Decent barbecue but lacks consistency in take out. We have ordered from this location a number of times, especially now that famous Dave's has relocated north to germantown. The restaurant location itself is a bit dingy and dark, definitely in need of update. The food is pretty decent, although I prefer the Arlington location better. Best bets are any of the BBQ meats, especially the wet or sweet ribs (not a fan of the dry ribs) and just about any of the sides. In fact, they even have a platter of just sides, which is perfect! Catering is available but if you are looking for an option for your family, it ends up ring less expensive to buy a couple individual platters than it is to buy "per pound." The exception to this is the banana pudding or Brunswick stew (highly recommended!!) Be sure to triple check your to go order!!
(2)
Patty A.
Thank you reviewers for refreshing my memory about the poor quality of food. We are suppose to have bad weather tonight and being one of the few places on my way home and out of desperation I thought about ordering from this place again. Thanks to you I will just stop at Giant and save my money and my taste buds from this crap.
(1)
Anto G.
This is probably the best bbq place around. The nachos they have are amazing and I love the pulled pork. The people who work here are friendly and the bar isn't bad.
(5)
A. J.
Quality is not so good. Tables dirty. Service slow and inattentive. Is there not a good BBQ joint in the area anymore!? #thisplacesucks
(2)
Elizabeth W.
This place was a place I don't remember liking but went anyway because that was where my football girls were meeting and I was dying to see them again! Honestly, this place doesn't deserve much of a review because it isn't much of a place. It was maybe halfway populated when my group of 7 showed up around 1:30pm. Almost no one came in after us though. The waiter was attentive to us as we slowly trickled in to get our drink orders, but disappeared after that. I think we waited about 10 minutes or so before I finally started looking around to see where he went. So, there's a service station in the back that he basically spent his whole time hiding out in. It was very difficult being patient enough to wait to catch his eye. We finally ordered and waited what seemed like forever for our food. By this time it's 2pm and the place is almost empty. I swear we got checked on by the busser more times than by our waiter. The food was ok, a little bland but the bbq sauces made up for it. The water tasted funky but there really was no waiter to ask him to change it out, so we just didn't worry about it. Honestly? I'd go somewhere else to eat. The service here stinks. And the waiter ALSO pocketed my $0.80! Seriously? you were going to get it anyway, but at least allow me to make the decision first! In short? Service stinks, food's not good enough to suffer the service and the water tastes funky! He never came to refill the drinks either! UGH!
(2)
Bianca F.
Tried this place because my friend recommended the Cajun burger (it has a funny name). We ordered the food to go & it took forever. Plus, we had ordered some sampler appetizer. I wish the waiter would have said our meal already comes w/ two sides because the appetizer was a waste of money. I had the beef briscuit and it smelled like pork. The beans smelled like pork. They did a good job of wrapping up the food in Saran Wrap to prevent leakage. I won't be back.
(1)
Kim M.
I was surprised to see the mediocre reviews for this place. It's been here for quite a few years now and although I don't frequent the place, I've not been disappointed with it. I went with my father one evening during a hellacious downpour. The place was pretty quiet, with probably only 4 tables occupied. We were greeted and seated promptly, and the waitress came immediately and took our drink orders. Any place that serves root beer deserves at least 2-3 stars in my book. She brought our drinks in mini pitchers - yes, Big Gulp-sized pitchers - and that was awesome. For the first time, I didn't need a refill on my root beer. They put the calorie counts on their menu, which I appreciate but also find cringe-worthy. For example, their half-rack of ribs is more than 1400 calories, and the full rack is 2300+. Holy sh*t. The lowest calorie items are the pulled chicken and pulled pork, so I decided to try the pulled pork platter. My father ordered the beef brisket platter. The food arrived in a reasonable time and was served at an appropriate temperature - not too hot, not cold. The servings are ample, especially for the price. The cornbread mini-muffins that came with the meal were decent. Not great, but not bad, a little bland but certainly edible. The baked beans have a really good flavor to them. It's difficult to find good coleslaw these days, so my expectations in that arena were not high. It was not the best I've had (and I admit I'm picky about coleslaw), but it was not bad. I've definitely had worse. Much worse. My pulled pork was a little bit on the dry side, but had good flavor and was still tender. My father's beef brisket (I tried some) was tender and very tasty. I prefer the sweet sauce, and found it very good on the pork. My father likes to mix the sweet and hot sauce. It's nice to have that option. Overall, I thought the food was good, the servings ample, and the price reasonable. Was it the best barbecue I've ever had? No. But was it better than I expected, based on the reviews? Absolutely.
(4)
Susan O.
We eat here often enough because the specials are reasonably priced and the food is good. They have the best potato salad in the world. The service is usually so-so. The last time we went we wanted to get the special. Even though I usually just order water to save on cost and calories you have to order a drink to get the special. We ordered 3 cokes and a diet coke. The waitress repeated it back and it was correct on the receipt but we got 1 coke, 1 diet coke, and 2 dr. peppers. Don't know how that happened. I wanted to order an appetizer but she didn't come back around for almost 30 minutes. We were waiting for some people to show up but figured we'd order an appetizer while we were waiting and mention the incorrect drinks. I turned around several times in my seat and caught her eye but she never came over until the other people showed up. They were not ready to order so she said she'd come back. She came back about 15 minutes lasted to take our order. At this point we had been there for 45 minutes and the place was closing in 5 minutes. We said we were going to leave. She brought us the check for our incorrect drinks that we never even got a refill on. We paid for those even though we probably shouldn't have had to and went somewhere else.
(3)
Michael K.
I've been going to red hot & blue for bbq for years. Recently, this place has gone down hill on quality. My wife and I ordered the beef brisket, and it came to us looking old and dried up. We spoke to mgmt and they replaced our meals with some fresh chicken. Beware of what they serve you... If it looks like day old food, it probably is...
(1)
Dan B.
Out on the bike again, so guess what, I'm having ribs again, this time at Red Hot & Blue. I just want to say, I'm really getting tired of average or flat out bad BBQ I've been running into lately! That being said, here I go again... I ordered the half-slab of their spare ribs with the MoJo mild sauce. In my opinion, the ribs w/ MoJo sauce is very middling. The sauce is tomato based sauce that has a vinegar-spicy kick to it but, lacks a lasting flavor pop to it. The meat is tender and appears to have been smoked, as evident by the pink hue in it, but is extremely bland and lacks the smokey flavor I expect from smoked meats. Very disappointing! The coleslaw is also bland. The texture and crispness/freshness is there; however, it tastes as if it was prepared for consumption at your local hospital's cardiac care unit-- too little spices, vinegar, and whatever else that makes slaw tastes good. The baked beans are good. It has an onion sweet flavor that is the only saving grace to this lunch. The cornbread was decent but nothing memorable. It's been several years since I've eaten RH & B and this place has definitely slipped. 10-15 years ago, I remember RH&B as an excellent BBQ joint and the place to go for good ribs. Today, not so. In my book, there's only two kinds of BBQ, good and bad BBQ. Average BBQ is bad BBQ. RH&B needs to pick its game up or find itself in the scrapheap of BBQ history, IMO.
(2)
Beverly S.
Yum!! Reasonable prices with a variety of meal choices. There's something for everyone here. The BBQ pulled chicken , fries, coleslaw, and hush puppies are all recommended. The servers are always very nice. The restaurant definitely needs a little updating but the food and service makeup for lackluster decor/atmosphere.
(4)
Michelle L.
I decided to give this place one more try. This time was somewhat worse than the time before. The brisket was dry. I ordered the stew as a side. I didn't get it. They gave me cole slaw instead. My fiance ordered the stew as well. He didn't get his either. We ordered these items because we wanted them. Instead, they take our money and not give us what we ordered.
(1)
Dee B.
My chicken was crazy salty. My water tasted horrible. Overall, not a great experience, and I don't think I'll return.
(2)
Dan W.
Wow. I know this area is kinda lacking in some good BBQ (urban is my go to spot), but this place is just horrendous. The "wet" ribs looked like the sauce had dried off days ago. The collard greens and cole slaw were both very watery and bland. The baked beans tasted like they came out of a can (which was actually the best thing on my plate). I've been to other red white and Blues, and it was never this bad. Avoid this location!
(1)
Shani H.
I'm as greedy as they come. Yes, I'm talking greedy fat fat, clean plate club kinda gal, and I didn't finish this meal. *gasp* Yes it was that bad. First off I was confused where to order my lunch. There was no one at the hostess stand or the tiny bar in the front. Sure I was dressed like a blue collar construction worker but at least 5 servers passed by me and no one asked if I needed help. Hmph! Finally someone comes to the bar. I order the pulled chicken meal with baked beans and added potato salad. $11 My food came out in 5 minutes flat. Kinda weird but hey, I didn't order anything special. Took a bite of the chicken sammich.......yuck! It didn't even taste like chicken. Next I added sauce to it......yuck. Then I added some of the coleslaw to it....STILL yuck. smh. Next the potato salad. I had to add a packet of salt and pepper to it. It wasn't bad but needed a lil soul to it. The baked beans were awful. They tasted like the cook poured a big ole can of baked beans in a pot, chopped up some big azz onions and peppers, and boiled for two minutes and said WHALAH. If I hadn't driven to my next job site and was still in the parking lot I would have taken it back and got a refund. I threw the whole thing in the trash. Worst. Meal. Ever.
(1)
Shawn H.
Red Hot & Blue used to be awesome. Maybe it still rocks at another location, but my experience on Saturday night at the one on Crabbs Branch makes me never want to walk into Red Hot & Blue again. The service was weak and the food was dried out so badly that our ribs were barely even chewable. If there was a manager working, they're in the wrong business. I've eaten at this location a number of times in the past and it was always good. I was shocked and dismayed by the time it took to get service (it was SLOW when we walked in at around 9:30pm) and even more by the quality of the food we received. Not one item on our meat sampler platter (whatever it's called) was freshly cooked or good. The chicken had an actual foul taste (not like chicken though) and the pulled pork tasted like it had been cooked a few days before. The brisket was drier than leather. It was still soft, but flavorless. The ribs were so dry, the outside wasn't even chewable. The sausage was not dried out or overcooked... it just wasn't warm. When I mentioned to our server that I thought everything tasted like it had been sitting under a hot light for the entire evening, he feigned the apology and offered more meat. I immediately replied, well if it's the same overcooked, dried out meat, I've already lost my appetite for that. he didn't have a reply, so he came back a minute later (presumably after having spoken with a manager) and offered a dessert "on the house"... Okay, so I had completely lost my appetite and certainly didn't want dessert. I mean, that makes sense at this point, doesn't it? I really should have just refused to pay, but that's petty right? I just won't go back.
(1)
Paulette F.
Just ate at RH&Blue. When you first walk in the door you're hit with a musty smell. We should have trusted our noses and left. The food was mediocre to horrible! Kids grilled cheese was fine, but my husbands St. Louis ribs and brisket had a spoiled, un-fresh taste. Very disappointing from years ago when we used to eat there years ago
(1)
Gary S.
The food was horrible. I have never had jerky ribs before, or leather-shoe sole brisket. This stuff obviously was smoked several hours earlier, and sat on a hot plate for HOURS. It was dry, desiccated and tasteless. The wet was not wet: It was a crusted, hard paste. And the dry was Death Valley dry. Do not take just my word for it, read the comments on this review; I am not the only one who thought they were eating mummified flesh. After three bones, my jaw was sore from trying to chew this stuff. My daughter took me for my birthday. I felt so bad that I paid for it instead of her. I should (and will in the future) have gone to Famous Dave's.
(1)
Fenny L.
When I was a kid, my dad owned a bunch of Chinese restaurants, and my mother was convinced that American food would give me cancer (or make my boobs big. Either way, both are bad bad bad things in her book), so when we ate out (which was often), it was always at a Chinese - or on the super rare occasion, steak (but my dad would always carry his own soy sauce to use with the steak...none of that evil A-1 crap for him!) - restaurant. So imagine the shock to my tastebuds when at 15, I was invited out to dinner by a friend's family, and we went out for...BBQ. I don't remember where we went...it was probably something that's out of business (like Ponderosa...do any locals remember Ponderosa? Man, that was some good eats!), but I will NEVER forget those sweet, succulent, tender, smoky, fall off the bone ribs. I've been chasing the great white whale of finding those perfect ribs again, ever since. Red Hot and Blue are good...but definitely not it (yeah, I did a big build up for nothing, but I'm feeling chatty today). To be perfectly fair - I have never eaten IN the restaurant...it's so close to my house that it's easier to just order it to-go (so no one can see what a pig I am). I usually get the sampler platter, because, well, I like choices in my meat. Also because RH&B has a slight problem with consistency, so I like to hedge my bets. Sometimes, their pulled pork is so tender that you feel like writing a haiku to it's yumminess...but then the next time, it's bound to be dry and a little flavorless. The ribs have usually been pretty good in terms of consistency, but I always ask for an extra sauce packet, just to be safe. The sausage is good - but it's not going to win any awards. The brisket...well... There is this thing about brisket. If you cook it right, it will yield the most flavorful, tender, and delicious morsel of meat you've ever put into your mouth. If you don't...well...we don't like to talk about that. RH&B comes close, but just misses the mark. Their brisket is indeed tasty and generally (there's that consistency issue again) quite tender. However the flavor...well, be sure to ask for that extra packet of sauce. The sampler platter is also loaded up with sides. Which are pretty OK - but I'll be honest, I don't really ever *taste* the sides. I view the sides at a BBQ joint, the way I view the palette cleansing sorbet that is served between courses at fine restaurants. I snarf down a side or two in between meats, so I have a clean palette for the next meat. I've been told by my husband that their sides are fairly decent...he especially loves the cornbread (wait...they have cornbread?!?), but let's face it - no one goes to a BBQ joint for the sides. All in all, RH&B is a good place to go if you are craving BBQ and just happen to be nearby. It's also good if you're none too finicky about BBQ. They are fast with the take-out, and the portions are decent. Basically a nice default place to go...but it's not for those serious about their meat.
(3)
Taylor F.
yeah, pretty much concur with everyone that the food here stinks. worst BBQ I've ever had. tried multiple items and none were even close to decent. I've heard they've gone downhill over the years and it shows.
(1)
Mariella B.
I used to like Red Hot and Blue or maybe I liked a different location but it seems like all their food has been sitting around maybe even a hot lamp. I love pork sandwiches but they're always dry and their ribs are chewy and nasty. Save your money and tastebuds and go next door to the Chinese restaurant but if you really want BBQ go to the Kentlands Famous Dave's or off the Pike at Urban BBQ.
(1)
Daniel G.
I could eat there every day. Incredibly fast service for a sit-down restaurant.
(5)
r. r.
I have just returned from the worst restaurant experience I have ever had. We arrived at Red, Hot and Blue at 3:00 pm on Dec. 27th and there were eight of us. We ordered and it took at an hour to get our food, excess at any time. When it arrived, there were 7 entrees, not 8; we assumed that the 8th person's food was on the way. About 10 minutes later with no sign of our waiter, I went to look for him. I finally had to peek into the kitchen and yell "hello, hello" and still no server. I went down a hall to the bathrooms and yelled "hello" again and he finally heard me and came to see what the trouble was. We told him that one person in our party had not received their food and he said he was sorry and went into the back. She again had to wait another 10 minutes for her food and by that time most of us were finished. Never, once did our server come and ask how our meal was, ask if there was anything else that we wanted or if we wanted a to go box, which I could have used since I had left most of my meal. I had the pulled pork sandwich which was awful and I had no desire to take any home. The pork was huge slabs of meat, no "pulled" about it, with fat all throughout it. When the bill came, we noticed that gratuity was already added and I then asked him how much was the gratuity and he told us 20%! I have never had a worse server in my life -- I had to hunt him down to get one of our party's meal! When the bill came I went to the take out area and asked if there was a manager on duty and was told that our server was the manager! I guess when he knows that he is assured 20% there is no reason to be competent in his job. Personally, I was considering giving him no tip and I have never done that is a restaurant before. Needless to say, we will never be back and I hope this review keeps other people from having to go through the kind of experience that I just had.
(1)
Mike G.
Absolutely miserable experience. They got two of our three orders wrong and it wasn't even busy. There were only two other customers there. The waiter told us that the chef "must have forgot" when asked why there wasn't any buffalo sauce on a BUFFALO chicken wrap. The pork on the buffalo sandwich was completely dry. The service also took forever even though the place was practically empty. All we heard was laughing from the kitchen and it seemed like no one wanted to be there. Terrible food and terrible service. Never going back.
(1)
Yemi ..
Good customer service and great food. While I have had better BBQ for a chain restaurant, the food is okay for none picky eater. If you are looking for a quick BBQ restaurant at reasonable price.
(3)
Allison L.
Another reviewer said that no one comes to BBQ places for the sides, however, if you are someone who doesn't completely love BBQ when your whole family does (me!) then you generally focus mostly on the sides. We stopped in Saturday night and picked up takeout. For a pretty large order it only took about 15 minutes for everything to be done. In addition to the pulled pork and pulled chicken, which I didn't try, we got potato salad, cole slaw, hush puppies, memphis fries, sweet potato fries, catfish fingers, and garlic mashed potatoes. The good: hush puppies (sooooo good, but one order only comes with 6... which I ate on the drive home... therefore you should get way more than 1 order), memphis fries, catfish fingers, garlic mashed potatoes. The ok: potato salad. The, probably fine but really didn't do it for me: sweet potato fries (wayyy too mushy by the time we got home) and cole slaw.
(3)
Jen G.
Absolutely disgusting. How does someone mess up chicken fingers? The chicken had a clear gel in it. They have better chicken at public school cafeterias. We are pretty fair with our reviews and star giving, but this place does not even deserve one star. I'm sure many years ago it was a great spot, but it is dirty and feels as though grease is caked on everything. My pulled chicken sandwich had very pink chicken and a small squirt of BBQ. I had to add BBQ sauce from the appetizer we got.
(1)
Janet H.
Whenever we have some kind of event at the office.. my coworkers occasionally order from Red Hot & Blue. Usually just the pull pork/chicken sandwiches and some starters. I've never been too big of a fan but its a "work function" so I'm obligated to participate right? For a dinner gathering with friends, someone suggested to come here, I was hesitant but left the decision up to the group since noone else had been here so I didn't want to take this experience from them. I never knew where this place is since I've always had it delivery to the office. They are located at the corner of a really old shopping center with nothing worth mentioning. Ehh, I had a bad feeling already? We started off with their onion ring and sweet potato fries. While the sweet potato fries were good, the onion ring was just okay. Most people ordered the wet ribs and I decided to get a beef brisket sandwich because I know I would not finish the ribs and it's just too messy. So we ordered.. waited.. and waited.. and waited some more.. no food.. waited some more and one hour later food finally here! I barely touched my sandwich.. it looked dry and tasteless. The ribs as I was told was lacking flavor as well. Definitely not a meal worth the $200 we paid.
(3)
Ina C.
The pulled pork sandwich was better than the pulled chicken sandwich, but the bread for both was so dry that it made the meat seem dry, too. The coleslaw was kinda bland, but the potato salad was pretty tasty. The "wet" ribs were the best part of our lunch today (so tender and moist), and I'm glad we decided to try it! Tom was our waiter and brought us everything we needed and answered our questions about their catering menu. Our service was just right! Even with the good service and yummy ribs, I wasn't totally wowed by this place. Maybe it was because it felt really chainy - kinda like the Bennigans of BBQ? Is that an evil thing to say? :)
(3)
John T.
We went late on a Sunday afternoon. Unpleasant waiter with an eyebrow piercing takes our drink order... comes back with drinks and asks us for our food order. I say ribs. "Sorry... W'ere out of ribs." It took me a while to realize he wasn't kidding. We got up and left. 1. No excuse for a rib place to run out of ribs on a Sun. afternoon. 2. They should have put up a sign at the front or told us before we ordered our drinks. However... the food there is good - especially for a chain.
(3)
Jim H.
Not too bad for BBQ in these parts (and well since I grew up in Kansas and lived in Tennessee I DO know BBQ. The "front door" is kinda on the side of the building but its not too bad for Chain BBQ
(3)
Kevin G.
Excellent food and service - most tender chicken I have ever had - great job!
(5)
Nicole L.
I always wanted to check out the Red Hot & Blue and the fact that there was one so close by was just another excuse to go out to lunch! My lunch buddy and me met up at RHB it was pretty packed. The restaurant looked a bit cliche and it smelled "old". The Southern menu was so tantalizing with just about everything from BBQ to catfish to plain old fried chicken. The waiter first served us drinks in a small pitcher, yeah a pitcher. It's pretty smart given the service was very slow at RHB but my calories intake went off the chart!! I ordered the wet ribs with beef brisket and my friend, the sweet ribs and catfish. While waiting, we noticed other tables having this cluster of onion straws that was shaped in a cube. It just looked too much!!! We ended up ordering it - I couldn't stop eating it! Oink Oink! Instead of having beans and coleslaw for sides I opted for the fried okra and collard greens. They were sooooo good. The ribs was delicious and the brisket was so-so but the Hoochie Coochie hot sauce made up for the dryness of the brisket. Everything tasted awesome with the HCie sauce! It was hot enough to make my nose run I loved it!! That's why it received a 4-star. Gotta love the hot sauce.
(4)
Sylvan F.
Went in at lunch and was very busy. Had the dry rub wings and they were very flavorful and moist. Server was very high energy and recommended a rib and sandwich combo and it was outstanding. Potato salad al always was to die for. Got in and out in 35 minutes and all was exceptional
(5)
Tom M.
We come here off and on depending on our food mood. they have a special on Monday nights where all the burgers are $5. I know, that's not BBQ, but it's a good deal and the burgers are decent. Getting to the BBQ, the ribs are pretty good, pulled pork is good. Not awesome but consistent. Service is hit/miss, lately it's been good but it has been really lame in the past.
(3)
George C.
I've lived in the DC area for 18 years, and Red Hot & Blue has bar none the best local ribs. There's a reason they win the city cook-offs. When rating a restaurant, always be sure you're trying their specialty; in this case, ribs. Wet or dry (dry is mypersonal favorite: a slightly spicy dry rub; wet is a sweet/tangy sauce). Also, a hidden gem is the cornflour fried catfish -- I've even had two avowed "fish-hating" children devour it and ask for more, and they now make it their standard order. (You can get the best of both worlds -- catfish and a half rack of ribs - if you order the Mississippi Surf & Turf.) As for service: I've seen some comments below that are a pretty dramatic departure from our experience: we're here about once every 4-6 weeks, and service has always been fast.
(5)
dave h.
Red, Hot, and Blue is a classic Memphis rib and pork joint. They jam out to some of the best old blues in history while serving BBQ pulled pork sandwich's with cole slaw and home cooked BBQ sauce on top. They have dry and wet ribs, that are pretty good. Their pulled pork is where it is at. Damn, forget KFC, these sandwiches are finger linking good. The only thing i don't like is the beer selection is pretty feeble, Bud, Bud Lt, Coors Lt, and Yuengling; they need to add come better beers.
(3)
Ana P.
A few co-workers and I went to RH&B for lunch today. I had eaten food from this restaurant at events where it had been catered, but had never gone to a location. This location is clean and well-maintained, but you can tell that it is old and has not been updated like the shiny Famous Dave's or Mission BBQ in Germantown. -1 star for having the credit card readers out of service. We were able to walk to the ATM at Capital One just a few doors down for cash, but had to pay the non-bank up-charge of $3 to get access. We were seated right away (not a big lunch crowd, but there were still patrons) and our waitress was very sweet and attentive. I loved the huge "glasses" they serve beverages in. They look like mini-pitchers! I ordered off of the lunch special menu: Pulled Chicken sandwich with season fries (rather than the potato salad) and coleslaw on the side for $7.99. Oh, there was also a sliver of a pickle. Perfect size. There were four sauces on our table and although I do not recall all the names, I remember the flavors varied from sweet, to sour, to hot. Mojo Mild was my favorite and the Hoochie Cootchie was too hot to handle! The coleslaw was pretty good! The dressing was creamy and tangy and the cabbage had a nice crunch. I really liked the seasoned fries and they were so flavorful that they did not need ketchup. The pulled chicken was the best I have ever had. It was drizzled with barbecue sauce and I words cannot do justice to how soft and tender the chicken was. The meat was high quality and 98% white meat. I am very picky when it comes to meat and do not like fat, grizzle, or dark meat and only two pieces of the chicken were not to my liking. Everything else was perfect. The buns were lightly toasted, buttered, and very soft. We were also given red and white pillow mints (the powdery ones) with out check and my co-worker loves those so the waitress was so kind and gave him a huge fistful to go! she got a nice tip in return :) I am glad to know I don't always have to travel far for great barbecue!
(4)
Sara R.
I had heard about red hot & blue and saw a Offer for living social so I decided to give it a try. I went with my family. I don't know if they were short staffed but I only saw two servers. We waited at the front for a hostess for about five minutes then decided to peak my head in and look for someone in order to get seated. My husband already wanted to leave but considering we were already there and had a Voucher to get out of the way, I convinced him to stay. Our waiter was either dry or overworked. It wouldn't have hurt him to smile just a little bit. When taking our order, it seemed as if he was a bit impatient and he made A sarcastic remark that looked like it was directed towards my husband. My husband vowed to never come back and also took it out of his tip. We started out with the wings and fried pickles which were really good. I had the ribs, fried fish, fries and with a side of fried okra. I did like the fried fish and okra. The ribs were ok but I guess you could say I was expecting a lot more. My husband and son ate most of their food but weren't exactly wowed. We all agreed that the wings and fried pickles were the highlight of our meal. All in all it's fairly priced.... You get what you pay for. But the waiters need to be sent to charm school.
(2)
Abegail A.
2.5 stars on Yelp yet I still had to try it for myself. I'm glad I did because now I know why this Red Hot & Blue got the rating that it did. Bah! The Hickory Bacon Cheeseburger was bland and not juicy at all...definitely tasted like the patty was frozen and not fresh. No amount of their mojo BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, or bacon could save this burger. Although I really enjoyed the bun, it was a little too much bread for me. The fries that came with the cheeseburger were standard, with some not being fully cooked. I also tried some meats from on their Smokin' Platters. Pulled pork...yikes! Ribs and beef brisket were decent. Mac and cheese was okay and the mini cornbreads were pretty good. Parking is plentiful, but could be somewhat difficult to find during peak hours in the shopping center. If you order your food to go, they place it in a styrofoam container and wrap it a bazillion times in saran wrap. Kind of hilarious.
(2)
J N.
Brisket platter and a cup of chili. The chili was by far my favorite part of our lunch! I would go back just for a bowl of it! The brisket was flavorful but one of our slices was dried out and tough. The cornbread on the side would have been better had it been fresh; it was hard to the touch. We mentioned it to our waiter so hopefully they will toss the old cornbread and serve fresh on a daily basis. Our server was friendly, speedy and attentive.
(3)
Matt R.
Mediocre food at elevated prices. Not bad if you want bbq without effort, but all the same, nothing special. The cornbread is pretty great, though.
(3)
Ronda E.
Good service, excellent ribs and a nice selection of sauces. Would definitely eat here again!
(4)
Nicole R.
brisket was soo disgusting!! i didn't even eat it. some parts were red some were purple and some were brown. how gross!!!!
(1)
Marissa T.
I've never really eaten here, rather any Red, Hot, & Blue establishment. I have had it catered on a couple of occasions and even then I was like ehhh. Day/time: Friday, 5pm. Service: Our waiter was so dry that it was uncomfortable. Who cares, I suppose. I was with my family and we were just looking for a quick dinner before trick or treating. He did his job... Just no personality. Food: I got the chicken pulled sandwich with coleslaw and their potato salad. The sandwich was dry and nothing commendable, even after I drenched it with their BBQ sauce. The coleslaw was dry as well and needed a bit more mayo perhaps. The potato salad needed more salt to make it consumable. We also got chicken strips (appetizer) and fries for the children as their meal. I think that was the best tasting on our table. My husband got the BBQ burger. He ate it all but didn't make any comment. Restrooms: the women's restroom toilets were all dirty. It was 5pm, and literally, 8 people in the restaurant eating with probably 7 other workers I've seen. You're telling me that no one can clean the toilets when it is slow? Or at least prepare for what should be your busy time/Friday night crowd? Ew. Overall, I wouldn't return to any Red, Hot & Blue establishment based on the catering I've eaten, as well as this dinning experience. I'll be much happier at Famous Dave's if I'm looking for a BBQ chain.
(1)
Tom A.
Beer taps are broken and probably the worst BBQ I've ever had.
(1)
Ryan N.
All Red Hot and Blue locations usually have consistantly decent BBQ and sides and this one is no exception. Of course you can go somewhere else to get better or cheaper BBQ, but if you live in the area, this location is convenient and can provide a filling meal. The inside of the place is kind of outdated and worn but service was good and food came out quick, so that's not a big deal.
(3)
kevin l.
Nothing too great, lots of fried food, barbecue is okay but not as good as it should be for a place that specializes in it. Lots of food and drink but just sub par food and drink.
(2)
Stephanie S.
I have been to Red Hot & Blue a couple of the times over the years. I have always been impressed by their great food, but there service is only so-so (usually it's pretty slow). Recently, I ordered a pulled chicken sandwich with potato salad. The sandwich was really tasty, but a little on the dry side. The potato salad was perfectly mixed and wasn't too creamy. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who has a craving for some good Southern styled food.
(3)
Claudette H.
Ribs were good but chicken wings were overcooked and funky tasting. Pork barbecue sandwich was cold. We were a party of 5 eating at 6:15 and it took one hour to get our meal! The waitress was polite and efficient but the kitchen was not producing the food. Lunch time is much better...food comes fast and tastes fresh. Very disappointing dinner visit.
(1)
Joey R.
I've been here four times. This will be the last at this location... Try Arlington, or if south, La Plata.
(2)
Shawna G.
Been very good everytime I have gone. Service is fast and you'll be in and out for lunch within 35 minutes! They have REALLY good wings and of course the ribs and fall off the bone tender! Try all the sauces that are placed on your table!!! All very good !!
(4)
shawn g.
Don't let the fact this place is tucked in to the armpit of an old strip mall behind a mcdonald's drive you away. It's a decent place to get some chow. It does feel somewhat like a chain restaurant, laid out like a crapplebee's or fridays. The staff are friendly, and they always ask if you've eaten there before (company policy?) I wasn't ready to commit to a half rack of ribs by myself, so i went with the sampler platter. coleslaw was abundant, and the memphis dry ribs were super tasty. the beef brisket was well executed too. can't say the same for the chicken which was so dry it left me lunging for the mini-pitcher of AP, and the sausage was far too oily to be enjoyable. I'm sure if this was somewhere walkable, i would have downed a beer or two, but since it's in suburban gaithersburg, I didn't want to risk getting lost trying to get back to my hotel in some deliverance action below the Mason Dixon line, I'm still a northern boy, remember? I did notice a pretty constant stream of people coming in the door for takeout, so maybe that's the way to go. Atmosphere there is not as strong as their BBQ sauce.
(3)
Tiffany V.
Food is usually great, but we have had bad service lately. Took forever to get waited on initially and then food was a long time coming out. Also, it was so cold we all had to leave our jackets on and were really uncomfortable. There are other BBQ places around here I would go to before RH&B.
(2)
Stan F.
Great pulled pork sandwich. Also, they have banana pudding for dessert.
(4)
Randy R.
Showed up around 430, seated quickly but appetizer(nachos) didn't show up for quite a while.
(3)
Lisa L.
We came here for dinner last night. I got the Delta Double: Wet Ribs & Beef Brisket and my husband got the 5-Meat Sampler: Ribs, Pulled Pork, BBQ Chicken, Sausage and Beef Brisket. I also got a side salad and we both had sodas. It wasn't that busy for a Thurs night and we had a friendly waitress. Food came out quick & portions were good-sized. Our dishes came with sides of Cole Slaw (no flavor at all) & BBQ beans (good, it was sweet). The table had 4 sauces you could put on your meat. Although it did seem like I was in Applebee's with all the stuff on the walls, the food was definitely better, not the best BBQ in the world but pretty good. Dinner came out to be around $38 (before tips).
(3)
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
Address :16811 Crabbs Branch Way
Deerwood, MD, 20855
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Divey, Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Drive-Thru : No Caters : Yes
Burger or Hamburger is savored as the most desired fast food meal in the United States. A hamburger is basically a sandwich prepared by stuffing ground meat patty, generally beef, between two slices of a bun cut in half. Hamburger is also famous for its seasoning. Most popular condiments used in hamburgers in the United States are mustard, mayonnaise, and ketchup. Besides ground meat patty, hamburgers are also stuffed with lettuce, onions, tomato slices, pickles, and cheese.
Hamburgers are also categorized into two types in the United States. Fast food hamburger and individual hamburgers served at restaurants are two basic types of burgers served in the United States. The individual hamburgers served at restaurants are prepared using everything including lettuce, onion, tomato, and sliced pickles as well as melted cheese on the patty or crumbled on top. American restaurants also serve veggie burgers for those who don't relish meat. Cheeseburgers are also hot favorite in the United States.
McDonalds is the most popular fast food burger restaurant serving different types of burgers in the United States. On the other hand, there are several restaurants such as Burger King are famous for serving the best hamburgers in the United States. Most burger restaurants in the United States often serve hamburgers with French fries and other condiments. If you have a liking for burgers in the United States, then you won't be disappointed. You can easily find the best burger restaurants in your city on our Restaurants Listings directory. Check the reviews and ratings of the top burger restaurants and savor yourself with the best hamburger in the city.
Tina C.
Decent barbecue but lacks consistency in take out. We have ordered from this location a number of times, especially now that famous Dave's has relocated north to germantown. The restaurant location itself is a bit dingy and dark, definitely in need of update. The food is pretty decent, although I prefer the Arlington location better. Best bets are any of the BBQ meats, especially the wet or sweet ribs (not a fan of the dry ribs) and just about any of the sides. In fact, they even have a platter of just sides, which is perfect! Catering is available but if you are looking for an option for your family, it ends up ring less expensive to buy a couple individual platters than it is to buy "per pound." The exception to this is the banana pudding or Brunswick stew (highly recommended!!) Be sure to triple check your to go order!!
(2)Patty A.
Thank you reviewers for refreshing my memory about the poor quality of food. We are suppose to have bad weather tonight and being one of the few places on my way home and out of desperation I thought about ordering from this place again. Thanks to you I will just stop at Giant and save my money and my taste buds from this crap.
(1)Anto G.
This is probably the best bbq place around. The nachos they have are amazing and I love the pulled pork. The people who work here are friendly and the bar isn't bad.
(5)A. J.
Quality is not so good. Tables dirty. Service slow and inattentive. Is there not a good BBQ joint in the area anymore!? #thisplacesucks
(2)Elizabeth W.
This place was a place I don't remember liking but went anyway because that was where my football girls were meeting and I was dying to see them again! Honestly, this place doesn't deserve much of a review because it isn't much of a place. It was maybe halfway populated when my group of 7 showed up around 1:30pm. Almost no one came in after us though. The waiter was attentive to us as we slowly trickled in to get our drink orders, but disappeared after that. I think we waited about 10 minutes or so before I finally started looking around to see where he went. So, there's a service station in the back that he basically spent his whole time hiding out in. It was very difficult being patient enough to wait to catch his eye. We finally ordered and waited what seemed like forever for our food. By this time it's 2pm and the place is almost empty. I swear we got checked on by the busser more times than by our waiter. The food was ok, a little bland but the bbq sauces made up for it. The water tasted funky but there really was no waiter to ask him to change it out, so we just didn't worry about it. Honestly? I'd go somewhere else to eat. The service here stinks. And the waiter ALSO pocketed my $0.80! Seriously? you were going to get it anyway, but at least allow me to make the decision first! In short? Service stinks, food's not good enough to suffer the service and the water tastes funky! He never came to refill the drinks either! UGH!
(2)Bianca F.
Tried this place because my friend recommended the Cajun burger (it has a funny name). We ordered the food to go & it took forever. Plus, we had ordered some sampler appetizer. I wish the waiter would have said our meal already comes w/ two sides because the appetizer was a waste of money. I had the beef briscuit and it smelled like pork. The beans smelled like pork. They did a good job of wrapping up the food in Saran Wrap to prevent leakage. I won't be back.
(1)Kim M.
I was surprised to see the mediocre reviews for this place. It's been here for quite a few years now and although I don't frequent the place, I've not been disappointed with it. I went with my father one evening during a hellacious downpour. The place was pretty quiet, with probably only 4 tables occupied. We were greeted and seated promptly, and the waitress came immediately and took our drink orders. Any place that serves root beer deserves at least 2-3 stars in my book. She brought our drinks in mini pitchers - yes, Big Gulp-sized pitchers - and that was awesome. For the first time, I didn't need a refill on my root beer. They put the calorie counts on their menu, which I appreciate but also find cringe-worthy. For example, their half-rack of ribs is more than 1400 calories, and the full rack is 2300+. Holy sh*t. The lowest calorie items are the pulled chicken and pulled pork, so I decided to try the pulled pork platter. My father ordered the beef brisket platter. The food arrived in a reasonable time and was served at an appropriate temperature - not too hot, not cold. The servings are ample, especially for the price. The cornbread mini-muffins that came with the meal were decent. Not great, but not bad, a little bland but certainly edible. The baked beans have a really good flavor to them. It's difficult to find good coleslaw these days, so my expectations in that arena were not high. It was not the best I've had (and I admit I'm picky about coleslaw), but it was not bad. I've definitely had worse. Much worse. My pulled pork was a little bit on the dry side, but had good flavor and was still tender. My father's beef brisket (I tried some) was tender and very tasty. I prefer the sweet sauce, and found it very good on the pork. My father likes to mix the sweet and hot sauce. It's nice to have that option. Overall, I thought the food was good, the servings ample, and the price reasonable. Was it the best barbecue I've ever had? No. But was it better than I expected, based on the reviews? Absolutely.
(4)Susan O.
We eat here often enough because the specials are reasonably priced and the food is good. They have the best potato salad in the world. The service is usually so-so. The last time we went we wanted to get the special. Even though I usually just order water to save on cost and calories you have to order a drink to get the special. We ordered 3 cokes and a diet coke. The waitress repeated it back and it was correct on the receipt but we got 1 coke, 1 diet coke, and 2 dr. peppers. Don't know how that happened. I wanted to order an appetizer but she didn't come back around for almost 30 minutes. We were waiting for some people to show up but figured we'd order an appetizer while we were waiting and mention the incorrect drinks. I turned around several times in my seat and caught her eye but she never came over until the other people showed up. They were not ready to order so she said she'd come back. She came back about 15 minutes lasted to take our order. At this point we had been there for 45 minutes and the place was closing in 5 minutes. We said we were going to leave. She brought us the check for our incorrect drinks that we never even got a refill on. We paid for those even though we probably shouldn't have had to and went somewhere else.
(3)Michael K.
I've been going to red hot & blue for bbq for years. Recently, this place has gone down hill on quality. My wife and I ordered the beef brisket, and it came to us looking old and dried up. We spoke to mgmt and they replaced our meals with some fresh chicken. Beware of what they serve you... If it looks like day old food, it probably is...
(1)Dan B.
Out on the bike again, so guess what, I'm having ribs again, this time at Red Hot & Blue. I just want to say, I'm really getting tired of average or flat out bad BBQ I've been running into lately! That being said, here I go again... I ordered the half-slab of their spare ribs with the MoJo mild sauce. In my opinion, the ribs w/ MoJo sauce is very middling. The sauce is tomato based sauce that has a vinegar-spicy kick to it but, lacks a lasting flavor pop to it. The meat is tender and appears to have been smoked, as evident by the pink hue in it, but is extremely bland and lacks the smokey flavor I expect from smoked meats. Very disappointing! The coleslaw is also bland. The texture and crispness/freshness is there; however, it tastes as if it was prepared for consumption at your local hospital's cardiac care unit-- too little spices, vinegar, and whatever else that makes slaw tastes good. The baked beans are good. It has an onion sweet flavor that is the only saving grace to this lunch. The cornbread was decent but nothing memorable. It's been several years since I've eaten RH & B and this place has definitely slipped. 10-15 years ago, I remember RH&B as an excellent BBQ joint and the place to go for good ribs. Today, not so. In my book, there's only two kinds of BBQ, good and bad BBQ. Average BBQ is bad BBQ. RH&B needs to pick its game up or find itself in the scrapheap of BBQ history, IMO.
(2)Beverly S.
Yum!! Reasonable prices with a variety of meal choices. There's something for everyone here. The BBQ pulled chicken , fries, coleslaw, and hush puppies are all recommended. The servers are always very nice. The restaurant definitely needs a little updating but the food and service makeup for lackluster decor/atmosphere.
(4)Michelle L.
I decided to give this place one more try. This time was somewhat worse than the time before. The brisket was dry. I ordered the stew as a side. I didn't get it. They gave me cole slaw instead. My fiance ordered the stew as well. He didn't get his either. We ordered these items because we wanted them. Instead, they take our money and not give us what we ordered.
(1)Dee B.
My chicken was crazy salty. My water tasted horrible. Overall, not a great experience, and I don't think I'll return.
(2)Dan W.
Wow. I know this area is kinda lacking in some good BBQ (urban is my go to spot), but this place is just horrendous. The "wet" ribs looked like the sauce had dried off days ago. The collard greens and cole slaw were both very watery and bland. The baked beans tasted like they came out of a can (which was actually the best thing on my plate). I've been to other red white and Blues, and it was never this bad. Avoid this location!
(1)Shani H.
I'm as greedy as they come. Yes, I'm talking greedy fat fat, clean plate club kinda gal, and I didn't finish this meal. *gasp* Yes it was that bad. First off I was confused where to order my lunch. There was no one at the hostess stand or the tiny bar in the front. Sure I was dressed like a blue collar construction worker but at least 5 servers passed by me and no one asked if I needed help. Hmph! Finally someone comes to the bar. I order the pulled chicken meal with baked beans and added potato salad. $11 My food came out in 5 minutes flat. Kinda weird but hey, I didn't order anything special. Took a bite of the chicken sammich.......yuck! It didn't even taste like chicken. Next I added sauce to it......yuck. Then I added some of the coleslaw to it....STILL yuck. smh. Next the potato salad. I had to add a packet of salt and pepper to it. It wasn't bad but needed a lil soul to it. The baked beans were awful. They tasted like the cook poured a big ole can of baked beans in a pot, chopped up some big azz onions and peppers, and boiled for two minutes and said WHALAH. If I hadn't driven to my next job site and was still in the parking lot I would have taken it back and got a refund. I threw the whole thing in the trash. Worst. Meal. Ever.
(1)Shawn H.
Red Hot & Blue used to be awesome. Maybe it still rocks at another location, but my experience on Saturday night at the one on Crabbs Branch makes me never want to walk into Red Hot & Blue again. The service was weak and the food was dried out so badly that our ribs were barely even chewable. If there was a manager working, they're in the wrong business. I've eaten at this location a number of times in the past and it was always good. I was shocked and dismayed by the time it took to get service (it was SLOW when we walked in at around 9:30pm) and even more by the quality of the food we received. Not one item on our meat sampler platter (whatever it's called) was freshly cooked or good. The chicken had an actual foul taste (not like chicken though) and the pulled pork tasted like it had been cooked a few days before. The brisket was drier than leather. It was still soft, but flavorless. The ribs were so dry, the outside wasn't even chewable. The sausage was not dried out or overcooked... it just wasn't warm. When I mentioned to our server that I thought everything tasted like it had been sitting under a hot light for the entire evening, he feigned the apology and offered more meat. I immediately replied, well if it's the same overcooked, dried out meat, I've already lost my appetite for that. he didn't have a reply, so he came back a minute later (presumably after having spoken with a manager) and offered a dessert "on the house"... Okay, so I had completely lost my appetite and certainly didn't want dessert. I mean, that makes sense at this point, doesn't it? I really should have just refused to pay, but that's petty right? I just won't go back.
(1)Paulette F.
Just ate at RH&Blue. When you first walk in the door you're hit with a musty smell. We should have trusted our noses and left. The food was mediocre to horrible! Kids grilled cheese was fine, but my husbands St. Louis ribs and brisket had a spoiled, un-fresh taste. Very disappointing from years ago when we used to eat there years ago
(1)Gary S.
The food was horrible. I have never had jerky ribs before, or leather-shoe sole brisket. This stuff obviously was smoked several hours earlier, and sat on a hot plate for HOURS. It was dry, desiccated and tasteless. The wet was not wet: It was a crusted, hard paste. And the dry was Death Valley dry. Do not take just my word for it, read the comments on this review; I am not the only one who thought they were eating mummified flesh. After three bones, my jaw was sore from trying to chew this stuff. My daughter took me for my birthday. I felt so bad that I paid for it instead of her. I should (and will in the future) have gone to Famous Dave's.
(1)Fenny L.
When I was a kid, my dad owned a bunch of Chinese restaurants, and my mother was convinced that American food would give me cancer (or make my boobs big. Either way, both are bad bad bad things in her book), so when we ate out (which was often), it was always at a Chinese - or on the super rare occasion, steak (but my dad would always carry his own soy sauce to use with the steak...none of that evil A-1 crap for him!) - restaurant. So imagine the shock to my tastebuds when at 15, I was invited out to dinner by a friend's family, and we went out for...BBQ. I don't remember where we went...it was probably something that's out of business (like Ponderosa...do any locals remember Ponderosa? Man, that was some good eats!), but I will NEVER forget those sweet, succulent, tender, smoky, fall off the bone ribs. I've been chasing the great white whale of finding those perfect ribs again, ever since. Red Hot and Blue are good...but definitely not it (yeah, I did a big build up for nothing, but I'm feeling chatty today). To be perfectly fair - I have never eaten IN the restaurant...it's so close to my house that it's easier to just order it to-go (so no one can see what a pig I am). I usually get the sampler platter, because, well, I like choices in my meat. Also because RH&B has a slight problem with consistency, so I like to hedge my bets. Sometimes, their pulled pork is so tender that you feel like writing a haiku to it's yumminess...but then the next time, it's bound to be dry and a little flavorless. The ribs have usually been pretty good in terms of consistency, but I always ask for an extra sauce packet, just to be safe. The sausage is good - but it's not going to win any awards. The brisket...well... There is this thing about brisket. If you cook it right, it will yield the most flavorful, tender, and delicious morsel of meat you've ever put into your mouth. If you don't...well...we don't like to talk about that. RH&B comes close, but just misses the mark. Their brisket is indeed tasty and generally (there's that consistency issue again) quite tender. However the flavor...well, be sure to ask for that extra packet of sauce. The sampler platter is also loaded up with sides. Which are pretty OK - but I'll be honest, I don't really ever *taste* the sides. I view the sides at a BBQ joint, the way I view the palette cleansing sorbet that is served between courses at fine restaurants. I snarf down a side or two in between meats, so I have a clean palette for the next meat. I've been told by my husband that their sides are fairly decent...he especially loves the cornbread (wait...they have cornbread?!?), but let's face it - no one goes to a BBQ joint for the sides. All in all, RH&B is a good place to go if you are craving BBQ and just happen to be nearby. It's also good if you're none too finicky about BBQ. They are fast with the take-out, and the portions are decent. Basically a nice default place to go...but it's not for those serious about their meat.
(3)Taylor F.
yeah, pretty much concur with everyone that the food here stinks. worst BBQ I've ever had. tried multiple items and none were even close to decent. I've heard they've gone downhill over the years and it shows.
(1)Mariella B.
I used to like Red Hot and Blue or maybe I liked a different location but it seems like all their food has been sitting around maybe even a hot lamp. I love pork sandwiches but they're always dry and their ribs are chewy and nasty. Save your money and tastebuds and go next door to the Chinese restaurant but if you really want BBQ go to the Kentlands Famous Dave's or off the Pike at Urban BBQ.
(1)Daniel G.
I could eat there every day. Incredibly fast service for a sit-down restaurant.
(5)r. r.
I have just returned from the worst restaurant experience I have ever had. We arrived at Red, Hot and Blue at 3:00 pm on Dec. 27th and there were eight of us. We ordered and it took at an hour to get our food, excess at any time. When it arrived, there were 7 entrees, not 8; we assumed that the 8th person's food was on the way. About 10 minutes later with no sign of our waiter, I went to look for him. I finally had to peek into the kitchen and yell "hello, hello" and still no server. I went down a hall to the bathrooms and yelled "hello" again and he finally heard me and came to see what the trouble was. We told him that one person in our party had not received their food and he said he was sorry and went into the back. She again had to wait another 10 minutes for her food and by that time most of us were finished. Never, once did our server come and ask how our meal was, ask if there was anything else that we wanted or if we wanted a to go box, which I could have used since I had left most of my meal. I had the pulled pork sandwich which was awful and I had no desire to take any home. The pork was huge slabs of meat, no "pulled" about it, with fat all throughout it. When the bill came, we noticed that gratuity was already added and I then asked him how much was the gratuity and he told us 20%! I have never had a worse server in my life -- I had to hunt him down to get one of our party's meal! When the bill came I went to the take out area and asked if there was a manager on duty and was told that our server was the manager! I guess when he knows that he is assured 20% there is no reason to be competent in his job. Personally, I was considering giving him no tip and I have never done that is a restaurant before. Needless to say, we will never be back and I hope this review keeps other people from having to go through the kind of experience that I just had.
(1)Mike G.
Absolutely miserable experience. They got two of our three orders wrong and it wasn't even busy. There were only two other customers there. The waiter told us that the chef "must have forgot" when asked why there wasn't any buffalo sauce on a BUFFALO chicken wrap. The pork on the buffalo sandwich was completely dry. The service also took forever even though the place was practically empty. All we heard was laughing from the kitchen and it seemed like no one wanted to be there. Terrible food and terrible service. Never going back.
(1)Yemi ..
Good customer service and great food. While I have had better BBQ for a chain restaurant, the food is okay for none picky eater. If you are looking for a quick BBQ restaurant at reasonable price.
(3)Allison L.
Another reviewer said that no one comes to BBQ places for the sides, however, if you are someone who doesn't completely love BBQ when your whole family does (me!) then you generally focus mostly on the sides. We stopped in Saturday night and picked up takeout. For a pretty large order it only took about 15 minutes for everything to be done. In addition to the pulled pork and pulled chicken, which I didn't try, we got potato salad, cole slaw, hush puppies, memphis fries, sweet potato fries, catfish fingers, and garlic mashed potatoes. The good: hush puppies (sooooo good, but one order only comes with 6... which I ate on the drive home... therefore you should get way more than 1 order), memphis fries, catfish fingers, garlic mashed potatoes. The ok: potato salad. The, probably fine but really didn't do it for me: sweet potato fries (wayyy too mushy by the time we got home) and cole slaw.
(3)Jen G.
Absolutely disgusting. How does someone mess up chicken fingers? The chicken had a clear gel in it. They have better chicken at public school cafeterias. We are pretty fair with our reviews and star giving, but this place does not even deserve one star. I'm sure many years ago it was a great spot, but it is dirty and feels as though grease is caked on everything. My pulled chicken sandwich had very pink chicken and a small squirt of BBQ. I had to add BBQ sauce from the appetizer we got.
(1)Janet H.
Whenever we have some kind of event at the office.. my coworkers occasionally order from Red Hot & Blue. Usually just the pull pork/chicken sandwiches and some starters. I've never been too big of a fan but its a "work function" so I'm obligated to participate right? For a dinner gathering with friends, someone suggested to come here, I was hesitant but left the decision up to the group since noone else had been here so I didn't want to take this experience from them. I never knew where this place is since I've always had it delivery to the office. They are located at the corner of a really old shopping center with nothing worth mentioning. Ehh, I had a bad feeling already? We started off with their onion ring and sweet potato fries. While the sweet potato fries were good, the onion ring was just okay. Most people ordered the wet ribs and I decided to get a beef brisket sandwich because I know I would not finish the ribs and it's just too messy. So we ordered.. waited.. and waited.. and waited some more.. no food.. waited some more and one hour later food finally here! I barely touched my sandwich.. it looked dry and tasteless. The ribs as I was told was lacking flavor as well. Definitely not a meal worth the $200 we paid.
(3)Ina C.
The pulled pork sandwich was better than the pulled chicken sandwich, but the bread for both was so dry that it made the meat seem dry, too. The coleslaw was kinda bland, but the potato salad was pretty tasty. The "wet" ribs were the best part of our lunch today (so tender and moist), and I'm glad we decided to try it! Tom was our waiter and brought us everything we needed and answered our questions about their catering menu. Our service was just right! Even with the good service and yummy ribs, I wasn't totally wowed by this place. Maybe it was because it felt really chainy - kinda like the Bennigans of BBQ? Is that an evil thing to say? :)
(3)John T.
We went late on a Sunday afternoon. Unpleasant waiter with an eyebrow piercing takes our drink order... comes back with drinks and asks us for our food order. I say ribs. "Sorry... W'ere out of ribs." It took me a while to realize he wasn't kidding. We got up and left. 1. No excuse for a rib place to run out of ribs on a Sun. afternoon. 2. They should have put up a sign at the front or told us before we ordered our drinks. However... the food there is good - especially for a chain.
(3)Jim H.
Not too bad for BBQ in these parts (and well since I grew up in Kansas and lived in Tennessee I DO know BBQ. The "front door" is kinda on the side of the building but its not too bad for Chain BBQ
(3)Kevin G.
Excellent food and service - most tender chicken I have ever had - great job!
(5)Nicole L.
I always wanted to check out the Red Hot & Blue and the fact that there was one so close by was just another excuse to go out to lunch! My lunch buddy and me met up at RHB it was pretty packed. The restaurant looked a bit cliche and it smelled "old". The Southern menu was so tantalizing with just about everything from BBQ to catfish to plain old fried chicken. The waiter first served us drinks in a small pitcher, yeah a pitcher. It's pretty smart given the service was very slow at RHB but my calories intake went off the chart!! I ordered the wet ribs with beef brisket and my friend, the sweet ribs and catfish. While waiting, we noticed other tables having this cluster of onion straws that was shaped in a cube. It just looked too much!!! We ended up ordering it - I couldn't stop eating it! Oink Oink! Instead of having beans and coleslaw for sides I opted for the fried okra and collard greens. They were sooooo good. The ribs was delicious and the brisket was so-so but the Hoochie Coochie hot sauce made up for the dryness of the brisket. Everything tasted awesome with the HCie sauce! It was hot enough to make my nose run I loved it!! That's why it received a 4-star. Gotta love the hot sauce.
(4)Sylvan F.
Went in at lunch and was very busy. Had the dry rub wings and they were very flavorful and moist. Server was very high energy and recommended a rib and sandwich combo and it was outstanding. Potato salad al always was to die for. Got in and out in 35 minutes and all was exceptional
(5)Tom M.
We come here off and on depending on our food mood. they have a special on Monday nights where all the burgers are $5. I know, that's not BBQ, but it's a good deal and the burgers are decent. Getting to the BBQ, the ribs are pretty good, pulled pork is good. Not awesome but consistent. Service is hit/miss, lately it's been good but it has been really lame in the past.
(3)George C.
I've lived in the DC area for 18 years, and Red Hot & Blue has bar none the best local ribs. There's a reason they win the city cook-offs. When rating a restaurant, always be sure you're trying their specialty; in this case, ribs. Wet or dry (dry is mypersonal favorite: a slightly spicy dry rub; wet is a sweet/tangy sauce). Also, a hidden gem is the cornflour fried catfish -- I've even had two avowed "fish-hating" children devour it and ask for more, and they now make it their standard order. (You can get the best of both worlds -- catfish and a half rack of ribs - if you order the Mississippi Surf & Turf.) As for service: I've seen some comments below that are a pretty dramatic departure from our experience: we're here about once every 4-6 weeks, and service has always been fast.
(5)dave h.
Red, Hot, and Blue is a classic Memphis rib and pork joint. They jam out to some of the best old blues in history while serving BBQ pulled pork sandwich's with cole slaw and home cooked BBQ sauce on top. They have dry and wet ribs, that are pretty good. Their pulled pork is where it is at. Damn, forget KFC, these sandwiches are finger linking good. The only thing i don't like is the beer selection is pretty feeble, Bud, Bud Lt, Coors Lt, and Yuengling; they need to add come better beers.
(3)Ana P.
A few co-workers and I went to RH&B for lunch today. I had eaten food from this restaurant at events where it had been catered, but had never gone to a location. This location is clean and well-maintained, but you can tell that it is old and has not been updated like the shiny Famous Dave's or Mission BBQ in Germantown. -1 star for having the credit card readers out of service. We were able to walk to the ATM at Capital One just a few doors down for cash, but had to pay the non-bank up-charge of $3 to get access. We were seated right away (not a big lunch crowd, but there were still patrons) and our waitress was very sweet and attentive. I loved the huge "glasses" they serve beverages in. They look like mini-pitchers! I ordered off of the lunch special menu: Pulled Chicken sandwich with season fries (rather than the potato salad) and coleslaw on the side for $7.99. Oh, there was also a sliver of a pickle. Perfect size. There were four sauces on our table and although I do not recall all the names, I remember the flavors varied from sweet, to sour, to hot. Mojo Mild was my favorite and the Hoochie Cootchie was too hot to handle! The coleslaw was pretty good! The dressing was creamy and tangy and the cabbage had a nice crunch. I really liked the seasoned fries and they were so flavorful that they did not need ketchup. The pulled chicken was the best I have ever had. It was drizzled with barbecue sauce and I words cannot do justice to how soft and tender the chicken was. The meat was high quality and 98% white meat. I am very picky when it comes to meat and do not like fat, grizzle, or dark meat and only two pieces of the chicken were not to my liking. Everything else was perfect. The buns were lightly toasted, buttered, and very soft. We were also given red and white pillow mints (the powdery ones) with out check and my co-worker loves those so the waitress was so kind and gave him a huge fistful to go! she got a nice tip in return :) I am glad to know I don't always have to travel far for great barbecue!
(4)Sara R.
I had heard about red hot & blue and saw a Offer for living social so I decided to give it a try. I went with my family. I don't know if they were short staffed but I only saw two servers. We waited at the front for a hostess for about five minutes then decided to peak my head in and look for someone in order to get seated. My husband already wanted to leave but considering we were already there and had a Voucher to get out of the way, I convinced him to stay. Our waiter was either dry or overworked. It wouldn't have hurt him to smile just a little bit. When taking our order, it seemed as if he was a bit impatient and he made A sarcastic remark that looked like it was directed towards my husband. My husband vowed to never come back and also took it out of his tip. We started out with the wings and fried pickles which were really good. I had the ribs, fried fish, fries and with a side of fried okra. I did like the fried fish and okra. The ribs were ok but I guess you could say I was expecting a lot more. My husband and son ate most of their food but weren't exactly wowed. We all agreed that the wings and fried pickles were the highlight of our meal. All in all it's fairly priced.... You get what you pay for. But the waiters need to be sent to charm school.
(2)Abegail A.
2.5 stars on Yelp yet I still had to try it for myself. I'm glad I did because now I know why this Red Hot & Blue got the rating that it did. Bah! The Hickory Bacon Cheeseburger was bland and not juicy at all...definitely tasted like the patty was frozen and not fresh. No amount of their mojo BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, or bacon could save this burger. Although I really enjoyed the bun, it was a little too much bread for me. The fries that came with the cheeseburger were standard, with some not being fully cooked. I also tried some meats from on their Smokin' Platters. Pulled pork...yikes! Ribs and beef brisket were decent. Mac and cheese was okay and the mini cornbreads were pretty good. Parking is plentiful, but could be somewhat difficult to find during peak hours in the shopping center. If you order your food to go, they place it in a styrofoam container and wrap it a bazillion times in saran wrap. Kind of hilarious.
(2)J N.
Brisket platter and a cup of chili. The chili was by far my favorite part of our lunch! I would go back just for a bowl of it! The brisket was flavorful but one of our slices was dried out and tough. The cornbread on the side would have been better had it been fresh; it was hard to the touch. We mentioned it to our waiter so hopefully they will toss the old cornbread and serve fresh on a daily basis. Our server was friendly, speedy and attentive.
(3)Matt R.
Mediocre food at elevated prices. Not bad if you want bbq without effort, but all the same, nothing special. The cornbread is pretty great, though.
(3)Ronda E.
Good service, excellent ribs and a nice selection of sauces. Would definitely eat here again!
(4)Nicole R.
brisket was soo disgusting!! i didn't even eat it. some parts were red some were purple and some were brown. how gross!!!!
(1)Marissa T.
I've never really eaten here, rather any Red, Hot, & Blue establishment. I have had it catered on a couple of occasions and even then I was like ehhh. Day/time: Friday, 5pm. Service: Our waiter was so dry that it was uncomfortable. Who cares, I suppose. I was with my family and we were just looking for a quick dinner before trick or treating. He did his job... Just no personality. Food: I got the chicken pulled sandwich with coleslaw and their potato salad. The sandwich was dry and nothing commendable, even after I drenched it with their BBQ sauce. The coleslaw was dry as well and needed a bit more mayo perhaps. The potato salad needed more salt to make it consumable. We also got chicken strips (appetizer) and fries for the children as their meal. I think that was the best tasting on our table. My husband got the BBQ burger. He ate it all but didn't make any comment. Restrooms: the women's restroom toilets were all dirty. It was 5pm, and literally, 8 people in the restaurant eating with probably 7 other workers I've seen. You're telling me that no one can clean the toilets when it is slow? Or at least prepare for what should be your busy time/Friday night crowd? Ew. Overall, I wouldn't return to any Red, Hot & Blue establishment based on the catering I've eaten, as well as this dinning experience. I'll be much happier at Famous Dave's if I'm looking for a BBQ chain.
(1)Tom A.
Beer taps are broken and probably the worst BBQ I've ever had.
(1)Ryan N.
All Red Hot and Blue locations usually have consistantly decent BBQ and sides and this one is no exception. Of course you can go somewhere else to get better or cheaper BBQ, but if you live in the area, this location is convenient and can provide a filling meal. The inside of the place is kind of outdated and worn but service was good and food came out quick, so that's not a big deal.
(3)kevin l.
Nothing too great, lots of fried food, barbecue is okay but not as good as it should be for a place that specializes in it. Lots of food and drink but just sub par food and drink.
(2)Stephanie S.
I have been to Red Hot & Blue a couple of the times over the years. I have always been impressed by their great food, but there service is only so-so (usually it's pretty slow). Recently, I ordered a pulled chicken sandwich with potato salad. The sandwich was really tasty, but a little on the dry side. The potato salad was perfectly mixed and wasn't too creamy. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who has a craving for some good Southern styled food.
(3)Claudette H.
Ribs were good but chicken wings were overcooked and funky tasting. Pork barbecue sandwich was cold. We were a party of 5 eating at 6:15 and it took one hour to get our meal! The waitress was polite and efficient but the kitchen was not producing the food. Lunch time is much better...food comes fast and tastes fresh. Very disappointing dinner visit.
(1)Joey R.
I've been here four times. This will be the last at this location... Try Arlington, or if south, La Plata.
(2)Shawna G.
Been very good everytime I have gone. Service is fast and you'll be in and out for lunch within 35 minutes! They have REALLY good wings and of course the ribs and fall off the bone tender! Try all the sauces that are placed on your table!!! All very good !!
(4)shawn g.
Don't let the fact this place is tucked in to the armpit of an old strip mall behind a mcdonald's drive you away. It's a decent place to get some chow. It does feel somewhat like a chain restaurant, laid out like a crapplebee's or fridays. The staff are friendly, and they always ask if you've eaten there before (company policy?) I wasn't ready to commit to a half rack of ribs by myself, so i went with the sampler platter. coleslaw was abundant, and the memphis dry ribs were super tasty. the beef brisket was well executed too. can't say the same for the chicken which was so dry it left me lunging for the mini-pitcher of AP, and the sausage was far too oily to be enjoyable. I'm sure if this was somewhere walkable, i would have downed a beer or two, but since it's in suburban gaithersburg, I didn't want to risk getting lost trying to get back to my hotel in some deliverance action below the Mason Dixon line, I'm still a northern boy, remember? I did notice a pretty constant stream of people coming in the door for takeout, so maybe that's the way to go. Atmosphere there is not as strong as their BBQ sauce.
(3)Tiffany V.
Food is usually great, but we have had bad service lately. Took forever to get waited on initially and then food was a long time coming out. Also, it was so cold we all had to leave our jackets on and were really uncomfortable. There are other BBQ places around here I would go to before RH&B.
(2)Stan F.
Great pulled pork sandwich. Also, they have banana pudding for dessert.
(4)Randy R.
Showed up around 430, seated quickly but appetizer(nachos) didn't show up for quite a while.
(3)Lisa L.
We came here for dinner last night. I got the Delta Double: Wet Ribs & Beef Brisket and my husband got the 5-Meat Sampler: Ribs, Pulled Pork, BBQ Chicken, Sausage and Beef Brisket. I also got a side salad and we both had sodas. It wasn't that busy for a Thurs night and we had a friendly waitress. Food came out quick & portions were good-sized. Our dishes came with sides of Cole Slaw (no flavor at all) & BBQ beans (good, it was sweet). The table had 4 sauces you could put on your meat. Although it did seem like I was in Applebee's with all the stuff on the walls, the food was definitely better, not the best BBQ in the world but pretty good. Dinner came out to be around $38 (before tips).
(3)