Follow the sound of your ears and if you hear the sound of live music, you might be near The Little Fleet. On a recommendation from my hotel, I stopped by here to be pleasantly surprised by the smell of smoked meats and the sound of amazing cover bands. Cordwood does an excellent job on their potato salad, the right combination of herbs and a light combo of Mayo, making sure it's not a thick and heavy side, rather one that's complimentary to the rest of the meal. The cowboy beans were nice, but fairly standard. The smoked brisket was flavorful and filling, and the moist pulled pork was an excellent addition so I suggest getting the two meat plate. The sauces drive the whole thing home, so make sure to slather it on! A great way to pass the time and listen to some music, make sure you grab a bite here to go with your margarita from next door. read more

Cordwood Barbecue - Potato Salad Brisket BBQ Plate cowboy beans Pulled Pork BBQ Plate - Food Trucks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

The sandwich was fine and the atmosphere is nice. It was pretty expensive $20 for a sandwich chips and water. I just thought it was going to be more authentic bbq but it's pretty hipster. read more

I found the server to be brusque in multiple interactions (e.g., the way that she told me to come to where she could hear me, instead of a friendly "I can help you over here"). But the real problem is the food. The pulled chicken was dry and mealy. The rice and sauce on our Korean-style rice bowl were dull and the vegetables on top did not seem freshly prepared. read more

Sharon and Cordwood Catering served delicious food and exceptional service for our daughter and son-in-law's wedding reception in June 2025. From the outset, Sharon was wonderful to work with -- very professional, helpful and warm; we knew we were in good hands. The brisket, the pork, the chicken and the tofu -- So Good! The appetizers and dinner sides were fantastic, too. We highly recommend Cordwood BBQ. Thank you! read more

Cordwood Barbecue - The Cordwood food trailer provided a fun vibe to the wedding reception -- fun vibe and delicious appetizers and dinner! - Food Trucks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

After looking at all the options at the little fleet we all decided that cordwood bbq looked the best. The Korean bbq tofu caught my eye specifically. I got the 1 "meat" plate which includes 2 sides. I got the korean bbq tofu, the beans no feta, and the cornbread (the cornbread is not vegan but hey i'm not perfect). the tofu was okay... it really just tasted like ginger so I didn't get the bbq part of it.. i ended up dipping some pieces in my moms bbq sauce that came with her meal which was super tangy. everything really needed salt and this was also coming from my mom who never salts anything... seriously i have to salt everything she cooks. when she went up to ask if they had salt they said they didn't have any....that's forsure my mom and sister said the mac n cheese was pretty good. the corn bread was probably the best part of my meal. I wouldn't order from here again but maybe try an impossible burger from the burger truck across the way. read more

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We had a great time at The Little Fleet and especially loved Cordwood Barbecue. It was a little more expensive than we expected, and we are familiar with barbecue pricing. My pulled chicken sandwich was excellent and my husband really enjoyed his brisket and all of their sides. I'd definitely recommend asking for extra sauce. This isn't a big "sauce place". read more

Cordwood Barbecue - Food Trucks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Took too long and buzzer never went off, after taking to them still no response finally had to go ask again

At the Little Fleet, there's so much to choose from, but I am always a sucker for food truck BBQ. The ambience of the foot court concept is S tier and definitely an amazing place to bring an extended family or group of friends for lunch. We split one of their specials, the rib dinner, which comes with a half rack of pork ribs, 2 sides (we got cowboy beans and the mac), and dinner rolls. Service was quick and painless, so no qualms there. The beans were a little too sweet for our liking. The macaroni and cheese was standard and served as a quality sidekick to the main dish. The ribs themselves were amazingly, fall-off-the-bone tender and juicy, however it was sort of lacking in the smokey, wood-fired flavor that we both wanted. The bbq sauce on the ribs themselves was a little too ketchup forward, but overall serviceable. At the end of the day, we felt we got our money's worth in food and definitely left full. read more

Cordwood Barbecue - The Little Fleet - Food Trucks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Real good BBQ brisket sandwich. Located in The Little Fleet open air food truck park. There's also an indoor bar here! read more

Cordwood Barbecue - cool food truck design - Food Trucks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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Excellent food and service! It was right across the street from the condo we stayed in but would be worth a drive! We will definitely come back! read more

[Cordwood BBQ] Smoked meats and BBQ inspired food truck. Got the 2 meat plate with Smoked Brisket and Korean BBQ Tofu. Potato salad and Mac & cheese for sides. The brisket was good but not the best I've had. It had flavor and the BBQ sauce was good but it wasn't very tender and juicy as smoked Brisket should be. I'm from the South so I have high expectations. The toast was crazy good. So buttery literally soaked in butter. read more

Cordwood Barbecue - two plates of food and a glass of wine - Food Trucks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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Big menus don't help much. Rice bowl sticky. Overall, Slow, cold and no spice. Grade: C-

Looking at the reviews, I had my hopes up. However, I was ultimately disappointed. I found the brisket was dry and tough with barely any flavor. However, the sides I ordered - the Mac and cheese and beans - were tasty. Regardless, that doesn't make up for the underwhelming BBQ experience. read more

Cordwood Barbecue - Brisket BBQ Plate - Food Trucks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Called in an order and had a tough time finding a place to park due to construction. The quantity was good. My wife and I had enough to eat. The pulled pork sandwich was my wife's choice and I had the smoked brisket. Food was OK but not spectacular. Of course we spend a lot of time seeking out great BBQ across the nation as we travel so they have a lot of really tough competition. Yes I would walk across the street to get a dinner from them but not across town again unless there were no other BBQ places in Traverse City, and there are. read more

Cordwood BBQ is crazy delicious, and the experience eating at their truck at Little Fleet is always a blast. This review, though, is for Cordwood's catering arm... did you know you can have delicious Cordwood brisket or smoked chicken or pulled pork at your next gathering? Well let me tell you, it's a serious crown pleaser. We hired Cordwood to cater our wedding in Northern Michigan Memorial Day weekend. It was a magical feast and multiple guests told us that it was the best wedding food they had ever eaten. We worked together to come up with a menu that would be a mix of Cordwood favorites, reflect my cultural heritage (Singaporean) and draw on the bounty of the farm in that particular season (more tricky because spring was late this year). The end result was flavorful, beautiful, fresh, inventive, and memorable in every way. We will continue to support this team in whatever they do -- it's clear they have talent, passion, and dedication to their craft and that they will continue to wow their customers in all they do. read more

Wow!!! This took me back to Tennessee! My family is from Tennessee, and we visited every year as a child. I always loved getting BBQ on our trips. Now, I am super picky about my Brisket and Pulled Pork. This is the most authentic BBQ I have had outside of Tennessee! I highly recommend Cordwood! I will be ordering again, and I suggest you do, too! Yum! read more

Yummish BBQ... loved the Mac & cheese... Excellent brisket ....Cole slaw was so-so..... will try the beans next time ..... cool setting... nice atmosphere! read more

There's a reason Cordwood BBQ has won so many awards...these talented pitmasters make the best BBQ I've ever had, and we've lived in Texas, BBQ capital of the world! Greg, Dave, and the team catered our wedding welcome party for about 70 guests at Sutton's Bay Ciders. And this wasn't your typical catering...it was live fire cooking that literally blew our guests away. Under a huge tent, they cooked and carved fresh chickens, brisket, pork, and hot links, served up with an amazing feast of mac and cheese, coleslaw and (my favorite, smoked trout dip). They even made my husband's special white sauce recipe for our guests. Everyone is still talking about how amazing it was and gave rave reviews. I'm not normally a fan of brisket, but I'm a huge fan of this one! In addition to being flexible, accommodating, and easy to work with (thank you to Greg for thinking outside the box with us to deliver a true bbq experience), they were also personable and well-received by all. I can't recommended them enough, it was one of the highlights of our weekend. read more

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Great barbecue. I'm not from the tc area but stumbled into this place. I have spent a lot of time in the south and know proper BBQ. This is LEGIT food. If you're in the area I would highly recommend. read more

Cordwood Barbecue - Cordwood menu - Food Trucks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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Cordwood BBQ will give you FANTASTIC food in an authentic, fun-loving atmoshpere. Zane in the window made our day with witty, friendly banter. My husband said the What-What brisket sandwich was mouth-watering. Portion sizes are generous. I'm a vegetarian and was shocked that there were multiple options for me on the menu. The Tempeh Tacos were great! read more

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From being someone that is out of town when you ask if things are spicy maybe the answer should be yes, if someone who don't mind spice says "they have a bite to them" could that mean YES they are spicy Cowboy beans are normally pinto beans with meat and are on the sweeter side. I also wonder why bread is served if you don't have butter or anything to put on a plain slice of bread. I paid 15$ for my meal & drink but still walked away hungry. The chicken did have a good flavor. read more

If you eat meat it's good. If you don't eat meat there is a good plantain sandwich which is a pretty great concession for a food truck dedicated to barbecue. read more

Amazing food and amazing people. Everything this truck sends out is made with love, and you can tell by how it tastes. My boyfriend got the pork tacos and after one bite he was already planning our next visit! read more

They catered our wedding reception last night and couldn't have been any better. The drinks, appetizer, bbq and sides were great. The staff were polite and very. read more

Cordwood BBQ catered our August outdoor wedding in Michigan. First and most importantly, the food was amazing. Awesome food that you WANT to eat at a wedding, no rubber chicken allowed. The owner, Greg, was super responsive and worked with us to create a menu and answered ALL of my many questions promptly (and I had a lot). The kiddos (adults too) especially loved the cornbread and hoarded pieces of it. Our weather took a turn for "downpour" and his team took it in stride - they even caught that our cards and gifts were outside, which no one noticed, and moved them all for us when no one was looking! We also had many vegetarians at our wedding, and it was perfect that all the sides were veggie or vegan (they were as yummy as the meats). The Korean tofu main course (sub for meat) was AWESOME, I eat meat and I would eat this for a main course any time! The best part of all is that when we're back in the Traverse City area, we can stop by Little Fleet and relive our wedding memories. Would highly recommend Cordwood for any catering needs, wedding or otherwise! read more