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    Poole's Bar-B-Q

    3.8 (235 reviews)
    InexpensiveBarbeque
    Open 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Poole's Bar-B-Q Photos

    Business Info

    POOLE'S BAR-B-Q ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Poole's Bar-B-Q

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    Reviews With Photos

    Southern mac? Shells and white cheese and no seasoning. Nah
    Aaron H.

    Out of town visiting and decided to try it out since it was minutes from my hotel. We ordered the pork fondue and a 2 meat/side platter to go Right off the bat we were off to a bad start when we got back to our room. Got the fondue but no chips or pork rinds as expected. Tried to just eat it solo, but only got through a few bites because the pork is super squishy like it was stewed or old and it had a gallon of salt. The ribs were also gummy and super small. The brisket was cut weird. Never seen brisket served this way. But to get ribs as a meat it was an extra $3. Same with the brisket. Yeah check the pic. This is what you get for up charging to ribs. 2 small ribs with no seasoning. And you get one weird slice of brisket for the upcharge as well. Mac and cheese is also big shells made with white cheese. Definitely not southern mac. Side note, their BBQ sauces are good. But the brisket comes with a brisket sauce. It is thousand island dressing. Who puts that on brisket?

    Megha D.

    I came here for dinner during a cabin weekend in Ellijay. We happened to drive past it and see the pig sign decorated hill so we decided to stop in. There's a small lot out front for parking and inside, it's fairly spacious. We stopped in just before they were about to close, but they were very nice and accommodating to our group. For our group of 6, we ordered a couple of sodas and then 2 North GA samplers (4 meats, 4 sides, & 2 breads). Unfortunately they were out of the rabbit, but we tried the pork, chicken, brisket, & ribs. For sides, we got the mac n cheese, okra, brunswick stew, collard greens, bbq beans, potato salad, regular & sweet potato fries. For bread, we got Texas toast and corn bread. Everything was SO delicous!! The portion sizes were great and we finished everything up! We also got banana pudding to go which was homemade sweet goodness and a great wrap to the meal. Poole's is such a cute kitschy place with great food and highly recommend if you're in Ellijay.

    This place is a dump. Used to be good, now it's falling apart at the seams. Ordered a pulled pork sandwich and brisket sandwich to go, no pickles, chips, sides or slaw just cold lump of meat on a stale ass bun for 4x as much a a crappy hamburger from McDonald's. Hard pass.

    Amber C.

    We were most excited to go to this place after seeing a lot of social media hype about it - and we even came back the next day after they were randomly closed. My kids ordered the kids pulled pork platters, i got a single meat pulled pork platter and my partner got the 4 meat platter with 4 sides. My kids ate my food because the pulled pork that came with their plates was mostly fat and grizzle. The pastrami on our 4 meat platter was under seasoned and likely day old. Both the pastrami and brisket were disappointingly dry. When we received the check, we noticed almost all items from the platter were upcharged. Unfortunately this resulted in his platter being almost $45. As you can see, it was a lot of food, but the highlight of it was the sausage. I'd say if you get anything here, get the sausage and the pulled pork, but specifically request not a lot of fat. Posting a photo of the menu so you can see that despite them adding the up charge prices next to the meats and sides it is still a little confusing. The last disappointments which are silly but you know kids - they didn't get the Oinky stickers that are advertised with the kids meals and upon request they couldn't find them. The bathroom was out of toilet paper, and the little quarter toy machine was broken. Sadly, the only reason we gave it two stars was for the sausage. Hopefully they make that in house, because the fries and tater tots that were $1.50 and $2 up charge respectively definitely looked like they came out of bulk bags. Incredibly disappointed.

    Don C.

    So we have been to Poole's many times...by far this was the best bbq I have found since moving to GA 10years ago from TX. Sadly since the new owner has taken over, the Brunswick stew has become a veg soup. The "cornbread" taste only of corn meal. The portion sizes have shrank but not to worry the price has gone up so I that's a plus...hahahahaha Do yourself a favor...do not waste your time here.

    Hill of Fame
    Brooke K.

    Pulling into the "yellow & red" BBQ building off of Hwy 5 you come face to face with a "Pig Hill of Fame". I knew we were in for a treat. Open since 1989 this family owned BBQ joint is serving some of the best BBQ pork, beef brisket, and chicken in North Georgia. We ordered a little of everything and tried it all. The house-made Original sauce and the Sweet sauce were fantastic- flavorful with a little kick. Amazing! Clean seating, bathrooms and surroundings made this BBQ experience even better. The dry rub was some of the best we've ever had and none of the meats were dried out, moist and flavorful to boot! The sides were plentiful and delicious. Do yourself a favor and stop in for some pig! You will not be disappointed!

    Brisket and sausage with sweet potato tots and coleslaw
    Lita L.

    The four of us decided to come here due to good Yelp reviews and local's recommendations, and I'm sorry to say I was disappointed. Maybe it was because it changed ownership recently? First of all, I didn't like the way the menu was presented, as there were pork or chicken choices for each quantity option, and $1, $2, or $3 extra for other meat, and a few standard side choices, but $1.50, $2, or $3 extra for French fries, mac and cheese, or fried okra. I felt like I was being nickel and dimed, jacking up your entree from $17 to upwards of $24. There were 2 choices of coleslaw, vinegar or mayonnaise based, and both were so inedible, we asked for a substitute of baked beans, which were good. The vinegar based one tasted like rancid oil was in it, and the other was totally bland and tasteless. We ordered the 2 meat 2 side entree with brisket and sausage, sweet potato tots, and coleslaw. The brisket was super lean, not to my liking, and not the best taste profile either. The sausage was delicious, and the other couple said their chicken was delicious too. The sweet potato tots were good, but rather a skimpy serving. I won't be coming back.

    The menu
    Javier R.

    The service at poole's was excellent, super nice staff that was very helping and made us feel welcome and right at home. Restaurant is super clean and the menu has plenty of options to choose from. Place is great.. made me feel great seeing my buddy enjoy the huge ribs so much. He was definitely in his happy place. Some of my favorites and recommendations are the ribs (full rack will feed a whole family). Coleslaw, Mac & cheese, freedom fries!!!!!. Place is awesome highly recommend. Large parking outside. Plenty of space for large group.

    Turkey, Brisket, potato salad, and green beans. 2 meats 2 sides.
    Phoenicia S.

    When I say this is the best BBQ I have had in Ga! My fiancée and I went while on a weekend get away in Ellijay and we had the best customer service and the fod was seasoned and prepared perfectly. They do not gove you to much it was just enough for he and I to share the 2 meat 2 sides and still had a little left over. The brisket is so juicy and wet, the turkey was seasoned and plump. The wonderfully sweet and kind staff was attentive and this young lady gave us a delicious horseradish sauce that paired perfectly with the Turkey and Beef brisket. We also had the potato salad and green beans it was so delicious

    Pulled Pork
    Michelle Z.

    Brisket sandwich was delicious! The meat very tender and juicy. However, not sure if that was worth the wait. I waited in line to order for about 30 minutes to order and another 30 minutes for the food.

    2 meats + 1 side: Sliced brisket and pork + Coleslaw + Bun

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    6 months ago

    The brisket is not smoked -- it's make of a stewed brisket in a light gravy. Not bad, but not worth ordering again

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    3 years ago

    We loved this spot. Everything was delicious, the Mac and cheese was not what we expected....but dang yummy.

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    2 years ago

    Very country atmosphere but awesome bbq! The staff were funny and great. I will definitely be back!

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Poole's Bar-B-Q

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    Bigun's Barbecue

    Bigun's Barbecue

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    We've been here a few times now! I usually get the brisket and my partner gets the turkey. Both are…read morehighly recommended. Service is always friendly and very quick. You order at the front and they bring your meal to the table, but then they clean up the tables after you! For the sides, we've had mac & cheese, baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw and I can recommend all of them! When we chose the bread with our side, we were told this was the cornbread that was slightly sweet however it's not it's the salty savory kind. Hope this can help when anyone's placing their order to set expectations.

    Bigun's Barbeque is located between Ellijay and Jasper. Can't miss their big sign or any of their…read moresigns. Quickly pulled up to their parking lot which is big and plenty of space. Lots of outdoor seating and they also have a drive through window. Just follow their entrance signs then the enter here sign but somehow missed the order here sign once inside. Thanks to the cashier for waving at us we then got back on track. Cashier was wonderful super nice and friendly. We ordered a couple of the 4 meat platter ($24) with choices of brisket, pulled pork, bbq ribs, turkey and pork sausage. For the sides mashed potatoes, geen beans, mac and cheese and potato salad. All the sides were really good but the meats not so much. The pulled pork was flavorless, brisket was on the dry side, ribs fell of the bone but were also flavorless and could not taste the smoke flavor. Turkey and pork sausage were the best. You get your choices of sauces . I stuck with original sweet bbq. My biggest disappointment was the corn bread. It was actually more of a corn meal muffin. No corn flavor and it was dry. You get two with your platter. I regret not ordering the Texas toast. Overall the place was clean, spacious with plenty of parking, great staff, signs everywhere but not the best bbq food I ever had.

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    Inside a big selection of food items to purchase and take home.
    Inside a big selection of food items to purchase and take home.
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    Pulled pork sandwich with side of fries

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    Another local favorite located in downtown Elljay! This Bar…read more& Grill is perfect to grab a burger or your favorite chicken wings. Waitress was friendly and made it very clear not to touch her. She explained that she has an allergy to Mango Habanero sauce. Mango Habanero is one of the chicken wing sauces. We ended up having a conversation about allergies with the waitress. Their chicken wings are juicy and you get many sauces to choose from but my favorite meal was the Mahi Reuben Sandwich which was fantastic. Sweet, tangy and creamy so much better than corned beef. It did not taste fishy at all and the rye bread had the best buttery crisp edges. River Street Tavern is cozy, casual and it has a compact lay out. You get to relax and can have a conversation over a few beers and good food. Place gets busy but is not loud. Whether you're one of the locals or just passing by, leave your mark by pinning a dollar bill to the ceiling.

    One of the few dining spots in downtown Ellijay but a must try. Your typical tavern with plenty of…read moredrink options and plenty on tap! Small cozy tavern nestled in the corner of downtown town Ellijay is easy to miss but you don't wanna miss out. Love the dollar bill theme stapled on the ceiling and around every nook and cranny of the tavern. Love the support of local artists where masterpieces are displayed for sale. Our waitress was friendly but service was a little slow. Apparently she was allergic to the mango habanero wing flavors we ordered so only really saw her in the beginning and at the end of service. Food was good and the mahi Reuben is a must try as the unique combination actually works very well. Chicken and waffle was also good as the chicken was super crispy and tender and the bacon maple syrup hit the spot! Wings were crispy even when heavily sauced. Definitely will return for the Mahi Reuben!

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    Pink Pig

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    Of the many BBQ places I've visited, this one is a long standing one with quite a history. If you…read morevisit, the story is written on the menu. But a history is not the only thing this restaurant offers. This place is one of the very few that smokes the meat to a very obvious degree. I have not tasted this level of smoke in a while, and it is quite an acquired taste that is not commonly found these days. We ordered ribs, pulled pork, fried pickles, and a blackberry cobbler. The food was OK, yet the ribs had that unique smokey flavor of years past. This place is a gem of the past. The dessert was good, and the service was friendly.

    Such a fun place with absolutely delicious barbecue! Our service the whole time was great; there is…read moreplenty of seating inside with a rustic vibe throughout the restaurant. I ordered the ribs, and they were fall-off-the-bone tender. The rub on them was delicious, and their sauce perfectly complimented the juicy meat. I wish there was a little more spice in their spicy barbecue sauce, but it was still delicious. I also tried their garlic salad, and it kind of just tasted like a bottled grocery store dressing without a lot of garlic flavor. The sides were good but nothing standout about them. However, their raspberry lemon cake was incredible. The tart lemon complimented the sweet raspberry flavor perfectly. I'd come back for their ribs and cake any day!

    Photos
    Table
    Table
    Two ribs, pulled pork, brisket, fries. Brisket tacos, onion appetizer, fried okra
    Two ribs, pulled pork, brisket, fries. Brisket tacos, onion appetizer, fried okra
    Pink Pig

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    Panorama Orchards & Farm Market

    Panorama Orchards & Farm Market

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    Another absolute must-visit when you're in Ellijay…read more Let me start with the food -- because wow. By far some of the freshest and most flavorful apple pies I've ever had. Not "good for a farm market"... just flat-out amazing. The kind of pie you immediately start thinking about on the drive home. Their produce selection is equally impressive. We're talking everything from purple carrots to vegetables I didn't even know I needed in my life until I saw them. On top of that: homemade candies, jars of jam with flavor combinations I never would have imagined, and yes -- chow chow. If you've never had chow chow, do yourself a favor and try it. Game changer. But what truly makes this place special is the people. The ladies at the register were older, sweet, hilarious, and full of personality. One of them even flirted with me -- I had to tell her, "You can't handle this ride, grandma!" The entire exchange had me laughing the rest of the visit. In the back, a group of women were playing mahjong, just enjoying life, laughing, and clearly at home in the space. That energy carried throughout the whole market. It's the kind of place that feels lived in, loved, and genuinely warm. Even the guy outside in the parking lot collecting carts, casually smoking a cigarette, was one of the chillest people I've met. Everyone there just seemed... happy. Comfortable. Real. This place put a real smile on my face. Not because it's flashy or fancy -- but because it's authentic. Good food, good people, good energy. I already can't wait to go back. If you're in Ellijay and you don't stop here, you're doing the trip wrong.

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    Entrance decorations
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    Poole's Bar-B-Q - bbq - Updated July 2026

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