might very well be a me problem (it's a type of bbq I am unused to); the pulled pork was great and the burnt ends might rank in my top 3 ever in their class. Solid side and sauce selection (a special mention to the fantastic pickled onions). Portion size is just passable for the price, but that is I fear the new reality with prices everywhere. read more

Seasoning. The potato salad was good ish the Mac and cheese was baked maybe yesterday and then had velveta on top. Wow it's been only a year. This was bad I don't think I will be back. read more

My fiancé and I stopped in here with family after a day of apple picking at Carter Mtn. This place hit the spot! Everything thoroughly enjoyed their food- meats were amazing, the greens were to die for, the Mac and cheese and beans and all the sauces were amazing. It did take a little while to get our food, but I assume they were making everything fresh. Our 2 complaints were the buffalo chicken dip (it just wasn't great, tasted plain) and the biscuits (these were a little underdone, and tasted mostly like uncooked flour). Aside from those hiccups, the waiter was nice and the place itself was very classic BBQ joint. I appreciated that they had a nice parking lot out front as well. read more

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OMG. Absolutely the best small Q place. Gabby welcomed us before before we even got inside. Brisket and burnt ends to die for. read more

Vision BBQ - Absolutely delicious - Southern Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Wow, this place was good! The employees were super nice and very accommodating. The brisket was hot and freshly sliced. The bbq sauce had a good flavor. I got the sweet one. The baked mac n chz reminded me of being at a family reunion at a park. Nothing fancy, just good comfort food. It's located behind the McDonald's. I would definitely come back for the service alone, but the food was also great! read more

We were there at opening time and were greated and treated like family. The catfish bites were fantastic as an app and the smoked chicken was great and the two sauces provided added a tangy treat. Had the bartender make me an old fashioned and it was perfect. read more

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Food was barely warm. Waiter appeared to be intoxicated and was slurring. Super uncomfortable experience for my entire family.

This place is quite good! Eaten at a lot of bbq places and this is up there as far as quality. Very unexpected location in town with smoking in the parking lot pulling me in. We picked up and while they forgot a few items we had to return for everything was delicious. read more

This place had so much potential and we were excited to come, based on other reviews. However, we left disappointed and kind of baffled. We came on a weekend during an off time between lunch and dinner. There were maybe 5 tables. We waited 20+ minutes for someone to come take our order and then it was another 30+ minutes for the food to come out. Our poor waitress was doing her very best, but the bartender and one other employee--unclear his role--weren't much help. She recognized the delay and kindly gave us a discount on our order. Sadly, it did not make up for the food. We tried the pulled pork and brisket, which had decent flavor but were very dry and barely lukewarm. The burnt ends were fine, but not memorable. The collards were too salty and overcooked, the mac and cheese was cold and rubbery, the pimento cheese was just a pile of shredded cheddar, and the strange gluten-free biscuits fell apart before we could get a bite in. The best thing on my plate was the potato salad, which I didn't even order but was given anyway--it was actually delicious. I'm hoping they're just having a rough patch, but I would not return. read more

Brisket was excellent and the waitress was super nice and attentive. Plenty of parking.

Medicore at best. Everyhing is a la carte and so the price adds up fast. The ribs just weren't very good and they charged us extra to try a different sauce than the one we chose. read more

Went to meet a cousin visiting from out of state. Super kind staff, welcoming and homey environment, cool music, food was delicious and hot the spot. Had enough for left overs. Gluten free bun tasted almost too good to be true! Will be back for sure. read more

Vision BBQ recently catered an event for my church. We ordered pulled pork, chicken, baked beans, and Cole slaw. The meal came with buns and two large containers of barbecue sauce: two different kinds. There was plenty of food for all of us and everything was delicious. People asked me who I purchased the food from! So, it was a complete success. I highly recommend Vision BBQ! Manager Mike was very helpful as well. read more

I had the brisket burnt ends, but they seemed to be from the flat... not the point cut. The beans had a hard bbq sauce taste. The collards were cooked to a good, tenderness... they could've used some seasoning and some vinegar. read more

On three occasions my wife has ordered dinner there to be picked up. While the food tasted fine on all three occasions items that were a part of the meal were left off. The cornbread on two occasions were left out and last night I ordered a Catfish dinner and the sauce to enhance the taste of the Catfish was left out of the bag. So if you pick up there check and double check your order. read more

Cute place and has great decor. Unfortunately they only had one server at the time we went and boy was she slammed. We had very slow service, not all her fault though. UVA is near this restaurant and we assumed they were having admitted students day, streets were busy, students carrying UVA goodie bags and a good bit of them in this restaurant. Food wise 2/5. Sides were mediocre, bland, the baked beans were HORRENDOUS, and the mac and cheese could have been better if it had flavor. They didn't have 2 out 5 meats that could be ordered. I ordered the Chicken and unfortunately was really dry. I personally enjoyed the brisket the most, very tender and had good flavor. I will be back in town in September and I don't see myself going back to this place. read more