In this area there is lots of hoopla over Ridgewood BBQ. Don't get me wrong Ridgewood is very good, but I believe it is overrated and therefore tends to have a long wait time. Pardner's is very good and rarely has a wait. The portions are generous and the BBQ is tasty. I personally like the beans! If you stop by you will notice the customers are almost totally locals, usually a very good sign. If traveling to Pardner's from the Johnson City area BE AWARE! There is a speed camera just before you get to Pardner's. The speed drops to 45 shortly before the camera and they "catch" about 1000 folks a month! read more

Didn't meet my expectations. Ribs were hard and cold. Order a medium rib eye and I got it well done. Food took about 20 minutes to get . I expected more than this. I'm not sure if I'll come back. I do like the location - it is right between Bristol and Johnson City. read more

First off...this barbecue place is NOT CLOSED. It looks as if it has had a recent building renovation, but it is still going strong. We had the pulled pork plate, and have a mixed review of it. I thought the pork was quite good, but a bit on the bland side. The sauces were spectacular though. My wife thought the pork was a tad dry. My feeling there is that while it was not sopping, I expect that they do more of a dry rub thing, and expect customers to put the appropriate amount and type of sauce on it. We had sides of fries, onion rings, potato salad and slaw. All of these were quite good. We also ordered a serving of the fried green tomatoes. The onion rings and tomato slices use the same breading, and over all, a big thumbs up for it. There was plenty of breading on the items, it was very tasty and had a nice crunch, and stuck to the food very solidly. I am no fan of breading that falls off when one cuts a chunk of the food off. I also have to give two thumbs up for the blue cheese dressing that came with the tomatoes. It was made in house, and was full of big chunks of cheese...a real taste treat. There was enough food that I was able to get two more meals out of the "Go" box....Not the cheapest place to eat, but, B+ to A- food quality, and plenty of it. Finally, although the place was not packed, there were several tables with people at them. However, the service was excellent, and very friendly. We get up to that area of Tennessee off and on, and so have put Pardner's on the list of "good places to eat". If one is in the area, I would recommend it, as it is a pretty positive experience, and is right on 11E, so, easy to find. Plenty of parking too. read more

I have only ate breakfast here every year when I go to the Bristol race. You get a ton of food and is priced cheap. The gravy is great likes grandma use to make, biscuits are fluffy and soft. The staff is always great and never much of a wait if at all. Friend says the burgers are great just never ate there other then breakfast. read more

We have always received good service and good food. Large portions and delicious blue cheese dip.

The hamburger steak is good but, it takes a really long time to get it! The service is terrible! Very noisy and you can always see employees standing outside smoking when you pull up! They have a party room downstairs that on the ceiling tiles you can see a ton of mold and filt! My husband says they have the best bbq sauce of anywhere in the country but, everything around the sauce is a decline! read more

Meh. Sliced pork was a bit dry, and not flavorful, then covered in a sweet sauce to hide its flaws. Beans were soupy and in the same sweet sauce. Wouldn't return. Better BBQ to be found in this area. read more

Big disappointment. We saw a big crowd and figured these folks must serve good BBQ. It's good if you like too much sauce and lots of gristle. I'll bet there are better places around. read more

On the road, a family member recommended here for bbq. It was amazing. Portions were big and reasonably priced. A must!!

People love Ridgewood, but when it is full and the close leaving you outside--you might ask WHY?! The original owner of Ridgewood was the family that ran Pardners after they sold it to the Profitts. With a handshake agreement, they could not open another competing BBQ restaurant for 10 years. 10 years later, they opened Pardners. For those who hate it but love Ridgewood, it really isn't all that different. Fries are very similar, blue cheese is almost identical, and the sliced ham (not cured) bbq is very similar. The sauce is a bit milder than Ridgewood. It isn't your pulled pork type bbq, but it is good in its own right. Tea is outstanding. read more

I wanted to like the reopened Pardner's. We were sorely disappointed with the service! We arrived to a half full restaurant at 3:00 pm and still waited for an hour without ever getting our food for four people. While patiently waiting we were told they just had to make the hamburger. More than fifteen minutes later we were told they were fixing the chicken tenders. We left hungry. The waitress could only say, "well it's not my fault." read more

It's one of those things. When you're away you remember it being a lot better than it turns out to be. Nothing wrong with it, just not a light healthy dinner. read more

Pardner's Bar-B-Que - Oh, it's good. - Barbeque Near Me - Piney Flats, Tennessee

So here's the deal. I go to this place because I have a particular fondness for sliced pork barbecue, which is their specialty, and the sweet tea and bleu cheese dressing are TO. DIE. FOR. Try the dressing on their fries (holy crap, it's goooooood). That said, the service here varies depending on who you get, and there is no atmosphere to speak of. Also, they close ridiculously early so if you don't want to eat by 7:00, sometimes 7:30, you're pretty much out of luck. I've had good luck with to-go orders. Side note: For those of you who have had Ridgewood Barbecue, which is just a few miles down the road from Pardner's, this barbecue and sauce are identical. I don't know anyone who can tell the difference. If you don't want to deal with the parking fiasco and shining standards of customer service (note the dripping sarcasm) that Ridgewood offers, go to Pardner's. You won't regret it. read more

We arrived around 5:50 and were seated by 6. We ordered 2 BBQ and fries and our daughter ordered Mac and Cheese. At 6:53, I flagged down the waitress and asked for the check for the drinks because we were going to leave and go to McDonalds. She was very rude and began yelling that it wasn't fast food that it was like every other sit down restaurant. I told her that I have never waited an hour for a sandwich before and that she was right, it was definitely not "fast". She said she was getting her manager that she was tired of people being rude to her today. About 2 minutes later, someone brought out our food minus my daughters side item. The BBQ had a distinct vinegar taste and while close, it's definitely not the same recipe. Hell will freeze over before we go back there. read more

Amazing in every way! Service and food is the best in the tricities! The blue cheese dip is to die for!! read more

Pardner's Bar-B-Que - Blue cheese dip!!!so good!!! - Barbeque Near Me - Piney Flats, Tennessee

One of the most unique barbeque flavors I have ever eaten. Have seen their food truck at Bristol Motor Speedway over the years and finally got a chance to stop by the restaurant. A large interior capable of seating quite a few people. Serving size here is massive! One half of the menu is barbeque and the other side is more grill with steaks and seafood items. We opted to try the barbeque platters with both beef and pork and added the creamy slaw and baked beans as the sides. Slaw was very good. Creamy and sweetened just right. Beans were lighter than most and had a very complementary taste with the rest of the food. Not as loaded with the brown sugar as some others can be. As for the meat, it was very tender and ample portions of both. The sauce is really the flavor here, and is thicker than others. Was very rich with subtle spicing and a smooth bite to it. Never had anything like it and was surprised at how well the meat and sauce blended into each other. Nice place with friendly staff. Glad to find another joint with their own take on an American tradition! read more

I haven't tried Pardner's since it's reopening. My wife and I stopped at 1:00 pm on Wednesday May 23. We walked in the place, and was not greeted and no signs on what to do, be seated or what? We found an empty booth, and sat down. Waited over 10 minutes, finally my wife went back to the cash register desk and ask if we could get service. They said they were short handed. Ok, she brought us two menus and we waited another 10 minutes. A table right beside us, became empty, and a guy sat down, and was waited on very quick, and got his order! Still nobody, came to our table. We finally got up and left. Will not recommend! and will not go back again. read more

So, I will be completely honest and say I don't eat beef or pork, but I have always enjoyed the fries and grilled cheese. We decided to try the "new" Pardner's today. Their were exactly two other tables being used when we arrived. We waited over 30 minutes for our fried pickle app and then the food came two minutes later. My son and husband said they enjoyed the food even though my husband's side came eight minutes after his sandwich. My grilled cheese was awful but the fries were good. The waitress brought our check while we were still eating, which is ok. But, she keep coming to pick up our payment and no one was finished. read more

I used to enjoy eating here. Not any more. Fries were cold, reheated and undercooked and clumped together. I ordered beef sandwich. Had a peculiar taste. There was so much vegetable oil added that you could taste it. Sandwich was medium to cold temp. The place had 5 tables of customers. No reason to have cold food. My husband had the sliced beef brisket. Smoke flavor was ok. You can tell it had been doused with vegetable oil also to try to moistened it back up. We could not finish our food and would not bring it home to the dog. Waitress came back to clear our table reading of cigarette smoke. It was on her hands. At least wash them after smoking before you come to wait on people. Not friendly, looked like she did not want to be there. read more

We saw that they were open under new management so we decided to give it a try. Our waitress was super friendly but unfortunately our food was awful. Everyone at the table didn't like their food. My brother got a steak that had no flavor and was way too over cooked, my mom had the pulled pork sandwich and she didn't like it, and I had a grilled cheese and it wasn't even grilled and my cheese wasn't melted much. read more

If I could give a negative review I would. I can't believe that a place like this will stay open very long. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. The owners and management shouldn't be allowed to call themselves a business. read more

DON'T ORDER THE WATERGATE SALAD. Today I went to Partner's for the first time. Ordered the BBQ pork platter. I was expecting pulled pork, but it was more like sliced lunch meat. Yes, I'm serious. The Mac n cheese was decent. The fries probably would have been really good if they weren't cold. For desert, I ordered the water gate salad. IT HAD FUZZY MOLD GROWING ON IT. I told a waitress and she apologized.. I asked if I would be able to get some sort of discount since they served me moldy food, and the manager said no. Their excuse was that it wasn't moldy, it's just something the pineapple juice does when it separates. IT WAS FUZZY. How is pineapple juice fuzzy? This was the first time in my entire life that I didn't leave a tip at a restaurant. Obviously won't be going back. Oh, and my brother who was with me used their bathroom... He said there was #2 on the seat.. read more

I will NEVER visit Pardner's BBQ again. I'd give zero stars if I could. I booked the event room months ago for Sat. Aug 29 and confirmed the reservation multiple times. I spent a significant amount of time and money to plan my event to include invitations, decorations, games, etc. I traveled 7 hours to be there a week early. I stopped by 5 days before the event to finalize a few details. I visited the room and found the beginnings of an estate sale!! I was told that it would be out by Fri. and everything would be cleaned in time for me to decorate. I was called the next afternoon and told that the owner had rented the room out for a month to an estate sale company - "sorry for the inconvenience." I asked to speak to Management. After waiting all day for a return call (after multiple phone calls) I went to the restaurant. The "solution" provided by Joe (Owner) was a small storage room in the back (suitable for maybe 10 people) with low ceilings and no windows and the guests would have to walk through the estate sale to enter. Or, a tent in the parking lot with some fans? I guess they got a better offer. Our guests were traveling from VA, NC, SC, TN and I had no venue. I am outraged at the unprofessional and uncaring reaction of Pardner's owners at the predicament they created for me. Joe ? and Tyler Burress (Owners) may not be in business for long because they don't keep commitments or care about their customers! read more

Service was SPECTACULAR!! Sweetest mother and daughter serving us! I would definitely recommend!

I saw that Pardner's had re - opened and I wanted to give it a try . After seeing the reviews I actually changed my mind . I had told my family to meet there and was trying to do a change of plans but all failed and we ended up at Pardner's . From appetizers to the different meals we ordered everything was amazing !!! Maybe we picked a good time or whatever but our waitress was fantastic , food came out quick and will go back there again and again ... read more

I visited Pardner's on a Saturday afternoon. The waitress was great, but that's where it ended. My bbq and beans were out of the refrigerator cold. I asked the waitress to microwave it and when it was brought back it was slung on my table by a woman who I assume was the manager. The food was still cold. I paid and left, never to return. Do yourself a favor and wait in line at Ridgewood! read more

Don't know why several were disappointed, but on our first trip since newly re-opened we agreed that it was as good or better than the old P. The pork rinds were also a nice new touch. Had the pork sandwich, beans, fries, and tea and all were like the old. Also liked a choice of two BBQ sauces. read more

Don't bother. This is a no frills place. When we sat down and noticed the walls were dirty we decided to give the place the benefit of the doubt. The parking lot was always full and we just moved to the area so we thought it might be great BBQ. Well, we talked ourselves into saying that maybe the food platters were large and good... ugh, the French fries were soggy and warm and the pork sandwhiches were fatty, even KFC coleslaw is better. All for 2 pork sandwhiches and fries and drinks it was 19 bucks, should have just gone to Chili's for that price! I think only the local older folks visit this place. read more

My first impression is they have to know who you are in order for the order to be placed in the order that it was taken. Food was really good but it was super slow and there was no reason we for our extended stay. Isn't BBQ already cooked? How long does it take to plate it!? read more

They should not be open for Breakfast. If you don't have good coffee, don't open for breakfast. The coffee here is the worst I have ever tried to drink. read more

I have not been to Ridgewood for many many years. I find the crowds much too daunting. When I first went to Parnders a few years back, the taste of the sauce immediately recalled Ridgewood. I have returned to Pardners many times since and always find the food and the service to be pleasing. I always get the BBQ pork, and I have never been disappointed. read more

I really love Pardner's, and should visit more often. My wife and I have been here several times and we both really like it a lot. The staff always seems attentive and friendly, the portions are HUGE and really a bargain for what they charge. My personal favorite thing is that they serve hand cut french fries! Fries are always my favorite part of the meal and Pardner's does them right! Hand cut, perfectly cooked and huge portions. Of course I like the rest of the menu too, the chopped steak being one of my favorites. Finally, I love the fact that it is a local business and not another freaking chain. I'm so sick of corporate restaurants, this place feels like a place I want to be. Keep up the great work. read more

For barbecue this place is hard to beat. I love sliced pork barbecue and hand cut fries. Pardner's is very close to other local "famous" joints but with BETTER parking. I believe that the staff is some of the friendliest around. I don't know about you but I like being called "honey" and "sweetie". I really don't know how you can go wrong with this icon. read more

This was probably one of my worst experiences with the reopening of Pardner's . The ribs are not smoked . They are boiled or pressure cooked . The coleslaw didn't have any taste . The beans taste like canned beans . Paying 60.00 for a meal that's not even close to barbecue. I hope they can get things going for there business . read more

As good as it gets. My wife and I will no longer eat BBQ when out of town because it just doesn't measure up to Pardner's. The BBQ sauce is sort of a mix between sweet and tangy. They have almost a cult following in the Tri-Cities area. The restaurant is not fancy and you can get overwhelmed sitting in the middle of the large open room. However, it certainly is worth the trip. Wish they would cut out the smoking though. Again, as far as BBQ goes, it can't be beat. read more

30 minutes wait time from order to being served. Food was cold and dried out. $2.10 for 16 Tater Tots. Both burgers were frozen patties that had been force cooked. SweetTea was excellent but $20. and change seems a bit high for a glass of tea. read more

When we drive through Johnson city this is our first stop for brisket and bbq. Not your traditional pulled pork but sliced with the perfect amount of smoke!!! see you next time !! read more

I LIVE for this pork BBQ. It's the only thing I've ordered. The atmosphere definitely needs some help (the acoustics are terrible and you can hear conversations from the other side of the room). However, I dream about this BBQ now that I don't live in town anymore. And I go *every* time I visit. read more

This place has been around forever . BBQ is quite good,this is one place i like the beef better than the pork. And their famous for their breakfast. Definitely worth the trip. Enjoy the southern atmosphere...its free. read more

The food was good but the service was terrible at best. The server brought our food but didn't bring silverware. We had to ask another server for silverware. She didn't offer sauce for my chicken tenders or for my shrimp. There was very little bbq sauce at our table so we had to get it from another table. She brought the check and threw it in the table 5 minutes after our food came out and never asked if we needed refills. The other server must have noticed our empty glasses and told her. She busted through the doors grabbed the drinks and practically threw them on the table. There were dirty tables and no one cleaning them. The bathroom trash was overflowing the can. Most of the servers and the the busboy were socializing at the back of the restaurant blocking the bathroom. Had to say excuse me for them to move. There seemed to be no supervision. I guess I know why there weren't many people there on Saturday night. Loved the old Pardner's but won't be be back to the new one. read more