Don't know why there were ever any negative reviews on this place, man it is really good Q. The service was more than friendly and all the meats were fantastic. Best fried okra I've ever had! The owner and all the staff looked out for us, talked to us, served us, just can't say enough great things about this place. The brisket is pulled if that is an issue for you but the smoke taste is well done. Background music was just right and not too loud to have great conversation. Small out of the way place to get out of the rat race. Definitely a place to go back to. read more

I just recently moved to grapevine, but have always been a fan of main street. my sister and I pulled up to theo place one Sunday for burnch but found it closed so I decided eventually I would visit on a weekday. The fried catfish is amazing! Big filets with a tasty light batter. It is truly some of the best fried catfish I have ever had. The brisket was nothing to write home about, I was not impressed with how dry and rubbery it was. I dont eat pork and I have noticed sometimes BBQ joints put more effort into their pork then their beef. The catish however by far made up for it so they still get the four stars. Next time I will try the chicken I was surprised to see such a big bar for such a small place, and a BBQ joint at that. The bar it self around is not that big so I dont really see many folks coming here to chill and have drinks, but hey, to each is own. As I said I wouldnt come back for the beef but I will definately be back for the catfish! read more

Enjoyed my beef brisket sandwich and ranch style beans. The brisket, though a touch dry was nicely smoked with oak. The BBQ sauce at the table was tasty. I would return. The service was good although I had to ask for my check. The good news is I clearly was not rushed out of the quaint dining room. read more

By far the friendliest bar in Grapevine. BBQ is amazing and your bar staff feels like your with best friends. :)

The best brisket ever! Local beer and the most amazing family on earth. Love me some AJ and Meagan!! Come here if you want BBQ as the last meal before you die :) read more

I typically would never order the pulled pork sandwich but with the reviews I did. And wow! It is REALLY good! It was tangy and sweet and fell apart. I got my sandwich with Fried Okra and it was great too! We will be back! And people who are "shocked" with how small it is....ummm...did the size of the building not give it away??? It is small and a quaint dive bar but clean. read more

Best pulled pork sand which I have ever had in the DFW metroplex!! This cozy family owned restaurant is definitely worth trying!

Incredible BBQ. Also the view are terrific! You can eat some awesome good while watching all the action on Main Street. The brisket is great. Also had the bread pudding - very good. This is my new hang out spot in grapevine! read more

The greatest place to eat in downtown Grapevine. Period. It holds the essence of what this area is all about: Texas BBQ, beer, and friendliness. If you're from out of town, then definitely start your Grapevine journey here. read more

We found AJ while coming out of a Real Estate closing that took way too long. We could smell the BBQ from inside the building and thought we would stop by. 1st impressions, this is such a small joint with humble surroundings that we were not expecting much! We walk in and were quickly greeted by a friendly waiter asking us to grab a seat of our choosing. We settled in and looked at the very concise 1 page menu. Not too many choices, but enough if you like BBQ and Catfish. My wife had the Catfish and Okra. She loved it. Catfish was flaky and tender with steam bursting out. Lightly breaded with a flavorful breading. Okra done right, not overcooked but just the right texture that well prepared fried Okra will have. I had the 2 meat plate consisting of Brisket and Sausage. The Brisket was chopped instead of sliced, however, some of the most tender and moist I have ever found. With a gentle hint of Hickory it was a fantastic taste with or without their BBQ sauce. Now as for the Sausage, this was the best Sausage I have ever had in my life. In my family, I have 2 uncles with butcher shops and my grandpa also was known for his smoked meats, sausages and head cheese. Each makes their own smoked sausage. It is so good that some customers order it from across the country and have it shipped via dry ice. I can honestly say, the Sausage I had at AJ beat my uncle Marty's and tied my Grandpa's homemade Sausage. I will be coming back just to take a few pounds of theirs home to South Dakota and Nevada... The waiter had informed me the Sausage was just finishing as I arrived so I only hope our next visit, it taste 1/2 as good as the 1st batch. I can hardly wait... read more

In a word awesome! Great food at great price. Brisket and ribs were excellent and staff was super accommodating. Wife asks if they had fried pickles, not menu and they said sure...they were tasty. Would recommended for casual lunch or dinner. Loved it! read more

AJ's On Main - Barbeque Near Me - Grapevine, Texas

I would like to give this place 5 stars i really would, but its just not possible. The place was nice and clean and i loved the decor. Aj himself seemed like a good ol boy hunter and fisherman type with hunting trophys and bowie knives hanging on the walls, like i said nice decor. I ordered the 3 meat plate. The chicken and sausages was good but the brisket was wack and thats the main thing i judge bbq joints on it tasted like jail food or something id give him the other star if his brisket was any good read more

Loved our experience! We were coming through Grapevine on our way home and wanted to try and "mom and pop" shop. Saw AJ's On Main and the smoker going outside so my husband quickly pulled in. Are we ever glad we did. Asked the owner, AJ what he suggested for first timers and he said the pulled pork sandwich. It was incredible. Flavor outstanding, moist, didn't even need BBQ sauce (although the sauce is great too). It was served on a very fresh bun along with pickles and onions and great fries. We have been back several times and going again tonight and taking some "newbies". Love the catfish and potato skins too. Great beer selection and ICE COLD in bottles!! You won't meet a nicer guy, AJ. Feel like part of the family now!! read more

Our first visit to AJ's was great. The pulled pork sandwich was excellent, portion was generous and everyone was friendly. The second visit was mediocre at best. The owners (AJ and his wife?) weren't there. While the service was still nice and friendly, the pulled pork sandwich was like half the size compared to what we got the first time. Thin layers of pork was disappointing! We may give them another chance to try as we love close by. read more

Cold beer, excellent pulled pork, brisket and smoked sausage. A must visit when in the area.

This is a hidden gem on Main Street. The owner and staff are so pleasant and helpful and they cater well for people with allergies. The brisket has an amazing flavor even without the BBQ sauce. I will be eating there more! The sauce in the bread pudding is to die for!! read more

I have wanted to eat here for quite some time now, after reading all the reviews. I live in Grapevine, have lots of friends here on Main Street, eat at the Big Fish almost every Saturday night. However, I found out for myself, you can't trust someone else's review! I think they paid someone off to write these reviews! The service is horrible, so was the food we had. Un-friendliest people they could find to work here!! Just a word of advice to the owner; friendly service goes along way even if the food is bad!! And, I don't care what all these other people wrote on here, they must be family. You couldn't pay me to go back in there and come out feeling like we did last night. One of the worst experiences ever! read more

I read Shelley E.' s review and from that I have determined that being a "BBQ enthusiast" doesn't necessarily mean you know good BBQ when you eat it. I am a Memphis transplant and although I have not branched out to everything on this menu I can certainly attest to the pulled pork being top notch. On my top 5 definitely and I have eaten some mad BBQ geniuses' creations all over this country. Additionally the potato salad is incredible.. I would add bacon to it.. but then again.. I would add bacon to anything... Good food. Good people. Good service.Highly recommended!! read more

Look, this is TEXAS... we're known for BBQ. In a market already over saturated with mediocre BBQ restaurants you should probably bring your *A* game if you want to stand out. Unfortunately AJ's didn't even bring their B or C game. On 2 separate occasions (because I generally like to give an establishment a 2nd chance) I was served dry, over smoked BBQ which was not very warm. I got the impression they just keep their meat under a lukewarm heat lamp in the kitchen. The portions were on the small side as well considering the price. The only thing I enjoyed were the french fries. Bottom line is, if you want good BBQ near downtown Grapevine you're better off driving down the street to Meat U Anywhere or Bartley's. read more

Food was terrible and very over priced. $12.00 for a BBQ sandwhich with nothing on it like pickles or onions, just on plain texas toast. plus they expected a tip and the waitstaff didn't even come over to ask how we were doing. read more

Took a chance and brought friends from CO. We were not disappointed. Best and biggest BEEF ribs in Texas!! Great atmosphere and the owner is a true patriot. We will be back and bring everyone we can. read more

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Ate here tonight with my husband and had an average experience, not amazing but also not dissapointing. The restaurant was pretty empty but it was clean. The wait staff was attentive enough but not overly friendly and the food wasn't anything I would jump up and down about. However it was fresh and served hot. I don't think you will hate this restaurant by any means- there wasn't anything in particularly bad about AJs but not anything to write home about either. read more

So good! The brisket is lean and delicious! Sauce is tangy, not to sweet. The french fries are yummy!!!

Aj's is a pretty good place. The fried mac and cheese balls were nothing special. It seemed to just be Kraft Mac and cheese thrown in a batter and fried, just meh. The other food was much better. I really enjoyed the chopped brisket sandwich and the fries were crispy and flavorful. Not sure I'd go back, but it was still pretty good. read more

The service was below expectations. It took 1.2 hours for them to serve our group. Customers that arrived 20 min after us were served, ate, and left before our order was even taken. Additionally, the food quality was marginal as well. We had to request drink refills, and even went to get our own drinks. Finally, no compensation was offered for the overwhelmingly bad experience. Definitely not recommended unless you have a group of 2-4 people and have 2 hours to spare to wait for your food. read more

Tiny but great atmosphere. Pork ribs were good. Potato salad side is worth trying. Service is very friendly.

Fantastic little joint. We had a long layover at DFW and took the afternoon to go exploring through Grapevine. Cozy and extremely welcoming atmosphere, and the brisket sandwich was top-notch to boot. Support the small businesses; AJ made us feel right at home while we killed a few hours with solid beer selction and great conversation. read more

AJs BBQ is amazing, from the chicken to the ribs and catfish it's all GREAT! I went in to the restaurant as a customer and left as a friend. AJ and his staff are extremely caring and friendly. I travel as part of my job and whenever I get to Dallas I never miss an opportunity to visit AJs and enjoy good food and good friends . read more

Wow oh wow amazing food owner nice felt very comfortable by far the Bbq ive had in Texas so far

Great atmosphere, very family friendly and the owners are incredibly nice. I asked for a combination plate with different types of bbq, which is not on the menu, and the owners were definitely, we can do that. This included smoked chicken, which I have to say was the best smoked chicken I've ever had. Melt in your mouth tender. The ribs and chopped brisket were great too, but the chicken is worth the trip across town. They make their own sausage and will try it next, but I heard it was really good. Can't wait to go back. read more

Great okra!! Pulled pork is amazing!!!!! Definitely recommend!!! Great service and great beer!

I visited for the first time and had tamales with chili and cheese. It was a simply meal, but the taste and texture was wonderful. I look forward to checking out more of their menu. read more

Don't eat here. There are so many other wonderful places to eat within walking distance. Menu very limited and changes with what they want to serve (not by what they run out of - truly what they feel like making that day). That would be ok if it included good BBQ. The menu was limited to overly lemon peppered catfish basket, frozen chicken nuggets shaped like animals, and chopped cold brisket that took 30 min to add to a cold bun. That was the food. Waitstaff didn't know who was doing what and caused delay in everything. Small place so not as if they had a lot of patrons to serve. We really had wanted the food shown like the ribs, pulled pork, sausage, okra, potato salad...items we tend to associate with good BBQ. Not chicken nuggets and bad service. "Full service bar" isn't full. Table next to us was upset cause there was no vodka for the Bloody Mary's they advertised about. Don't waste your time or money. read more

Brisket was dry and fries were frozen. Not a good representation of Texas brisket for the tourist who come from out of state and eat here.

This place is amazing. Can't believe I've been here a year and tonight was the first time. I am glad I did. It was a simple one page menu, with very reasonable prices. I opted for the brisket which is my go to, and was not disappointed. Very moist and smoke flavor was excellent. And the owner came out from behind the bar to check on us. Highly recommend this place, and supporting local business when possible. So if you're craving some cue, stop on by. You won't regret it read more

Daughter was home from college and we tried AJ's right after it opened. The pork sandwich and fries were magical. Thoroughly enjoyed our visit with the owner and hearing his dream. Next trip home, daughter brought a friend. Our experience could not have been more different. Meat was basically room temperature and heavily mixed with fat and hard pieces that made it difficult to eat. I ate mine anyway but my wife and daughter wouldn't settle for it and requested replacements. The replacements were a little better but clearly not prepared by someone with any restaurant experience. They should have realized you are about to lose a customer so make it right. Being stubborn and giving benefit of the doubt for just having a bad day, we returned again during Christmas break. I don't think I've ever seen a restaurant crash land so quickly. I told the very nice waitress of our last experience with hopes of getting the royal treatment. Well, that seemed to be the intent but the food was woefully unable to echo the sentiment. We won't be back. read more

First off, one of the best chopped brisket sandwiches I've ever had. My 3 year old daughter even had some and I can never get her to eat BBQ. The space is a little cozy, but that adds to the charm. Service was absolutely fantastic. Very clean. Wish it was in Abilene. AJ's is now a main stop when visiting the Metroplex. read more

Went there with the family for the first time. We had pulled pork barbeque sandwiches with fries and Shrimp and fries. It was all excellent! It was a beautiful day and we sit outside. The service was great too! We will be back! read more

Atmosphere is great just wat you want in a Texas BBQ place. Pulled pork was on point, no sauce needed. I dipped the sandwich crust in the sauce like a stink pickle sliding into the porcelain throne and what a suprise. The sauce is really good, very sweet with lots of molasses no heat, could gave used some spice. BBQ sauce was really good an I was torn whether to add to the sandwich. Potato salad was was also very good. I love onions and pickles so I added some, it really did not need it, but potato salad, onions and pickles go to gather like stink pickles and corn. Wait staff was friendly and easy on the eyes. AJ I assume due to the fact that Flow called him AJ was no the friendliest. Oh well he makes some outstanding BBQ. Disappointment was the T, for God's sake brew some fresh T and layoff the instant. Place is a little pricey for lunch $15 bucks plus with tip for sandwich, 1 side and drink . This place will make a firm and enjoyable stink pickle. read more

Maybe the other people that wrote bad reviews went on an off night, but we went with a small group of people and everyone's food was incredible. I must say it was the best smoked chicken I've ever had. They do not have a combo meal on their menu, but just ask for one, that's what I did and was so glad. Everything was so good. We're from Kansas City and finding good bbq in the Dallas area is a real challenge - I don't called baked meat with sauce poured over it, or ran very quickly through a smoker, bbq - but this meat is smoked. The owner and his wife are incredibly nice people, definitely plan on going back often. Very family friendly, but the place is small, but quaint. read more