I had an excellent experience at Bandana's Bar-B-Q. The ribs were outstanding. The smoke, exterior, texture, and temperature were all exactly right. I have eaten at many BBQ spots in Kansas City and Texas, and these ribs were on par with the best. The baked potato was cooked perfectly, just as expected. The garlic bread was a little different but very satisfying and prepared the way I like it, nice and crisp. I also had a side salad, and the BBQ ranch made from their original sauce was very good. One small note. The side salad came out with the meal. I prefer it a bit earlier, but service was very fast so everything arrived close together. If that matters to you, I would suggest asking, as the servers seem happy to accommodate. I tried several sauces. I am not a fan of sweet sauces, so I stuck with the original and spicy. Both were excellent, and I could not pick a favorite. Overall, a great meal and a place I would return to. Easily a five star experience. read more

Stopped in on our way to St. Louis. The service could have been better, waitresses were more interested in talking with each other in the beginning, Had the burnt ends and pork lunch. The pulled pork was pretty good but the burnt ends had too much of a molasses bbq sauce on them for me. Fried okra was very good but baked beans were a little too watery. read more

Bandanas BBQ - Mount Vernon - Barbeque Near Me - Mount Vernon, Illinois

The food was excellent! I loved the fried okra with the special sauce! My husband loved his rack of ribs & the two sides.The portion sizes were great & leftovers heat up well. The ambiance was very nice. Our server, Grace was delightful and made sure our needs were met. read more

Love the turkey ! Best beef baked beans. The restaurant Is clean and staff is prompt. Of course I love the lean and delicious brisket !

This place was packed, but the barbecue seemed pretty mediocre to me. Service was good, but the food was nothing to write home about. read more

Their food is good but the price vs quantity isn't the best. It's pricey for my pocket. I found that Good Vibes in Centralia has better bbq meats and lower price. I used to go to Bandanas until I discovered Good Vibes Cafe. read more

Nice place Walking distance from a lot of hotels. Brisket is not great but pork barbecue and ribs are the thing to order. read more

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Middle of nowhere BBQ I've stopped in Mt. Vernon a couple times now on road trips and I don't think there's much to do or see there. The saving grace is Bandanas BBQ. It's good bbq food when you're traveling and nothing else is around. They have combination platters where you can pick 2 meats or 3 meats and a couple sides. Decent price, and it's a lot of food. Definitely stop in if you find yourself here....in the middle of nowhere read more

This place is right off the interstate. It's got decent service. Decent food if you're looking for a barbecue it's a nice quick place to hit. read more

Luckily for us, the restaurant we were going to stop at was closed. So we went next store to Bandana's. The smell welcomes you right when you open the door. I had a baked potato stuffed with beef BBQ, covered with melted cheese and sour cream and butter on the side. I also received a side salad and garlic bread. My husband had burned ends with baked bean, potato salad, and garlic bread. The meats were all delicious with a nice smoky flavor. The service was fast, and our server, Candy, was great. Will diffenitly stop again. read more

Bandanas BBQ - Mount Vernon - a plate of food - Barbeque Near Me - Mount Vernon, Illinois

while traveling back to SC from SD we stopped off in Mt. Vernon overnight. we stayed close to this restaurant as there are a few hotels within walking distance. we always travel with our miniature poodle (Molly) so we always looking for something pet friendly. Bandanas had an outside seating area which was an eye catcher! Upon arriving we were seated immediately. it was around 6pm and wasn't very crowded. it did take about 20 minutes for our server to arrive. my wife and I both had the pulled pork entree. I had a baked potato and coleslaw. she had corn and coleslaw. The bbq pork was pretty good. Service after our server arrived was good. she was friendly and did check in on us several times. All in all we had a good experiece with no issues. I'd stop in again. Convenient, dog friendly, good service, and moderately priced. read more

The food here is not bad but a bit pricey and don't even try going there after 6:30 at night cause there out of everything. There web site says open til 10 on Friday and Saturday night but this location closes at 9 Use to be very good but has really let there standards go down the last few years read more

Smells wonderful but I've never ate anything there good. Tried twice. Done. Once was inside and other time was to go

Fabulous service, clean restaurant & nice casual atmosphere. Food was hot and fresh. Really great barbecue. Brisket was outstanding. Ice cold and flavorful half cut iced tea too. read more

Bandanas BBQ - Mount Vernon - Brisket, pulled pork, rib, pulled chicken. Coleslaw, beans & garlic bread - Barbeque Near Me - Mount Vernon, Illinois

BBang for your bbuck here! Sure it's not THE BEST BBQ you've ever been too, but hell you're in Mt. Vernon IL.! Maybe Big Muddy Prison has better brisket and toilet wine. jk The staff is a skeleton crew (probably because they needed their meat for stew) Yet they are pleasant and get your order right. Plus you got 6 sauces on your tables. Now gobble up that pulled sammich and fried okra with cole slaw you ordered. Dip dip dip, I'll be back (baby back!) read more

What a find, stumbled on this place while at motel 6, called in carry out, the sweetest young lady handled it, didn't get her name, but "she visits Springfield" regularly. Friendly, outgoing and efficient. She is an absolute credit to this establishment. The food was excellent, well portioned, and hot. Can't recommend this place highly enough. read more

Stopped in on our drive from Memphis to Chicago. It was close to the interstate and easy to find. I ordered the chopped pork plate and husband had the half rack of ribs. For sides we had slaw, beans, okra and French fries. We ate around 330 and everything was fresh despite being the only people in the place. Not Memphis bbq but it was a good stop, fast and clean. read more

Bandanas BBQ - Mount Vernon - Lunch portion pork plate - Barbeque Near Me - Mount Vernon, Illinois

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This place was amazing. The waitress did a great job was very sweet place was nice and clean. The fried corn was amazing. The brisket was a little dry, but due to the great service I got from the waitress that's why I gave the five stars read more

Really great BBQ in Mount Vernon, IL. We always stop in when we come to Illinois. Burnt ends at this place is some of the best burnt ends that I have had. Very close to the same as Oklahoma Joe's in Kansas City. read more

Bandanas BBQ - Mount Vernon - Kitchen area - Barbeque Near Me - Mount Vernon, Illinois

Great food, great service, VERY nice manager...Tavell...(not sure I'm spelling that right). I don't eat meat. They were very accommodating...I had a really good baked potato and a great side salad. We WILL be back. read more

Very good bbq and service. Prices are great also. I had pulled pork and chicken. Baked potatoes

I haven't actually eaten inside here. Usually we get DoorDash or I pick it up. We always get the ribs. They've never disappointed us. The smoked Turkey is the only item with no sugar if that's a concern. Otherwise pig out here! read more

California may have the best Mexican food, but our barbecue does not compare to Bandanas BBQ! It's a must have every time we visit family and I am proud to say the youngest member of our family gives her stamp of approval! We actually went twice in one week it was so good. It's hard to impress my husband with food and he even raved about it. The sauces are all delicious. Try them all. If they could expand westward that would be really great! read more

Bandanas BBQ - Mount Vernon - Taste testing the pork sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Mount Vernon, Illinois

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Bbq pulled pork was good. Large portions. Ordered online for carry out. Didn't get any notification acknowledging receipt of order. Just went after reasonable time and it was ready. read more

The Burnt Ends Where pretty great, But one of our chicken wings Could Probably still fly! Feathers and Everything on The Chicken Wings "Pictured Below" read more

Bandanas BBQ - Mount Vernon - Still Could Fly! - Barbeque Near Me - Mount Vernon, Illinois

We stopped in at this place on our way to Missouri. We came in right as soon as the place opened, and the service was with us right away. This is your typical BBQ joint where you choose what meats you want and accompany them with sides. I splurged a bit and got the pulled pork, turkey, and chicken with fries and corn. The plate also came with bread. Honestly everything was pretty good, but I will say the chicken tasted quite over-smoked for me. The scent stained my hands and I found it too overpowering for me to enjoy. The star of the meal was the pulled pork, which I couldn't get enough of. I tried many sauces but settled on the KC Style sauce. The turkey was moist and flavorful, which is great considering most BBQ places tend to dry theirs out too much. If you're on your way to Missouri, maybe stop in and try some of the pulled pork? read more

Bandanas BBQ - Mount Vernon - Barbeque Near Me - Mount Vernon, Illinois

Was staying at a nearby hotel and didn't want to wander far so ventured in for dinner. The BBQ was fine. The vegetable sides seemed to have come from a can and the BBQ beans could stand to have some BBQ sauce added to give it a BBQ flavor. Coleslaw was good and had a slightly sweet taste to it. Service was friendly and efficient. read more

I'm from out of town & not a lot of choices in this town but this is a good one. Food is very good, prices are reasonable & the service was good too. read more

Spotted this restaurant while traveling stopped in service was nice food was great. Will definitely stop in again while I'm in the area

Delicious bbq! Meats were all delicious, and the staff super friendly. The manager came out and dropped of our food when we ended up being in an unexpected rush. Above and beyond what we expressed from a quick freeway-side lunch stop. read more

We ordered from door dash and delivery was prompt and friendly. We did not receive cutlery so eating was difficult. The brisket was very salty and the chocolate cake tasted a bit strange. I feel like I overspent on a meal We didn't enjoy. We have eaten Bandanas before so I was comfortable doing so this time but We were disappointed. read more

The waitress was very helpful, it was late and some things were sold out. She got us a good meal!

Not gonna lie, probably the best smoked chicken I have ever had. Asked for out server's recommendation, and they hit it out of the park. Also, the sides were exactly right (for me). They had five different bbq sauces on the table, and all were delicious. If this were closer to home, I would be a regular. Big cheers to the waitstaff here. Everyone was incredibly kind and accommodating to some weary travelers. Thanks, y'all! read more

Decent BBQ. Large portions that weren't greasy or dry. Friendlier than the sandwich shop next door.

After not having my order turned in by the waiter at the Mexican restaurant on the other side of the parking lot, I decided to try this place, understanding that even if they did have brisket on the menu, I was in Illinois and not Texas. I ordered the brisket plate, baked beans and fried okra. I ordered the sides twice, because my server was trying to listen to the conversation at the booth by my table. There was some brisket to go with the fat, but not enough to whet my appetite. The baked beans tasted like pork n beans with brown sugar and molasses added, but not simmered long enough in a Lodge skillet. The okra looked really good ... and probably was the day it was cooked. When somebody behind the bar finally found my server and told her I looked like I was finished, she came over with the check. Never asked how anything was or if I wanted anything else. I did a double take at the ticket and discovered my Dr Pepper was $3 a glass and my "meal" was $11.80. The bad thing at the Mexican restaurant is the server forgot to turn in my order. The bad thing at Bandana's was that the server DID turn in my order! When I left, no one said "thank you" or "come again" and since they didn't invite me back, I'll be sure and not go. read more

Food was okay, pulled pork and burnt pork ends were good. The sides were just okay. I was super pissed because we were traveling thru town and staying at a hotel. I asked the woman handling my take out order for plastic cutlery two times to her face and she didn't include any. Because of that I couldn't eat the food that night, but had it next day at home. Really not good customer service since you kinda need something to eat with. Would not go back or to another location. read more

We picked up lunch here while driving through. The food was ready on time and was warm. We ordered the brisket platter. While the flavors were tasty, it seemed that the brisket was slightly overcooked. We ordered a side of coleslaw and fried okra with the brisket. The coleslaw was absolutely delicious but just a little too saucy. The fried okra was tasty but not the best I've ever had. Overall, this was a decent place to stop for lunch while on the road and I'm glad we tried it but I don't think I would go there again read more

Bandanas BBQ - Mount Vernon - Brisket platter with a side of fried okra - Barbeque Near Me - Mount Vernon, Illinois

Ordered a pork platter for takeout with green beans and cole slaw and also added on a side of Mac n cheese. It was amazing! Service was great and overall vibe was nice. read more

I loved everything except the chicken. It needed more cook time for me. I don't like my chicken BBQ so tender that I cannot break the drumstick from the thigh. Like couldn't do it. It was still pink inside. At least with BBQ I chicken I can accept it a little dry. Other BBQ places I have tried the chicken almost falls off. So that's the only negative. Ribs perfect. Burnt ends very good but I think they cook them in a pot or something. Lack of burnt ness. They were juicy but the ends have so much fat content that ring freaking charred black makes them good. They were still very good. Potato salad was great. Fried okra was ehhh. My first and last time trying that southern thing. The vegetable is bland. It's like broccoli shoots. No negative against the restaurant there I just never had tried okra and I don't like it. They gave me a lot of extra BBQ SAUCE! I didn't even need it! Over all a good BBQ JOINT! read more

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I guess I am in the minority here, but this place is the worst BBQ place I have ever been to. The meat was barely edible. I got the brisket, a full 50% of my plate was fat, nothing but fat, the other part had virtually no smoke ring indicating the meat had not been thoroughly smoked. Zero flavor in the meat. The sauces were nothing special, quite honestly they tasted like store bought brands to me. The service and slaw were the best part of the meal. I will never be back, but then again, there was only one other table occupied while I was there so they might not be there. There has got to be better than this is Mount Vernon. This is the worst BBQ I have ever eaten. read more