First time at saddleback and all I can say is it was excellent. Pulled pork smoked to perfection and not steamed in sauce all day. Staff was friendly and accommodating. Will definitely be going back for seconds! read more

I was a little disappointed with a 4 star rating, the meat did not match up. I had the one meat platter with brisket for an extra charge. Brisket was dry and just OK. The sides were beans and coleslaw, beans were tasty, slaw was mediocre. read more

Saddleback BBQ - Brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Okemos, Michigan

Great barbecue! Perfectly prepared. You can't go wrong with Saddleback. They go out of their way to give delicous food.

I'm previously from Texas, where smoked brisket is literally elevated to an art form. Anywhere in Texas, this place might be able to get 3-stars from some folks and on a good day, I might've been one of them. However, some of the best BBQ places in Texas, particularly Austin, don't charge $40 per lb for brisket...and their brisket is outstanding. For any place with mediocre level brisket to think that the $40 per lb price tag is justifiable, is downright criminal, and insulting to all of the amazing BBQ pit masters across the country. Sorry Saddleback BBQ, but for that reason, I have to give you no more than 2 stars because I can't give you 1.5. read more

We went on a College Tour nearby and stopped in to see what they had, pleasantly surprised by the food and how nice the chef + cashier were. We got chicken tenders, seasoned fries, and each a scoop of ice cream. Honestly really good and a fair price for the generous servings, the ice cream was bomb and the fries had so much flavor. Loved it, if you're ever in the area please stop by everyone is so sweet. i'd go back anytime read more

Food is outstanding! This is a must stop and eat place. Best BBQ by far. You will not leave hungry. Highly recommended.

This was my first time at Saddleback, and I didn't realize it was like a fast food BBQ restaurant. The food was tasty- although the chicken was a little dry. I had macaroni and cheese and collard greens as my two sides. The staff was very friendly, and our food came to our table quickly. There were three BBQ sauces to try and they were delicious! Overall I enjoyed the restaurant however I felt it was slightly expensive. read more

Saddleback BBQ - Pulled chicken, Mac n cheese, collard greens - Barbeque Near Me - Okemos, Michigan

If you bring your own saddle, it's 10 percent off on Sunday's. If you ride in on a horse, another 10 percent. Refer to everyone as "cowpoke", 5 percent. Is your name John Wayne? That's just cool. Come in with the Saddleback logo branded to your thigh?? Name your discount! Giddy up!!! read more

Quick stop as I'm traveling East. Brisket tacos with fresh cilantro, crumble queso fresco on a grilled tortilla. Mac n cheese on the side with sweet corn stuffing. $14.00 is a little spendy for 2 tacos, but now that I have tasted them, I would order them again. Southern cooking meets California tacos! #spicemeister approved. read more

Saddleback BBQ - Sauces! - Barbeque Near Me - Okemos, Michigan

See all

Wow. This place is mediocre at best. The only thing impressive is that absolutely everything was unimpressive. The highlight of 4 different sides we tried were the French fries. The potato salad tasted like it came from a bucket at Sam's. The beans were a paste and the pulled pork in them tasted like it came from a container of Lloyds. Coleslaw was mostly tasteless so hard to critique. The brisket and ribs were both exceedingly dry but the ribs were harder to eat because the "bark" tasted like a charcoal crust. The deathblow was the portion sizes. For a $30 2 meat combo lunch, I would typically walk away with leftovers for another lunch. Not here. I didn't leave hungry, but there wasn't anything left to take home. Do yourself a favor and go to Meat instead. It's better BBQ, sides and value. read more

Best BBQ this side of the Mason-Dixon. As a born and breed southerner, I can officially say they have the BEST Sweet Tea in town. Staff is always friendly and food is always hot and quick. read more

I should start by saying that my bar for good barbecue is very high as I've visited central TX many time and eaten at some of the best places. We visited for lunch two days ago and I have to say - I wouldn't go back. I had the 2 meat combo plate with ribs and brisket also coleslaw and insanely huge serving of pork rinds - literally enough for everyone that was in the restaurant and they were good with a spicy (I presume) barbecue rub on them. The coleslaw was also very good as a mayo based version which is always my favorite way to make it. The ribs were very tender and the meat was firm (so not boiled or anything bad like that) but were very dried out - they were dry rubbed which is my favorite way to go, but you really needed to smother them in sauce to give them any moisture - so that's a fail for me. The brisket had a similar problem - the brisket was from the flat and not the fatty portion and while it was very tender it didn't have much smoke flavor and very little bark making me question how it was actually cooked. Again smothering it in sauce was the only way to eat it as it was far too dry on its own. By the way my preference with good barbecue is no sauce at all as the meat should stand on its own - this did not. read more

Barbecue obviously . Brisket is ok ,not greatest but decent. Ribs are the best thing there but MEAT is better. Has 2 places one. In Okemos ,Park place and original in Reo town. Both the same. Just average. read more

Absolutely wonderful! We enjoyed everything we had - excellent and very tasty! Must try! : )

Awesome food every time. I've been here to eat quite a few times and they always have some surprises. The onion dip is an excellent starter. Creamy, rich with the sweetness of the well caramelized onions. My go to is the brisket. Great seasoning, moist and reliably good every time. But to be honest, the best thing I've ever had there was the short rib. Took tenderness and moisture to another level, just a little more pricey. The spicy cornbread is unique and a perfect accompaniment to the meat whatever your choice. Variety of sauces that are all good. The pickles are a nice sweet heat to provide another great contrast to the entree. The have a nice beer selection, good cocktails and a nice variety of sides. Mac and cheese is very good and both kids and adults enjoy it. Really can't recommend this place enough. Staff is always wonderful. Owners give back to the community. They are the whole package. read more

Food service and fantastic food! They also have a nice little outdoor seating area. It's very friendly and relaxing atmosphere.

Got the pork sandwich and fries . The pork sandwich was really good topped with coleslaw. The vinegar sauce went well with it. The pickles had Awesome flavor. The fries were good, but I have to agree with another yelp reviewer that the fries are over seasoned. I used the bbq sauce to equal the taste out. Nice establishment, good service, and overall was satisfied with the food. read more

Saddleback BBQ - a sandwich and french fries - Barbeque Near Me - Okemos, Michigan

The food is very good, but portions are small for the price. So, do you want to pay more for more (because meat prices continue to rise) or have smaller portions? I think they made the right choice. read more

Saddleback simply gets five stars because it's the best in the area. Finding legit bbq in the middle of Michigan (or anywhere in Michigan) is tough. Saddleback does just enough for me. The brisket is what I enjoyed most on my visit. The meaty parts are meaty and the fatty parts are nice and fatty. The pulled pork is solid. They need some work on their burnt ends, but I can never hate on burnt pieces of fatty meat. The corn cake is excellent and I'd suggest getting more, although the sweet potato mash is hard to beat as a side. To boot, they have well-priced Bell's on draft. I'd like maybe one more sauce because their signature sweet (and savory) one wasn't doing it for me. At the least, they adhere to most tastebuds in the bbq belt. Can't complain about that. Also, their service is outstanding and a main reason I'm giving five stars. read more

Saddleback BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Okemos, Michigan

Good brisket but portions were too small for price. Mac and cheese was mid. Meat is better for the price.

Arrived around 5:30pm on a Sunday evening (they are open until 8). Waited at the front counter for several minutes before someone acknowledged that we were there (My family of four wasn't sure if we should seat ourselves or not). Was told to pick a table and scan the QR code and order online. Online ordering wasn't really set up for table service. It was confusing trying to figure it out, so places the order as best as we could and went to the front to confirm it went through. At that point the gal working the front told me she actually had no idea how it worked to order from a phone while in the restaurant. She called someone else up, who also tried to figure it out and eventually they manage to find my order and note that it's for dine in. I pay and then find out they are out of French fries and collards (the sides we wanted). This is right at dinner hour. I've worked in food and I know that French fries do not take any time to cook up. Drop them from frozen into the deep fryer and you'll have them ready in just a few minutes. Maybe they were completely out, but judging from how confused the workers were in just taking the order, it seems more likely they forgot, got overwhelmed, and didn't realize that they could quickly make them, and that people dining in might be just fine waiting 5 more minutes for the food they actually wanted to eat. Granted, that still left us without collards, but would have been a start. On to the food. We all ordered brisket, which comes with a scoop of sweet corn "bread" that manages to be both rubbery and undercooked at the same time. My son subbed his fry order for baked beans, which were sweet and meaty. My daughter ended up with coleslaw, which had so much celery seed on it that it was completely inedible eaten alone - very bitter from the seeds. My husband and myself ended up with the potato salad, which was heavy on the mustard and still fairly bland. The brisket was mostly lean, with some streaks of fat, which were easily cut away from those of us who didn't want it. The "side" of pickles advertised were two slices of pickles. Between the 4 of us we maybe had 1/8th of a pickle on our plates. The whole thing was served on a metal tray with a thin piece of paper on it, which shredded easily and I spent as much time trying to keep paper out of my food as I did actually eating. It would be far better if they just skipped the paper and served us on the tray. Napkins at the table were minimal and we had to grab some from another table. The BBQ sauces at the table were in bottles so well used that some of them wouldn't even squeeze out and we ended up having to take the top off and just pour. Likely in the age of Covid we should have been concerned at the lack of cleaning, but at this point we were too annoyed with the whole experience that we figured we better just eat and get on with our life. Their website has a claim to the best BBQ in Michigan. while the brisket itself was decently smoked and we enjoyed that part of the meal, there's a whole lot more they need to fix to qualify for that title. Perhaps their other location is more on top of things, and maybe they have better trained workers on other nights, but overall, this was such a bomb for us that we would be highly unlikely to ever go back. read more

After a few years of enjoying the original location, I attended the grand opening last week and I am really impressed by the new spot. And the addition of a bar is genius... I mean what's better with BBQ than beer? Saddleback was, of course, very busy on their first day, but Rachel made everybody feel at home... and because my slacker buddy (he knows who he is) bailed on me at the last second, I ordered mine to go and decided to take lunch to my wife and her staff. I ordered pulled pork sandwiches, ribs, brisket, and a few sides. As always, the food was perfect and my wife's office couldn't say enough about the meat and sides. This is a great addition to the east side of town and I know lots of people who are excited about the new Saddleback location. read more

Saddleback BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Okemos, Michigan

Wonderful service and food. Host was super friendly, Brisket great, cornbread sweet and soft.

Best. Ever! Love Saddleback BBQ! Not only is it the best BBQ in town (which... it is), but they also have a significant heart for the community as well. Throughout COVID, Saddleback gave away hundreds (thousands?) of meals to those who needed them at key junctures, and also helped rescue other restaurants and businesses who were struggling to adapt. Their menu items are fresh, fun, Michigan-based whenever possible and TASTY! Love these guys! read more

Pros: STAFF, parking, mac and cheese, brisket Cons: pretty pricey for bbq, average at best meat Hungry meal suggestion- 2 proteins and a side ~22 bucks. So the main thing here is that 1/3 lb brisket is going to cost you 9 bucks. For a bbq guy like myself you're going to dome .5lb meat, so you're spending 18 bucks for .6 lb which is high. By comparison superior bbq in texas you look at 10lbs for a half lb (yeah i know texas) and hell even NYC is 14 (better and cheaper bbq in NYC, wtf?) I tend to go alittle lighter on sides, but the sides here are pretty heavy. So I suggest a meal of two proteins and mac and cheese. I rarely invision mac and cheese as a side, but it definitely stands out here. Two proteins and a side gets you to 22 bucks, which for me is tough to stomach for Michigan BBQ. The baked beans were skippable. I didnt try the pork or chicken. My parents did. They are not picky or knowledgeable of bbq. Their input was that their food was okay but both liked the mac and cheese. The thing that matters about a bbq review is Brisket... its good. Great bark, good smoke flavor, and seasoning lets the meat stay in the forefront. I ate at around 2:30 on a saturday and it wasnt hot, so who knows when it was sliced. I received my .6lb from the point (no order preference.) I saw other reviews knocking the fat but this was as expected. I liked it. I really dont like the pricing structure here from sn ordering standpoint. I want a half lb meat and to split 1 side with someone. I dont care to try a variety. It seems this place wants you to go easy on the meat and have two sides or try two different meats and have 1 side. When you go that route its pricy. Beer list was okay. You'll find a drinkable beer but dont expect to get excited over anything. Lots of bells offerings. 8 dollars for m43 seems a bit high when you're like 10 minutes from the source. The standard bbq sauce is okay, and I dont mess with vinegar or carolina sauce options. A purist would say good bbq doesnt require sauce, this brisket toes that line, i used sauce. In all honesty this is 3 star bbq, but in a weak bbq state you could make the case for a 4. I enjoyed it but it was pretty pedestrian. I wasn't all that impressed, so i most likely would not return. read more

Good good food. Maybe a bit spicy for me but I love it!! Highly recommend! Love the burnt ends!!

Got a rack of ribs, lemonade was great, sweet potatoes was good, and fries were overly seasoned but im happy with the choice.

This food was great and it was well prepared. These guys pay attention to the details. Their potato salad and ribs were fantastic. Their pickles have a hint of cinnamon and their corn cake has a spicy kick to it. Friendly staff. read more

Saddleback BBQ - Ribs/Potato Salad/Corn Cake - Barbeque Near Me - Okemos, Michigan

Ummmm the beef rib used to be $22 and now it is $39???? That's an aggressive hike folks.

Delicious BBQ! Everything I've tried I've loved. Food holds up very well for takeout, too! Highly recommend.

OK, where do we start? Oh, yeah, beef rib bbq and bell's on tap! Promising start. $22 for a beef rib, small scoop of cornbread/jalapeno plus home-made pickles? Gotta admit, ever since I visited Lucille's BBQ the first time, smoked beef ribs are at the top of my list. But $22? Come on, Saddleback!!! Well, once again, the old man is WRONG! That rib was bigger than brontosaurus or Fred Flintstone! Easily one pound plus of juicy, smoky, and tender beefiness. Added hand cut fries and baked beans (which included generous hunks of smoked meats). Great service at the bar. Pints of Bell's for $5?? Winner, winner; beef rib dinner!! Next visit, brisket.. read more

Atmosphere: Good for the family or a casual outing. You order your meal at the register then take a seat. They will serve you your food and drinks at your table. Food: Yummy in my tummy. I had the brisket tacos with sweet potatoes. And every entree comes with a scoop of corncakes. Just say yes!!! Customer service: What a friendly bunch of beautiful people. read more

We love Saddleback BBQ. We tried it for the first time during 2021 after learning they had curbside to go. We had long admired them for the business transparency on social media and finally gave it a shot. We go almost every other week now. They are consistent and excellent. We are pretty diligent when ordering places, and they have never once gotten an order wrong. It is always hot and travels well. We like them a little too much because weekly we have to talk ourselves out of not going multiple times. :) read more

Great food, horrible communication through yelp / grub hub. I received a confirmation meal was ready and 30 min later it was not still waiting read more

Great place. We usually get take out which is always quick and easy. Every time we have dined in the service has been fantastic. BBQ is absolutely fantastic. My only complaint is that the Mac and cheese is not always the same. Sometimes it is very sauce and sometimes it lacks sauce. The sides in general leave something to be desired. I think the recipes could be better but overall great bbq great service and great atmosphere. read more

Very good and good car side service. Lots of meat. We ordered the combo tray for 2-4. Four stars due to one irksome thing. The combo includes 3 sides. We got plenty of corn bread scoops but our sides of cole slaw and Mac and cheese were skimpy - only one cup of each. It worked for 2 of us but if there had been 3 or 4 as the combo serving size suggests, it would have been far too little. Saddleback may wish to rethink sides portion sizes somehow. read more

WOW! It happened to be Smoked WuTang Wings Wednesday. That WuTang sauce was like no other! Other patrons bragging about their grub as well. GREAT service and it is spotless inside. Potato salad was some of the best I have had from a restaurant & the green bean casserole was fantastic! Cornbread is a 9 or 10. Will be back FOR SURE! read more

This place is always a fun time, and the brisket is top notch. I literally don't order anything else. Also, get extra corncake and thank me when you do. read more

Trip down chowserville lane. We came in an hour before closing so they were unfortunately out of chicken, but the ribs we did get were exceptional! This is a testament in itself as usually at the end of the day in a BBQ restaurant the food has dried out a bit due to the time of day as it was made earlier in the day. Very good smoke flavor and juicy. They weren't "fall of the bone", but rather a more meaty variety and still very tender and flavorful. The corncake was a cross between traditional cornbread and the glorious corn cake that was so famous at the now defunct Don Pablo's chain restaurants. They also have a delicious mashed sweet potato dish with a little ginger flavor. The employees who were working were nice and helpful. My only less than stellar part of the review is that while their Pecan Bar is tasty, it is incredibly hard. Similar to a peanut brittle. We are already making plans for an hour drive return to try the chicken, Mac-n-cheese, and the pork and beans. As a fellow customer was leaving, he told the staff that they were the best beans he has ever had. Update, as we are here again on 10/12/19. Ribs were just as delicious as previous visit! Mac and cheese was nice and creamy. We aren't crazy about their BBQ sauce. Wish there was a sweeter variety like Sweet Baby Rays. Just a thought for future reference. Still absolutely loved our meal. Definitely worth the trip from BC. Thank you Saddleback for your epic BBQ! read more

Great atmosphere, food and drinks. Nothing like this place around here. This place is top notch. Friendly and fun staff with a very diverse crowd. read more

See all