Brando’s BBQ

Now, this is real BBQ.As you drive up, the building screams "BBQ". I mean , rustic timber building with large front porch, smoke billowing from the large smoker sitting outside. I have been to hundreds of BBQ places that look like this (OK, maybe only 57). It made my heart race (gastronomically speaking of course). What a great start!The brisket was very good, pleasantly charred and still moist. The pork ribs were great... nice smoke ring with pink inside. The meat pulled perfectly off the bone when slight tugged. I was a little disappointed with the Mac & cheese though. It was too dry (not creamy at all) and I wasn't a fan of the cheese used. And the macaronies were too large, which resulted in too much Mac and not enough cheese. One item they should offer is brewed iced tea. If you look up the definition of "BBQ", it clearly states that real iced tea is to be offered. With a handful of minor refinements, this place could be stellar. Of course I will be back.

Everything was good, but the ribs and pulled pork loaded mac and cheese were at the very tippy top epsilon of BBQ I've had spanning from Texas, North Carolina or anywhere in between!5 star service, very family feeling.Really excited to see how they expand and refine their interior!

Amazing bbq in Bow WA! The staff is super friendly. The food comes out fast and the tacos are well prepared. Ample seating and a really fun place.

Had no complaints pulled pork was great! The side we chose was Mac and Cheese it was good too. Seen some ribs come out for other people and they looked great.

Counter help nothing special. Ambiance PNW bar funk.Pulled pork was dry without smoke aroma Ribs were fantastically tender and tasty enough Cole slaw was fresh and acceptable The sauce. Gross. Sticky sweet I can accept as a style even though no other choice. But the flavor was quite off putting. Like coke or Vanilla Coke flavor. We did not like it. Won't be back.

Stopped here while out riding with some buddies because we could smell the BBQ the closer we got. Did not expect to have such good BBQ food around here. By far best around that I've had.

Pulling up the front of the restaurant, the smell of that wood burning made my mouth water. I really wanted this to be THE BBQ spot. Unfortunately, it fell a little short. that wood smell really didn't translate into the flavor of the meat.Looking at the menu, I always want to go to some 2 or 3 meat combo so I can taste all the good options. Unfortunately, that option didnt exist. So the wife and I were going to go with three meals.With 3 meals @ $20 a pop, I was expecting to bring some home, but that wasn't the case. Went up to the counter where you need to oder, and got brisket with bbq beans, pulled pork with Mac salad, and rib....wait what's this...pork belly rib for $12.50....yea please let's go with that instead of the ribs.Getting the pork belly was the best decision we made. In fact if I ordered right now again I would order 3 orders of pork belly and nothing else. Yes, part of the reason is that the pork belly was good (reason for 3 instead of 1 or 2 stars). The other reason is that the other food was not all that great. The brisket was a little dry, I have had a lot worse, but for some fatty cuts, it shouldn't have been as dry as it was. My wife loves pulled pork, but she didn't really eat much of this one. It was moist, but artificially so....to the extreme...it wasn't the nature juices and maybe that dilluted the smoke flavor. It was like mush. The sides? Well go to any store deli and you will know what they taste like...sure seems these came out of those big plastic tubs.

We've only been there twice, with mixed reviews. I like it. That said, some stuff has been delicious, other stuff has been "meh". Brando's has been a name here in the valley for several years now and is a typical BBQ joint without all of the peanut shells all over the floor. Small, but nicely done interior, super clean, country music. Decent menu covers most of the BBQ joint basics with plates, sides, sandwiches, good selection of drinks, and daily specials. Staff are super friendly and helpful. To-go style plating and silverware so you can dump all your stuff in the trash when you're heading out, the trash bin is located right next to the door. Don't leave your stuff all over the tables when you leave, that's just rude to the staff and when it's busy, other guests have to stand and wait while the table is bussed and wiped down.I'd love to give them another star, but so far, much of the food is "meh" by my own standards of BBQ.Wagyu Cheeseburger? Excellent. Wagyu ground beef, tender and juicy, perfect medium/medium well, melty cheese, and a delicious tangy sauce .Brisket? Beautiful smoke ring, juicy, tender, surprisingly little smoke flavor, slightly overcooked so it tasted like pot roast. Not much seasoning or bark. The plates with a slice of white bread is something you don't see much around here. I love it!Mac and cheese? Tasty, made with penne and good cheese flavor. The only downside is it gets cold quickly and everything sticks together, but that's Mac and cheese for ya...Beans? Delicious. Tangy BBQ sauce flavor, firm beans, and IIRC, some bits of bacon.Chicken? Pretty good, nice and tender. Loaded baked potato is pretty good.BBQ sauce with the brisket was WAY too sweet, the Alabama white sauce was good. The sauce on the Wagyu cheeseburger was the best. I don't know if they have other options for the plates.*burp*

review based on one visit and one entrée shared. had seen Brando's earlier in the week while checking out the bakery across the street. they were not opened yet so made a note to revisit when heading back south. we were the first customers of the day on Sunday. smelled the smoke immediately upon arrival. the chili special sounded really good but wife and I were not that hungry so will have to look into that next time. menu has sandwiches, one meat entrees, tacos and sides. the decor was fitting to a bbq joint and there were tv's showing basketball. nice beer selection. we chose the brisket entrée plate with the potato salad. plate came with a good sized portion of brisket with a good distribution of fatty pieces with leaner ones. prominent smoke ring was a good sign. interestingly, unlike pretty much any other Q spot ever visited, they provide not just a typical sweet/spicy red sauce (which we enjoyed) but an "Alabama" white sauce. only seen it served at places that focus on chicken in the south. we felt like it really didn't go well with beef. personal preference. brisket had a nicely balanced rub with a black pepper highlight. well done. the beef was delicious but light on smoke flavor to us. was told that the main wood used was maple, which i've found elsewhere to be a wood that doesn't add the deep flavor that others like mesquite or oak do. gotta work with what's available.the potato salad was bland to me but my wife loved it. not a fan of a "white" potato salad (sour cream?) myself. prefer a mustard mayo style. and the potatoes were still quite firm/undercooked to my palate. but she emptied the dish. i wish i was hungry enough to try the banana pudding, which i love, but like the chili that will be something for next time. i will have this on my list for a return visit next time we are in the area.

Really enjoyed our meals at Brando's. We had the pulled pork meal and the ribs. The BBQ beans had bits of pork in it. The ribs were tender, meaty and moist. The smell of the bbq pit was a great introduction to the restaurant. Small number of seats inside; more seating outside when the weather is nice.