I'm going to be as fair as I can in this review. This was the first time I've tried this place.Things I Liked1. Friendly staff2. Quick service3. Sides. We tried their homemade sides, which were coleslaw (solid), Mac and cheese (pretty good), cheese potatoes (surprisingly good given how plain they looked. Probably my favorite part).4. Shredded pork - it was fine, in taste and texture. Flavorful, but I think it's been reheated more than once. I used to work in a catering kitchen, it's easy to tell with pork. But it was definitely eatable.)Things I Disliked1. It was 6 PM and I was the only person in a BBQ joint, which is a red flag2. No smoke smell outside. Another red flag. If I owned a BBQ joint I'd burn wood even if we were done smoking so people knew I was rocking.3. The brisket was ruined. It was neither edible nor eatable. A well prepared brisket should reheat no problem. It'll still be tender and mild like baby Jesus. This was tough and grey, like an old billy goat with a chip on his shoulder. I would urge this place to take it off the menu until they can get it right, or source it from someplace like Sysco, that has an Austin Blues product that has excellent flavor, is tender, and can be reheated as needed. If they feel the need to keep ruining brisket, at least get a meat slicer and shave it thin or chop it fine. I don't want to blame the workers, and I hate to take a small local joint to task but I expect better if I'm going to spend over $30. If you figure out the brisket, please leave me a comment and I'll try it again. I would love for you to get it locked in as your joint is the closest to my house.In short, I'd have rather paid double to be told you were out of brisket than let what came out the door come out the door.
Real Advantage Partners Real Estate Team
We always forget to snap photos of our food when we get BBQ in Bondurant. The Chicken club sandwich is a family favorite!
Jeff Miller
Very small nice place to eat. I thought that the menu could be expanded to include other dishes.
Jane Dunkin Phillips
Service was fabulous and sampler platter, brisket, and Mac and cheese delicious. I’ll be back soon.
Mark Stoneking
Not sure if its fair to rate based on food as we waited an hour for nachos and left. Will try again another time and update.
Austin Kruzich
This place was absolutely atrocious. The service was awful. We arrived at 6:38 and walked into an empty restaurant and they told us that we could either sit in the restaurant or walk over to the microbrew (Reclaimed Rails) which they service next door. We sat down at Reclaimed Rails and ordered some drinks. We recieved our drinks (which were lovely) and proceeded to wait about 20 minutes to recieve our menus. We waited about 40 minutes for our server to come and take our order. We ordered, then proceeded to wait 39 minutes (we kept a timer this time). Just after 8pm, we called one of the waitresses over and asked about our food. She said that she would check on our order. She came back carrying food, which we thought was ours (it wasn't), and she told us that it would be about ten minutes. She told us that there was only one server and one cook and that they had just been swamped with ten orders. At this point we felt insulted because we had waited an hour and a half and they still hadn't gotten us our food. She offered a discounted rate, but at that point the damage was done. We left at 8:09. Would comment on the food, but we didn't want to stick around any longer.
Ben C.
From out of town and it was the perfect spot to stumble upon while I stayed. If I lived there I would be a regular. Absolutely great bbq!
Connie Van Haaften
We tried the Nachos today. Since I ordered take out, I wasn't sure how it would make it home. Fabulous! The Queso was in a separate container so the chips stayed crispy. I will be ordering again.
Christina Munoz
My husband and I were going to have dinner at Boxcar BBQ in Altoona. We arrived, got our drinks and told the bartender we were going to have some dinner too. The bartender never told the people at Boxcar BBQ that we wanted dinner. About 45 minutes later he comes and asks us if we’ve been waited on. We say no. About 5 minutes later the Boxcar BBQ waitress comes and takes our order. I saw her walk into the bar several times give people their food and take their food away, and not once did she stop by our table to see if we wanted to order. She wasn’t friendly at all, and didn’t apologize for us waiting so long to place our order. My husband even finished his drink before we got our dinner too. Our food came out 20 minutes later. My husband even said his brisket was tough. We were planning on it being a short trip to dinner, but NO we waited an hour and 15 minutes until we got our food. The bartender needs to communicate better with the Boxcar BBQ people letting them know if people ate going to eat.
Barry S.
Terrible food and service. Don't waste your money at this place.
Poor service and terrible food. Don't bother ever eating there. They were busy ignoring us and goofing around. Then FINALLY brought us cold food. Horrible.
Mary P.
Had drinks at Reclaimed Rails & ordered food (finally) from next door. Waitress brought us a second menu & would have taken our order but we needed to look at it. I had to have the bartender page her to order when we were ready. Our friends' food came 30 minutes later & ours came 10 minutes after. Bummer. It was worth waiting for. Brisket was tender & flavorful. I had chips with mine & friend had potato salad. We both had 1/2 lb brisket patter. It came with Texas toast. It's the best value for brisket. Hubby had brisket Mac & cheese bowl. Good but not very meaty. Friend's hubby had a brisket sandwich. Mac & cheese tasty. Good food but must be low on staff.
Chase Edwards
Great food! Everything I’ve had here has been good!
Dave Buchanan
Really changed for the MUCH better with new ownership a little more than a year ago! Great atmosphere in the back with an amazing hidden patio. Best in Bondurant whether you order just appetizers or a complete meal. Show your support for hard working owners helping provide work for others along with good food.
I'm going to be as fair as I can in this review. This was the first time I've tried this place.Things I Liked1. Friendly staff2. Quick service3. Sides. We tried their homemade sides, which were coleslaw (solid), Mac and cheese (pretty good), cheese potatoes (surprisingly good given how plain they looked. Probably my favorite part).4. Shredded pork - it was fine, in taste and texture. Flavorful, but I think it's been reheated more than once. I used to work in a catering kitchen, it's easy to tell with pork. But it was definitely eatable.)Things I Disliked1. It was 6 PM and I was the only person in a BBQ joint, which is a red flag2. No smoke smell outside. Another red flag. If I owned a BBQ joint I'd burn wood even if we were done smoking so people knew I was rocking.3. The brisket was ruined. It was neither edible nor eatable. A well prepared brisket should reheat no problem. It'll still be tender and mild like baby Jesus. This was tough and grey, like an old billy goat with a chip on his shoulder. I would urge this place to take it off the menu until they can get it right, or source it from someplace like Sysco, that has an Austin Blues product that has excellent flavor, is tender, and can be reheated as needed. If they feel the need to keep ruining brisket, at least get a meat slicer and shave it thin or chop it fine. I don't want to blame the workers, and I hate to take a small local joint to task but I expect better if I'm going to spend over $30. If you figure out the brisket, please leave me a comment and I'll try it again. I would love for you to get it locked in as your joint is the closest to my house.In short, I'd have rather paid double to be told you were out of brisket than let what came out the door come out the door.
We always forget to snap photos of our food when we get BBQ in Bondurant. The Chicken club sandwich is a family favorite!
Very small nice place to eat. I thought that the menu could be expanded to include other dishes.
Service was fabulous and sampler platter, brisket, and Mac and cheese delicious. I’ll be back soon.
Not sure if its fair to rate based on food as we waited an hour for nachos and left. Will try again another time and update.
This place was absolutely atrocious. The service was awful. We arrived at 6:38 and walked into an empty restaurant and they told us that we could either sit in the restaurant or walk over to the microbrew (Reclaimed Rails) which they service next door. We sat down at Reclaimed Rails and ordered some drinks. We recieved our drinks (which were lovely) and proceeded to wait about 20 minutes to recieve our menus. We waited about 40 minutes for our server to come and take our order. We ordered, then proceeded to wait 39 minutes (we kept a timer this time). Just after 8pm, we called one of the waitresses over and asked about our food. She said that she would check on our order. She came back carrying food, which we thought was ours (it wasn't), and she told us that it would be about ten minutes. She told us that there was only one server and one cook and that they had just been swamped with ten orders. At this point we felt insulted because we had waited an hour and a half and they still hadn't gotten us our food. She offered a discounted rate, but at that point the damage was done. We left at 8:09. Would comment on the food, but we didn't want to stick around any longer.
From out of town and it was the perfect spot to stumble upon while I stayed. If I lived there I would be a regular. Absolutely great bbq!
We tried the Nachos today. Since I ordered take out, I wasn't sure how it would make it home. Fabulous! The Queso was in a separate container so the chips stayed crispy. I will be ordering again.
My husband and I were going to have dinner at Boxcar BBQ in Altoona. We arrived, got our drinks and told the bartender we were going to have some dinner too. The bartender never told the people at Boxcar BBQ that we wanted dinner. About 45 minutes later he comes and asks us if we’ve been waited on. We say no. About 5 minutes later the Boxcar BBQ waitress comes and takes our order. I saw her walk into the bar several times give people their food and take their food away, and not once did she stop by our table to see if we wanted to order. She wasn’t friendly at all, and didn’t apologize for us waiting so long to place our order. My husband even finished his drink before we got our dinner too. Our food came out 20 minutes later. My husband even said his brisket was tough. We were planning on it being a short trip to dinner, but NO we waited an hour and 15 minutes until we got our food. The bartender needs to communicate better with the Boxcar BBQ people letting them know if people ate going to eat.
Terrible food and service. Don't waste your money at this place.
Restaurantji Recommends
Poor service and terrible food. Don't bother ever eating there. They were busy ignoring us and goofing around. Then FINALLY brought us cold food. Horrible.
Had drinks at Reclaimed Rails & ordered food (finally) from next door. Waitress brought us a second menu & would have taken our order but we needed to look at it. I had to have the bartender page her to order when we were ready. Our friends' food came 30 minutes later & ours came 10 minutes after. Bummer. It was worth waiting for. Brisket was tender & flavorful. I had chips with mine & friend had potato salad. We both had 1/2 lb brisket patter. It came with Texas toast. It's the best value for brisket. Hubby had brisket Mac & cheese bowl. Good but not very meaty. Friend's hubby had a brisket sandwich. Mac & cheese tasty. Good food but must be low on staff.
Great food! Everything I’ve had here has been good!
Really changed for the MUCH better with new ownership a little more than a year ago! Great atmosphere in the back with an amazing hidden patio. Best in Bondurant whether you order just appetizers or a complete meal. Show your support for hard working owners helping provide work for others along with good food.
Best Pulled pork anywhere ?