Best food we had in South Carolina! We took barbecue, fried chicken, and sides for our picnic in nearby Congaree National Park.

Update: Where do I start?! Well, today my husband wanted to order some food from Big T Bar-B-Q. Once we got there, it was a little crowded, so I went ahead and let him order the food instead while I sat and waited. I have to say the experience was awful! The lady who took his order was in a bad mood and everyone noticed it. When my husband asked a question pertaining to one of the meals, she rolled her eyes as she answered with an attitude. When he began ordering, she kept saying I can't hear you! He was speaking loudly where everyone in line heard him. She basically walked off in the middle of him ordering while rolling her eyes. The crazy thing was she stated she couldn't hear him but wrote down his order and yelled it to the back. This was a terrible level of customer service! Nothing friendly or polite as the last visit.  The food was ok, but based on the customer service he exhibited, I doubt we will order from them again. We ordered a shrimp basket, a 2 pc flounder fillet basket and macaroni. My husband works in the culinary field and he stated what he exhibited today was down right rude and unprofessional. read more

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I ended up stopping in at both Big T BBQ locations, sort of by accident but sort of on purpose. I'll consider this single review a combined review of both locations. Do what you want with that. As a Southern boy I'm always on the lookout for good BBQ. And being that I currently live in the Pacific Northwest, where good BBQ isn't really a thing, given a chance to stop at a BBQ place in the South, I'm taking it. We had been visiting Congaree National Park for the day and the satellite location out by Congaree was an easy drive from the park gate, so of course I took that opportunity. The place is small, I mean really small. I was not aware that it is mainly a take-out satellite location. But we were greeted very kindly and welcomed to take one of the two tables they do have inside after placing our order at the counter. The women working here were so very kind and friendly. And everyone who stopped in to get food was also very friendly. It gave me that feeling of being back home in Texas where people still have manners and show kindness. Being a satellite location, the menu was limited. Being unaware of that I was kind of bummed, because several of the menu items I wanted were not available this day, but that's on me. I should have done my research better. I ended up ordering a pulled pork sandwich with collard greens and my wife got some fried chicken. They do use the typical Carolina yellow BBQ sauce here, which I had never tried before so for me that was a pleasant surprise as I like trying new things. Everything tased great, we really enjoyed our meal. I was really bummed that they did not have banana pudding at this location, because as a Texas boy, any chance I get to have banana pudding, I'm taking it. So after finding out they did not have banana pudding at this location, I then found out that the main location back in Columbia was literally on our way back, so I decided to stop there and get my banana pudding. So let's talk about the Columbia location now; The only real thing I stopped here for was my banana pudding, and I grabbed a sweet tea while I was there, because again, Texas boy. :-) The banana pudding was exactly what I was looking for. It tasted exactly like it should. Now, I see some reviews talking about rude employees here. I did not find that to be true at all. Everyone I dealt with at this location (and the satellite location) were very friendly. It was very clear that they were in the middle of a decent rush and rather busy. But everyone was friendly. If I had any real complaints about Big T BBQ, and this goes for both locations, it would be the decor. I get that it's a low budget BBQ joint trying to get by, but maybe invest a little money cleaning up the place and getting good tables and chairs. AT both locations my wife and I sat at what should have been a 4 person booth that was up against a wall. But the table legs were in the middle of the seat so you would never be able to actually sit a person on the "inside" of the table, basically making it a large 2 person table. Also, the place just needed a good cleaning overall. Sticky floors are a big thing to me, maybe run a mop over it once in a while. Overall I was here for the food, which was great. And the staff was friendly enough to make me happy. Some decor and cleanliness items could go a long way here. But I'd visit again if I was in the neighborhood. read more

Love hash & rice collard greens mac&cheese. The best of the best. Great service and family environment. Drive 20 miles to eat here soooo worth it. read more

Big T's sauce is the absolute best!!! I just wish they would sell it by the bottle at the store. When I asked they said they could sell me a gallon - not a good choice for a small household, read more

This was my second time eating bbq in Columbia. First time was the 3 pigs. This time I had the rice with gravy and hash. Interesting; sauce is mustardy vinegary. Ribs were ok but dried out. Greens were decent. read more

Best bbq in town. Used to hit this spot when I was on military duty all the time. Nothing has changed still great food. You can tell by the line. read more

Food is the same since childhood which I love. Wait time is very iffy. Servers sometimes have attitudes.

A bit of a drive for me as I live in NE Columbia. Really miss the location off Sparkleberry Crossing that was closer to my home. However, the pricing is consistent in person, over the phone, and on their menu. (Which is a plus with due to my recent experience with a small business practicing price dishonesty to make up for lost sales) Their hash is different than what I am used to, but it satisfied a recent craving that I was having. Pictured is a homemade meal I made using Big T's hash. Give it a try if you are in the area! Let me know how you like it! read more

Big T Bar-B-Q - Big T's Hash. Home made rib and rice. - Barbeque Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Big T's has been around since I can remember and they have never failed me. My favorite combination to get here is the hash and rice plate with mac and cheese and green beans. Request the crackling cornbread with your meal (thank me later). And you can't forget the sweet tea!! read more

The fat, gap toothed female who works the register and fixes plates after being on the sometimes has a very off putting demeanor and is very nasty! Also, it is not sanitary to work the register and fix plates! Big T's you've lost some customers! Hire better people! read more

I drive from Washington DC to try a dish my grandmother used to make, but it was a letdown. The restaurant was located in a strip mall and seemed to cater to an older customer base. Many people were parking in the designated fire lane to buy food. I had to wait in a line of over 10 people placing multiple orders, which took me about 20 minutes. It was already over 100 degrees outside, but it felt like 130 inside the restaurant. When I finally reached the front of the line, the service was just okay. They had run out of my favorite dish and said it would take 30 minutes to prepare. I ended up ordering a different dish. I was disappointed to find out that they didn't have a fountain drink dispenser, only limited bottled drinks, but they did have sweet and unsweet tea dispensers. After I got my order, I sat down and found the meal to be underwhelming. I only ate about 10 percent of it and then went to use the restroom. The floors leading to the restrooms were sticky, and the restroom itself was old and worn out. read more

The customer service is not that great and they always seem to be out of something every time I have patronized them. The bbq pulled pork is good read more

I hate to slam a business, but there was literally nothing I liked about this building. The food, the service, the atmosphere and even the iced tea was awful. The line was long and I attempted to be efficient when I ordered, but the people were slow and condescending that were serving. They treated me like they were doing me a favor by serving me. There are so many better BBQ options. A McDonald's Quarter Pounder with BBQ McNugget sauce would be better. read more

So Big-Ts has been our go to for BBQ these last few years. The staff is great and even on super busy holidays they are warm and friendly. They have two sauces, regular and spicy. I usually go with the Big-T. (Pulled pork, hash and rice, green beans and Mac and cheese). I have never been disappointed. They take to go orders over the phone. Be prepared to stand in line on Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day. read more

I've been eating at Big T's for over 20 years and have never been disappointed in the quality of delicious bbq and all the fixins or the service they provide to their customers. Always feel like family when I go in there. I have introduced by husband and our 3 sons to this great place and they all love it too. Can't wait to visit them again and again. read more

I LOVE Big T's!!! They have been open since I was a child and, as a New York native, I can remember driving down hours at a time waiting until we crossed the SC line to get some hash and rice! I will never not go to Big T's as long as i'm in the area! read more

I'm not really in a position to judge because I'm on almost a carnivore diet and just bought a pound of cooked barbecued pork and a diet Mountain Dew. A bit of flavoring on the meat, slightly sweet, maybe from some sort of rub with pepper and cayenne and a little sugar? I didn't need sauce. The pork was good. Staff was quick and polite. Nicely clean and tidy and surprisingly roomy if you want to eat in. If all of the food is that good the place probably deserves 5 stars. read more

Food is alright, sort of fairly price consider the amount. Staffs are nice. The only thing is there're a lot of flies around the counter and no single protection from them. I'm concerning the hygiene issue. read more

Great "mustard" BBQ. Loved the hash and rice. Slaw was good, but not much of it. Cornbread tasted great. Sweet tea was just right. Lemon pound cake for dessert.....Mmmm..good! read more

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Best pulled pork BBQ in South Carolina that I tried. When visiting the area we were trying to find somewhere fast, but good and wanted to see what South Carolina BBQ was all about. This is an old fashioned mom and pop shop style of cooking, it looked sketchy at first but once we got in and ordered some food it turned out to be a good experience. You walk in, grab a tray and tell the employee what you want, pork, tenderloin, bbq, ribs, collards, carrots, cornbread, and different sides depending on the day. Then you pay and sit down with your tray. It was some of the best pulled pork I've ever had, was nothing like Texas pork, this was very sweet tasting and had a light brown mustard sauce which was amazing and had a zing to it. We were the only ones dining in but they had about 30 people come in and pick up to-go orders while we sat and the shop owner knew everyone who walked in the door by their first names so it's definitely a locals spot and a hidden gem. Go check it out. read more

Big T Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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This is our "go to" place for Bar-B-Que. We've been coming here for years. They serve a great mustard based Bar-B-Que. We always get the hash on rice and the chopped. It's always good. The place is located in a strip mall, and it does have an eat-in area. We always get ours to go. Consistently good. Good service. We will keep coming back! read more

Definitely got the home-cooked flavor. It's where you go when you're trying to feed in hearty volume at the cheaps! Gets the flavor and portion just tight where it needs to be for price. Service-wise, stay away if you haven't got over an hour to wait. If you from the city, don't even try... this pace will make your heart race and ruin your life. God bless her heart, grandma still grinding, at a slower than sloth pace. Seems family-owned, kids younger folks working the tables just simply don't give a fuck. One of those place they are happy just to serve food, serve something. Who gives a fuck if you come back or not? Could be good and bad ‍. If you must have that home flavor in Cola and have no time, go see the folks at Palmetto Pig BBQ. read more

Great bbq and great hash and rice. The reason it's not a 5 star is service. I have been here when they were having to cook more rice at 12:30. If the big seller is hash in rice don't ever run low on rice. Second everyone moves kinda slow. Got here at 1 and line was moving outside the door and it never moved for 10 min. Call and order before you go I guess is the best thing. Not a quick stop for lunch but good food. read more

Not good, I was trying to support. However I ordered the fish platter and the fish didn't look like it was fried all the way to start , secondly there was absolutely NO SEASONING at all ! The only good thing was the bbq spicy sauce. I asked for my money back and the cashier said I couldn't return it , I asked to speak to a manager or owner for a refund. Told him how dissatisfied I was with the meal , he said to throw the meal in the Trash (gladly)I was refunded my money. Not good on the fish side for us pescatarians maybe for the meat eater you'll be more satisfied! Maybe they'll try to improve the taste . But for now it's a no go for me! read more

Food - 1/5 Service 2/5 Restaurant 1/5 The food choices were limited. They had signs offering certain foods, but when I went to order they were not available. I got the fried chicken which was literally just fried. It had no flavor. I was given a "roll" which was pretty much a handburger roll thrown in a sanwhich bag. read more

Friendly. Delicious. Fast. Fair price. They are so efficient and nice!! Enough said.

Great food for a great price. Service was friendly, and immediate. Ambiance was friendly. We try to avoid chains or fast foot and this was a great local spot. read more

Soooo good! Delicious BBQ, fried chicken, and sides (collard greens and string beans). Reminds me of my grandmother's cooking! read more

Big T Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Any restaurant that can serve up generous portions of fine BBQ and Hash with rice almost instantly is aces in my book! They will also offer you a choice of sides like green beans and mac and cheese. You can have your meal with a bread roll or choose from several different kinds of cornbread. They will even offer to serve your meal in a "To-Go" plate because they know you might not be able to finish and will want to take the rest home. Talk about planning ahead! They are fast, friendly and have a long history of making people smile. read more

Came here with my girlfriend and the food was absolutely AMAZING! I never had hash before since im not a SC native and it was pretty damn delicious! I will be returning back here a 100 times more just for the great food and quality service read more

To preface and to hopefully not sound pretentious; when it comes to restaurants, i very, very infrequently give 5 star reviews. I believe that that vast majority of dining establishments in existence are in the 2-4 star range, so i never give a 1-or-5 star review unless that establishment has truly earned it in my eyes. I am of the opinion that Big T's BBQ of Garners Ferry Road is a worthy of a five star review in every way, shape, and form. For starters, I live about a mile away from this place and have now eaten there more than twenty times. I do not exaggerate when I say that every single time that I have been to this restaurant, every single solitary food item that I consume there simply tastes better than average at the absolute least, and amongst the best food that I have had the immense pleasure of enjoying frequently at the best. I usually get the bbq sandwich w 2 sides ($7.43 after tax w no drink), and the barbeque is really good, the green beans are also very good, and the mac n cheese is regularly in competition for the best southern Mac n cheese that has been consumed by this 25-year old man who has lived in and loved southern food for the entirety of that quarter of a century. I simply can't say enough about the food. They also cater a lot unless I'm wrong, so consider this place for your next event. They have a very large menu which i won't bother listing here, it's a couple. clicks away on their page, just think southern bbq. People there have always been nice - then I that I had lost my wallet inside after ordering some pick up, called ahead, and the owner who's name is currently escaping me was super polite and cool on the phone, and then went so far as to offer to rewatch the security tapes to see if I had left it. I dropped it in the yard, so i called back, thanked them, and told them not to worry, and he said ok. Super nice way to handle the situation. Also, the second you walk into Big T's, you will see that the left wall is quite literally covered in lengthy endorsements from prominent figures in every walk of life, from US senators, to USC presidents, to superstar atheletes of every sport. I absolutely love this. To end, Big T's is everything that one could ask of a southern, buffet-served style bbq place. I really can't ask more of y'all. Thanks for existing basically right next to my house. read more

Big T Bar-B-Q - this is what I got, there's more than that usually cuz I ate some of the beans and mac - Barbeque Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

It's never a good sign when someone asks you what you think of your food and you respond with "Eh... it's OK." Big T is near the end of the strip mall across the street from Wal-Mart on Garners Ferry Road. It's a basic diner place with not a lot of ambiance. They did have some local memorabilia on the wall but it was minimal. They have a main dining area with booths and a few tables and chairs and another larger room off to the right that has more tables and chairs. When my friend and I arrived there were only 2 people in front of us at the counter. You tell them what you want and they put it on a styrofoam plate (eat in) or in a styrofoam box (to go) and then you pay at the end. There is a menu on the wall above the counter but there is also a menu taped to the counter where you order. It was confusing. It was my first time there so I was looking at the menu on the wall but when the guy in front of me stepped away I see this new menu that appeared to have more "combos" or plates on it. So then I had to decide quickly what to order. I don't even know exactly what it was called... I think it was a "Small T BBQ Plate". I asked the lady behind the counter the difference between the Big T and the Small T and was told it was the price. So yeah.... thanks. I ended up with BBQ over rice with 2 sides (green beans and mac and cheese). My friend got something similar but had hash over rice. We both said we were eating in but were given a to go container anyway. When I went to pay the person at the register wasn't any more friendly. The BBQ and BBQ sauce was good. I thought it was a bit dry and there were large chunks in mine that were tough but on the whole it was OK. The dreaded OK. The green beans were just green beans and the mac and cheese was gummy. It wasn't exactly hot so that may have had something to do with it. I did taste my friends hash and it was tasty and well flavored. While we ate so many people showed up that the line was literally out the door. They must be doing something right but I don't know what it is. I don't think I'll be going back to find out either. read more

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My boyfriend and I were driving through from Charleston to Charlotte and ended up at Big T's. What a treat! This was a no frill's kind of BBQ joint, but the food was outstanding, the staff was friendly, we didn't spend too much, and left very full. We got a 2 plates of chopped pork bbq, with the mild mustard sauce on top, green beans, mac & cheese, rolls, and sweet tea. All for about $12. We had nothing bad to say, in fact we didn't talk much because we were enjoying the food so much. Well done, Big T's. We will find an excuse to stop there next time we are passing through : ) read more

Whole lotta food for a good price. Veggies are thoroughly cooked (welcome to the south). I got ribs, mustard greens, and turnip greens with cornbread and sweet (& a little unsweet) tea. Didn't look like a great meal, but it tasted like one. It's hidden in the shopping center so you have to want to eat here to find it. The staff serving food was super nice and their recommendations were spot on. read more

Big T Bar-B-Q - Rib basket with 2 veggies and sweet tea - Barbeque Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Great fries are made to order and always served fresh and hot. Cozy little dining area minimal frills hole in the wall local secret that doesn't keep up with the modern times with cable WiFi internet and sports tv junk. For me that's part of the appeal. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Always clean and never too busy. Great local no nonsense eatery. In this modern social media manufactured news age it is nice that local places like this where you can go and order food without needing to use the internet to decipher the menu still exist. read more

Big T, what? No reviews? For $5 a hungry man can leave this place fuller than a decaf decanter on a Saturday morning after a heavy night of drinking. And that, my friends, is why the Big T gets 5 stars from me. In "Times Like These", one cannot underestimate the important relationship between frugality and gourmet sensibilities. In my reviews, I hope to remind people that just because something is expensive doesn't mean it's good and, conversely, just because something is cheap doesn't mean that it's bad. But no reviews? This place has its own BBQ sauce sold in Walmarts all over the Southeast (or at least here in Soda City I see them everywhere). I find it surprising how little love the local internetters give our city's cheap family eateries. This place has been run for decades and not one review from the iGen? But we have reviews for other places here that have been open only a few months or a year if that. Maybe they feel a little uneasy about sneezeguard establishments. If so, well try the sauce for 3 bucks and see what you been missing. Big T is an iconic Columbia eatery. This is another place where I really only get one thing and that's the BBQ sandwich plate with a double helping of mac n' cheese (you get 2 sides with a sandwich order). Oh goodness, the mac n' cheese here puh=leaze. I'd order a 5 gallon drum if i could and probably the stuff would be half-eaten by the time I got home. read more

When I say I'm mad this was the worst bbq I've ever had.... Rib dinner??? The ribs were dry and the damn "bbq sauce" was a damn mustard sauce" and the greens were nothing to write home about.... I'm disappointed & to let y'all know it's black owned!!! read more

Big T Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Lived in cola for 5 years and found Big T's the last year or so that I lived there. I get the same thing, pulled pork sandwich basket with fries and slaw (sometimes Mac and cheese or banana pudding). I've found this to be the best South Carolina style pulled pork I've tried while living down there. I love it When we drive down south we make it a point to drive down I77 so we can stop in for lunch. I've had meals there at least 10 times since moving away in 2004 read more

Stopped here driving from CLT to HHI. Just about a mile off the interstate so not out of the way. Pulled pork was good. Mac n cheese and collards impressed. That hash though. Get it and don't look back. Corn bread a little dry. Gonna try the dinner roll next time. read more