This time I planned on coming here because they're open on a Sunday and it's amazing. I wanted to meet relatives halfway and this was perfect. It did not disappoint! We got ribs, burnt ends, Mac n cheese, baked beans (woo! Spicy!). Not a long wait, nice relaxed atmosphere, crayons for the kids, lots of sauces to choose from. Nice Sunday spot! It's a big restaurant with plenty of seating. Place your order. Choose your spot! Enjoy the best BBQ! read more

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PJ'sis the grandfather of BBQ. There isn't a bbq spot anywhere in the area who can hang with my brother PJ. If you're in the area make it your utmost priority to stop by here. I can say do it now because once track season is open and the summer visitors come up prepare to wait for that BBQ goodness. Service is always top notch. While waiting on line you will be tempted while watching the cooks slowly slice into brisket, ribs etc... if your not a regular try the 5 region tour. You get 5 different meats, 3 sides and 3 corn breads. Perfect for 2 or more people, or if your hungry one solo mission to accomplish. read more

PJ's BAR-B-QSA - Moist brisket / Memphis Ribs with corn bread. - Barbeque Near Me - Saratoga Springs, New York

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I was really excited to try PJ's BBQ after hearing great things about it, but sadly it turned out to be very mediocre. With that being said, I ordered the KC ribs and brisket with macaroni and cheese. To start, I dug into the ribs which were average. The ribs were overcooked and the meat was a bit tough. Also, there was not much meat on the bone. However, the bbq sauce was really good. The sauce was sweet and tangy. After that, I tried the brisket which was decent. The brisket had good flavor, but was a bit overcooked as well. These meats could have been so much better if they just weren't cooked as long. In the same vein, the macaroni and cheese was fine, but nothing special. To explain, it was very cheesy, but the noodles were just generic. To end, PJ's BBQ is fine, but there are far better barbecue restaurants in the Capital Region. read more

PJ's BAR-B-QSA - KC Ribs and brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Saratoga Springs, New York

Amazing bbq - even better, PJ, the owner is a friendly guy living the dream. He's a WNY native and the bbq restaurant is also a bills backer bar! Even better PJ is also the creator of crystal beach loganberry, which he proudly serves the Buffalo NY drink in his restaurant. He was seated at the front taking order, and took time to share his store rob us! It was a great experience meeting PJ and eating his food! The meat is amazing and there are 5 sauce options, I recommend the original, it was to die for! Great food, great people. If you're in town, stop by and support this WNY native bills fan! read more

PJ's BAR-B-QSA - NC pulled pork & Texas brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Saratoga Springs, New York

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Absolutely amazing bbq. Got the 5 tour platter which was WAAAY too much for one person. Could prob feed three light eaters but def two. I am highly critical of bbq but this was too notch. Bills backer bar too. Go Bills! read more

PJ's BAR-B-QSA - Brisket from 5 tour - Barbeque Near Me - Saratoga Springs, New York

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This was my first experience eating smoked ribs at a restaurant and it was a good experience! I got a full rack of Kansas City which were seasoned with a dry rub. The flavor was great & meat was not dry at all. I also got a brisket burger on a weck roll which had salt and fennel on top of it. The burger was pretty good but I felt that the meat was cold and was more dry than I expected it to be. The ribs came with cornbread which was small but very soft and fresh! Other sides I got were macaroni and cheese and sweet potato fries. The Mac & cheese was not good at all, I feel like it could have been so much better. It was creamy but didn't have much flavor. The sweet potato fries were great, lightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. I did love that they had a ton of benches outside for customers to sit in & an area where people can sit with their pups away from the main area with the park benches. I would definitely like to come back and try other things from their menu read more

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Score mixed food experience Cornbread 2 Texas ribs 4 NC BBQ 2 Kansas Ribs 3 Sides 5 Was not worth the hype. Positive was x the great range of options read more

Well according to the owner I've been sleeping on this place! The ribs were delicious and I loved the dry rub and various dipping sauces they had available. The mac n cheese was good and the cheese grits were okay but not very flavorful. I was not a fan of the BBQ beans. The flavors were not cohesive. However, the cornbread was ahhmazing, so good. The brisket was good but could have been more moist. Overall, great place and nice atmosphere, just don't love that it's all single use plastics. read more

PJ's BAR-B-QSA - Memphis half rack ribs platter and brisket sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Saratoga Springs, New York

Excellent BBQ! Not many places to get good bbq in Saratoga. And PJs fills the bill. Amazing sides like collard greens. Baked beans and mac & cheese. Outdoor seating. And it's also a Buffalo Bills fan bar during football season. read more

I've had fantastic bbq and PJ's is is really just ok for me. We stopped by while we were in Saratoga because we saw the awesome sign. There's a nice big parking lot and lots of fun decor. We took a few minutes to read over the menu and when we ordered we ordered straight from the owner. He was super friendly and accommodating. We even tried the soda he basically makes himself. It tasted like grape juice to me, if you like that go for it. I tried the sausage sandwich. It almost tasted like a hot dog. I mean, not bad but definitely not what I'm used to. My boyfriend had the ribs and he felt the same way, they were really just ok. The chicken was very plain, without the dipping sauces it's very underwhelming. The sides were alright, definitely skip the Mac and cheese. The baked beans were good, very very sweet though. The coleslaw wasn't the best, I wish some of sweetness from the beans was put in the coleslaw. Overall, it's a good place to stop for a quick dinner. We probably spent 40 bucks altogether and we were full and had leftovers. I think just being from jersey we have different bbq standards but definitely not a bad joint. Again, super friendly service. read more

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Very good bbq and even better sauces( I'm a sauce girlie). We tried about every side they had and really enjoyed ourselves as a large group. We sat outside on their benches and it was mostly self serve which is efficient with such a large group. read more

PJ's BAR-B-QSA - Barbeque Near Me - Saratoga Springs, New York

WOW! The brisket and burnt end?!Forget about it! Hands down the BEST Ive ever had. Corn bread was scrumptious and the creamed corn. Had the nachos and wings while waiting for our takeout and the wings were BOMB! read more

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Best pulled pork I ever had. The variety is amazing.The service was friendly and efficient. We will definitely be back.

Stopped here on the way home from the Adirondacks. Pretty good BBQ joint to check out if you're in Saratoga! We both opted for the beef brisket platters, which come with a choice of 2 sides and a piece of cornbread - all for $13.95! Beef brisket was smoky yet tender - very "Texas". They have a great selection of BBQ sauces to choose from and the bartender was really nice. I deducted a star because the cornbread and our sides (mac and cheese, curly fries, macaroni salad, and corn on the cob) were nothing to write home about, and the people working behind the register weren't all that friendly. read more

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I have been here many times over the years -- just for fun, to celebrate milestone birthdays of family members, etc. PJ himself is delightful, always offering little stuffies to little ones and creating a playground out of his yard for little ones to use, and also serving up tasty food! He sat down with us a few years ago to give us a funny "driving" test so that we could have a license to be frequent customers. (I think they just go by phone numbers these days.) The food is solid, dependable, and tasty. Something for everyone. My only quibble is that there are always hornets flying around outside near the tables. PJ's BBQSA is great for a casual and tasty meal. Recommend! read more

Food: dry. small portions. over priced. Not worth the hype or the visit. Drove past many times. Will continue to do so. nasty. Service: ok Ambiance: ok read more

PJ'S is one of my favorite bbq go to spots. They're a couple minutes drive off exit 13N to Saratoga Springs. For me that is about a 30 minute drive and well out of my way but always a trip I am happy to take in the summertime. The venue is well designed for Covid and post covid. They had a employee at the front entrance asking people to wait until capacity limits allowed more folks to enter and order. They offered pickup services as well. They even asked someone parked in a handicapped space that did not evidence with the appropriate indicators on their vehicle to please move. My favorite order is their chopped brisket on Texas toast with hush puppies on the side and some bread pudding. They serve the brisket naked and you are able to pick from a self serve station which of several sauces and mustards you would like to apply to your meal. I like the Tennessee Sweet. the brisket is savory and comes regular and with a burned tips option (I prefer not burned). The bread pudding is the right kind of moist and texturally "just firm enough". PJ'S has inside seating with AC for those who wish and it has outdoor seating at many picnic tables both underneath a awning for rainy days and out in the open for sunny ones. Some days they have a DJ playing music while kids play with their hula hoops, others they offer trivia and other events. The barbecue is delicious, affordable, and the atmosphere pleasant. My only nitpick was that the efforts they put into limiting capacity seemed pointless as they did not enforce masks when customers went in. While I understand that the CDC guidance has put business owners in a terrible position of having to be, "mask police", the honor code is nonsense and we all know it. So when you wait in line to go into a building, see staff all wearing masks, see signs asking all customers to wear them, then see 50% of the customers just not wearing them, you have to ask yourself why even wait outside in line at all. read more

PJ's BAR-B-QSA - Chopped brisket on Texas toast sandwich with a side of bread pudding. - Barbeque Near Me - Saratoga Springs, New York

It was across the street from my hotel, prices have gone up quite a bit from a picture of the menu 10 years ago. Can't say it was worth the money, but it was good barbecue. read more

We went yesterday for lunch on a whim. I got a pulled pork platter with sweet potato fries and Mac and cheese. Husband got a pulled pork sandwich with fries and hush puppies. The meat was really tender and juicy, and the sides were delicious. I tried all the bbq sauces (and a hot sauce), my favorite was the texas hot sauce. read more

Some of the best food I've had in a while! The service was great. The ambiance is that of a good BBQ joint. The owner helped us with picking out the food. I would definitely eat here again read more

This place used to be great , those days are gone !! Everything was burned and dry as a bone . Expensive and not enjoyable. I guess they don't care anymore ! read more

We stopped at Bar-B-QSA on our way to Vermont. Since I love brisket and saw this BBQ place on the way, we decided to try it. I ordered a brisket sandwich on a GF bun, and it was moist, tender and smoky. They offer different BBQ sauces and there's an outdoor area if you travel with pets. The owner was very friendly and even came to give my puppy a treat. I'll definitely eat at this restaurant again. read more

PJ's BAR-B-QSA - Outside area - Barbeque Near Me - Saratoga Springs, New York

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This place SUCKS!!!! The service is garbage! The bbq is average and If it wasn't for bikers supporting this place it would have gone out of business years ago! Go somewhere else if you want good Bbq read more

Mr.Romance LOVES BBQ. ITS his blood type. This weekend is our 23rd wedding anniversary. So, sooo many people said take him here BEST BBQ they where not wrong. Fall off the bone ribs. Moist brisket. Hush puppies to howl about. Collard greens just like my southern grandma made. Mac and cheese and baked beans perfect sides. The sweetest corn bread in the north. It is almost like the Wizard of Oz picked this place up from Tennessee/Kentucky and landed it in Upstate NY. WHO WOULD THUNK IT. When you drive by DON'T INSTEAD stop in. read more

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Hands down this is our go to restaurant- Lunch - dinner- snack- Yep! BBQ brisket and Pulled pork are musts!! Kids love the Mac and cheese!! We've even ordered the Mac and Cheese for a catered graduation party!! Yep that good! One of our favorites is the slop bucket - a little bit of everything! If your familiar with a Rochester Garbage plate this is similar (but BBQ)- and the nice thing is the slop bucket comes in different sizes read more

The only reason for not giving 5-stars was relatively small portions and only plastic service. I HATE cheap wimpy plastic forks and knifes!!! This aside, I've been here before and give it high grades across the board. Service is very fast and friendly. I love the open-air bar/dining area---particularly on a great day like today. If I've had better brisket, it might have been once and the only slight issue was the strong black-pepper dominance in the bark, but it's easily offset by the delightful slightly sweet, NC-style mustard-based BBQ sauce. When you have tender and juicy brisket like this, you realize the criminality of 90% of BBQ joints that serve thin uneatable, almost unchewable, beef jerky-like, desiccated meat that is better used for holding up one's pants than adding the the waistline. The KC ribs were dry but sweet, so it was cooked just right so as to absorb the sweet BBQ sauce rather than let it sit on top in a sticky mess All in all perhaps the best overall BBQ joint that I've ever been to --- and I toured the Appalachian trail and tried 8-10 places and nothing touched this place. read more

I have always driven past the place and the smell of BBQ chicken and ribs was amazing. At first it was a little confusing to order but you get the hang of it. The staff was patient when ordering and helped everyone out when choosing your meals and sides. The food was delicious and no one had any leftovers. The chicken was tender and juicy and the ribs fell off the bone. Constant stream of customers coming in so you know it's a favorite of the locals. I didn't get a chance to take any pictures of the meals because it was that good. Give it a try. read more

Would give it 3.5. Staff were helpful and friendly. Barbecue sauce, cornbread, potato salad and chicken are great. Ribs were way overcooked, sweet potatoes mash and baked beans were way too sweet, and the chicken was the tiniest 1/4 chicken I have ever seen - only a few bites of meat. It is a great place and hope it improves on our next visit. read more

There's great BBQ in Saratoga Springs? Who knew! I stumbled upon this place based on some of the stuff I read on the web and gave it a try. I definitely vouch for many of the positive reviews here and I was a big fan of their brisket and Memphis ribs. The brisket was incredibly tender and well made. There's a little glaze to it that really added to the flavor and worked perfectly with many of the great sauces they had. The ribs also get bonus points for being incredibly flavorful but wonderfully tender at the same time. I also tried the NC pulled pork, which was fine but not nearly as tasty as the other two IMO. But fortunately the meat was still tender and did work fine with many of their different BBQ sauces. I like the fact this place is big, inviting and has a huge parking lot. The folks here were extremely friendly and very big on making sure people enjoy their experience. They also seemed very proud of their food which is always a great thing to see, especially when it back it up 100% based on how everything tasted. I do think if you're in the area, you should definitely swing by and check the place out. It is most certainly memorable and the brisket alone is worth the trip! read more

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John Henry Thomas Excellent food! An enjoyable eating experience.. Great and friendly service read more

I was blown away here. The food was amazing and it was a Bills bar. Can't go wrong! I have nothing else to say besides you need to come here. You need to come order a lot of good food and roll out the door fat and happy. read more

Quite the establishment! Can only imagine what this spot is like on a nice summer day. Arrived early on a Saturday and had about 30-40 mins for pick up. Super friendly staff directed me to the correct side of the building for pick ups. I'm not the biggest bbq connoisseur by any means but everyone I was with said this was some incredible meat. I opted for the smoked turkey, slaw and wings. Only complaint regarding the sandwich was the bread. Pretty dry and fell apart instantly, the meat was great. All the sauces were incredible as well. Wings were absolutely knock out. Would come back just for those bad boys! All in all it was great and definitely lived up to they hype! read more

Years ago, we enjoyed going to PJ's. Our last visit was disappointing. The portion size has shrunk drastically, yet the prices have jumped. Service was average, and the ambiance was somewhat low. Sadly, the quality/ value just isn't there anymore. We shall not be back. read more

Bring your take out containers. Dined in for a meal. My dining companion and I weren't able to finish everything, so I asked for 2 take out containers. I was told that they don't provide food containers for dine in customers. I was offered another paper food basket to act as a "lid." I asked what happens when the food gets all over car. The reply that I received was "that's not my problem." Over $30 worth of food in the trash and two customers that won't be returning. read more

Wow! My husband and I are from the South and never thought we'd have true BBQ again - blown away. We each ordered the two meet tour which allowed us to sample the chicken, Texas brisket Memphis, ribs, and pulled pork - and it was all outstanding. We also had collard greens, Brunswick stew, fried okra, and hush puppies big thumbs up all around. My husband had two flights of beer; impressive selection. We will definitely be back. read more

My husband particularly enjoys this establishment. The proprietor and staff are consistently welcoming and gracious. The cuisine evokes fond memories of my Southern heritage. read more

Best BBQ in the world. We have had a lot of BBQ everywhere. This place is better than any BBQ in the Big apple block party yearly event in NYC. My Highest recommendation. read more

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Went there for lunch on the 20th. Ordering your food is simple and quick. We had the brisket, Memphis ribs and sides. Everything was delicious! We enjoyed the bbq som much that today we brought a little of everything home for our family. It was a big hit. Will definitely be back next time we are in the area. read more

Decided to make the hours long drive out here to a place that seemed to know what they were doing. Awesome looking place, really into this theme of "Regional" BBQ and respecting what styles come from what place and who represents those styles the best and all that. I will say off the bat that this place deserves a high score mainly just for the atmosphere. A lot of Soul inspired, a lot of options, a lot of things to read about on the walls, busy busy busy. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to show up on a Sunday evening in the middle of the summer. Maybe the only way they could push out that much product was to skip corners a little bit and the taste wasn't quite to par. But I can definitely see how people who don't travel to hundreds of BBQ joints all the time would find this place to be the best ever. So their combo meals are marketed like you are tasting the big thing from each BBQ region of the country. Like it's not Pulled Pork, it's North Carolina Pulled Pork. It's not Brisket it's Texas Brisket. So I got what they called a Q.S.A Road Trip. 5 meats from 6 options. NC Pulled Pork, Texas Brisket, NY Chicken, VA sausage, Turkey and a choice between Memphis or KC ribs. I would have said no to the turkey but my partner seems to think she can only eat Turkey right now ... idk. So I had to drop the sausage, not sure what Virginia's history is with sausage but okay. Guess I should also say that their main entrance is the middle of the building, it wasn't incredibly obvious. Meat cleaver door handles. Outside and inside they have their giant menu on a long billboard. Inside the line goes around a church pew that's stacked up with cases of this "Crystal Beach Loganberry" Juice. Apparently the owners are from Buffalo NY and that was a local favorite so they brought it down to their restaurant and market the hell out of the stuff. Anyways ... Ribs were pretty good but a bit chewy for my liking. The rub was good but it soaked into the skin a little too much, I like it when the stuff is still like a nice fresh seasoning all over it. Could have been a bit more moist but they were still good. Brisket was some of the best I've ever tasted. Came wrapped in parchment, very juicy, Bark was amazing peppery flavor and super dark with no real jerky texture really. Fat melted pretty good and had a bit of flavor to it too. Meat was very tender. Only criticism I had was that I think Brisket meat itself should be a bit more flavorful. Sometimes it just comes out tasting more like just .... beef ... and maybe a lot of people like that better but whatever. They did ask if I wanted lean, fatty, or mix which gives them extra points. NY "State Fair" Chicken ... this is the first I'm hearing about NY claiming Chicken. Menu says it's made with the original "Cornell Recipe" ... 20 minutes later I've learned that a Robert C. Baker (Inventor of Chicken Nuggets) went to Cornell and got a degree in Pomology (Study of Fruits) and went on to invent a bunch of different poultry related cooking styles and one of them was a basting recipe for chicken dubbed "Cornell Sauce" and it has been used at NY State Fairs for awhile now, particularly at "Baker's Chicken Coop" at THE NY State Fair in Syracuse which decided to close it's doors just last month, AND NOW YOU KNOW SOMETHING TODAY! YOU'RE WELCOME! .... Anyways, chicken was good, bit chewy, needed the sauce, but good. Pulled Pork. They asked if I wanted vinegar pulled pork or regular. I asked if I could just get the vinegar sauce myself and put it on and they said yup. Lies, there wasn't any vinegar sauce. Not bat pork though. Came wrapped in Butcher paper which has only happened to me once and the greatest BBQ in New England but that's a different review. Pork needed sauce too though. Turkey was ... smoked turkey. Sides. Potato Salad tasted like any store bought sweet red bliss salad. Sweet Potato Mash was a little too sweet and not home made. Beans were a bit tangy and garlicy but good. Mac and Cheese was goop. Cheese grits was goop. Brunswick stew was more like a loaded chili but okay. Cornbread was cake. Pecan Pie was good but the filling was like a caramel meringue more than that apple sauce like texture. Key Lime cup was really good. This loganberry stuff ... I don't get it but whatever, it's different. Sauces are all molasses style, which isn't real BBQ Sauce to me. But the place is a fun stop and tons of options. Just expected a little more from a place like this, but it's super hard work so they get at least 4 stars. read more

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After 35 years pj has taken pjs ribs off the menu. All the rest of the bbq is dry crap and overpriced. Save yourself the trip. Pjs has died a slow death since the remodel read more

PJ's BAR-B-QSA - Don't get a splinter in the dilapidated picnic tables - Barbeque Near Me - Saratoga Springs, New York