Route 55 BBQ & Diner

This place is small but the food is AMAZING!!! We were looking for really good TN bbq food and we found it here. Had the combination plate with pulled pork, brisket, pulled chicken, 2 sides & corn bread. Plus all the side options were homemade. They even had homemade pies! This is family owned & they all work there. The service was very good and they could not have been any friendlier. Hope to be back!

Had the ribs, cream corn, and turnip greens. This was not great bbq. The cream corn had a weird aftertaste. The ribs were OK — not bad, but not great.

Definitive roadside BBQ stop with a small diner housing three tables inside and large picnic-​style tables outside. I tried the Kendall sampler. The brisket and ribs had meat so tender and moist that it was falling apart. The BBQ sauce is on the vinegar side. Very friendly customer service. Enjoyed my visit, although I should have doggy-​bagged some of the meat, as I was stuffed upon leaving.

Not amazing, not terrible. No frills roadside barbecue place, with styrofoam plates. I had the beef brisket with sides of creamed corn, potato salad, and coconut fried pie. Beef was served sliced, truly fork tender, with plump sidecars of fat along one edge of each slice. Creamed corn was delicious, straight out of a church potluck, and the potato salad was bristling with sour cream flavor. Brisket isn’t my true BBQ love, but I wanted something different. FWIW, I enjoyed my brisket at County Line in San Antonio far more, but this is better than the brisket I’ve had most anywhere else. Pedestrian food done well, but no fireworks.

From the moment you walk through the door of this hog heaven, you are welcome with the sweet smell of smoked butts. This was my first time to come to Route 55, and I’m happy to say I will be a return customer. I opted for the Kendall’s Best plate so I could have a taste of it all. I am a methodical diner and I dissected each bite to see if Kendall’s Best really lived up to its’ name.
I began with the rib-​let, a four bone section of baby back ribs, and was intrigued how tender the first bite was. Good pull to the meat as well as a highly visible smoke ring. The smoked chicken was next. The delicate meat carried the slightest hint of smoke while keeping its light white color. The pulled pork hit note for note where the ribs had already been and I am sure it builds a killer sandwich. My favorite part of the whole plate was the beef brisket. I find this to be the cut of meat most self proclaimed Barbecue pros struggle with the most. Needless to say, Kendall brought it on this piece of beef. The juicy chucks of meat drove away any thought or need for sauce. I could have devoured a plate of brisket alone and been well satisfied. The plate came with ample sides. I chose coleslaw and sweet potato casserole. The slaw was mayo based and paired well with the mountain of meat. The sweet potato casserole was like a buttery and sugary dream. It should have been enough but I couldn’t stop myself from getting the Cherry-​Pineapple Cobbler for dessert.
There were only two things I couldn’t nail down. First, the sauce was different. I’m not saying it was bad, but it was different than most people would expect. This could be unsettling for some because it isn’t the Sweet Baby Rays or KC Masterpiece they are used to slathering their pork in. It did have a good mix of sugar and vinegar with a tomato zing. The spicy sauce was my preferred choice for the day though. Decent punch for a table sauce. Second, the roll was not pleasant. BBQ of this quality can never miss the mark with something like a slice or two of white bread or even a bun as a roll. That being said, the roll didn’t ruin the experience for me. I will be returning and plan on holding all my lunch meet-​ups here. Can’t wait till then!

The ribs were so heavenly tender, meaty and smoky — — no sauce needed at all — — up with the best anywhere. Really potent hickory smoke. The other meats on the combo platter benefited from some sauce (the brisket is lean). The bbq sauce was on the sweet side, but they also provided vinegar in a squeeze bottle with veggies (jalapenos?) — — it was designed for the greens, but it added some zing to everything on the plate. Great cole slaw too.

Vegetarians! There are choices for you, too!!!
Meat consumers:
She is going to expand as ya’ll are keeping her very, very busy!
She sees over 150 customers on Tuesday lunch, alone, JUST for the following plate:
$ 5.99 Smoked chicken, pinto beans, cornbread dressing, & cornbread (correction may be needed).
Vegetarians:
Laurie doesn’t put meat in the greens, green beans, or pinto beans!
Tuesday there’s a pinto bean, cornbread, greens plate (hold the chicken and double on something else) for $ 5.99…may be less without the meat — ?
Laurie is truly thoughtful and accommodating — such a sweetheart.
She bought out the former owner. She has such ingenuity.
The following do no have meat in them — but always double-​check in case she makes a change for that day:
Baked Potato — very large potatoes!
Turnip Greens — they were delicious!
Green Beans
Baked Beans — double check daily
Pinto Beans — double check on Tuesdays
Potato Salad — double check daily
Cornbread
Someone makes fried pies (soybean oil; not Lard) and brings them in for Laurie to sell, but I give them a 1 (unpleasant) out of 10.
Enjoy!
Closes at 7pm

This place is very good. The fried pies were amazing. Can only give it four stars because they ran out of food. They had no greens or cornbread. Staff was friendly. I would defiantly go back again. Hopefully this time they will have more food.

great local diner — very nice people. Found the place on Unilocal :)

Stopped after Jack Daniels tour. Small place in what appears to be an old gas station, easy to miss. Not much seating but was adequate while we were there. Seems like a family operation, not sure. Got the sampler plate which was larger than expected. Sauce served on the side as it ought to be. Very good tender flavorful meats. Good beans and potato salad. Friendly fast service. These folks are obviously proud of their place and with good reason. Strong recommendation.

Awesome! Got a smoked turkey breast and some other items for Thanksgiving Dinner and was great. I recommend them for anything. I frequently visit there and know how clean they are. 5 stars

We stopped here for a quick bite after we left the Jack Daniels Distillary. My husband got the sampler platter so he could try it all. The baby back ribs had a nice spice rub and the sauce adds a nice mild tartness. All the meat meat was super tender. The potato salad is a must try!