Time for an update. Full disclosure: I haven't been to the brick and mortar Redbones location since before the pandemic, but my husband went a couple of months ago for lunch with a friend of his. However, just a couple of weeks ago Tom and I were at a party where the hosts had food trucks supplying the dinner.One of the food trucks at this party was from Redbones BBQ so this review is based on my most recent experience with the food from their food truck as well as Tom's report of his recent lunch at the restaurant.Let me start by saying my husband and I love barbecue and years ago, we were regulars at Redbones. Once upon a time one could expect excellent, delicious BBQ, and fabulous side dishes. One would also be assured of a lively and fun time with good service. It was a great hit of Southern fare here in New England. On my husband's recent visit he said the service was unfriendly and abrupt, the portions he said, were shockingly small and the food mediocre at best. Quite surprisingly he said, everything was served in takeout boxes even though he and his friend were dining inside the restaurant. Instead of silverware, Tom told me they are now using plastic utensils. It looks like they are trying to save money by not using dishes or utensils that need washing. But honestly, can you imagine eating BBQ (or anything for that matter) with flimsy plastic utensils? Let's not even get into all the waste of plastic and paper this also engenders.I don't know anyone who likes eating out of a takeout box inside of a restaurant versus off of a china plate, casual BBQ fare included.Tom and his friend said they were also surprised at how few people were in the restaurant. This is a place that was always busy.My husband noted that the prices have increased substantially despite the drastic decrease in quantity and quality and the decline in good service.Tom and his friend were disappointed with every aspect of their lunch experience.Fast forward several weeks and friends of ours had a casual outdoor anniversary party using among other vendors, a Redbones food truck. I opted to try what the Redbones food truck was offering and had the brisket. Unfortunately, the brisket was absolutely drenched in barbecue sauce. The meat seemed a bit dry and perhaps this is why they covered it with so much sauce. But you couldn't really even taste the meat given all the BBQ sauce heaped upon it. Over saucing something does not forgive poor cooking.They were also serving BBQ chicken which I did not try. The cornbread was dry. One of the sides was mac and cheese which was also dry. I tried the collard greens which is normally a vegetable I Iove. The collard greens were too watery and so lacked any depth of flavor. The serving size was about two forkfuls of the watery greens. While it may not be fair to be such a harsh judge of Redbones based on a food truck experience it does seem to go along with Tom and his friend's recent experience and those of other Yelpers who have recently dined there and shared their reviews. This decline is stunning to me given how popular and great this place once was. Redbones used to be a place where you had to wait to get a table on any given night and you didn't mind doing so because it was fun to hang out at the bar while you waited and you knew the end result would be excellent barbecue. It was an incredibly popular and busy place because the food was just that good, the vibe was fun and the service was friendly. This was a go-to place for us on many a Saturday night with friends. We would often bring friends who were visiting from out of town.Fortunately Tom has become an excellent BBQ "pitmaster" in his own right. With his own trusty smoker at home he has become adept at making truly delicious ribs as well as brisket. What is perhaps ironic is that years ago Tom had a long conversation one late night after dinner at Redbones with the chef who generously shared some of his cooking tips with Tom. We have a dearth of great BBQ places in this part of Massachusetts...Blue Ribbon in Arlington comes to mind as a good place to go but it's a bit of a haul for us to get to.Maybe Redbones can turn this around, but I don't think we will bother to go back until we hear otherwise via Yelp reviews. We still have our memories of once upon a time.
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"First, be prepared for a line because it's that popular. I stood in line for about a half an hour, but what's so great about that as you get to know the people in line from all over the world and once you get your one seat at the bar you realize how cool this place is.Then you meet Bianca. She's going to take care of you in every possible food way... OK and wine.I had the fried clams which were fantastic and then because of Yelp, I was given a plate of Crudo that was remarkable. I had to share it with my neighbors, what a great gift from a restaurant.I walked away with new friends and Bianca and another great experience at Neptune. That's all you can expect in a restaurant 3000 miles away. Loved it."
"I am SO HAPPY that Yankee Lobster Co was recommended to me. Easy 5 stars without question! Yankee Lobster is a charming, no-frills establishment serving a phenomenal local classic dish. What's more is how welcoming they were to us and our little dog. They have a few tables out front on the sidewalk and then a side dining patio. Table service isn't available, so your pupper will need to remain outside when you place your order at the counter inside. For our visit, we ordered the butter lobster roll ($37) which was so rich and jam packed with delectable lobster, along with a fried shrimp appetizer ($15) and a Lobster Juice drink (which is a raspberry lime soda)! Everything was a hit, and the portions were definitely enough for two people to share. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at this pleasant place. Bonus: they offer dedicated FREE 2 hour PARKING for their customers! Only about 6 parking spots are available, but still, awesome! If there's no spots available, there's a pay-for parking lot right behind Yankee Lobster. Excellent place that I highly recommend you try!"
