This was my first visit to the downtown location and it did not disappoint.. I had the perfectly done 1/2 slab of ribs that were just awesome.. the seasoning done just right and they were moist and juicy. Add the very friendly wait staff and you have the perfect combination..We will be back! read more

I had the Macaroni and Cheese. It was a little expensive, but OH MY LORDT. Easily one of the top ten meals of my life. I found God in the beautifully arranged macaroni, with barbecue sauce glazed around the inside of the cup with layers of meat, cheese, and pasta. If this macaroni isn't served in heaven, then I'll hang out in purgatory until St. Peter changes his mind. read more

Sparks BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Just odered and told there were only 2 buns left it's 4 o'clock on a Monday afternoon WTF WTF SEND SOMEONE TO GET MORE DAMN BUNS NO EXCUSES not a good start morelater read more

Tried this place out for the first time yesterday (3/17/18), Sparks has fantastic BBQ! The staff was friendly and efficient. If your in downtown Traverse City and want really good BBQ you won't be disappointed with Sparks. read more

Three of us had a delicious lunch at Sparks, paid our waiter, left our table,and I proceeded to the cash register at the front to ask for change to feed the parking meter (that you need to use to eat at the restaurant).... I asked for change and was told in a very rude tone that "we don't give change for the parking meter". I was asking for just 4 quarters and we had just spent close to $60 on lunch! Food is good, staff is rude. read more

The hostess was rude and the food was terrible. I don't recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Great Place for good BQ. The food was served hot and very delicious! No wait time... staff was very friendly.

Food was amazing. The brisket melted in your mouth, and the Pit Masters Mac n Cheese is a definite repeat. Servings aren't huge but satisfy any hunger. The pitmasters are really friendly, and I would definitely recommend trying this place out! read more

Walking around Traverse City when the mood for BBQ hit. This place went from a place to get a nosh to a must-go-to when we come back. Ribs were great dry (they bust your chops if you ask for sauce); pulled pork one of the best. Blue cheese slaw is great, beans are a bit weak. Next time- brisket. read more

Memphis dry rubbed ribs! Mouthwatering, fall off the bone, and perfectly seasoned! Dean and Tank were awesome and shared some great grilling tips! Try the bacon blue slaw! Amazing as well! read more

Very meaty ribs, great beans and pulled pork. NOT cheap. A full rack is $32.00. Great service, clean eating area. The meat is not fall off the bones. You will knaw at it. read more

Was considering four stars, but the wife's avocado bruschetta took it to a five. Really good, and our server mentioned she had to sign a contract not tp divulge recipes. My pulled pork plate was very good. Good beans and adequate slaw. No deduction for the slaw since i am a bit picky on that. Friendly folks and a nice atmosphere. The pork sundae sure looked interesting. read more

Had lunch with my husband at this great spot. We both had the brisket, which was so tasty and tender. We had sides of coleslaw, beans, and the avocado bruschetta, which were based off of the owner's family recipes. Will definitely be going back to try their sandwiches and ribs! read more

By far, my very favorite place to eat in Traverse City, Mi!! Love the atmosphere, fast & fun staff, down to earth owners, best BBQ in town!! I absolutely LOVE their BBQ Sundae, Avacado Bruschetta, Blue Slaw and pig candy. Good prices and you'll never leave hungry. Can't go down E Front Street without smelling the delicious smoker filled with meats I can't resist stopping in for lunch or dinner every time I'm downtown. I would highly recommend all locals to get familiar with Sparks BBQ. As for Fudgies (aka out of towners) You definitely need to put them on your list of Must Stops!! You will not be disappointed!! read more

Great bbq food. My family and I went here while on vacation and it was awesome. The owner and employees were very nice. Dinner and good conversation what a great experience. read more

Excellent service! The pulled pork was delicious and both sauces were yummy! The Mac and cheese was good but not as flavorful as I like.

Went there yesterday on a day trip with my sister to Traverse City. I had looked up restaurants on here the night before and saw that people really liked it, so we decided to go here for lunch. And it did not disappoint!!!!! It's just a little place that was so cool when you first step in, and the guys behind the counter immediately greeted us and told us if we had any questions to just ask. I think he was the owner or one of them, but all the guys working were so nice. I got the pulled rib sandwich and side of Mac, my sister got the pulled pork sandwich and side of Mac. My sandwich was to die for, the meat was so good by itself and then the sauce was so good too. I love that it's not drowning in sauce, so you taste both the meat & sauce. The MAC and cheese was really good too and the perfect side. My sister loved her pulled pork sandwich and we both cleaned our plates. I wish we had tried the pig candy. I will definitely be back to try the brisket and other yummy things. read more

Sparks BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Some of the best succulent, tender and most flavorful ribs I've ever enjoyed! Been here and at their food truck a few times over the past two years. Would have given it 5 stars if it weren't for the high prices and miniature sides (unforgettable I may add). Also, no sauce was provided with a slab and half of ribs? Maybe they forgot or is that extra? For these prices, I would expect much larger sides and a more comfortable dining space. Will we be back? Yes indeed, but not very frequently. Hope they listen to their customers and are willing to evolve a bit. The ribs DO rock! read more

Great food, good service. They did run out of some food but were honest prior to us taking a table. Would come again!

My wife and I are visiting Traverse City on our anniversary weekend from Grand Rapids and decided to head to Sparks BBQ yesterday after seeing glowing reviews here and on other sites. Over the past two years, Grand Rapids has exploded with great BBQ joints, most of them are very good places, so my expectations of Sparks BBQ were in check compared to some of the great places back home. When we got there, the owner recommended the Ribs and Brisket. We got Pauly's hero plate that has Ribs, Brisket, Pulled Pork, Sausage, Baked Beans and Cole Slaw and added a couple more ribs on Dean's recommendation. YUM! Everything was really good, but the dry rub ribs were the best I have ever had!!! The tenderness of the meat with the seasoning flavor and the sprinkled spices, OHH DANG, they were amazing. The Brisket and Pulled pork were both fantastic as well! Both sides and the sausage were also very good. All in all, I don't think you can go wrong here. The place itself has very limited seating indoors, but they have outdoor tables also and the staff were all very friendly and knowledgeable. GET THE RIBS AND BRISKET NOW! :) We'll be back for sure and I would highly recommend Sparks BBQ if you love great BBQ. read more

Omg stopped her recommended BYU monkey fist brewery. Bbq great beer awesome highly recommend!

Good BBQ, good service, but that interior and the lighting? Felt like a French fry under a heat lamp. Tone it down, guys.

Service was great, food was awesome, and the drinks were fantastic! Our waiter was very personable and friendly. We'll definitely be back!

Best ribs north of the mason dixon line! Amazing and friendly owner, beans were on point! If you are in the area be sure to stop by!

Love this place. I'm from Kansas City and this is right up there on the list. The owner is a really cool guy try the brat in the bun!!!

Best bbq pulled pork sandwich I ever had. I want to go back for the parfait!

Dean the owner and Zack our server were awesome . They were on top of everything ,service was perfect. The brisket was great, tender, juicy , and portions were good. read more

We love good barbecue, but I did not expect much here. I mean, high quality barbecue in Northern Michigan?! My litmus test is always the brisket, and wow, Dean really does it right. This may be the best I've ever had. And EVERYTHING here was top notch - the ribs, grandma's beans... The sauce is excellent, too - I usually find a restaurant's base sauce to be too bland, and the spicy to be too spicy, but here the base sauce is just right, delicious. Looking forward to coming back to explore more of the menu. Oh, and the service was great, too. read more

I'm sorry, I would like to give a good review but I can't. Despite a nearly empty restaurant, it was obvious that weren't even working our order. The kids were getting cranky waiting for the food. It should never take over an hour at a BBQ restaurant to get your meal. The food was not worth the wait. read more

There is a lot of great food in TC but Sparks blows them away. Whether it's a whole new take on comfort mac and cheese Pitmaster mac and cheese or the magnificent dry rub ribs, I recommend Sparks. Added bonus they deliver! read more

Sparks has very accommodating service. The food was delicious and came with little wait time. Absolutely recommend the brisket as well as the Hoplust American IPA. Great place in T.C.! read more

I recently went here and have to agree with many of the other reviewers that it is not the place it once was. The food is now mediocre (at best) the wait staff was rude and short with our table, and it is way over priced. We found the pork to be dry, although the watered down coleslaw did seem to help rehydrate it. The coleslaw helped make out bbq pork cold; just the temperature I like my bbq. I have found I can go to Dickie's down the road, park out front, pay half the price and eat a much better meal. Plus Dickie's is a more family friendly environment, providing high chairs and even free meals to kids on Sundays. If I can say two things about Sparks BBQ: I would skip this one, and it has inspired me to make more of my own BBQ, because if they can do it anyone can. read more

This was the best BBQ. The waiter was a amazing. The mac and cheese was great the baked beans were delicious, the coal slaw really hit the stop! Pull pork had an amazing flavor. Breskit was fall apart great. Ribs were the best dry rub ever! read more

First Time here from a different city, probably one of the best bbq's I've ate at, the service was amazing, the food was awesome and the bill wasnt bad for 5 people. The aesthetics we really nice aswell. read more

Have been to Traverse City a three times over the last year and a half. On each trip I have planned for and eaten at Sparks BBQ. What can I say...he sells a sampler plate. It's the best of the best and just enough to fill me up. I love to eat. I do brisket at home and also try brisket everywhere I go that serves brisket, Mr. Sparks you have it right! Keep up the passion and the great BBQ! read more

Excellent BBQ!! Brisket cooks for 15 hours. Delicious. Pulled pork yummy. Can get spicy or original or half and half. Great atmosphere. Great food read more

Best ribs I have ever had! So glad to be back in town to grab the Bbq king's food! Cole slaw flavorful. Piled high pulled pork, moist and great flavor. Sauce excellent. Rub outstanding. A do not miss stop! read more

Best barbecue in Traverse City, and I've been to them all on multiple occasions. The surrounding aroma is out of this world(especially when they open their smoker!).They have some creative menu items here, including a BBQ Sundae, Pit Mac & Cheese and an Avocado Bruschetta. Every meat on their menu is juicy, tender and smokey. They also don't drench their meat in BBQ sauce, rather they drizzle it over top so that the flavour of the meat is still prevalent throughout the experience. They do have a rather small storefront, but the layout is streamlined rather well and there is outside seating as well, not to mention that the entire block is dotted in outdoor dining areas. read more

It was good food and friendly staff but we sadly weren't able to get the brisket, they had just run out. Our waiter wasn't the quickest but he was still very friendly! read more

Had a great lunch at Sparks everything was excellent, so good in fact we will be hiring them for a private event. Try to find Marcus, funny guy, good waiter. Keep it up Sparks! read more