YUM! Delicious food, atmosphere was amazing. Staff was friendly. The half chicken was delicious, pulled chicken was amazing, fries were great! Pulled pork was a hit too! Definitely will come back. Place was hopping but we didn't have to wait, food was really quick to come out too! Only negative which I've seen other reviewers mention ... was the drinks. (I'd suggest ordering your drink in a bottle, or bringing a drink from home...) our drinks tasted really awful. (Soda, water; etc) we narrowed it down that we think it was the ice. I wonder if the ice machine needs a cleaning. Something was not right about it. We ended up ordering bottled root-beers for $4 each because we couldn't drink the water. I won't give it a less rating for this- just something to note. Definitely will come again! read more

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Heard such good things about this place, ordered the brisket and you had to cut it like a steak. Certainly not cooked enough that should fall right apart with a fork. This is barbecue 101 and I call it a fail. read more

Finally made it out to Ray Brothers for a Friday night dinner and already looking forward to our next visit. We had a party of 6 and fortunately there was a table out on the patio for us. When it got a little chilly, the staff turned on the heaters which was nice. Service was great and so was the food! I'd recommend pulled chicken with the Carolina Gold Sauce. Happy hour was going on where drinks were 2 for 1 which was also a nice added treat! Everyone I was with was happy with their orders and hopefully we can get back soon! read more

Ray Brothers Barbeque - Pulled chicken, baked beans, macaroni and cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Bouckville, New York

My husband & I went to the Bouckville Antique show and had to stop here on our way home. I know it's extremely busy on Fridays and Saturday nights but being it was Sunday early evening I was hoping we could get in. Luckily we only had a 20 minute wait to be seated. I love the brisket but it's not available on Sunday we both ordered the pulled pork plate with 2 sides. I had the dirty potato salad and baked beans. My husband Mac & cheese and cucumber salad. The food was fantastic all the way around. The service was great also. I highly recommend checking this restaurant out and you won't be disappointed. read more

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I met a friend here for lunch on a winter Saturday afternoon. They open at 12 noon and we arrived just after 12:30. We were promptly greeted and seated, given menus and asked about drinks. We both opted for unsweetened iced tea and then tried to narrow down what we would order. There was a chili and a brisket special but we ordered off the menu and both went with platters not knowing the portion sizes. My friend opted for the pulled chicken with Mac & Cheese and fries for her sides. I got the pulled pork with "dirty" potato salad (meaning the skins are still on the potatoes) and sweet potato fries for my sides. Both platters also came with cornbread. You also get to pick your sauce and we went with the original barbecue. As we waited for our food, which didn't take long at all, the dining area began to fill up with 2 larger groups, a family of 4 and a few couples. There is also a bar area away from the dining area which began to fill up as it was NFL divisional round playoff game day. Everyone there seemed to be enjoying themselves! When our food came we were impressed by the amount of food we got and let me tell you it was delicious! The chicken and pork tasted fresh and flavorful. This wasn't something that sat in a vat waiting to be scooped out. The bbq sauce was not too thick and certainly not watered down. It was a great compliment to the meat rather than overpowering it. Both the sweet potato fries and the regular fries were crisp on the outside but flaky on the inside. My friend's Mac and cheese also received high compliments but the potato salad was top notch. Creamy and seasoned perfectly the potatoes were just the right texture. The best part was that we both had leftovers and got another meal out of this "lunch". Our waitress checked in on us often, got us out to go boxes and even bags to put them in. My only disappointment was the iced tea. Both my friend and I thought it tasted off but we did not mention it to our waitress we just didn't finish our drinks. By the time we left the parking lot was full and I know why. Great food quick service and a welcoming place no matter what you're looking for on a winter weekend. read more

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Service although a bit slow to come to the table with only a few tables and several servers was very sweet and quick. Cornbread was tender moist and delicious. Ribs were tough and had been smoked prior and then heated on a grill. Not sure which was done too long but they were tough and dry. Chicken wings looked burnt and were dry and tough. Chicken quarter also dry. Beans are canned with a kidney bean deer no flavor without a lot of BBQ sauce. Tater salad pretty good and cucumber salad was tasty fries were soggy. I rarely have so much negative to say but the waitress never asked how it was despite amount of food left on plate. I hate to be the see a manger person so I will let you know there are so many better places than this and not return. No brisket on the menu should have been a warning sign. Ambiance is nice air comfy a bit dark but family style tables. The house ale was very good. read more

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This place is an 11 outta 10 and I don't give scores like that ever. The consistency of this place is amazing. I wish they were open more often and the menu was bigger, it's that good! read more

Ray Brothers Barbeque - Nachos & BBQ Pulled Pork Platters! - Barbeque Near Me - Bouckville, New York

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Dare I say better than Dinosaur BBQ? Had the wings and ribs. Super tasty. Sauces are top notch. The apple cake and cinnamon ice cream desert almost had me ordering another one. Already looking forward to our next visit - a must stop. read more

Husband and I walked right in today for lunch. We were greeted right away and our server was quick. We both got pulled pork platters, husband got fries and baked beans and I got mine Carolina style (topped with slaw), beans, cucumber salad, and a side of their boom sauce. It was different than any other bbq sauce I've tried but I really liked it. We also split some excellent hush puppies. Everything was very good and we had plenty of leftovers. Great place with excellent bbq! read more

They are WAY too expensive, for what you actually get. They won an award way back when, & that was it. Full stop! They peaked & then they just dropped. If there is one thing that explains this place to perfection, it is their corn bread. Their corn bread is $2 for a piece of corn bread 1"X1"X2". I mean give me a break! That is like an 800% mark up! Do the math! So if you are being raped on the corn bread, just think about what else they are raping you on! Their brisket hamburger was SUPER dry, & extra chewy. Not tasty at all. You order smoked hot links, you get a plate of sausage "rings" or "coins", makes you think you are 3 years old. Which is how old they tasted. They were dry as well, & were like they had been cut & prepared ages ago & just sat in a warmer waiting to be ordered. You don't know if you got a full link with them pre-cutting it, not to mention that all the juices leak out along with all the flavour! I'm trying to remember what else we got, but it was such a let down that it was easier to forget. read more

Best wings I've ever had, overtime i come here i get the Pulled Pork Platter and they PERFECT it every single time. read more

Ray Brothers Barbeque - Barbeque Near Me - Bouckville, New York

So yummy !!! This place does not disappoint. This was our second visit and the food and service were wonderful. Having lived in the South for many years which is the Mecca for BBQ this place rivals many of my favorite southern BBQ charms. Sauces were tasty and they offer several choices. Fries are amazing and are hand cut. We got ours with salt rather than rub. Rub was a little to sweet but the salt is awesome read more

Ray Brothers Barbeque - Ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Bouckville, New York

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I am not sure what people are so thrilled about. The food is okay but nothing to run back for. Last time I went was for the Father's Day buffet and the food was disgusting. I paid $110 for party of three. We left hungry and took home McDonald's read more

Those nachos are the best we've ever had. All bbq was great but nachos are the winner. Service was slow for us but it seemed to be a busy weekend. read more

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My husband and I chose Ray Brothers BBQ to cater our wedding on 9.20.25 solely off of our family and friends' reviews...When we sat down to eat our meal after our ceremony, we were BLOWN AWAY. The dedication, professionalism, and organization were outstanding. The food was INCREDIBLE. And the staff were so polite. I received many compliments from my guests stating how much they enjoyed the food. If I could leave more stars I would! read more

Ray brothers is a standard. Service is great. Food so great i've used them in catering (contact shannon costello for catering and have her help you plan your event too) Sauce is so delicious. If i could drink a half pint of bomb sauce every day, I would. I love on days when i come in there and their special is burnt ends. My absolute favorite. read more

They had amazing chicken wings. The sides were fab. Their cornbread was delicious. Their service was fast, friendly, and helpful. I asked for some suggestions and they were all great. It was really busy when I went there Everything was nice and clean. I would definitely go back. read more

We stopped by on a Sunday afternoon. We have never had any luck with the specials. They have brisket every other weekend and always sold out with in the first hour. The food is always great but again today they were out of Ribs, potatoes salad and the special (a brisket burger). Please make sure that you have enough food to serve what the customer wants. Otherwise let us know when we walk in. read more

Worth a stop if you're headed upstate. I'd venture to say this is some of the best bbq you're gonna find in the Northeast. Ribs, pulled pork, wings.. you can't lose. And the ambiance.. it's a hidden secret for city people. You gotta come and see what the hype is about! read more

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The new bar is fantastic and fits many more folks in the lively atmosphere that has always existed. But unfortunately the to go 2 meat platter, was rather the Unaccommodating part of this experience. The normally $30 platter that was up charged to $40 due to the brisket request (totally understandable) but to find out 3 hours later after my travels without opening my to go order. Just to find out my box contained only 2 slices of brisket and one sausage cut up. After finishing, enjoying and still leaving me hungry for more. The quantity of food is was being this review to 3 stars. It was completely the quality that I know Ray Brothers achieve time and time again but the disappointment in portion size really had me shed tear to make this review. I most likely will awake at 5 in the morning to make a simple pb& j and think about this experience all over again. read more

I guess we're spoiled - we've eaten too much pulled pork in the south. The space is great - indoor and outdoor. Service was fast and friendly. Food was ok....portions are generous, ended up enjoying the cornbread the most lol. oh wait, the sauces are good and creative, like having a choice. read more

Ray's BBQ provided the food for my daughter's wedding on 6/22/24. The food was absolutely incredible! The staff was helpful, friendly and courteous! It was my privilege to work with Shannon Costello, Catering Manager, to coordinate this and she met and exceeded all standards of professionalism - just incredible!!!! People are still raving about the food! They were so efficient and made a hectic event very coordinated and calm. YOU MUST CHECK THEM OUT! I am so very happy I did - they helped make a special day even more special. THANK YOU so much Shannon Costello and Ray's BBQ!!! Michelle McNamara read more

Got the pulled pork platter with the Carolina sauce. Having grown up in North Carolina had expectations/hopes for the bbq which were mostly met. Pork was moist and tender and a generous portion. Could have used a little more smoking. Sauce had some pepper kick. Slaw and baked bean sides were tasty. Cornbread was way too sweet and crumbly. Really wished they served it with hush puppies instead - would not allow me to substitute. Would have had to pay $8 extra for hush puppies as an appetizer, not offered as a side. C'mon now - hush puppies belong with bbq! My wife enjoyed her pulled chicken with mac and cheese and cucumber salad. She also thought the cornbread was too "cakey" and sweet. Good draft beer selection but $9 a pint had me asking where this place is to charge that much. We ate at the bar. The service was friendly and good. I'd go there again. read more

Rockin' sides, tasty BBQ, reasonable service, comfortable interior, long wait for a table. I am not, sadly, much of a BBQ dude. I'm happy to eat it, but I'm not the kinda guy who wakes up at 3am dreaming of the perfect ribs. With that said, this place seems pretty awesome. I've been there twice, and have been delighted twice. The sides seemed particularly wonderful -- the mac and cheese was a little bit sweet, with plenty of cheese taste. It had just the right amount of sauce, so ever bite was coated, but it wasn't like you were drinking a bowl of cheesy soup. Top notch! The dirty potato salad was similarly fabulous. I loved the vinegary taste, with a fabulous firm texture to the potatoes. A companion's slaw was good, but not life-changing. I had a pulled pork sandwich (with Carolina Gold sauce) on my first visit and a pulled chicken sandwich (with regular Carolina sauce) on my second. Probably a quarter of the menu is taken up with descriptions of the sauces, so you probably want to choose carefully. I was happy with the sauces both times, although the chicken felt just a tiny bit dry. That's better, to my mind, than a sandwich swimming in sauce. In both cases, the texture of the meat was spot-on, as was the flavor. They have a decent selection of craft and domestic beers, with daily specials. The first time, sitting at the bar, I was overcharged for my beer by a dollar, but when I pointed it out, they corrected it, and said they'd mention it to the manager, since it was misprogrammed on the register. All of the staff was on top of their game, but the bartenders seemed especially friendly and helpful (even when I politely asked about the overcharge). If there's one problem with the place, it's that it's too popular -- on the second visit, we had to wait 25 minutes or so for a table. This is obviously pretty common, as they have circular pagers that they give out to folks so they can wait outside if they want. I especially appreciated the way that the hostess brought out a chair for my elderly companion when we had to wait. All in all, this seems like a super-popular place for a reason, and I'll be delighted to visit again. To my not-particularly-refined BBQ palate, it seemed worth a fairly long trip, but luckily, they're close to me. read more

Pretty disgusted with this place after being a repeat customer for years. We called several times with no answer however the voicemail said they were open for dine in and take out. Drove over 20 miles to get there for a very rude young girl to tell me they weren't taking any more customers. I explained their voicemail said they were and I drove over 20 miles with a hungry child and she said "I said we weren't taking any more customers" nasty. I then asked if we could at least get take out since we made the drive and she said no. They have lost my business. read more

Ray Brothers Barbeque - Ray Brothers - Barbeque Near Me - Bouckville, New York

We love RBQ!!!!! We stopped by on our drive home from a wedding in PA for a little snack to sustain us until we got home and RBQ'D NACHOS hit the spot! They come with a generous serving of pulled pork, baked beans, cheese, jalapeños, tomatoes, sour cream, and their Signature Sauce which make these nachos absolute perfection! It was a Sunday afternoon around 3 and we were sitting at the bar and were delighted to find out there was live music. We relaxed and enjoyed our nachos and a few beverages while being serenaded by some amazing vocals. A patron from the crowd even came up and had the most incredibly voice. It was an amazing surprise and we will be heading back on another Sunday very aoo read more

Ray Brothers Barbeque - Menu - Barbeque Near Me - Bouckville, New York

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Ray Brothers is authentic BBQ. If you're expecting some overly cooked meat slobbered with sauce - don't come here. I have had everything from Pecan Lodge in Texas, Franklin in Austin and Fetty Sau in NYC. Ray's is right up there. Why? - all the sauces are house made and made daily - all the food is smoked with local wood - amazing amazing and perfectly cooked meats My must try's - judges chicken, really worth a try and flavorful. housed by all in the family regardless of age. - ribs and brisket are a solid A++. - pulled pork wasn't bad - CHEESECAKE. It's wowzes to the point where you wooo get this every time. it is worth the calories trust me. - sides. the fries are crispy, the beans are full of flavor, and the mac and cheese is out of this world read more

Based on the Bringdettti Score of 1-25 where we measure Location, Food Quality, Price, Service, and Misc this restaurant gets a score: Location 3 as it's out of the way with very little signage. Most of their business must be word of mouth, Food Quality 4.5 with some of the best pulled pork I've had, the Carolina based sauce could have stood more personally (coleslaw would have helped), Price 3 as the price was a bit more than one would expect from a roadside stop but considering inflation it's not a show stopper, Service 4 as our server was serviceable but lack the personality that one expects from a friendly country stop, Misc 5 a solid five as this stop has the added value of outdoor seating and summer concerts! As a bonus 1 point their Maple Bacon Cheesecake was incredible! Final score was 20.5 which is a solid Four Stars! Enjoy Ray Brother's the next time you are in the Madison, NY area. read more

Ray Brothers Barbeque - Patty enjoying her pulled pork Carolina sauced bar-b-que - Barbeque Near Me - Bouckville, New York

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If you're reading this review odds are you aren't a local, and therefore it seems pre-ordained that you're getting a combo. Ribs are available with or without sauce and there's a minor flaw in the worfklow here. I asked for sauce on the side, and my choice was the house sauce. But that one's already on the table, so I could have gotten a fresh, non-bottled sauce if I knew the procedure and then still sampled the flagship offering. The preparation was nice and smoky; the dry rub was decent but not iconic enough to skip the sauce. The part of the combo you can't miss is "The Judge's Chicken," served only after 4. This is in the awesomely charred, tangy "Cornell-style" paradigm associated with upstate but not really available widely. You can why the menu needs to state the possibly obvious rule that in a two- or three-meat combo you can only get chicken once. The finale seems Brooklyn than Bouckville: maple bacon cheesecake. On paper it might seem like a made-for-Insta fusion joke. But this indeed lives up to the hype, even if it's less cray than you might anticipate. Maple and bacon have met before at breakfast, but the cheesecake is totally up to the challenge.This isn't a giant slab of diner bacon, but relatively small pieces that work beautifully with their sweeter neighbors. read more

Ray Brothers Barbeque - Maple bacon cheesecake. - Barbeque Near Me - Bouckville, New York

Service was friendly and fantastic. Food was very good as usual. Probably my 5th time there or 6th and will definitely go back. Got the smoked chicken with ribs combo with dirty potato salad which was amazing and cucumber salad, also amazing. The meats were flavorful and tender. My only and tiny complaint was the cornbread which my wife and I enjoy was extremely small and dried out. Like crumble apart trying to pick it up dry. However, I'll definitely be back. I've never had a bad meal there. read more

I love Ray Brothers! As a vegetarian, it is often hard to go to barbecue places and be satisfied by the options, but the smoked veggie burger here is SOOO GOOD!!! and with a side of mac n cheese... yum. They also have great cocktails and a super friendly staff. Could not recommend Ray's more. read more

Pricy but worth every single penny every time. I love the Judges Chicken with Carolina Sauce!

Family atmosphere. Food comes out super fast and super delicious. Favorite bbq on the planet. Drinks are fantastic and so are the conversations at the bar. Fun on steroids. read more

Always a hit with the whole family! My husband loves the ribs. The kids get pulled pork sandwiches, and I have to get the homemade veggie burgers with the Carolina sauce! read more

I can not believe I have never stopped at Ray Brothers Barbeque before yesterday! I truly mean it. All the trips to Hamilton & Morrisville when my son played youth hockey and never stopped by! This is BBQ! Everything about the experience was fantastic! This was the send off meal for my oldest who will be moving into his dorm up tomorrow at SU. Once we got there we were welcomed and were seated outside. Jen our waitress was attentive, welcoming and ready at any request we asked for. The BBQ was out of sight! Perfect amount of smoky flavor and bark on what we ordered. Photos are from the apps we ordered! Smoked wings- we decided to get them without sauce so we can taste them alone for some authentic BBQ flavor! This also was great because we sampled a few of their sauces. My favorites were the RBQ Original and their Nashville Hot Sauce. We also enjoyed an order of Hushpuppies and a HUGE order of RBQ Nacho platter! As for my main meal platter I prefer the RBQ 3 3 Meat Combo. I asked for chicken, ribs and brisket. When I heard they were out of brisket my mouth did drop because I LOOOOOOVE brisket. But I was also very inquisitive of the barbecue meatloaf. Jen recommended it. I'm glad she did! The bbq meatloaf was flavorful with the perfect amount of RBQ Original slathered on top. I'm really glad she recommended it or I would never of tried BBQ meatloaf and now can say I would definitely order it again! The ribes were pull off the bone. Matter of fact. When I lifted the first bone up it just slid off! The chicken was also delicious, not overly smoked and had a lot of flavor from the bark that was on it. The whole experience was top notch and looking forward to another beautiful drive on route 20 in the future! read more

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This was a neat place to stop at on way home one night. Packed parking lot - so we figured it was a good pick. Checked in with hostess and told it was a 40 min wait (Thursday night at 6:45). So we decided to take our chances and eat in bar area. Pros: chicken wings, Mac n cheese, and overall food was really good. Cons: you're really on your own here! We had to ask for a menu, and order drinks, food ourselves in bar area. Even ask for utensils. read more

Love Ray Brothers! One of mine and my boyfriends favorite place. I usually get the pulled pork which is always fantastic! It does get busy so there usually is a little bit of a wait but we don't mind, they have games out in their yard to keep you busy. Food is usually brought out very quickly and service is great! Highly recommend if you are in the area! read more

Ray Brothers Barbeque - Pulled pork, Mac and cheese, dirty potato salad and cornbread - Barbeque Near Me - Bouckville, New York

Me and a friend went to ray brothers this past Saturday, here's how it went: It was like 80ﾟ outside , so we were disappointed when we were told there's no outdoor seating until Memorial Day, and there's a one hour wait for a table. That was disappointing let down, but we dealt. We went in the dark and dimly lit bar, which is hard to do on such a beautiful day, and had a beer. Brews were a little expensive. After about 30 minutes a table was ready.. Not a bad wait. We sat at a (too) small table for 2 with air conditioning blasting on my legs. That's OK I'm here to grub. After looking over the menu I was disappointed to see that there Was no basic brisket meal to order for less than $30. The only way to get brisket is if you order one of the multiple meat platters, and it's an additional $6 to add brisket to one of those! They value their biscuit that much higher than any other meats they offer? OK, that's really saying a lot so my expectations were high. My friend got brisket and ribs and I just got the half rack of ribs. While we waited we had chicken wing dip with tortillas, which was delicious with a bit of a kick. The Food... Ribs: 4/5 Stars Very good. Far better than the last ribs I had which were at the angry smoke house in Baldwinsville. The ray brothers rub is quite good, kind of earthy, I suspect it has coffee grounds in it! Anyway the ribs were cooked to perfection. Nice and smokey, nice bark, tender and delicious. Unfortunately, the fact that they don't remove the membrane, and they obviously put the ribs over direct heat for some reason (I ordered mine with sauce on the side), the membrane gets blackened and burnt and you taste it with every other bite. It's a distraction from otherwise awesome ribs.. That part was a let down frankly. Brisket: 4/5 Stars The last brisket I had was angry smokehouse, this blew that out of the water times 10. Delicious bark, very tender, could use a touch more smoke for my taste, but very good. That being said, way over priced. The Mac n Cheese: 5/5 Stars This is the kind of Mac and cheese I really dig. Absolutely delicious and a fair portion. Fries: 5/5 Stars Delicious! They sprinkle their house rub on them and they have the same earthy tone as the barbecue. Cooked the way I like, great fries. Corn Bread: 5/5 Stars The spec of a piece of corn bread they include is a slap in the face, but this teeny tiny piece of heaven is the best corn bread around for my money. I could eat a whole pan of it. It was about an inch in size. Sad. The service: Our waitress was super nice and helpful, although I found it kind of weird that she mentions a "brisket platter special" And she along with every waitress I overheard conveniently leave off the price when they mention the special. It's $30. Absurd. It's great brisket, don't get me wrong, but even in Joe Biden's America where prices are crippling- it should be a $20 brisket platter. Why they don't let you eat outside in 80ﾟ weather until some arbitrary date next month is beyond me... But the food was delicious, albeit expensive. read more

WOWZA, this place is a real find! After abandoning our longtime favorite, Brooks in Oneonta (it's been turned into a fast-food joint with tons of plastic/paper waste), this place healed our sad hearts and filled our hungry bellies. EVERYTHING is excellent, from the fall-off-the-bone-tender chicken to the cucumber salad to the homemade cornbread. It was very busy on a weekend Saturday at 2 pm. Be patient, staff moves kind of slow...but when the food arrived on our table, all was forgiven. We will go out of our way to return, and highly recommend to those who love real food and beautiful backroads. read more

Best ribs ever. In the entire world. Period. Cool space and delicious food. Wish we lived closer so we could go back!