The skinny: some good dishes but overall has seemed to have gone downhill. Used to be a solid 4. Atmosphere: great spot in Fenway that has indoor and outdoor seating. Can get quite packed and they won't seat you until your whole party is there. Some large tables for bigger groups. Food: I've come here a few times awhile back, but this past time I was pretty disappointed - the food has gone a bit downhill. Normally get a variety of platters that I can share with ppl. Things I'd recommend: biscuits (with cinnamon butter) - probably the best thing they have in the menu now, broccoli casserole, pork belly, brisket. Things I would stay away from: fried chicken (pretty dry and bland), ribs, pulled pork. Service: pretty quick and informative in helping order. Price/value:$$ decent portions for the platters Would I come back? With my last visit being as disappointing as it was, I would probably avoid coming back, especially with so many other great places in Fenway. However, it could have just been an off night. read more

Sweet Cheeks Q - Fried chicken platter and mac and cheese - Southern Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Decent bbq, but expensive for the amount of food you get. For example, they charge $3 for different sauces (besides the standard bbq you get on the table). The chicken finger platter was actually portioned and price well. Unfortunately the Nashville hot, was pretty mild. The brisket platter is expensive for two slices and two sides. The brisket and watermelon were very good, but the collard greens were sour/vinegary. They do charge a 5% kitchen tax, although the service was fast and the place was relatively empty/quiet (Sunday lunch). I would potentially go back and just order brisket by the pound. read more

Sweet Cheeks Q - Prime Beef Brisket - Southern Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

My boyfriend is a big fan of the famous owner of this restaurant; so when we planned our trip to Boston we knew we'd have to try one of her restaurants and decided on Sweet Cheeks Q. And I'm so glad we did. I booked a reservation 2 weeks ahead of time because I didn't know how busy it might be. I think it's still a good idea to reserve if you can; but it's not totally necessary, as we were from there 5pm - 6:15pm and while the patio was full, inside it was only half full when we left. The service was very quick and our waitress checked in on us frequently. All the food was great; however the highlights were the Fried Green Tomatoes, Nashville Chicken Tenders, Salt & Pepper Potatoes, and the Pulled Pork. Potato Salad and Mac N Cheese were good but nothing mind-blowing. The cocktails were very good as well, although a little pricey at $15 each. We both left very satisfied and impressed. read more

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Ok, this is my 172nd review of a BBQ joint, and Sweet Cheek's 1643rd review and I could have sworn I wrote a review for this place already but it aint here so whatever I'll just jump into it. Usually I do a long detailed review but this place don't need any more criticism as it is. Hands down the best BBQ in Boston, can't deny that. The Ribs are smoked perfectly and not slathered with sauce. Brisket melts in the mouth with a great dark rub. Love the home made biscuits and the home made strawberry jam is a game changer. Pulled pork was seasoned really well and not loaded with a bunch of fatty bits dangling all over the place. They had sauces but I forgot to get them, sure they're good. The sides were lacking a little for me. Mac and cheese was just that regular cheesy goop over boiled pasta, quite common so nothing to get too upset over. BBQ beans had a lot going on, peppers, hamburg or sausage, few different beans, main problem was the bean gravy was super liquid, more like a stew, I like my beans with a good thick gravy that sticks to the scoop of beans. And I tried the broccoli cheddar casserole stuff ... it was okay, but tasted like something you'd expect the lazy sibling who's trying to be a different person to show up at Thanksgiving with. Then they had the giant fluffer nutter cookie. This thing is impossible to eat. Not exactly what I was expecting but it was a molasses peanut butter sugar cookies with a layer of peanut butter in-between. Cookie was a but hard, peanut butter was dripping everywhere, I'd eat it in pieces with some milk next time. read more

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Special thanks to Jacob and the staff for a great dining experience! If you appreciate homemade southern style biscuits, this place is for you! Great vibe, and music selections! Down to earth, with a scratch made cooking feel. Cannot wait to return, still thinking about their biscuits. read more

I wanted to love this place. Really tried. Unfortunately, the bbq meat itself was just ok. The biscuit with the jam was delicious though! And the sides were pretty tasty. Our waitress was a little snippy with my boyfriend at one point but she warmed up to us and was nice by the end. My boyfriend got the brisket, broccoli casserole and potato salad and that did not sit with his stomach well.. Maybe a great place for apps and drinks! read more

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Came here accidentally on a trivia night, but found the vibe of the place super fun and lighthearted. The service was nice but slow. I got the baby tray with brisket and ribs, and the ribs were amazing! The brisket was good too, but if I go back I think I'll order just ribs. The biscuits with honey butter lived up to the hype, but the other sides were sort of disappointing. Baked beans were the best of the three I tried (collards, baked potato, and beans). Fun atmosphere and really good highlights, would recommend! read more

This place was recommended by a Kansas City native and did not disappoint. The portions were large, the service was excellent, the drinks were delicious. I'll be back next time in Kansas City. read more

I got takeout from this spot so that favors into my review of this place. I ordered half a pound of brisket and one single rib. On top of that, I ordered the biscuit because I heard good things about it. Coming from Texas, I have tried many good bbq places and tbh my expectations were very low for this place. Thankfully, it beat my expectations but not by too much. I think I spent about $30 or so for this entire meal. The rib was just alright, nothing too special about it. The brisket is typically what makes or breaks a bbq place in Texas. This brisket was decently flavored but it just seemed to lack everything that makes a brisket feel great. It wasn't melt in your mouth tender and there wasn't much of a bark on the outside. The fat was mostly rendered so it was good but not great. I'd say it's passable for a brisket but nothing to write home about. The bbq sauce they gave me was a bit sour and too much on the vinegar side. I liked the biscuit a lot and thought that it was really special. It was buttery, flaky, and warm. It came with a side of whipped sweet butter. The service was quick for when I ordered the food to go. The interior reminded me of the bbq places in Texas which is nice. I'd eat here again but in person to give it a more holistic review. read more

Sweet Cheeks Q - Southern Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Wow, I had such high expectations. My wife and I walked in today at 12:30. No one even said hello. We decided to eat at the bar and was there for 5 minutes before we were even acknowledged by the bartender with zero personality, like he hated his life. We ordered the biscuits, fried chicken and pulled chicken sandwich with a side of mac and cheese. Biscuits were decent, a little dense, honey butter was just whipped butter with no honey flavor. 6 out of 10. Fried chicken was cooked perfectly but lacked a decent crust. 7 out of 10. Pulled chicken was fine. Soggy bun that fell apart. 6 out of 10. Mac and cheese was an epic fail. No cheese flavor whatsoever. 0 out of 10. Throw in the bar was filled with dirty bar towels, the guy next to me left a mess as we sat down that was never cleaned up. The womens rest room had no soap. They weren't even busy so just really poor management. Ya, no need to ever come back. Also way expensive for the poor experience. read more

Summary: Fatty meat, small portions, and overcharging. The BBQ Brisket slices were half fat. So they may have given us maybe 8 ounces of beef brisket, but half of that was fat. Disappointing, you are paying for beef and not fat. We were overcharged for our food. I walked out of the restaurant hungry after paying over $30 for lunch, $135 for four of us. I do not recommend this restaurant. We came for lunch at 11:30am on a Friday, place was not crowded. Advice: 1. Photograph the menu and compare the charges on the bill to the menu. When I looked at the bill later (my fault I should have addressed this before paying), I found that we were overcharged for several dishes. In particular the menu shows the Chopped Beef Tray Lunch is $23 and the Brisket Tray Lunch is also $23, but the bill was more than $23 for each of them. 2. Order the sandwiches and not the trays. You'll at least get some starch with the sandwich, and the sandwiches they were serving to others were much more appealing than the trays we received. 3. Consider Blue Ribbon Barbecue in the nearby Time Out Market as an alternative. The prices are less (sandwich $16 there vs $21 at Sweet Cheek) and my experience is that the Blue Ribbon portions are larger and not as fatty. Service was good. Ambience was fast-food. Several TVs. Men's bathroom has large naked picture of Bert Reynolds, and I was told that the women's bathroom has pictures of Playboy Bunnies. This had me questioning whether this was a gay bar (I'm not gay and I'm ok with gayness), although outside of the bathrooms there was no evidence of this. I give good reviews when a restaurant earns it. This one did not. The manager could not be reached for comment. I do not plan on returning. read more

Walked by a few times as this was a block or so from our hotel. Decided on an early lunch and was surprised how busy the place was. Menu seemed pretty standard. The atmosphere was lively with music I could groove to and the staff was super helpful and attentive. The brisket slice was delicious. Pork back ribs were a bit over done for me. I like to pull the meat from the bone. Just a tug. These were a bit dry. Fried chicken was good. Crispy and flavorful. Sides were good, potato salad and collard greens. Now the bad was portions. Though I did order a combo plate, I received 1 slice of brisket. The chicken pieces were small. The 4 ribs were 4 ribs. Sides came in a small bowel and were fine. Prices were pretty typical BBQ prices. I get the fact hood BBQ is pricey, but they could maybe charge a bit more and throw in a second slice of meat! read more

Service 5 stars Food 2 stars. Not as expected. Very disappointed Was craving some BBQ and was really disappointed. The biscuits were the best part of the meal. My pork belly and chopped brisket were extremely salty... thankfully our server was on top of it and brought me some sliced brisket instead. The sliced brisket was juicy and under seasoned but after the saltiness of the others it was the better option. The sliced brisket had a good ring and smoked flavor. As for the sauces, The Carolina style (vinegar based) was perfect. The sweet BBQ was good as well. If you like heat, the habanero is for you. There are better BBQ options out there. This one miss the mark. read more

I came with a friend on a weekday evening. The restaurant was very empty, so we were quickly seated. We ordered a bucket of biscuits to share, and I ordered a prime beef brisket sandwich for myself. The biscuits were so flaky and light! The honey butter was AMAZING! It was so sweet and delicious that I couldn't get enough! The prime beef brisket sandwich was quite delicious. There was a good portion of fatty beef on the sandwich, which I was very happy about! The flavor was really delicious and smoky. Overall, I was very pleased with our dinner. I do think that $14 is pretty steep for 4 biscuits and a small cup of honey butter, but it tasted really good. read more

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Stopped in Boston and this place came highly recommended! I'm from South so it wasn't the best bbq but pretty darn good. read more

Sweet Cheeks Q - Southern Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The food was good and filling, yet it wasn't particularly special and I'm not sure if I'd come back again. We first ordered the bucket of biscuits (4) with honey butter because so many reviews had raved about them and we definitely admired how fluffy they looked, but what stood out to us the most was how pricy they were, averaging close to $4 each. For sides, we got the potato salad and broccoli cheese casserole. We also got the bbq chopped brisket and pork belly, both of which were quite flavorful but came in smaller portions than we expected. read more

Sweet Cheeks Q - Bucket o' Biscuits (4) & Honey Butter - Southern Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Have to say that the food wasn't as good as before. Brisket was slightly dry; portion was smaller given the price of big cheeks ($27). Fried chicken had practically no flavor (was asked if we wanted sauce but plenty of places have flavorful fried chicken without the need of sauce). There was a kitchen appreciation fee which I understand, but not worth the price for the overall portion and quality. Three stars for a good reservation system and good service (they weren't busy). read more

Sweet Cheeks Q - Fried Chicken, Big Cheeks Tray with brisket and pork belly - Southern Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Great food Great service great location they will over fill you listen to server recommendations

Went there with friends and almost immediately got diarrhea after eating the farm house salad

Their biscuits with the whipped honey butter were probably the most delicious biscuits I've ever tried. Super big and served very hot which was perfect for melting the butter. We got two orders for the table as an appetizer and it definitely filled us up a good amount before even getting to our actual meals. I got the pulled chicken sandwich and a side of farm salad which was very tasty. At first glance the portions looked a bit small but I couldn't finish it because I was so full. I was really excited for the cocktails but they were a bit disappointing. Tasted a bit watered down and too bitter for my liking. But overall, good vibes and would want to come again. read more

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This was our second time here, and we were left a little disappointed. When we arrived tons of people were waiting and hardly any seemed to be moving. We were told 45 minute wait, and while most places overestimate wait time we were left with being underestimated wait time. It was just a few minutes past an hour wait. The hostess and maybe a manager or another hostess both came up to us separately to apologize for the wait times. A kind gesture since it wasn't their fault. We were offered a high top table finally that we shared (with a few chairs in between us) with another couple. Our waiter came by and helped me decide on a beer. We were treated noticeably less friendly than the large party at the table next to us. Our waiter took our drinks and filled our waters regularly which was a nice touch. The beers came and we were finally content again after creating the hangry realm of waiting so long for food. Our food came out shortly after and we were delighted. We each ordered the trays, I had chicken and my husband had pork. The meat was super tender and doesn't really need any sauce but the regular barbecue sauce was delicious. Our sides we were super happy with mac and cheese and potato salad. When we were winding down our waiter asked if he could box and bag our stuff. He took ours in the back. Strangely the couple seated at our table was given carriers to pack their own leftovers and were encouraged to take sauces too. We were not given the option to get any of the BBQ sauces on the side. Another disappointing thing was we were not offered dessert which is odd since all of the other tables near us were offered dessert. The food is good but between long wait time (and no games around) and not receiving the same service will make us hesitate before coming back. Long story short... Good Texas BBQ. If you are looking for good food and don't mind a wait and mediocre service this is the place for you! Especially before or after a game would be enjoyable! read more

We came here late Friday evening and even then it was very crowded. For starters we got their biscuits with honey butter -- these were to die for. Eat them while they are hot though as they don't taste good while they are cold. We also got their fried okra and I wouldn't recommend it unless you like copious amounts of batter on your okra. For dinner we shared two "trays." Each came with two sides. The pork belly tray was quite good, although after a few bites the fat does get to you. The Prime beef brisket tray was disappointing though. I just didn't care for the particular Smokey flavor in the meat. The sides were not good either. There was a difference in opinion on the grits and the beans, but the other two were disliked by all. An okay place. Definitely not what I expected. I would like to try their short rib though. read more

We weren't exactly hungry when we stepped foot into this place so we planned to just get something small or just drinks but when we saw the table next to us get fried chicken, we wanted some. Along with the chicken we ordered a biscuit just to see if it was Forbes worthy and the corn on the cob. Out of these three, mr favorite was the corn on the cob. It was creamy, it was limey, it was cheesy, it was spicy, crunchy, sweet, and juicy. Each bite was so good and honestly it was the first time trying corn with takis on it-brilliant! The biscuit was also good but I thought it was rather average and didn't live up to the hype. The outside is flaky, buttery, and a bit more toasted compared to the fluffy and soft inside. The honey butter is exactly what the name implies-buttery and sweet. It kind of leaves a oily/filmy taste in your mouth which I wasn't a fan of. The most disappointing part of the meal was the chicken which was sad considering it was the main part. I will say the sizes of the chicken were fair but maybe a bit too expensive since it didn't bring a side or anything. The chicken and the breading did not have a single speck of seasoning. We maybe saw three pieces of salt crystals per piece but that was the extent to seasoning. The chicken was juicy but it didn't matter since it didn't taste like much besides boiled chicken. The sauces helped a little bit but not by much. read more

Sweet Cheeks Q - Bucket O ' Biscuits & Honey Butter - Southern Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I ordered the sliced brisket which was completely disappointing. It seemed as thought it was sitting under a heat lamp for a while. Color, taste and texture were all subpar. The pulled pork and sides of collard greens and house salad were good, but nothing spectacular. I would not go out of my way to visit again read more

Sweet Cheeks Q - Sliced brisket and pulled pork - Southern Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Really enjoyed my meal. I ordered Brisket, ribs and collard greens. Meats were season perfectly and did not require the homemade BBQ sauce, which was delicious. Collard greens were wonderful as well. read more

Sweet Cheeks Q - Southern Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Having been here over five years ago this seems like a restaurant that had great start, developed a great reputation, and then forgot about what made them attain that. Sliced brisket tray -$28- two slices dried out and at least 1/3 was pure fat. The beans were in so much sauce that it was more of a soup (trying to save money so put in less beans?). Cole slaw bland and tasteless. Biscuits excellent! Unless up their game, this is truly a sad story of decline into mediocrity. I won't be back read more

Nice choice after we viewed the Gardner museum which is a ten minute walk even on a rainy day on a Saturday afternoon. Service was friendly. Get the biscuits and a brisket burnt ends sandwich. Side salad was also very good with Brussels sprouts hazelnuts and other ingredients! read more

Sweet Cheeks Q - Southern Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Some of the worst bbq I've had... no flavor, and 90% fat...... beer was nice and cold, biscuits definitely not world famous! Cool spot to drink, but skip the bbq... watch your bill and compare prices on menu as my check had higher prices than stated on the menu read more

Sweet Cheeks Q - Prime Beef Brisket Natural Pork Belly 1/4lb Collard Greens - Southern Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Hate giving reviews in general, but this time it is warranted. Last week we visited Boston for only two days, and disappointed we selected this location for one of our few meals. We chose it based on reputation of the chef and our love of BBQ. The brisket was okay, the biscuit good (but we never got the jam we requested and it is a costly add-on). The fried chicken, which is supposedly a specialty, was a big let down. The coating fell off on just touching the chicken - it's supposed to adhere to the chicken so you get it in each bite. Finally, both the men's and women's restrooms were a nightmare - could have easily been at a public park restroom. This place is clearly living off a chef's reputation who spends more time on TV than worrying about the quality of her restaurant. Hope someone at the restaurant reads this review, preferably the owner celebrity chef who needs to get back to work. read more

AMAZING FOOD & SERVICE. my partner and I put a call ahead order for pick up a couple months ago. When we got there, the food was almost ready. As we waited, we looked at their drink menu and decided to stay and get a drink. We asked the staff if it was okay and that we'd just eat our food when they brought the to go order to us. They were fine with it, but decided to take everything out of the boxes they had packages and serve it on plates instead. The food was amazing and the right temperature. The biscuits were everything I had hoped for, and the drinks were worth the stay. Can't wait to go back again! read more

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I was at Sweet Cheeks twice within last 3 weeks. Both times I bought greens and they had this small container that wasn't filled. Yesterday was worst because I specifically questioned last time I was disappointed and what they did is placed more onions meat that they cook greens in. Not May greens and container was half filled. And container was small. And it was 5.00. I remember waiter telling me I can buy larger container which was 9.00. I refused. It seems their take out are always less food. read more

Very disappointing. I came on a weekday for lunch and there was almost no one inside but it still took a while for me to be seated since the staff seemed to not notice that I was waiting for a table. After being seated, I was given the menu and when I was ready to order, I had to get the attention of the waiter to make my order. Even though there was only one other party there, it still took a long time to get my food too. As for the food, I was also disappointed since it took so long and when my order came, it was just warm. I was expecting some nice hot BBQ. I got the lunch cheeks tray (pulled chicken, pulled pork, a rib) and bbq chopped brisket. The meat portions were just alright and the flavors were also just alright. The bbq chopped brisket was actually too saucey for me. As for sides, I got the mac and cheese as well as the broccoli cheese casserole which were decent. I liked the broccoli cheese casserole more actually. On another note, I actually really liked the biscuits! They were huge and very flakey and just perfect with the honey butter. read more

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Sweet Cheeks meats are better than average. The portions are a little light for the price but overall good. My favorite is the pork belly which was not fatty. A nice change from the norm. My least favorite is the pulled chicken because it seems to be mostly dark meat. The sides are just OK. They are consistently good but I have had much better. For example: The Broccoli casserole was very watery and lacking flavor. IMO a better version is dry with lots of Ritz cracker crumbs, cheese and butter. The adult beverages were satisfying even though they did not have the ingredients to make one of their recommended signature drinks. That is just odd. read more

Went here on a Friday night with some friends (we had a reservation made). Their BBQ sauce is really good and also their biscuits are a must try!!!! I was impressed with how soft and tasty their butter was. When I think of biscuits I usually think of dry and bland biscuits but I can tell you that the ones from here are not! Prices are pretty up there but you will definitely leave feeling full. the meats were delicious and juicy. I would probably come back for take out if I am ever feeling bbq again since I am in the area. If you're a bbq/meat fan I would recommend! The hot sauce is very spicy though just a warning! But the bbq sauce is a MUST TRY! read more

Sweet Cheeks Q - Tray with chopped brisket and pork ribs - Southern Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Super inconsistent! Sometimes the food is excellent, which motivates me to try again and sometimes it's terrible. I have never eaten in the restaurant, and suspect it's more consistent for dine in guests. The first time I picked up I had biscuits (amazing, best ever), a beef rib (amazing) and brisket (dry and disappointing). Second time I remembered that beef rib and that I wasn't impressed with the brisket, so I got another beef rib, a small order of brisket, and biscuits. The second time, the brisket was perfect. The ribs was over cooked and stringy with huge globs of fat, and the biscuits were ok--tasted old, but were pretty good after 10 seconds in the microwave. I'm not sure how many times I've ordered since then--at least twice. I've definitely had the chicken strips twice. First time they had gristle and I was surprised they were dark meat. Second time the menu said it was white meat. I asked and mentioned my previous experience. They told me they had switched to white meat effective that day so I ordered...and got stale dark meat chicken strips. I also ordered over 2 lbs of brisket and it was 80% fat, which is pretty unacceptable. There is not enough care and attention to detail in that kitchen. I wish it were better and I think it could be, but it's expensive and I'm tied of spending f $100+ on takeout for such inconsistent food. read more

Sweet Cheeks Q - Chicken strip (was told they switched to white meat, so it wasn't fresh). - Southern Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Butter fried chicken with Mac n cheese & cole slaw. The fried chicken was on the dry side not the best but hey that's what I get for getting fried chicken at a bbq spot! The salt & pepper potato were good and the biscuits were to die for! #dabiscuitsweremyfavoritepart read more

Sweet Cheeks Q - Butter fried chicken with Mac n cheese & cole slaw. - Southern Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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This meal left me so satisfied and cured my BBQ craving. We started off with a bucket of their biscuits (a MUST) with lots of honey butter. The main was the real star of the show - the Big Cheeks tray with pulled pork, sliced brisket, baked beans, and farmer's salad. Everything on the platter was top quality and full of flavor - the salad was so fresh and delicious to balance out the plate. My favorite of the meats had to be the pulled pork, but the brisket was so tender and rich. Definitely recommend! read more

The server was prompt and friendly. The ambiance--I'd give that a lower rating. The restaurant claims to a be a Texas bbq place but I've never seen that type of decor in a Texas BBQ place in Texas. We heard the food was good so decided to still give it a try. Even though the ambiance was quite mixed--nothing I've seen in Texas. But it's Boston, and I'm open to trying local places and giving everyone an equal chance. The buttermilk biscuits were the second best biscuits I've ever had--second only to my southern grandmother's homemade biscuits!! Absolutely delicious biscuits and honey butter! The slice brisket and Mac & cheese was good. We were shocked to find true sweet tea in Boston! The food was definitely authentic Texas food. read more

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I'm here in Boston for work and had zoom calls all evening long so I got takeout. four pieces of fried chicken and a side of mac & cheese. I Had one small IPA at the Bar while waiting $11.25. The chicken was underwhelming and the mac & cheese was flavorless, but the kicker was the price nearly $50 for takeout meal which I did not even finish never again. read more

With regards to vibe and atmosphere, I thought the place was great! Some dishes have a flavor issue (pulled pork, fried chicken) I think maybe they encourage you to use the sauces on the table to add more flavor? Which I didn't have a problem with! Their barbecue sauce needs to win an award! The one thing I would say is that the food is very, VERY greasy. Like, swimming in oil type of greasy. I had to dab my hot links and my partner had to sort of drain his tray (pulled pork) into a tiny side container. The scoops are fantastic, but also greasy. The collard greens look like they've been cooked in the pulled pork oil which provided fantastic flavor but again, it was like oil and collard greens soup. Flavor of the hot-links is great! The meal definitely sits in your stomach for the rest of day because of all the grease but that's probably just a person to person thing and some people handle oily foods better than others. Over all, flavor is fine, sauce is fantastic, food is greasy, atmosphere is on point! read more