Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn

We were frankly unimpressed and disappointed. The buffet is only open during certain hours - when we arrived we were told it was closed, yet every other table around us was helping themselves? Whatever, we dont argue with servers. Anyway, the food itself was...meh? The sides were the best part, especially their potato salad. Their sliced mutton was fine, not great. The pork ribs were honestly pretty awful. The beef brisket was unimpressive and dry. The service was fine, not bad, no complaints. The two stars it gets is for its ambiance, which scream "middle american comfort food" in a homestyle way. Obviously a classic, at this point exists because of its name, not for quality of food.Not for nothing: OVERPRICED, especially considering you can find cheaper, better barbecue in Lexington. Insane to say over Owensboro.

This place has had some mixed reviews, but we decided to give it a try anyway. We must have hit it at the right time during the Famous Buffett. I and my wife both had the BBQ Sliced Pork Boston Butt Plate with cornbread muffin, pickle, onion, with a Toss Salad and onion rings. One of the few places in the United States that I have seen that offers mutton. They also offer some good KY Craft Beers, the Kentucky Irish Red Ale is my personal favorite. We had the Cherry Cobbler for dessert, and it was outstanding. Over all the service was ok, and the place does not live up to the hype, maybe everyone was having an off night. I wish them all the best, but it seems some of the prior reviews are correct.

I had the opportunity to swing an hour or so out of my way and visit the Moonlight recently. This is hands down the biggest BBQ restaurant I've ever visited. They have a huge buffet but I decided to order off the menu. I ordered the mutton plate half chopped and half sliced with green beans and coleslaw and a cup of burgoo that came with corn muffins. I had an unsweetened tea as my beverage. The coleslaw was excellent creamy and a little sweet tart. The cabbage still had plenty of crunch. The green beans weren't anything special but they were seasoned appropriately. Corn muffins were good. I really enjoyed the Burgoo. It was meaty and rich. Now before this I had never had bbq mutton. I really enjoyed it. It was moist and tender. Had a reasonable mild smoke flavor. And was well seasoned. I don't think you could have asked for more. They placed one sauce on the table. It was a middle of the road tomato based sauce. Neither sweet nor tart. But it complemented the mutton quite well.If I have time available again I'll detour and do it again or road trip just to go there. It's a good spot.

We have a soft spot for Moonlite! We had this catered to us for our wedding. There was plenty to go around but due to the excellent taste, there was not enough to bring home because it was all gone lol! When we have went in to eat at the restaurant itself, the wait time hasn't been too long and we love the fact that it is a buffet. The mutton is really good and you typically can't find mutton in a lot of other bbq places around, especially on a buffet. Nice family setting.

I've been here several times for the lunch buffet, and I can't recommend it highly enough. I've never had to wait to be seated. This restaurant is much larger inside than it looks from the outside. Even though the parking lot seems almost completely full there are still tables available.If you order the buffet there is no wait. Just head for the buffet and grab a plate. This is perfect for those of us who have a relatively short amount of time for lunch.The food is really good, and so is the selection. The employees are always friendly and helpful, even when the restaurant was super busy.

Barbecue and Some History!!The Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn is an iconic Barbecue Buffet in Owensboro Kentucky. The Moonlite has been around for over 30 years serving up local favourites and barbecue classics. I was in the Owensboro area, had heard about the Moonlite, and decided to try it. If anything you find history, nostalgia and a massive offering of Meat, poultry, veggies, salads and sides. You can order from the buffet or you can order order a-la-carte items and combos. I chose the Buffet. The buffet has so many items to choose from and I could only eat so much so I decided on Barbecue Chicken, Country Ham, Pulled Pork, Ribs and a whole lot more. I even tried a local beef stew called Burgoo. The food was hot and fresh and replenished often throughout the evening. Is it the best barbecue I've ever had? Well no, but it was very good and the food was plentiful. If you are a fan of barbecue, you will things that you like and the meal was reasonably priced. Overall the Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn is a must-try if you are in the Owensboro area, looking for history and you have a big appetite.

This place has everything that I'm looking for in barbecue: great meats, great sides, and a truly original sauce. The buffet has all varieties of meat. The mutton is not to be missed. I love lamb but had never had it barbecued! So good, and it's very specific to this region. The sides are amazing. If you grew up in this area of Kentucky, these sides are traditional as they come: green beans, navy beans with ham hock, stewed apples, soft sweet carrots, okra and tomatoes, etc. The distinctive sauce has a bourbony tang, and the very hot sauce has a spike of vodka. Not too sweet, not too acidic. The dining rooms are large, homey, and clean. Sweet servers. I've been meaning to come here for years because this place is often ranked #1 in Kentucky for barbecue, and my grandparents were from Owensboro. The online reviews always seem surprisingly low for such a renowned barbecue place, but I think that's just it! People like to say that it's overhyped because it's gotten some attention. But truly, this place is worthy of the traffic it gets. And if you don't like the sides, I guess you'd hate my grandma's cooking too because this is very authentic. (And honestly, I don't know what to do with you if you'd hate my grandma's cooking!)

There are lots of hustles and bustle going on here. There wasn't waiting to be seated. This place has a handful of rooms they can plop you down in. Great for large groups(we even had his service dog). Service was efficient and pleasant. Food was hot, stocked, and ready for the choosing at the buffet. The cost doesn't break the bank either. Where do I start? The blue cheese dressing g was pungent and filled with creamy chunks of blue cheese....yummy! Make sure you try oompah potato salad( homemade stuff always gets me)Left this place thick as a tick. Please just roll me into my car. Thank you

Pros:Food and service is great Good family oriented environment Owners are wonderful people Cons:Very pricey$30 per person is very high compared to other places

The food was amazing. The atmosphere was pleasant and not too loud. Our waitress, Amelia, went above and beyond and made the whole experience exceptional!