A-Train BBQ & Catering

Excellent pulled pork ! Great flavor, tender & juicy ! The Cola BBQ sauce is fantastic ! Try the cheesy bacony macaroni & cheese… It’s the best !

Though I love the homemade desserts, the owners have placed a large white cross at the door with the words «not ashamed» across it. Instead of peddling bbq, breakfast and baked goods, it seems they wish to peddle something else. Regardless of my faith, I cannot make myself go in any more, not knowing if I’m gonna get a Jehovah lecture, if my Jewish friends aren’t welcome, if they think others should be ashamed, or if it means something else to which I’m not aware. Their public relations as an eatery needs corrective action.

Good start for the A-​train. Been there about 10 times for lunch. Every time was okay, but a few times the BBQ was off the chain.
But you can tell they are out there every day starting the grill early with fresh food
The owner (I guess) strolls out and check with each table, very nice as he seems to really care, that gets another star for me
If you like it Hot… try their hours BBQ beans… very unique flavor, separating them from the chain places

We dined here 8Oct2015; it’s been Shari’s for years, a nice breakfast & lunch place. We had pulled pork plates that were fine, if a little bland before saucing (not much flavor but definitely done, I think maybe more smoke, more bark or ends). The sauces were «COLA» a kind of up-​country Carolina vinegar sauce with garlic and spice, «Carolina» more of a spicy, mustard-​y Low Country style, and «Sweet & Smoky» Midwest-​style sauce. I found mixing the Carolina & COLA sauces in equal proportion to work best for me. We tried side dishes Mac & Cheese (very good, nice bacon flavor with great cheese flavors), BBQ Beans (good, would’ve liked a bit more spice & smoke) & hush puppies (good, more black pepper & onion, please) for sides. The tea was very good, like home-​made. Service was a little slow starting out but was fine in the end (POS was causing an issue, distracting staff), but Kayla picked up our table and we were in good hands from then on.

Staff is as friendly as they come offering a family atmosphere with great food at a reasonable price. I’ll be calling this place a personal favorite.

I must tell you that breakfast is awesome and the prices are great so we decided to try dinner. I think the prices are going to hurt this new restaurant. I ordered ribs. I specifically asked the waitress why the menu list a lunch price and only a full rack of ribs. Why is there no ½ rack with a price. it was explained that the lunch ribs are only 4 ribs but the dinner ½ is 6 ribs and the price is the same as the lunch. I clarified that I wanted a ½ rack because paying over $ 15.00 for a full rack was to much in my opinion. I received 6 ribs (supposedly ½ rack) and 2 sides and was charged $ 15.99. It is rediculus to charge $ 8.50 for 4 ribs and 15.99 for 6 ribs. Only 2 additional ribs costs over $ 7.00? and is a full rack of ribs only 6 ribs? We were there on a Saturday night around 5:00 and there were only 3 couples in the diner. When we were through eating we were the only two in the diner. Everything on the dinner menu is priced way to high. The food may be good but the location and the atmosphere does not warrant these type of prices. We will continue occasional breakfast but we will no longer go here for dinner.

When it was «Shari’s,» we came here for lunch 2 – 3 times a week. Though the new «A-​Train» is in the same space and has many of the same awesome staff, the food is NOTHING like the delicious home-​cooked fare we loved so much. Glad to see that the country fried steak and soup/​sandwich options have returned– they added them back to their menu after many regulars asked. We’ve been many times since A-​Train opened, but the bbq is quite disappointing. The «Fully loaded steak fries» were doused with so much chili, you couldn’t taste much else, and the «pulled» pork in them was large chunks of meat. Would possibly try these again without the chili, or with baked beans instead. The «St. Lois Pork Spare Ribs» are advertised as «slow-​cooked until fall-​off-​the-​bone-​tender.» We were disappointed to find that they were extremely tough and chewy, yet dry, and nearly impossible to pry off the bone. They were also fairly flavorless, and we couldn’t detect any of the «homemade rub.» The «Smoked Chicken Quarter» is advertised as «smoked to just tender and juicy.» I ordered the white meat ¼, and while it had a great smoky flavor, it was also extremely dry and rubbery. Even smothering it with BBQ sauce couldn’t save it from sticking in your throat. The fried okra was decent, but that most likely comes in a bag and is poured into the fryer. The only thing we thoroughly enjoyed was the «BBQ baked beans.» The pulled brisket and onions with the beans made for a delicious combination. 2 stars for their breakfast options (which we always order mid-​day during lunch hour), the regular favorites they’ve re-​added, and the staff carried over from when it was Shari’s, whom we love dearly. We just haven’t been as often due to the mostly bbq menu.

A Train bbq is average at best. There were five adults and none of us were particularly impressed. The pulled pork was dry. Had to drench it in Carolina bbq sauce. The potato salad side that I ordered was also ok. Homemade with lots of yellow mustard. Positives are the pretzel buns for the sandwiches and friendly staff.
Located in the former Shari’s restaurant. In fact the staff are all holdovers from Shari’s and the interior looks practically the same with a few updates.