So after watching countless commercials for the Rack Shack featuring the pun that we all saw coming a mile away, I decided to give it a try. I got the brisket with two sides. The food came out really quickly, but at that particular moment we were the only ones there, so I can't get too excited about that.
In all honesty I'm not a big BBQ aficionado, but I like to think I can recognize quality. I had the brisket which was among the best I've had. The smokey flavor of the meat was well beyond what I expected and really added that depth, that only comes through hours of slow smoking.
As far as the sides go, I had the corn bread and mac. The corn bread was good. I like a little more of a crust on mine but I won't fault them for that. The mac was let down. It was like they took some KFC mac and sprinkled some saltine crumbs on it before they passed it off.
Overall it didn't bother me too much, still got the four stars. After all, I went there for the BBQ not the Mac or the "Rack".
The service I got from Sadie was outstanding. It was my first time there, and she was beyond helpful. I had lunch in and got dinner to go. Lunch was pulled pork, just awesome. I go with the St. Paulie sauce, mild with a great tang. I'm all about the sides. My favorite was the coleslaw, how many years have I searched for a decent one, and I loved everything about it. The thin, juicy consistency, and flavor were all there. The tater salad is made Russian style, with sour cream. That, and the creamed corn were adequate. For some reason I wasn't a fan of the corn bread, and the baked beans were loaded with kidney beans, not how you envision baked beans. The cheesy mac by itself is pretty good, but jalapenos change it so you will take it or leave it. The brownie type muffin, looked better than it really was. Besides being hard on the outside, it had a blob of mint on the inside. Brisket trumped the ribs for me, I am not a rub fan. I should have known that if I love sauce on everything else, ribs would be no different. I go nuts with ordering Que, and want to try it all, there's so much on the menu you can't try it all at once. Which is great since I love the layout and organization of the place. Even though I'm sure it's an honor to have a photo op with Famous Dave, I've had it with that and will go the extra miles out to the burbs.
Review Source:Rack Shack is one of our regular lunch stops. Â We usually get over there once a week or so. Â My usual pick is the pork plate with cheesy mac & beans. Â The meat has always been tender, juicy and full of smokey flavor in my experience. Â The sides are generally good as well. Â The beans have a generous helping of pork in them so that's nice too. Â Their sauces are great as well. Â They've got about 6 or 7 to pick from in increasing levels of heat. Â My personal favorite is the vinegar based sauce. Â Their hottest sauce is made with the ghost pepper and is only available by request and for an additional $2 or so (their other sauces are all at the tables and free). Â On one of our visits, I was lamenting to one of my coworkers that the ghost pepper sauce costs extra as I'd really like to try it just to see how hot it really is, but not so much that I wanted to pay extra for it. Â One of the employees happened to be walking by as I said that and came back a moment later with a cup of their ghost pepper sauce to try. Â He explained why they don't put it on the table and why they charge for it (so kids don't get into it and because the peppers are expensive). Â
I've always had a good experience at Rack Shack. Â My one and only complaint is that I wish they had more seating, it really fills up fast at lunch time.
Once in a while it's great, often times mediocre, sometimes disappointing. I don't want to gamble when I'm paying $15-20 for a meal. I was excited about this place when they first opened, but hit-or-miss and shrinking portions doesn't cut it and the final nail in their coffin was the tacky TV ads. When I want good BBQ in the Twin Cities, I'll drive into town for Ted Cooks or Big Daddy's, or I'll wait until I'm up in Champlin for Q Fanatic (which is also a bit inconsistent, but less so than Rack Shack).
Review Source:I'm surprised by the less than enthusiastic reviews on here. Â I had been wanting to check this place out for quite some time (since the MVF St. Paul episode), and did not let the negative reviews detract me. Â
Went with a half rack of ribs with cornbread and the Chessy Mac. Â The ribs were awesome. Â A ton of meat and very fall off the bone. Â The ribs do look like they are burned when they come out, but that is just the rub that they use. Â Really like the seven different sauces for the different BBQ regions they have available. Â The only one I didn't like was the Carolina which was a watery-vinegar sauce. Â The Houston Fire was really good, but not blazing hot for me. Â Saint Paulie was probably my favorite (who says MN can't do BBQ?).
I was worried coming in as the Yelp page says no alcohol. Â Rest easy. Â They do have beer (and I think also wine) available. Â Lots of Summit on tap. Â Perfect compliment to the great BBQ.
Great food, but small portions. Â I'd probably rate this a 3.5 stars, trending 4. Â I want to love this place, I can see everything they're doing right by controlling costs and keeping the focus on the food. Â The big problem I see is that The Rack Shack isn't providing enough of a value to the customer. Â
I've spent a fourth of my life in the south, and I'm a big fan of dive-y BBQ joints, and I don't think it needs to be fancy in order to be good...in fact, often the dumpier the joint, the better the BBQ. Â The Rack Shack is not a dump. Â The owners clearly took a queue from Famous Dave's and Chipotle when designing the sparse, but immaculately clean interior. Â I have no qualms about that. Â The sauces are located on a back wall, diners can presumably sample the different heat levels and choose one of their liking.
What I do have a problem with is the price point, portion size, and the way meals are served. Â My husband and I stopped in for a late lunch-he had ribs, I had brisket. Â Our total was a little north of $30, and I tipped 20%-even though the only service was the delivery of food to the table. Â For that, we were served our lunch on pieces of checkered paper directly on top of the serving trays. Â The portions were small, and seemed even more minuscule when laid out on a large serving tray. Â No plate, no basket, just food on a tray. Â The utensils are the flimsiest plastic ware you can get. Â The fork practically collapsed when I speared my tender brisket. Â Again...I don't mind the rustic atmosphere, but come on...
The sides my husband ordered-mac and cheese and coleslaw-were also small, but I didn't detect a noticeable difference compared to the big name BBQ restaurants locally. Â My corn bread was almost tasteless, though the portion was more in line with expectations. Â French fries were hand cut, and an ample serving, but again, would have preferred to see them in a basket. Â I really enjoyed the Kansas City style sauce, and would cheerfully seek out a bottle for home use. Â
I notice Rack Shack is now offering a Sunday All You Can Eat Buffet, and at $20/adult and $10/kid pricepoints, I see a real value there and would love to stop by on a Sunday.
This could have been a beautiful thing, a real BBQ in the Twin Cities, and in the burbs even! Â I could not wait to see if they could serve up an excellent brisket sandwich. Â I looked at the menu and there were two sizes of sandwich, a sammie and the BSB. Â I was told BSB stood for "Big Son of a B----" and I wanted a big sandwich so that was the ticket. Â The sandwich came and............it was much smaller than the large sandwich at Dickies, which is no big deal if it was better quality and it was not. Â
The bigger deal is they apparently are controlling their food costs by not allowing customers to have as much sauce as they want. Â I was told by the staff I could not have as much sauce as I requested for my $11 sandwich. Â I just about told the guy to give me my money back and he could have his sandwich back, but I was hungry.
Hmmm, not a great strategy considering sauce and soft drinks usually do not account for budget problems for a restaurant. Â Hey, if you are going to wimp out on the amount of meat at least let me soak it in as much sauce as I want. Â Oh well, back to Dickies were they give me as much sauce as I want, the portions are larger, the quality about the same and the price lower.
This is some top quality meat. I can't say im the biggest fan of their flavor, but I do applaud their vast array of sauces. I was a fan of all of the beef and pork, but they poultry was not my favorite. The hobo which is a mix of a meat and all of the sides is a interesting concept, but was just too dysfunctional, the flavors didn't blend well. The challenge sounded interesting, but after the sickness i felt from 1, Â all of the carbs and starch I would have wanted to die after that challenge. I would recommend going here is you are near. I'm still searching for great bbq in the cities.
Review Source:I saw this place on Man vs Food and the next night I decided to try it out. I ordered a full rack of ribs, smoked baked potato and corn bread. It took about 15 - 20 mins to get my take out order. This was not a big deal to me as I didn't have any place to be. The ribs were good and meaty and you could smell the smoke but I could not taste the rub. I did have the ribs with the Houston Oil Fire BBQ sauce and it was more then I bargained for. It was hotter then hot! I did like the smoked baked potato with the smoked sour cream...the best. I found the corn bread to be sweet and very tasty. I was really surprised how good the food was. I can't say it's the best ribs I have had compared to places like:
Stubb's BBQ - Austin, TX
Dyer's BBQ - Amarillo, TX
Butch's over at the Coors Cowboy Club - Amarillo, TX
but it is one of the best places in Minnesota that I have found. I would put this place a notch above places like Famous Dave's or Texas Roadhouse. I will be back to try the brisket and beans and more corn bread!
Let me start by saying that I am not a carnivore. So I can't give a full review of this restaurant since I am sure that most people go here for the meat. I CAN give an accurate review of the sides. The potato wedges are SUPER YUMMY and so is the corn bread. I also love that they have BBQ sour cream. I can never get enough BBQ sauce, and mixed with sour cream is DELISH.
I recently went to the Rack Shack to try the deep fried pickles. I am a serious connoisseur of fried pickes.These pickles were OK, but I probably would not order them again. The batter was yummy, however the thickness of the pickles were too thin. The best deep fried pickles are either full spears or half spears. Typically when pickles are sliced in rounds, there is not enough pickle and too much batter. I think that they would have more success with fried pickles being spears or thick cut slices. I shared my opinion with the owners - so hopefully they will take my advice and these pickles will then be TOP on my list since the batter is so scrumptious.
Don't believe all the b.s people are trying to say about this place. I have ate BBQ all across the US and the rack shack does it right, taste price the works.  To even compare this place to a BBQ joint like  famous Dave is a damn SIN!! thats like comparing McDonalds burgers to burgers from the Nook or the 5.8 club ,There are not even in the same universe. The rack shack is damn good BBQ I cant wait to go back an try there mac & cheese melt. look if you want good quality meat with a good dry rub and one tasty  bark like BBQ should be then go to the rack shack the workers where friendly the atmosphere enjoyable and the BBQ to die for. I'm glad i didn't go by what I read an choose to try it myself. My only hope is more pop up around the twin cities an they get a little bigger
Review Source:Having read the others' comments, I wanted to only focus on the food, but I feel I need to make a couple points first. Â
The decor of the place is not what I'd expect for a BBQ joint:
- it's too clean! Â For the quality of the food, I'd expect worn wood floors in bad repair, with tar-paper walls and dirty-opaqued windows.
-Tables are metal-topped. Â Almost too modern a look for such a place
The RIBS are the BEST I've had. Â Sorry Dad. Â They are. Â Tender, full of smoke, covered with rub and bark. Â LOVE IT!! Â
ALL of the sauces are awesome (but I didn't have the guts to try the Ghost Pepper filled New Orleans sauce. Â FYI, I'd keep the North Carolina sauce for the pulled pork. Â Didn't stick to the ribs too well.
As for the pricing; you really get what you pay for! Â I'd argue that the meat and side meals are on-par with what Famous Daves would charge. Â And you can tell the love and effort that went into each dish.
I'm a fan. Â I will be back. Â Often. Â Now I just need to find a house closer to their location.
Went here a while back when they first opened and wasn't too impressed by the food nor the pricing.
When arriving to the small strip mall its located on Cliff Rd next to the Subway the lights are shining with neon red and white. I passed by it everyday almost driving on that road so I couldn't help but want to give it a try. Parking is good because there doesn't seem like many people stop in the strip mall.
Inside the restaurant it looks more like a take out joint then a sit down with a few tables and the menu board on the wall. They did have some paper ones to take with you as well.
Ordering
Got the food to-go and was a a average amount of time before receiving the food. No one was inside the restaurant other than myself and the restaurant receiving a few call in orders for pick up. There was two workers at the time the owner and another employee who were both very friendly and talkative.
Overall
The food was ok I've had better from Dickeys in Eagan, or even Famous Dave's which have much better pricing than this place. If the portions were bigger with a better price I would definitely come back if I was on a lazy day to not cook and craving BBQ but I wouldn't come back unless one of my friends wanted to go eat there.
I'm a sucker for coupons, so lucky me to get one for Rack Shack BBQ. Â We tried the sammy sandwiches this time, which we opted to have on the plain vs onion roll. Â (It was plain, but soft.) Â Again, the pulled pork delivered and a decent amount was put on the sammy. Â We also had the beef brisket which was tender. Â
As mentioned before, the sides are still so-so. Â The slaw was better this round. Â The corn bread wasn't very soft and tasted like metal pan (it was very horrible). Â The corn bake was actually just creamed corn, but the cheesy mac proofed to be the side to get. Â The cracker topping was unnecessary, but there was some kick.
Just to let you know... Savannah is my fav sauce - a bit sweet and pretty hot. Â Like the city :)
I heard a rumor that there was staff turnover because the ribs weren't being put in early as instructed by the owner, and that they really are fall-of-the-bone, but we were chickens to try another rack.
Very clean looking place but not much to look for decoration except stainless steel and urethane coated concrete floor. Â Friendly service. I got a pound of the pulled pork to go, it came with two small plastic containers of my choice of sauce. Â I think it cost $13. Â It was good smokey flavorful meat but for the price, nothing special. Â I would drive a couple more miles to go to a Famous Dave's.
Review Source:Nineteen bucks for six bones with meat and one bone without, the worst potato salad I've never eaten, and beans that my companion said were good. Â We ate in and didn't realize that there were more sauces available than the two that were on our table. Â Until we were 3/4 done with our "meal." Â
Three bites of the potato salad and I bagged the idea. Â It was dry (dressing had either soaked in or was sparse to begin with) and it was utterly, completely, and totally devoid of any flavor. Â Seriously. Â Zero. Â None. Â Twenty-four bucks for lunch for two and I'm eating out of the styro clamshell they serve it in. Â Another table must have requested plates because they had black styro plates. Â Prepackaged plastic knife and fork with napkin and salt and pepper. Â Counter service, delivered to table. Â If I get a coupon or something, I might go again. Â I doubt I'll go without a coupon.
I really hate to give this place a bad review because I do like to support the little guy, but I think they need to make some changes if they want to stay in business. Â
First of all the prices are a little steep. Â My dad ordered the 1/2 rack rib meal and it was $19! Â That seems like far too high for a place where you order at the counter and get your meal in a styrofoam container (even if you eat at the restaurant, which by the way kills the eco-friendly side of me, can we just ban styrofoam altogether?). Â Basically you get 2 condiment size plastic containers for your sides and 6 not particulary meaty ribs for almost $20. AND if you want an extra side of BBQ sauce they charge extra for that. Â I was a bit put-off by all the upcharges when the main meal is already quite pricey.
My husband and I had the sandwich meal combos and everything tasted good but for the price they need to step it up a bit. Â I hope they can figure out the formula to make this work. Â I just can't envision a ton of repeat business with the current model. Â Dinner for 3 was $47 for 2 sandwich meals, 1 rib meal and 1 fountain soda.
Its great to find a place that doesn't drown the flavor of the rib meat in bbq sauce. Â I recommend getting a slab and eating them straight up with the smokey dry-rub. Â There is about 7 sauces and I recommend the "Twin Cities" sauce over all the rest. Â "Meat Meal" is what I had with my ribs and the sides was only enough for 1 person so don't plan on splitting the sides with anyone. Â The jo-jo potatoes were under-cooked but the mac & cheese was fantastic with Parmesan cheese. Â I don't recommend the pork sandwich which is too much bun and overly dry. Â Will definitely go back again.
Review Source:
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