I discovered Bluegrass BBQ in Pembroke, VA while searching on line for a new spot to check out. They are located on Highway 460 about 20 – 30 minutes west of Virginia Tech. I planned this for our supper stop while traveling to West Virginia to visit with family for Christmas. The reviews looked pretty good so I set our travel plans accordingly to be there at the right time. So Pembroke is a small town west of Blacksburg and just shy of the West VA Line. This is a great spot for us while traveling.
The Restaurant and Staff:
Bluegrass BBQ has a medium size dining room that’s nicely kept. They have it decorated with music décor. The first thing you notice when you walk in the door is the smell of smoke. What a soothing aroma that is. They just opened up in August 2019 so at the time of our visit they’d been in business for about four months. Our waitress was Bexleigh. I did make her spell her name for me so I’d get it right. She was a wonderful waitress. Great personality, nice and helpful with the menu. So far so good. Let’s check out the food.
Tammy’s Choices at Bluegrass BBQ:
Sliced Brisket and Baby Back Riblets with Mac & Cheese and Hush-puppies.
Tammy a Two Meat Platter with Sliced Brisket and Baby Back Riblets. For sides she went with Mac & Cheese and Hushpuppies. Crispy Fries come with the order. The fries were fantastic. They were thin sliced, fried and just as they said, crispy. We loved them. The homemade mac & cheese was really good too. Tammy was skeptical at first until she tasted it. Then she felt the love. And the hushpuppies? Well they were just to die for. We shared her order and both of us loved them.
The brisket was fantastic. It had plenty of smoke flavor and a nice smoke ring. Her brisket was from the lean part and Bluegrass BBQ had done a good job preventing it from drying out or getting tough. It was delicious. Now the ribs had an excellent flavor but were a little on the burnt side. It seemed like they finish them off on a grill before serving but instead of searing they went a little too far. That said, they were mostly still pretty good.
Just to be fair, the cook disagreed with me on the ribs. I will not argue over it, just look at the picture and see for yourself. We did eat most of the ribs except for a couple of the small ones at the end of the rack and they were pretty good. The last couple were just too done for me.
And My Choices at Bluegrass BBQ:
I also chose a Two Meat Platter. I went with Pulled Pork and Sausage which was also served with those wonderful Crispy Fries. So my other sides were
Pulled Pork and Sausage with Slaw and Smoked Baked Beans.
Smoked Baked Beans and Slaw. The slaw was a good mayo base slaw with a touch of sweet. I did enjoy it with my meal. The beans were really good.
They had meat and peppers cooked in with them plus lots of smoke flavor. The beans are definitely a must try.
The pulled pork was excellent. It had a great smoke flavor plus some beloved bark mixed in with it. The pork wasn’t dried out and was really done well. I enjoyed it very much. The sausage was wonderful. It wasn’t spicy, just some great tasting sausage. It too was seared on a grill and was done wonderfully. I really enjoyed the sausage and would order it again. A nice mustard sauce (SC or GA) would go great with the sausage. Just a hint.
Final Thoughts:
I thought our stop at Bluegrass BBQ was a great choice and find. Even though the cook and I may disagree on the ribs we had it wouldn’t stop me from stopping there again or from ordering the ribs again. To me it was just an error. We all make them and like I said, the flavor was excellent for most of them. I love the location. It’s a perfect spot for us to stop on our way to my sister’s house in WV. The food was wonderful, the atmosphere was great and our waitress was awesome. And to think they’d only been open for a few months just makes it that much better a place to stop. I look forward to our next trip out that way.
Now For Your Thoughts:
So let’s hear from some others who have been to Bluegrass BBQ. How did your visit go? We would love to hear some of your experiences.
How about some regulars joining in. Let us know what your favorites are. Why do you keep going back? Let everyone know more about your local bbq joint and why they should visit.
I look forward to hearing from you.
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4 Comments
I have only ate at Bluegrass BBQ once and I can not make myself go back. I ordered Ribs and brisket. The brisket was delicious and the ribs were very unappetizing. They were four ribs connected together and served “Fanned”. They were tough and just looked like they had the pig skin still attached.
Also, I intensely dislike Bluegrass Music and it was so loud I could not wait to get out of the building.
When I drive by the restaurant, I feel nauseous.
Wow, that’s rough. I do like bluegrass once in a while but there wasn’t any the evening we stopped. Did you mention the ribs when you were there? Well I am sorry your visit didn’t go well but I do appreciate commenting on them. I wish you well. Thanks.
Hello Patrick,
Chef Chad here from Bluegrass BBQ. I never had the chance to thank ya for doing a review and appreciate your time in doing so. Your critique has been helpful and I hope you willask forme if you ever stop by again.
Hello Chef Chad. I assure you that we will be back by I just don’t know when. Pembroke is a little far from home here on the east coast. We do go thru there when we visit my sister in West Virginia. I would love to meet you next time we pass through. Take care and stay safe out there.