Mouthwatering Barbeque in Columbus

Ray Ray's Hog Pit

★★★★★ 4.5 (488) • $$

"A few items have been added to the menu and they have specials from time to time. In fact, they offer their smoked wings right now during tailgate season and they have a Buffalo chicken sandwich with blue cheese slaw on top. They still have the banana pudding and another dessert from Bite This by Annie. Service is still great! This month I've had both the wings and the ribs. Still A+ in my book."

Millstone Southern Smoked BBQ

★★★★☆ 3.5 (596) • $$

"I believe this is about the third time we've been to Millstone (not from the area), and there's definitely a reason we keep going back. Firstly, the mini muffins they give you before the main meal are absolutely delicious, and they give you more than you could ever eat! Then the menu has a lot of variety, and you can easily customize your sides. We had Brooke as our server, and she was phenomenal. We were kind of tucked in a back corner, but she never forgot about us. She kept us refilled on drinks and honestly answered any questions we had about the menu. She was able to provide great recommendations. The only reason for the four stars as opposed to five is the fact that one of our orders was incorrect. We chose not to send it back as the food took a bit to come out. Other than that, great experience!"

Smoked on High BBQ

★★★★★ 4.5 (291) • $$

"What a little gem in the brewery district. The meats are amazing. Ribs fell off the bone and the brisket was divine. I wasn't a fan of the Mac and cheese (pasta too soft). The patio and inside are really nice. Definitely give it a try."

GOGI Korean BBQ

★★★★☆ 4 (351) • $$

"Food is delicious. I've been here twice. All of the extras taste so fresh. Love it here! The restaurant is upbeat with K-pop music videos and music. Service was extremely attentive. Constantly coming by to ask if we would like the grill changed out or needed anything else. Combo A is $80 and was a little too much for 2 people but we pushed through. Could definitely be eaten by 3."

Barrel & Boar Creekside

★★★★☆ 3.8 (384) • $$

"As someone who use to work in the service industry it's always nice to see people...managers busting their asses like their servers. A tight ship equals good tips. I for one loved my burnt tips, even if there was a bit of fat. It was delicious. The collard greens were on point and the country tunes were perfect. I would have like to have seen it more busy but understand Thursday may not be there day with outdoor sports there was a decent crowd. A repeat visit shall happen again."

Bullwinkle's Top Hat Bistro

★★★★☆ 4.3 (288) • $$

"Our waitress was excellent and the venue was classic & charming."MOOSETATERS"!! - You want these. They're like the best potato skin you ever had on steroids. I got a pork chop that was cooked about as perfectly as it can be done.Wife loved the mac & cheese.Everything was great, although I'd reccomend going a little more agressive on the seasonings. I don't mind tossing a bit of S&P around, but as well prepared as everything was, I felt like it had to be by design. Go crazy, imho."

Pecan Penny's

★★★★☆ 3.8 (352) • $$

"To the lonely man who was recently divorced, who keeps coming in for the barbecue, but maybe for human connection too:The ginger waitress in the yoga pants, the one who smiles a lot, talks with you, laughs with you, and kinda flirts with you while you give her your business card -- you know, the one who is working hard to raise the energy?She makes fun of you when you leave. After you provide her such a large tip on your check, she laughs about how men are so simple to get interested in her until she sometimes reveals to them the fact that she's pregnant and has a boyfriend. Her friends laugh with her as she diminishes you behind your back for being divorced, lonely, and frequently returning.You, sir, have probably had an incredible career. You made it further in marriage than many do. Some of us single men have reasons why we shouldn't take that leap into marriage yet. And now that you are alone after working throughout your life to leap for commitment and happiness -- from one man to another, I believe you still deserve happiness.And even though the barbecue at Pecan Penny's is amazing, you're not going to find happiness with a woman who makes fun of you after you seek her attention, tip her noticeably well, and step out. You did nothing wrong here to deserve being made fun of by her and her friends in front of other customers, but since we're being real -- you're not going to find what you're looking for at this bar.I highly recommend travel. You talked about Spain today. Try Latin America or South America. There are warm places that will naturally and authentically support your energy, where a woman has real empathy and a real heart for you. Find the authentic kindness. It exists. There is so much beauty out there, and you'll find a woman who values how you work and who you are as a man despite past flaws.Pecan Penny's bar is not the place where you're going to find that kind of woman. If it was, there would be a line around the corner for the amazing barbecue and authentic friendship. You're being used and diminished. This bar is not a good place to be alone.3/12 Update: My friend went to Pecan Penny's. He sat down to eat and invited me over. I told him I wasn't ready to go back. He mentioned this review to the bartender, and the bartender told him to go to The Walrus (kicked him out).3/19 Update: Heather, manager of Pecan Penny's texted me and told me this review is crazy. She said she is going to request Google to review it (photo attached). I don't know why Google would remove this review, when it is honest.Realizing I'll never be going back to this restaurant now, I think about how I supported Pecan Penny's for years (thousands of dollars of purchases during the pandemic when we ran Hidden Drive-In events in Downtown Columbus). I don't regret those times of support. I just notice how much has changed in the culture of this restaurant and maybe that is a reflection of downtown, or Columbus, or the country -- but I try not to let myself go that far. Kindness to others must continue on, or what's the point of cooking for them, serving them, having them as customers and inviting them to choose your restaurant to consume, rest, and relax in?"

Bristol Republic

★★★★☆ 4.1 (286) • $$

"We always have a great time at Bristol Republic! It's a great spot for a hearty meal. Service has been pretty consistent so far. I always try to get something different everytime I go and I haven't been disappointed yet!"

The Hickory House

★★★★☆ 3.8 (327) • $$$

"We used to go to Hickory House in Reynoldsburg during our childhood and it was amazing! So we needed a place to go for our holiday party and I said hey, let's try the Hickory House in Gahanna. The cocktails were amazing and the food was fantastic! If I had anything to say at all, I would say that the old 20 or 22 ounce Porterhouse is so much thinner now. I would rather pay more money and get a thicker steak. But it was cooked to perfection and delicious. We also had onion straws, which were done perfectly and had lots of other appetizers. Lots of people loved the cheese curds. If you haven't been here in a while, you really should try it out. We all left Happy."

Broadway Barrel House

★★★★☆ 4 (269) • $$

"Stopped in with the whole family (8 adults and 4 kids) the staff was very accommodating to our party and sat us down with no problems. It was Sunday and there were plenty of tvs for the NFL games, even in the back room where they sat us. Huge menu with lots of options from wings to burgers to salads to pizzas, didn't get pics of everyone's food but they all seemed to be satisfied. I had the western burger which was pretty tasty. I live closer to downtown so don't know if I would go out of my way to go here but if I'm in the area would definitely go back!"

Iron Grill Barbecue and Brew

★★★★☆ 3.7 (249) • $$

"So many upgrades as a former employee and a customer this was the first time I brought my husband to this establishment. Ambiance has improved, drastically! Even as a bbq joint I hated that it was so dark and smelled of smoked meat. Today it was light and bright, bravo. Portions...just view the picture. This yelper left happy and fu"

Hickory House Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.9 (218) • $$

"Best Barbecue in Columbus hands down . Service is superb. Price is very reasonable for the portions"

Hank's Texas BBQ

★★★★☆ 4.1 (183) • $$

"First, their deep-fried cheese curds are EVIL. You cannot stop eating them: light, crunchy, & melty in all the right ways. Holy mozzarella, those things are ADDICTIVE. Most places overdo the breading on "fried cheese sticks", and you get something that needs steel dentures to chew thru -- not Hanks. Very light crunchy panko, melty & gooey and JFC, I'm craving them AGAIN and it's after midnight...Anyway. First, let me lead up to our latest visit by saying that yesterday was a really shitty day in a string of two really shitty months. Our new-to-us car had gone kerblooey despite having had a lot of work done & showing no signs of other trouble up until it decided to KERBLOOEY in the middle of rush hour on Cleveland Ave, we've been dealing with housing issues and family issues and health issues, and by the time we finally got home after getting Said Supposed Car towed to our mechanic, me and my husband just wanted a) food and b) lots of alcohol.Sadly, B isn't possible due to our medications. A, though...Husband looked at me and said, ok, what kind of food, and I just said "BURGER. SOMETHING DEEP FRIED. NOW. :grunt:"So we decided on Hank's.Now we'd first been to Hanks last month and really loved their ribs and the loaded corn cakes and the sides and those evil EVIL cheese curds. You first walk in the place, and you see an open floor plan, corrugated metal and worn wood, xmas lights all over the ceiling, friendly servers who say "sit wherever", an honest-to-gods old-school Catholic Church light-up bingo board on the back wall with what looks like a glowing cow skull over it, and laid-back music that's a good mix of ska and reggae. Very casual, very relaxed, and a fun vibe without being in-your-face about it. Fast forward back to yesterday. At that point in our shitty day, we decided Hanks was probably the only non-fast-food place nearby that stood a chance of having a decent juicy burger. Holy Ground Cow, Hanks did not disappoint. Same relaxed vibe, cool ska and reggae, same friendly servers, and a sympathetic waiter who listened to the much-abbreviated highlights reel of our shitty day with a quiet "oh my god" and he and his fellow server were fast, efficient, friendly and totally non-intrusive, which helped to start our day back to "bearable" and our brains back to something other than "holy sh*t, life sucks". (Sorry for dumping the highlights reel on that poor server; thanks for listening, man).By the time our food arrived, we were feeling "mostly human" again.We both had their American burger and fries. I always keep my burgers on the plain side; no condiments, cheese only, maybe lettuce/tomato if my gut's behaving; Husband had the works, with Hanks' collard greens on the side. Oh, yeah, and more of those deliciously crunchy melty EVIL cheese curds. Pleasant surprise: the burgers turned out to be doubles, not single-patties (we really hadn't read the menu much beyond "burger, fries, cheese curds, *GRUNT*"). Perfectly seasoned and juicy, perfectly cooked, melty American cheese. Big pile of hand-cut fries. My husband spent part of his childhood in Louisiana, and so he tends to be really, REALLY picky over northern-attempts at Southern cooking -- he's fallen in love with Hanks' collards. We easily spent an hour with great burgers, fries, and cheese curds, and by the time we left, the shitty day had turned into a fairly good one. So yeah, give Hanks a try. We need more good local restaurants in Clintonville, and these folks deserve your business!PS -- Hanks, just a small suggestion? Maybe add a couple other cheese options for the burgers, like blue cheese crumbles or pepper jack. Just a thought.tl;dr -- good bbq, good burgers, evil cheese curds, relaxed vibe, friendly staff. GO. EAT. ENJOY."

Rudy's Smokehouse

★★★★☆ 3.5 (229) • $$

"Hidden gem and worth the drive!! Drove to yellow springs and got caught in the rain, stopped here on the way back to Columbus and it saved the day.Walked in to the owner great of us and his daughter in law behind the register. Friendly as ever! I had a pulled pork sandwich and a side of the cornbread. And my husband had a brisket sandwich and french fries. We were pleased to find that there was crafted soda I had a cream soda and it was spectacular. They also had a huge thing of pickles out that you could grab as well as many options for barbecue sauce. They had a sweet barbecue a hot barbecue and a bourbon barbecue sauce on every table. I tried them all and my favorite was definitely the hot. We looked and they had even more variety of barbecue sauce that we did not try but I'll be sure to try next time. The portions are huge the food is out of this world the sandwiches and the buns and the meat so fresh the cornbread was huge very moist and heavy like a corn bread should be. We will definitely be back."

Legacy Smokehouse

★★★★☆ 4.2 (143) • $$

"Great flavor, tender meats! Ribs are great even without sauce from the rub they use. Beans are a must."

Ray Ray's Hog Pit

★★★★☆ 3.7 (165) • $$

"The food here is excellent; so much so that I'm keeping the bookmark to make sure I come back the next time I'm in the neighborhood.  All the meats I've tried thus far have been deliciously juicy and tender.  One of my favorites from my first visit was the brisket; it's succulent and rich with a taste that's so good it will always leave you hungry for more! Tip: Portion sizes are all large, especially the sides.  While you might find it tough to save room, if you're a dessert person I recommend both the peach cobbler and the Reese's Pie"

Boathouse BBQ

★★★★☆ 3.6 (174) • $$

"So good. Service is usually pretty good as well. Every once in a while I might get a dude who is more intersted in turnover than creating a great experience for dining but MOST of the time there are no complaints. Food is always great as well and good portion sizes."

Ray Ray's Hog Pit

★★★★★ 4.5 (111) • $

"I visited Ray Ray's food truck outside of Land Grant Brewing. I chose the Pulled Pork Sandwich with a side of Waffle French Fries. The food was quickly prepared. The sandwich was stacked high with pork. The barbecue sauce had a great flavor. The Waffle Fries were also delicious. I finished the sandwich but couldn't eat all of the fries.I really enjoyed this order and will likely visit one of their trucks in the future."

Edgar's Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.9 (144) • $$

"I visit Akron often to hang with my brother. He picked this place because it is a go to for a neural friend. She is vegetarian and gets the veggie past dish - huge portions! Huge! So let's go...Prices are decent for the portion sizes, come on they are huge. Pasta, ribs and chicken dishes are the winners. The side veggie egg rolls not so much. Don't order them if you are expecting $15 egg rolls because that is not what you will get. The bread is fresh and warm, so good! The oil dipping sauce is tasty as well. The service was great, very attentive. The mixed cocktails were excellent. When you think golf course, you have to remember this is Akron and this place is on the edge of a neighborhood. It was nice enough for the enjoyable dinner we had for decent prices. Again the service was on point and the cocktails rocked. Bonus for having vegetarian options. I look forward to returning and enjoying the patio that over looks the golf course. They also set up a few weekly events so be prepared to see an artist preform on a random night."

Oak Hill Barbeque

★★★★☆ 4.3 (113) • $$

"So I drove all the way out here on my west to find awesome barbeque around central Ohio. When I first arrived, the first thing I noticed were the dirty tables. I was trying to find one to sit at and it was like trying to find gold in California. I then. Noticed all the news personalities that had been here on the wall. I ordered the brisket with fries and one wing. I asked for the barky brisket but got a lot of fat. So that was a minus. My mouth was all set for some awesome cue once I got past that. Well I was not too impressed by the brisket. It wasn't really tender and it tasted kind of off. Not sure if they seasoned it enough. The fries were good but they put a lot of salt in them. The wings though. I will say I would drive back for the wings. They tasted AMAZING! If crack were chicken wings, these would be the wings to have everyone in a 12 step recovery program."

Old 30 BBQ

★★★★☆ 4.4 (97) • $$

"Stopped by on our way through town, cute little place attached to a golf course. There is outside seating and a cozy indoors with a bar. As a pescatarian I was glad to see a shrimp option. Loved all the sauces to go with the very tasty tater tots.. enjoyed the side salad too! My boyfriend enjoyed his pork sandwich. The cornbread was very moist and delicious and comes with the platters. Lots of gluten free options. The prices were great! And a nice selection of beers. Our waitress was very helpful and friendly. Definitely worth a stop."

Barrel & Boar North Market

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (152) • $$

"I love BBQ, but I hate BBQ sauce. Excuse me m'am, what? You heard me. BBQ sauce ruins good BBQ. Actual BBQ is cooked low and slow with a mountain of spices to bring out the natural flavor of the smoke they're cooking in. I do not visit chain restaurants like Dickey's and City Barbecue because they're not serving BBQ. They're serving dried out jerky with a side of sweet baby rays and slapping the "BBQ" moniker on the side. What a disgrace!Barrel & Boar on the other hand, serves BBQ. They woke up at 2am to start servicing the smoker that would eventually create the most tender, mouthwatering piece of brisket this side of the Mississippi. They lovingly and painstakingly rubbed every single chicken wing with 49 spices from North Market Spices so the flavor bomb I experienced whilst eating them ensured I needn't dunk them in anything. They...they...okay, they may have not done any of that, but they gave me burnt ends!I am not much for pulled pork or ribs. I rate my BBQ experience by brisket, just like any good Texan. (I'm not Texan). I want the fatty part - it needs to melt in my mouth like BUTTUH. Or bone marrow. Or the fatty part of the ribeye. Basically, I need to feel like I am at risk for gout while I'm enjoying my food. Boy oh boy do I get that feeling when I'm eating Barrel & Boar brisket.I always get the three meat platter when I arrive at Barrel & Boar's booth. Same thing fivever - wings, fatty brisket, and burnt ends. I'll get sides because I'm dumb and fat. I didn't come here for grits or the Mac and cheese. I came here for the MEATS!The meats always deliver. The wings are large, heavily seasoned, and smoked to perfection. Two pieces of brisket will delicately lay on top of each other so the fat is enclosed - it's like opening a Christmas present! And the burnt ends - those beautiful burnt ends - I spend a solid three days after eating them every time contemplating how much it would cost to have a cereal bowl full of them every morning for breakfast. I then calculate what little disposable income I have into the equation, and just barely decide living within my means is a better decision than declaring bankruptcy over the meat sweats. If you're looking for BBQ sauce flavor, Kroger has a sale on brisket and Kraft BBQ sauce this week - $4.49/lb, and 79 cents a bottle, and you can obliterate your meat into oblivion with some tangy ketchup. If you're looking for BBQ, you go to Barrel & Boar - and you go early, because I WILL buy their daily supply of burnt ends, and I am NOT sharing."

SmokeOut BBQ

★★★★☆ 4.4 (84) • $$

"Food was hot. Service was friendly. Lots of good options. Will come back Place was busy but went quickly to all"

Don Pocha

★★★★☆ 4.2 (91) • $$

"We had so much fun at this restaurant and the food was super yummy! We loved everything we got! Our server was nice, but got someone else to help us cook and give us cooking instructions, which really helped since it was our first time."

Texas Steele BBQ

★★★★★ 4.8 (67)

"I never would have found this BBQ if not for work. Our food truck of the week was Texas Steele BBQ today and just tried it on a whim. I'm sure glad I did! I've never had better brisket in my life! I heard they do special ribs on the weekend so I'm definitely going to track them down. The service was quick which I like on my lunch break."

Bob’s Backyard Barbeque

★★★★☆ 4 (89) • $$

"Food is good, the cheese potatoes are the best! Portions were small both times we went. The brisket sundae was nothing but corn bread."

BBQ Alley

★★★★★ 4.5 (70) • $

"In town for a baseball tournament and searching yelp for somewhere to eat we came across this little gem. My son and I love BBQ and we wanted to help out another local business so we went for it and we were not disappointed! I got the 1/4 slab rib combo with potato salad and baked beans for my sides and extra spicy sauce on the ribs. First of all the meat was so tender it was falling off the bone and the extra spicy sauce was just that, it had a nice little kick! The beans were absolutely amazing and the potato salad was homemade and also very good. If you're not from the area and gonna try it you gotta really keep your eyes open for it, we drove past it and had to double back. Super fast walk up service, I think I was there for 5-10 minutes tops! Great little local place!"

The Grainery

★★★★☆ 3.8 (98) • $$

"Love this place. Would highly recommend. Ordered the barbecue brisket. Wonderful and delicious. Candied Bacon appetizer is the best. Great food. Bands are great. Must come to enjoy food and atmosphere"

High Beck Tavern

★★★★☆ 3.7 (99) • $

"High Beck is your classic neighborhood bar, complete with dart boards, Christmas lights hung year round, and a big huge bar right in the middle where everything is centered around. They have your typical beer offerings, nothing too over the top here (Aka no sour beers for me). But, they have a full bar of liquor to whip up whatever you're wanting! We got their pizza and potato skins and they were super good! Food came relatively quickly considering how crowded it was in there!! If you're looking for a casual neighborhood (sort of) divey bar to hang with your friends at, High Beck is the spot for you"

CJ's Soul Food

★★★★☆ 3.6 (103)

"Oh CJ's how you fill my heart with joy. The soul roll is Probably one of the best things I've put in my mouth this year (pause). nah fr tho they do a lot of things really really well here, the soul rolls are elite just rich and delicious stuffed with Mac and cheese, greens, yam & smoked turkey with a sweet little drizzle! The Fried chicken/wigs goodgawd seasoned to the bone, crispy crunchy juicy. The catfish is legitimately the best catfish I've ever eaten. Period. Cornbread is buttery and moist. The Mac and cheese is top tier also has a Cajun vibe to it, it's a creamy Mac not a cheese pull Mac if you catch my drift. All the dang food is good. Ambiance is a personal choice they do live bands and DJ's and whatnot I personally was vibing and was pretty much bobbing my head the entire time while eating my food but the wifey thought it was too load, probably because she wanted to talk the entire time but ya know, god is good. lol. The have amazing murals of some African American legends all over the walls Kobe, prince, Aretha, Bernie, Aliyah and many other greats that have passed. Service was aight, drink ran out never got refilled but whatever, was a little slow on food coming out but we did order like $140+ worth of food. Now for a controversial topic, automatic 18% gratuity and $5 per person for the DJ and or band that's preforming. I'm on the I really don't care side of things but I can see it running people the wrong way. It's also not my first time being here so I already knew what it was. All in all tho I love this place. 8.9 out of 10"

Martiny's BBQ

★★★★☆ 4.2 (74)

"We just visited Martiny's BBQ for the first time and it was a 10/10, no notes! If you live in Lewis Center or Delaware, you're probably familiar with this iconic little log cabin along 23 that has been a pizza place, purveyor of Venezuelan street food and now a bbq joint. The first thing you notice is the amazing aroma of wood-smoked meats emanating from the enormous, custom-built smoker sitting just outside of Martiny's. Michael tends the smoker and feeds it wood all night long to ensure the perfect result - and boy, can you taste it!My hubby is notoriously picky when it comes to ribs and he called these the most tender and flavorful he's ever had. I loved the pulled pork and brisket. And the sauces and sides are fab here! My favorite was the authentic warm German potato salad - utterly delish.We will definitely be back. I'm so glad to have top-notch Texas wood-smoked barbecue so close to home!"

Ohana Island Grill

★★★★★ 4.5 (64) • $$

"Wanted to try something new today and Postmates tickled my inbox, so I swiped my way to Ohana Island Grill - a Hawaiian bbq place that took over Asian Fusion's old space on W Dublin Granville. First up, Spam Musubi. Giant Japanese sushi-like handhelds, about 5oz each. The saltiness of the generous slab of seared spam paired well with the rice/nori and included an amazing sauce (Katsu?) overflowing with umami flavor. Reason I wanted to go here is as to try the BBQ Short Ribs. Got three slabs a la carte. They arrived on a bed of cabbage shreds and the sauce and prep were extremely similar to Korean galbi. They did not disappoint. Main dish was Pineapple Chicken. Bite-sized battered chicken and pineapple chunks in a velvety sweet glaze. Very close again to Korean style sweet and sour dishes, but not like the syrupy thick red sugar sauce used in Americanized Cantonese style preps. Served with scoops of steamed rice and a macaroni type salad. I wasn't prepared at all for the enormous portion sizes - this place doesn't mess around, everything was absolutely immense. So come hungry and order accordingly. Mostly takeaway style serving, but they do have many tables to enjoy your meal. I opted to not order their Malasadas, freshly cooked doughnuts, but next time..."

Kung Fu Noodle

★★★★★ 4.6 (60)

"We saw a feature the Dispatch did on Instagram and knew we had to try these hand pulled noodles!I had the stir fried noodles with chicken, upgraded to have the hand pulled noodles. My husband ordered the Dan Dan Noodles and we ordered one order of Steamed Dumplings and one order of Fried Dumplings!We were very happy with everything we ordered! We'll definitely order again soon!"

Red Shed Legendary BBQ

★★★★☆ 3.8 (87)

"The waiter was sooo hospitable to me. The baby back ribs where amazing and her suggest spot on, I had the Mac and cheese and the collard greens, which had a sweet taste that I never tasted before, but was delicious. I took the peach cobbler to go.... Will definitely go back!"

2Gs Barbecue

★★★★☆ 4.2 (63) • $$

"Great food! Stopped on our way through town, and loved the place! Had catfish, ribs, and kids had chicken.The ribs were really good, had a great flavorful BBQ sauce. But by far George's catfish is some of the best fish I've ever had!The Lord truly blessed his hand at cooking. Very nice restaurant, very friendly staff. Will be stopping again.I was blessed by your testimony George, keep letting the Lord work through you."