Food was great and fantastic sauces. It's worth the drive from the Twin Cities. I'll be going back any time I pass through Rochester

My wife and I drove down to Rochester, MN to see some relatives and we decided to get take-out barbeque for everybody. We ordered a pound of pork and a pound of brisket and 3 sides. Okra stew, green beans and baked beans. We got the spicy BBQ and the mild BBQ sauce. The spicy actually had a good kick to it. I wouldn't like it much hotter I don't think. The brisket was a pretty thick slice and maybe a tad too fatty, but it was good with the sauce and I brought along some taco shells to put it into. The pork was pretty good, I have had better, but it was good. I think if I had it in the restaurant it would probably be a little better. The baked beans were fantastic, I could tell they weren't straight from a can, the only thing that could help was some hunks of meat. The okra stew was wonderful, not slimy at all, but I am a big okra fan. The green beans were solid and I thought the sides almost beat out the meat. $56 for everything, which wasn't terrible, I have seen worse and we were a hit at the party with a nice lunch for 4 adults. We also brought some Hawaii rolls for people to make sliders, which people seemed to like. read more

Great food! We've been coming here for decades and will every time we are close. The service is warm and knowledgeable.

Drove down to Rochester from the Twin Cites to go to my favorite BBQ joint today. Ordered a rib dinner at 11 AM. The ribs were so dried out that they were almost not edible. That was very disappointing because the place just opened and I was hopeful that I would get the typical fantastic, juicy smoked meal. typically I'm able to save half of the order the bring home and heat up for another meal - but these were so dried out that I tried to chew through the nastiness with the help of the fantastic sauce but I still left two of the charred tiny ribs on the plate because I couldn't stomach them. The service was great as it always is so I left a generous tip (it wasn't her fault). I'm very disappointed that they chose to serve me a plate that was clearly left over from the previous evening. Please do better! read more

I have been dreaming about coming back to this place. I live in St.Paul so it was a nice drive but when we seen it, me and ***My Husband*** we had no choice we went in sat down ordered our food. It came out fast and it tasted amazing. The customer service was amazing. The atmosphere was great, but the food was A+++++++++++++ and wow the sauces were on POINT! read more

I always get the ham plate is always tender and tasty fries always taste like they were cooked just for me

We had John hardys cater for our wedding and we couldn't have been more pleased. I grew up getting John Hardys for take out and have fond memories but it was even more great for our wedding because Mike was incredibly easy to work with, its a good price compared to other cater companies and the food was a hit! They don't serve their JOJO potatoes for catering which was a bummer for us, but the baked potatoes were well liked by all the guests! Great experience for a large crowd and the food was great (even as left overs too!) read more

I'm surprised that the ratings for John Hardy's are so low to be honest. The food is consistently exactly as I expect which is slightly greasy yet delicious barbeque. I will say that the service can be slow at times especially when it gets busy. They can be short staffed and some people may get frustrated by this. As far as the food goes, you can almost taste the pictures people have posted to Yelp. What you see is what you get. 4/5 stars. read more

When I moved to Minnesota over 19 years ago, being from Texas, I didn't expect to find good southern BBQ. Then my wife introduced me to John Hardy's, and we've been regulars ever since. It's SO good, the brisket has a beautiful smoke ring, the ribs are excellent and so are all the other menu items. I love the garlic bread they serve while you wait. The service is always good, the restaurant is always clean, and I leave there stuffed and without hurting the wallet. It's a Rochester gem - if you haven't been, get there quick! read more

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Came back to the Southside location for the first time since 2018, and my experience didn't capture the essence of my previous memories of the bbq. Whilst the service and hospitality were great per usual it was also not as packed (there was only one other table). I ordered the 1/2 pound brisket and whilst it was smoky in flavor as I remembered it was also more fatty than most people would enjoy. Whilst I enjoyed it I couldn't eat 30% of it. Got the fries and the baked beans as my sides. Fries were good and not overly seasoned but the baked beans were sweeter than usual. Ambience was laid back due to the lack of people and of music... everything was clean and the exterior and interior fit the food and preserves the memory of John Hardy. Overall this place is as good as bbq can get in Rochester, but overall a amelioration towards consistency is needed. read more

By far one of my favorite places to eat in Rochester , always good , the pulled pork is to die for and service is always great. read more

John Hardy's Bar-B-Q - Brisket, pulled pork and ribs special. - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

This was the absolute worst restaurant we ate at in Rochester, Minnesota. Everything was served cold. The restaurant was cold. Granted its winter but you would think the restaurant would be warm. Nope. The food was over cooked, greasy, the bbq items tasted of lighter fluid, the baked potatoes we old, they looked and tasted like they were day old, they were so cold that the frozen package butter wouldn't melt. the sides belong in a pig trough disgusting. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone under any circumstance. As we were leaving this establishment, the heavyset cashier was on the phone taking another compliant. He/Him/their choice told the person on the phone to call back and speak with the manager. I guess it wasn't just us this night. Poor service all around. Hope this helps anyone looking for BBQ and what not to eat. read more

John Hardy's Bar-B-Q - Combo Meal, sliced ham, pork sausage, green beans, baked potatoe, sour crean, frozen butter. Everything was cold. Everything! - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

Really great wings and coleslaw. Hubs liked brisket sandwich and crinkle cut fries. I'll try the Jojos next time. We will be back! Sauce is spicy yet strong sweet spices. Not sure I care for it. Had the medium. read more

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Last time we went here it was very good. This time portions were good but The flavor was not there. Everything was kind of bland. Would I go back? I'm not sure. There's a lot of other places to try read more

John Hardy's Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

Consistently great food and service! Parking can be a bit tough when busy. Highly recommended! read more

The Hardy's Nachos are piled high and absolutely delicious! I chose to get brisket on my order. The heat from the spicy cheese sauce, onions, and jalapeños was a great combination. I was a bit disappeared that there's no cornbread on the menu. Also, no desserts either. I'd still come back again to try other menu items. read more

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Service was awesome, he was a one man show! The food not so much, we should have left when they set doughy wet garlic bread on the table.

the worse bbq ever had , waste of 27 dollars food Unfinished , only good thing was our service from the server older women

Lots of idiots with no appreciation for reasonable bbq. This place has very good basics.

The food was amazing and really friendly staff. It was a ton of food so come hungry or plan on taking it home. The smoke flavor really comes through but is not over powering. Only tried the mild and medium sauces but they were great. Can't imagine what the higher end of the scale would be like! I figured it was a good sign when the parking lot was busy at 2pm and they certainly did not dissapoint. read more

Unsanitary and the workers have no motivation to serve you quickly. The man serving the meat in the kitchen just finger fu**s your food. No gloves. read more

Had the Hot Link and Pulled Pork Sandwich. It was the February special and I'm glad I got it. Savory pulled pork topped off with a buttery-smoked kielbasa link nestled between two pillowy buns. I had fries and fried okra (can't take the Southern out of me). The okra is fantastic. Laura was my server and did a wonderful job. A tip on the hot sauce...The hot in my opinion is mild to medium in strength and I can understand why a restaurant would under state the strength for safety. read more

John Hardy's Bar-B-Q - Great special for February 2019 - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

Phenomenal. Loved their hottest sauce, still upset I didn't buy a bottle while I was there.

This is as good as it gets. If you were in Rochester and want some authentic Southern barbecue, this is the place. John started this restaurant in the 1970s or 1980s. He is gone, but his restaurant lives on. Think vinegar and mustard with as much heat as you can take. This is a real Rochester treat. Don't miss it. I read a few reviews that mentioned cold jo jo potatoes. That has not been my experience, (keep in mind that they serve a lot of meals so once in a blue moon something like that might happen). but if that happened to me, I would immediately mention it. These folks are focused on customer service. Easy Peasy. read more

Fantastic ribs and brisket. Just passing through and we thought we would give them a try. If ever passing through here again will definitely stop here again! read more

We were highly disappointed. For $30 we got more fries than meat. Only had two sauces on our table but their bottles listed atleast 7 flavors. Once our waiter dropped off our food, we never saw him again so we couldn't ask for anymore sauces and the ones we used messed up the flavor of our food. I couldn't believe the amount of meat in my sandwich.....couldn't even see the meat as the sandwich was more bread than the sandwich. I should have paid a kids meal price than $10.99 honestly read more

John Hardy's Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

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Man this place has gone down hill. Everything we had tonight was dried out. Ordered a to go order late in the day it was bad .... 18 Chicken wings -- we ate 4 and threw the rest. Pulled pork --- are maybe half. Potatoes were meh. The Ribs we actually ate as they were the only thing not dried out and sour. UPDATE. Ownership reached out and comped the bad meal with a gift card. I used it at the North store and had a good meal. read more

This restaurant is a childhood favorite of my bf's, however if you are looking for good bbq this is not the place to go. The food is dry and unseasoned and it was lukewarm. This place prides itself on continuing Southern bbq like the original owner, but I'm from the south and this doesn't even touch what good southern bbq is. The only saving grace was that the staff were nice. read more

This is by far was the worst barbecue that I have ever had. Their meat was not even salted or seasoned or nor did they have any smoke flavor to it. We ordered the combo meal with two choice of meat and a side and potato. We chose beef brisket, rib, and jojo with baked bean along with extra side of coleslaw. Jojo was nice and crispy but lacked salt. They could of and should of season with salt or some kind of bbq seasoning. As for the coleslaw and baked bean, the baked beans tasted like it was straight out of a can and coleslaw tasted like it was straight out of a tub premade. This place lacked in favor. The bread tasted like it was microwaved with butter. Over all we probably won't be coming back to this place. I gave place a one star because of the waiter who served us. He was prompt in serving us. read more

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5 years ago I would have given this place 5 stars and it would have been on a very short list of local restaurants I would sorely miss had I relocated anywhere else. Now - the portions seem out of wack. When you get your plate (beef, pork, etc), it looks like a ton of food (which it is), but 80-90% of the food is undercooked Jojo potatoes that is cleverly hidden under your choice of meat giving the allusion that there is more meat than in actuality. They do weigh their meat, so I don't know how much room I have to complain. The ribs have been charred, dry, and grisly. The garlic bread used to be amazing and my table would often times ask for seconds. Now, we don't even touch it. It is completely soaked in butter, a soggy mess. Just looking at it could give you health problems. Just put less butter on it and it would be fine again. Some positives... The baked beans are great. They put shredded meat with them and it tastes good. I used to love to dip the garlic bread in them before they were a soggy mess. If you specifically ask for crispy jojos they will usually come out that way instead of being undercooked by default. The sauces are great in my opinion. I opt for mild; their hottest sauce will leave you physically sweating! Some people like that. The service is friendly and the food comes out quick. For this reason alone, I continue to come here on ocassion, though the visits have become less and less frequent. read more

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Mediocre food. I've tried it 3 times and despite the raving, I'm just not impressed. Garlic bread is basic, kind of warmed, just tastes like garlic powder mixed with butter. The meat is okay, but nothing I look forward to going back for. Brisket is dry, ham isn't that flavorful, and the chicken is nothing special. Sauces are just okay too. Better flavor out of store bought sauces like Stubbs. The hot sauce is actually spicy, but it's sort of hot for the sake of being hot instead of really tasty spicy. Also, the last order I got for take out didn't come with any silverware or napkins. In this pandemic times, the partner and I got take out to go eat in a park... got there and realized we couldn't eat our food because no utensils. Won't be going back. read more

The food was fantastic I had the pork and beef over John Hardy's potatoes. The sauces and food was excellent

John Hardy's BBQ is a great dive BBQ joint! The ambience is perfect for a BBQ place, rough around the edges. The meat is smoked with apple and cherry woods, and is tender. I ordered the three-ounce, two meat choice plate for 8.99. You get a choice of potato with that and any one of a number of sides from fried okra to black-eyed peas. The turkey and pork I chose were both flavorful and didn't come smothered in BBQ sauce; you get to pick your own. The Jo Jo's are really thinly sliced deep fried potatoes, the black-eyed peas were flavorful, fried okra was so-so. I would go back here in a heart beat! read more

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I'm a big fan of Bar-B Q and I can differentiate between the different regions. The sauce at John Hardy's is very similar to Sticky LIps up in Rochester, NY (http://www.yelp.com/biz/sticky-lips-pit-bbq-rochester-2) and so are a lot of the meats and side dishes. It makes sense, because John Hardy was originally from Buffalo, NY (about 45minutes drive). Basically, its a North Carolina style sauce (dipping) with more vinegar and different levels of heat/spice. For meats, we tried the pork, ribs, and beef. We enjoyed the pork and ribs, but we didn't like the beef. We are accustomed to brisket and the beef was more of a deli style roast beef. The ribs could be smoked a little longer to help break down the collagen, but tasty overall. The pulled pork was a tad dry, but worked really well with the sauce. For sides, we ordered French Fries, Fried Okra, JoJo's, and Mac Salad. Amazing okra, good fries, decent salad (too much mayo), and horrible JoJo's. Our JoJo's were cold and soggy. They may be great if served warm and crisp, but the one's served to us were completely inedible. Also, they bring garlic bread to the table and they didn't charge extra for a second portion (I used it to make a sandwich with my pork). The ambiance is kinda odd. Inside it is dark and could get really noisy/crowded. You seat yourself anywhere. None of the waiters told us this and we actually stood there till another patron told us to just sit where we liked. It feels like it should be an outside joint. However, they only have three tables outside and the seating is really close to the busy/noisy street. I really was excited to try this place and I hate giving it three stars. We typically really like restaurants similar to this. However, overall, we've been to better places and it was pretty much on the same level as Buddy's Bar-B-Q or Famous Dave's. We'll be back when we crave Bar-B Q or it is too cold to cook it ourselves, but it's not a place that we'll frequent often. We'd order the pulled pork or ribs anytime. We'd like to try their Hot Wing and quarter chicken. We'll avoid the Beef and the JoJo's. read more

John Hardy's Bar-B-Q - Beef sandwich plate with cold and soggy JoJos. Side of Mayo (Mac) Salad. - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

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From out of town and found this place driving by. My husband doesn't like bbq but this place was really good with a nice selection of meat other than just beef and pork. Try the jojo potatoes they were good! They Also had the absolute best fried okra I've ever had! Wait staff was super sweet and kind. Would go there again for sure! read more

John Hardy's Bar-B-Q - Shredded pork, brisket, jojo potatoes and fried okra! - Barbeque Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

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Good BBQ large portions fast service all in all a great experience would go there again.

On 2 separate occasions I have received undercooked meat at this location. First time I was dining in and got beef that was nearly completely raw,Cold to the touch. This was near closing so my sever was not at all interested in helping me with this issue. The second time was a little more troubling as it was chicken, but luckily it was a take out order so I was able to finish cooking them. I do recommend the north location though, I have had nothing but good experiences There. read more

Good, cheap BBQ. It's not fancy and the staff doesnt treat you like you're fancy either. My only gripe was you didn't get a lot of meat for your money. You got a pile of food, sure, but most of it was the fries. I would gladly pay a bit more for more BBQ and less potato. read more

I've been frequenting John Hardy's BBQ since the late 70's and have always had incredible meals. Pork plate with JoJo's (medium sauce over all) and BBQ beans. I've travelled the entire US and tried many BBQ joints from Texas to Tennessee to Kansas City to North Carolina. Always got to John Hardy's when I come home for a visit...sometimes twice in 1 day! read more

I looove BBQ- real smokehouse BBQ! So I was looking forward to this dinner 5 stars service 5+ stars ribs- absolutely the best!!! 5 stars prices 3 stars sauce 1 star the potato slices- wish I had gotten the crinkled fries- 2 stars pulled pork- mushy watery tasting bland 2 stars garlic bread- 1 star for being out of brisket at 5:00 Small small place- filled up super fast read more