You'll never find a good BBQ Joint that you can't smell blocks away.
The young , polite and competent staff didn't know much more than a guarded  smile (especially after I started asking questions) then showed no interest in bringing over the pit boss and later got a tad bit defensive when asked specific questions.
OK. To be fair. Not that I was unkind, but I knew the place was fake from the get go. What you see is what you get and where there's no smoke, there's no fire - at least not the good smoke house kind.
It's all (no) smoke and mirrors.
The bottom line: You'll never find a good BBQ Joint that you can't smell blocks away.
We stayed in Columbus for 5 days. No smoke, no smell anywhere, inside or out.
Where's the smoke stack? The prestigious tower marker of a good BBQ Joint. A real BBQ place would have odors waffling up and down National Road.
There is a challenge.
A successful restaurateur serves what they can sell and judging from the happy crowd munching away on sugar drench pork and beef during lunch... Well...
Yes, I get that some people in Columbus have "unique" food tastes. Â Too bad.
But here's the real scary part.
There was a slab of ribs tightly wrapped in cellophane sitting in the display case. Had to ask a few different ways to finally understand... Yes, this is the slab of ribs they  would be serving me if I ordered a slab of ribs.
BBQ in name only.
Scroll down for the photos. Here's what a BBQ Joint looks like in Chicago:
<a href="/redir?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dlem%2527s%2Bbbq%26hl%3Den%26source%3Dlnms%26tbm%3Disch%26sa%3DX%26ei%3DeH0_UZG7OImj2QWLhIDQDg%26sqi%3D2%26ved%3D0CAcQ_AUoAQ%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D821&s=3be5fb67db15f81b3b83078e143618f60d92ab9a1fa2be3f846fae1ea9894ec0" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://www.google.com/s…</a>
BTW. * not because it's not a proper BBQ Joint, but because they serve sugar drenched, dry old meat.
showed up just before 8 p.m. after finishing a job in columbus. 3 of us hungry for barbeque. door is locked, employees inside cleaning i suppose. we knock on the door and are ignored. finally one of the employees points us down the street. we take the hint and leave. Â hours posted on the door say HOURS 8:30 P.PM.. if anybody intends to eat there, i suggest you call ahead first to see if they are "in the mood" to serve anyone. Â lousy customer service usually means lousy service all the way around i think.
Review Source:Overall great meat, good sides at a great value!
Prices are great, about $10 will get you a nice helping of meat(s), a couple sides a piece of cornbread. Drinks are extra but water is free.
Located in a strip mall and looks smaller than it is from the outside. Decor is about what I've come to expect at a bbq restaurant, lots of wood...wood floors, wood wall covering, wooden tables and chairs. Blues music playing, pictures of blues musicians on the walls. Typical blues-y atmosphere.
Employees are polite and the place is clean and comfortable.
Cafeteria style ordering. Just past the entrance, Â there are menus by the door. The menus can be carried with you as there's a place to drop it off by the order counter. Walk up to the counter to make order your main dish then slide down to choose your sides.
They offer the standard bbq varieties...ribs, pulled pork (in both unsauced and a special saucy variety called Big Daddy's Sweet Pork), brisket, smoked turkey, sausage and pulled chicken. One thing I'd like to see that is not offered, as far as I can tell, is a whole or half chicken (I like thick, juicy legs and thighs).
Three basic sauces:  a standard sauce, a sweet and tangy with slightly spice, or hot. They also have something I've never seen before...a hot sauce bar with about 30 varieties of hot sauces. They don't put sauce on their meat (excepting Big Daddy's Sweet Pork). This is so you can taste the meat and decide whether and which sauce you want  or enjoy the meaty smokieness of the smoked meat.
I would like more desert selections than brownie or cookie (i.e. pie) but as long as the meal is good, desert isn't much of a concern.
The meat is smoked (they say pork and beef is smoked for at least 16 hours) and  has excellent flavor, very tender and flavorful. When I ordered the brisket, the server asked if I'd like the fat removed from my brisket!? As a self-respecting bbq eating man I stared at him like he was crazy then said "Nah, leave it in." Apparently they get a lot of terrorists or models, cause he responded "Finally, a person who knows how to eat."
The loaded baked potato salad is almost too much...almost. Its very dense and tastes like a loaded baked potato but in tater salad form.
Sweet potato casserole isn't as rich as I expected, which I like. I don't like my sweet potato casserole to remind me of sweet potato pie filling. Its lightly sweetened and topped with nuts.
The jalapeno cornbread is fried. The outside is crunchy without being hard. The inside is dense and moist. The jalapeno provides flavor without much heat. Its a little sweet and very good.
Mac-n-cheese was a bit of a let-down. Its good, not awesome. At other bbq places, I've come to expect a thick, gooey sauce loaded with cheesy flavor. But this was not quite there. Its not bad, certainly much better than the boxed stuff. It seems homemade and tastes pretty good but there's room for improvement.
The next time I go, I plan to try the loaded chips (seems to be something of a specialty) and Bubba's big spud (a giant tater loaded with meat).
If you get the chance, I recommend the brisket and loaded tater salad. Don't let them cut the fat out and add as much sauce you like....and of course sweet tea with lots of ice.
Great BBQ at a more than fair price. Â The two meat platter including the sides was plenty for even a big eater. Â The meat was excellent just as was the choice and quality of the side options.
We take an annual mountain bike trip to the nearby Brown County park and will certainly make this an annual stop for dinner.
I'm going to have to get right down to business: Â the food.
The fried jalapeno cornbread - FANTASTIC. Â Don't ever change this awesome greasy ball of goodness.
The sides were all great, especially the candied sweet potatoes.
The ribs on the other hand... just OK. Â I will admit I have high expectations for ribs. Â Their sauces were good. Â The ribs were smoked well but a bit too chewy still (I like texture, but I think there was still a membrane of tissue/fat on them that didn't help the situation). Â Of 3 full slab orders in our party no one was impressed with these. Â The other 2 people actually left a half-slab on the table. Â It's not to say they were bad, but they wouldn't be my choice if I came back.
A few people in our party got the pulled pork and said it was excellent. Â The brisket was also reportedly good. Â I'm a big fan of the service and the sides. Â The ribs being off may have been a 1 time thing since it seems they know the rest of their BBQ very well.
This place has about the best pulled pork I have ever had! The Big Daddy's pulled pork has the sweet and tangy sauce already mixed in and it is excellent. Or you can get the pulled pork without sauce and add your own. Actually the pulled pork is delicious even without anything on it. That barbecue flavor really comes out when you don't add the sauce. There are numerous sides available. We had the sweet potato casserole and the Mac and cheese. For some reason Mac and cheese seems to be a perfect combination with barbecue. I don't know what genius first put them together but he or she really knew a good thing when they found it. BBB's Mac and cheese is very creamy and rich. The sweet potato casserole is not as sweet as some but was really good. Sometimes this dish can be too sweet but it is nicely balanced here. Lunch of a pulled pork sandwich with one side and a drink was $7.25. If you are in Columbus Indiana you would do well to stop here.
Review Source:This is great BBQ! Pork, brisket, chicken, turkey, ribs...they smoke it all to perfection. 4 different delicious homemade BBQ sauces. Meal combos ranging from simple sandwiches to 8 person family packs. Â You also HAVE to try the fried cornbread and loaded potato salad! Good daily specials, bottled domestic beers, catering available. Friendly staff, plenty of seating, clean, and blues music on the radio. Highly recommended for lunch or dinner.
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