Sticky Lips Pit BBQ

I’ve emailed twice to ask a question about having an event there and never heard back either time. Lame sauce.

Great pulled pork sandwich! Love the spicy BBQ. Taste of down south in the ROC

Downgrading Sticky Lips, not for the taste of the food, but for some other important reasons.
OK, so they don’t take reservations, but the 30 minute wait quoted at the hostess desk turned into 45 minutes and it seemed that the place wasn’t full. I suppose they ration the seating to let the kitchen keep up, which it didn’t, because there was another 45 minutes wait for the food. Also out of: mac and cheese (just what the grandkids wanted), bacon, for the bacon Bloody Marys, and didn’t have tomato/​cuke salad (a favorite side). Some wanted the fried chicken, but the waitress discouraged ordering that saying it took 30 minutes. If that was the case, it would have been first out.
We were there on a Sunday at 1, so the buffet was winding down and looked that way, so all 9 of us ordered off the menu. When we finally got the food, it was generally good and plentiful, so it was not a total disaster. I did email management, but tiodate have not heard back. Maybe there was no management to watch things. Too bad.

I stopped in to Sticky Lips for a beer and some dinner after being on the road for several hours (I was staying at the Holiday Inn next door). I was drawn in mostly because of the immediate location, but also because of the bright lights and the families with children I saw leaving (which led me to believe the place was safe for a solo traveller).
Upon entering I was immediately smiled at and greeted by 3 ladies at the host stand. I let them know that I was headed to the bar, and they told me to enjoy.
I was then greeted immediately by Meg, who was also smiling and very friendly. She was extremely attentive my entire visit, and she had a broad knowledge of the beer menu and especially the food menu.
During my stay I enjoyed two local brews, and a bbq platter that consisted of pork, brisket, corn bread, and two sides (I chose fresh-​cut fries and collard greens). I am not a picky eater at all, but I did work at a bbq restaurant for five years, and I can say that the brisket here at Sticky Lips is some of the best I’ve ever had. Of course everything else was delicious.
There was a live band playing, too. They sounded really good, but I was busy watching the Cavs lose.
Overall I’d say the staff, food, and atmosphere were very authentic, and did a great job of making an out-​of-​towner like myself feel welcome. If I find myself in the area again I will definitely be back!

This was our first experience at this location, and it certainly was a good one! The building is nice, the bathrooms and restaurant are clean, and everything about this location makes you think «BBQ»!
I ordered the pulled pork sandwich. The pork was good, and not overly sauced. For sides, I got the grits, and the sweet potato fries. The sweet potato fries were crispy, and the right combination of sweet and salty. I don’t pretend to be an expert on grits, or how they are supposed to taste, but I really enjoyed these!
On the downside, my husband had to select 3 different beers before he found one on their printed list that they actually had on tap. Otherwise, the service and food were quick. We will definitely be back for another visit!

To sum up this visit: Disappointing
We had been talking about trying Sticky Lips for several weeks now. The place opened some time ago but we never quite made it over there. When my niece came back from college down south we decided to invite her and her dad to dinner.
Finding the entrance to the parking lot is a little weird. We pulled in to the Holiday Inn lot which is closer to the restaurant but the lots are not connected. You actually have to go into the driveway between the Best Western and Sticky Lips to get to the restaurant’s parking lot.
The facility is quite interesting. The staff was also quite good. The food, not so much.
I ordered Mississippi Cat Fish Strips, which were ok, nothing to write home about. As a main course I had BBQ Chicken Steak with mustard based slaw. Both the chicken and the slaw were essentially tasteless. The chicken tasted like it was broiled and was just covered with BBQ sauce. Maybe I should have stuck with ribs, but seriously?
The place has a great beer list, we made use of that. All in all, for five people we spent about $ 145 for dinner. Too expensive for the results. I am disappointed and will not return. There is a place downtown with a prehistoric name on it we will visit for BBQ next time.

I can’t believe this place has an average of 3 stars. Every time I eat at either Sticky Lips location, it’s been pretty perfect. Decided to go this week after finding a coupon for a free app while cleaning the house. The coupon was good for up to $ 7, and there’s no apps under $ 7 besides cheesy fries, which is fine anyhow, since it just ends up being a $ 7 off coupon. Anyhow… Went with the «pig wings» (pictured) as the app choice. I selected some sort of spicy mustard sauce, and as I said earlier, perfection! The heat and flavor couldn’t have been more right on. Opted for their «Ultimate Mac n Cheese» (with two sides) for the entrée. I selected chorizo cheddar grits and mustard based coleslaw (I swear I’m not addicted to mustard). The flavoring of all 3 portions of my entrée were good, with the coleslaw standing out the most. I guess being that I went on a Monday, I was worried the coleslaw would be leftover from a busy night, and gross. But it wasn’t. It was crispy and tasted fresh, so pleasant surprise.

Great food and good beer. Highly recommended for anyone traveling through the area. I’ve traveled all over the country and this place is one of the best I’ve been to. Highly recommended.

Just recently, I had been to Dinosaur so I had a direct comparison to make! Tried another sample platter to get maximum variation… I was pleasantly surprised when it came to the pulled pork. It might be the best I’ve had yet… It was tender and juicy and not drowned in sauce; just the right amount. I really enjoyed the chunks of bark mixed with the softer meat; it added texture and chewiness.
The ribs were so, so… A lot of fat kinda grossed me out. Dino definitely had them beat in this case! I hadn’t tried the bbq chicken at Dino but this boneless piece was huge and delicious at Sticky.
As far as the sides go, I liked the macaroni salad and wolfed it down immediately! The Cole slaw, not so much. It was dry, not creamy, so Dino wins with theirs… But, the cornbread was amazing… Sticky’s cornbread rules! Soooo much better than Dino’s! Hands down win, in my book. I might come back just for this.
Enjoyed my dinner here and I have to say, they live up to their name, Sticky Lips! Good bbq should leave you a happy mess… come give me a kiss!!! Lol!

I thought the food here was just ok. I had heard such amazing things about everything here, and I was just mostly not impressed. Nothing was bad per se, but nothing was great either. The best thing about the meal was the cornbread, and the worst thing was the ratatouille. I won’t be going out of my way to come here again, and will head to dinosaur if I have a BBQ craving.

Great wings, delicious donkey ‘s however they allow children to sit at the bar. So if you are Interested in bringing your under age child to sit with you at the bar feel free to come!

Who would have thought, after 40 States and countless BBQ dinners my best would be at Sticky Lips in Rochester NY.
In town and one dinner, clients said «its really good BBQ for around here.»; I beg to differ!
This is REALLY GOOD BBQ no matter where you’ve been! Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina, Missouri and states between and beyond — blown away!
If you get the chance stop in, ask Michelle to guide you and you’ll eat VERY WELL!
Oh good southern blues on the PA and stage bring home the «Juke Joint» style.
Not to be missed.
(Afterthought there’s 53 beers on tap with 23 «locals» to be sampled)

Located right next door to the Holiday Inn Express we were staying at– Sticky Lips became a «No brainier» destination after the start of a weekend hockey tournament. Walked in and we were greeted right away. Had a contemporary jazz band playing in a Friday night. We were seated within 15 minutes. Waitress was very attentive and spot on with our needs all night long. Folks in our party ordered a variety of dishes from salmon to chicken to the ribs to pulled pork. All were extremely satisfying, but the dry rub ribs seemed to stand out the best (very tasty and rivaled Dino). Having eaten at the Dino in both the ‘Cuse and Ra– cha-cha…Stcky Lips comes in a very respectable second. Place has a very good vibe too it and a locale that I would certainly visit again.

This Review is for the Sunday Brunch only. We saw the menu listed online, looked great and came in to try it out. Buffet starts at 10:30a (when doors open) and all the food is out approx. 10:45a. They stop serving buffet at 1:30pm. Server was very friendly and helpful. Pricing is very reasonable — $ 15.95 per person, Non-​Alcoholic Drinks $ 2.65 (All you can drink) and Bacon Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas $ 5 (All you can drink).
They have a Carving station with sliced brisket, smoked turkey, and bbq pork ribs. The brisket had minimal smoke flavor and was a little dry but I would say overall average. The smoked turkey was flavorful and juicy. The bbq ribs were quite fatty, very little meat on them and didn’t taste smoked. The smoked chicken wings roasted in bbq sauce were great but I also didn’t appreciate much smoke flavor on those either as they were described.
They had some wonderfully crisp and flavorful fried chicken to pair with fresh cinnamon based waffles with cinnamon butter and maple syrup — Loved it! French toast casserole was traditional and also good. Breakfast Empanadas with creamy egg filling and nice crispy exterior were very flavorful. Sweet and moist corn bread is wonderful — don’t pass it up. The shrimp and grits were a base of creamy flavorful grits and a few scattered medium sized shrimp — not many shrimp but the grits are great alone.
The Mac & Cheese was tasteless, dry and pasta was completely overcooked — skip it. Biscuits were a little dry but went well with the sausage gravy. The gravy appeared house made with a spicer, less traditional feel to the gravy which I enjoyed.
They also had hot Oatmeal with toppings, Seasoned home fries, Multiple cold salads, Bagels with toppings, Chorizo sausage/​spinach/​egg casserole, Dirty Rice, Yogurt fruit parfaits, Scrambled eggs with fresh pico on the side, Baked Ziti, Bacon and Sausage patties that all looked pretty decent but didn’t try.
Dessert items included a Southern style creamy banana pudding which was great. Chocolate texas sheet cake that had nice flavor but not as good as the pudding.
All in all the buffet was a great value, service was much better than we have had in the past and the food was decent with many choices. I almost forgot to mention the live gospel music as your soundtrack to brunch, so nice!

Hit or miss.
Between the four of us, we tried several things:
Catfish: A bit gamey, but not unpleasant. Cooked tender and juicy. The breading wasn’t that flavorful, but the cajun tartar sauce (more like a spicy yogurt dip) was tasty and paired well. I’d get this again.
Cajun corn: meh, just OK. A little spicy but not all that flavorful, and definitely lacking any Cajunness.
Grits: GOOD. Get these, they are tangy, creamy, and savory, just wonderful.
Brisket: Good texture, but not much smoke or rub flavor. Cooked long enough, but maybe in an oven rather than a barbecue pit? Everyone at the table gave it a modest thumbs-​up.
Beans: Good stuff.
Fries: Eh, they’re fries, right? This is the style that is crispy and almost seems battered, good.
Chicken fingers: Good enough, your picky-​eater kid gets what she expects.
Cornbread: WTF?! It’s waaayyyyy too sweet, and not moist. Dry and sweet like a cupcake farted on stale slice of wonderbread. Cornbread is not a complicated culinary nut to crack, and if you’re a bbq joint you should do it better than this. No one at the table had more than a bite or two.
Mashed potatoes: SUCK.
That leaves us at the ribs. Oh, Stickynips, not good. BBQ is taking a tough, fatty piece of meat riddled with connective tissue and smoking it at low temp for hours and hours until it renders and transforms into something magical. With ribs, that means the meat falling off the bone and being melt-​in-​your-​mouth tender. Here, the meat was tough and clung to the bone for dear life. The rub was OK, but weirdly overpowered by… cumin? What? Cumin should not be the star player in your southern-​style bbq rub.
And if your ribs ain’t good, are you really even a bbq joint? I’d say no, not really.
Server was really nice and stuff came out quick, there was a decent beer selection. We had a pretty good time. But I can’t imagine choosing this place over Dinosaur next time the family craves bbq. They get bands sometimes, and it seems like a good place to hear music and have a couple beers and some snacks.

Great BBQ! Drink prices are right where they should be too. The special the night we went I believe was $ 4 doubles! After about 4 of those I’m sure I would have enjoyed many different dishes but the BBQ brisket sandwhich I had was very very tasty. Will return when I’m in town!

I shouldn’t even have to say anything about Sticky Lips. After Dinosaur, this is my favorite BBQ place in Rochester. They have great BBQ and great music. One of the cool things about the Juke Joint is that they have live music on the weekends. You can find all of the usual fare of Pulled Pork and Chicken and Brisket, but they also have some steak and turkey and things for the members of your party that don’t particularly like BBQ. I also like that they let you build a BBQ Plate if you want that delicious BBQ flavor with the wonderful plating of a garbage plate.
I may be a little biased, as I love BBQ. I rarely turn down the opportunity to eat at a BBQ place. And my palate probably isn’t as refined as many other’s. I only know that I love Sticky Lips and I would recommend it.

Came in here for dinner with some colleagues. I was impressed with the amount of food do you get for the price… I could have done with less on my plate and still been quite happy. The food was really good though not the best barbecue I ever had. That said, it’s hard to compare barbecue here to places down south.
For four people with tax and tip included our total was less than $ 80… We didn’t have any alcohol with our meal.
Service was good and rather quick too… We were in and out in about an hour.

I might be biased because I lived in Texas for a few years… but this place is just mediocre. The atmosphere was a little too try-​hard. The food was below average– everything was too sweet and not much dimension to the BBQ flavor. Unfortunately, I won’t be back :(

This place is far superior than dinosaur or any other barbecue places in Rochester. They have the best sides, beer selection and a great Cajun chicken sandwich. Huge fan of their cornbread too! They also feature bands and solo artists from time to time downstairs on their stage.
My favorite items there are their chorizo grits and their mac salad. I also love their cajun chicken sandwich. There’s a good amount of heat to it but it’s not overwhelming.
I am NOT a fan of their fried green tomatoes and I love fried green tomatoes =(I’m not exactly sure what turns me off to them I believe it’s their breading there’s either too much of it or it’s too heavy. They only have Cajun ranch dressing not regular and you should have the option of either.
I like that they have an irregular beer selection. I like a lot of Belgian beers but real Belgian beer not shock top or the other generic popular ones. Sticky lips has a great selection and I am very happy there.
If you’re wondering about ribs and brisket and barbecue sauce, I’m not the one to ask I don’t eat that stuff, but the people I go with really love it!