Redbones

I was first introduced to Redbones in the spring of 2007 even though I've been a resident since 2003. I have never been disappointed! the pulled pork is amazing and i've tried almost all the rib types and you can't go wrong. I like how they will gladly bring you all 4 types of sauce from sweet to Crying your eyes out HOT!!! i wasnt a huge fan of the Hush Puppies (fried cornbread) but thats just a personal thing. They have a great drink menu too. The only thing I was disappointed with was the bloody mary. all the other drinks are fabulous! they have a lengthy beer menu as well. the portions are huge and its hard to decide on just one. I highly recommend doing it family style if you like the people you're with! that way you can sample a little bit of everything.

Posted 06/18/09

This place knows how to BBQ. If you're form the south, don't expect anything special, but for the NE crowd, it's good stuff for sure. Cheap booze, good food and a cool atmosphere too. Try the pulled pork or the St. Louis ribs. Cornbread is a must, but most sides leave somehting to be desireed. No doubt, this place will leave some extra coin in the pocket though. Sandwiches and such start around $7.00 and there is at least one $2.50 beer on the menu.

Posted 10/17/08

this place has the rep as a good bbq joint , and i dont know why! soggy and dry at the same time the ribs are not very good , i guess if you just drink a lot of beer you cant tell the the food is tastless and nasty, but i have to give the credit for there pecan pie! it is outstanding!! so just go foe a beer and some pie!

Pros: great pecan pie

Cons: horrible bbq

Posted 10/09/08

WAY OVER-RATED...I don't know why people rave about ANY of the food here, but it must be because they like 'blah food' instead of 'soul food'. it's too bad because they are located in a good spot--Boston definitely needs better bbq places!

Pros: good location

Cons: terrible food

Posted 06/14/08

First off, let me say that the staff and the atmosphere there is great. BUT, if you are looking for BBQ, even quasi-BBQ, steer clear. I know a lot of people from NE love this place but that's because the bar has been set low when it comes to BBQ standards. YES, there portions are big but that doesn't matter when you can't get past 3 bites. YES, they have a variety of sauces but they are all HORRID.

Good things: Okra (yeah, I'm from the south, can you tell), the beer selection, the staff, and the atmosphere. It's a great place to have a few drinks!!!

Bad: The dried up substance they try to pass for BBQ and the runny things they call sauces.

There should be a law that bans people from claiming to serve BBQ without meeting certain standards (like with wine).

Pros: Fun place for drinks, great staff

Cons: The food

Posted 06/05/08

Food is OK.. I've had better at Tennesse's BBQ.. The ribs are not bbq'd with the sauce on it, so, they tend to be quite dry.. The portions are huge., so, that makes up for the dryness and they also give mild, medium or hot sauce. I love the casualness of the place, though it does tend to get crowded around 8ish.. We went there in a big group of around 20 people and just wanted to hang out by the bar for the most part.. So, that was OK..

Things I like there are

1. Beer
2. Atmosphere (Both upstairs and downstairs)
3. Veggie Burger
4. Buffalo Shrimp
5. Corn Pudding
6. Corn Bread
7. Fried Okra

Notice, how none of these things have any bones :-( Oh well.. My friends like it... So, I guess I'll keep going there..

Pros: Good Ambience, Pleasant Service, OK Food

Cons: OK food, Not real bbq

Posted 05/21/08

Redbones is very overrated. Although good bbq is hard to come by in New England, Redbones is not the place to find it. Save your money, buy some frozen ribs at Star Market, and cook them on the grill, they will probably taste better.
I will say that their service, beer selection, corn bread and bbq sauce are all stupendous. But as far as the meet goes, its typically dry, bland, and cold. And don't even think about the Texas Chili....blahh.

Pros: Lively environment

Cons: Sub-par food

Posted 03/26/08

Great BBQ, very fun atmosphere. Long wait on the weekends but worth it. Nice selection of hard to find beers and changes every week. A+++++++++++++++++++++

Pros: Great food, fun atmosphere, fun servers, very inexpensive

Cons: Parking in Davis Sq is tough (T is very close to Red Bones), can be long wait on weekends

Posted 01/29/08

Redbones is a place for people who don't know what TRUE bbq should taste like..or even resemble! I seriously believe they try to drown their meats in sauce to cover up the lack of taste (and to help soften the meats?!) And the sad part is, the sauces are horribly bland. The hushpuppies are like little rocks you'd rather throw at the waiter who never shows to your table and if the hushpuppies had a taste, I'd attempt to describe them to you... alas, no. I'm not cranky but having grown up around REAL bbq in the South, I can tell you...Redbones 'ain't' it. The closest good stuff in MA you will find is Blue Ribbon. Go there instead!!

Posted 12/09/07

Love Redbones. The ribs, pulled pork, buffalo wings & okra are excellent! A can't miss! The food arrives at your table quickly...so eat fast or it will pile up in front of you. Excellent beer selection. Tremendous value for your dollar. You never have to wait long for a table...even during dinner on a Weekend. The "All-You-Can-Eat" lunch special is a bargain if you love ribs (show up hungry). The service staff is fair...but considering the speed that the food arrives (and how it tastes)...you gladly overlook it. The decor is "dive-esque"...but it's got a cool vibe. The major drawback is the parking. However, if you drive past Redbones, you wil find a little parking lot that usually have spaces. By far, one of the best bets in Boston!

Pros: Best of Boston - Ribs, Pulled Pork, Buffalo Wings

Cons: Parking

Posted 11/11/07

Great messy food- and good service. The waitress was helpful explaining different types of ribs and genuinely seemed to care if we liked everything. The beer was cheap.. overall a great experience, lots of fun. The portions are huge so skip the appetizers to save $6 and you will still have plenty of food.

Pros: great food, fast service

Cons: tables are a bit cramped

Posted 07/22/07

Tried Redbones a couple years ago and didn't like it. An out of town friend raved about a recent trip, so I thought I'd give it another try. I will not be going back. The service was great, except that our food came before the appetizer. The appetizer, Hushpuppies, wasn't very good and had to be soaked in the vinegar 'sauce' provided in order to get down. Had much better Hushpuppies and ribs in VA a few weeks ago, so I don't believe the reviews that say this is a good as southern cooking. I'd rather have ribs at Chilis.

Pros: Service, close to the T, plenty of bars to choose from afterwards

Cons: Better Baby Backs elsewhere

Posted 11/10/06

Redbones is by far the best barbecue in the Boston area. There is no other place that comes close to the quality and taste offered here. Portions are generous. There are all sorts of tasty side dishes. My favorite plate is the baby back ribs. The sausage is also always very good. Try the sweet sauce combined with the mild or hot on the side.

Pros: fun atmosphere, excellent food

Cons: long wait, but worth it!

Posted 08/03/06

Coming from Oklahoma and Texas, my partner and I have eaten a LOT of good BBQ over the years. I would have to say that we were pleasantly surprised by the selection, quality, and quantity of food at this establishment. He had the daily sausage special (Rosemary and Onion) and I had the pulled pork. Their mild sauce is better than the sweet, but all the sauces had a good flavor to them. At the next table over, there was a big group getting the ribs, and the helpings were enourmous.

Overall, for New England, I would say this would be a good low key, low cost place to have dinner. We had appetizer, two dinners, two beers, all for about $45. And it's easy walking distance from the T. Not to mention the artwork inside this place is VERY interesting, it's almost worth a trip there just for that!

Pros: Good price, good BBQ, nice beer selection

Cons: Can be very noisy

Posted 07/18/06

Went on a rainy night... parking in Davis Sqaure is a nightmare...Redbones is just fun... it has great beer on tap... everyone is happy and there is no pressure... we sat at the "bar" in front of the cooking staff.. it was pure fun to be eating and watch them plate everyones food ... the BBQ is good .. ribs come in many varieties and they will let you try all the sauces instead of just picking one .. also you can make just about any combo of meats that you can think of ... pulled pork is passable.. portions are huge ...go just to relax... waiting for a table while passing time in the bar is part of the experience

Pros: BBQ, great beer on tap

Cons: hard to park .. not t

Posted 05/17/06

I went to eat at Redbones tonight - big mistake! It took me a half hour just to be seated and another 15 mins. before I could get a server to take my order. The food was okay - the fried catfish and potato salad was good but the hush puppies were tough and dry. The cornbread was overcooked and tasteless. I grew up in a family with Southern roots and know good Southern food when I taste it... well guess what, this food wasn't even worth waiting for.

Pros: atmosphere, decor, price

Cons: service, long lines/crowds

Posted 04/06/06

Not recommended The pulled pork and ribs had no flavor and when you do ask for sauce you get a small 1oz cup, i had the spicy cat fish where was the spice? the hot sauce was mild. as for the corn bread it was dry and burnt. The corn fritters could have shattered a tile floor.

Posted 02/17/06

People, c'mon...this is NEW ENGLAND... home of the best seafood, clam chowdah, football dynasty & the World Champion Red Sox. With that said, Redbones is a 10 in my book. Great baby back ribs & I love the mac & cheese! I've had a few corporate events catered by Redbones & it's a smash hit everytime. Def visit the downstairs bar for specialty beers. The general atmosphere @ Redbones is FUN & laid back. Enjoy!

Pros: Food, Atmosphere, downstairs bar

Posted 02/02/06

it's all so good! buffalo shrimp, succotash, ribs, pulled pork/chicken/beef, corn fritters... okay, i'm hungry again!

Pros: proximity to mbta, great food, great value

Cons: parking (take the t!)

Posted 02/02/06

I'm from the Carolinas and have had my fair share of BBQ and I was keen on getting a taste of home at Redbones. Started with the hushpuppies, which looked great but tasted pretty bland... there is more to it than fried dough! I had the pulled chicken sandwich, which was drenched in sauce and tasted ok. The rest of the sides were just ok, nothing spectacular, it was hot-spicy without being tasty-spicy. I did enjoy the coleslaw a lot as I tend to like it with very little mayo. The BBQ sauces were laughable, so watered down and gross. No waiter checked on us the ENTIRE TIME we ate which amused me because there was a placard on the table that said Redbones prided themselves on their service. I may try it again but I think I will first try the other recommendations from the reviews.

Cons: service, bland food

Posted 01/04/06

Waitress brought us free appetizer of beef jerk after finding out it was out first time there - it was delicious. Even though it was busy, service was prompt and waitress was extra friendly. Abundance of brews was on the menu - excellent. We had beef ribs, arkansas pork ribs, and baby backs. All were good, with 5 different sauces on the side to try. I recommend the sweet and the hot sauces. Price is pretty good, although sides are small.

Posted 06/19/05

The place, hands down, has the best bar around. Downstairs, called Underbones, you can find 25 microbrews (delicious ones at that) on tap everynite, a friendly waitstaff, quick bartenders, great prices, fantastic bar food & barbeque, and good tunes. Very laid back, can get crowded, but well worth it.

Pros: Beer selection, Food, Service

Posted 02/17/05

The BBQ here is good (though not great), at least by MA standards. Still, a great place to stop off after a night roaming Davis Sq. The bar downstairs is also great, it can get crowded, but they have amazing microbrews that they change based on the seasons. I once had the best stout ever there, from some small microbrew place, but sadly I could not remember the name and it never was there again...

Posted 08/04/04

Redbones rocks! The variety of ribs is great, the catfish is awesome, and there are too many beers to choose from. It would be an all around '10' in my book, except my favorite ribs-sampler platter The BBQ Belt, seems to have gotten more expensive (but with smaller portions) the last two times I was there.

Posted 07/13/04

Does Redbones boil their pork in water? It tastes like it. The pulled pork tasted watered down. I had to dump sauce all over everything just to eat it. There is no flavor in any of their food. BBQ is supposed to have an intense smokey flavor.

Pros: cheap

Cons: , bad service

Posted 05/09/04

I'm sorry, but I grew up around real barbecue. Everyone who finds out I'm from the south says, "you have to try Redbones". I tried it. I work next to it. It is horrible. The only thing close to real BBQ around here is Blue Ribbon. Everything else I've tried is a poor substitute for good southern barbecue. Take it from someone who knows. Redbones is NOT good.

Pros: they try

Posted 03/11/04

These people know how to make one a believer. A great guy I know had RedBones cater his wedding...

Pros: Best Food, Best Service, Best Prices

Cons: Un-Pretentious ??, Down-Home ??, Friendly ??

Posted 12/11/03

Don't waste your time or money. Do they even smoke the meats, it's hard to tell because they use more sauce than alcoholic grandpa. I have been all round the country to try bbq, Memphis, St. Loius, Texas, this place should be in New Jersey. Don't let the location fool you, it's bunk!

Posted 10/08/03

Despite Citysearch's ridiculous statement that BBQ is "All about the sauce", it is really allabout the meat. Redbones is OK, but Uncle Pete's and East Coast Grille are much better. Redbones is oversauced, and their "we don't want to pay taxes so we only take cash" attitude is abominable.

Pros: BBQ is all good

Cons: Cash only, Slummerville

Posted 09/14/03

Don't believe the hype. What I tasted here sure didn't taste like southern food to me. This place is for yuppies and city folks who have never tasted the South. The yams are from a can, the mac & cheese tastes like Kraft, kfc's cole slaw taste more authentic southern than theirs, and I'm not quite sure what to say that stuff they call soccoutash is. The T-Bone steaks are priced nicely but are hard and tough even cooked medium-well. The brisket though, that's another story. Probably the only things Redbones has correct are the briset and the jars they use to serve drinks. Save your money, go somewhere else instead.

Pros: brisket, friendly service

Cons: everything else

Posted 08/10/03

Redbones is awesome excellent service great amounts of food. Takeout is the best! Try their barbeque Belt or the all you can eat chicken and Ribs during the day it is a great value!

Pros: takeout, all you can eat Days

Cons: gets buzy fast

Posted 08/10/03

I love Red Bones! I constantly crave the Cat Fingers. Yeah, the Bar B Q pit in Mattapan is good but you're risking your life getting there. The reason Red Bones can't compare to down home southern bar-b-q is because it's not! Lighten up and you might enjoy yourself.

Pros: Everything

Cons: Nothing

Posted 05/21/03

To start, the cornbread was tasteless, the hush puppies were hard as a rock, and the app servings are tiny. I had a steak special that was swimming in this nasty watery "au jus." My friends had the ribs, one liked the baby back the other had the Arkansas that were hard a rock (like the hush puppies). The plates are half the size of the portions so food flies everywhere. In additionto the mess, it was about 100 degress in there. The service was excellent though. Our waiter was very knowledgable of the cuts and brought plenty of sauce (the ribs are cooked dry) and refills. If I live to be 100 and never have to see the inside of that place I'll die happy. Viva the Village Smokehouse.

Pros: service

Cons: food, presentation, ambiance

Posted 05/19/03

After hearing how great this place was for several years, finally had to belly up. The ambience is all about comfort but the food is anything but. An appetizer medley came out and everything was either dry or deep fried beyond necessity. The ribs were mediocre at best and the brisket was not "falling apart" tender, in fact it was tough. Good bbq places are also acclaimed for their sauces. Redbones is definitely lacking in any signature sauce. The mild is too sweet, the medium tastes like ketchup, and the hot is just boring. The only thing we left liking was the buffalo shrimp and the beer. Overall wish we would have left this so-called "legend" off our list!

Pros: ambience, selection, area

Cons: food, service, food

Posted 03/19/03

As someone who has lived in Houston, Texas for many years, and who seasons even her breakfast cereal with hot sauce, I can't recommend RedBones to anyone who takes their bar-b-que even semi-seriously.

I tried the rib sampler, and every rib from Tennessee to Texas tasted exactly the same to me, and what's worse, there was no bite to the sauce, not even a nibble.

The "yankee" cornbread was too sweet and dry, and the fried okra was bland and cold...definitely not true to typical Southern fare.

The tables were spaced too close together--I felt as if I were at a hog-feed rather than a restaurant, and the service had a tough time maneuvering their way to each table.

Pros: Inexpensive

Cons: Bad Food, Bad Ambience, Too Crowded

Posted 03/19/03

The barbecue pit, located in mattapan is the best barbecue i've ever tasted and i have traveled all over the united states, including texas.

Posted 02/22/03

Rebones never disappoints and you never leave hungry! The rib combo plate could feed a family of four and every bite is better than the last. Try the Arkansas ribes!!! Only the sides are a little mediocre. I bring all of my southern friends to Redbones to prove someone can do it right north of the Mason-Dixon line...and they always agree.

Pros: best ribs around, good value, fun

Cons: crowded

Posted 02/07/03

Not worth it, go to another place. A good try, but falls short.

Posted 01/08/03

It is obvious that you haven't tried Blue Ribbon BBQ in Arlington or Newton. Blue Ribbon is at least 17 times better than Redbones!

Posted 11/19/02

Yummy...this is the best BBQ in New England. It's so good and so cheap! Cash only!!!

Posted 11/10/02

I have eaten everywhere thats anywhere in the norheast yet I still offer Redbones as my #1 restaraunt suggestion to anyone who asks. I'm there every week at least once. St. Louis ribs and BBQ chicken are indescribably delicious. Get there before 7PM. Sorry its popular and gets crowded only because its GOOD.

Pros: great service,, Davis Sq.locale

Posted 11/08/02

Unique restaurant with OK food and terrible service. . .wait staff is clueless and rude . .they have gotten too caught up in their success . . .

Posted 11/07/02

In a word? Mouthwatering! The BBQ is to-die-for! I came here on a date about 4 years ago and wondered why I hadn't discovered this place sooner. If you want good, finger-lickin' BBQ, get your behind to Redbones!

Posted 10/16/02

It's like entering another world, the aroma, the dark stairs, the decor is like an old southern barn done up shanty like. Cool.
The chow, well I have to say being a suburbanite, we just don't have this stuff around town....trek into Somerville for a tastebud treat. The ribs (which my hubby had) were melt in your mouth (I snagged a few bites!)...the sauce was a tangy, spicy and sweet heavenly mixture. Cornbread was moist sweet tasty stuff, didn't need butter! My pulled pork w/garlicky mashed potato & veggies were perfect partners. .PECAN PIE. Words can not do this pie justice. You have to steal a few nibbles from your hubby's pie.....because you must try SWEET POTATO PIE....super sweet & gooey-YUM
The lemonade or Ice tea comes served in mason jars...fun! Lots of Stu-dents were hanging out..made it a party like atmosphere. I loved it, worth the ride into Somerville.

Pros: atmosphere, friendly, superb chow

Cons: long wait, cramped seating

Posted 10/16/02

Redbones is one of my favorite places to dine in all of boston. The line is usually lone, after 7 pm on the weekends. Sometimes the waiters/waitresses are rude, supposedly that's part of the atmosphere. Catfish fingers are a great appetizer, comes with dipping sauce, pulled pork (solo or a plate), and the mahi mahi are great entrees. All bbq have different degrees. (mild, medium or hot!) Drinks are great, the bartenders are fab! Brews are changing all the time... My fav drink..the Horni Toad... can't go wrong....Redbones is the "place"

Pros: good food, reasonably priced

Cons: long waits

Posted 10/11/02

It's hard not to like Redbones, unless you're just cranky. The menu is large, the food is excellent, the beer selection is fantastic, and the service is very friendly. And the downstairs dining room has the best decor, with original art adorning every surface. But if you compare it to real southern BBQ, it doesn't compare. Blue Ribbon has a smaller selection but is more "fall-off-the-bone" smoky BBQ. On different occasions, the staff was exceptional in handling a large group.

Pros: Good Food, Good Service, Fun Atmosphere

Cons: Not quite great

Posted 09/15/02

Great food and Music. The sauces are outstanding. Sitting downstairs is a whole experience in itself. Don't miss this BAR-b-que. One of the best restaurants in Boston, for beer, Bones and great times.

Posted 09/08/02