City Barbecue

The huge sucking sound you just heard today was half of Momma's Mustard, Pickles and BBQ business on Hurstbourne heading across the street to the new City Barbecue.

Tried it today and it's pretty righteous 'cue...prolly be even better once they get the smokers broken in. I'd have to try it side-by-side with product from a few other places but first impression...I'd put it up there with some of the better cue in town. We tried the lo-lo pork, the brisket and 4 of the sides at lunch and I'd put both the meats in the "very good" category. The sides, all four of them, (even the green beans - which were a bit salty) were in the rock star or near rock star range...way-WAY better than some of the straight-out-of-the-GFS-Sysco-canned-stuff most BBQ joints are serving.

I enjoyed my one trip to the City Barbecue in Northern Kentucky next to NKU. The brisket I had was top notch and like you said, the sides were excellent, baked beans especially. I'd hesitate to say it equals Smoketown, which is still my go-to, but in fairness I haven't eaten there enough to say that with certainty. As far as Q chains, it is certainly superior to Sonny's or any other such abomination.

I used to visit the one on Henderson up in Columbus all the time and never had a bad experience. Glad to hear they're doing a good job here. I need to head over soon.

After hearing the glowing reviews posted by Steve and others we decided to go over there this evening and try them for dinner. We got there a little after five and they were crowded but not ridiculously so they were still places to sit although parking was a major issue. I certainly agree they meats were excellent, the brisket was very tender and moist as was the pulled pork although it was a little saltier than I would like. We had four different sides, potato salad, corn pudding, hush puppies and cornbread. The corn pudding with excellent, the potato salad was certainly good but not as good as Mark's but of course there's is outstanding. The cornbread with also very good, crumbly with just a hint of sweetness. The hushpuppies were good but nothing exceptional.

It hasn't been mentioned previously so I will mention it here. This restaurant isn't table service like most of the other barbecue place our town. Instead, when you arrive you go through a line to order what you want, pay and then pick it up at the end of the counter. As a separate area where you fill your drink up and pick up any condiments you want like onions, pickles and lemon. The sauce is around the table like you would expect. Their regular sauce was okay, nothing exceptional but the honey mustard barbecue sauce was very sweet and we didn't try the brushfire sauce. The atmosphere kind of bugged us a little bit because the seating was quite crowded and since it isn't table service there were a lot more people moving around caring items I see a lot of potential for drinks down your back!

It's definitely a place will go back to but our impression is it will be a place to avoid during the busy times because of the layout and parking issues.

My husband and I went yesterday and we were impressed.

We got there around noon and it was really busy. We were surprised that one ordered at the counter and there was a line but it moved quickly. We ordered WAY to much food but it was ready immediately. We had a little trouble carrying all of our trays (I told you that we ordered too much food ) but found a table easily. I liked the fixin's bar with a variety of pickles and warmed sauces. Bottles of the sauce are also on the table.

I had the two meat plate with brisket and pulled pork. My husband got the ribs and pulled pork. For sides we ordered hush puppies, mac n' cheese, and the vinegar slaw. I'm really fussy about bbq sauce and didn't love any of City's but the meat was so tasty, it didn't need any. Both the pork and the brisket were really juicy and really flavorful- easily the best bbq we have had in town. I liked the ribs less because they were sauced and the meat was less tender. It didn't stop my husband from stripping every morsel from the bone, though.

I also thought the sides were really good. I LOVED the hush puppies but only thought the mac n' cheese was ok (I haven't found any bbq place in town where I really like this side though). The vinegar slaw was also really good and I don't really like the vinegary kind. We were chatting with a lady on one side of us and a man from the company on the other. As she was leaving she told him that she liked everything except the corn pudding because it was dry. A few minutes later, the manager came out with a fresh one for her but she was already gone. So he gave it to us! She must have got the end of a pan, because ours was steaming hot and not dry at all,

I boxed up most of my meal because I wanted to eat my banana pudding right away. It was DELICIOUS. They serve it with real whipped cream on the side. My husband got the peach cobbler and it was good but he wished it had more of the cake- it was almost all fruit, which made it overly sweet.

A really friendly server was walking around asking everyone if they wanted to try anything. We told him that we couldn't think of anything that we hadn't already ordered, gesturing to the table full of food. He wasn't convinced though, and brought us a boxed piece of chocolate cake. I haven't tried it yet but it looks yummy.

I also really liked their lemonade- pretty close to homemade and with unlimited refills. I also heard several people mention how good the tea was.

It was an expensive meal but next time I would just order the brisket with a side of hush puppies and maybe the potato salad (sides are $2.99 but a second one is only $1), with a lemonade and banana pudding. They also have a good loyalty program- 1 point for every dollar spent, with $5 when you reach $100. I also got 10 points for signing up through Facebook. And after the first visit, one gets a free drink, a piece of cake after the second, and $5 after the third. We will definitely drop in for lunch frequently, as it is on the way home from our weekly grocery shop.

Im so leery of trying yet another bbq place but you guys may have nudged me a little bit. After eating some of the worlds best bbq at Coopers and the Salt Lick in Texas, my husband and I call everything else Arbyque.
Soooo maybe with a few more good reviews posted on this thread, I will take the plunge and try it out.

Im so leery of trying yet another bbq place but you guys may have nudged me a little bit. After eating some of the worlds best bbq at Coopers and the Salt Lick in Texas, my husband and I call everything else Arbyque.
Soooo maybe with a few more good reviews posted on this thread, I will take the plunge and try it out.

Okay, if you are using those for comparisons (I've only been to the Salt Lick, but I've heard many things about Coopers) you will not be overwhelmed by City Barbecue. It's really good as far as anything else around here is concerned it I even like it better than the Western Kentucky ones but it's certainly not comparable to the ones you listed.

Im so leery of trying yet another bbq place but you guys may have nudged me a little bit. After eating some of the worlds best bbq at Coopers and the Salt Lick in Texas, my husband and I call everything else Arbyque.
Soooo maybe with a few more good reviews posted on this thread, I will take the plunge and try it out.

Okay, if you are using those for comparisons (I've only been to the Salt Lick, but I've heard many things about Coopers) you will not be overwhelmed by City Barbecue. It's really good as far as anything else around here is concerned it I even like it better than the Western Kentucky ones but it's certainly not comparable to the ones you listed.

Thats my problem!! Im going into with the thoughts of the tender, juicy, FLAVORFUL bits of goodness Ive had in Tx.

But I will say this, if the 'local' places would just season & flavor the darn stuff, I would be halfway ok. When you take a bite of a piece of meat and it has no rub or any sign of flavor or even salt, it is such a let down. I prefer a dry rub but there is nothing worse than a bland piece of meat that you have to drown in sauce.

But I will say this, if the 'local' places would just season & flavor the darn stuff, I would be halfway ok. When you take a bite of a piece of meat and it has no rub or any sign of flavor or even salt, it is such a let down. I prefer a dry rub but there is nothing worse than a bland piece of meat that you have to drown in sauce.

In that category I actually would say that City Barbecue does a very good job. I'm a firm believer that good Q should have the flavor in the meat not just in the sauce that you add to it. I actually had brisket during our visit to City Barbecue and it really did need sauce, the meat itself was very flavorful. My wife had the pulled pork and it also was quite flavorful and didn't require the addition of sauce.

I'll have to check City Barbecue out, soon.

I'm currently in Charlotte for Thanksgiving at my in-laws', and we went to a local place called Midwood Barbecue the other night. It was the best restaurant BBQ I've had in several years, probably since I was last at Pappy's Smokehouse in St. Louis. It certainly blew any Q I've had in Louisville out of the water, sad to say.

I've been twice and was unimpressed. Both times I was there I got ribs and brisket. My wife and kiddo got pulled pork. The first time the brisket looked like it was carved with a hand grenade. It tasted as though it had been injected but still managed to be dry. It did have decent smoke flavor, though. The ribs, on the other hand were good. I enjoyed them enough that I would have returned for them after the first visit.

The second time I ordered the same two meats. This time the brisket was in actual slices and was tender, but it was either held too hot or too long as it was past the point of being tender yet still holding together. Also there was no smoke flavor whatsoever. It tasted like pot roast. This time the ribs had similar texture as the first time. But there was this off flavor. It was as though they had been scorched but I could find no physical evidence of it. (Maybe it was covered up by the sauce).

Of the sides I have tried I'll give them 3 our of 4. The greens are good and are cooked from fresh. The corn pudding was good. The baked beans were tasty, albeit, like their sauces too heavy on the molasses. The macaroni and cheese, on the other hand...straight up canned cheese sauce tossed with underseasoned macaroni. Absolutely horrible.

I did taste the pulled pork and it was good. But ribs and brisket are far less forgiving so they are always my "go to" when checking out a BBQ joint.

Momma's has the edge despite some minor, forgivable inconsistencies.

BTW, anyone in this state who wants to know what barbecue brisket should be and hasn't done so needs to head down to Lexington and check out Blue Door.

"BTW, anyone in this state who wants to know what barbecue brisket should be and hasn't done so needs to head down to Lexington and check out Blue Door."
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As subjective as good "Q" is I would say that you need to head over and try the brisket at River City BBQ, Zorn & River Road. With or without sauce (I prefer it without) it is righteous. Pulled pork is pretty darn good, too.

I've had the brisket at River Road. I wasn't impressed. No bark to speak of, and it tasted more like pot roast than brisket. So much liquid sitting in the pan they served it out of.

I was also less than impressed with the BBQ on River Road...but then I only tried it once and may have hit them on a bad day...who knows. At the moment my "go to" places for "Q" are Bully BBQ on 329 in Buckner (EXCELLENT Brisket and above average pork but unfortunately some pretty below average sides). Then there is Smoke Hawgs at the corner of Plantside Drive and Bunsen in (I guess) J-town (they -used- to run a truck but have gone brick and mortar). I remember these folks from back when we used to compete...good people putting out some darn good "Q".

I agree with Steve and Jeff regarding River Road bbq...mehhh.
On the infrequent days I eat meat it seems I crave bbq so I'm lucky to have two places near my home. I like ribs at Texicans on hwy. 146 (Lagrange Rd) just before the center of Crestwood. The ribs are cherrywood smoked and you can taste it. Ribs are smaller in size and served without much sauce on them at all. You can order extra sauce if you like but I honestly like the cherrywood meat flavor alone. He also happens to cook the best mixed greens I've ever had.

The other place is is the guy (whose name escapes me now) that works out of a Winnebago in the TARC parking lot on 329 at exit 14 off of I71. Ribs are pretty good sized and mopped up pretty wet. Very different from Texicans' but good in their own right. He also does some real good blue cheese slaw and small oven roasted potatoes that are wonderful. His hours are erratic because he leaves when he's sold out and he sells out everyday.