Good and service were both great. Had the chicken tacos and they were amazing. One of the kids had the nachos and loved it. Boyfriend had the ribeye sandwich and said it was phenomenal!! Will be back for sure!!!! read more

Sparks BBQ - Chicken tacos - Barbeque Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Was a little nervous given a few of the reviews. I'm from BBQ land in Texas but wanted to give this place a try. 7p on a Saturday, I expected a wait. I said I'd sit at the bar but it was full. Several of the wait staff stopped at the host stand to make sure I had been taken care of. It was suggested to me that if the three guys at a six top didn't mind, I could sit with them. They didn't mind so I did. Had the tasty half rack of dry ribs, the yummy mac and cheese and the also tasty baked beans. Asked if I wanted to take the leftovers. I didn't have access to a fridge until the next day but was talked into taking them anyway. Was offered to go utensils that I often have to ask for. The three guys I are with like their meals too. Both Steve, the waiter, and who may have been Dean, the owner were attentive to me and helpful even during the hectic dinner rush. I try not to repeat restaurants too often because there are so many places to eat but I do have several regular places in Traverse and would add this to that list. Will bring more people with me next time. read more

First time trying this little local gem. We're so impressed. The food was so fresh and delicious. Arguably the BEST bbq around. My husband had the brisket sandwich. I had the rib sandwich. Our friend had the brisket Mac & cheese. Everyone loved their meal. Top it off with awesome service (server John).... we can't wait to come back. Only wish I'd remembered to take a pic. read more

Excellent bbq for a joint so far north! I grew up in NC, but Sparks rivals home in many respects. Wife and I shared the two-meat combo and it was just the right amount to satisfy. Pulled pork was tender, juicy and shredded. Good brisket. Baked beans were delicious. Corn was interesting but not a favorite. Fast service and pleasant atmosphere. read more

I was looking forward to the BBQ brisket Sundae (I've had the pork Sundae before). I ordered it to go, paid the extra two dollars for brisket. 90% of the so-called brisket was fat. I was extremely disappointed in a $15 meal for some beans and coleslaw. I called back to the person who took my order (no apologies from him), i got the email address of the company so i could complain privately, but it is now one week later, and I've gotten no response so am posting on yelp. read more

Sparks BBQ - Fat on the left plate, the rest of the sundae (slaw & beans) on the right. - Barbeque Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

I'm willing to pay money for bbq, but this place is a rip-off. My husband, our two kids and myself ate here and it was $42 (before tip). Here's what $42 got us: My husband and I had the pulled chicken sandwich, no sides, but it does come with a generous "garnish" of 4 tortilla chips straight out of a bag from the grocery store. My kids had the mac n cheese served in a plastic cup which did come with a side, as well as that whopping 4 tortilla chips. The mac n cheese was essentially butter noodles, it was so bland. As their side they got corn (sides here are pretty limited here. How do you not have fries?). The corn was literally canned corn in a plastic cup...no salt...nothing, just canned corn. For $42 you have got to serve me more than canned food, bland mac n cheese, and tortilla chips out of a bag, and definitely NOT served in a plastic cup. Our server was really nice though. read more

Can I give them extra stars? Astoundingly delicious ribs and brisket begins to describe our first impression. My wife and I drove up from Kalamazoo, Michigan to Traverse City and visited Sparks for our anniversary on the recommendation of my sister and her husband a couple Saturdays ago (9/19.) We love good barbecue but I guess you'd call us particular. We expected it to be good, especially having driven a few hundred miles to get there. The experience was unexpectedly wonderful. We got there around 7:00 pm and no tables so we sat at the bar and chatted with the server behind the counter, I believe her name was Jessica? Wonderful conversation and service. Drinks were well made and almost as potent as our home variety which is... well, we like them strong. We had already snacked a little during the day partly because while the reviews we had received were good, I wasn't in the mood to be disappointed on a hungry stomach. Like I said, we're particular about our barbecue. I regret my decision and will not repeat it. The next time I will go on an empty stomach and partake fully of the bountiful culinary treasures. While we only ordered a plate of ribs and brisket, I almost fell off my chair as I took the first bite. I don't know how to describe how mouthwateringly delicious that tender morsel was, soft, not overly/under cooked, not too dry, not too wet, seasoned perfectly for our tastes. The ribs followed the brisket and they were different, but both... perfect. I'd go on but, well, I don't feel fully qualified yet. We only had SOME of what they have to offer and again, it was astounding. Next time we plan to have more of the same plus a variety of other tastes such as the pulled pork, maybe over two visits over a long weekend. Love the staff, the speed and the atmosphere. Can't wait to make the trip again this year. 2020 may leave you with a feeling of Angst in you Pants, but go to Sparks, forket about life for awhile and have some of mamma's brisket. read more

Brisket sandwich was awesome. Also got the nachos with brisket and that was great too. A bit strange serving tortilla chips with bbq but its fine. Would be back for sure. read more

GO HERE NOW!!!! Got the platter for 3-4 people and it filled up 4 adults perfectly. I ate the best cornbread of my life and was highly satisfied with everything on the plate. 10000/10 would recommend read more

Sparks BBQ - Platter that serves 3-4 - Barbeque Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Well, the server was nice. I paid $6 extra to make my two-meat combo ribs and brisket (vs chicken and a sausage, for $20) so, $26 and change. I got 3 small ribs and a slice of brisket cut into two strips. This is absurd. The ribs were tasty, but not worth $6 perribs... I'd steer well clear. read more

Very good BBQ. We shared a take out order of Pauly's Hero plate. The brisket and pulled pork was excellent. The ribs were so meaty and tender, but I wish we were given extra bbq sauce as they came without any sauce. The original sauce on the pulled pork was so good that it left us wanting it that much more for the ribs. The broccoli slaw was worth ordering as an extra. read more

If you support MAGA or believe others are less than, then this is the place for you. I'm sure the service is fine. But we never got there, because"Stand for the flag, kneel for the fallen" spoke louder than the Mac n' cheese read more

Wow... where to start. Prices wouldn't be unreasonable if the portions matched. $16 for a brisket sandwich with 3 pickles on it and 6 tortilla chips on the side is a bit of a joke. And $50 is a tough sell for a full slab of ribs considering I dont think I have paid more than $40 iny entire life. The brisket sandwich had more bbq sauce in the basket then on it which was still only half a teaspoon. Brisket was dry and the bun was stale.. like really stale. Mac that my boys got was $12.95 for the kids portion... and came out in a plastic drink cup. It also tasted like the plastic it came out in. We had a party of 6 and they refused to push 2 tables together. Instead just dragged chairs over. Our server was fine, but I could overhear 2 of the other servers talking and they were quite rude. I went so far as to tell a guy who walked in to escape while he can.. at least I saved one person from this place. I should have known it was bad because every other place around was packed and this place was almost empty. They are clearly riding the wave of good reviews this place got years ago. Current rating does not reflect the current quality and value. read more

Sparks BBQ - Brisket sandwich... if you can call it that. - Barbeque Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

The Staff was great But....the small amount of food was not worth the price. It was the only place downtown at the time with no wait. read more

Sparks BBQ - Nice - Barbeque Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Where to start the server was good till the food came out Luke warm/cold at best. We said something to our waiter several times just to be ignored. Everything was bland no taste to the mac and cheese opted for the up charge for brisket just to get a Dixie cups worth I had more fat then meat. The coleslaw Seamed to be just cabbage nothing else. I don't mind paying for food but Vegas prices for dollar menu food is tough to justify. If your looking for nice place to eat I'd look elsewhere. read more

Great food, but some of the rudest employees I've ever encountered. I will definitely carry out from here again, but don't think I will ever bring my family back to dine in. read more

Wish I could give this place zero stars. The owner is incredibly rude and when we didn't receive some of our take out order we were accused of being liars and thieves. Plus the food that we DID get was gross. read more

I rate this a 3.5 star (A-OK) which is not a bad rating according the Yelp definition, but good--average. I ordered take-out and when I walked up to the place, I saw that it was quite a ritzy place--especially for a BBQ joint. Which is reflected in the price, which was $25 for what I ordered: the Pauly's Hero plate. This plate comes with brisket, pulled pork and ribs (their core BBQ). I ordered it with the spicy version of their BBQ sauce. This plate has a good portion of food which could feed two lightweight eaters. It also comes with sides of coleslaw and BBQ beans. The brisket was moist and tender, and was pretty good. The pulled pork was good but did not have enough BBQ sauce ( a good thing I asked for extra sauce). The ribs were tender and pretty meaty. They were really good but don't come with the sauce on it and it was a good thing I asked for extra, otherwise the ribs would have been a bit bland. I did not notice the smokey flavor in there BBQ, though the meats were not dried out which is important. The plate also came with spicy pickles and onions which was pretty tasty. I didn't get care the nacho chips served with the BBQ--it really appeared like cheap filler to me. They should throw in a slab of white bread or corn bread instead for the true BBQ plate. In summary, compared with other true BBQ joints i have tried over the years, Sparks is about average in terms of taste. Good but not wait-in-line/to-die for. The prices are a bit high for what you get in comparison to other good BBQ joints i have tried. I will need to try the other BBQ joints in the TC area before I decide whether I'd come back here again. read more

Food was decent at best, portions were underwhelming for the price point. Pulled pork was just that, brisket was extremely disappointing. But overall just a mediocre meal. A place to draw in ritzy tourists on the strip in traverse city. Disappointed. Wait stuff was terrific, excellent service and helped with everything, the service was 5 stars, really only reason I didn't put 1 star. So thank you to Tia our server, she was awesome! read more

Absolutely wonderful eatery. I love BBQ, who doesn't, but I do have a pretty high standard. Usually this leaves me disappointed, but not at Sparks. I've tried nearly everything on the menu and all is very taste. The true standout is the rips...heavenly. Restaurant is nicely located on Front St. downtown. This can make parking an issue, but well worth the struggle. Interior is nice and clean. It's a restaurant and frankly, I don't get too concerned about the ambience. Service is top notch! If you get the chance, John is a fantastic server. Super welcoming, on top of everything, and most importantly family friendly! This is often overlooked, but with two young, spirited boys, it is very much appreciated. We will definitely be back. read more

On a recent trip to Traverse City, we were hungry and saw that Sparks BBQ was highly rated so we came in for carry-out. I'm so glad that I read reviews on yelp because someone pointed out that the portions are big enough to share. We were having a late lunch so one order of brisket (with the accompanying sides) was plenty of food. As others have mentioned, covid precautions are in place and the server got us in and out fairly quickly. Along with the brisket, our sides were mac and cheese and spicy corn. I thought the mac and cheese was slightly below average, but the rest was very tasty to me. The food was gone shortly after we got it, so I didn't have a chance to take pictures, but I would recommend it and would come back on our next visit. read more

Manager was accommodating with our ever need when we ate by the smoker on picnic tables. The food was really good, I love BBQ when done right... and this was done right. Although the sauce was excellent, kind of wish they had more of a variety (or styles) sauce to go with the awesome meats they served. I'll definitely come every time I vacation in TC! read more

Sparks BBQ - The Sunday was fabulous! had everything you wanted in there... slaw, BBQ, beans, sauce. Loved it. - Barbeque Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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So glad we stopped here at Sparks BBQ. We had a tough time deciding what we wanted to order... but we chose the Brisket Nachos and The MacDaddy Appetizer. Both were amazing! Everything had great flavor and the food portion was perfect. Service was good! read more

Sparks BBQ - MacDaddy - Barbeque Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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Luckily got in when the wait wasn't too bad. We had the pork and chicken. Both of which were delicious and nicely cooked. The Spicy bbq sauce was delicious. While the food was good the service was amazing. If we return to traverse city, would be happy to go back here. read more

Had the brisket sandwich, which was delicious! My only complaint was the "side" of tortilla chips was literally 6 small chips. The kids meals are a decent size though; two of my kids are old enough that they often prefer the adult portion size, but they had plenty. read more

First off whoever is reading this, ROB IS AMAZING. This man was so kind and patient with us, he deserves a raise and a promotion! The food was delicious and there was plenty of hospitality here. 10/10. read more

Overpriced food for small portions. Took almost an hour and the food was sitting on the counter for 10 minutes. The food had little to no flavor :') read more

Good option for bbq. I don't have a picture of it but I recently had the bbq tacos and they were great. The bbq sundae is a unique option if you're looking for something out of the ordinary. read more

Sparks BBQ - Brisket Sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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Cannot say enough good things about this place. I am from San Diego and I can say without a doubt that Sparks is better than any BBQ place we have. Pig candy: absolutely delicious with an amazing crunch Pauly's hero plate: so so good, every meat was tender and full of flavor. BBQ sundae: best combination of bbq in a cup. Thought it was going to be small, but ended up being very filling Without a doubt coming back when I can the chance read more

Tried Sparks last night. It's more of your typical BBQ restaurant. I had the pulled pork plate that had pulled pork and came with two sides. I had grandmas baked beans and Mac & cheese as my sides and the Mac and cheese was delicious! The baked beans were average. Minus one star because the meat could have been a little warmer, it definitely wasn't hot. Enjoyed the meal though! read more

Sparks BBQ - Pulled pork plate - Barbeque Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

While in a wine tour our bus stopped in Downtown Traverse. My daughter and I had lunch at Sparks. Our server, Tia, was so nice and attentive. We ordered the 3 meat platter with Mac and baked beans. The food was delicious. The brisket was so tasty, pulled pork was flavorful and the ribs were meaty and delicious. Sides were great and the strawberry lemonade was a hit! Would definitely recommend! read more

We were walking down the street towards the Little Fleet and saw this Food Truck on the other side of the road. We went over there based on the amazing smell coming from it. I ordered the BBQ Sundae-type dish which included baked beans, pulled pork, coleslaw and the hot bbq sauce. You also have the option for the original sauce. The sundae is topped with some of their homemade beef jerky sticks. It was really good and filling for $9. Also, there were tons of cute little picnic tables to sit at. Now, I need to talk about the beef jerky. They smoke it there and it's absolutely amazing. The girl who was waiting on us came out and gave us a bunch of free samples. I wish we were local so that we could have it often. It doesn't use any preservatives, so it is supposed to be eaten within four hours. I absolutely recommend giving this place a shot if you live or vacation in the Traverse City area. Thanks for a great family experience. read more

Sparks BBQ - BBQ Sundae with Pulled Pork, Coleslaw, Baked Beans, Hot BBQ Sauce and topped with homemade beer jerky - Barbeque Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

The food here is absolutely amazing!!! Came here during Memorial Day weekend, basically the only place that had open tables at the last minute. This was the best pulled pork sandwich I have ever had!!! So good that I forgot to take before pics. read more

We wanted to support local businesses during COVID-19 while still observing social distancing measures during our camping trip to Traverse City. We usually love going to Sparks, so we wanted to try the carryout. Did not disappoint--in fact, it was amazing! The burnt ends, BTO mac and pulled pork were just as excellent as always, even when transported in carry out containers back to the campground. Staff was friendly and observing COVID-19 protocols, which made us feel safe. Definitely stop by if you're in Traverse City! read more

Great pulled pork, wonderful brisket, and yummy MAC n cheese. Food is always very tasty. Their new location is nice. They had live music which is always nice, but unfortunately it was so loud that it was painful. Music should be able to be heard and still be able to talk with the person right next to you. Some of the loudest music, for such a small place. To bad, the food is so good and the owners where fine with music so loud. read more

I came here for some cheap-ish wine and stayed here for the great conversations we were having with Arthur. Really great service with an extremely personable bartender. We vacationed during some cold weather and our time at sparks with Arthur is one of our highlights! Great time :) read more

This was alright. It was good and a quick meal. We got the big meal to split between 4 people and it was just enough food. It came with pork, chicken, and brisket. The brisket was ok. The chicken was the best and the pork was a little dry. They were very light on the bbq sauce which i would have asked for more but the server never checked in on us after we got our food. Sides including the beans and mac were delicious. If this were rhe only BBQ place in town I would come back but id try the other ones first before returning read more

We went on a Saturday night and we were seated in about 20 mins which is totally reasonable. I had the two meat platter with pulled pork and chicken with cole slaw and Mac and cheese. Everything was excellent. Boyfriend had the pulled pork sandwich and said it was the best he's ever had - and we've had some good bbq in our day. Despite being busy, our waiter/bartender Brandon provided great service. Highly recommended. read more

We were greeted immediately by friendly staff. I wasn't sure if I wanted a glass of wine and the bar tender offered a taste so I could decide which was great. My husband ordered the pigs candy appetizer which, if you like bacon and you like sweets you will love the pigs candy! He also ordered one of the ribs and the meat was cooked to perfection, so awesome! Great experience, thank you! read more

Sparks BBQ - Pig Candy - Barbeque Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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Returned for our annual trip. Ribs are still perfect. Quality and service are still outstanding. Continue to support Sparks! read more

Sparks BBQ - Pulled pork sandwich w/ extra meat - Barbeque Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan