I've had BBQ all over the state of New Mexico and in most cases it's very unfortunate. Then along comes Backdraft BBQ. What a nice surprise! The service was excellent (and she had only been working there a week or two). I'll start with the worst part and get it out of the way. The ribs they served me were just mush. Not proper BBQ ribs by any stretch of the imagination. Luckily I noticed when they arrived how unappetising they looked so it was what I expected. No big deal, everywhere has that one thing they just aren't good at. On the other hand, some people like mushy rib meat and might enjoy it that way. I do not. Ribs 1.3 out of 10 Now. On to the good and great parts. The Mac n cheese wasn't off the charts incredible but it was a pleasant side and reminded me of shells n cheese mixed with velveeta using elbow macaroni instead. Can't really complain about that. I ate all of it and I would order it again. The brisket came chopped instead of sliced but you could see good bark and smoke incorporated and I was very pleased with the taste and texture. VERY good brisket. 6.8 out of 10 The great part was the half chicken. I've NEVER had better BBQ chicken anywhere. Not even in the great state of Texas or Kansas or South Carolina. This place has a gold medal when it comes to chicken. The rub was tasty and plentiful and the meat was moist and delicious. I could not have asked for a better surprise. Chicken 9.2 out of 10 The one true complaint is the cost. I walked out with a 30$ tab. Water and a 3 meat plate (add a decent tip for great service). If you have to be in Roswell for an alien anal probing or maybe just normal business then stop here and enjoy! read more

OK !!! WOW on the brisket !!! ribs were wonderful, and sides just as good. great place and great people. service great as well. we got to talking with the owner(Paul) and he showed us how he was expanding into a venue/party area, looks like it will be a winner. if we are ever back in the area, we will for sure eat here and see what he has done. read more

We stopped by on the turn lag of a Carlsbad caverns trip, and could smell the goodness from a few blocks away. The only complaint was that they were out of several items on the menu and you didn't know until your order was rejected by the kitchen. It was a little slow getting seated, drinks came out quickly as did the food once you hit the magic combination. We'll be back to try again. Hopefully before two buses off hungry football players wreak havoc on the meats. read more

Super friendly service. Staff and then the owner came out to chat with us. Awesome to see him doing this after retiring from being a firefighter and he was actually ON the fire truck they have out front that he bought last year. Queso was amazing. Brisket was as good or better as most Texas places, almost no fat, but still super tender. Just a great place. You should check it out, especially with kids, my son had a blast looking at the truck and fire stuff and loved his food. read more

I have traveled 40 states and have eaten at all the famous BBQ places in Memphis, Austin, Kansas City, San Antonio, Atlanta, and many others. This is one of the best by far. Service was very good, they are listed as dog friendly, our dog sat inside with us. They brought him a water bowl. Ambiance was very nice and very clean. Beer was cold and they had Shiner Bock. We also had dessert, Peach Cobbler with ice cream and banana pudding, both home made and both were very good. I had a combination plate and wife had a pulled pork sandwich. Meal, beer, 2 desserts for $40.00 including 25% tip. Try it, you'll love it. read more

Traveling from Austin, Texas to ABQ and heard this was as good as what we have at home. They lied, it's better. I had the brisket sandwich with hatch green peppers, my girlfriend had the stuffed potatoes. So thankful for this unexpected respite on a long trip! read more

Backdraft Barbeque - Barbeque Near Me - Roswell, New Mexico

Great BBQ and the corn is so good try it yourself. Spicy but not to hot. And they overload the food. The Beer is cold. Love the atmosphere!!

Why have I not been here? Good service, call environment, friendly smiles, and the meat looks oh my gosh amazing!!!! I work at the Roswell UFO Spacewalk and I will be sending people here all day!!! read more

Backdraft Barbeque - Ribs! - Barbeque Near Me - Roswell, New Mexico

Love their BBQ ribs, chicken and sausages the side dishes are so tastes. we drove thought and found this amazing BBQ resturant read more

Backdraft Barbeque - Beans - Barbeque Near Me - Roswell, New Mexico

Stopped by for lunch on my way through. Did not disappoint. The poppers were legit like you might make them at home. The cheese on the nachos tasted like it was smoked before they it on. A/C on a 100 degree day hit the spot and the beers on tap are legit. Definitely drop by and check it out. read more

If you are craving for a Texas style bbq this is the place to go We are from Los Angeles visiting New Mexico and part of our tour is visiting Roswell UFO museum By searching for a good place to eat I came across Backdraft BBQ The owner is so friendly he even gave us some extra slices of brisket I highly recommend this place read more

Didn't even get to eat. We arrived and we're pointed to the door by a worker sitting in the outside area, and were told to seat ourselves. After doing so, at least 5 minutes passed before anyone greeted us at the table, and menus weren't even brought right away. When asked about starters, we ordered poppers as they were most mentioned in reviews. The waiter (not even our waiter) came back a bit later to say they were out. I said I'd need to ask my party if they still wanted to stay when they return from the restroom. He said he'd come back and check when he saw them. They were back within 2 minutes, and we sat without recognition for 10 minutes before deciding to leave. No one acknowledged us when we left or anything. Had very high hopes for a place that seemed they didn't even care to be open. Only 2 other groups in the whole place that evening. read more

Very good barbecue. We had the brisket and sausage and cleaned our plates. The coleslaw was so good. Rarely do I talk about the sides, but the sauce on the coleslaw and the added dried cranberries just did something for me. Such a good combination. The restaurant was clean and all the firefighting stuff was so interesting to look at. Service was spot on. Go, you will not be disappointed. read more

This place is fantastic! Don't be put off By the non-neighborhood. The staff are super friendly, the place is great and the food is excellent. Our children (3,5,7) loved the brisket and ribs and ate like champs, then climbed all over the old fire truck out front. We will be back for sure! read more

Delicious! Su-freaking-perb BBQ! Quality ingredients. Cool location with very cool decor. Super friendly staff! So happy to stumble upon Backdraft while passing through town. We immensely enjoyed the pulled pork with sausage sandwich, brisket with poppers sandwich, baked beans, cobbler, and apple pie. All amazing!!! No photos because we scarfed it all. read more

This place is fantastic!! Great BBQ in a fun atmosphere. Make sure to save room for the Green Chile Apple Pie for dessert! read more

Backdraft Barbeque - Barbeque Near Me - Roswell, New Mexico

I just remembered, I never did a review on your business! Five stars all around to this great local business. I'm glad we stopped in while driving through Roswell last year. We will definitely be back and I can totally see why the locals hang out there. The owner kept checking on us and we had a great conversation with him, thank you for that, you really made us feel like you appreciated our business. See ya soon on our next visit to Roswell, we love your city and your restaurant!!! read more

Traveling from Texas! Delicious restaurant. Great food! Get the coconut tea! The corn was a favorite between us four. Hazmat was yummy with the queso! read more

Backdraft Barbeque - Hazmat and corn with cream cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Roswell, New Mexico

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The food was delicious. We came from california, texas & more looking for a fun experience. We definatly got that. We came in with a huge party without making a reservation and they were able to make every single one of us happy. Thank you from firefighters everywhere for your awsome establishment. read more

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The restaurant is off Main st. behind or alongside some warehouses. The place is pretty cool, a model T, and a fireman on a ladder when you first walk in. Across the street where they BBQ , there's a fire truck park for display. The bar countertop is wrap with copper. The ribs were soft and tasty. The coconut sweet tea is the bomb, if u get a chance try it. ****Support your local FD**"* read more

Service was decent. Everything else was mediocre. Mac and cheese tastes like Bob Evans from your local grocery refrigerator isle. Potato salad, Albertson's brand. Brisket was smoked right but seasoned wrong. Ribs were decent. Out of chicken, out of all fountain drinks, Priced about the same as other spots. There was a smell, a bad one I couldn't put my finger on... Two stars because I have a long history with BBQ restaurants. No chicken? The sides were store bought or at least seasoned that way. read more

Mediocre food & service. Slow moving help/ food service. This wouldn't be my first choice for BBQ. Ambiance is okay, sandwich shop feeling. read more

We found this restaurant on Bring Fido and it was really nice because they actually let us inside with our pup. The only reason they did not get five stars was because they were out of almost everything on a Friday night and it was fairly early, like 6pm. But their food that they did have was absolutely great, next time, I hope they cooked more in the future. read more

Place is amazing. Being from central Texas, I was skeptical of "Texas bbq" in New Mexico. Let me tell you. They have it! The brisket. Pulled pork. Beans. Amazing. The staff of outstanding. Great atmosphere. Will be back! read more

Soo good!!! Highly recommend!!! This place is definitely one of the BEST bbq places in the area.

Oh, yeah! Outstanding brisket. If we didn't live 1500 miles away, we would eat here regularly. One of the best things about Roswell. read more

A hidden gem in Roswell!!! Gorgeous establishment, amazing BBQ! We ordered different entrees among our party of 4 in order to try everything!! Brisket, ribs, pulled pork and sides were delicious and best we've ever had in NM!! Will definitely return when we are in town again!!! read more

If you aren't from around here, don't bother! First off, when you enter, it isn't clear if you should seat yourself, wait to be seated, or order at a counter.If that's what you're supposed to do, a bit of signage would be good since the staff are hidden behind a screen. We sat at a booth for over five minutes. No one acknowledged us. We saw two different waitresses walk past our table a total of three times. Even when we got up to leave, no one acknowledged us. Clearly, they didn't want our business. Ain't from around here! read more

While we stayed in Roswell we decided to try this bbq restaurant because it had great reviews and was 5 star. We were very disappointed, because we got there close to closing they were out of ribs. The waitress was very nice and busy. When our food came out it was cold. In ordered the meat platter with the brisket, chicken and pulled pork. The brisket and chicken were good but cold. The potato salad and coleslaw were good. My sister had the layered golden potatoes with chicken and her food was very cold and the chicken was not good. read more

We ordered bbq meals and it say plus 1 side dish but now I see the receipt I was charged for the two sides WTH read more

Backdraft Barbeque - Receipt say meal plus 1 ( I thought it meant side dish) but I paid for them - Barbeque Near Me - Roswell, New Mexico

Wow! This place was awesome. The food was great and the service was excellent. Wish I had pictures, but it was too yummy to stop for pictures. read more

Amazing food and great service! What else can you ask for? Brisket is off the chain!! Still waiting to try the Mac and cheese

I like the feel but give me a break. Can you say crap sandwich? I wanted the mac and the poppers and they were out and the sandwich was a fatty patty of gross on toast. Maybe next time. read more

My husband and I came here on our way through Roswell and it did not disappoint!! I had the layered potatoes with brisket , it was EXCELLENT!! My husband had the brisket sandwich with queso and the green chili corn as his side and it was equally delicious! We are from Oklahoma so we know good bbq I would definitely come back here if we're ever coming through again! read more

Backdraft Barbeque - Barbeque Near Me - Roswell, New Mexico

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Driving through Roswell and decided to stop for lunch. Had the Hook and Ladder brisket sandwich with Mac n cheese and coleslaw. The sandwich was amazing! The sides could be better but not bad. Coleslaw is a little too sweet and Mac and cheese too peppery. Glad we stopped! read more

This place is awesome! To start off, the ambiance is so awesome it gives the restaurant so much character. The BBQ is next level, I ordered the brisket, which was smoked to such perfection, and ribs with the corn with cream cheese on the side and it was out of this world. In addition to the great food and ambiance the service was nothing short of exceptional. Bailey was our server and she was sooo awesome, helpful, attentive, and sooo much fun to talk to. I can't wait to make another visit to this joint. read more

I have been here several times and Wednesdays meal was just plain bad! I went in and ordered their golden potatoes with brisket. I was told they were out of potatoes. So I ordered the brisket plate with a side of mac and cheese. It arrived quickly and notice I did not have sliced brisket. It was more like chunks of brisket, but mostly just fat and greasy. The mac and cheese was hard it looked like it had been warmed up several times. I tried to find some meat in all the fat which was very little. The waitress re-approached me and asked if everything was ok, she could see I really had not eaten. I told here just bring the bill and I paid and exited. I will not return! read more

Best brisket I've had in a long time!!! Great atmosphere. Get the jalapeño poppers to start, they are great!! I definitely would go back in a heart beat!! read more

If you're looking for some seriously good BBQ this is a fantastic place to dive in! I had the brisket sandwich and it left in awe. This is serious BBQ that the entire family loved. If your passing through the area this place doesn't disappoint. The staff was very attentive, and the restaurant was clean and pleasing to the eye. read more

Very good. I ordered the tacos with rib meat. They were very hearty! Flour tortillas with lots of rib meat. I added the smoked Mac and cheese as a side in addition to the baked beans and ooooooh weeee. My tummy was happy. We also ordered the pulled pork and the bean and meat bowl for my kid. Everyone made the clean plate club! read more