Had lunch at this amazing BBQ place. We've have tried plenty of BBQ restaurants as we travel to different states. Brisket was tender, juicy and full of flavor. Coleslaw was creamer best I've had in a long time. Sausage was cooked to perfection. Staff was amazing and friendly. Differently going back! read more

First of all do not get turned off with the small building and lot. If there is a line , it moves quickly. Tonight I had the smoked turkey salad and I added a quarter pound of beef. Awesome. Only suggestion is to get rid of Pepsi and get Coke read more

Love that city barbecue is consistent no matter what location! The servings are large and those who take your order are always patient! Would love to feel a little bit more comfortable given the price paid. But as someone who smokes their own meat, I understand the time it takes to make so much meat and it's worth the price. read more

The long line here moves very quickly as the workers move at lightening speed to get the orders out. It takes away from the intimacy of the place but it's an efficient way to feed a crowd. I came here with my siblings and we sampled every protein. Their ribs and brisket were our faves and we devoured those so quickly that we had to get more! I really liked the rub that they put on the meat, it was so addicting that I didn't even need the sauces offered. The chicken was also very good, the skin was flavorful (with that addicting rub) and the meat was moist. Their pulled pork was something we could have skipped out on in my opinion. It did not have much flavor by itself and needed to be sauced up. Overall, this place was a great find and definitely a place to check out for a good meal if you're in the area. Food: 4 Value:4 Service:3 Overall: 4 read more

City Barbeque - A snapshot of our feast - Barbeque Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Whenever I come to the Columbus area I have to eat at City Barbecue. I think it has some of the best chicken you will find anywhere. Theirs are Gerber Amish raised birds. That means two things. The chicken portions are big and juicy. Add to that City Barbecue's method of cooking them and their excellent sides and you have a fine meal. My fave sides are the corn pudding and baked beans. This is a small chain that does it right. I enthusiastically give a 5 to this place. I only get here once a year and look forward to it because of their food. I highly recommend!!! read more

City Barbeque - 1/2 Gerber Amish bird with corn pudding and baked beans with brisket! As good as you will find anywhere!! - Barbeque Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Hands down the best BBQ place in Columbus. They're better than most of the supposed "champion" BBQ booths that show up to the annual downtown Jazz & Ribs fest. With that said, Columbus isn't exactly known for their BBQ, so I'm not sure if out of towners would be quite as impressed. read more

Was craving BBQ but too lazy to go out, I ordered a city sampler from City BBQ. I remembered it since last time me and my friend couldn't go there. The brisket and pulled pork were spectacular, also like their green beans. However the turkey was kinda dry, or maybe because it was delivered and not too juicy. read more

City Barbeque - City sampler - Barbeque Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

The service I received at this location was unmatched! The gentleman at the counter made great suggestions and made sure I felt welcomed back. read more

Placed my order thru Grubhub, paid for and received text notification. Went to pick up, it was never received, it's not in the computer. Showed him my phone with my order, "well I can't create a order thats not here". You're looking at the order, dumbass!! Rude, unprofessional. read more

I'd go back specifically for the awesome customer service. Everyone was so nice! The lady at the register made sure to ring up our order in the cheapest way since we kinda created our own meal lol! She also checked on us during our meal and cracked a few jokes on my boyfriend for not finishing all the food he ordered lol! The food. I love their corn pudding. It was the reason I choose to eat there that night! Collards were great and the sweet potato casserole wasn't too bad! It had nuts in it which I'm not a fan of. We ordered a half slab of ribs and I wasn't impressed with that. There was barely any meat on the bones. The banana pudding is a must! I don't remember it having caramel in it... but this time it did and I will not complain! Definitely want to try the peach cobbler next time! read more

City Barbeque - Barbeque Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

City BBQ is one of the few places I can find what I consider real BBQ. I will NEVER visit the Henderson Road location in Upper Arlington/Columbus because of RAE. RAE is not friendly. Please move RAE to the back away from people. Please. read more

Drove by this place all the time but never been here before, so we decided to give it a try. It was awesome and we loved it! The food were great and the lady who took our order was very nice. We love the environment and really enjoy their food and sauces. The only bad thing was that it suddenly pouring outside and their patio tent was leaking. Other than that, 100% great! read more

See all

The food was great as always and the service I got from Thomas and Kya was like no other! Awesome people , at an awesome place, with awesome food. read more

Decent carry out at City Barbeque. The meat is delicious on its own and does not require sauce but there are about 5 different sauce options if you desire. The collard greens were fantastic. read more

City Barbeque - Full Slab of Ribs, Beef Brisket, Collard Greens with Pork - Barbeque Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Very good local bbq in a very simple setting Ambiance Very basic interior with wooden tables and paper towel rolls at each table. The dining area is fairly small; there is a small covered heated patio area as well. There is a soda fountain and assorted self service teas as well. There are numerous varieties of sauces also available self service next to the beverages. Service Order at the counter and then food is delivered from the next door window. Staff were pretty friendly and knowledgeable about the food and menu and able to make food recommendations. There was a short line, but it moved along quickly. Food Tried the brisket and the pulled pork along with sides of hush puppies, green beans, mac and cheese, and potato salad. The brisket was very good! Fairly tender and juicy and flavorful. The pulled pork wasn't too bad. Also fairly tender though not as juicy or flavorful (of course that's what the sauces are for)! Tried a variety of the sauces including the bourbon (really good!). Friends dining with us had the ribs which they loved. The sides were very good. The green beans were flavorful and awesome. The potato salad was fresh and yummy. Likewise the hush puppies which were crunchy outside and soft inside. The mac and cheese was just ok - nothing too amazing. Mojo Overall yummy bbq with friendly staff in a basic rustic setting. Definitely recommended! read more

shalom, just what we needed for a real meal i just received a naked brisket with potato salad i really was hoping they had sweet potato but i like potato salad. this brisket is very good i was thinking the worst but this is good a little too salty for my taste on only one strip of brisket, all in all, you have won my heart and stomach today this is very tender. potato sadl is good also it has small bits of potatoes not jumbo pieces and i believe they are red one of us received nashville66+6 hot there is not a bit of heat i took one just to see its a bit dry and had no flavor along with no heat taste like regular strips with the darkness of it could be hot but it's not! my daughter got bbq sauce i prefer gravy. needless to say, we will be back thank your workers because we enjoyed read more

City Barbeque - IF I CAN GIVE YOU TEN STARS I WOULD IT WAS DELICIOUS!!! I'M VERY FULL - Barbeque Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Pulled pork & beans good Restaurant dark & dirty Hush puppies so so Don't like spare ribs Waned baby back read more

Who does not like BBQ? City BBQ and this location does it right. The beef brisket is my favorite. The reason for this stop, was that my mother was in the hospital. She was not on a special diet. Riverside are going thru some remodeling and their food service was affected. I stopped and purchased her some food to lift her spirit. The BBQ was great. I will come here again. I miss the days when I lived in town and would order my Thanksgiving Turkey from City BBQ. read more

I love you guys but you're slacking lately. Still the best pulled pork, but doesn't anyone quality check the sides? Our baked beans tonight were swimming in sauce. Hard to find beans. You used to make the best Texas Toast and now you're lucky if you get a slice that's not burnt, untoasted, and lightly toasted. Not good. Soggy not toasty. Macaroni and cheese was beyond dry! I know you can do better. And what happened to the fresh mills wafers with the bread pudding?? Do better please. But seriously, the chicken tenders! They're dry and overcooked and shouldn't be on the menu at all. Just not good at all! read more

Another location fails miserably. I should have known better than to try them again after the awfulness I experienced at their Powell location. Check my review of that store if you're interested. There is absolutely no consistency in their product, management for this restaurant obviously lacks the planning skill set to offer a full menu at the start of a holiday weekend. Don't present coupons to them, it gives them all the more reason to cut corners and put a giant chunk of inedible gristle and fat into your order so they can call it a full pound of food. City Barbeque makes me wish Damon's Grill was still around. read more

Stood in line for 40 minutes this evening to place an order & pay for it. When asked how long it would take. They said 40 minutes. They had to fill the phone in orders first. Thank you for letting people stand their & wait. The food is too hit or miss for that. read more

We had the pleasure of City BBQ catering at my sisters wedding. It was DELICIOUS!! Everything was cooked perfectly. Especially the meat. It was tender and even on the next day leftovers were still amazing. The staff was great. They were very safe and compliant with all the new COVID rules and were all wearing masks and gloves and made sure everyone felt safe. They even packed up ALL the leftovers and took care of them for us while we celebrated. Would def recommend for any dinner time and catering as well. read more

My first time trying City Barbeque after hearing about it through some friends. Definitely come here if you're hungry! The portion sizes are good, and I was full very quickly. The mac and cheese and Texas toast were my favorites. The self-serve condiment bar had so many different unique sauces for the chicken and brisket. They were both ever so slightly dry - but I'm very particular about it, and the sauce helped a lot! Lastly the banana pudding was sooo sweet, if you have a sweet tooth it's definitely for you! Service was mostly just interacting with a cashier and then everything after that is self serve, you get a tray and your own condiments, utensils, and clean your table before you go. Super homey vibe. read more

City Barbeque - Beef Brisket, Mac and Cheese, Banana Pudding, Chicken, Fresh-Cut Fries, Toast - Barbeque Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

UPDATE: Pulled chicken does not come dry. It comes with white bbq sauce consisting of mayo and horseradish sauce and onions added. Walked in on a Friday night....line going out the door. Smells really good and we were really hungry. We get to the cashier who has a fantastic personality and made it such a fun experience. I ordered naked chicken, side of greens and side of mac & cheese. I was so focused on my food that I did not even pay attention to what my boyfriend ordered. We shared a sweet tea which is always spot on for sweetness. When traying up our order they mistakenly place gumbo instead of greens. I informed them it was incorrect and they did bowl up greens and said I could have the free side of gumbo which I thought was nice but I politely declined as I am not a fan of gumbo. I enjoy looking at all the things hanging on the wall and the music was like being at a sing a long. I loved it!! At the table I slather on the original bbq sauce on my naked chicken and I am in hog heaven. Their food is a little pricy being that I can get my meal for about $10 alone but it is good and you get nice size helpings. We rolled out of there our bellies were sooooo full of yummy good food! read more

I've had back to back bad experiences with this location. The first one was Superbowl last year, had a messed up order and wait time; manager promised a gift certificate for the issues. That never arrived.. no biggie. Went back last night for "restaurant week" and their 15 dollar menus somehow turned into a 25 dollar menu. Wasn't even bothered to return the food for the extra 10 dollars they charged, but I won't return to this location ever again, which sucks because I live within walking distance read more

Great food when they have any (Henderson Rd location). Once again I arrive only to find they are out of brisket, pull pork and many other items. I left again in frustration. Seems to me they can do much better on inventory as 3 people in line left before me in total frustration too. This happens 3 of the last 4 times I have visited the restaurant. It so frustrating!!!! Step up your game or loose customers. This is an ongoing problem. Don't take your customers for-granted read more

The food was excellent and served quickly! The Manager, Nathan, went above and beyond to make me feel like family and want me to come back for more!! Highly recommended!! read more

LET'S BE HONEST... City Barbecue is just too darn good for Columbus. They should be somewhere in the Carolinas, on a lonely country highway, with an old man standing over a smoking 55 gallon drum cut in half and turned sideways. Quite simply, this is better barbecue than we deserve in the Midwest. Order the brisket. Ask politely for extra bark, which is the black stuff cooked on the outside of the brisket. Get the mac & cheese and the greens. Get a bunch of pickles and different barbecue sauces at the self service stand, and enjoy a delicious, decadent meal. If you want to save a few calories, get the roasted chicken breast, which is also fantastic. They will also cut it off the bone and serve it is a fantastic boneless chicken sandwich if you asked nicely. Simply the best barbecue in Columbus. Maybe in Ohio... read more

Awesome work!!! You guys were slammed with orders tonight, but managed to get through it with excellent team work and communication! The food was well worth the wait!!!! read more

Why 5? Because their cornbread pudding is AWESOME! I took it back with me to California as leftovers because it's so good. And talk about Midwest hospitality-- we showed up 5 minutes after it closed, and asked if we could just order a side of the cornbread pudding to go. The woman dished us up a big serving and said we could have it for free. I'm coming back here next time I'm in town! read more

City Barbeque - Barbeque Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Well if you know me well enough than you know I love brisket. I even have my mom make it for me on special occasions. I'm sorry to my mom, I love her dearly, but City Barbeque's brisket sandwich out does hers. I came here recently to celebrate my co-worker's birthday here since it's down the road from our work. She picked this place because it's her favorite and mine as well. One thing I like about this location was that I was sitting across from a picture of a couple that had their "first date" here and I thought how lovely. City Barbeque makes people feel special on their first date.:) I remember my first date and it was no where near City Barbeque. If I could go back on my first date before I married my husband, I would have definitely came here and it doesn't have to be this specific location either! The food pleases the masses. Momma, forgive me but we have a winner here. The food is just that dam good. If you need proof, we shipped their banana pudding in a cooler to Pennsylvania.:) read more

Service was excellent! I primarily don't review an establishment by service (alone) as we're all human and everyone has a bad day. That said, service was on point, which I don't know how the service could be bad as you walk up to the counter, you read the menu, you order your food, pay for said food, AND get your own drink....pretty simple! All right, the review: Ribs (as someone had described earlier) fall off the bone! Great smokey flavor (order them dry so you can appreciate the smokey flavor) of which I did. They have some new barbecue sauces that they do every month whereas I just stayed true to a spicy barbecue sauce which was good. Green beans excellent! Coleslaw excellent x 2! I'm a vinegar based slaw kind of guy and this was excellent x 2! Now (for me, may not be for you) the downer: Since I am a brisket snob. That also being said, this brisket was a little dry. If you like barbecue sauce you can slather barbecue sauce all over it and it's fine. I don't wish to do that as I spend a lot of time in Texas and I like my brisket sliced, fatty, and the M word yes... moist! Other than that this place reps well and I would definitely come back. read more

What else is there to say about City? Maybe it's not the best in the world, but it's definitely the best in Columbus. I've been going there since the first one opened. At the time, there wasn't much barbecue in town, and what there was wasn't anywhere close by (and often didn't last long.) City was about the meat, and they did it well and still do. All the sides are good, too. Service is friendly, the sauces are good (but you don't need them,) the atmosphere is nice but very casual. I particularly like the ribs, pulled pork, greens, and corn pudding. I'm not usually a fan of barbecue chicken, but the way they do it here is outstanding. Oh, and the sweet tea. Used to be the only place in town to get it; still the best. Other places have come and gone, but City has stayed and expanded, and does it better than anyplace else. (Smackies was close, but it was spotty and is now gone except for a trailer- which is very good.) read more

This was my first time and we were a little curious how BBQ would be here since we just moved from Texas and have a couple favorite places. Let's start with service, usually the most important aspect for me. I was very impressed. We were quickly greeted and Patrick was awesome! He asked if it was our first time and explained the menu in detail. Also made suggestions and let us sample some things before we ordered. He was very confident that we would be pleased with the food and that we would return. He was very patient as I was very indecisive (I love food, but I'm indecisive bc I want to try everything) . The food came out pretty quickly and when I went back to ask for something he happily got it for me without acting irritated. The food... Brisket was really good and I don't normally like brisket. It wasn't as lean as we usually get it, but the flavor was great. I ordered the pulled pork with slaw and vinegar. The meat was good, but a little dry so I just added sauce. The sides we had were all good and the kids liked everything as well. We will definitely go there again especially when we don't have a lot of time or the kids are being impatient for food. Maybe on Tuesday for the rib special! They have a reward card...just in case no one offers it. It irritates me when places have one and don't tell you about it. read more

We enjoy City BBQ when in the mood for a nice, hearty meat-packed meal. There are plenty of different meats to choose from, which is especially helpful when they run out of some - it's easy to find a new one to try. We especially enjoy the pulled pork and the smoked turkey. The Brushfire sauce has a nice heat to it without being too spicy, but the original is quite tasty too. There is a wide variety of sides, including several seasonal ones that rotate through. The 1/2 lb sandwich is usually enough for me, but my husband likes to go with the platter, and is a fan of the baked beans, macaroni and cheese, french fries, and green beans. Nice large menu and a fun place to eat. Not a great place to meet up with your vegetarian friends, though, as even many of the sides contain meat. If you are a meat-eating gluten free person, there is a lot of selection in the meats (which can be ordered "naked," without bun or bread) and sides, and most of the sauces are gluten free too. Good stuff! read more

The BBQ is good though not likely to win any awards in my book, but that doesn't mean you're not getting some fine tasting soul food. Ribs, brisket, pulled pork, chicken, and turkey occupy the menu. This is not a place for vegetarians. The meats are cooked, slowly, with lots of smoke involved and the flavor from this love and care is out of this world. My beef brisket was a little dry, but slather on some BBQ sauce (try the spicy BBQ) and it's good to go. A slew of unhealthy sides can accompany your meal, and yes green beans can be unhealthy when cooked with bacon. Here's another reason why I loved City Barbeque. I can make a delicious fresh Arnold Palmer. For you uncultured heathens, that's a mix of lemonade and iced tea. And City Barbeque has some fantastic Sweet Tea. read more

See all

They'll never get my business again. I worked 14 hours and was starving. I walked in right at 8:00 thinking I had till 9 to get food because that's what their website and google say their hours were. It wasn't on my way home either. I went out of my way to get their business and this is how they treat customers. I don't care if COVID is the reason you have to close a whole hour early. You need to update the hours everywhere, not just the paper taped to the door. I'm sure the customer that literally ordered right before I walked inside didn't get the last pork sandwich in the place. A 5-star company would've never turn down a customer like I was. A 1-star restaurant will never get my business again. read more

City Barbeque provides well-cooked BBQ with the standard assortment of meat options (ribs, brisket, chicken, sausage). The brisket and ribs are flavorful without sauce. They offer cole slaw without the creamy sauce, which makes for a much better companion to the fat and heft of the meat. Their banana pudding is as it should be, not only in flavor and texture, but also just being there on the menu despite nearing cliche status as a dessert offering at a BBQ joint. Here's the telling moment for me: I did not realize this was a chain until I saw a sign on the interstate 200 miles away. In retrospect, it does have some chain-ish aspects, but I thought I was eating at a local joint. That in itself is a major achievement. read more

Great BBQ! The pulled pork and sausage were to die for, the BBQ sauce was really excellent and the sides were very good! It reminds me a lot of Dickey's BBQ chain but it's so much better. Wish there was one in my neck of the woods. read more

City Barbeque - Pulled Pork and Sausage Combo - Barbeque Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

There is a place in Cleveland called Ohio City Bar-B-Q which has been there before City opened and is much better. Meat is tough and sauce is bland. read more