Great experience for first time having St. Louis style BBQ ribs. Very fast service. Had the 1/3…read morerack, baked beans, and German potato salad. The ribs were big and very meaty. Dry rub and smoked to perfection without being overly smoky. I didn't even bother with any of the four varieties of BBQ sauce on the table. The German potato salad was served warm and had a hint of vinegar that complimented the ribs perfectly. The baked beans were thick and slightly smoky with bits of brisket mixed in.

Well, first of all if you do come here , stick to bbq. I've been here several times over the years…read moreand had previously enjoyed their ribs. The restaurant has a hillbilly vibe and specializes in what can best be described as Ozark-style Bbq. Like many places in Missouri and Arkansas, bbq and catfish are often featured in the same restaurant and both are often delicious . Not here, I made the mistake of ordering the Friday catfish special and it was one of the sorriest catfish dinners I've ever had. The fish was rubbery and very salty and appeared to be a foreign import. Terrible! The saving grace here was the pleasant service from the saucy young lady who attended me and a nice menu of beers and desserts, many of which sell out early.

Good BBQ sandwich. The worst catfish I've ever had…read more The fired pickles were overly battered and fried. Onion rings were good. Service was good.

Great restaurant! Waitress was nice and the catfish sandwich and fries were good. Great iced tea!read more

I always get the pork bbq sandwich with Apple City Red sauce and coleslaw…read more Really like the vinegar slaw on occasion. I almost always call it in and pick it up at drive through and they always get it right.

Great food and service! Always try to get something different each time we go and their "magic dust…read more" is amazing on everything that they have! And fresh pork rinds are incredible!

What a great hidden gem. The appearance is deceiving as you drive in, but the interior is…read moredelightful. The service was wonderful and fast. The helpings were plentiful and filling.

Interior is fun, clean, well done. Service was prompt and friendly…read more We got the 2 meat combo with ribs and sausage. The meats were good, though nothing to really write home about. Nice smoked flavor with the ribs, which were done dry. The meat did not fall off the bone though, the way I typically like my ribs. Added BBQ sauce, which was on the table. Sausage is kielbasa style. No complaints but also not spectacular. The best part might have been the bun, which tasted like it was fried in butter. Yum! We also got the following sides: Mac n cheese, cole slaw, potato salad, baked beans. They tasted fine, but like they were bought from a store. But it's a fun place and great place to take kids. Pretty lake out back and really nice garden setup outside.

Stopped in for nachos the other day, hadn't had them in years. They used to be one of my favorite…read morethings. Guess they have changed how they make them, like forgetting to put much meat on there. If you are wanting lots of beans, some cheese and bbq sauce and chips then these are the nachos for you!! What a huge disappointment!!! I'm hoping the sandwiches haven't changed also but won't order the nachos again.

I'm not from that part of the country and was driving through Poplar Bluff at opening time one…read moreFriday. The reviews were very positive, so I drove a bit out of my way to find Mike & Zack's, which was a bit of a hole in the wall, nearly always a good sign for me. I was the first customer of the day as the door was locked when I tried to enter. Must say I was a bit disappointed. For the pulled pork BBQ sandwich, there was an upgrade to more meat, which I did. I ordered baked beans as my side. Well, the upgrade to large was surprisingly small. The beans came in an extremely small container. There was one choice of sauce, which was OK, but I like a little more kick. Couldn't eat two bites of the sandwich as they were gristle. The decorations with all their awards was impressive. Maybe it was because it was so early in the day, but the bar was set pretty low.

Food was amazing, I love old people, not saying the restaurant was just meant for old people but at…read morethe time we were in there, that was who all was in there, I overheard some good stories, also to mention, the seating was a little weird but wasn't bad by any means, the lady who served us was really open about some of the stores flaws, I got the double bacon cheeseburger and it came out in under 15 minutes from the oven.

Saturday morning and they were packed with more people coming in. We have eaten there before and it…read morewas always good. This time the menu was much smaller with less choices making you think they could handle more people. Long story short we ordered but it took us over 30 minutes to get our breakfast and it was cold. Not really worth eating. Hope it wasn't just the crowd. And as always the waitresses were very nice and working hard as usual.

We stopped for lunch. Had brisket sandwich potato salad and chicken strips. Great food, large…read moreportions and great service. Classic bbq spot. We will stop again when we get down to that area.

We stopped in for a late lunch and had an amazing meal. My husband and I both ordered the full…read morerack of baby back ribs with different sides. There was so much meat on these ribs I could only eat 3 ! My husband loved their Brussel sprouts and green beans. My daughter had the pulled pork sandwich and it had lots of delicious meat on it. Our waitress was very friendly and was very attentive. My only complaint would be that they get bigger butter tubs for their baked potato. They were very tiny tubs with a big potato (had to ask for extra and extra !) if we are this way in future we will definitely stop by again !

My husband and I tried the Taco About a Pizza. Wow, this is one of the best taco pizzas we've had…read more The refried beans sauce is genius. I wish it was served with some queso to dip the crust. The wings were also delicious. We got a 12 piece with two sauces: Nashville hot and hot honey. Blue cheese sauce seems house made with real blue cheese! Next time we want to try the Burn your Face off wing sauce. The restaurant was clean and bright. Only gripe would be the ladies room had half the lights working and was a bit dark. The staff was friendly. Wait staff were quick to refill drinks and checked in on needs. Food was hot, flavorful, and a range of options. Our apps and pizza arrived quickly even though the place was fairly crowded. We are already planning our next trip because we want to try more.

Half of my party are new to the area and we saw really good reviews for this place, so decided to…read moretry it. The staff were very nice, we sat outside to eat and enjoy the view. The food was good, I had the cheesesteak, but all I got on the sandwich was the meat, a very small amount of cheese and no mushrooms. The fries it came with were really good, crispy with a good taste. The sweet tea was very good! If we go again, I'll try a chicken dish, hopefully it will be better!

Popped in for Thurs lunch favoring Pat's with fewer but better ratings and less expensive option in…read moreMurphysboro. First time...so went withh the sampler at $18 and most of their meats are included except the pork steak (makes sense to me since that's usually a separate feature in these parts along with Kentucky). It was three of us and we were given the heads up that the sampler can feed two. Figured we could start with that and order more. The order was a very generous helping of two large rib tips, two pork rib bones, two wing pieces, and pulled chicken, pork, and chopped brisket. Our choice of two sides were slaw and mac & cheese. Three buns were thrown in given the three of us in the party (thanks for the flex). Local bottled Big Muddy root beer is the same $1.50 as the can sodas in the case and it is made with honey and cane sugar. Of the things I tried, I thought the rib tips were excellent - smoked pink and moist - got a meaty piece with only a small piece of cartilage. The chopped brisket isn't my thing - I prefer sliced. My daughter said the ribs were great (figured would be as good as the tips). The wings I believe were smoked too rather than grilled and the taste from the rub/marinade wasn't something I was familiar with. Tender and not dry. Pulled pork and chicken were solid. We still had leftovers - so I'll get my chance to try the ribs and focus on the flavor of the wing. Will have to get the pork steak next time and order plates next time focusing on our faves. Roomy dining area with some tables near the windows. It was getting warm out there so having plenty of indoor seating on a quieter Thursday lunch was welcome over overflow seating outside at the covered picnic tables.

I live in the Midwest, in a small city. Our BBQ places are easy to find: look for a big, shouty…read moresign; the owner's $120,000 extended F250 taking up a space right in front of the door; and an ambiance that includes corrugated steel walls, self-consciously Texas-y lamps over closely huddled booths, and servers all wearing the same hat and shirt. Oh - and the food is usually fine, except no fried okra. Pat's is not in a city. It's outside a small southern Illinois town. Pretty far outside, in fact, which is where true BBQ is supposed to be located. The parking lot is gravel. The only pickups there belong to customers, and their worth is more in the range of $12,000, except to their owners, who use them as trucks. And the sign is a sign. It tells you where you are. Oh, wait - there are BBQ competition trophies in the entryway. Stand and marvel. There are more inside. Marvel more. Because other than these and some pics of family and locals and celebrities I didn't recognize on the walls, that's about it for decoration. Stare at the menu, menu board and signs. Pay attention to the happy person behind the counter when she tells you what they're out of, because the best BBQ places are out of something you want. Note the teasing banter between local customers and the kitchen staff, because everyone knows someone back there. And order. We got the pulled pork plate. My sister got potato salad and green beans. I got the fries. I got the local(?) root beer. They don't do fried okra, but this IS the Midwest. It all came to our table in a reasonable amount of time. The BBQ sauce came in a cup on the side. Ketchup was brought to us. So why only four stars? Everything was perfect, right? And prizewinning? Yeah, but BBQ is personal. Everyone has an opinion. I lived in northern Alabama, which styles itself as BBQ Country. As does Texas and Kansas City and Memphis and everywhere. Pat's, much beloved by regulars for its mild smokiness, juicy juicy soft texture and other features, seemed a bit too mild and even soggy to me. I know - I have no taste. And it was good. Just not five stars great. And not enough sauce in the container, though I could have gotten up to ask for more. And the potato salad was fine and the fries a little too starchy, but only a little. That said, the beans were the wonderful dark green juicy soft salty ones that are too ... wonderful. Get those. The root beer, brewed with honey, y'all, was the best ever. Get that, too. The dessert was what they were out of, dang it! Overall the experience was just great. Someplace to go back to. And you should go there.