Old Post Bar-B-Q
South Arkansas Ave
Russellville, AR
(501) 968-2421

Meat  4
Sides  4
Sauce  3.5
Service  3
Atmosphere  3.5

Overall  4

Reviewer's Comments:  Very good grub.  The ribs are excellent, fall off the bone served wet with a nice sauce, not great, but nice. Large variety of fresh side items, including corn on-the-cob. It's worth stopping if staying in Russellville.

Reviewed By:  Britt C. Scheer ( bscheer@cei.net ) on 1-8-98.

Dewayne's BBQ
Scenic Byway 7
Dover, AR
331-3896

Meat  4
Sides  3.5
Sauce  3.5
Service  3
Atmosphere  3

Overall  3.5

Reviewer's Comments:  Tried the sliced pork and my wife tried the sliced beef. The meat was very nicely done with a 3/4 inch smoke ring. Large portion of meat, I left full, that's saying something. BBQ beans were excellent, Texas Toast was a bit buttery, the salad, well it was salad. They had Hot and mild sauce, couldn't really tell much difference, typical KC type.

Overall, worth going back since I live here, but don't make a special trip.

Reviewed By:  Britt C. Scheer ( bscheer@cei.net ) on 1-4-98.

Fred's Hickory Inn
N. Walton Blvd
Bentonville, AR

Meat  4.5
Sides  3.5
Sauce  4.5
Service  3.5
Atmosphere  3.5

Overall  4.5

Reviewer's Comments:  Fred's offers very fine food in a somewhat out of the way place.  Bentonville is about 30 miles north of Fayetteville.

I have eaten here many times and the food is almost always excellent.  The ribs are served dry and have excellent smoky flavor.  The brisket is usually quite good with a nice smoke ring -- sometimes just a little dry.  The serve their pork sliced not pulled (I like either).

Fred's makes their own sauce.  It is vinegar based with a nice sweet/tart flavor.

I usually don't care for beans but at Fred's I make an exception.  They smoke them for a short time which adds to the depth of flavor.  The sauce again has a substantial vinegar flavor which adds to the overall experience.  Their coleslaw is standard fare, nothing special.

Fred's has a nice atmosphere.  Being a dry county, you must first join Fred's Club before you cna be served an alcoholic refreshment.  They make fresh fruit cobblers that are excellent if you have any room for dessert.

A trip to Fred's is well worth it.  The service is good and the food is excellent.

Reviewed By:  Greg Petschke ( rlamesco@citynet.net ) on 1/21/98.

White Pig Inn Barbecue
5231 East Broadway
North Little Rock, AR
501-945-5551

Meat  4.5
Sides  3.5
Sauce  4.5
Service  3
Atmosphere  3

Overall  4

Reviewer's Comments:  Simply the best pork ribs in Arkansas.  Moist and dark and tender with a nice, dark, brownish red, ground chili based sauce. The barbecued chicken (served only Wednesdays) is good but a bit dry; not in the same league with the ribs. For sides, the fries are quite good; the beans are dressed up canned.  Slaw also available. The best bet is to order the ribs, a double order of fries and a longneck. Closed Sundays.  East Broadway is the first exit off I-30 north of the Arkansas river; go east from I-30 about 2 miles.  Also accessible by going east from the Protho Junction exit off I-40 about 1.5 miles.  

Reviewed By:  Overton Anderson ( ande@att.net ) on 2-28-98.

Sim's Barbecue
716 West 33d
Little Rock, AR
501-372-6868

Meat  4
Sides  3
Sauce  4.5
Service  2
Atmosphere  2

Overall  4

Reviewer's Comments:  The neighborhood may be rough (better go to the location at 1307 Barrow Road after dark) but the barbecue is little short of perfection.  Sliced pork is available but the ribs are the ticket.  The ribs are small, chopped with a cleaver, and served with a tangy, sweetish,  mustard based sauce. For the truly adventurous a rib sandwich is available.  Squeeze bottles of hot sauce are on the tables.  The lunch crowd ranges from neighbors in this African-American neighborhood to suits from the business district.  The location on 33d is a couple blocks west of Arch Street Pike, south of downtown Little Rock.  The Barrow Road location is best reached by taking the Barrow Road exit south off I-630 about 1/2 mile. 

Reviewed By:  Overton Anderson ( ande@att.net ) on 2-28-98.

McClard's
Hot Springs, AR

Meat  4
Sides  4
Sauce  3.5
Service  4
Atmosphere  4

Overall  4

Reviewer's Comments:  McClard's has been in operation in Hot Springs for many years and is a classic Arkansas BBQ joint. It was one of Bill Clinton's favorite spots and the walls are covered with autographed pictures of Bill and the staff. I had pork ribs and they were very good. I'm not sure how they cook their BBQ these days, but it was tender, had a good flavor and the sauce was tasty. The cole slaw and potato salad are also good.

Reviewed By:  Garry Howard ( garry@netrelief.com ) on 3/12/98.

Walker's Bar-B-Que Company
5107 Warden Rd. (3/4 mile North of McCain Mall)
North Little Rock, AR
501-758-3145

Meat 4
Sides 3.5
Sauce 3
Service 4
Atmosphere 3.5

Overall 3.5

Reviewer's Comments: Well, This is the place to go ifn your in North Little Rock.
Watch out for the cops though...That was the only warning I got for this area.. I am adding a warning too.
Don't stop at Shorty Small's ifn your looking for REAL Que!!!
Don't let that neon sign fool ya! Just go on past and look for Walker's!
Its REAL que... I got the pork plate and it was mighty tasty.
Their sauce is ok... but it didn't kill the flavor of the meat!
Their hot sauce is milder than the BBQ Beans!! Which happen to be outstanding!
Their potato salad was a little dry and weak on flavor, but not enough
to condemn it.. So if your ever by this place, stop in and give
them a whirl. they're good! BTW, they have LOTs of formica 8-)

Reviewed By: Rocky Hurley ( rhurley@carbon.cudenver.edu ) on 3-26-98.

Shorty Small's
Warden Rd. (1/2 mile North of McCain Mall)
North Little Rock, AR
501-753-8111

Meat 1
Sides 2
Sauce 1
Service 3
Atmosphere 3

Overall 2

Reviewer's Comments: They advertise their Brisket is smothered in their sauce... For a good reason too!!!
They BOIL their brisket. The ribs are cooked over Gazzzzz! If they ever got a whif of smoke... it was a stray whif from someone's cigarette!
Don't waste your brake pads on this place... go on north another
1/4 mile to Walker's for some REAL que! I review Walker's too.

Reviewed By: Rocky Hurley ( rhurley@carbon.cudenver.edu ) on 3-25-98.

Sims
13th Street
Little Rock, AR

Meat: 5
Sides: 4
Sauce: 5
Service: 4.5
Atmosphere: 5

Overall: 5

Reviewer's comments: The original Sims, on 13th Street, is the best barbecue place I've ever eaten at (and I've eaten a bunch of barbecue). It's also Clinton's favorite and, no matter what your opinions of politics or character might be, you have to admit he knows his food.  This is a very unusual mustard-based sauce. Beef and pork available. Both are great, but the sliced pork sandwich is the best.

Reviewed by: Doug Herbert (dherbert@ix.netcom.com) on 12/2/98

The Old Hickory BBQ Restaurant
US 67 and US 63
Hoxie, AR

Meat: 2
Sauce: 3
Sides: 3
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 1

Overall: 2

Reviewer's Comments:  Now you might ask, "where in the world is Hoxie Arkansas? Everyone knows it just a couple of miles from Walnut Ridge, at the conjuncture of Highway 67 and 63. US 67 used to be the main highway between Little Rock and St. Louis. The Old Hickory BBQ Restaurant is situated smack dab on the west side of US 67, You can't miss it. But I would. I came through there during the after church lunch and tasted their Pork, beans, and fried chicken. Yep, they had a buffet going with lima beans and spinach and such. The Pork was terribly mushy and very little smokiness. The Sauce tasted like KC Masterpiece. I talked to the owner some between customers and found out he used a Old Hickory commercial unit from Cape Girardeau MO. He had a second unit in his store in Branson MO also. I pulled around back as I was leaving and saw a propane unit on a trailer so he probably used pellets or something close for the smoke. The beans were out of a can but he did have beef on the menu. He said by far pork was more popular in his area being so close to Memphis but some customers still requested brisket. I didn't try it. I asked about any other meats he smoked and this seems to be it. He told me the only way people in his part of the country fix chicken was fried. On a scale of 1 to 5 stars, I would rate it 2.

Reviewed By: Ken Haycook ( khaycook@airmail.net) on 2/22/99.

PIG-N-CHIK B.B.Q.
7824 HWY. 107
Sherwood , AR
(501)834-5456

Meat: 5
Sauce: 4
Sides: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5

Overall: 4

Reviewer's Comments:  If you want good food at low prices, this is the place to eat at.  I could tell you its the best their is but you should judge for yourself. Because Im not only their best customer, Im the owner.

Reviewed By: KERRY GORE (OWNER) (PIGNCHIK@AOL.COM) on 5-19-99.

The Mean Pig BBQ
Exit 16 Hwys 67/167
Cabot, AR
501 941 5489

Meat: 4
Sauce: 4
Sides: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4

Overall: 4

Reviewer's Comments:  The food is OUTSTANDING !!!! The Chopped Pork and the Pork Ribs are the best tasting I've had, The Beef Brisket is alright if your a beef person.... The Beans are a taste that I have never had before, and they are trying to market them so watch for Mean Pig Hickory Smoked Beans.... The Potato Salad and cole slaw taste like Grandma makes. They have autographed pictures of "AeroSmith" "Chicago" " Stabbing WestWord" Music groups, Football Player for the Chicago Bears Dan Hampton, and Actors like Billy Bob Thorton and Andy Griffith have all enjoyed the taste of the Mean Pig BBQ.... If your ever in Cabot Arkansas you better make it a point to stop and try their Rib ticklin ribs that have a taste all their own....

Reviewed By:  Robert Merritt ( BuddyLori@msn.com  )on 08-25-99.

Tom's BBQ
Country Club and Southern
Mesa, AZ

Meat: 2
Sauce: 4
Sides: 2.5
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 2.5

Overall: 2.5

Reviewer's Comments:  Well, it's touted as "Chicago Style BBQ, where the sauce is the boss." I shoulda known better. The sauce was interesting, but I got it on the side so I could judge the meat. They had what appeared to be a smoker indoors, couldn't tell what kind, The brisket was like pot roast, couldn't find a smoke ring on it. Very un-exciting. The ham and turkey were sliced really thin and seemd like they were popped in the smoker after being sliced off. How long any of the meats were in the smoker is a virtual unknown. Sides were canned tasting, I had bbq beans and red beans and rice. Only had one girl at the counter, not knowing much at all, and a guy I saw once that went outside to smoke a cig. The pitmaster I guess... Order and served cafeteria style on a plastic tray, decor like a Chicago Pizza Parlor in Arizona, pictures and street signs of Chicago all over.(Lots of people from Illinois live in Mesa I guess it reminds them of home when the Cubbies aren't playing spring ball...) Overall it gets a middle of the road, and that's being generous. They were right, though, the sauce is the boss there... Next time, I keep driving all the way to Joe's in Gilbert...

Reviewed By:  Dave Clark (davec@jump.net) on 09/04/99.

Name: Pinguin Ed's BBQ
Address: Hwy 45 at Hwy 265
City: Fayetteville
State: AR
Phone:
Meat: 4
Sauce: 3.5
Sides: 3.5
Service: 4.5
Atmosphere: 3.5
Overall: 4
Date: July 4, 2001
User: Toof Brown
Email: toof@elvis.com
Date: 7/4/2001
Time: 9:56:49 PM

Comments

Pinguin Ed's was just a trailer when I first tried the BBQ while I was in School in Fayetteville. Whenever I spotted that trailer I would stop and gorge myself. Luckily the trailer took up residence near my home, then they moved into a newly built strip mall across the street and have since doubled their space due to increased business. Being a Memphis native, I usually get the pork sandwich. The meat is chopped thin(the fat is not pulled off first) and hickory smoked giving it a slight bacon flavor. The sauce is tomato based and smokey too, not so sweet nor spicy and not very vinegary. Yet it compliments the meat by letting it's stong flavor come through. There beef as well and I am told that it is just as good, but I can't seem to resist the pork. The sandwiches are served on thick grilled toast. The sides of note are the beans, kidney I think, and served in a texas style sauce, home fries and slaw. The breakfast platters are geat heapings of homefries, onions, peppers, chorizo sausage or eggs that I met with sore eyes on the other side of many an all-nighter. Bring a large appetite. I have since moved back to Memphis, but Pinguin Ed's is one of the few out-of-town BBQ places that I still think about, and never miss the chance to return.

Name: angler's in
Address: 20570 park rd.
City: rogers
State: ar
Phone: 501-925-3307
Meat: 5
Sauce: 5
Sides: 5
Service: 4.5
Atmosphere: 4.5
Overall: 5
Date: 10-01-01
User: g. posey
Email: tandgpos@specent.com
Date: 10/16/2001
Time: 10:44:04 PM

Comments

Enter Your Comments Here!!!the best ribs and smoked pulled pork sandwich you ever laid your lips on!!! home made bone-suck'in sauce-homemade baked beans and homemade coleslaw served salas style-out by beaver lake-little spot at the end of the road---try it if you like smoked ribs and pulled pork piled high!!!