Tonight my boyfriend and I stopped at Rib City after all of the fast food places were jammed packed. We were seated quickly and our drink order was taken. We ordered a pound of mild buffalo wings, the feast for two, and 2 sweet teas. Let me tell you that we left full and brought home food for later. The meal consisted of: Baby Back Ribs, Smoked Pork, Beef and Chicken, 2 potatoes, 2 coleslaw, 2 beans, and 2 garlic toast. It was delicious. For being 5:00 pm on a Friday night during the Christmas season there was plenty of places to sit and enjoy a nice dinner. We had several people comment on how great the platter of food looked when it was brought to the table. I have eaten here in the past and always enjoy when I stop in for lunch or dinner. Highly recommend the delicious feast that we ordered tonight. read more

The wife wanted to see the fall color change in Gatlinburg that occurs in the first couple f weeks in October. We set out from White House early and wer hungry by the time we reached Cookeville, so pulled off the highway (God forbid you say"freeway in TN) and checked Yelp. Rib City sounded worth a try and was convenient. We were not disappointed! I had a half rack.of pork ribs and my wife had a pulled pork sandwich. The flavors ere to die for and the ribs were melt in your mouth tender. Her sandwich was also delicious. I expected to pay a heavy price for the meal, but everything was even more reasonably priced than at home. If you find yourself in Cookeville, do yourself a favor and stop here. I forgot to mention that our server (Alexis) is a doll! read more

Rib City - Lunch en route to Gatlinburg - Barbeque Near Me - Cookeville, Tennessee

Best ribs in town, catfish sandwich was great tonight. To-go service spot on and has always been ready when promised. Food is hot, plentiful, and tasty. Our usual Saturday night feast. Consistent with no surprises. read more

They had good slaw pork bbq sandwich tasted bad like it was old meat Bake potato was was old burn even Hamburger tasted like it was frozen patty very try Oh Tea was very good place was dirty mustard lid need washed we would not go back read more

Stopped in on our way to a business meeting, and found a clean place with friendly staff and relaxing atmosphere, with good menu choices. Food is very tasty and fresh, price per portion size is very good. Some people say BBQ is BBQ, not really. You come for the taste and the flavoring that others use, and this place has done that very well. It's alway nice to try different styles and flavoring, and when you find one that you like, most places with tell you how they prepare theirs. read more

Our server was good - I can't complain about her. We had a kids plate of the riblets with mac and cheese and applesauce. The ribs were burnt on one side with little smoke flavor. The Mac and cheese was lukewarm Velveeta poured over overcooked noodles. My husband and I shared a pick three. I got Mac and cheese and he got beans. See above for Mac and cheese. The beans were undercooked and drowning in some sort of flavorless sauce. We got pulled pork which was a moist mess of goop with little to no smoke flavor. The turkey was so thinly sliced and was again, flavorless. The beef seemed like it had been boiled - not a hint of smoke. The amount of bbq sauce we used to make anything edible was alarming. If we hadn't been traveling and needing to get back on the road we would have declined eating anything and walked out. Seriously? How do people rate this as good?!? Absolutely will not eat at any Rib City again. read more

Food is delicious Service is good Ambiance is good. Stopping by from Chicago- California. It's a must to try their ribs. Fried okra- Olala!!! Thank you for welcoming & great service. Pic's below is provided read more

See all

This is a place to love. If you're traveling through and stopping in Cookeville I recommend grabbing a delicious plate of bbq. I know it's tempting to stop at something familiar like the Olive Garden, or the Outback Steakhouse that's right on the strip, but do yourself a favor and branch out. The bartender is amazing. She'll tell you what to get. She takes care of the locals that obviously come to see her and I watched her spread the love to the other sections I the restaurant too. What an absolute gem. The ribs were flavorful, the sauces that are made in house had just right amount of tang but the meat is so good it doesn't need to be smothered in sauce (try it without the sauce). The portions are huge so come hungry. read more

Rib City - Chicken & BBQ Pack - Barbeque Near Me - Cookeville, Tennessee

Has potential but fell short. Came in on a Monday for lunch and was met by extremely slow service (waiting for my order to be taken, and waiting on the check after I was done eating). I ordered the brisket and sweet potato fries. The brisket was extremely dry, and they were pretty stingy with the fries. The waitress was friendly however, and the food had a decent taste to it. I believe this place could be good if some of these quality issues were taken care of. read more

I went into rib city with 3 of my friends. Never could get any service so I had to go to the bar to get my drinks. In friendly conversation I asked the bar tender how tall she was. Apparently that pissed her off and I was allowed no more drinks. It's a cool place to be until you ask for height. I'll never go back and I made it clear! Don't ruffle feathers lol read more

Decided to stop at Rib City for dinner. Ordered a full rack of ribs - what else to get at a place that has Ribs on their name. I almost never complain, but most people would have returned that plate. I don't see how those ribs could have been any dryer. I also don't see how they could have done this in ignorance, they knew what they were serving me. They were days old, shrunken, reheated multiple times. I ate them, paid for the meal and left a tip for my server, but I am definitely not coming back and had to write this review. read more

Rib City - Mummy ribs. The worst I've had. No bbq restaurant would dare put this in front of a customer - Barbeque Near Me - Cookeville, Tennessee

Was drive back to Knoxville from middle Tennessee and searched for BBQ places along the way and decided to give Rib City a shot. Overall, a pretty nice place just off I40. Easy on and off. Sat in bar area and ordered a half chicken diner with bake beans and fries. I forgot to take a picture because I was dove in when it hit the table. Chicken was fresh and tasted great with the sweet BBQ sauce. They have two other sauces but the Sweet is my pick. Bake beans were a little sweeter than they needed but tasted good. Comes with toast. Service was very quick and attentive to our refills and anything else we needed. I would certainly stop here again when coming thru. read more

Rib City - Bar area - Barbeque Near Me - Cookeville, Tennessee

You know you at a good rib place when you open your car door and the aroma of hickory hits your nose. The food was prepared fresh. Customer service was very good. All came out as ordered. read more

Rib City - Menu Cover - Barbeque Near Me - Cookeville, Tennessee

The food is always on point but don't order online thru the website. They continually get my order wrong when I do.Today my order was due at 1:40 i arrived at 1:50 for curbside and was told by the young lady with a distressed voice she would get it to me when she could, I waited 20 minutes in the parking lot and went in to cancel. She ran up as I was telling another employee what i needed with the food and began blaming the kitchen and it being a busy day. I said to her politely, i did it online and it got missed as an order didn't it ? that apparently upset her because she went on a rant about it doesn't show on her screen it prints off right beside the screen and she ended it all with an angry " i see it when i see it so.." and I just walked out to deescalate the temper tantrum she was clearly about to have. so save yourself the drama or missing items and just call your order in, everyone has a bad day so I can look past a kid that doesn't know any better but their online ordering system continually has issues. read more

I truly enjoyed my visit to Rib City in Cookeville, TN. I ordered a salad of all things...lol, but it was delicious! The ranch dressing was excellent!!! My friend ordered the chicken tenders and I tried a couple of them with their amazing BBQ sauce. Next time I go, I will definite try the ribs and brisket. Can't wait until my next visit read more

Rib City - Barbeque Near Me - Cookeville, Tennessee

See all

Seems like a local spot with a chain look & feel and not like a hometown pit bbq spot. The dining room is simple and bright. Our waitress was polite, professional, and provided info on popular items but, not confident in how the bbq is prepared and served. Just some details like: dry rub or sauced on the smoker. While the bbq, generally, was enjoyed, it's more of a grill style bbq. Meats were served charred and felt like it was not true smoked bbq like one may be accustomed. Much of the foods seemed a bit salty which could use some adjustment. All in all I'd go back, if in town. read more

50 cent beer on Wednesdays! Amazing service was great and such southern hospitality! The ribs were so good and the mac and cheese was out of this world! read more

First time here. Service was great, very friendly. I had the pulled pork sandwich, slaw, and fries. They had multiple sauces to put on the sandwich all every tasty. Everything was good. Would go back. read more

Looking for good BBQ?? First time here, we loved it. Food was great, our server Trent was the best. Make sure you ask for him. #bbq #cookeville #cookevilletn #cookevilletennessee #tennessee #foodie #foodies #foodiesofinstagram #foodielife #foodiegram #itswesnjenn #evansadventures #shoplocal read more

See all

So went to Rib City on Wednesday night while in town on business. I had read the reviews and decided to try it myself. What I found was really good service provided by "Flo" and good food. Got the baby back ribs, full slab, and they were really good. My only issue was as that they were the smallest ribs I have ever seen. Be advised. But they were good. Also had slaw and fries. Everything was good and I would recommend Rib City if you are in the mood for ribs. read more

The food is always good and the ambiance is so friendly! We love Rib City and would recommend it to everyone!

Stopped here on the recommendation from the hotel. Some reviewers mentioned that the servers were not masked. We saw most of the servers had masks however some were below the nose. As for the food We started with fried okra with a side of ranch. It was fresh okra with a good texture and flavor. It did even need the ranch. The baby back ribs were great. Tender and juicy. Great flavors. The other half of the rib and rib combo was St. Louis style which were dry as dust. They switch out that half for more baby backs. As for a side the cole slaw was excellent and the Mac and cheese was terrific- creamy and perfectly cheesy. The pulled pork was good, nice and tasty. the side of the green beans were amazing. read more

Sorry but who eats anything else here but those baby back ribs!! So good! So good! ( it deserves to be said twice) drool! I love those ribs! They melt in your mouth! Brought to you hot and with a basket to put your bones has extra napkins and wipes in it!! They have sauces and sides that are good too. The other meat is good I hear but seriously who wants that with the ribs that are melty goodness! read more

Wow the food was great the waitress was fantastic. I love this place and will definitely be back when in town. We are looking to move here. Everyone is so friendly and ny read more

We like very much RIB city food very good service excellent, maybe sides should be a bit bigger otherwise very good.Very good for family dinner. read more

Great BBQ , but our favorite is the French fried okra. The batter is crisp and light.

Great bbq and killer smoked wings. Wished they had better salads. Okra appetizer is great!

All five of us got something different and we all loved everything. Very good - big portions.

We bought a Tony's combo for $24.79 to go thinking we could share it for dinner. There was plenty of meat between the ribs and pulled pork but the sides were small, even for 1 person so we had to make our own sides at home so we both had "sides". The beans were ok, and the mac & cheese wasn't anything to write home about or on this review. Ribs were not very meaty, but they did fall off the bone. We've had much meatier and tastier ribs elsewhere. The only BBQ sauce given was "sweet" which was really sweet, no other option was offered so we used what we had at home. The pulled pork was plain, which I get but with only sweet bbq sauce, we had to use our own on that as well. Garlic bread , not so garlicky. For the price we paid I would have expected a whole lot better. The purpose of ordering takeout was so we wouldn't have to cook. It was a total waste of time and money since we had to cook to make up for the lack of sides in the combo meal.overall, pretty disappointed we wasted $24.79. Should have ordered a pizza for football Sunday ‍ read more

Rib City - Tony's comboFull rack of ribs(the other half is underneath) ,1/4 lb pulled pork, garlic toast & 2 sides:Mac and cheese , bbq n Beans - Barbeque Near Me - Cookeville, Tennessee

This was a nice little place with a sweetest server. The food was good and we will definitely go back but nothing to write home about. But their spicey BBQ sauce ...OH MY! It was amazing. I combined the spicey with their sweet sauce and wow! read more

We stopped by here on our way home from Nashville to Knoxville last weekend and had the best BBQ. The waitress was great and the food was amazing! My mom and me like to share meals so we can try different things. She got the rib tips with coleslaw and fries and I got the pulled pork with baked beans and Mac & cheese, both came with garlic bread. The rib tips, pulled pork, fries, coleslaw, and baked beans were really good. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the Mac, it was kind of dry and didn't have much flavor which was disappointing because I love Mac. We also got the fried pickles appetizer and they were good and had a bit of a kick to them. Overall it was really good food and we will be back. The prices were reasonable for what you get. We had the lunch specials, so with drinks, an appetizer, and tip our total for 2 was only $34 and we had leftovers to enjoy once we got home. read more

See all

We were looking for a place to enjoy a quiet Mother's Day Dinner at 5:30 p.m. on Mother's Day. Yes, I know poor planning, but we had just finished a perfect (VERY strenuous) hike down to the bottom of Fall Creek Falls. Rib City was closing at 9:00. We arrived at 7:05 so didn't know how that would work. There was still a 30 minute wait, but they seated us and treated us as if they were really glad we stopped there to have dinner. The hot food was fresh and delicious. The cold food was as it should be also. Rib City saved my Mother's Day dining out experience. We will eat there again when in the area. read more

Atmosphere, service and yummy! This place is a real treasure. And homemade key lime pie! Not loud and great outside patio. If you can't tell I definitely recommend! read more

Good food, good variety, service was adequate but less attentive than I expected but they were busy.

The hostess sits my wife and I next to bar and didn't ask if it was okay, which we did not want to sit there we wanted a booth away from the bar so they took us to the booth. The food took 40 minutes to come but was good. But because the food took so long the server brought the check before we were even half done and asked if we needed a box as we are still both eating. So The service was okay, but we felt rushed. My advice to rib city is better timely service but don't change the food. read more

Rib City - The restaurant - Barbeque Near Me - Cookeville, Tennessee

I came here last year and was impressed enough to come back multiple nights. So i was excited to come in tonight. Pull up and there are only 4 cars in the parking lot. The hostess seats me and tell me the waitress will get my drink order in a bit. I wait. I wait. I wait more. There are only three tables and she brings them all food. Never even looks at me. I am getting pissed. I wait more. No waitress. No hostess. No one. They are standing in the back waiting on orders instead of taking a second to get a drink order and acknowledge a new guest. I decided to give her one more chance before i walk out. She brings the third table more food and doesnt do much as glance at me. ENOUGH. I leave. Without the waitress even acknowledging my existence. This is not how you keep repeat customers. No matter how the food tastes. Chick fil a got my money this night. December 11 2018 read more

Had takeout from Rib City a few week ago. Prompt service, friendly interaction on phone and with takeout personnel. From order time to pick up around 20 minutes. The food was as ordered and absolutely delicious. I had Riblet dinner. Perfectly tender meat with more meat than bone. Not dry or over cooked with right amount of sauce! The onion rings are crunchy and not greasy, so good!!! My husband had brisket and pulled pork combo Not our favorite as brisket thin sliced not a lot of flavor, just ok. However, The pulled pork was full of smoky goodness, comes with garlic bread. Enough food for a sandwich next day, We also had shrimp appetizer. I think it would have been delicious as well if eaten at the restaurant. By the time we got it home was cold and shriveled. No fault of the restaurant. Would absolutely recommend! Great food value overall and friendly service. read more

Good place for lunch. Close to I-40. I visited Rib City several times in recent months. Good service and a good lunch. The pork is not overcooked or too dry. Good selection of sides and vegetables. Their sweet tea is better than most restaurants. read more

We were just passing through this town in Tennessee. Stopped in for some barbeque and we're pleasantly surprised. Great staff to start. With this COVID business causing employee shortages, they were swamped with probably half the staff they would normally have. They sat us with a smile and our server was a blur taking care of everyone. My son had the baby back ribs and loved every bite. I had the sliced pork and my wife had a smoked turkey salad. Everything was prepared perfectly with care and speed. I loved their french fries. Everything was actually seasoned. Give them a try if you are in the area. read more

This is the BBQ place we feel most at home in. I have done takeout, which was simple and quick. Eating inside is pleasant and good service. We enjoy the sides almost as good as the main meat offerings. Prices are reasonable. read more