521 BBQ & Grill
| Address: | 1135 Stonecrest Blvd #101, Tega Cay, SC 29708, USA |
| Phone: | +1 803-548-0123 |
| Site: | 521bbqtegacay.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | Closed 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–8PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
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David Vasta
This is a new location near us and its nice to have local food by local folks. The inside is well done. Nice decorations and new. I could do without the big dirty BBQ pit out front spilling out smoke as you walk in. I also dont know who is in thinks is a quality BBQ joint using KINGSFORD wood and charcoal? Really? Are you serious? You are using charcoal from the Wal-Mart instead of using wood? Thats not how you do BBQ. I want to eat BBQ not smell like it. Plus the idea that my lunch is being transported from the parking lot to the kitchen....NO! The inside is arrange really funny. There is this dedicated BAR area which seems to be the focus inside and then the side where the people who come to eat BBQ sit. At the time the wait staff all seemed to like to hang out there, all while ignoring everyone eating. What is the focus BBQ or BAR. Pick on and try to do it well and stop doing both. Its the BOTH that gets people into trouble. Do one thing GREAT and do it all the time. Stop trying to be everything. The menu reflect this mess as well. So the sign says BBQ but the inside says BAR. Its kind of confusing. The menu is a mess. There is BBQ but then you have all this other stuff and I guess thats the BAR side or the GRILL side of things. BBQ joints should be a half page of perfection in big print. Make BBQ and make it well but stop all the other stuff no one wants and if it comes in a freezer bag in a truck you are doing BBQ wrong! Keep is simple....make BBQ and stop trying to be everything. I had the LARGE BBQ Samich and my son had the Pork Chop Samich. So while we were waiting other people came in and were served drinks and then served meals while we waited. There was about a 15 min. wait for the food. My BBQ showed up and the bun was cold. Very cold. Never heated up cold. Been sitting out on the counter cold. The meat was a bit warmer but I am guessing not the right temp at all. Loads of meat but the bun being cold was not good. The server seemed confused when I told her and offered to heat it up? My question was "Do you warm the buns" and she said she didnt know. The Pork Chop Samich didnt taste like anything at all. It was boring. Tasted like I would have made them at home. I dont go out to eat to eat stuff I can make at home. Make is spectacular or stop making it. Not enough meat on the bun and just boring taste overall. The 2 sauces are a bit boring too. The Tangy Sauce has way too much going on and the Vinegar based sauce is just a mess of flavors and such. I will commend them on just doing 2 sauces. Most bad BBQ places will have 3 or 4 sauces to try to cover up for them not knowing anything about BBQ. Would have loved a Mustard/Tomatoe Sauce but...meh. The ice maker/drink station is right in the middle of the seated area and is noisy. Its distracting. The service was OK but clearly this place is another BBQ joint being run by a few people who entered BBQ contest, won, and then someone told them to open a joint and this is the result. Its just not working. They have no idea how to run a restaurant and hope the big smoker thing and a decorated interior is going to make for a good place to eat, when in fact its not. The price was not bad but $23 for lunch for 2 people and nothing crazy it is a bit much for 2 people. Dont feel like it was anything special. Overall this was a huge disappointment. I wont be going there again.
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Gigi B Trippin
Very noisy and uncomfortable seating. Pork was very dry and tasted like stale pork rinds. Slaw was full of pepper, dry and grayish - nothing like southern Cole slaw. Sauce choices were too spicy - not sweet or smoky just super spicy and the dill pickles were bitter not sour. Hush puppies were buttermilk white cornbread that were very dry, tough, and chewy. Beans tasted like bullseye bbq sauce with a weird aftertaste. Potato salad was very very bland - basically waxy potatoes and mayo I walked in hoping for moist and smoked pork and left with an empty stomach and pepper acid burns inside my lips. Thank heavens I didnt try the banana pudding - I cant even begin to imagine how badly they would mess that up. Very, very disappointed.
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Thomas Hudson
Very disappointed. For a 12$ plate I should be able to choose my side and not forced to have French fries which have been under a heat lamp, so now I had slightly warm and dry French fries. GF had slaw and I had potato salad, came in little ketchup size mini cups with lids and you could taste and tell they have been in those mini cups for at least three days, starting to taste bad. Waitress delivered food and do not see her until she gave me my check. So no water refill and no beer on tap, which was 6$ for a 20 oz. Will not be back, they 40$ out of me, but never again. Oh and the factory pressed grilled chicken breast that is doctored up with grilling sauce
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kenneth cash
Its OK....ive had BBQ that was way better. Had the BBQ plate.. Not enough smoke in the meat in my opinion and it came out luke warm. The lack of smoke in the meat leads me to believe that the meat is cooked on a gas fired smoker. The smoker out front is for looks and effect from what we were told, no meat is cooked on it they just throw a log on it every now and again to keep the smoke going...its like an attractant. Ordered one beer when the waitress took our drink order. Took almost 10 min to get that because the bartender was on the phone.The baked beans were good though...
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khalil Parker
This Bbq is Terrible!! Hushpupies and fries are ok, but thats not what youre in business for. To make matters worse I placed a take out order, asked for a couple of different sauces to be in my bag, got home and there are non. So no sauce with bland BBQ, thats bad. Dont waste your $$$$, there are plenty of much better Bbq options here. Not satisfied after spending my money at all.
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Howard Weiss
Im not BBQ snob, but I really like it and THINK and I can distinguish good from bed. THIS WAS GOOD! Visiting Charlotte (in fact NC and SC) for the first time. Barbeque was at the top of my food agenda! 521 was terrific. shared a ribs and brisket combo plate with my wife- BIG quantity and REALLY delicious. Both ribs and beef were as good as Ive ever had. Terrific service too!
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Nate Noler
I visited this place while on a motorcycle trip. I had the ribs and they were incredible! The place is clean and has a cool vibe. There was live music the night I was there and it was great! It wasnt so loud that we couldnt talk while eating. The place was very busy and the wait staff was overwhelmed but not enough to ruin the experience. Ill definitely be back!
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Jeremy Nowak
We had a 20 min wait which was great. But got to the table and ordered the food and we had to wait 20 mins for some mozzarella sticks, and then it was over 1hr to get the food which was cold!!!!! Got home and reheated the food and it was good. So hope you get a good waitress that one sucked and will not go back again to that one.
