We got pork, chicken, ribs and brisket. The brisket may have been my favorite. The sauces were outstanding. The highlight of our meal was the fried green tomatoes. I could have eaten another whole order. Everything was very good, although I wasn't blown away by the pork. A must try if you're in the area, or even close by.
Review Source:Being a huge fan of NC style bbq, I found this to be a little bland tasting. Having to mix and match sauces to make it flavorful just didn't work for me. But, for VA this was ok bbq. The hushpuppies and corn bread were very good as also the bbq bun. The cole slaw was decent. The place was very clean and they had a good system in place to handle the lunch time business. I probably would stop there again just to try to get a different mix on the sauce.
Review Source:Unreal good. I have been to quite a few BBQ places in my time, but BBQ Exchange is one of the best I have ever been too.
All of there meats are so good and rich in flavor that you don't even need sauce. It is all so tender and smoky, that it literally melts in your mouth. But here is the kicker: they also have amazing sauces. Quality meat and quality sauce makes for an outstanding combo. (I personally recommend the pork belly - changed my life!)
There sides and bread options are out of this world as well. They really do think everything through and execute it all to perfection. Many options (both fried foods and salads) so you can always get something new.
The service is very friendly. This isn't your fancy bbq snob joint. They are friendly and are proud of what they put out. No table service. You order from the line and take your meal to your table. Most of the food is kept on the line, but special orders are shouted out to the kitchen "Waffle House" style.
The ambiance is what you want from a BBQ place - country style. As I said, there is no table service, so it's paper towels at the table and plastic fork and knife. It is family friendly and a "typical" bbq place.
Great food + great staff + great atmosphere = 5 stars. Check it out.
Being an avid yelper I'm embarrassed to admit that I ate here without first consulting yelp. I thought I had stumbled upon an undiscovered gem. Once I went on yelp it all made sense why I just had one of the most amazing BBQ experiences ever. My advice, get a four meat platter with pork belly and of course ribs then get the pumpkin muffin for your bread. The rest is up to you!
Review Source:As a vegetarian married to a BBQ lover, I'm normally relegated to the deep fried sides menu of places like this, especially when they are located in small towns. BBQ exchange breaks the mold though, with the Fu-Q! Smoked, BBQ tofu! Hooray! And it is delicious!
They also have a good selection of beer and non-alcoholic beverages, and the cupcakes are wonderful! I had the faux-stess, which I highly recommend.
I'm so glad it was worth the drive from Charlottesville, we'll definitely be back!
Holy crap. Â First, I want to start by saying that I'm from TN so I'm very picky about my BBQ and BBQ sauce. Â My husband brought home a plate with Craig's Carolina sauce. Â I could drink that stuff it was so amazing. Â I know, sounds gross but this was seriously some of the best BBQ sauce I have ever had. Â I wish we didn't live over an hour away because I could eat this stuff everyday... but it is probably good that we don't for the sake of my waistline.
Review Source:Same disclaimer as Jackie B. The stars are all about the food, but the ambiance is pretty good for a country BBQ joint too. Unlike her, I am a huge Q fan, and seek it out whenever I am traveling. This place is so good, it's almost worth a trip just for lunch from far away. I wish there was something like this nearby in NC, but the Q joints here are tied to the wonderful traditions of this state. We tried almost everything on the menu at our table, brisket, pork, chicken, pork belly and even the salmon. I normally do not like hot smoked salmon, but this was moist and full of flavor. The brisket had a bit more chew than I normally like, but again the taste is spot on. And the sides all compliment the meats equally well, especially the collard greens.
The desserts looks as good as the meats, but we were too full to do anything about it, although we did get a pumpkin bourbon whoopie for later and it too was delicious.
The staff is very friendly and give excellent service while keeping the serving line moving at a brisk pace during busy lunch hour service. It's obvious that the people running this place really know what they are doing and care about excellent food and service in a casual setting. In a very odd coincidence we saw the owner on TV later that afternoon. He was in a kitchen with other local chefs discussing their craft on some local PBS show.
Best BBQ spot in Virginia that I have found. Â Smoking up the meat when we arrived outside in smokers. Friendly staff and quick ordering despite the long line. Â BBQ is served dry as I prefer and you add sauce from a selection of six kinds at your table. Â Fresh and tummy pulled pork and ribs. Â Also many yummy desserts! Â Got a red velvet cupcake, baked bread pudding and a rice crispy treat! Â Priced right. Â Recommend. Â A few seats outdoors on the front porch.
Review Source:Disclaimer: this is a small town barbecue place so although it's receiving five stars for the awesome food and really nice staff, don't expect to have dining experience similar to that of the Ritz Carlton or some other Michelin star restaurant.
That being said, this place is fantastic! I've never been a huge BBQ fan, mostly because these joints don't typically offer vegetarian options but I went ahead and broke my vegetarian/organic regime to try this place out. They have chicken, pork, and I think beef BBQ options. I got the large chicken sandwich platter with a side of fries and cornbread. The BBQ is fresh and perfectly seasoned and they give you a TON of food for the price. They also have about every kind of home-made desert that you could imagine and if I hadn't been so stuffed from my meal I would have gotten one of the deserts. They also have about every possible BBQ sauce at the tables that you could imagine and it was fun trying the different combinations.
The place has a fairly large area for both indoor and outdoor seating and it's own dedicated parking lot. Staff is super friendly and gave me extra cornbread for free. The place is also clean and seems to be well-maintained. Very well worth the drive to Gordonsville--side note, a very pretty drive especially during nice weather!
A++ BBQ joint!
I had a great meal. Â The four meat platter was a home run, but not out of the park :)
Pros:
Good tasty meat.
Fall of bone meaty ribs - nice rub and flavorful.
Great pulled pork - again not too fatty,
So tender brisket - pieces!
Pulled chicken bbq was tasty - saucy,
Good variety of bbq sauces,
Great spicy slaw - and actually spicy!
Fair prices.
Cons:
Mac-n-cheese was nothing all that good,
Parking could be hard on a weekend night.
We stopped in on Saturday night for dinner, after several people at the resort suggested this place. Â I was extremely happy we stopped. Â The place is charming with picnic like tables. Â Very low key and casual. Â Everyone was very nice. Â
My husband had pulled pork meal with spicy cole slaw, something else and pumpkin muffin. Â I got the beef brisket meal with mac & cheese, french fries and corn muffin. Â Mac & Cheese wasn't special but the rest - wow were they good. Â The french fries were crisp, corn muffin, sweet but not too sweet. Â Beef Brisket was tender and full of flavor. Â What made the meal - their BBQ sauces. Â Probably the best sauces and unique. Â One had bacon flavor, another molasses flavor.
This place was so good that we drove around town the next day for 25 minutes waiting for them to open so we could get family meals to take home to share with the family. Â Our sides this time were both types of coleslaw (they are better than your traditional coleslaw) and baked beans (which were great and again had a nontraditional flavor). Â We also picked up two desserts (snacks) for the road. Â A chocolate/Peanut butter cracker and rice crispy treat - both were very good. Â
My only regret was that this place is 3+hours from home.
I caught wind of this place from my Richmond friends who had been talking up a BBQ place out in G-Ville. Â I always get exciting when I discover a BBQ place that I've never been to before. Â As my three favorite hobbies are Flying, Eating and hiking, I spotted an opportunity this past Saturday to combine all three to Check out BBQ Exchange.
With the precision of Seal Team Six, I mapped out our strategy. Â We would depart Airbase Potomac (VKX) at sixteen hundred zulu for the 32 minute flight to Gordonsville municipal airport (GVE), as sleeply little strip a couple miles out of town. Â Google Earth confirmed that rail road tracks passed by the airport, leading directly to the airport. Â By half passed noon, we would be chowing down on BBQ. Â
As luck would have it, upon arriving to GVE, a local offered us the keys to his pickup after we described our hairbrain plan to walk hobo-style into town for BBQ. Â Score!
BBQX was busy by the time we arrived, which was good because the line gave us an opportunity to check out the menu.  We tried the pork bbq, the chopped brisket, and pork belly.  The bbq pork was great-meaty with just the right amount of fat, with some  the exterior bark for texture.  The chopped brisket was moist and flavorful, but not too salty.  The smoked pork belly was crisp on the edges while the center was moist belly goodness.
The sides included you bbq favorites, along with a variety of ten different kinds of pickles. Â We went traditional, with hush puppies, coles slaw, mac & cheese and fries, and were not disappointed.
For dessert, they have quite a collection of cookies, brownies, lemon squares, and cupcakes, with some really interesting combinations-salted caramel, bacon, sauteed vidalia onion, etc. Â I had a peanut butter chip oatmeal cookie and it was eat-the-crumbs-off your-shirt good.
After picking up a pound of BBQ to go, we vowed to return.
I highly recommend this place to anybody. Â This is how barbeque supposed to taste. I had the pull pork platter and I the meat was very tender and season perfectly. Â THEY DO Barbeque the right way. AWESOME !!!!! :-). If you are in the area you should stop by you will not be disappointed.
Review Source:Outstanding BBQ. Slow cooked and savory.
The owner and head chef was friendly and welcoming. The food was fairly priced and so damn good.
Try the BellyQ sandwich if you are up for a pork explosion. BBQ Pork Belly that takes days to prepare, spends 10 hours in the smoke and is flash fried crispy with bell peppers and onion. Exploding with flavor.
4.5 stars
Came here with friends after reading all the great reviews. Â I got the pulled pork platter with mac & cheese, cole slaw, and a pumpkin muffin. Â The pulled pork was perfectly tendered and seasoned. Â It tasted even better with sauces (I made my own flavor by mixing the sweet & hot together). Â The cole slaw was my favorite! Unlike most places that serve cole slaw all mushy and runny, here the cabbage and carrots were sliced, giving it a crunchy texture which I personally enjoyed. Â The mac & cheese was good as well...not too salty or cheesy. Â The pumpkin muffin was good as was the corn bread that I got a bite of.
My friends got the heaven sandwich which they all said was good but seemed too heavy for me. Big sandwich with pulled pork, bacon, egg, cheese, and other things.
I drive through Gordonsville once or twice a month and I can't not stop here. Â From the first time I stopped at the BBQ exchange I've been amazed. Â In addition to great BBQ and sauces, they also have pretty good drink selection and a lot of homemade desserts.
I've been in VA for 10 years and this is the best BBQ I've found.
I have a beef with the CVille Magazine not making this the "best-of" and putting it in their #2 spot. I guess college kids can't get out of town as easily to see what real BBQ is about. :)
Best BBQ in the region. Hands down. Worth the drive from Charlottesville. From their brisket, to the chicken, to the pork, and the sausage, all products are top notch. There's a side for any palate; 3 types of coleslaw, BBQs, mac & cheese, their collard greens are great..
Sauces on the tables make it easy to switch it up mid-meal. If they got 'em, try their bacon topped donuts. You'll feel God's love when you swallow a bite of that bad-boy.
Absolutely delicious. Even without one of their awesome sauces, their pulled pork was moist and full of flavor. My boyfriend loved the cornbread and coleslaw. The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful, the atmosphere is fun....
The ONLY thing I didn't love about my experience was the salad. The produce tasted like standard plastic-packed grocery stuff, and I wasn't a huge fan of the ranch dressing.
Other than that, it was great. We will definitely be going there again. (I just won't get a salad!)
Omg! I've been to a few BBQ places & this is an awesome one. Ya gotta try the "Heaven" sandwich...egg, bacon, tomato, lettuce, chips & pulled pork. Lord...its heavenly! :) Â my favorite sauce is the Colonel Bacon with a blend mustards...yum. the sooee-t sauce is a thick mollasses style...equally goid but 180 from the colonel bacon. Â the cornbread is cake like, but still yummy....LOVE the pumpkin muffins. Â Fries are crispy kind. Coleslaw tastes standard. Â Environment...southern. All items are a la carte... 8 of us ate lunch for $76. I think thats a $$ so come prepared. Great family atmosphere. Â They have kids meals & family size meals. Â Outdoor seating. A must try if ur in the Gordonsville VA area.
Review Source:LOVE this barbecue restaurant! Â
The ribs, pork belly, and chicken are to die for. Â Ditto the cornbread and pumpkin bread. Â However, lots of people have commented on the how great the food is, so let me review something else.
The Awesome Family Dinners- available to-go only! Â (Well, you could pay $5 more to have the family dinner in the restaurant, but sort of defeats the purpose of getting a deal)
These family meal deals are just what every budget-conscious family can appreciate. Â Designed to feed a family of four, they include 1 meat choice, 4 pumpkin muffins, 3 PINT sides, 2 4-oz sauces, and a choice of 4 rolls or cornbread. Â The price ranges from $23 to $38 (at time of this printing) and the meat choices are Pulled Pork, Pulled Chicken, Beef Brisket, Grilled Chicken or Ribs.
Dang it, I can't even get through the review without my mouth watering!
I won't lie, we ALWAYS get at least one second choice of meat that we pay extra for. Â Not because the Family Dinners don't have enough food, but because we are greedy for the variety. Â
Oh, I'm so happy we live only 20 minutes away! Â I feel bad for the rest of you, I really do.
Words can't describe this place. If you are anywhere near gordonsville, you owe it to yourself to stop in this place. Â Even if you're not hungry, you will find a reason to eat something. Â
I was craving a good brisket but once I saw their pulled port sandwich, I couldn't resist. Â Their sides are great, and they have spicy pickles...REAL spicy pickles. Â I've been looking for real spicy pickles and finally found them. Â I had to buy a to-go container of them.
If you like great BBQ, then stop here.
I almost regret going here, because I'm already craving the food again and it's 2 hours away.
No doubt this place has great BBQ--smoky ribs, moist pulled pork, etc. But, for me, it's all about the sides, and the sides are awesome here. The cornbread was undoubtedly the best, moistest cornbread I've ever had, and they're generous with the portions, too. The mac and cheese was as gooey and cheesy as you could hope for, the coleslaw was as it should be, and . . . here's where it gets over the top . . . the hush puppies. They. Are. Awesome. Crispy outside, soft inside, and the flavor is addictive. I can't stop thinking about them.
Great food in a friendly atmosphere. I envy those of you who live nearby.
This place gets better each time I go! Â The menu has expanded since my initial review. Â It now includes Fu-Q (smoked tofu for vegetarians) and Belly-Q. Â
On this visit, I tried the Belly-Q platter for $9. Â I knew it was probably going to be good, but this was slap-yo-mama-lay-down-in-the-floor good. Â I had a nice sized serving of Belly-Q, two sides (smokey baked beans and macaroni salad), a side of hush puppies and a half-n-half (half iced tea and half lemonade).
I have yet to be disappointed with anything I have ever had to eat here. Â I am happy they are doing a brisk business. Â With food this good, I have no doubt this place will continue to do well.
BBQ Exchange is the best BBQ place I've been to (and I've been to a lot). Â Monica and I were on the road all day taking beautiful back roads. Â We were hungry and spotted this place and made a u-turn. Â I liked it when I saw the pig statues on the front porch/deck. Â
  Upon opening the front door - I was in heaven!  The aroma of the smoked meats and the great sauces - made my mouth water and made me want to taste that food before sitting down.  The workers were helpful and smiled and greeted me and also helped pick out some great dishes.  I had the large Beef Brisket sandwich with Slaw and Monica had large BBQ pulled pork with Slaw.  Both were mouth watering with great smoked flavor.  Tender and moist.  The sauces were fantastic!!  There were 5 sauces to chose from and I tried several and they were great!
  I wish this place was closer to where I live and work - I'd be there every day.  I will make some trips on weekends to get there - (only a 3 hr drive ea way).  Great Country roads near there and What a wondeful find for lunch or dinner - Don't Postpone Joy - try it!!
I posted 2 photos of our food. Â I'll be heading back to get more.
Best Regards
Jim Brickett
Amazeballs. That's all I can say. A nearly ten mile hike at Old Rag left me with a hankering for some barbeque somewhere at around mile one, in fact poor Amanda had to listen to me sing my made up "pulled pork" song for the last two miles.
We pulled up the trusty Yelp app, once we had reception and drove through farm country to arrive at this find. First thing on the menu I noticed was the Belly-Q, pork belly barbeque. It's pork belly with sautéed peppers and collard greens (with bacon) on a bun. I ordered a large, which made the girl behind the counter raise her eyebrows. Then we ordered a pulled pork sandwich, two orders of hushpuppies, fried pickles, bacon brownies, and mac n' cheese. Basically, we ordered the entire menu.
At the table we had our selection of several bbq sauces which included:
Hog fire-the spicy sauce
Colonel Bacon-BACON FLAVORED BBQ sauce (genius)
Carolina Vinegar-A very watery vinegar sauce
QX sweet-Kansas City style sweet and spicy bbq sauce
Sooo-et-Memphis style sauce with molasses.
At some point, the story of the two people who ordered the entire menu must have reached the owner, Craig. Who walked out, looked at us, and asked if I truly intended to eat the entire pork belly bbq sandwich in front of me. Obviously, he expected to find a table of burly hungry men not two small petite girls on some sort of pork rampage. He laughed and gave me a friendly "atta girl" slap on the back.
I came to find out that the owners both trained at the Culinary Institute of America, and you can tell with the care they took with preparing their hickory smoked and slow roasted meats. The sandwiches were phenomenal. The sides were ok, I wasn't wowed by the mac n'cheese but the crunchy fried dill pickles were awesome. The hush puppies were pretty good, but after eating pork on top of greens and bacon I didn't give them the proper attention they deserved. The bacon brownies were a fun novelty, but they were far more chocolately than anything.
I will now need to find more excuses to drive down here.
visit on 8/6/2011
The barbecue here is good. Definitely the best I've had in Virginia so far.
I had high expectations while walking into the old converted house with a fragrant smoke bellowing out the smokestack. White butcher paper covered the wooden picnic tables inside the restaurant with a six-pack of their own bbq sauces gracing the table top. I walked up to the counter to order and felt like a kid in a candy shop.
We ordered several different meats and sides to share with our table and ended up with some ribs, chicken, brisket, and bbq pork sandwiches as well as some different slaws, pickles, greens, mac-n-cheese, and mac salad, all washed down with some sweet tea of course! It was a satisfying feast to say the least.
I thought the chicken and brisket were above average - relatively tender but not standout. The ribs - while I thought were smoked pretty well so that they had nice pink smoke rings on the meat and were tender but weren't overly fall-off-the-bone, I wasn't a huge fan of the dry rub that was used and thought it was a little heavy on the pepper and paprika. As for the pulled pork, I thought this was very good. Tender and somewhat moist and had a good smokiness to it. I would have preferred slightly less rub and spices on it so I could've tasted more of the pork. But nonetheless, very good pulled pork, which made for a very good sandwich.
We very much enjoyed our lunch here. Good barbecue and a great spot to share a meal. Definitely worth a trip to Gordonsville if you're in search of good 'que in Virginia.
Meat: 5 stars
Sauces: 4 stars
Sides: 4 stars
Ambiance/service/etc: 5 stars
Average: 4.5 stars
Fantastic Yelp find! Â The pulled pork I had at the BBQ Exchange was the best ever -- if rating only on that, the place easily gets 5 stars. Â However, none of the sauces excited me, and I didn't care much for the baked beans (too tomato-y), although the coleslaw was great (not too much mayo). Â Also had a chance to sample the pulled chicken, which is also worthy of 5 stars, and the spicy pickles, which are indeed spicy! Service was very friendly, the restaurant itself has a great look to it and is very clean, plus has a fabulous front porch.
Absolutely definitely worth a stop if you are driving between DC and Charlottesville!!!
With about 30 miles left to go before our planned lunch stop I caught a whiff of BBQ and made a quick stop. Glad I did - The Barbeque Exchange serves up some seriously good grub.
After a short wait in the cafeteria style line we placed orders for Pulled Pork BBQ sandwiches and a Brisket platters. The large sandwich is huge. A serious value at $6.50 for a combo, it could easily be shared. The brisket was good - the sauces available were amazing. There were about 6 different choice available at the table, my favs were the spicy hot bbq and the bacon bbq sauces. For sides I really liked the spicy cole slaw and the pumpkin roll.
The Barbeque Exchange is clean, had a friendly staff and excellent quality Q at a reasonable price. Looking forward to my next visit.
Attention ladies and gentleman. I present you with...
The Best Barbecue Restaurant in Virginia. And that's a fact.
Ok, so I haven't eaten at *every* BBQ place in the commonwealth, but I've eaten at many. And it just doesn't get any better than the BBQ Exchange. This may be the best BBQ this side of Austin, Texas.
These guys and gals have figured out the secret that seems to elude most other BBQ joints. The secret? Good BBQ is simple: Meat, Smoke, Salt, and maybe a bit of dry rub. Don't over think it. Don't try to make it fancy. It's a simple formula that works.
Their pork is excellent. Their brisket is excellent. Their sides are fantastic. Their sauce is fine, but superflous.
Service is great. Drinks are cold. Ambience is pitch perfect.
And they'll give you a little cup of diced habanero peppers if you ask. Respect.
This place is fantastic!! Â Hailing from the South, I'm very particular about my BBQ. Â I had found 0 places in the DC area that offer even remotely decent BBQ until I chanced upon BBQ Exchange. Â After a weekend full of wining and dining in Charlotessvile/Barboursville, my friends and I just wanted some cheap and hearty food.
This place is no-frills BBQ (and cheap!), just the way I like it. Â I love the paper-covered tables, crayons, and the TV tuned to football. Â The staff is incredibly friendly and proud to work at a quality establishment. Â This place offers one of the rare cole slaws that I actually like; fresh cabbage not drenched in mayo and still tasty! Â My pulled pork was amazing, and the sauces were to die for. Â My friend's ribs were dry, and that is the only reason this place does not get 5 stars. Â I have already recommended this place to all of my friends who are going to to Charlottesville for a weekend getaway, and I plan to return the next time I'm in town.
Great food: I had the brisket, my friend had the pulled pork. Added a little carolina to the brisket (and the slaw) and that really livened it up.
If the staff had been any friendlier, I would have thought they were recruiting for a cult. Even the guy emptying the trash seemed to be having a great time and was very proud of how good the food is here.
Desserts have a "haute redneck cuisine" vibe, including fancy rice crispies treats and some very colorful looking thing made from fruity pebbles.
This place will be a regular stop for us on the road between DC and home!
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This BBQ place came recommended by the innkeepers where we stayed. It is a nice place in Gordonsville - very clean with a nice menu. I ordered the pulled pork, which needed no sauce to augment the taste. It was lean and juicy and smoked delicious. It did have a spiciness to it, just so you're aware, but it was good. Hubby got the brisket, which he said was more like steak, but I had some and it was just tender and tasty.
Loved the sides - good beans and mac and cheese. The spicy cole slaw complemented the pork well, too. I didn't use much sauce at all, and I've saved the pumpkin muffin (you get choice of roll, muffin, or cornbread with platter), so we'll see how that is.
Bought cupcakes for later, too. Great place to stop after a day of wineries.
BBQ to rival anything in the area. If you find yourself in Gordonsville this place is a must stop. I've tried every type of Q on the menu at this point. The ribs are amazing and the chopped pork is as good as any NC BBQ chopped plate I've tasted. The cornbread is almost like cake, sweet and moist, an excellent contrast to the savory flavor of the ribs. The mac and cheese is also very good. Finish with a berry cream cheese filled chocolate cupcake and you have a meal to remember.
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