Richard’s Bar-B-Q

Went here looking for authentic bbq when visiting the area. Service was great, place is charming, but food was really blah. Steak really tough, bland chicken, and flavorless sides. Disappointing.

this is for breakfast not BBQ. it was good, i think they are one of the only places that makes their own biscuits from scratch. I HATED the potato served though it’s some sort of potato patty more like a deep fried potato pancake (the McDonalds type). I almost gave them 2 stars but service was extra friendly.

Great bbq, spaghetti, salad bar is small but perfect! Don’t miss out on this great local bbq

Best bbq period, end of statement. Forget Memphis, forget Kansas City, forget Texas, just eat here to know what bbq really is.

I’m not sure how fair my rating would be because I have a feeling the BBQ here is different due to regional recipe differences, so I’m giving a three star «neutral» rating. But having lived in Texas for several years up until 2014, I’d consider myself pretty well versed in BBQ. This, however, didn’t do it for me at all. The sauce was very watery, but if this is par for the course for NC BBQ, then maybe that’s the way it should’ve been. The place was fairly empty when we visited, which I don’t always take as a good sign. Another BBQ place we drove by up the road was crazy crowded, and there were maybe two other customers in this one when we arrived around noon/​what would be lunch rush.

On a trip from Georgia we stopped here for lunch. Staff is nice. Lots of awards, but the BBQ didn’t have any flavor. It taught me that I don’t like North Carolina BBQ. I prefer a thicker sauce with flavor. My boyfriend described it as sawdust, but drier. Go YouTube the Stephen Colbert video about North Carolina BBQ and you will understand.

the service was good, fast and friendly. However the food itself was very bland. It has the potential to be one of the best. I love «vinegar“based barbeque, hickory smoked goodness, but much room for improvement.

Every time I go to NC I crave local BBQ. So I stopped in here on my way home. I had a BBQ plate with hush puppies and «RED/​BBQ» slaw. Very tasty, everything was good enough for my BBQ fix. The staff is friendly and the service was good. I was worth the stop.

I live right near Richard’s, so it’s easy to walk up the street and grab a meal now and then. Their breakfasts are large and plentiful and their lunches and dinners are no-​frills goodness. In fact there’s nothing pretentious about this place at all. I almost feel like I’m invading the space of my fellow Salisbury-​ans. (Salisbury-​ites? I dunno.) Anyway, it seems to be a favorite place for older people. The BBQ is good, but they give you SO much of it that it’s hard to finish it by yourself. It also sucks that you have to pay with cash, but they do have an ATM there.

The guys at the Coffe shop told us Richards was voted the «Best Breakfast in Salisbury» OK we are going! They said it is not just BBQ they have GREAT Breakfast items and I’m thinking [Barbeque is what I want]!
They do serve BBQ for Breakfast and it is VERY Good! 5 Unilocal stars for the BBQ!
Slaw like this gets an easy 5 Unilocal stars! This Slaw is «BBQ» Slaw (NO Mayo YAY!!!)! Bar-​B-​Que just the way I like it and at 8:00 who eats BBQ for Breakfast? Today I do!
The BBQ sauce is the simple kind, just a few ingredients, maybe only Two, I’m guessing Vinegar and Cayenne pepper (don’t misunderstand I like many kinds and flavors including the sweet ones, though this is one of my favorites)!
The Biscuits were fantastic!
The Service was perfect, compared to any restaurant at any price range!
The Patrons here very friendly and only in the most appropriate ways!

R was *dying* to get barbeque somewhere before we left NC, so I should have been surprised when he spotted Richard’s in passing. Having grown up in the area, of course I knew it was there, but I’d never been. It was okay, but I can’t say I’d be on the first plane back to NC for it.
We each got the bbq plate — huge mistake. There is so much pulled pork on one plate that it was socially irresponsible for us to get two. We definitely should have gotten the one and shared it. Oh well. But either way, it comes with two sides and rolls. I got green beans and mac & cheese. Both were a little bland, but edible. The bbq itself was okay; not my favorite since I like mine more marinated in bbq sauce.
Service was a-​ok, very fast. The food was alright, but the highlight was R’s first taste of Cheerwine! Yee-​haw!
So, yes, as the other reviewers have said, Richard’s is fine, but not the finest you can get in the area.

I’ve found that there are some things to like here. The barbecue is smokey, and a tad spicier than the typical Lexington style barbecue, and benefits from additional sauce at the table. The slaw here has tomato in it, which, thankfully, is rather rare for any restaurant, especially a barbecue one — tomatoes belong in salads and sandwiches, not slaw.
The Barbecue Chicken here is really nice, not the typical fowl drown in a sweet, red sauce. The chili dog is excellent once the salt content is adjusted. The hush puppies here are large, and are generally pretty tasty.
They offer home made spaghetti at dinner, but I’ve only had lunch here — I’ve been told the spaghetti is very good. Breakfast is also offered, and they do serve livermush. I’ve had the sandwich. and it was pretty good — a little onion enhances the taste, if not the breath.
This place is definitely worth a try, maybe not a destination type place, but if the opportunity arises — the barbecue needs a little work to get the taste right, but the smokiness and tenderness are there, and there are additional items worth trying.
Remember, that there are many folks in Salisbury that feel as strongly about the history and quality of barbecue served here as do their counterparts in Lexington. So go gently into that good barbecue restaurant, keep your own counsel if underwhelmed, cut the fedders from your mind and let it soar, but most of all, enjoy good ‘cue — it is not all the same — how boaring would that be.

This is your run-​of-​the-​mill BBQ joint that is typical for this region of the Carolina’s. It is better than a greasy spoon truck stop, albeit slightly. I go here when I am in the neighborhood, it is past time to eat, and I am really not digging the idea of fast food. It is what it is though, and remains consistent.