Willy’s Ribs and BBQ

Pulled pork was great We came in at the right time as it filled up with locals right quick!

Stopped here after a long ride on the Harley’s.
Great Portions and the best Potato Salad you will ever have!

Place is very nice and clean. Wait staff was very friendly and attentive. Got the pulled pork and my girlfriend got the smoked turkey. Both were very good. I would recommend this place to any one in the area.

Willy’s is my favorite Barbeque place in Franklin. We usually get takeout on the way to our mountain house. The portions are HUGE! Hint: if you are not all that hungry ask for the lunch portion. It’s smaller. I almost always get the fried catfish (I know, it’s a barbeque restaurant). Hubby usually gets the pulled pork. All the sides are great but the potato salad is unbelievably awesome. I grew up eating traditional potato salad with mustard, sweet pickles, mayo, etc. If that’s the only kind you like don’t order potato salad here.

We have tried Willys a couple of times so far once to go and another dine in. Both times the barbecue and brunswick stew were very good. The catfish was tasty as well. They also have available the Carolina style vinegar based sauce which is awesome! (Lexington style). You have to ask for it as its not on the tables
Service was great and very friendly. We are now in danger of becoming regulars. :)

Well we were exploring the mountains and came across this place. We were the second table in and put our order in. Soon after three other tables sat and then the waitress came back to tell us there was no more pulled pork. However, the table next to us both who ordered after us were able to get the pulled pork. Guess they are more friendly with their local clientele than they are with out of towners. They also served everyone else before us. Which I found rude.
The ribs were good and the food over all was good.

Decent place to stop for a meal during a road trip. It’s located right off of 441, which was convenient during a recent drive to NC with my boyfriend.
The menu is very large. I was torn between so many options, but finally settled on catfish, green beans and okra. My boyfriend had pulled pork and mashed potatoes. Everything was fine. Not particularly flavorful, but the BBQ sauces came in handy. I requested malt vinegar for my fish, but the waitress said they didn’t carry it.
The bathroom here was clean, and the servers and hostess were very nice. So for those reasons alone, I’d consider coming here again. I just might check out a couple of other nearby dining options first.

Just stopped in for dinner first time passing thru. Service was excellent with good attitudes. We had rack of baby back ribs with brisket and barbecue dinner plates. Both came fast and tasted good. Was a little pricey but worth it. It seams like everything is made fresh. No waiting

Willy’s is a great little ‘gem’ in Franklin! Fortunately my husband was as undecided as me so we split the Bubba’s After School Snack… awesome! We had a little bit of everything… bbq, brisket, shrimp, catfish, ribs, chicken tenders!!! We also tried the squash puppies. I thought they were great and you don’t necessarily have to be a squash fan to like them. For a bbq joint the catfish was the star for me. The breading was great, loved the tartar and it was perfectly flaky! The ribs also had an excellent flavor. The service was great. We had kids with us and lost some of their food under the table. It was replaced immediately without question. Our server was super attentive and very helpful with recommendations. We were so glad that the folks at the Hampton recommended this place!

Ok I’m in love with this place. I’ve been to a lot of bbq places. And the other reviews are spot on.

Stopped by Willy’s on the way to Gatlinburg. I’m used to chain BBQ restaurants so it was a nice change. The group tried pork, ribs, beef brisket and chicken. Good feedback on all of the meats. We started with corn nuggets which were very good and a huge portion. The sauces were also delicious! The beans had mixed review. I prefer more of a sweet BBQ bean with bacon. The potato salad also had mixed reviews. It tastes like a loaded baked potato with sour cream. I loved it but some of the traditional potato salad fans weren’t impressed. However, overall, it was a great lunch place and I’m glad I stopped here!

I travel this area and enjoy stopping at meat and two’s and BBQ.
this place is awesome. The stew is chunky and the okra rocks
Great service too!

My husband and I decided to take the steel horses for a spin out of Asheville. When we arrived in Franklin we stopped at the local grocery store and asked for a great local bar b q place to eat. First we were referred to Cash Smokehouse but they were closed so the person said he felt Willie’s was just as good; so off we went.
The place was empty but that has never turned us away. It was already 3:00 so we decided to share a plate. We ordered the brisket plate with two sides. The plate was so full I don’t think either of us could have eaten the entire meal. We shared the dish and wiped out plates clean with the slice of bread that came with it. I don’t know if they make their own bar b q sauce but it was so good I could have squeezed it into a spoon and ate it. We combined the hot and mild which was the best flavor.
So if you are local and have not gone to Willie’s…get yourself on up there. And if you are coming in from out of town, don’t go into town where are the tourists go… get yourself over to Willies for some good bar b q.

The hotel desk attendant asked where we were going to eat, and when we said Willy’s, she kinda made a face — you know the kind when you have something malodorous placed under your nose. We had already been to Fat Buddy’s numerous times and wanted to try something new. She did say the catfish and fried mushrooms were very good. She was right, the fried mushrooms were awesome and so were the deep fried corn nuggets. The portions were so big — we kept eating and it was like the baskets were magically refilling themselves. Yes, the catfish is good too. The pork is just kinda okay (it was pretty dry), but they do have a lot of different sauces you can try. I recommend the Tangy and Spicy sauces. The baked potato potato salad was very good and so were the barbequed baked beans (do I detect orange, nutmeg and clove?). Didn’t much care for the Squash Puppies = overcooked, extremely dry and not much flavor. The server was great and the sweet tea was too. Overall, some hits and some misses.

Worst rib place I have eaten in. Just wasn’t good and I mean I can’t say anything on my plate was good maybe the fries were ok stay away good to mcdonalds and just eat cheap you will be better off

BBQ ribs were ggrreeeaatt! Got a half rack dinner plate with a baked potatoe, beans, and cole slaw. The meal came fast and the food was great — rib meat melted right off the bone. Hearty portions at a reasonable price. I would definitely go back for seconds!

Ribs were delicious and service was great!!!

Mmmmm… ribs & squash puppies!

Willy’s is a fair choice for BBQ if you’re passing through Franklin. The service was excellent, and the choice is good. We had a pulled pork plate (huge!) and a half slab of ribs. The pulled (not chopped) pork was missing the smoke — no red smoke ring, and barely noticeable smoke flavor. It was slightly drier than I prefer, but no marks off for that. The half slab of ribs was very good — nice smoke, and moist and tender. Lots of clean bones at the end of the meal.
The usual side dishes were in attendance here, with the addition of «squash puppies» — hush puppies with yellow squash. These were very good, and the slaw was also nicely seasoned. The fries were thin and slightly crunchy. The sweet potato was baked to perfection, and served with butter and brown sugar.
The sauces on the table include a sweet sauce and a tangy sauce. The sweet sauce has flavors reminiscent of Heinz 57, and the tangy sauce was a standard BBQ sauce with nice spice. They also have a (very) hot sauce available, as well as Carolina mustard and vinegar sauces.
In all, Willy’s was worth another trip, but I’ll first look for an alternative spot in Franklin or surrounding areas when I’m cruising by on 441.

I’ve been here twice now on my way to and from the north GA mountains and love it. There are quite a few bbq places to stop at along 441 from ATL to the mountains (Mickey Pigs, Oinkers, Col. Poole’s) and this is my 2^nd fav. Col. Pooles’ Pig Hill of Fame is my fav, sorry Willy’s.
The fried apples were good, the portions are huge, and the squash puppies are awesome. I recommend ordering a few sides or apps and splitting a sandwich because they are about as large as my head.
The pork comes without sauce so add for the 3 sauces they don’t keep on the tables. I love the vinegar and the hubby love the hot and we both liked the mustard. :)