Sorry, I don't get what all of the hoopla is about. I hear people rave about the food here, and wonder if they have ever had barbeque before. Very mediocre barbeque, that has a long wait. Even without the long wait, it isn't anything spectacular. Sides taste like an afterthought, and the ribs, pulled pork, and chicken are all boring. Sauces leave a lot to be desired. 2 stars because it didn't kill me or make me sick. In a word: Bland.
Review Source:I've been a loyal customer here for the last four years or so and had the worst experience ever......I took my family for our son's 13th birthday, the evening started out promising after being told the wait for our group of 7 was only 20 minutes. After 40 minutes was up my fiancé went inside to find out how much longer since we had 5 extremely hungry kids, she was rudely informed by the hostess that there were maybe 3 more parties ahead of us.
Twenty minutes later one of the hostesses came outside a practically whispered the name for our party, then we were seated downstairs.
Next we waited almost 10 minutes before we were asked for our drink orders.
On the plus side, my son and his 2 friends enjoyed and devoured their meal for 4. Our girls liked their respective baby back rib meals, one was a kids meal.
I thought my burnt ends sandwich was not up to previous levels of quality, my fiancé was also not happy with her brisket sandwich.
The final straw for the evening was when the bottom completely fell out of my son's friend's glass, spilling soda everywhere. The waitress made an attempt to sop up the soda and to make sure the glass was removed and there were no injuries. By the time the bill came I was too upset to ask for the manager when I saw that the cost of the drinks weren't taken off or had the manager offered an apology, so after dropping almost $200, I decided never to return.
One of the few places that serves "beef ribs" in the  area.
On a Sunday afternoon, June 30, we ordered Memphis Ribs, traditional pork, regular order, $$17.99, and Texas Beef Ribs, four large, $23.99, dinners.
The ribs were tasty, we've had them many times before; however, the sides -- black beans, just plain and we prefer brown; potato salad, bland; coleslaw, dry. Â Many containers of sauce, along with cornbread.
Due to the messiness of eating ribs, we took them home to eat -- a nice Sunday night dinner. Â Next time we would forget the sides.
Excellent, courteous and friendly service. Â Extensive menu, $8 and up.
We keep going back for the ribs.
I love the food here (especially the beef brisket). They also have a good selection of drinks (I like the cider).The atmosphere is great; it's crowded, but not so loud that you can't talk. I live a block away and would go every day if my waistline and wallet could handle it.
The only complaint I have is that there is very little apart from meat, fried stuff, and alcohol on their menu. I tend not to take my vegetarian friends here (although one likes it). It can leave you craving a bit of fresh food afterwards.
I had the BBQ beef, which is served with sweet BBQ sauce, black beans, and coleslaw. Quite tasty, perfect portion size, and at $13.99 it is reasonably priced. Service was fast and no frills. It is not getting 5 stars only because it is definitely a dive, and hence the tables are not exactly the most well-cleaned. This wouldn't keep me from coming back in the future, though.
Review Source:What a great place to eat! Such wonderful ribs at a decent price, nice service and great decor. The only thing worth complaining about is the noise, which is almost deafening. Will it spoil your experience? Well, it's like going to the beach, the water is super cold but you still have a great time.
Review Source:I had high hopes from this place , I really wished if this place would have got 4 or 5 stars in my book but that did not happen.
I went here for lunch. The place is spread across the main dining area and bar. I had the jerk chicken with dirty rice and beans. The jerl chicken comes with rice and coleslaw. I swapped coleslaw with dirty rice, they charge extra for that.
First of all my chicken didn't taste like jerk chicken and the portion of the food was small. I actually did not taste any jerk sauce on my chicken it tasted like plain grilled chicken. The best part of my meal was the dirty rice. They serve complimentary corn bread on the side.Also the corn bread did not taste fresh.
It is definitely an overhyped BBQ joint.
Sorry Redbones but I was disappointed with the food here!!
I've heard from colleagues and friends in the Cambridge area that you have to absolutely go here for BBQ, it is the best in Cambridge. I went with my gf who is from TX and we both went in starving and just by looking at the menu we were already feeling overwhelmed by the GI-normous menu.
We ordered a bit of everything, and honestly it was just OK. The portions were small and underwhelming, I think there was just too much hype and in fact I may have had better BBQ at Blue Ribbon. Meat was a little dry and the food was just good, this did not live up to the hype.
Stopped by after attending the American Craft Beer Festival. Actually, this was a dumb move, because the last thing I wanted was more beer, and Redbones is supposedly known for it's amazing beer selection. Yup, that part's true. Next time I visit, I will drink more. I promise. Otherwise, the BBQ menu is about as comprehensive as they come. Generous portions, service that's a little too rapid, and a cool space (especially downstairs where it's literally a lower temperature) where they play cool retro music that old fucks like me can appreciate. Some might say it's a bit expensive for what you get, and I can't say the food knocked my socks off, or any other garment. Tasty, for sure, though in the comforting way BBQ usually is. I would go back. In fact, I look forward to trying a few more things so I have an excuse to drink there and revise my rating upward.
Review Source:One word: Over-hyped.
Two words: Too much.
Three words: I've had better.
I've been to this place many of times, but for some reason never gotten around to writing a review. Probably because of the reasons above. There are other BBQ joints in the Boston area that taste significantly better than Redbones. People that think this place us amazing probably have never had real BBQ(like in the south) or have unsophisticated palates. Yeah I'm a snob. Don't care.
The food is fine, but it is not spectacular; most of it is under seasoned that they give you hot sauces to drown it in. Hushpuppies are dry, the sliders are not worth the price, collards are under seasoned, brisket is good, ribs are pretty good, catfish is dry on occasion, cornfritters are yummy as all hell, keylime pie is not good, sausage is just meh, macncheese is also meh... didn't I say I've been here a lot? I could go on. Â The ambiance makes up for it. It is a fun place to be, always packed, good background music ( I dance in my chair there every time) and I leave stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey ready for the roasting oven. Â Drinks are pretty good and you'll have a good time drinking them. Over all 3 stars sums it up. Enjoy.
I got some free time so I thought I should check out this place. The restaurant itself is quite small and decorated in southern style, nothing fancy. It's not crowded, maybe because I came off peak. The staffs are very friendly and willing to give me good recommendations. So I made my orders and a few minutes the waiter came back with my orders, quite quick but again it's off peak. During lunch and dinner, this place going to be jam pack and probably took a lot longer. Â
The drink came in a moonshine jar (nice touch) and the bread looks more like a sponge cake. I later knew that it's actually its cornbread (again very nice touch). Â And now the main dish BBQ Ribs (I'm not going to say which ribs I actually order but it's the first on their rib list). It looks dry with quite amount of char and accompany with bake beans and coleslaw, nothing special until I start to eat it. When I first sink my teeth in to those ribs, that word "Heaven" comes to my mine. I was completely blown away. The taste, the texture, the smell is just magnificent. Despise its dry look, the pork is juicy any jump of the bone to my mouth with every bites. The ribs are well marinated and grilled, they taste excellent on its own without the need of any additional sauce, but the waiter gave my 4 kind of sauce in little cups to try. It was the best BBQ ribs I had since I move to Cambridge, MA.
We came here on a late Sunday night and surprisingly the place was packed. The decor is what you would expect for a BBQ joint, tacky and old-fashioned. It's common knowledge that the BBQ scene in Boston has always been unimpressive and Red Bones fit right in this category.
The chicken wings were overly charred and as a result, the meat was very dry and the skin was inedible. The cole slaw that came with it was very soury and dry, there weren't enough dressing.
The beef brisket was decent. Very tender on the initial bite, but dryness quickly settled in. The meat was not juicy enough. The meat had to be drowned in sauce to overcome the dryness.
The highlight of the night was the St. Louis ribs. The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender and tasted great, definitely amongst the better ribs.
There were only a limited amount of sauces that were provided, in very small amounts as well. Not to mention, it wasn't anything to rave about either.
I didn't like how their menu didn't allow for more flexibility with the combos and sides like SoulFire does. Most of the combos were prefixed with beans and cole slaw or solely slaw - likely because it's the least expensive of the sides to provide. Not everybody only likes beans and slaw! Substitutions cost $1.50.
Lastly, my beer was lukewarm when it arrived.
Anyhoo, if on the offchance that I do return, I'd probably stick to the ribs. Anything else would be a risky undertaking.
My sister loves sweet tea and southern food so I was shocked she lived a few blocks away and never went by Redbones! So we took my uncle who was visiting from NC. The cups were huge! My diet coke had me running to the bathroom like three times! Â Overall the BBQ couldn't match the south but it definitely had the flavor of home. I'll head back next time I'm really missing NC but it doesn't quite measure up. But how could any place up here?
Review Source:Holy shiitake mushrooms! This place has a ton of reviews! Not gonna take all night to read 'em all, hell, I'll be lucky if this gets read.
Short story: tasty food, good beer, reasonably priced, nuff said.
My favorite is the pulled pork sandwich. Slaw is bland, and corn bread like sawdust. Save yourself and skip the "plate" and just get the sandwich.
When you're in David Square and you want some delicious meat, don't hesitate to head to Redbones.
Meh. Â My friends had been hearing great things about this spot for a long time, so we tried it out. Â While the ribs were well-cooked and there was a lovely smoke ring, they and the rest of the food were severely underseasoned. Â The rub just wasn't up to par. Â The jerk beef, albeit good (and a little too spicy), wasn't authentically Jamaican. Â The greens weren't seasoned at all. Â The fried fish, however, was exceptional. Â If this is the best barbeque Boston has to offer, I'd skip it...
Review Source:My friends, I do not joke about my BBQ.
It is my favorite food genre and there is no better place than Redbones. I always go here for celebrations because I like to reward myself with the smoky, saucy, tender meat whenever I succeed in life. The ribs, and pulled pork are the best ever, I have gotten one of each every time I go with a group. The corn pudding is also something that was passed down from the BBQ masters to the redbones cooks.
BUT, there is one food item that I would never normally get at an amazing BBQ place but I tried it and cannot stop eating it. BUFFALO SHRIMP. They are lightly fried and tossed in a not so spicy but incredibly flavorful buffalo sauce. There is nothing better on Earth.
Thank you redbones for making my life amazing.
Ok so let me preface this review that this not specifically about food.
I've been going to Redbones for years now and having lived in the south i can say it is not as good as BBQ down there but lets stay positive.
What I like about in 10 points Rebones:
1) The everyman bar: Doctor, degenerate, engineer, student, carpenter, all are welcome here. A bastion of unpretentiousness.
2) Chili Verde: Not as good as it is out west but pretty good.
3) Great rotating beer list
4)Under Bones: Psst (can't believe i'm telling you this) if its packed upstairs you can usually find a spot downstairs.
5) Pacific Northwest Night: It is not possible to get so many great beers from the PacNW in one spot ANYWHERE ELSE
6)Bike Valet: How awesome is that!
7) Half off food happy hour. In a land devoid of all things timed happiness at least i can get cheap bite to eat here.
8) Beer served in (usually 4) different sizes.
9) Oktoberfest: Maybe its not fair that they have a great location but I come every year.
10) Its what every young lad or lass could hope for in a neighborhood bar. While its not technically in my neighborhood I've always felt like it was.
Redbones is a great place to chill with friends over a pint/cocktail and a plate of nachos. As a native Texan, I find the BBQ up to snuff and the staff friendly.
Drinks are cheap, come in a variety of sizes, an there is a huge selection of beer options if that's what you're looking for.
Very cool place. Will miss it when I'm gone.
If you love ribs, you'll love Redbones. It's a Southern homestyle joint in Somerville's Davis Square and definitely worth a visit with friends. Â Their menu is extensive, and luckily I was with a group of six so we were able to split and try their Memphis, St. Louis, and Texas Beef ribs. My favorite by far was Memphis (a perfect blend of smoke and tang) and it was fall-off-the-bone delicious with lots of meat and not much fat. Way better than the BBQ I had in Memphis actually.
They bring you sides of sauce for each order for extra dipping and lots of napkins. A friend got the pulled pork sandwich plate with beans and potato salad, which I helped myself to and found to be spot on. The flavor of the place was totally downhome and casual, and we enjoyed our messy meal with some great brews and (a few) shots of whiskey to boot.
Look, this place has over 1000 reviews. You're not going to learn anything about food, service, atmosphere, etc. from me that you haven't already seen literally hundreds of times. So here's the one most important point I can add:
If you order a beer at the bar downstairs, you're going to pay tax on it. Your $3 PBR is actually going to cost $3.21. Not that I really care about the extra cost, but when I'm buying a beer, I don't want change. If I wanted to jangle when I walked, I'd dress like a cowboy.
Fried. Delicious. Noms.
This place has no shortage of those.
In my first foray into the BBQ scene that Boston has to offer, I rolled out of this place after achieving total frynihilation. Among the chosen appetizers, fried pickles (with jalapeños tossed in for good measure), Buffalo Shrimp (because calamari just won't do) and Hush Puppies which are best with the malt dippin' sauce, plain and simple. Super heavy, in retrospect I would not suggest ordering all of these at once.
The pulled pork sandwich was satisfying, I opted out of the platter and just went for the sandwich, definitely the ideal option. They were kind of skimpy on the sauces, which was a letdown, but the pork was certainly able to speak for itself.
I would echo some of the other comments-- The food is quite good, with some highlights that are exceptional (memphis style BBQ being one of my favorites) and with quality that is incredibly consistent from one night to the next. Â Family friendly environment and excellent service in the restaurant with a great festive atmosphere.
We made a discovery two summers ago that changed our lives-- Their takeout/catering menu is in some ways even better than eating in. Â You get the same exact quality, but BBQ meats and sides are scaled up to a very generous scale. Â If you want to feed a group of people and want to make sure everyone is stuffed with great food this is the way to go.
On another note, they have some food trucks which circulate around the city, again with similarly consistent quality (but perhaps a little reheated). Â These are more expensive than eating in, but great when you just need a fix of that barbecue flavor...
I am sad to say that Redbones had a limited menu when I came -- but that's because of the Blizzard Nemo.
I went up to Boston to visit some of my Husband's friends, but was sadly only allowed outside to explore snow, and not the rest of Boston. My Husband's friend told us that this was the best BBQ place, and as it was delightful, I wish I could try more.
fried pickles & jalepenos - awesome.
catfish sandwich - tastey
coleslaw - bland
.. meat thing of hash - divine... if on a sandwich
I would say 3.5 stars. I am certainly biased on this review because of the limited menu - but that isn't Redbones' fault. What was their fault was the terrible service. No one greeted us after we were seated until I flagged someone down. Some beers were forgotten, and our wait was terribly longer than anticipated. And why do we have to order the sides separate from the sandwich? I feel like it's pretty common that sandwiches typically come with one side.
This review may be a bit biased, so I will preface by saying that I do not like barbeque, so the menu tends to be a little limited for me.
That being said, Redbones serves some of the best fried oysters I have ever eaten in my life and I'm sure I will return for them again and again. I have had a mixture of their apps, including fried catfish, corn fritters and fried pickles. All were very good.
I just so wish there was something on the menu I could eat that wasn't fried. It's all fried.
The atmosphere is not my favorite, with a dark basement with super tacky artwork and less-than-comfortable seating. The clientele is of an older, drunker, creepier variety that occasionally makes me squirm.
But again, really good oysters. And it's cheap and does the trick.
Living down the street from Redbones has proven to be a real test of my character. Three minutes of briskly walking are all that separate me from collard greens, pulled pork and those goddamn deep fried jalepenos and pickles.
There's nothing incredibly special about the food at Redbones, but it's nice to have a BBQ place in the neighborhood that also has a steadily revolving cask menu and some really heady bourbons.
What I really love about Redbones is that it is unapologetically....Redbones. It's just a funky little bar in Somerville that serves fat kid food to real fat kids and those aspiring to be real fat kids. They also make a surprisingly good Bombay Sapphire Martini. When I say, "extra dry", they actually know what I'm talking about. Like, hello. If I wanted a martini glass full of Vermouth I would just order one.
Also there's an old guy that sits at the bar upstairs and sings to himself. Sometimes if you're lucky he'll sing to you. Or unlucky, depends on your opinion of his voice I guess. My take? It's awesome.
Delicious southern BBQ food that's also insanely cheap? Okay, I'm totally down for that. Get me there, now!
Sadly though, most of what I had was just average. But that description would NOT include the ribs (well, one rib) that David C. and I got to try, on the house. We were seated up at the counter right in front of the kitchen, and the cooks were serving them up for customers to try, for free. That chunk of meat was so delicious that I ended up being extremely disappointed that we didn't order more.
We got the appetizer combo, which included buffalo shrimp (decent, if you love buffalo sauce), catfish fingers (delicious when dipped into the creamy tartar sauce that came with it), hushpuppies (bone dry - had to dip them in leftover maple syrup to make them more exciting - see below), and fried okra (it's fried, can't go wrong).
I was talked into trying corn fritters with maple syrup (I'm not a fan of the latter - yes, you can go die of shock now), and fell completely in love with them and would wholeheartedly recommend them if you're in the mood for something insanely sweet but oddly delicious.
After stuffing ourselves with aforementioned appetizers, we split what was supposed to be a pulled pork entree, but after careful inspection, David pointed out that it was actually chicken! Â And so it was.
Service was appalling. Â Our waiter was pretty out of it the entire time. But dinner was super cheap, I discovered that maple syrup can be magical and that I enjoy catfish fingers...so you won't catch me complaining too much.
First time here and I will probably never be back.
The service was great. Â The cornbread lacked flavor.. there was no sweetness that you usually get from cornbread. Â It basically tasted like nothing.
I had the St. Louis Ribs and the Jerk Beef. Â The ribs were so tender, the meat fell right off the bone.. but the sauces that my meal came with was awful. Â I didn't even know what it was. Housemade BBQ sauce? Ketchup? Hot Sauce? Â Weird flavors..
We used to head down to Redbones on a weekly basis when I lived in Medford. Excellent greens and cornbread, but what really makes them stand out is their extensive beer list. The beers rotate often & I frequently found beers at Redbones that I couldn't find anywhere else.
Pro tip: Certain bartenders are willing to trade drinks for pastries, but the cost of entry is high ... usually about 5-6 lbs. of pastries to start. :)
Off our list. Â No longer as good as their reputation. Dry and bland all around. Â The cornbread is uninteresting. Â Tonight's special was a half rack of baby backs with fries- they were very very dry and tasted like they were reheated from yesterday (special all right). Â Good fries just like five guys.
Memphis ribs were good but the beans have no taste and are dull. Â The coleslaw is not what I prefer, too much vinegar and no contrasting sweet taste.
We're done with Redbones.
"Meh. I've experienced better," is what I said to myself, last time I ate at Redbones. I'm from South Carolina, so I'm pretty into barbecue in general. I was stoked to eat some Redbones, but after trying my food, I was disappointed.
The hushpupies were no good. They just had a very unpleasant flavor. There was something crunchy and gritty in my catfingers.
The fried pickles were great though, I will give them that.
The Diet Coke I ordered was completely flat- no carbonation at all. And when I pointed this out to the waiter, he said that they used an off brand cola so that's why it tasted funny. That and the fact that the carbonator wasn't working! It's a pet peeve of mine when people don't believe me, even though I am always right. It's another pet peeve of mine when I order Diet Coke and get an off brand, or worse, PEPSI.
At least they don't serve Pepsi. Two stars.
I'm still not won over on Redbones. I've been here twice since my first review. The first time I was completely underwhelmed with my lunch. The second time I got the pulled pork sandwich with sweet sauce and a side of coleslaw. I scarfed it down because i was starving, and it was a good lunch (not $10 good, but still) but again, the main issue is that everything is bland. I had to smother my sandwich in the sweet bbq sauce it came with, which just shouldn't be the case for something that is slow-cooked. It should be infused with flavor inside and out.
I had the pecan pie again and it was good, but dessert shouldn't make the meal, and it didn't.
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