Last Monday I finally got around to using a Groupon to Goodies Southern Style BBQ that was expiring later in the week. Since we were coming from opposite sides of town, my wife and I agreed to meet at the restaurant around 6:30 PM. The restaurant is not easily identifiable, especially when coming from the north on Hamilton Avenue, and parking is not really well-defined either. I followed a couple of other cars and parked in what I would assume is the neighboring strip mall parking lot.

Once I exited the car I could smell the pleasant scent of the wood fired smokers that were in use at the rear of the restaurant. I grabbed my two-year-old son out of his car-seat and entered the restaurant with my wife. Unfortunately a much less pleasing smoke smell greeted us immediately upon opening the door and later stuck to our clothes after we had left. It seems as though the kitchen may be lacking a proper ventilation system.

Inside

A line had already formed at the counter where orders are placed, and there wasn’t an employee in sight. Eventually an employee appeared from the back kitchen area to take the first couples order. After each order was placed she would then run back into the kitchen to help assemble the order. So this process took a little while before I was actually able to get my order in.

The Groupon was a BBQ sampler for two and it was supposed to offer each diner one sandwich, a side of coleslaw, fries, and a can of soda. Sandwich choices were to include smoked turkey, smoked ham, smoked sausage, pulled pork, and beef brisket. When it was finally my turn to order I was told that they were out of pulled pork and that my choices were smoked turkey, smoked ham, and brisket. I was counting on the pulled pork, so it was very disappointing that it was gone with over two hours left before closing time.

BBQ Sampler

Since neither my wife or I would eat the brisket, I ordered one each of the turkey and ham. I was also told that the fryer was down so we would have to pick a different side. I went with macaroni and cheese. The smoked ham sandwich (normally $4.19) was topped with their mild BBQ sauce. I didn’t get any smoke flavors from the meat and found the sandwich to be a bit on the small side. The sauce was tangy and appeared to be a vinegar based sauce. The coleslaw ($1.80) was very runny and didn’t appear to be fresh. The macaroni and cheese may have been the best part of the meal, and it wasn’t that great.

Smoked Turkey Sandwich

The turkey sandwich ($4.19) was better than the ham, but still lacked any smoke flavor. It came topped with their other available sauce that was spicier than the mild but still vinegar based. We also ordered a couple of pieces of cornbread ($.60 each) that were easily the best deal of the meal. The dense and dry bread wasn’t great, but compared to the rest of the food it seemed most on par with what I would expect from a southern style BBQ restaurant.

All of our food was served on Styrofoam containers and our only utensils were plastic. There are only a few tables for dining in and it was almost expected that everyone was taking their orders to go. I’m afraid I can’t say many good things about Goodies Southern Style BBQ. There is no way I will be back with so many other great BBQ options in town.