Mike’s Trackside BBQ

While staying in McCaysville, GA, we knew that we would find good BBQ, and this place was a great find! All of the reviews that are on here are 100% accurate, and I’m glad that we followed their advice. The smoked jumbo wings are like nothing I’ve ever had before. The pulled chicken with the sides of the Mt. Dew Apples and the green beans were right on target. Everything consumed hit the spot for all of us, and we waddled out happy!
Oh, and the service was fantastic. Friendly staff was on hand to take care of our every need as well as talk to us about the area and why they felt it was necessary to bring a real BBQ place to McCaysville!

As a trained chef and having owned my own BBQ catering business, I admit that when I first tried Mike’s Trackside BBQ (especially being let down by Joe’s and the other local places), that I didn’t expect much better. Let me just begin with, Mike’s is the only place in town that actually wood smokes their BBQ! The others use electric smokers. I never even knew you could keep a BBQ restaurant open without actually doing BBQ the real way. At Mikes, I saw that they, in fact, have 2 very large wood smokers and BBQ their meat slow and low like it should be. The BBQ comes to the table without any sauce, again — the way it should be. The BBQ is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS without any BBQ sauce on it. Another food item that I am very particular about is coleslaw and potato salad. Both were homemade and as a matter of fact, I could eat the coleslaw as a meal! I have since been back numerous times to try various menu items and I haven’t found one item I didn’t like. The service has always been exceptional. Of course, there have been times when the place is packed! It’s a small casual place (5 booths inside with outside tables) and usually 1 to 2 servers. If the place is packed inside and out (high season), well, you might have to wait 15 – 20 minutes to get your food. Otherwise, I’ve always gotten my food within 5 – 10 minutes max of ordering.

Pulled Pork was really tender and good. BBQ beans were the best I have ever had as well. Quick service and great food.

took our family for lunch after high Unilocal reviews & couldn’t have been happier! loved finding this little gem.

Overall nothing significant to say about this place. Ribs were falling off the bone without even trying. It was tender. Pulled pork was very dry. My husband almost choked on it. BBQ sauce was just sweet. Maybe adding some spicy sauce or rub option will improve the flavor.

Rib plate was excellent at a good price. Potato salad is home made and very good. Bbq sandwich for $ 5 on Thursdays is a great deal.

Dam, I needed a bib. Don’t insult the Pitmaster by putting BBQ sauce on the brisket. Sauce is not required the brisket was melt in your month amazing. The mountain apples deserve shout out as well. Definitely worth the drive!

Fan-​freaking-​tastic. From the melt in your mouth pulled pork to the Mt Dew apples this place was spot on for great North Georgia bbq. Clean location and friendly staff.

Best I’ve had in a long time. Passing through the mountains and found exactly what we were looking for. Amazing.

A SMALL dining room with BIG food.
I have made over a dozen trips here for lunch and dinner. It a 18 mile drive for me, but I would walk there for their ribs, pulled pork, and for the friendly true Southern service. It is simply the best BBQ in the North Georgia mountains.

After reading the reviews, it was quite a letdown. I love BBQ and this one will not be a repeat visit. The pulled pork was full of fat. No Taste of smoke. Not even on the bark. It was more pork roast then BBQ

Excellent food! We came in with a large group, we tried the pulled pork, ribs, coleslaw, apples, potato salad, Mac n cheese, lemonade and tea. All were delicious! If we come back through town again, we’ll definitely stop in! Thanks for a great place to eat and sweet service

Some of the very best baby back ribs I have ever had. Fell off the bone, great flavor.
Pulled pork was great
Kids loved their pulled pork sandwiches.
We will be back next time we are in Blue Ridge!!!
Thank you for a great dinner and great service.

We all ate our food too fast to even have time to consider a criticism. It was THAT. DAMN. GOOD. While we could’ve done with a few Boy Scout tips for keeping the flies away from our table, we couldn’t blame the little suckers!
We gals each had pulled pork and pulled beef sandwiches ($ 9) that included a side item and a bottomless sweat tea for a dollar more. The guy with us maxed out with a full mixed plate of pulled beef, half rack ribs with two sides and bread to stop it all up ($ 26). All of our meats were tender tender tender. Not memorably seasoned, but the three (3) options of sauces shoved for that.
Sides included the traditional fare of too drippy, sweet cole slaw, (I hate that, but my friends are White and they seem to collectively prefer it that way. Ugh), single cheese mac’n’cheese that sided on bland, but the baked beans were incredibly seasoned with brown sugar and pork (homemade, not canned).
Thanks to the smoke billowing over our heads as we ate on the picnic benches on the wraparound deck (inside option also), we were assured all our mess were being prepared freshly. (Too bad it didn’t keep the monstrous flies away.)
While our teas were bottomless, I had a bitter, freshly squeezed lemonade that was not ($ 2.50). Our friendly, knowledgeable waitress was willing to Tom Collins it for me (added sweet tea) at no upcharge. (For that reason, I’m omitting her name! Just in case.)
The parking was free, right in front of the porch entrance that, to our collective memories, only had the three steps. So, physically disabled BEWARE. We don’t recall a ramp.
Splitting our check three ways wasn’t a problem. We paid cash, alas plastic options were readily available.
NO WIFI.
The singular-​for-​all bathroom was clean and large.
This lovely, hometown restaurant review was written by a Yankee who broke bread here with two Midwesterners and a Southern boy.

Going to kill the 5 star run.
TL:DR version: BBQ cooked in the Saharan Desert
Ambiance: Just another rustic looking bbq joint.
Service: Not so great here. There was one lady working the front and you would think someone just crapped in her cornflakes that day. Was complaining to customers about her lack of help, which I honestly didn’t understand at all as there were maybe 12 – 16 total customers with at most, 4 tables and she had someone in the back helping. She was clearly trying to make everyone in the joint understand that she was put out.
Drink refills, nope. Too busy sitting in the back complaining to the cook. I went to go refill my own glass after a while only to find out that the cooler that they put the ice in for drinks was completely empty. Food coming out of the back took over 30 minutes to get to the table, not sure how that is possible at a bbq joint that essentially pre-​cooks the food before service times. Don’t expect much here.
Food:
Got a combo basket of some sort with ribs /​pork and with cole slaw and the mountain dew apple and a brisket sandwich. Also got an order of mac and cheese, and a wing basket for the two kids.
The meat portion of my brisket sandwich was good, unfortunately they gave me more of the fat cap than brisket.
Pork: Dry
Ribs: Dry
Mountain dew apples: Sounds interesting but they are pure sugar.
Mac and cheese: average kraft style mac and cheese.
Wings: Dry
Summary: All meat served was dry minus the fatty pieces of brisket. Could see the brisket being the only reason I go if they could pay attention to how they trim it out for serving. Sauces average.
Service, which I rarely grade on, abysmal. I can deal with slow, I can’t deal with somebody crying about their lack of help, yet not really doing anything at all service wise for such a small amount of patrons at a time.

The most amazing smoked corn I’ve ever had. By far the best in blue ridge. The bbq is wonderful and the hand squeezed lemonade is to die for. If you are in the mood for bbq this is the place to go.

Very good pork and brisket. The sides (Mac n’ cheese, slaw, baked beans, and potato salad) were good, but not anything special. This has become our must visit bbq when we visit Blue Ridge.

We are visiting from Colorado and on our last night decided to try some local Bar B Que. We got ours to go and took back to where we were staying. I got the pulled pork and my son got the brisket. I have nothing but great things to say. The meats were cooked and flavored perfectly. The baked beans were awesome with a just the right amount of sweetness. The slaw was great but a little too much wetness for me but still a great taste. I also got the potatoe salad. I am picky when it comes to potatoe salad and although it was not my favorite it was still very good. The staff was very friendly and attentive as well. Oh yeah the sauce was quite possibly some of the best I have ever had. Overall I highly recommend this restaurant.

I’m giving this place 5 stars even though my smoked chicken wasn’t that great. I took bites of my husbands brisket and pulled pork which were extremely tender and juicy. My dad got the ribs and said they were some of the best he’s ever had. For sides we had the Mac and cheese, slaw and Mountain Dew apples. All were fabulous! Everything is made from scratch except the potato chips A sweet couple own the place and wait on you. This will be our «go to» place for BBQ when we head to Blue Ridge.

Great pulled pork and brisket! Really good cole slaw and okay baked beans. Good atmosphere. I would definitely eat here again!