Ate here last week. I had the Big Joe Plate, rice & gravy, and greens. Came with an onion ring too. Great food and with a South Carolina flair. I am so glad I found this place. This is not a franchise! It is pure local BBQ. Service was fast and food fresh. read more

Serviced hot and fresh. Catfish tasty, fried are crispy. Staff is friendly. A small family friendly restaurant, They do offer delivery via Uber Eats, read more

Joe Bessinger's BBQ - 2 Piece Catfish Plate - Barbeque Near Me - Summerville, South Carolina

Always a favorite of ours. Everyone is so friendly and the food is always hot and fresh. Their burgers are great, and worth the money. Their coleslaw is so good. Minced and sweetened. My favorite is the fried pork chops and Hamburger steak. Very good prices. Definitely don't pass this place up. It's REALLY good ! Oh and if you want SWEET TEA.. it's great but Very sweet! read more

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I grew up in Charleston SC, lived almost 20 yrs in Kansas City and recently moved from Austin TX, which means my BBQ knowledge is fairly extensive. I inevitably get the question "who has the best BBQ?" to which my response is always any state can have great or poor BBQ these days. That leads me to writing a review of Joe Bessinger's in Summerville SC. Located in a fairly easy location to access in Summerville, with plenty of parking Bessinger's has an extremely modest exterior. The outside has a basic facade, beckoning the weary traveler inside; heck they even have two rocking chairs! Inside continues the downhome motif, simple red booths, tiled floors and loud red walls. There a few condiment stations littered about to address your food orders then there's the checkout line. Easy to read menus are above the staff with a window into the kitchen. I found the ladies were extremely friendly and quick to fulfill the order. Let's mosey onto the food, the real star shall we? I'll start off with the sides. First up, I've been craving REAL onion rings for some time. I've had it with the prefrozen, fast food garbage and wanted the real deal. Bessinger's rings are a step above but I admit, they had way too much breading to onion ratio. A lot of mustard Q sauce made me forget that indiscretion. Another item I've been craving for years is hash. Well again I believe it was an average effort. I didn't detect much meat, rather a lot more filler veggies than an assortment of meats. This affects the flavor as texture tricks the mind; an example is spaghetti & macaroni noodles, same ingredients but hits the mouth different. Back to the point, the hash left me craving - hash. That said the rice was really good and if the meat volume was increased this would have been a "winner winner hash dinner." I got a pork rib and it was pretty tough as in I wasn't expecting so much resistance when biting down and pulling away. Moreover, I didn't taste much smoke however it was a meaty rib. I left being a bit disappointed, considering I literally just had BBQ twice in Texas within the last two months and the ribs; spare and babyback. As for the pulled pork sandwich - pure bliss. The pork was moist and flavorful while having the perfect amount of meat piled high on a soft bun. That and I love the BBQ sauce. This sandwich is worth its weight in gold! In summary, I went to another Bessingers growing up. Once a month my dad and I would stop in and get a BBQ sandwich and onion rings on the way to the lake. These memories have stuck with me and while the onion rings are a tad off, the sandwich is exactly what I remember which brought a smile to my face. I have a feeling my nitpicking might have caught them on an off day so I'll be hitting the restaurant again. The sandwich is good enough for the sins of the masses! read more

Joe Bessinger's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Summerville, South Carolina

The review says it needs 85 characters, so I will provide the fill, but, my whole review can be summarized as: meh (I did like the hot sausage in the trio tho) read more

Who can talk bad about barbecue? We were starving so we stopped in for a quick bite. Nothing like their signature mustard sauce and that delicious pork butt to put a smile on any man's face! The onion rings were like always amazing with a nice sweet taste. You can't go wrong with barbecue it is a southern tradition and bessingers has that figured out! read more

I don't know what happened here in the last year , but they are routinely out of items , I would stop by for a burger basket and could count on hot fresh fries ... no more ! Last time the fries were limp and old wilted from setting under a heat lamp. !! Joe would be ashamed. !! read more

Great food. Reasonable prices. Staff is wonderful.. Love their catfish. Servings are big. Their pulled. Pork is great too.

service is terrible they no longer have fresh french fries (frozen) and they are awful read more

Food was hot and plentiful! The young lady taking my order was very nice and accommodating after asking for extra sauce

This location is a little bit out of the way, but the food is yummy. They have bbq, club sandwiches, salads, onion rings, etc. There are plenty if options for everyone. You can sit down to eat inside, but they also have a drive-thru. I love their club sandwich & bbq sandwich, plus their onion rings are delicious. It is a little old school & not fast food, so you might have to wait a minute, but it is usually worth the wait. read more

Joe Bessinger's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Summerville, South Carolina

Basically you're paying $20 for a sandwich with barely any barbecue on it. The servers don't know what they're doing half the time and one day the food might taste OK in the next day it's off.!! And they consistently mess up my order every time I go through there, I won't be back!! read more

I have had down right poor service the last two days in a row. This has always been a favorite for my family but I will not be down right disrespected two days in a row by separate people. I always gave people the benefit of the doubt. People have bad days. These employees are disgruntled. read more

The best bar-b-que, we love going there for a sandwich. We have been going there for years. I highly recommend going there, great service & delicious food!! read more

Wow. This is the best plate lunch Barbecue you will ever get in Goose Creek and North Charleston. The tastiness of their plates are matched way above the price. The fancy plates everywhere else come dry and make you thirst for beer or tea or water. Not this place. They obviously have specialized the menu. I had the BIG Joe plate and ate all day for $12. I will mention the Hamburger steak plate at $11 gravy slamming packed with caramelized onions. They even put the gravy on the side at request. Don't expect to get to go items right away in the drive through. They respectfully will make your hamburger pork chops and anything they hasn't been on the BBQ as you order it. Anything that takes time will be ready and delicious. The Cold slaw is amazing. My only gripe is the rice and hash was bland so I had to spice it up. I would recommend putting collards on the menu but that may take away from the production and I respect lest choices when the choices I make are always delicious and satisfying. read more

The last time we visited SC, we didn't get around to going to this place (although we did buy their sauce to take home). My girlfriend has told me for three years now this is her favorite BBQ. I'm really glad I got to try it in their restaurant and not just the sauce I was able to bring home last time. I had gotten the Big Joe sandwich basket. I definitely enjoyed it. Everything was delicious and fresh. The breading on the onion ring was everything though. I hate onions and I'd eat like 10 of those by myself. However, knowing now how delicious the rice and hash actually is, the only thing I would change would be that I would get the Big Joe plate just for the hash alone! read more

Joe Bessinger's BBQ - Lil Joe plate (rice and hash, onion ring, pulled pork, and onion ring) - Barbeque Near Me - Summerville, South Carolina

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It's sad this is the only BBQ option in the area, they must rely on that to stay open. Some of the blandest food I've ever tasted, zero flavor from a limited menu. Sides are lacking in options, they'll load you up on hash and rice though... triple the amount of bbq you're given. Lady taking our order didn't know where she was. Leaks in the ceiling and dining area. Somebody put this hog out of its misery. read more

Great BBQ and fair price. I been a customer for several years and the quality and consistency of the food remains the same.

Excellent affordable meal. BBQ Tray with two sides and a tea. Food was excellent, service was friendly. I will return to support local SC Grown and prepared food. read more

Joe Bessinger's BBQ - Eating area resting bench - Barbeque Near Me - Summerville, South Carolina

I have enjoyed Bessinger's before but today there was a sign outside indicating dine in hours were 11:00-3:00. The drive thru was to be open until 9:00. It was 1:15 and the doors were locked. Not sure when or if I will be back. read more

Love this place! Food is great, staff is friendly and my order is always accurate. One of my favorite places to eat!

you better check your bag before you leave this place. They shorted my order and I didn't realize it till I got home. When I went back, they never apologized for not having my order right they actually look disappointed that I came back to get what I had already paid for. i'll never spend another dollar there read more

Best BBQ pork plate in Charleston!! Big Joe plate came with onion ring cooked perfectly, a delicious grilled rib, coleslaw, and amazing barbecue. Hash and rice outstanding, read more

Simple mustardish based SC BBQ. Sweet. Very sweet. Could use a bit more tang, like Maurice's in Columbia. Good quality meat, but the hash (filled with potatoes) leaves a lot to be desired. Very very sweet. read more

Pretty good place to get a cheeseburger and their hash and rice is pretty tasty. I'm not a fan of mustard based BBQ, but to each their own. That being said, I do come here often for their cheeseburger. It's nothing super special, but it's just an all around good and fresh burger. Everything is reasonably priced and it's always hot. Restaurant is usually kept pretty clean by employees who frequently walk around to tidy up. read more

Joe Bessinger's BBQ - Cheeseburger - all the way. - Barbeque Near Me - Summerville, South Carolina

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My favorite BBQ in Charleston. The little joe basket with Carolina mustard BBQ sauce is so delicious. If you like onion rings do yourself a favor and order these because after you have the one that comes with fries you will want more these are so yummm! read more

Something is right when a toddler remains quiet focusing on enjoying two ribs. Also ordered 1/2 lb of delicious bbq.

First and last time. The onions ring where nothing but breading. The hush puppies tasted like the frozen ones you buy at Publix. The barbecue tasted like it was couple days old. The one rib I got was all fat and looked like it was cooked in pressure cooker. Definitely a disappointment!!!!!!!! read more

Excellent BBQ (see my best bbq list for the winner's of the Charleston Metro) and excellent Mustard-based Sauce - hands-down. Juicy and delicious, nice mix of smoke w/o being overpowering, and the sauce is a perfect balance of sharp and sweet. The ribs were a little too smoky, but they were still good - I have no problem w/ fat. though. Ribs were the only thing keeping this from 5 stars - place is a bit of a one-trick pony so far as que is concerned. Granted, that pony flies and never gets tired so who cares? Onion rings are of the giant, dessert-cake-like-consistency. The service is OUTSTANDING! Everyone was so darn nice, I just wanted to hug them all. The owner takes his relationship w/ Christ seriously - it's not just a plaque on the wall. Best of all was the small price tag. The most expensive dish on the menu was about $9. One of the best restaurants you'd never hear about in the Charleston food magazines though it's been there 50 years and the locals love it. (Edit - only reason this one keeps sliding down the scale is I find new places and want to keep some kind of a sliding scale with it's own type of fare) read more

Oh, man. The Bessinger's BBQ sauce puts up a mean fight against my native Texas BBQ. And the winner is...Bessinger's without a doubt! Wonderful little restaurant off College Park Ave - complete with a porch and rocking chairs (!!!) I had the Little Joe's Plate (Under $9), which really ended up being 2 meals for this li'l girl. Came with: -A nice serving of pork BBQ (and all of that homemade Bessinger's sauce, yum!) -Something I'd never heard of called hash. Turns out, hash is REALLY delicious and I want to eat it all the time now. Really not sure what it is, other than potatoes and seasonings. They serve it on top of white rice. -Coleslaw (you can substitute it for potato salad or other sides) -Giant onion ring unlike I've ever had! Tasted like a funnel cake. Southern heaven. -Buttery roll for making a cute little BBQ sandwich. Chatted it up with the super sweet lady who took my order (the owner??) which of course enhanced my experience. Gotta love that Charleston Southern hospitality!! read more

I read some of the great Yelp reviews and thought I'd give it a try (since I moved here recently). What a disappointment. The notorious onion rings were nothing but tasteless excessive batter. While the pulled pork was good, the bun was soggy. And each time I wanted an ice tea refill, I had to wait in line to get it from a server. The service staff was friendly and helpful and the atmosphere was overall nice. But this place has no pride in their food. I felt the owners use cheap ingredients. They don't even provide a plate or basket. If you are looking for quality, homemade like BBQ food, this is not the place. read more

Pretty good place. Gave 4 stars because you cant sub anything. Cant trade frys for fried okra or the other way around. Brought out food out to the table. read more

Saw this place in a food show and liked the way they prepared and served their pulled pork. Unfortunately that is not the way it was presented today. The sauce is good but steals all of the thunder from the pork. And to me the sauce should just be a supporting player. It didn't seem fresh. The onion rings were on point. The beans and fries were nothing to write home about. My meal came with a rib and it was good. That was probably the freshest thing on the plate. The sauce is just a little too sweet and needs to be served in the side. Good, but not great. read more

I was here a month ago at closing and maybe that accounts for the low rating but either way, my food wasn't good. The hush puppies is what kept them from a one star. They were greasy but quite tasty. Reminded me of hush puppies from my southern childhood. I had ribs and I was so very disappointed. They were so chewy my jaw started to hurt after attempting to devour the first rib. The sauce had good flavor but the ribs were awful. I threw the rest of my meal out. It was a wasted $20 bucks. read more

Stopped of for lunch at Bessingers. I enjoyed it. Nice place, comfy and clean. Good food at real good prices!

Sweet and sultry Carolina BBQ. I loved it. A little out of the way place (you can find it using a GPS) great staff and the cooks are awesome. I had the Big Joe Plate. Big portion of hash and rice, ribs, pulled pork and slaw. All very tasty, very tender and not mushy. The sauce was tangy which is a nice change from the sweet, smokey BBQ in KC. Definitely a winner! read more

Recently started a new job down the street. Been driving past it for a few weeks, and been wanting some good bbq for a while, Decided to take my wife there the other night, so we could try it togefher. Reasonable parking, and a clean, inviting curb appeal. Walked in, and really liked the decor. The inside of the restaurant was also clean, and inviting. I expected a mask policy,, which I don't agree with,, but thought it strange than none of the kit hen help had on a mask.We explained that we had never been in before, and the lady at the counter was very pleasant, and went out of her way to explain the menu, and specials. Great service. But, when the food hit the table, the s*it hit the fan. I'm originally from the upstate of SC, and cannot comprehend the concept of any bbq not being smoked. This is a sin a lot of other "bbq restaurants" in the Charleston area seem to commit. If it don't smell like smoke in the restaurant, the bbq ain't gonna be fire. They brought out my wife's plate in a to go box, and mine on a plate, because they, "got confused whether it was a dine-in order." There was one other table filled in the place, and they had been served, when we walked in. Not the end of the world. We probably weren't going to finish it all anyway, because the portions were pretty generous. Didn't have a problem paying $31 for the amount of food we got. I did have a problem with only pulled pork, or ribs, in a "bbq restaurant". No brisket? No bbq chicken? No mac "n cheese? NO SMOKE? Instead, the bbq portion of the menu board seemed like an after thought. The food was a decent warm. Although the ribs were sauced with, apparently, the only sauce in the kitchen, (what terrible bbq place doesn't have at least 2?), I didn't think he sauce was bad. But, I swear, there was ZERO flavor in the meat, other than stale refrigerator, at the bone. The cole slaw was dry cabbage, and tasted like black pepper. The rice was flavorless without the "hash". The hash tasted mostly like it should have, but it was watery, with no texture. The famous onion ring was pretty good, but mine had a piece of onion skin in it, that I couldn't chew through. It felt like a bandaid. Overall, the food was just flat out terrible. Never ate a bbq plate I didn't finish, until that one. I hear the burgers are good, but I can get a good burger anywhere. Not much reason to return, and I won't miss it. read more

I am a BBQ fan and have ate here many times. I like the Bessinger style BBQ every once and a while. I had full plans of visiting Joe Bessinger's BBQ today 03/06/2021, but they would not answer the phone. It is 3:00pm, so it should not be a rush time for food. I called multiple times and for a business not to answer the phone is ridiculous. The web site suggests the dining area is not open, but wanted to verify this before taking the 20 mile drive to get food. If you don't answer the phone apparently you don't want to serve me. I will buy from somewhere else. The food is good, but not going to have any today! read more

Foods good. Just slow. Been waiting 45 minutes for a catfish dinner and some greens. At least I knkw.ots fresh. Staff service varies from visit to visit. Some times its friendly other times these ladies mean business and got no time for gibber jabber read more

Go here all the time, love getting a lil Joe Basket! This is a family owned business and they have been there for a long time. Everyone is friendly and we always look forward to our next visit. read more

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