Bad Brad’s BBQ

Sooo good. The pig candy is amazing don’t leave without trying it. I ordered the bbq tacos (chopped brisket and pulled pork) with the aged cheese, pico, guacamole, sour cream and lettuce. They were soo good. The BBQ 321 sauce is delicious. The mac and cheese was also absolutely delicious and the cornbread a little spicy and very good. My boyfriend got the sliced brisket and a ¼ rack with sweet potato mash and collard greens. He thought the brisket was good and that the ribs were great. We would definitely come back here again. The portions were plentiful and prices fair. This was the first, but probably won’t be the last time.

Pretty solid bbq place but not a great place and there isn’t a better one in the hall /​van dyke area.
Sides are pretty good and the corn bread is great. Meats– gee really good. Brisket is your best choice and pulled pork is somewhat disappointing. Everything smoked well and not dried out. Just hate other restaurants that cook ribs in the oven and flip them twice on the grill and say «there’s your bbq». Food is honest.
Sauces are their biggest letdown. Concentrating more on heat and strong standout flavors that overpower the meat more than it compliments it. A Commercial bbq sauce like Masterpiece would be a better addition to the lineup than most they offer.
Service used to be bad for the 23 mi location when they opened when things were really hopping the first few years but since things slowed after the market slump in 2008, things are good.
Been to top places in Memphis to St. Louis and except for the sauces, brads is fairly close on the average. Nothing compared to a Detroit baptist bbq but for a commercial chain it’s decent. I’m betting there’s better in the Detroit area but with an impatient family brads is decent.

I read the reviews seemed like a no brainier and thank goodness it was! Oh my goodness was this fricken good!!! Had the one meet dinner with chopped brisket but added the ¼ ribs WOW! Fall off the bone meat smoked to perfection! I travel all over and this is down south amazing! Sides are huge you will NOT walk away hungry. All 4sauces were excellent so a must try. Great selection of liquor too ended my meal with a bullet bourbon.
Cool atmosphere was seated immediately.
Bar tender Brittany was very helpful and greeted me with a big smile! Hard to find great help she’s a keeper and kept busy behind that bar!!! Well done Brit!
I will definitely be back as I stay in Utica a lot

Food was plenty big portions for all that meat. Price is reasonable given that they smoke everything in house. If you get there, prob can grab a drink and wait or watch them make the food in the back.
If you love bacon, get the candied bacon: you can see them blowtorch it in the back for the sweet carmelized bacon. It comes out on hanging on clips but it is a wonderful crunchy, sweet and salty combo on bacon. My friend really wanted to order more but we had to hold back do the huge food portions coming out soon!
Food: Simple menu but *Everything is shareable due to large portion size.** The Rack of ribs was evenly smoked with slight crisp on the edges so you can really bite into without much effort. The meat really slid off the bone. The pulled pork was a bit on the dry side but you can load it with sauce and it will be fine. The macNcheese comes out on a mini skillet and toasted to right temp! The breadcrumbs on top really helped seal in the cheesiness so you can taste a smidge of pepper in it. Very smooth and creamy. The sweet potatoes were standard –not too sweet and not overly savory. Nice texture.
You will have four sauces at the table to choose from but there apparently is a Spicier sauce (slow burn and kick) and spicy mustard (spicy with a tang) sauce that our waiter brought out for us. Def worth a try.
The sterling hts location is a bit small in my opinion but great for large groups such as 6 since there bench table seating. The place looks big but it is actually kinda small since most tables were just big. Waiting was a bit crazy at dinner time on friday night –only weird part was that we called asking how busy is it and whats the wait time: the guy answered the phone saying «It’s busy –I don’t know how long the wait is.» That said, no RSVPs.

Mirna was our waitress tonight. She did an awesome job! Food was great as always! Prompt service! Great atmosphere!

Every year this place caters a company picnic. Every year it is progressively worse. I pay $ 10 for the picnic simply because I get the afternoon off work. But the food isn’t worth eating even if it were free.
I understand catering for 1500 people is challenging but at the same time it’s the potential to gain 1500 families coming to your restaurants. They don’t seem to care. They bring chicken sometimes cooked medium rare, they bring undercooked cornbread and overcooked, almost dehydrated shredded meat. And the Cole slaw. .God just gag me!!!
But I’ll be there again this year, I’ll pay my $ 10 and eat a sub sandwich on my way to the picnic.
My wife suggested we try them a few weeks ago but I told her forget it, that’s the place that cater the summer picnic. «She said yuck then, forget that.»

Came in here recently while in the area. The brisket was fantastic and I am super picky about brisket. The baked beans yummy as well as their potato salad and slaw. I really loved the flavor of the the Mac n cheese But did not care for the texture of the sauce it was a bit over done with flour. I did not at all enjoy the pulled pork sandwich the meat was very tuff and a tad on the dry side also it was so piled with meat I could not grab at it to eat it. It could have been an off day for the pulled pork. I mostly just pushed half the meat off the bun and picked at it. Had I not also had the brisket my impression would have been lacking luster. Brisket saved the day! Also I really enjoyed the sauces they offer A+ on those. I didn’t like how they do not offer the lunch menu on the weekends as we fell for the price and was sadly duped on the bill in the end because no one mentioned that what we ordered was not a lunch portion and we were charged for the sides.

I am so sad I didn’t notice this place until recently! My family went together and the entire time we kept saying «try this!» Because our food was so good! I felt like the flavors were unique and fun. I eyed the table next to us that had hung bacon on a small clothespin. I’ll have to try it next time. Great food!

Quite possibly the best meal under $ 20 in SE Michigan
Yes… you read that correctly. The food here is dynamite and the service always solid. I always go for the meat selections which include picking anywhere from 1 – 3 meats I believe and 2 sides are included. A mere 15 minutes later a feast fit for a king sits in front of you, tempting you, awakening all your senses!!! I can’t rave enough about the brisket and pork sausage, I’ve enjoyed the pulled pork too and it was awesome. Mac & Cheese is worth the slight upcharge as you get to break through a golden crust like a miner circa 1849 San Francisco to unveil macaroni of the finest variety. If you are a BBQ fan, do not miss out. Right on par with the Woodshop in Clarkston and far better than overrated Slow’s.
Beer selection is decent, they at least have something of every type. A stout, porter, IPA, lager, fruity and so on.
P. S. Pig Candy for an app, it’s heavenly!

This place is awesome. Easily twice the size of New Baltimore store, if not 3x. I love the pig candy, especially the artful way they serve it (on a mini clothesline with mini wooden clothes hangers). Too fun. Today I tried the chicken and waffles off the appetizer menu, and it’s so much I might not be able to finish — but I’ll want to! I got the syrup and the country gravy on the side. Salty, savory, sweet, and a tiny hint of heat. Chicken was super crisp but still light and tender. Best chicken and waffles on the planet.

This was our 2^nd visit. The food was great, the kids loved it too! Our waiter Kristofer was the bomb! He made my Mothers Day dinner fun for all of us.
Parking was great, wait at the bar was fine and the ambience was just what we wanted!

Place is the best, and quick, great service.
Food is super fresh and always amazing
BBQ nachos and chicken & waffles are unbelievable and a favorite of everyone I know
Sauces are the best and their meats are good portions and to be honest very reasonable prices especially considering how great it is.
You can get a 2 meat, 2sides and a drink for less than 16 $
Only downfall is its busy but that’s because it’s the best.

Stopped by the other day to try out the bbq. Was impressed with the service. We had a great waiter that explained everything to us. We started off with s sampler that included to chicken wings, candied bacon and ribs. The wings were not edible. Had a horrible sulfur taste and were charred. The bacon was really good. The ribs were fall off the bone tender but dry.
The menu was an odd «build your own entrée». I didn’t care for this. My two meats were smoked turkey and pulled pork. The two sides were cornbread and coleslaw. The sides were delicious, and ended up finishing them. Good thing to, because the turkey had a strange processed lunch meat texture, and once again the sulfur taste. The pulled pork was ok, once you drowned it in one of the sauces on the table. I really hated the presentation of the food. It was thrown on a paper lined plastic food tray. It was very unappealing.
Overall not impressed at all with the food. The service was great! That is the reason for the 3 star rating. We will not return.

I had a wonderful experience at Bad Brads! Our waiter Chris was OUTSTANDING! By far one of the best waiters I have ever had! The food was great. We had chicken wings (crispy & meaty) and cobb salad for an appetizer — both delicious. I had ribs and my fiancé had brisket. This was by far the best brisket I have ever had. it was very tender and juicy. Our sides were great as well (fries, mac & cheese). I cant wait to go back!

I don’t like red meat. Chicken is my bia.
My friends Erika and Cameron brought me here, and I won’t lie. I was totally against it. Well, maybe not against it, but I did vote for another option. I also mentioned I probably wouldn’t eat. They enticed me in with their house-​made Rum drink — that they unfortunately don’t offer anymore — and I thought ‘Okay, I’ll be happy. I like rum’.
Well…their order came and it looked good, so I because curious. I was hungry… sooooo, I gave it a shot. I got the Beef Brisket Platter and was BLOWN AWAY by the flavor, quality, and presentation. Reminder here, I don’t really eat beef. Before I came here, I could count on one hand how many times I had eaten red meat in the last 5 years.
I don’t visit Bad Brad’s often for the above mentioned reason, but also because I live an hour away from the closest location. I have only visited Shelby Township location as it is the closest.
If you want to come here during dinner, BE PREPARED to wait. That is my only complaint, and I really can’t hold it against them. The place is packed during dinner hours because their food is so good. I recently read they opened a location in Clinton Township, they should consider the 59 corridor to relieve some of the pressure off of Shelby. My 2 cents.
I’m glad to hear they are expanding, that means they are doing well. With any luck they’ll open one on the West side so I can get my beef on again.
Bad on, Brad.

Bad brads first time there tonight, amazing and wonderful food. I had the half slab of ribs it was a great choice, it was delicious and great smoky flavor. My two sides were corn bread, the greatest corn bread ever, it was sweet and spicy so delicious to die for, the side other side was beans, great too they have a smoky flavor, sweet and small pieces of meat, they were just perfect.
I had a draft Alaska Amber it went really good with my food.
My wife got the bbq nachos they were great, pieces of chicken and bacon, bbq sauce on top and cheese.
The bbq sauce flavors are great, especially the spiciest one with ghost pepper it was a great treat.

Bad Brads’s is pretty fantastic.
We stopped in one night a few weeks ago and the line was longer than we could take at that moment so we decided to come back for lunch instead.
We started with a stuffed potato skin filled with all kinds of great stuff but the highlight being the pulled pork. I’m normally not a fan of the oversauced pulled pork you see on so many menus and was glad to see this was way better than my preconceived notions of what pulled pork was. This was chunky bits of flavor packed meat, no stringy saucy nonsense here.
For lunch we both picked a sandwich combo off the back cover. I chose the brisket with coleslaw and my wife got the smoked turkey with bacon candy sandwich. I don’t remember the actual names. They both came with housemade bbq chips and a side. I picked chili cheese polenta and my wife got mac n cheese.
Wow, everything was really delicious. Sandwiches were great but the sides were on another level. Both sides were so cheesey and good. We were both really impressed and my wife isn’t normally a bbq fan in general. I liked all the sauces I tried with the hot being my favorite. The sour was great to douse over the bbq chips as well.
I also had a Kolsh beer from a brewery in S. Lyon that was mighty impressive. I believe it’s called Witches Hat?
Service was good. We enjoyed pursuing the wall art. All in all 5 stars. Bad Brad’s is now my favorite bbq in Michigan and I can’t wait to return.

Amazing amazing amazing! The Husband and I absolutely loved Bad Brad’s! If you’re a meat lover, you NEED to check this place out.
We started out with the BBQ Nachos, which was recommended by one of my Husband’s boss. Talk about mouth-​watering and flavorful! It’s got that smokey goodness you expect from BBQ joints! It’s very filling for two people. HIGHLY RECOMMEND BBQ NACHOS!
My Husband and I each got the two meat BBQ platters served with two sides. You cannot go wrong with the beef brisket sliced and pulled pork. With the warm tortillas and the choice of sauces… Excellent!
The Mac and Cheese is worth the extra $$, it’s baked fresh and the cheese on top has just the right amount of crunch to satisfy any cheese-​lovers desire. I also got the side of sweet potato mash and my Husband got a side salad. The sweet potato mash was so smooth and tasty!
The meals plus the appetizer definitely sent us home with left-​overs that we scarfed down easily the next day. Personally, I prefer Bad Brad’s to Slow’s… I felt the portions and quality/​taste of food is well worth the price! But that just one foodie’s opinions

Great service, drinks, BBQ and atmosphere. I’ve been really happy every time I’ve been here but after returning from Kansas City, Missouri I have to say bad brads wins the war on BBQ. :)
Moist and full of flavor plus the meat falls off the bone and melts in your mouth. Even momma couldn’t do better and her family tree dates back to old school BBQ Memphis style.
Looks like I’m married to bad brads for all my BBQ needs. :p
Fully and totally in love with the BBQ.

Came here with my boyfriend tonight for his birthday, he had been once (a while ago) and I had not been. I had heard good things, though (so many good things that I added them to a CBS Detroit Best of Detroit BBQ list that I wrote, actually!) so I was excited to try them out.
We tried the pig candy after hearing so much about it, and it was very good. I’m not actually a bacon fan (too salty usually) but I’ve had pralines before in New Orleans and this was similar, though even more sweet. The way they line them up with clothespins was interesting, too. Your drinks (water/​Cokes, anyways) are served in mason jars too which was a fun touch.
For my meal, I got the half rack of ribs ($ 17) plus one extra meat, pulled pork. The pulled pork was DELICIOUS. I’ve been to Dickey’s (like quick-​serve BBQ) and also Lockharts around here and it definitely beat out both of those. The ribs were also very good, although not «fall off the bone» good, and I took half of them home with me. For my sides, I got mashed sweet potato (also good!) and the cornbread, which was interesting … it was more like a corn tart in shape and it had some peppers or something in it which I didn’t really like. The bread itself was tasty though.
I looked on their site before going for coupons, but no luck — however, if it’s your birthday /​someone in your party’s birthday, they get a free root beer float, which is nice.
We were also quoted a 15 – 20 minute wait, but I stopped to use the restroom and when I came out we were ready to be seated, even though we did end up at a high-​top in the bar area. So it was only about 5 – 10 minutes total.
I’d come back here when in the area! It’s a bit pricey — 2 Cokes, pig candy, and two meals ended up being about $ 80 with tip, but that’s because I got ribs + an additional meat, and I think he got a 3 meat plate plus ¼ rack of ribs and some chicken (we are both foodies … obviously. lol). They also have pizzas and sandwiches if you don’t want to spend that much.