Brandon’s BBQ

Great place to eat! Awesome food, incredible prices… Don’t miss this place!!! Extremely friendly staff!!!

Fabulous place! Food is good, drinks are excellent and the servers are always friendly.

This place is a nice little quiet down to earth BBQ. It’s in the middle of nowhere but the food is a mixture of southern food and modern BBQ. They have fried green tomatoes and pickled eggs. Ice cold beer on tap and wine by the glass. The wait staff is friendly and the epitome of southern hospitality. If you are out this way stop by.

The bbq is awesome, so is the cupcake moscato!!! Good thing it’s really good because it’s the only restaurant close to Pipestem State Park (besides the one in the lodge) which is where we are staying in West By God Virginia!!!

Overall ambience is typical, wooden booths and tables, table-​top paper towels, squirt bottle ketchup and bar-​b-​q sauce. Staff were friendly and attentive. Menu covers typical style meals with a dash of pasta, surprised to see wine list with about half a dozen reds and same amount of whites. Full bar available with some house specialty drinks. Food was ok, chicken did not present itself as freshly prepared, it’s taste and texture mirrors a boiled or slow baked, frozen, thawed and then dipped in sauce and placed on grill to add few grill marks for presentation. The ribs had more of a slow smoked flavor and presentation, freshness was again questionable. Had a dipped in sauce quality with last minute grill marks added. Pulled pork was the winner in regards to flavor, with a smoked flavor and moist. Cole slaw was fresh and flavorful, not over powering. Beans were somewhat runny, had a can-​like taste with some bits of pulled pork added, which I do admit helped the «canned» quality. Dessert was good quality, we had the carrot cake, it appeared, tasted and presented as home made. Overall, 3 out 5. Not top line but for the area and limited choices an OK meal.

I loved this place when I lived nearby in Virginia and now that I’ve moved away to NC, I still make a point to go back and visit whenever I’m in the area. My family and I literally drive a three hour round trip just to eat at this place. There are, of course, hundreds of other restaurants in that driving radius and most of them are a lot easier to go to, but we are all big fans of Brandon’s!
First, they have a great staff. Always friendly and helpful. Second, they make their own real pit barbeque. (And if you ask the staff whether it’s whole hog or shoulder, they actually know the answer. What a concept! For the record, it’s shoulder.) The barbeque is fantastic and everything a true barbecue should be – smoky, seared, fall-​off-​the-​bone tenderness that practically melts in your mouth. Actually, having eaten here many times, I can’t think of a single thing I’ve ever ordered that I would describe as anything less than wonderful. The burgers are excellent. I LOVE their fried green tomatoes and they put their own spin on potato skins (which are one of my favorite splurges.)
Still, I don’t recommend over-​stuffing yourself because they have a list of mouth-​watering homemade desserts that you’ll be sorry if you miss!
Seriously, it’s worth the drive.

I cannot think of a single reason to give this place any less than 5 stars.
Being one of the only quality, non-​chain restaurants in the area does help this place out a bit, but they don’t seem to take advantage of it.
The service was quick, helpful and friendly. One of the better servers I’ve had while out in a larger group. (There were 6 of us.)
There’s something to say about the food other than YUM. Nothing I’ve ever gotten has been less than perfect, but the mashed potatoes and pulled pork are top notch for me. Their sauce is also really yummy.
I’ll be back any time I’m in the area for sure.

The flavor of the day seemed to be sweet, just sweet. My ribs lacked much other flavor, same for the small chicken quarter and same for the raspberry vinaigrette. The smoke was light, but I think that if smoke doesn’t knock your socks off at a BBQ place, what’s the point?
Everything else was outstanding from the place’s location and looks to the long-​stemmed beauty and excellence of our waitress. This staff is very well trained, and a man I presume to be Brandon stopped by twice.

Staying at Pipestem — this was a great option. Service was slow and we never got our appetizer. They were kind and made up for it by comping dessert. (Yummy cobbler) BBQ was great and my grandma said it was the best angus burger she’s ever had. Seems like they need more help in the kitchen and and on the floor to take them to the next level.

Stayed at Pipestem Park and heard great things about Brandon’s BBQ. The reviews tell no lie. This place is nice, with outdoor, screen deck, or indoor seating. They’ve recently added the outdoor area with full bar. Courteous wait staff and excellent food. I ha the ribs, my husband had the pulled pork. Both were delicious. Kids plates were only $ 5 for plenty of food for them. We topped it off with chocolate cake. Highly recommend this place!

Honestly this place is awesome! We were a party of five on a Thursday night and everyone was impressed! Meals were absolutely delicious, service was fast, and the atmosphere was CLEAN and comfortable. We didn’t feel rushed and enjoyed our time here. I can’t recommend it enough.

Brought the fam here on a vacation at the nearby state park. This is definitely a hidden gem in an area with basically nothing else. It doesn’t have to be as good as it is. Great chill vibe, FANTASTIC outdoor eating area, great food, decent beers (especially for where it is located), and a super cool staff. And holy crap were the prices reasonable for what you get. I highly recommend it. Hell, if it didn’t close as early as it did (9) I would have been perfectly happy to just hang there for the night. I am a picky mofo, and this place would even make the cut in the Chicago market.

WOW.
Wasn’t hoping for much — we were staying at Pipestem Resort and sick of the food there. Found this place with one review on Unilocal and figured it was the owner reviewing himself, but there nothing else around here, and I mean nothing.
Pulling up, I was sure my family and I were about to become victims a la Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Took a deep breath and walked in… to a cozy place with amazing smells. Tables inside a nice indoor ambiance; tables on an enclosed, sunny porch; tables outside in an open air porch. Menu had a respectable beer selection. If we were about to be turned into chili, I figured we’d at least have a good meal first.
Good is an understatement: the food was AMAZING. I had the ribs and chicken with baked beans and coleslaw, and every bite was fantastic. Even small salad I started with was delicious. Tons of food, friendly service, super laid-​back atmosphere. Not a place to be missed!

Great food at great prices! Service was great and quick.

Great food and great value. Ate here twice on our 4 day vacation at Pipestem, and enjoyed it all. Between my husband and I we tried the ribs, BBQ chicken, shrimp, and clam chowder. All were excellent. I have to say the baby back ribs were most memorable especially for $ 12 including two sides. The fries and mashed potatoes are amazing. Desserts are good too. The chocolate cake was very moist and rich, and the cobbler was tasty too. Waitresses were friendly and attentive and the owner stopped by and talked to us too. Definitely better than the overpriced resort food. As for the Nostalgia Inn next door, we didn’t stay there but from the outside, I think I’ll pass.

Came here for our family vacation at Pipestem. I had high hopes for it after my mother raved about it. However, I was left disappointed. I had the BBQ platter which had BBQ chicken, ribs, and pulled pork. I also had mashed potatoes and vegetables for my side dishes. My BBQ chicken was overcooked so the outside of the chicken had to be pulled away before I could eat the chicken. The pulled pork was pretty good but nothing amazing. Then the sad part was the ribs, they were not able to be cut by a knife or torn by hands. I was not the only one who had this problem with my party. The other person had to send the ribs back because he could not eat them at all. I chose to not say anything because I had other items to eat, and I would feel rude if I did ask them to take the ribs back. The mashed potatoes and vegetables were great though. Service was fine, however, I was not too happy how the waitress picked up everyone’s plate after we were finished eating but mine and never asked how the meal tasted. I could be wrong, but I feel like she was trying to avoid asking me how mine was because it was obvious I hardly even touched the ribs.
I could be swayed to come back again, but I will not go out of my way to come back to Brandon’s. Maybe I came on an off night, but I was not thrilled by it.

I come here every year with a group of student volunteers at the Appalachian South Folklife Center. It’s always good food, great service, and enough seating for a large group. There’s BBQ is sweet and tangy, their fried green tomatoes are fabulous, and the blackberry cobbler – yummmmmmmm.

Not sure why anyone would have trouble finding this place. Follow directions on their website and you’ll be there in moments after leaving park. Food is very good (I had ½ rack of ribs, baked potato, BBQ beans). Initial service was very quick, but as noted by others, as it filled up, service dropped off. They were very polite, but got to be very slow. Ambiance is fine. Porch with nice pastoral view. Inside more lodge-​like. Would definitely try it again.

I have to say I always enjoy going to Brandon’s, more for the atmosphere than the food. The screened porch is perfect for relaxing and enjoying a meal. I don’t like their crab cakes but it’s a matter of taste because I have friends that love them, their pulled pork BBQ is a bit dry and their ribs are good but not great. My favorite things on the menu are the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich, the chicken wings and you must get their baked beans as a side! Their blackberry cobbler is good but a little too sweet and processed tasting for me. I would like to try the Carrot Cake because apparently it’s homemade but never have a taste for it when I’m there. This is a must visit if you are staying at Pipestem State Park or are going to be in the area. The staff is a little ‘flighty’ but adequate and we’ve never had a problem getting our food.

So we’re across the road (Route 20) from Brandon’s BBQ, at Pipestem. Have been for a couple days, eating the reasonable, but not particularly good, fare at the dining room (or the utterly bland food at the snack bar. It was time for something different, when a family member suggested we try Mulligan’s Pub at the golf course. Unfortunately it was between 5 and 7pm, at which time Mulligan’s serves only appetizers, and we were hungry. Then someone suggested we try Brandon’s. I am so glad that they did.
There were two problems. The first is finding the place. There’s a large sign out front (on route 20) that has their name on it, but then you have to wind your way through a few different approaches to the restaurant itself, and though there aren’t a lot of places you can go, none are particularly intuitive. An arrow or something would have helped. If you approach from the side it is easier to find (or if you stay at the inn, but the inn has the same problem).
The second problem is the service. When we first sat down, service was excellent and very friendly. But as dinner wore on, service wore down. I think it’s because the place picked up a few other people, but I’m not certain. It could be because our server had tables on opposite sides of the dining room. But after our dinner was delivered, she stopped coming by.
As to the food, it was good. Not great, but definitely better than what we had had all weekend. Though I don’t like fried green tomatoes, I have to say that theirs weren’t bad. They were of the deep-​fried variety, rather than the pan-​fried kind. The crab cake I tasted was a little crunchy, and the steaks were a bit fatty. The salad was monstrous. The dessert I had (blackberry cobbler) was probably the best, but it took a while to get.