I'm honestly speechless as to how delectable the food was. The food portions were HUGE for an amazing price compared to what I'm used to in CT. Hands down the best authentic food I've tasted. Must go hidden gem. My mouth literally waters just thinking about it as I'm writing this! No bathrooms or sinks, just the good ol outdoors. Very peaceful if you like getting away from excess noise read more

Walden's Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Smiths Grove, Kentucky

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A year later and the outdoor seating is covered. Still rough for stormy spring weather at 50 degrees. I guess on these days it'll be better still eating in the car than wishing that they had fancy heat or wind cover for their covered seating. That's ok if it makes it possible to keep delivering great barbecue for the area. Picked up a 3 meat combo on a Thursday lunch - no turkey or shoulder so went with pulled pork, pulled chicken and brisket. Sides were sweet potato casserole and cabbage. Sides were great along with the brisket and pulled pork as usual. Chicken was chopped so I wonder if they wound up giving me the grilled chicken. Bit dry and had some spice to it. Still would have preferred a moist pulled chicken. Won't ding 'em on it just in case it was a mixup. Other meats were moist and sauce is optional (but included). Not taking my chances with nearby mass-appeal bbq with their dry meats and sauce-reliance. As we left we noticed the shuttered business across the street and have noted other north of the park restaurants that have closed up, better to stay profitable than expand too far. read more

The brisket... need I say more? I happened to find this little gem leaving the Mammoth Caves National Park- but I will be driving over from time to time just for a great meal! After all, what's an hour drive when you've got delicious smoked meats cooked to perfection on your plate? read more

Amazing BBQ with great choices for sides. We had the brisket, pork shoulder and chicken. Lots of great BBQ sauces to try- I enjoyed the vinegar based sauce, the sweet BBQ sauce and the mustard based BBQ. Cute picnic area to eat and so much food that we had dinner for later that day. Highly recommend trying it- wish we could come back to sample more of the menu as it was large and what we did try was delicious. read more

Brownsville location is unfortunately closed. We're so sad. But they do have a drive through location in Rocky Hill, KY. It is not dine in. read more

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I ordered 3 pulled pork plates with macaroni and mashed potatoes.I used the drive thru window. The attendant was friendly and nice. The food was delicious. No complaints here. read more

Traveling through and found this cute "outdoor" BBQ place. Food and service was good. But if you need to wash your hands or use the bathroom, they have NEITHER. Otherwise I would've game them 5 stars read more

By far the best beef brisket I have had out, even in Louisville. Thick cut, moist and tender, with a lightly smoked flavor. No sauce needed. The platter portion of meat was enough for two. Slaw and potato salad was good too. Glad they were out of the baby back ribs, my 1st choice. Only outdoor seating. Staff was very friendly and prompt getting our order out. We ate around 6PM, so if you want a certain cut of meat, you may want to call ahead to make sure they have what you want. read more

I had the smoked turkey sandwich and Mac n cheese. AMAZING. Best Mac n cheese I have had by far! The cook came out and even told us how everything is made from scratch and they start at 5am making the bbq sauces. I'd drive a hour or more to come here again! Delicious! read more

Let me say this first, the five stars are based on taste alone. There is no ambiance as the restaurant is primarily carry out unless you eat at the covered picnic tables. Service is simply walking up to the window, placing the order, and carrying the food away. Not much to encourage one to stop. However, the barbecue is probably the best I have found in, at least, a 50 mile radius (and I've tried them). The meat is smoked and they give you a choice of sauces to use (my favorite is the mustard based, but I like them all). They do not skimp on the portion size as most plates dinners are enough for two. Of all the choices, I recommend getting either (meat) pulled pork, brisket or pork shoulder. For the sides, beans, potato salad and the slaw are all good. I have yet to know someone disappointed with the quality of their food. read more

Definitely good!! Love the potato salad! Near our home so it's a regular stop! Really like the coleslaw but sometimes it feel like the recipe changes... Depending on who makes it sometimes it's amazing, and sometimes it's only OK! read more

Nice people. It's no longer BBQ. They have pizza now, which was a bummer because we wanted pizza.

Great service and amazing food. After a long day hiking this really hit the spot. We had a little of everything for the family to share and it was all good. If you're looking for a smaller size, try the kids meal. Same excellent food - not a nasty hot dog or chicken nugget. Highly recommend. read more

Great place to eat. We went to explore the Mammoth caves and found this little gem. Great staff, friendly service and great recommendations. Get the 3 meat platter with Mac n cheese and corn bread biscuits. Good stuff. read more

Walden's Barbecue - Good stuff. - Barbeque Near Me - Smiths Grove, Kentucky

My family was in the area, loves BBQ, and saw this place pop up on Yelp, so we were excited to try it. The most important part of a BBQ restaurant is the meat, and there's really is great. We had brisket and pulled park, and were all impressed with both. The corn cakes were good as well. Unfortunately, the other aspects of our meal were mediocre or worse: As far as food, the rolls appeared to cheap store-bought ones with no flavor, the potato salad was average but needed seasoning, and the macaroni and cheese was really bad. We had ordered a large container of it since both my kids tend to love macaroni and cheese and after each of us had a bite, the rest was thrown away. We chose to eat our meal there and based on the fact that EVERYBODY else who came in ordered to go, that was probably a mistake. I liked the seating, but the blaring television was unpleasant and the staff was unfriendly. They didn't have prices listed on their menus (neither the paper ones or the posted one). I asked the young woman at the counter if there were prices and she just shook her head. I then asked her the price of two different menu items and she rolled her eyes and gave a dramatic sigh before answering. I really don't understand the reasoning behind not providing prices, and the negative attitude when asked was disappointing. If we return to the area, I might get some meat to go, but that would be it. read more

Had the brisket and cheese sandwich with barbecue beens today. The portions were plenty and the their sweet tea was good. Great food and service. read more

Wow, this place is great! My family ordered two samplers including pork shoulder, pulled chicken, brisket, and pork ribs. These were accompanied by four sides (mac and cheese, green beans, BBQ beans, and potato salad) and corn cakes. This was enough food for 8 people easily. We could have shared just one sampler and left very full. But, I'm glad we got to try everything. First: that brisket. It is tender, smokey, everything you would want brisket to be. It was like eating velvet (in the best possible way). If you are going to pick one thing, get the brisket. The ribs were also delicious, tender but not falling apart. Pulled chicken (not usually my favorite) was excellent, and not at all dry like is often the case with BBQ joints. The pork shoulder was pretty good with a peppery dry rub. Also: the sides were great. The potato salad was a standout here; it had that aunty-at-the-potluck legitimacy about it. Green beans had a smoky roasted flavor going on. Corncakes were a nice touch too. BBQ beans and mac were very decent as well. If you're coming through the Mammoth Cave area (as I was), Walden's is absolutely worth the drive. If you live in the area, do us all a favor and keep this place open. You have a gem! read more

Nothing fancy but great barbecue for a great price. We were able to feed a family of five for less than $30 which includes a tip. The sides were OK (beans, corn cakes) but the barbecue brisket, smoked chicken, and pulled pork shoulder were awesome. Staff was nice and they keep the place clean. read more

This was the last restaurant we saw before entering Mammoth Cave, so we decided to pull over, not expecting much. The atmosphere is exactly what you would expect from a roadside dive like this, but the flavor was amazing. My friends and I ordered some pulled pork and brisket sandwiches, both of which had great BBQ sauce and very generous helpings. read more

Try it. You'll love it. Great brisket. Great. Pulled pork was equally perfect. Loved the beans & slaw. Going back to try the chicken. Only six reviews? Come on, spelunkers, we all love BBQ. read more

DELICIOUS!! I am from Southern California and we do not have BBQ NEARLY as delicious as Waldens. The owner and her son were INCREDIBLY polite and gracious. We suggested she open up a restaurant out in California so we can continue to enjoy such deliciousness! We are recommending Diners Drive in's and Dives to pop in over here. The brisket was cut in thick slices and so tender and juicy. The shoulder blade was unique and scrumptious. read more

Great place to eat! Close to mammoth cave, very friendly people, delicious food and huge portions! You definitely get your money's worth! The brisket is delicious and so is the pulled chicken. Great sides and more than you will be able to eat! If you are in mammoth cave area you need to do yourself a favor and eat here! read more

Great food, good service. The babybacks were meaty with a good barbeque taste. The brisket was tasty and tender, and the turkey was moist and tssty as well. read more

Walden's was amazing! The bbq was smoky deliciousness! The junior sampler and an extra side fed three adults w/ leftovers - for under $20. The restaurant and restrooms were clean and I am fussy. What a gem! read more

There was two couples , we both ordered the Mammoth plates, which is said to be enough for three persons. We had plenty left over to take home for another meal. I especially loved the pulled pork, brisket, slaw, mashed potatoes, baked beans, mac & cheese, and corn cakes. The food was very good, we all said we would give it 8 & 1/2 out of 10. The only thing to make it better would be real plates and utensils. No big deal since everything else was good. Wish I would have taken pictures of the inside, very clean looking, loved the tables/benches made of wood slabs with bark edges. One thing we thought was odd-there were no prices posted, our meal was around $23 and included drinks for the Mammoth plate. read more

After cave tour or hiking at Mammoth Cave NP go for a 20 minute drive from the Visitor Center down a one way park road for yummy BBQ in Brownsville. Order at the counter from a sweet cashier, and pick up when they call your name. Servings are huge! Plenty for leftovers. We loved the juicy brisket and fall off the bone ribs. Favorite sides were potato salad and beans. Plus they give you homemade Johnny cakes! We were the first customers she had from California. Made us feel special. read more

The best barbeque around. Several meats to choose from, home style sides and deserts. A very good value. Worth the drive. read more

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Surprisingly good little joint in an even littler town. The bbq sauce was good, the hot sauce was even better. Both are homemade and the latter isn't quite like anything else I've ever had. The meat was good, not the best I've ever had, but worth a stop for sure. The benches and tables are homemade as well which gives it a charming and decidedly authentic feel. The people were also very friendly and the portions were huge. So glad we stopped! read more

This barbecue place is by far the best. The owners are incredibly kind and hospitable, and each sauce is homemade and delicious. We could not stop eating this amazing food. We will be back! read more

This place is fantastic! The sliced pork shoulder was so good and not something you see at a lot of BBQ places. We also had the pulled chicken and the cabbage special, and it was so tasty too. The baked beans and brisket are good as well. The restaurant is spacious inside and the staff is very friendly. We will definitely go back when we are in the area! read more

One of my favorite restaurants to eat at! Staff is always courteous and friendly. The food is amazing. I have personally had the smoked ribs, pulled pork, pork shoulder, brisket, and the slaw burger. I have never had a bad meal. Quality of food is great, and very reasonably priced! I have also seen them supporting many different things in their community. To me, that means as much as a great meal! I love supporting places that support and give back to their community! read more

If you're in the area of Mammoth Cave and have a hankering for BBQ you need to check this place out. We had the 3 meat and two sides that would feed 3. The brisket, ribs and pulled pork are outstanding. The brisket had a nice smoke ring and blackened crust and the ribs were tender and had a nice smoke taste. We've eat BBQ from Texas to Georgia and these ppl have made it to the top of our list as one of the best. read more

I feel like a lot of BBQ is very similar and there are few places that I've eaten at that I could say separated themselves from other BBQ joints, but Walden's is different. I've taken 11 different people to this restaurant and all 11 have agreed that it is the best BBQ that they've ever had--some even changing their skeptic expectations. I have had almost everything on the menu and all of it is excellent. Recommend brisket and ribs (they go fast, so get there early!). read more

Great Barbeque! If you come on Friday night try the Prime, really good. The pulled pork is really good. Clean dining room & restrooms. Nice people! read more

Ran upon this place by chance, excellent food, good service, clean. Huge portions, food was fabulous.

High quality hickory smoked BBQ. Get there early because the locals love this place and they run out of brisket, shoulder, chicken, etc. Excellent sides such as corn cakes, cabbage, smoky beans. Excellent smoky sauce. Jr. Sampler of 2 meats and 2 sides and bread more than enough for 2 & only $12.99. We highly recommend you visit this place when you are in the mammoth cave area. read more