Let's just say I would've rated it one star if not for the nice waitress.
We ordered the rack of ribs to share for two. It comes with waffle fries, corn, cole slaw. I ordered a small salad in addition
Here are the misses:
1. This was the worst ribs I've ever had. It was hard as leather, dry as paper. I could not chew it. I couldn't believe how awful it was. I'm not that picky when it comes to ribs, and they've have always made me happy, but these were not edible... And the waitress did not seem confused that we left most of the rack untouched... I think she knows how bad they are.
2. Fries were stale
3. Corn was undercooked
4. Salad was soggy and old.
I've been coming here every summer for over two decades. I admit, I'm partial to the Tail because it's a highly sentimental place. However, I came back tonight after a few years of being absent. I was thrilled to find that the atmosphere was still a bit campy but still a fun, adirondack feel. The food is great. It's always been traditional American BBQ and I actually think it's gotten better recently.
I. Love. The. Ribs.
I wish I could come here more than once a year. One of my all time favorite places to eat.
Well, I can definitely say that this place is interesting. But I'm not entirely sure I mean that in a good way ...
My boyfriend and I were on a recent weekend vacation to the Adirondacks and since there wasn't much else around, we stopped here to eat. We arrived on a busy Saturday night with TONS of people. When you first walk up it feels like a giant party: lots of shouting and laughing, people having a great time drinking by a bonfire, packed picnic tables, waitresses buzzing around with plates piled full of bbq meat, mini cabins with drunk people spilling out of them. It's a ruckus and divey, but it's a fantastic atmosphere. It's comfortable, and the live band with the bagpiper was the cherry on the atmospheric cake.
Sadly, the food and service didn't live up to the surroundings. The waitresses were all cute, very young women, which seemed kinda sketch to me, but whatever. I ordered the pulled pork plate and a black n tan, while my boyfriend ordered the brisket and ribs. While my boyfriend devoured his plate, I was pretty skeptical about mine. The pulled pork was gray and mushy (I didn't even know that could happen) and was far less barbeque-y than any other pulled pork I've ever had. On top of that, I ordered coleslaw and cornbread for my sides and while I got the coleslaw, I somehow got corn on the cob instead of the bread. And I'd be damned if I could find our waitress to tell her they gave me the wrong thing. The coleslaw, by the way, was terrible. Huge chunks of cabbage swimming in watery mayo. Yuck. I was sorely disappointed in my beer as well, which was flat, almost skunky, and poured terribly. Whomever poured it clearly had no idea what a black n tan was.
The biggest kick in the nuts was when the check came. Two plates of mediocre food and two sad beers came to 50 bucks! I was floored. I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but Dinosaur BBQ has better bbq than this place.
Come for the atmosphere, but don't bother staying for the food.
We tend to go here about once a year when we're in the Adirondacks each summer. Â We know what we're getting when we're there: ambiance, atmosphere, cute waitresses, mediocre BBQ, and otherwise decent food. Â It ain't great, but it usually doesn't suck either.
My advice is to go when you're in a good mood, the weather's nice and there's a live band. Â The worst meal we ate there was a cold rainy day when we had our plans shot due to weather.
The waffle fry poutine is recommended by my wife, and they have some microbrews that are made just for them.
I rated it a 2 mostly because the BBQ is so mediocre. Â This year I wised up and asked for some hot sauce to jazz it up with, and that helped. . . a lot.
If it weren't for the atmosphere, I'd completely skip this place. Service is slow, food prep inconsistent, food quality mediocre, and prices outrageous. We ordered wings, riblets and clam chowder as appetizers. Riblets came out quick and were decent. Chowder came out next...really good (we should have just ordered about 5 bowls of this). Wings didn't come out until after our main meals. We got the lobster & clam bake for two (mediocre), Cod fish & chips (decent), rib & steak dinner (good), and a salad w/grilled chicken. Everyone had finished their meal and we were still waiting on the salad. We also ordered water w/lemon. Never got the lemon even after asking twice. If it weren't for the kids wanting to go here each year, we'd save the money cook a gourmet meal at our cabin for a fraction of the cost.
Review Source:On the last day of our Lake Placid vacation we decided to go check out the town of Saranac Lake which is about 15 minutes down the road. Â I was starving so while we were driving on 86 and saw Tail O' the Pup BBQ I pulled over the car immediately. Â This was mainly because I love BBQ places, but it is also impossible to miss. Â The property is huge and painted red with an indoor dining area, 2 huge tents with picnic tables, a stage for entertainment, a bar, and a gift shop. Â In all honesty it was overkill and very tacky. Â One thing they didn't have was adequate parking even though we did eventually find a spot.
Once we sat down we were greeted very quickly by our waitress and given menus. Â For an appetizer I went with the fried pickles which were served with a creamy horseradish sauce. Â For my entree i wanted a sandwich and i was hoping for a creative one which many BBQ places offer. Â Tail o the Pup did not and only offered your standard sandwiches like BBQ chicken, pulled pork, and brisket which i chose for lunch. Â The sandwich was topped with caramelized onions and served with a pickle and cole slaw. Â I was a little surprised and disappointed to see none of the sandwiches were served with fries which I thought should have been standard. Â
The food came out quickly and the pickles were good, but not great and my biggest complaint was the appetizer only came with 5 small slices of pickles which I felt was small. Â The brisket sandwich was once again good, but not great and I felt it was a little small. Â Definitely not as flavorful as other briskets I've had.
To drink the 4 of us split 2 pitchers of Sam Adams Summer Ale. Â We got about 5 beers out of the pitcher and it cost $16 which I thought was a good deal. Â The waitress also had no problem bringing us extra oranges for our beers.
Overall I would say Tail O' the Pup is ok, but certainly didn't live up to all of my expectations. Â It's good BBQ and worth a stop just don't expect to much.
This place was AMAZING!!!! I had the waffle fry nachos, one of the best things I've ever eaten. The beef brisket was great, so was the fresh corn and corn muffins. I loved this place, only complaint I have was the wait time. they weren't very busy when I was there in Sept. yet it took my waiter nearly 20 mins to take my order after being seated. Luckily, I wasn't in a big hurry and the food turned out to be worth the wait.
It's such a cool looking place too, like being at a fair.
Great food.. the ribs were excellent, sauce is great and sides are fine. Mostly locals though they can attract tourists with some outside things going on. But the locals eat here. Other reviews say not but we saw only locals. Some eating a large meal and others a cup of chili. We were there in the early fall during the heavy tourist season. Would definitely recommend.. Reminder this is casual so the prices are not tourist as you may see inside the Lake Placid village itself. Â We also love bbq in many locales like Memphis and Kansas City. If you like Arthur Bryants you will find this fine.
Review Source:We ate here on our vacation and this place is about more than just BBQ! Aside from the great 'ribs' {YUM} etc. which you can eat either inside their building or outside in their large covered picnic table area, outside under the tent at night there are live rock / blues bands and it's a biker heaven! There are lots of tables, the area outside is large and lit by tiki torches at night. I think I remember fire pits as well. Very, very close located around the whole perimeter of the outside tent there is a half circle of Rustic cabins you can rent! So you won't have to travel far after a night of beer and bands, a few short steps and your in your cabin. The place is defiantly classic all American BBQ and has lots of color and character. In good weather there are always lots of Harley's parked in front. The place is located on Rt 86 in the woods halfway between Lake Placid and Lake Saranac. I think it's a  fun place and recommend it to anyone who likes, BBQ, Harley's or the ADK mountains! Great for tourists or locals who want a fun place to kick back after a day of hiking, or paddling!
Review Source:Veeeeeeeeeeeeeery touristy. And it applies in every sense of the word here.
Everything just felt like it was going through the motions here, and they definitely put more effort into the decoration and atmosphere than the food.
The 'cue itself (I had chicken and ribs) was well cooked, no complaints, but nothing spectacular, but the sauce kinda wore on a bit.
The Family have always passed up going here for years whenever we've gone up to the Adairondacks... probably won't be back next year.
Yea....Ive heard the rumors...but I have eaten here a few times... The food is alright, decent BBQ but a little overpriced and definitely geared to the tourists. For the area its overpriced... but the occasional live band makes makes it a cool meeting place after a hike or a round of golf. All in all...wouldnt go out of my way...there are better...cheaper places around.
Review Source:Don't come here if you want  to eat cucumber sandwiches with your pinky in the air. But if you like Guinness on tap,  more delicious smoked ribs than any human should eat in one sitting, great sweet potato or grid cut fries in a  1950's style roadside joint, you've come to the right place.  Try the two tone beer (Guinness  on top, light ale underneath) and the RIBS!!!  Don't wear a white silk shirt.  Take your cholesterol medicine.  Enjoy. As for dirt- hey, most of the tables are OUTSIDE!  The tables are decently clean, but you're sitting at picnic tables on a concrete pad.  Think picnic, not maitre'd.  If you get really lucky, the owner will tell you what he saw on the way to the 1964 World's Fair.
Review Source:Wow ... i don't get the hate here at all. Â The 'Pup is fun and funky, one of the most amusing roadside tourist joints I've eaten at in 30 years of cross-country driving. Â I first stopped here on my honeymoon in 2003, and I've been back several times since, including lunch today. Â They do a good Texas brisket sandwich, among other things; the coleslaw is good (not too drippy); and the sweet potato fries are as good as any I've eaten. Â And with those big red and white tents and the decor, it's the sort of place that you (and the kids, if you have them) will be talking about every time you reminisce about your trip to the Adirondacks.
Just to put things in perspective... I'm a 50 y-o college prof who's traveled widely in the U.S. and Europe. Â One of the folks who dissed the Pup is a tattooed punk kid from Buffalo who likes dive bars with karaoke. Â (Really: read her reviews.) Â Another Pup hater gave FIVE stars to the Pizza Hut in Saranac Lake. Â (FIVE?!? What does THAT tell you?) So, it's your choice: you wanna believe them or me?
Wow. Â A lot of hate on Yelp for this place, huh? Â I think you need to take this place for what it is. Â And what it is is a funky place that offers burgers and seafood under a tent with live music. Â It's pretty funky. Â They also have a taproom with plasma TVs if you want to catch the game. Â
Yeah, it's not going to win cleanliness awards. Â But the waitstaff are cute and the atmosphere is cool, and they have poutine. Â So it wins in my book.
Amidst the rampant rumors of filthy conditions and drug use here, the Tail survives on the unknowing tourist trade. One thing I know for sure - the health department and DEC inspections are not rumor - they're real. At one point, they were caught dumping their grease traps out back in the woods. Ate here many times before I knew better, and for all that, the food was okay. Live music weekend nights during the summer.
Review Source:Ever wonder if a restaurant could simply host picnics every day? Â Well, now you know the answer is "yes." Â
Tail O' The Pup is essentially a huge picnic. Â But instead of your cousin Ed manning the BBQ, waitresses (usually of Eastern European descent) stop by your elected picnic table and take your order. Â
Standard picnic fare is available... from burgers, to ribs, corn-on-the-cob, baked beans, etc. Â And to mix things up, they also have lobster and clam bake to boot. Â The food is picnic-style unremarkable, but the ambiance is unique and festive.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
