Had a great tasting and delicious dinner with my friends this past Saturday night with my friends. Katherine was very helpful and courteous and friendly as she look our food and drink orders and brought us our food. The local beer that I had with my meal was also very good. Was hardly crowded At 8:30.
(5)
Jean G.
Good bbq for this area. I have tried lots within a 60 mile radius. This place makes my 3rd place winner so far. Hit or miss with service. We have had excellent all the way to the our waiter changed shifts and just left. Wtf? Banana pudding is the dessert of choice here. Lately the bathroom stinks. I will come back once that is fixed. I know I am not the first to mention it.
(4)
Dave K.
Went for lunch with a friend, and it wasn't too bad at all. Lots of seating in and outdoors, with quite the authentic motif for blues and jazz decorations, so I was quite happy at this point. We were seated in a booth near the bar, since it was mid afternoon almost the entire place was empty. We ordered the onion ring loaf, and I had a burger. The food was quite delicious. Not extraordinary, and for the price of lunch for two, I felt it was a bit over the top, but still good nonetheless.
(4)
Joann M.
Went as hubby has a taste for fried shrimp. Close to the house it fit the bill. A nice surprise was the free appetizer that popped up when I did a yelp check in. Glad I started doing that. I decided to do ribs but opted for their sweet sauce. Not sure why I did. if you like sweet go for it as they are that. Service was where things lacked. Our waitress was very personable and helpful. ... it just seemed like everyone on the floor would vanish right when we needed something. It was a bit frustrating. It fit what we needed for a rainy night near the house.
(3)
Bruce K.
Headed to a Muslim country (Turkey) for a few days, I did a Yelp search for "pork" so that I could get my pig on before being without for a few days. Barbecue was the result of that search and so here I am at Red Hot & Blue. At the time of my visit, there was a Yelp check-in offer for a free appetizer. I went with the chicken wings but only a half order. They arrived a few minutes later, very hot and without the usual bath of sauce on them. Easy to eat and dip in the blue cheese. Nice and spicy, good flavor, good meat. These are good wings. After I was into the second wing, my beer arrived. Odd timing, since it was a simple bottled beer that was on special. And as I started into the third wing, my entree arrived. Very poor timing, unfortunately. So I pushed the wings to the side (I later boxed them up and promptly forgot about them in the hotel fridge) and dug into my two meat combo. The pulled pork was decent, but you know how restaurants that put the sauce on the table are. I did add a bit of sauce to the pork though as it did seem to need it. The short rack of baby back ribs were nicely meaty with a dry rub on them and them more dry run dusted on top. Too much, really. But they separated nicely with a knife and I could easily eat them one handed. Not quite "fall off the bone" but still quite good. Parking was difficult as this is a very busy lot and RH&B is buried down in the corner. Four stars for good food and a nice clean restaurant but minus one star for poor timing.
(3)
Michael L.
So I'm a southern boy, raised and fed by corn (or rice) and bbq. I'm also from North Carolina, where BBQ is king (especially vinegar based). I was really looking forward to eating here, however I came out disappointed. First off, I ordered the Tennessee Triple, which is triple meat option (what could go wrong there). All the meats came out and you could tell by looking that it was dry. It was during a relatively busy time where turnover of food should be quick so it was surprising. When I actually tasted it, it was what I confirmed by sight... dry. That's a sin to BBQ and carnivores everywhere. The bbq sauce selection was pretty good (vinegar, sweet, spicy) however no matter how much sauce you put on it, you could still taste the dry, cardboard nature of the meat. I would say that the service is very good. They were very attentive about coming by and asking if everything is good and refilled our water whenever it was half way done.
(2)
Daniel W.
Being new to the area, I tried here for the first time. Is there something about my face that annoyed these people? Was I wearing my "please treat me like a hindrance" shirt? Because I asked for 2 things, my entire time there, and even the bartender rolled her eyes at me. I ordered the "Rib-wich Combo", and it was flavorless in every sense of the word. It literally had no taste. Made for a boring meal. I didn't think this would be an issue since they tote around their "award winning BBQ" on their advertisements. I will not be returning, and if you do not go, you are not missing anything.
(2)
Andrea C.
Wrong store
(5)
Will G.
Decent BBQ and Decent Service. It will fill the belly, but not quite the soul as the flavors are just big but not particularly special. Nice porch outlet front for a nice day!
(3)
Lyle S.
Over the years I have read hundreds of reviews. I have come to the conclusion that some people could be given a $100 bill, but would complain about it not being more, or the bill being worn instead of crisp. While visiting the Herndon area, we checked Yelp for places to eat. We wanted BBQ, but after reading some of the terrible reviews about this restaurant we almost didn't go. That would have been our loss. We were seated instantly and our server took our drink order immediately. My friend had a Hurricane which she said was one of the best she'd ever had. She had Brunswick stew; again awesome. She had pulled pork dinner, I had pulled pork and sweet ribs. Both were superb. The beans and slaw excellent. The server was great and very attentive. Of course when it comes to ribs etc., someone will always tell about how "Back home their favorite place was perfect and they are always disappointed when eating any other restaurants ribs. Fine, but understand this isn't "Fat Sam's" old rib joint in an old run down building with a pushed in screen door and the smoker on the front stoop. It's a clean, nice restaurant with very good food. I will definitely return. So far, every time I paid no attention to horrid reviews, it's been a great experience.
(5)
Barc O.
This has to be the worst barbecue I've ever had. It was greasy and neither me or my dinner companions could finish. The barbecue sauces on the table were bland and the server kept having to go to the back to find out: what the seasonal beer was, what salad dressings they had, etc. The worst offense: the salad came out with the meal instead of before it!
(1)
Richard H.
I'm a fan as the 4-star review implies around these parts unless you got a smoker at home and have some secret recipe. I understand it might not be the best damn experience for most but if you're coming here for any other reason than the ribs and the sauce, you coming to the wrong place. I've taken my car from here to Austin Texas, passing by Memphis new Orleans and more on the way there and came up NC on the way back. and as far as sauce flavor it's good, especially the spiciest one. I've had dry, wet, dry and wet. I have to say my favorite sauce is Rudy's in Austin but if I'm itching for smoked ribs, this is the closest place to get it and I'm satisfied with it here.
(4)
Sue K.
I had a similar experience as another reviewer. I have been to other Red, Hot and Blue locations and had great experiences. Passing through the area and saw this location. Being from CA, my husband had never eaten at RH&B before. Boy were we disappointed. Service was not only slow, but very lacking in attentiveness. We had to ask for his beer to be delivered more than once, after waiting about 20 minutes for it to be delivered. I had to ask for a tea refill. We noticed that food was being delivered randomly, not knowing whose order it was. The location seems poorly managed. The ladies restrooms smelled of sewage, the signs outside were peeling. Overall a poor experience.
(1)
Jason L.
Decent but not great bbq. Memphis dry run always great but the ribs tend to be a little fatty.
(3)
Chow N.
This is a great chain to enjoy bbq and I have to say that they have awesome potato salad here. Given that, my group lunch here was a train wreck. A coworker had called ahead to reserve tables for a very large group. So, coming in, they knew that it was going to be busy. The server did a decent job getting people their drinks, and he seemed to know what he was doing as he came down the line taking orders sequentially. Unfortunately, it went to hell after that. We all waited a long time for our food and the food that came out was sparsely delivered amongst people all over the table as the bus boys had to ask "who had the beef brisket?" Both the server and some manager type came out to apologize saying they are short staffed and that there are some screw-ups in the kitchen. It was useless b/c it didn't change anything nor did we get free desserts or soft drink comped. He didn't make it right. The food was decent. I had the pig squealin combo. The pulled pork was moist and tender and the combo comes with a personal sized onion loaf. The only issue is that the sandwich seems a lot smaller and less stuffed than I recall in the past. It didn't matter what we ordered because it seemed that everyone in the party got sausage. I would give this visit 1 star if not for the potato salad. Charlie Foxtrot
(2)
ellen c.
I'm giving this place 2 stars and I'll explain why. They lose a star due to less than friendly service. There are only a few servers that don't appear they hate working there. 2 stars are lost due to the bathrooms REEKING of sewage for the past several months! Seriously guys, get this fixed. If I wanted to sit next to a pig pen to eat I would go to a local farm and picnic. My hands don't feel clean after washing them. I have no idea how you are still open from this. Always loved your BBQ, but the facility needs help.
(2)
Patrick D.
Short version: I do not recommend placing orders via GrubHub, mediocre food (at best), terrible customer service from management. Ordered via GrubHub. Order was missing a side of coleslaw, no BBQ, no hushpuppies. Ribs, pork and chicken were all dry (and no BBQ sauce to make it better). Grubhub called the restaurant, and all the manager was willing to refund was $3.50 for the hushpuppies. He said that he "couldn't do anything" about the coleslaw and BBQ sauce since they were included with the platters.
(1)
Julie Ann C.
Here for dinner and everything was delicious. Started with fried pickles and on to Delta Doubles with their fabulous potato salad & cole slaw. Service was prompt and the food hot. Definitely one of favorite go to spots when visiting the NOVA area!
(5)
Sasja T.
In-short: Mediocre food, friendly but lack luster service. My husband and I have eaten as this chain previously, a different location though, and enjoyed it. Not mind blowing BBQ, but good to satisfy an itch. We decided to try this location last evening since it's right down the street from where we live. Oy... oy, oy, oy, OY! "Decent" is about the best I can do. Our bottom line, IF we go back to this location we'll stick with fried pickles and ribs. Our waitress was friendly, but very green. She didn't know their beers at all, and when asked what type of Flying Dog they had her response was, "I don't know alcohol, but I have a list!" She also brought us out the wrong drink, but it wasn't a big deal, she noticed the mistake and swapped it right out. She gets an A for effort. I ordered an Onion Ring Loaf which came out excessively greasy, and did nothing for my craving for onion rings. The breading was strange, the texture was almost like they'd rolled it in cornstarch and gluten free flour before frying it: tacky, gritty and greasy. Not yummy my friends. Not yummy. My husband enjoyed his fried pickles though, which were actually pretty good; perfect amount of sour and a really nice golden crisp coating. I ordered a Tennessee Triple and my husband ordered the Five Meat Treat. The ribs fell off the bone and were pink, sweet, tangy, and tender. No complaints, they were genuinely good! The pulled chicken and pork were a bit dry but had decent flavor. But the beef brisket...yikes! The meat would've been gray if it hadn't been covered in an awful red sauce made of I don't know what. It was chewy, dry, and everything brisket should not be. The sausage, to put it in the words of my husband, "tastes like an oversized Slim Jim." We paid about $56 for the both of us, and the meal was not worth the price and did not satisfy my itch to have BBQ. All-in-all, we likely will not be going back.
(2)
J B.
Probably the worst barbecue that I have ever had. You could tell the brisket was soaked in some liquid to keep it moist and the flavor was terrible. Don't bother for barbecue, there are many other options.
(1)
Chris S.
My first experience ever at Red, Hot and Blue was a lunch service that I was able to slip into during a break in a conference at the local Westin conference center. We walked in and there was no host(ess) so we stood for a little bit until we were recognized by one of the servers and finally seated. Upon the recommendation of a friend, we started with what was called "onion loaf" which looked like a jumbled heap of onion straws. While it wasn't awful the onion straws were undercooked and lacking a flavor besides that inherent of fried foods. For my main I decided to go with the "all in" burger. I have to admit that my eyes were bigger than my belly (and that does not happen often). It was a burger, BBQ, onion straws all piled on a bun. I wasn't able to keep it together throughout the lunch, but individual pieces of the burger were good. The burger had a flam broiled taste (similar to a Burger King-y taste that is still with me as I burp now). The Pulled pork was dependent on sauces to deliver flavor, and it seemed like the onion straws were just there to say it was done. While I don't frequent red hot and blue, it seems like if you're looking for a unique and we'll put together flavor to just continue on, but if you're looking to feed a lineman or revel in gluttony then this is the sandwich for you. Buyer beware, this is a big sandwich!
(2)
Pam T.
This is my first yelp review but I felt I needed to post about my experience. I really like the Red Hot & Blue in Leesburg and Arlington. The service at this location was not good. We did have a larger group however we were essentially the only ones in the restaurant and the service was disorganized and VERY slow. We had to request our drinks multiple times over 40 minutes (water and ice tea weren't even served quickly). The wait for food was also very long and they did not seem to have a system in place to know who ordered what so they delivered food piecemeal and had to ask who ordered the food that was coming out. Another note not service related. Both of the women's restrooms were not working which makes you wonder about how well the restaurant is managed. Overall, poor experience and will not return.
(1)
Alice A.
Nice place, with a decent amount of tables. Went there for lunch on a week day, we were taken to our table within 5 minutes. The servers are nice, fries are awesome, and burgers ok. The steaks were definitely over cooked though (medium for rare, well cooked for medium rare). The price is really good for the quality. Recommend for night out for a beer.
(3)
Dave D.
I didn't eat here. They closed at 9pm. I can't believe that. What kind of thriving business closes so early? Go next door to Stone's Cove Kitbar. They've got great food and friendly servers and stay open - I didn't leave until 11pm.
(1)
Kathleen P.
Ordered delivery through GrubHub. After waiting exactly 103 minutes for my food, they GAVE ME THE WRONG FOOD. I ordered the Idaho Pig appetizer, a baked potato stuffed with pulled pork, sour cream, and cheese for $6.50. My husband ordered the rib platter. He got his ribs, I got a SIDE SWEET POTATO, inexplicably topped with a mountain of green onions. I called GrubHub immediately and they called the restaurant. The restaurant at that point was closed (10:40PM) but the manager offered to refund the potato. Um, 6.50 refund on an order that totaled $40 after delivery fee and a 20% tip? Let me get this straight, it's 10:40, I've been waiting almost two hours for my food, the food comes and is not what I ordered, and you are offering to refund a whole 12% of my order cost? I don't think so! I asked GrubHub to try again - but they didn't succeed. Never again! Somehow I think if I had been sitting at Red Hot and Blue for 2 hours without food and then had gotten the wrong food, this would have been a different story.
(2)
Lauren N.
Came here with a party of four, and the ribs were great! But...baked sweet potatoes were room temperature, one order of ribs came with corn bread and the other didn't, one order cost 10 cents more for seemingly no reason, they screwed up the beers we ordered and still charged us for all of them, and our waitress was rarely to be seen. Plates were not cleared when we were done despite having little to no free space at the table. I had a much better experience at the Leesburg location and will probably make the trip out there instead.
(2)
FoodSnob D.
I don't do lonngggg reviews because u really just wanna know if it's good, alright, or sucks. I had the ribs, slaw, and beans... The ribs were just "alright".. They didn't have a smokey taste (despite the smokey smell outside), weren't falling off the bone, and didn't have that nice char on top I like to see on ribs... The coleslaw had a great texture (not dry or not too runny) but no flavor, and the beans were not bad but no flavor, not sweet at all. The cornbread comes out cold and the waitress had an attitude when we asked her to heat them up. The waitress was hard on the eyes and I'm being nice and it's like she was forcing herself to be nice .... She tried ... (Poor little tink tink.) So overall it wasn't disgusting but it wasn't Delish either. I probably won't ever come back because for a BBQ joint I expected much more. I had better ribs at chilli's. Shoulda went to hooters.
(3)
Fatt B.
To all the Yelpers who wrote negative reviews: I wish I had read those reviews before dining at this "restaurant". BBQ joints should not be sterile, smoke-free or dead at lunch hour; this place was all three. Staying here despite these omens, my companion and I were treated to mini-pitchers of drinks, each containing a vat of soda large enough to serve as kiddy pools. We each ordered the pulled pork sandwich, mine with chili, hers with corn chowder. Upon receiving our meals, the first thing I noticed was how hot the bottom of the sandwich was, compared to the mild at best temperature of the meat and top portion of the bun. Nothing says authentic southern BBQ like microwaving the food. If you must cut corners, at least toast both buns before serving. The pulled pork was definitely not pulled, and may or may not have been pork. It had the grayish cast of several day old rotisserie chicken, and the taste was no better. We were each only able to down a few bites of this glob of meat before asking for the check. Our sides were was bland as the building itself, but not stomach turning awful. Under the right circumstances, I'd eat here again. Surely there will be another Spanish Inquisition someday, and during a zombie outbreak it is sure to be the one place even the undead will avoid. Until then, I will leave it to the bored suburbanites and traveling salesmen that seem to be the target demographic, though even these folks deserve better.
(1)
Ruben G.
This really doesnt approach bbq in nearly any sense other then they have general american food with some bbq sauce and some bbq-y type sides. We came in here for lunch just the other day roughly 45 minutes after they opened, there were still people standing on tables changing out lights and cleaning being done. we were sat at a booth with red duct tape on various parts, and after I had sat down to look around there were white stains on the back of the seat... wtf. did they film a wild orgy in this place?. After noticing that we decided to give it a couple more minutes because we are apparently stupid and over adventerous, No one came to take a drink order or even walked by. While we were walking out the host guy said, "oh did no one come to take your order? " Which signals a couple things, likely this happens often, and he didnt feel the need to tell anyone he sat someone in their section. its a joke of a place that will probably shut down soon like everything else in that little corner does, if your buddy drags you there for lunch mind where you sit.
(1)
Jennifer F.
The waitress was wonderful, the food adequate, but the bathrooms miserable! The smell was disgusting, the toilets hadn't been washed, and the paper towel dispenser didn't work! I will try to avoid this place again unless work actually makes me go back!
(2)
Joe N.
Impressively fast service, excellent food, friendly people. I don't see why they have an average of 2.5 stars. Would definitely recommend to a friend.
Had a terrible dining experience here. No host to be found when we walked in, the bartender came to greet us and rather than taking us to a table she asked us if we had seen the host. Finally a server came by and brought us to a table. Ordered my ribs dry, they came with sauce and it was obvious they were sitting under heat lamps for a long period of time. I went to their website to complain and got a phone call from a manager a few days later. He apologized and offered to send me a gift card so we could come back and give them another shot. Took down my name and address, I never received a gift card. Northern Virginia does not have great BBQ in general but go to Famous Dave's instead.
(1)
Jon L.
This place kicks a$$. My first time here. I never knew they served their sweet tea in your own personal pitcher, how cool is that! I had the Brunswick stew for starters, excellent choice. The pulled chicken sandwich with a side of fried okra. They have a great patio, nice & breezy on a Sat evening. They have live music on Sat nite.
(4)
Ardnas C.
To call the food mediocre is a compliment. The ribs at Red Hot & Blue are just plain bad. Awful, in fact. And the staff doesn't seem to know too much about the food. If you're looking for help making a selection, they're not the people to ask.
(1)
Angie D.
Pretty good food, clean environment, nice server...but why was our group of five all crammed on a table for four? The restaurant wasn't busy so they could have easily slid a couple of tables together to give us a little elbow room. That was my only complaint so it was overall a pleasant experience and I'm sure we'd all go back again.
(4)
Lynn M.
Terrible! Sat in the bar and had the worst service I've ever had from the extremely rude and slow female bartender who was more interested in interacting with her friends then responding to the smallest requests. We will NOT ever return!! Do yourself a favor and do not eat here.
(1)
Joseph M.
Love the outdoor patio. The service was good but unfortunately the rack of ribs was not great. The side salad and onion rings where also not prepared well and overall I would agree with the rest of the reviews in regards to overall food quality.
(2)
Local F.
Decent food. Great bartenders.
(3)
Juicy G.
Pretty good BBQ, but even better than that are their burgers - believe it or not. The "All-In" burger is probably one of the best burgers I've had at a restaurant to date. It had a good, juicy burger patty on it which had onion straws, cheddar cheese and what they called Mojo BBQ Sauce, but it didn't stop there. In addition there was a heaping mound of pulled pork piled on top of all that. I get my burgers without tomato, and I'm really glad I do in this case because the slice on my girlfriends burger added a good 1/4 inch more of mouth widening bites. It also came with a leaf of lettuce which really didn't add anything to the burger, so I removed that too. I have to be honest and say that the fries while good, gave the appearance and taste that they weren't fresh, but rather flash frozen. They do have a little more going for them than your average fry as they have that orange tint to them from being rolled in spices. This certainly adds to the flavor, but they just don't taste fresh. At $10.00, the price is pretty comparable to that of a burger you would get at pretty much every restaurant, and it's incredibly filling. All the flavors work well together, and overall I walked away really satisfied - if not stuffed. In closing of this review, I also have to add that I agree completely with the reviewer who mentioned how the mini pitchers they serve people's drinks in are a wasteful novelty. I'd also like to add that it gives the impression that the servers are too lazy to refill a standard sized drink and/or simply don't want to be bothered with checking up on patrons. I also just don't like drinking out of pitchers. I'm not a snobby person, but I do have more class than that.
(3)
Chandler D.
You couldn't get me to come back here if the plates were free. The only reason I'm writing this is to warn BBQ lovers to steer clear of this location.
(1)
Nathan M.
This was my first time eating at Red Hot & Blue and while I wasn't overly impressed, the food/service wasn't bad at all. We were seated immediately and the waiter was friendly. The food didn't take long after we ordered. My girlfriend I both had the Delta Double (choice of two meats). I had the ribs and brisket and she had the pulled chicken & pork.. The meal came with two sides and two small corn muffins. We both had the potato salad and I had beans as my second side and she had Mac n cheese. IMO the sides were very good, while the ribs and brisket were only average. The pulled chicken and pork were average as well.. Lastly we had the banana pudding for dessert which was VERY good and cheap as well ($3.95). I'd go back and I recommend any one else to try as well.
(3)
Murphy M.
Please avoid this place. I ordered from there this past weekend and become violently ill. I wasn't even able to hold down any water, the poisoning was that bad. I believe in only writing and promoting places I feel positively about, but after having experienced what I went through, I implore you to avoid this garbage heap at all costs.
(1)
Steve V.
I had a wicked craving for some barbecue pork this weekend and did find some here but it wasn't what I was hoping for. Despite the parking lot always smelling of smoking meats there was oddly no hint of it in my pork sandwich. The ribs my wife picked had a hint of flavor but it was not what I was hoping for. The sides were good, hush puppies were ok none of which I suspect were made in house though. They do have a respectable selection of local beers. Their "fresh" cobbler was anything but... It was mostly greasy chemicals and preservatives. I can tolerate mediocre barbecue but terrible deserts....
(2)
Doug T.
The food came out relatively quickly and correctly but was mediocre at best. Our server was HORRIBLE and had no personality. I expected to get some southern hospitality at a BBQ place but got NONE. This restaurant needs the show Bar Rescue.
(2)
Dave S.
I visit all the surrounding restaurants in this area and this place is severely underestimated. The service is great and the food is just as good. I just ordered a few Happy Hour wing specials and they were the best I've had in a long time. The wings are much bigger than any other places in the area and the flavor is awesome. I will definitely be going back.
(5)
Jim S.
Yuck- I am sorry Herndon if this is your only exposure to BBQ, because it ain't very good. Old and overcooked, been here thrice never going back again. 3 strikes and your out in my book.
(1)
H.C. D.
RHB, as its known locally, can always be counted on for good wholesome food. The barbecue is delicious, and the only gripe I have when coming here is what to order. Chicken, Beef, or Pork. Most of the time, I stay with the obvious, pulled pork platter or sandwich, and you certainly cannot go wrong with that, but the other two are great choices in their own right. Wait staff is always attentive and the restaurant is comfortable. Highly recommended!
(3)
Melinda H.
The weird onion thing sounds like a good idea, but they haven't perfected the art of deep frying. It was greesy and clumpy.
(2)
Lynn S.
For chain restaurants I always set my expectations low. They easily met them and slightly exceeded them. I ordered Texas beef brisket sandwich to go and it was very lean, not fatty. The bun was ordinary and the coleslaw was a little too creamy. The meat was tender and tasty, but you have to add sauce if you want it "hot". They also provide potato salad but I passed on it. Nothing fancy, just plain food. This is the kind of place a family could easily take their kids. It's accessible from the Dulles Tollway at Elden Street, at the front of a large strip shopping center. BTW, the bar was fully loaded with two flat screen TVs.
(3)
Emily A.
This was pretty much a terrible dining experience. We decided to go here because the Stone's Cove bar next door was a little packed and seemed a little strange and unwelcoming when we walked in. Looking back, we should have stuck it out there! When we walked in, there was no hostess and no one to greet us. The place was not even very busy. There were a lot of empty tables. We waited for nearly five minutes before the hostess came over. Once we were seated, it took another 10-15 minutes before the server came over to get our drink and dinner orders. Her greeting to us was not a greeting...she just said, "do you know what you want?" without even looking at us, just looking down at her little notepad. It was the first time I had even seen her wondering around the restaurant. It didn't even look like she had another table. Maybe part of the reason they were kind of empty on a Friday night!! There were really not many great options on the menu if you are not in the mood for a rack of ribs. I ordered the shrimp platter and the side salad. Again, it took probably another 5-7 minutes to get my salad. I mean, it's a side salad - it should take like a minute! Our food came pretty soon after the salad. My husband ordered ribs, and his food was stuffed on to a plate that was way too small for all the food on it. Every time he would remove something from the plate, something else would fall off of it onto the table. Also, she never brought us a drop plate for the rib bones or tails so we were stuck fitting them onto our already small plates. Another kind of weird thing was that they served salsa with their shrimp. I was not a fan. Also, the sweet potato fries have a cinnamon sugar or something on them to make them sweet. They were not very good at all. The food overall was not terrible, but it was certainly not worth the wait and the poor service!!
(1)
JP A.
Fast food BBQ. Its OK going down, then you gotta worry about it coming out. BBQ was nothing special, just OK; only reason I had it was because it was ordered at work. Probably wouldn't go back, rather go to DD BBQ in Sterling or Kernels BBQ in Harpers Ferry for some roadside BBQ that is much better.
(2)
Troy R.
Touch my wings and draw back a nub ya will. I've had the catfish (mmmph), burgers (mmm), wings (no you can't have any - get your own and I'll eat what you don't finish), and I've loved it all. The sides are ample and quality as well. I'm not however all sold on the ribs but this place is still a winner with me. Enjoy...
(4)
Foodie C.
PASS! Don't waste your hard earned bones for their bones. Ribs were Shoe leather tough. U am guessing they were day old or have been sitting around awhile. I ordered a second round of ribs hoping it would be fresher but.... They were microwaved... How you ask. Center was piping hot. Outside of ribs were hard and warm. All you can eat deal was good price but not worth it Chicken was OK. Sides were ok Service was fine nothing spectacular.
(2)
Chris B.
Probably 2.5 stars. The food is pretty much the same as it has always been, which is good but not great. The service I've typically had is slow, with attitudes ranging from mildly polite to indifferent. The place is not my first choice.
(3)
Jordan W.
It's not the best BBQ I have ever had, but if you are craving some good southern style cooking, Red Hot and Blue will ease your cravings. I had the 5 Meat Treat Platter which included Ribs, Chicken, Brisket, Sausage, and Pulled Pork served with two small cornbread muffins and 2 sides of your choice. For $15.99 (without tax) this was a lot of food. I actually didn't even touch the ribs because I was so full. My two sides were mashed potatoes and gravy and fries, both were really good and quite flavorful. As for the meats (I did eat) it was a mixed bag. The sausage was dry and really spicy, honestly not that good. The brisket was very dry too and probably the worst I had ever had. The chicken and pulled pork were decent (as long as you put BBQ sause on it) and thankfully not dry like the other meats. Based on this sampler I would suggest ordering the chicken on the menu as it had the most flavor (without having to add BBQ sauce), the sausage, brisket, and pulled pork aren't good enough to order on their own. Like I said at the beginning it isn't the best, but if you are wanting BBQ it will suffice.
(3)
Bro H.
I love barbeque, work right next to this place, and literally never go. Food is tasteless and often dry, sides aren't great either. No idea how they were able to open so many seemingly-successful locations in this area.
(2)
Greg F.
It has been years since I last visited a RH&B, and I was very pleased with this location. The BBQ is a great value, and for a chain, pretty darned awesome. Food was good, service was good, no surprises. This location has great outdoor seating.
(3)
Nick L.
Went here last night with my wife and I have to agree totally with the two star rating by Yelp. Meh. I've experienced better. The only thing that got this place 2 stars was the awesome bartender. Seriously if you're going to go here sit in the bar, she was awesome. My ribs were okay, pretty standard, nothing too amazing about them. My 1/4 chicken was too dry to eat. The potato salad and baked beans are pretty good, above average. Cole Slaw is the standard shredded heavily sauced variety. All in all....Meh.
(2)
Peter Q.
One of the better chain BBQ places. Stopped in this one for lunch and we had a good experience. Even had a vegetarian with us (yeah, not very nice of me I know but she was warned) and she was able to put together a good meal and had a nice time as well. Service was fast and friendly and the ribs and brisket are tasty. Not a fan of the bbq beans, but that's no biggie, we all have our likes and dislikes. I would stop in here again.
(3)
Jason S.
This is a decent place to grab food. There is nothing special about this place. Its clean and price is decent. Service was decent. If you like pork or bbq items this would be your spot.
(3)
Ben H.
I've been to this chain in Texas as well. The service was pretty unhappy but it was a busy lunch and I was there with colleagues, not a date or anything. Food was decent but nothing to crave or plan a trip around. If you're hungry for BBQ and in the area - go for it.
(3)
Steven B.
They would get a 4 or 5 for service but the catfish was way undercooked for my liking. I didn't complain because I had a platter and wanted to try everything but when the serve asked me about it I told her I thought it was undercooked. No big deal. Maybe I should order fried catfish well done. The manager came over and tried to explain to me that it was the texture of catfish and it should be that way. I told him to me in my lifetime I have never had it that chewy and soft. He tried to explain to me it was because it was frozen. I didn't need an explanation nor wanted to hear him defending bad fish but I'm pretty sure it was not southern style fried catfish. I'm glad I came by because the shrimp and sausage was great but the manager should go work fast food.
(2)
M. L.
My family and I went here one slow Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, it was so slow that I think they were understaffed. When we walked in there was a sign asking to wait to be seated. So we obliged. Five minutes later and no sign of a single soul we decided to seat ourselves and let the first employee we see know. While we couldn't see employees, we could definitely hear a bunch of girls giggling in the back. We sat ourselves on the porch and waited. Eventually my father had to get up and go to the bar to ask for service. We were pretty annoyed by then, we even had someone stop by our table twice to ask if we had gotten service yet. The second time the guy took initiative and took our drink order, even though he wasn't a server. Finally we were greeted by a young male server. He was apologetic and seemed really busy... somehow. However, he was very nice and I appreciated his honesty. His service and the food made up for the wait. And their beverages are a nice bonus... any soft drink that you order is brought out in a little pitcher. No need to ask for refills! I also ordered the margarita, which initially was delicious but after a few minutes all the salt sank to the bottom. I couldn't finish it because it had gotten so salty. If you get the margarita ask for little or no salt. I will be trying this place out again, and if they just speed up their service then it could quite possibly be my new favorite.
(3)
Alison T.
I grew up on microwaved leftover brisket. I know what it tastes like, so don't charge me $10 for it and pretend like it's straight from the smoker. I cringe every time some unknowing coworker comes into town and wants to eat here.
(1)
Jim H.
Horrible service. Just walked out after sitting at the bar for over ten minutes with no bartender.
(1)
Jay n.
In the area for business, and took a chance on a recommendation from my co-workers. Turned out to be a disappointment. 8:30pm on a Thursday evening and the place was fairly dead. By the time we were done with dinner, we were the last two people in the place. Service was acceptable. She couldn't really recommend anything on the menu, and struggled to explain the 'sides' to my colleague. Most things on the menu are fried. My burger order was done incorrectly by the kitchen, and it was 'average' at best. My friends order was 'ok'. The only positive was the Iced Tea served in a pitcher. Maybe it was just this location, but Red Hot and Blue won't get a recommendation from me based on this visit.
We've been here several times -- others in our group like it. Drinks are served in mini-pitchers -- avoids the need for most refills! But the BBQ is marginal and requires extra sauce to be edible. The blackened chicken sandwich was inedible until I poured BBQ over it. Food often comes out tepid.
(2)
Todd K.
A colleague chose this restaurant while we were visiting Virginia. It was my first visit to a Red, Hot and Blue. We were seated very quickly and the waitress was friendly and efficient. I asked her about the beers but then realized that she must have been too young to drink. I ordered the Dogfish Pale Ale which was just okay. For dinner, I ordered the Delta Double for $12.99 which included ribs and a choice of one other hickory smoked meat. I picked the beef brisket. The beans and slaw that it came with were about average. The ribs and brisket were good, but I didn't like any of the BBQ sauces that were available. The portions are pretty large and I took almost half of the meat back in a doggy bag (container). However, there are better BBQ joints in the surrounding neighborhood with better BBQ sauces.
(2)
Lisa R.
Pretty decent. The host looked like he was high and was texting on his phone when we arrived. However, our server was an absolute sweetheart and answered all of my questions. After my boyfriend and I completed our meals, I spoke with the waitress about the corn muffins...... They are tiny and are almost 200 calories each.... For a muffin smaller than a golf ball. Stay away from the muffins!!! The Pulled Chicken was great, but my boyfriend was not too impressed with the ribs. However, we would visit again and try other menu items!
(3)
Robbie D.
I've never been to a Red Hot & Blue that really impressed me. This one was the most underwhelming though. After being seated in an eerily empty and cold restaurant by a reluctant teenager, our service was scarce and the food was less than mediocre. You'll basically be treated to reheated food and pre-made sides. Sounds the same as Emily A. and Alison T.'s reviews.
(2)
Ken K.
Service was just ok. Live music was too loud for the time of day and smaller outdoor crowd. Brisket was somewhat dry needing sauce. Won't return to this location except for bar fare.
(3)
Andy W.
Warning to anybody out there who takes BBQ seriously. This place does NOT use smoke in their cooking. The meat is cooked low and slow, so it's tender enough, but there's no smoke involved. There's no smoke ring in the meat, no fantastic smell as you walk in, nothing. I can recommend the BBQ beans and the catfish, as they were tasty, but really nothing else. I ordered a half slab and only ate two of the ribs before I couldn't stand anymore. Nice server though.
(2)
Karla H.
Good food. Good service. Way too many nachos to eat and big pitcher of tea. Mmmmmm. I would have to say the portions seemed smaller than the Raleigh location, it could be my imagination...I will have to go back to Raleigh and check. ;) Would have got 5 stars but the server: ~ forgot salad (which came with our order) ~ forgot ketchup for kids meals (which I request at the beginning of the meal and reminded him of after food came and he still forgot) ~ forgot a plate for the kids to split their salad ~ and on a $27.00 check asked if I needed change on the $40 he saw on the table. REALLY!?!? he wanted a 40% tip....seriously that was kinda funny to me. anywho....I loved the food and it was quick and pretty simple so I will go back. This is not that same service level I get in Raleigh.
(3)
Anthony A.
This is my second time trying the Red, Hot and Blue. As I stated before the ribs are the best thing in the house. I went for the all you can eat ribs and chicken platter. The resturant allowed us to split the meal between two people which is a super great deal for $12.99. I devoured the first rounds of wet ribs in no time, the suace hand a slight tang that makes you keep eating and wanting more. So more I asked for, I went for the sweet ribs on the second round. This pig gave his life for the right cuase, sweet ribs. The molasses and sugary taste of the suace took this over the top. I wanted to go for round three but I could take no more. So after two Red hot and Blue resturants I have to say Yay, I'm a fan of the ribs. Next time I'm in the DC area I will make sure this is on the short list.
(4)
Susan F.
Service was great. Outdoor seating was a bonus on a beautiful day. BBQ ok. Oreo Brownie Sundae was total disappointment. How do you not heat the brownie before you put ice-cream on it???
(3)
Cheryl B.
I'm just not partial to most chain restaurants, go ahead and poo poo me, but really I just don't like my food from a #10 can! Anyhoo....came here with co-workers and we were on a tight schedule so we mentioned to our waitress that we had a clock to beat to see if she could recommend items that might play into that type of need. Instead she just got all snarky on how everyone coming there was in a hurry so why were we any different? COME ON...this location is set in the midst of tons of commercial space, who else is coming in to eat during the day...oh, that's right office folks who want something warm, quick and decent service. Now that I've ranted ... on with the review.... Ribs, pulled pork, pulled chicken and a chop salad were some of our choices...and yes, they all came out pretty fast. The pitcher of beverage each one of us had in front of us seemed a bit extreme to me. Every one of us only made it through 1/4-1/3 so that meant a bunch was tossed after we left. I don't think a restaurant needs wasteful novelties in today's market. The food itself was ok, the greens in my salad were fresh and the pulled chicken was tender with a slightly smoky note to it. Everyone else in the party appeared to enjoy their selections, but the lack of customer service was commented on by each one of us well into the rest of the afternoon. I have had better, and more authentic BBQ...and for sure (if you follow my reviews) I have enjoyed excellent and outstanding customer service regardless of the size or nature of the business....so RHB needs to step it up! Have a good day, darn it!
(2)
Ty S.
A BBQ place that can't get their ribs right spells trouble. Considering the amount of work it took me to get to the place from my nearby hotel (Herndon, you have to fix your crossing lights!) I was very disappointed with this stop. Service, price, and ambiance were fine it was the food that left a lot to be desired. My ribs were leathery and mostly flavorless. Very hard to eat and far from the tender, fall off the bones ribs I was hoping for. On th other hand, the catfish was good. Stick with the fish or don't go at all.
(2)
Curt O.
After reading other reviews I hesitated to order BBQ here. Ordered the burger with pulled pork and onion strings. A lot of food. The flavors went well together, especially with the various sauces. Had Memphis fries (spiced) - nothing special but decent enough. Tried some of their different sauces. I am a fan of a vinegar based (verses tomatoe based) sauce which they had. Mixed various sauces together to try some differnent flavors. Actually drank two pitchers of their Iced Tea. Some of the sauces had a bite - enjoyed it. Service was good. Manager came around to see how we were doing. That is always appreciated. I gave it a 3 - it was good enough.
(3)
Shashi B.
First I thought they had forgotten the glasses then I saw the other tables and then saw that it was a great idea to serve water and ice tea in the jugs themselves. I did finish 2 jugs of water. My Gumbalya was like sambar rice with shrimp and sausage I enjoyed it very much
(3)
V W.
We've been to RHB several times. For this lunch visit, all was good but nothing was exceptional. We received friendly service. With so many styles of barbeque cooking RHB seems to be in the middle without anything being really distinctive. Portions are good and you add your choice of barbeque sauces (mild, hot, sweet, vinegar). Both the ribs and brisket were good although brisket was not that tender. The coleslaw was very bland, perhaps again to not appeal to a particular taste style at risk of missing with others. More observations: the sauce bottles were sticky and needed cleaning, there is no padding on the booth seats which gets uncomfortable, and the parking spaces are rather narrow so its tight for anything larger than compacts.
(3)
Scott F.
Excellent BBQ. Tons of food for a reasonable price, and tasty. The atmosphere is family friends during the day. So far this is the best BBQ I have found in the area.
(4)
Anson P.
Red Hot and Blue is lower down on my list of places for chain bbq. It's really not that good. I decided to stop by here for dinner when I was in the area, mainly because I wanted to go some place where I knew there would be a tv. I decided to go with a two meat combo. Basically consisted of choice of St Louis ribs (I went with the sweet) and a choice of a second meat. For my second meat, I went with the brisket. The ribs were decent at best but the brisket was really fatty. Normally, I wouldn't complain about fat content but when it starts cutting into my meat content, we have a problem. Portion size was really really small. Not cool. When I want ribs, I want a lot of them. When they are subpar and lacking, I can't knowingly give a good review. The cole slaw was meh and the beans were meh. The corn bread muffin was ok. The thing I love about Red Hot and Blue is the huge pitchers they give you of water, soda, or tea. That's pretty much the only thing I like about Red Hot and Blue. The service was pretty good. Our waiter checked up on us at least 5 or 6 times. It was bordering on the creepy side, but hey, he earned his tip. Our food came out 2 minutes after we ordered it. Strange. If you're in the mood for good bbq, this really isn't the place for you. But if you're looking for a quick place to eat, you could do a lot worse.
(2)
Vivian C.
I didn't read through all the rest of the comments but in case no one mentioned the diminutive corn muffin. The thing is the size of my eyeball, and I'm 5'3" on a good day! The food was only so-so. Famouse Dave has much better ribs. If you are vegetarian, don't order their beans, or make a point of telling them "please don't sprinkle dead animal bits on my beans". I don't think I'm going back there again. Oh well.
(2)
Amita R.
This place hasn't even been open that long and I already know that I won't be a regular at this joint. It was kind exciting to try a new place in Herndon and its very convienant, since its located in the clocktower shopping center. That's pretty much where the niceties end though. I have to agree with the other reveiwers here...if you're looking for great BBQ or even a decent meal, try Famous Dave's in Chantilly or Oakton. It's worth the drive out there. My fiancee tried their pulled pork platter which came with a small (but I have to admit corn muffin), coleslaw (it was missing...flavor!), and beans (meh). I had their pulled chicken platter, but instead of beans, I asked for red skin mashed potates (which were decent) and we both ordered a side of their hush puppies (mmmmhmmm). Since there weren't a lot of patrons at the restaurant, service was excellent and the manager did come by to all the tables towards the end of the meal to ask how the food was, which I thought was a nice little touch.
(2)
Matthew B.
This place is poorly nestled in between a Fresh City and a Starbucks. Plenty of parking is available, although you might need to walk a bit. The entrance is dark and not well marked, so we weren't even sure we were going in the right door. Once inside the lighting is excessively dark and uninviting, with the exception of two VERY bright neon lights on the logo - bright enough to be distracting during our meal. The food is ok and came out in under 5 minutes from when we placed our order. Mine was pulled pork, fried okra, and mashed potatoes. The pork was not bad, although I've had much better. The mashed potatoes are unforgettable, and the fried okra is acceptable. The sauces are enjoyable, at least, with the hot sauce being spicy and the vinegar being close to what I love from home (SC). Although the restaurant is minutes walk from my house I doubt I'll go back. For the price, I have much better options available.
(2)
Sydney S.
Avoid!!! My husband and I went there for dinner about 3 weeks ago, they were not busy and the service was horrible. They use low quality ingredients, it wasn't super cheap, and I would never return. How hard can it be to make some BBQ? I would have left zero stars but that isn't an option on yelp....
(1)
Kimmie K.
My husband and I go here for lunch during the week. I love how quick they are! This is great because it is right around the corner from where I work and I only have an hour lunch break. The lunch deals are great - food is good and is very affordable. If you are looking for something quick during lunch - I highly recommend RH&B. Also, Starbucks is nearby, so that's a plus!
(5)
Ruth C.
I was looking for a change of pace on my lunch break at work and decided to truck down to the clock tower. Brunswick stew is the only thing I'd go back for. I tried the five meat sampler and a bunch of their sides. The ribs were overcooked, the brisket was meh but would've been better had it been on a sandwich slathered with mustard. Pulled pork had tough pieces, turkey too dry, sausage is hard to mess up so that was alright, not too dried out with smoky flavor and grill marks. I have a thing for potato salad so that was fine, but fries were too starchy without enough crisp. Fried okra was edible, not too oily or gummy. Hush puppies overcooked. Generally don't like cole slaw but maybe the disappointment at everything else just made it taste as okay as it did. Barbeque beans tasted like half-drained canned goods cooked with some bottled BBQ sauce. Overall, expected less overcooked meat.
(2)
Jim R.
I was excited to learn that Red, Hot and Blue was opening back up in the Herndon area. The previous incarnation was located in the town on the other end of Elden Street. This one shares the same building with Fresh City. The front entrance to the building is on the side and does not face the parking lot. It's not hard to locate, just a little inconvenient to have to walk to. The place does look pretty nice on the inside, with comfortable tables, a bar and three flat screen TV's. We were greeted by our waitress who seemed a little "weird" to my family and me. Can't really put my finger on it, she was just a little spacy. We ordered and the food was very promptly brought to our table. I had the "Delta Double" with chicken and ribs. My wife had the chicken, and my son had the mac and cheese from the kids menu. My wife's food and my food was served luke warm at best. Now, I know many may not agree with this, but I am a firm believer in never sending anything back to the kitchen if it's not just right. Based upon my profession, I happen to know quite well that the most savory of people usually do not work in the kitchen, so it's just a personal choice for me. We ate what we could of our meal, paid the check and got out of there. My wife and I remarked that since this place just opened the week before we visited, perhaps they were just finding their way and would be better the next time, if we choose to visit again. Although, we know a couple who visited about 2 weeks after we did and they both complained that their food was served luke warm as well. Not a good sign. I haven't been back, and I' m not certain that I will return when there are better options to be found for BBQ not too far away. I do agree with others that Famous Dave's is superior to Red, Hot and Blue. In my opinion, far superior.
(2)
Eric B.
Went a few days ago and the food was mediocre at best. Our server completely forgot about us. Don't think I will ever go back!
(1)
John G.
I read with amusement from Andy who said they do not use smoke at Red Hot and Blue. The Herndon Red Hot and Blue uses two Southern Pride smokers. These are state of the art machines that produce a consistently good product. Pork butts and briskets are slow smoked over night and require 8-10 hours. The wood used is hickory. Ribs and chicken are done in the day time. The red skinned potato salad is legendary. Are their better choices. BBQ down south is like Pizza up north. Its what you grew up with. As a chain the Red Hot and Blue teams from the owners on down strive every day to make it better. For a chain restaurant that is a pretty good commitment. John Gibson
(4)
Dave P.
FUCK YEAH. I'd been missing a convenient RH&B since the one in Herndon closed several years ago to be replaced by that insideous yuppie black hole, Carpool. The one in Leesburg is okay, but getting there from Reston in the evenings is a PITA due to traffic. The new RH&B in Herndon opened at the Clock Tower, at the intersection of Sunrise Valley and Centerville road. If you remember where the old Red Lobster is...same building. Parking is still shitty. Food isn't. They opened on Wednesday, and we were there 2 days later. It was busy. Lines for tables. While we were waiting, the hostess came around with a HUGE plate of sliced up smoked sausage links. Mmmmmm. Good. Just in case the smell didn't get your saliva glands constricting like a machine gun, snacking on these things will. Kitchen is slow, as is expected due to it being just opened. I hope it gets better.. it usually does. When the food finally came out, it was what I remembered it to be -- carolina chopped pork, yum. The chili was okay, not my favorite, but there aren't many places that make chili TheWayItShouldBe(tm) == edible with a single chopstick. We'll be back. If you go on a Friday, get there by 11:40, avoid the wait. Maybe they'll do call ahead seating... one can hope.
(4)
Jim W.
Not a big fan of Red, Hot and Blue.. The meat was dry and tough during my multiple visits and service is uneven at best. One thing that I did love was the HOT sauce. It had good flavor and a nice kick, which is often hard to find in a chain BBQ restaurant.
(2)
Allie S.
The service was slow, the meat tasted like it had been sitting out all day, the ribs were tough and had no flavor.
(1)
Frank W.
Sorry RHB but your only gave but the BBQ pork and service was very average.
(2)
Sean C.
Service was rough because of a busy patio, but the food is great and the drinks very reasonable. The Memphis Dry Rub wings were awesome!
(3)
Steve D.
Ribs here are steadily going downhill ! The last time I went here I grabbed a rack of ribs for takeout . The person on the phone sounded fairly confused on how to take the order. hen I got the ribs home they were dried out and mostly inedible. The times I have eaten inside the ribs were just ok, the pulled pork is not too bad.
(2)
Benjami n.
They have a burger with pulled pork and onion rings on top of it. Such a burger makes for a very fine lunch. I am a huge fan of their french fries. They come seasoned with goodness and if you sprinkle some BBQ powder on them, and dip them in a good mix of mild and hot BBQ sauce, you are in for a treat. I have actually been back a few times just for the fries and a beer. One time the fries were not fresh out of the fryer and were not as good. they need to be hot and crispy.
(4)
Audrey L.
Went there tonight around 8 pm because we were going to be in the area running an errand and we had a groupon. I pointed out the Thai restaurant and mentioned that I wished we were going there instead but whatever, we had a groupon. The place was dead, there were only about 4 tables in the whole restaurant. The server asked us 3 times in 3 minutes if we were ready to order, despite the fact that we were clearly still in the middle of reading our menus and debating with eachother what to order. Finally we decided to just order and we let him know we had a groupon. He said that was fine and he would take it at the end of the meal. I remembered the pulled bbq chicken sandwich being pretty good but now I'm trying to eat paleo, so I ordered the pulled pork platter with a side salad. The salad came out smothered in cheese (eeek) and croutons. Everything was very average. At the end of the meal, the server came back and told us the groupon was only valid at the Arlington location. We were very confused since he acted like it was totally fine in the beginning of the meal. He then asked us if we wanted anything else, my friend turned to ask me if I wanted dessert and the server interrupted us and said "well we're closing". We decided to skip dessert. What restaurant closes at 9 pm? 2 stars for average food and sub-par service.
(2)
Stacie V.
A native Texan, I get homesick for BBQ. This place is close to home and not bad for a chain. Love the bartender!
(3)
Mario N.
Best BBQ so far in the NOVA region. I am a big BBQ fan who grew up in Texas and I miss good BBQ sauce, the meat is good in most places but the sauce is not. Red Hot & Blue is in my opinion better than Famous Dave's
(4)
Nabeel A.
Visited the place today for lunch with my good friend and ordered the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Bread was hard to chew but the chicken tasted good. Overall, its an ok place , nothing exceptional. Dont be surprise if you order a drink and they bring your drink out in a pitcher with a straw. I thought that was interesting. :)
(2)
bao l.
This is the wrong place to go to for BBQ. I placed a carry-out order and the service was bad. No one was manning the Carry-out desk when I got there. Waited almost 10 minutes before just giving up and waving down a waitress to see what the deal was. Apparently I had to go to the bar to pick up my order. I ordered a Chili Bowl, 10 wings in hoochie-goochie sauce, and Five Meat sampler. Chili wasn't bad, wings were so-so. Wings were definitely a lot tastier and hotter after pouring RH&B hot BBQ sauce all over them. I didn't like anything from the five meat sampler. Definitely not coming back here for BBQ.
(1)
Alex W.
Great food and service!
(4)
Mike T.
best BBQ in the world? No. but it's pretty darn good. If you're a low carb fan, try the dry rub ribs with a salad. Good stuff. Falls Church location is just as good.
(4)
S W.
I would drive out of my way to Famous Dave's rather than go here again. The ribs have very little flavor compared to Famous Dave's. The greens sucked, the okra was overcooked. The beans were good -- Bush's, they tasted like. The potato salad was better than Famous Dave's, but hey, you come for the ribs. Famous Daves also has corn muffins that are large, moist, and sweet. I so wished I had driven out of my way to Famous Dave's, all during my meal!!!! But I wanted to try this place. I had been to the one in Fairfax before and got the dry ribs on a recommendation and didn't care for them. This time, I tried the wet and didn't care for them either. Nothing beats that sweet and sassy sauce at Famous Dave's. Oh well, live and learn. Never again.
(2)
Daniel W.
Being new to the area, I tried here for the first time. Is there something about my face that annoyed these people? Was I wearing my "please treat me like a hindrance" shirt? Because I asked for 2 things, my entire time there, and even the bartender rolled her eyes at me. I ordered the "Rib-wich Combo", and it was flavorless in every sense of the word. It literally had no taste. Made for a boring meal. I didn't think this would be an issue since they tote around their "award winning BBQ" on their advertisements. I will not be returning, and if you do not go, you are not missing anything.
(2)
Andrea C.
Wrong store
(5)
Will G.
Decent BBQ and Decent Service. It will fill the belly, but not quite the soul as the flavors are just big but not particularly special. Nice porch outlet front for a nice day!
(3)
Dave K.
Went for lunch with a friend, and it wasn't too bad at all. Lots of seating in and outdoors, with quite the authentic motif for blues and jazz decorations, so I was quite happy at this point. We were seated in a booth near the bar, since it was mid afternoon almost the entire place was empty. We ordered the onion ring loaf, and I had a burger. The food was quite delicious. Not extraordinary, and for the price of lunch for two, I felt it was a bit over the top, but still good nonetheless.
(4)
Bruce K.
Headed to a Muslim country (Turkey) for a few days, I did a Yelp search for "pork" so that I could get my pig on before being without for a few days. Barbecue was the result of that search and so here I am at Red Hot & Blue. At the time of my visit, there was a Yelp check-in offer for a free appetizer. I went with the chicken wings but only a half order. They arrived a few minutes later, very hot and without the usual bath of sauce on them. Easy to eat and dip in the blue cheese. Nice and spicy, good flavor, good meat. These are good wings. After I was into the second wing, my beer arrived. Odd timing, since it was a simple bottled beer that was on special. And as I started into the third wing, my entree arrived. Very poor timing, unfortunately. So I pushed the wings to the side (I later boxed them up and promptly forgot about them in the hotel fridge) and dug into my two meat combo. The pulled pork was decent, but you know how restaurants that put the sauce on the table are. I did add a bit of sauce to the pork though as it did seem to need it. The short rack of baby back ribs were nicely meaty with a dry rub on them and them more dry run dusted on top. Too much, really. But they separated nicely with a knife and I could easily eat them one handed. Not quite "fall off the bone" but still quite good. Parking was difficult as this is a very busy lot and RH&B is buried down in the corner. Four stars for good food and a nice clean restaurant but minus one star for poor timing.
(3)
Michael L.
So I'm a southern boy, raised and fed by corn (or rice) and bbq. I'm also from North Carolina, where BBQ is king (especially vinegar based). I was really looking forward to eating here, however I came out disappointed. First off, I ordered the Tennessee Triple, which is triple meat option (what could go wrong there). All the meats came out and you could tell by looking that it was dry. It was during a relatively busy time where turnover of food should be quick so it was surprising. When I actually tasted it, it was what I confirmed by sight... dry. That's a sin to BBQ and carnivores everywhere. The bbq sauce selection was pretty good (vinegar, sweet, spicy) however no matter how much sauce you put on it, you could still taste the dry, cardboard nature of the meat. I would say that the service is very good. They were very attentive about coming by and asking if everything is good and refilled our water whenever it was half way done.
(2)
Joann M.
Went as hubby has a taste for fried shrimp. Close to the house it fit the bill. A nice surprise was the free appetizer that popped up when I did a yelp check in. Glad I started doing that. I decided to do ribs but opted for their sweet sauce. Not sure why I did. if you like sweet go for it as they are that. Service was where things lacked. Our waitress was very personable and helpful. ... it just seemed like everyone on the floor would vanish right when we needed something. It was a bit frustrating. It fit what we needed for a rainy night near the house.
(3)
Emily A.
This was pretty much a terrible dining experience. We decided to go here because the Stone's Cove bar next door was a little packed and seemed a little strange and unwelcoming when we walked in. Looking back, we should have stuck it out there! When we walked in, there was no hostess and no one to greet us. The place was not even very busy. There were a lot of empty tables. We waited for nearly five minutes before the hostess came over. Once we were seated, it took another 10-15 minutes before the server came over to get our drink and dinner orders. Her greeting to us was not a greeting...she just said, "do you know what you want?" without even looking at us, just looking down at her little notepad. It was the first time I had even seen her wondering around the restaurant. It didn't even look like she had another table. Maybe part of the reason they were kind of empty on a Friday night!! There were really not many great options on the menu if you are not in the mood for a rack of ribs. I ordered the shrimp platter and the side salad. Again, it took probably another 5-7 minutes to get my salad. I mean, it's a side salad - it should take like a minute! Our food came pretty soon after the salad. My husband ordered ribs, and his food was stuffed on to a plate that was way too small for all the food on it. Every time he would remove something from the plate, something else would fall off of it onto the table. Also, she never brought us a drop plate for the rib bones or tails so we were stuck fitting them onto our already small plates. Another kind of weird thing was that they served salsa with their shrimp. I was not a fan. Also, the sweet potato fries have a cinnamon sugar or something on them to make them sweet. They were not very good at all. The food overall was not terrible, but it was certainly not worth the wait and the poor service!!
(1)
JP A.
Fast food BBQ. Its OK going down, then you gotta worry about it coming out. BBQ was nothing special, just OK; only reason I had it was because it was ordered at work. Probably wouldn't go back, rather go to DD BBQ in Sterling or Kernels BBQ in Harpers Ferry for some roadside BBQ that is much better.
(2)
Troy R.
Touch my wings and draw back a nub ya will. I've had the catfish (mmmph), burgers (mmm), wings (no you can't have any - get your own and I'll eat what you don't finish), and I've loved it all. The sides are ample and quality as well. I'm not however all sold on the ribs but this place is still a winner with me. Enjoy...
(4)
H.C. D.
RHB, as its known locally, can always be counted on for good wholesome food. The barbecue is delicious, and the only gripe I have when coming here is what to order. Chicken, Beef, or Pork. Most of the time, I stay with the obvious, pulled pork platter or sandwich, and you certainly cannot go wrong with that, but the other two are great choices in their own right. Wait staff is always attentive and the restaurant is comfortable. Highly recommended!
(3)
Melinda H.
The weird onion thing sounds like a good idea, but they haven't perfected the art of deep frying. It was greesy and clumpy.
(2)
Jordan W.
It's not the best BBQ I have ever had, but if you are craving some good southern style cooking, Red Hot and Blue will ease your cravings. I had the 5 Meat Treat Platter which included Ribs, Chicken, Brisket, Sausage, and Pulled Pork served with two small cornbread muffins and 2 sides of your choice. For $15.99 (without tax) this was a lot of food. I actually didn't even touch the ribs because I was so full. My two sides were mashed potatoes and gravy and fries, both were really good and quite flavorful. As for the meats (I did eat) it was a mixed bag. The sausage was dry and really spicy, honestly not that good. The brisket was very dry too and probably the worst I had ever had. The chicken and pulled pork were decent (as long as you put BBQ sause on it) and thankfully not dry like the other meats. Based on this sampler I would suggest ordering the chicken on the menu as it had the most flavor (without having to add BBQ sauce), the sausage, brisket, and pulled pork aren't good enough to order on their own. Like I said at the beginning it isn't the best, but if you are wanting BBQ it will suffice.
(3)
Bro H.
I love barbeque, work right next to this place, and literally never go. Food is tasteless and often dry, sides aren't great either. No idea how they were able to open so many seemingly-successful locations in this area.
(2)
Greg F.
It has been years since I last visited a RH&B, and I was very pleased with this location. The BBQ is a great value, and for a chain, pretty darned awesome. Food was good, service was good, no surprises. This location has great outdoor seating.
(3)
Nick L.
Went here last night with my wife and I have to agree totally with the two star rating by Yelp. Meh. I've experienced better. The only thing that got this place 2 stars was the awesome bartender. Seriously if you're going to go here sit in the bar, she was awesome. My ribs were okay, pretty standard, nothing too amazing about them. My 1/4 chicken was too dry to eat. The potato salad and baked beans are pretty good, above average. Cole Slaw is the standard shredded heavily sauced variety. All in all....Meh.
(2)
Peter Q.
One of the better chain BBQ places. Stopped in this one for lunch and we had a good experience. Even had a vegetarian with us (yeah, not very nice of me I know but she was warned) and she was able to put together a good meal and had a nice time as well. Service was fast and friendly and the ribs and brisket are tasty. Not a fan of the bbq beans, but that's no biggie, we all have our likes and dislikes. I would stop in here again.
(3)
Jason S.
This is a decent place to grab food. There is nothing special about this place. Its clean and price is decent. Service was decent. If you like pork or bbq items this would be your spot.
(3)
Ben H.
I've been to this chain in Texas as well. The service was pretty unhappy but it was a busy lunch and I was there with colleagues, not a date or anything. Food was decent but nothing to crave or plan a trip around. If you're hungry for BBQ and in the area - go for it.
(3)
Lynn S.
For chain restaurants I always set my expectations low. They easily met them and slightly exceeded them. I ordered Texas beef brisket sandwich to go and it was very lean, not fatty. The bun was ordinary and the coleslaw was a little too creamy. The meat was tender and tasty, but you have to add sauce if you want it "hot". They also provide potato salad but I passed on it. Nothing fancy, just plain food. This is the kind of place a family could easily take their kids. It's accessible from the Dulles Tollway at Elden Street, at the front of a large strip shopping center. BTW, the bar was fully loaded with two flat screen TVs.
(3)
M. L.
My family and I went here one slow Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, it was so slow that I think they were understaffed. When we walked in there was a sign asking to wait to be seated. So we obliged. Five minutes later and no sign of a single soul we decided to seat ourselves and let the first employee we see know. While we couldn't see employees, we could definitely hear a bunch of girls giggling in the back. We sat ourselves on the porch and waited. Eventually my father had to get up and go to the bar to ask for service. We were pretty annoyed by then, we even had someone stop by our table twice to ask if we had gotten service yet. The second time the guy took initiative and took our drink order, even though he wasn't a server. Finally we were greeted by a young male server. He was apologetic and seemed really busy... somehow. However, he was very nice and I appreciated his honesty. His service and the food made up for the wait. And their beverages are a nice bonus... any soft drink that you order is brought out in a little pitcher. No need to ask for refills! I also ordered the margarita, which initially was delicious but after a few minutes all the salt sank to the bottom. I couldn't finish it because it had gotten so salty. If you get the margarita ask for little or no salt. I will be trying this place out again, and if they just speed up their service then it could quite possibly be my new favorite.
(3)
Steven B.
They would get a 4 or 5 for service but the catfish was way undercooked for my liking. I didn't complain because I had a platter and wanted to try everything but when the serve asked me about it I told her I thought it was undercooked. No big deal. Maybe I should order fried catfish well done. The manager came over and tried to explain to me that it was the texture of catfish and it should be that way. I told him to me in my lifetime I have never had it that chewy and soft. He tried to explain to me it was because it was frozen. I didn't need an explanation nor wanted to hear him defending bad fish but I'm pretty sure it was not southern style fried catfish. I'm glad I came by because the shrimp and sausage was great but the manager should go work fast food.
(2)
Alison T.
I grew up on microwaved leftover brisket. I know what it tastes like, so don't charge me $10 for it and pretend like it's straight from the smoker. I cringe every time some unknowing coworker comes into town and wants to eat here.
(1)
Jim H.
Horrible service. Just walked out after sitting at the bar for over ten minutes with no bartender.
We've been here several times -- others in our group like it. Drinks are served in mini-pitchers -- avoids the need for most refills! But the BBQ is marginal and requires extra sauce to be edible. The blackened chicken sandwich was inedible until I poured BBQ over it. Food often comes out tepid.
(2)
Todd K.
A colleague chose this restaurant while we were visiting Virginia. It was my first visit to a Red, Hot and Blue. We were seated very quickly and the waitress was friendly and efficient. I asked her about the beers but then realized that she must have been too young to drink. I ordered the Dogfish Pale Ale which was just okay. For dinner, I ordered the Delta Double for $12.99 which included ribs and a choice of one other hickory smoked meat. I picked the beef brisket. The beans and slaw that it came with were about average. The ribs and brisket were good, but I didn't like any of the BBQ sauces that were available. The portions are pretty large and I took almost half of the meat back in a doggy bag (container). However, there are better BBQ joints in the surrounding neighborhood with better BBQ sauces.
(2)
Lisa R.
Pretty decent. The host looked like he was high and was texting on his phone when we arrived. However, our server was an absolute sweetheart and answered all of my questions. After my boyfriend and I completed our meals, I spoke with the waitress about the corn muffins...... They are tiny and are almost 200 calories each.... For a muffin smaller than a golf ball. Stay away from the muffins!!! The Pulled Chicken was great, but my boyfriend was not too impressed with the ribs. However, we would visit again and try other menu items!
(3)
Jay n.
In the area for business, and took a chance on a recommendation from my co-workers. Turned out to be a disappointment. 8:30pm on a Thursday evening and the place was fairly dead. By the time we were done with dinner, we were the last two people in the place. Service was acceptable. She couldn't really recommend anything on the menu, and struggled to explain the 'sides' to my colleague. Most things on the menu are fried. My burger order was done incorrectly by the kitchen, and it was 'average' at best. My friends order was 'ok'. The only positive was the Iced Tea served in a pitcher. Maybe it was just this location, but Red Hot and Blue won't get a recommendation from me based on this visit.
(2)
Foodie C.
PASS! Don't waste your hard earned bones for their bones. Ribs were Shoe leather tough. U am guessing they were day old or have been sitting around awhile. I ordered a second round of ribs hoping it would be fresher but.... They were microwaved... How you ask. Center was piping hot. Outside of ribs were hard and warm. All you can eat deal was good price but not worth it Chicken was OK. Sides were ok Service was fine nothing spectacular.
(2)
Chris B.
Probably 2.5 stars. The food is pretty much the same as it has always been, which is good but not great. The service I've typically had is slow, with attitudes ranging from mildly polite to indifferent. The place is not my first choice.
(3)
Robbie D.
I've never been to a Red Hot & Blue that really impressed me. This one was the most underwhelming though. After being seated in an eerily empty and cold restaurant by a reluctant teenager, our service was scarce and the food was less than mediocre. You'll basically be treated to reheated food and pre-made sides. Sounds the same as Emily A. and Alison T.'s reviews.
(2)
Ken K.
Service was just ok. Live music was too loud for the time of day and smaller outdoor crowd. Brisket was somewhat dry needing sauce. Won't return to this location except for bar fare.
(3)
Andy W.
Warning to anybody out there who takes BBQ seriously. This place does NOT use smoke in their cooking. The meat is cooked low and slow, so it's tender enough, but there's no smoke involved. There's no smoke ring in the meat, no fantastic smell as you walk in, nothing. I can recommend the BBQ beans and the catfish, as they were tasty, but really nothing else. I ordered a half slab and only ate two of the ribs before I couldn't stand anymore. Nice server though.
(2)
Karla H.
Good food. Good service. Way too many nachos to eat and big pitcher of tea. Mmmmmm. I would have to say the portions seemed smaller than the Raleigh location, it could be my imagination...I will have to go back to Raleigh and check. ;) Would have got 5 stars but the server: ~ forgot salad (which came with our order) ~ forgot ketchup for kids meals (which I request at the beginning of the meal and reminded him of after food came and he still forgot) ~ forgot a plate for the kids to split their salad ~ and on a $27.00 check asked if I needed change on the $40 he saw on the table. REALLY!?!? he wanted a 40% tip....seriously that was kinda funny to me. anywho....I loved the food and it was quick and pretty simple so I will go back. This is not that same service level I get in Raleigh.
(3)
Anthony A.
This is my second time trying the Red, Hot and Blue. As I stated before the ribs are the best thing in the house. I went for the all you can eat ribs and chicken platter. The resturant allowed us to split the meal between two people which is a super great deal for $12.99. I devoured the first rounds of wet ribs in no time, the suace hand a slight tang that makes you keep eating and wanting more. So more I asked for, I went for the sweet ribs on the second round. This pig gave his life for the right cuase, sweet ribs. The molasses and sugary taste of the suace took this over the top. I wanted to go for round three but I could take no more. So after two Red hot and Blue resturants I have to say Yay, I'm a fan of the ribs. Next time I'm in the DC area I will make sure this is on the short list.
(4)
Susan F.
Service was great. Outdoor seating was a bonus on a beautiful day. BBQ ok. Oreo Brownie Sundae was total disappointment. How do you not heat the brownie before you put ice-cream on it???
(3)
Cheryl B.
I'm just not partial to most chain restaurants, go ahead and poo poo me, but really I just don't like my food from a #10 can! Anyhoo....came here with co-workers and we were on a tight schedule so we mentioned to our waitress that we had a clock to beat to see if she could recommend items that might play into that type of need. Instead she just got all snarky on how everyone coming there was in a hurry so why were we any different? COME ON...this location is set in the midst of tons of commercial space, who else is coming in to eat during the day...oh, that's right office folks who want something warm, quick and decent service. Now that I've ranted ... on with the review.... Ribs, pulled pork, pulled chicken and a chop salad were some of our choices...and yes, they all came out pretty fast. The pitcher of beverage each one of us had in front of us seemed a bit extreme to me. Every one of us only made it through 1/4-1/3 so that meant a bunch was tossed after we left. I don't think a restaurant needs wasteful novelties in today's market. The food itself was ok, the greens in my salad were fresh and the pulled chicken was tender with a slightly smoky note to it. Everyone else in the party appeared to enjoy their selections, but the lack of customer service was commented on by each one of us well into the rest of the afternoon. I have had better, and more authentic BBQ...and for sure (if you follow my reviews) I have enjoyed excellent and outstanding customer service regardless of the size or nature of the business....so RHB needs to step it up! Have a good day, darn it!
(2)
Ty S.
A BBQ place that can't get their ribs right spells trouble. Considering the amount of work it took me to get to the place from my nearby hotel (Herndon, you have to fix your crossing lights!) I was very disappointed with this stop. Service, price, and ambiance were fine it was the food that left a lot to be desired. My ribs were leathery and mostly flavorless. Very hard to eat and far from the tender, fall off the bones ribs I was hoping for. On th other hand, the catfish was good. Stick with the fish or don't go at all.
(2)
Curt O.
After reading other reviews I hesitated to order BBQ here. Ordered the burger with pulled pork and onion strings. A lot of food. The flavors went well together, especially with the various sauces. Had Memphis fries (spiced) - nothing special but decent enough. Tried some of their different sauces. I am a fan of a vinegar based (verses tomatoe based) sauce which they had. Mixed various sauces together to try some differnent flavors. Actually drank two pitchers of their Iced Tea. Some of the sauces had a bite - enjoyed it. Service was good. Manager came around to see how we were doing. That is always appreciated. I gave it a 3 - it was good enough.
(3)
Lyle S.
Over the years I have read hundreds of reviews. I have come to the conclusion that some people could be given a $100 bill, but would complain about it not being more, or the bill being worn instead of crisp. While visiting the Herndon area, we checked Yelp for places to eat. We wanted BBQ, but after reading some of the terrible reviews about this restaurant we almost didn't go. That would have been our loss. We were seated instantly and our server took our drink order immediately. My friend had a Hurricane which she said was one of the best she'd ever had. She had Brunswick stew; again awesome. She had pulled pork dinner, I had pulled pork and sweet ribs. Both were superb. The beans and slaw excellent. The server was great and very attentive. Of course when it comes to ribs etc., someone will always tell about how "Back home their favorite place was perfect and they are always disappointed when eating any other restaurants ribs. Fine, but understand this isn't "Fat Sam's" old rib joint in an old run down building with a pushed in screen door and the smoker on the front stoop. It's a clean, nice restaurant with very good food. I will definitely return. So far, every time I paid no attention to horrid reviews, it's been a great experience.
(5)
Barc O.
This has to be the worst barbecue I've ever had. It was greasy and neither me or my dinner companions could finish. The barbecue sauces on the table were bland and the server kept having to go to the back to find out: what the seasonal beer was, what salad dressings they had, etc. The worst offense: the salad came out with the meal instead of before it!
(1)
Richard H.
I'm a fan as the 4-star review implies around these parts unless you got a smoker at home and have some secret recipe. I understand it might not be the best damn experience for most but if you're coming here for any other reason than the ribs and the sauce, you coming to the wrong place. I've taken my car from here to Austin Texas, passing by Memphis new Orleans and more on the way there and came up NC on the way back. and as far as sauce flavor it's good, especially the spiciest one. I've had dry, wet, dry and wet. I have to say my favorite sauce is Rudy's in Austin but if I'm itching for smoked ribs, this is the closest place to get it and I'm satisfied with it here.
(4)
Sue K.
I had a similar experience as another reviewer. I have been to other Red, Hot and Blue locations and had great experiences. Passing through the area and saw this location. Being from CA, my husband had never eaten at RH&B before. Boy were we disappointed. Service was not only slow, but very lacking in attentiveness. We had to ask for his beer to be delivered more than once, after waiting about 20 minutes for it to be delivered. I had to ask for a tea refill. We noticed that food was being delivered randomly, not knowing whose order it was. The location seems poorly managed. The ladies restrooms smelled of sewage, the signs outside were peeling. Overall a poor experience.
(1)
Dave L.
Had a great tasting and delicious dinner with my friends this past Saturday night with my friends. Katherine was very helpful and courteous and friendly as she look our food and drink orders and brought us our food. The local beer that I had with my meal was also very good. Was hardly crowded At 8:30.
(5)
Jean G.
Good bbq for this area. I have tried lots within a 60 mile radius. This place makes my 3rd place winner so far. Hit or miss with service. We have had excellent all the way to the our waiter changed shifts and just left. Wtf? Banana pudding is the dessert of choice here. Lately the bathroom stinks. I will come back once that is fixed. I know I am not the first to mention it.
(4)
Jason L.
Decent but not great bbq. Memphis dry run always great but the ribs tend to be a little fatty.
(3)
Chow N.
This is a great chain to enjoy bbq and I have to say that they have awesome potato salad here. Given that, my group lunch here was a train wreck. A coworker had called ahead to reserve tables for a very large group. So, coming in, they knew that it was going to be busy. The server did a decent job getting people their drinks, and he seemed to know what he was doing as he came down the line taking orders sequentially. Unfortunately, it went to hell after that. We all waited a long time for our food and the food that came out was sparsely delivered amongst people all over the table as the bus boys had to ask "who had the beef brisket?" Both the server and some manager type came out to apologize saying they are short staffed and that there are some screw-ups in the kitchen. It was useless b/c it didn't change anything nor did we get free desserts or soft drink comped. He didn't make it right. The food was decent. I had the pig squealin combo. The pulled pork was moist and tender and the combo comes with a personal sized onion loaf. The only issue is that the sandwich seems a lot smaller and less stuffed than I recall in the past. It didn't matter what we ordered because it seemed that everyone in the party got sausage. I would give this visit 1 star if not for the potato salad. Charlie Foxtrot
(2)
ellen c.
I'm giving this place 2 stars and I'll explain why. They lose a star due to less than friendly service. There are only a few servers that don't appear they hate working there. 2 stars are lost due to the bathrooms REEKING of sewage for the past several months! Seriously guys, get this fixed. If I wanted to sit next to a pig pen to eat I would go to a local farm and picnic. My hands don't feel clean after washing them. I have no idea how you are still open from this. Always loved your BBQ, but the facility needs help.
(2)
Patrick D.
Short version: I do not recommend placing orders via GrubHub, mediocre food (at best), terrible customer service from management. Ordered via GrubHub. Order was missing a side of coleslaw, no BBQ, no hushpuppies. Ribs, pork and chicken were all dry (and no BBQ sauce to make it better). Grubhub called the restaurant, and all the manager was willing to refund was $3.50 for the hushpuppies. He said that he "couldn't do anything" about the coleslaw and BBQ sauce since they were included with the platters.
(1)
Sasja T.
In-short: Mediocre food, friendly but lack luster service. My husband and I have eaten as this chain previously, a different location though, and enjoyed it. Not mind blowing BBQ, but good to satisfy an itch. We decided to try this location last evening since it's right down the street from where we live. Oy... oy, oy, oy, OY! "Decent" is about the best I can do. Our bottom line, IF we go back to this location we'll stick with fried pickles and ribs. Our waitress was friendly, but very green. She didn't know their beers at all, and when asked what type of Flying Dog they had her response was, "I don't know alcohol, but I have a list!" She also brought us out the wrong drink, but it wasn't a big deal, she noticed the mistake and swapped it right out. She gets an A for effort. I ordered an Onion Ring Loaf which came out excessively greasy, and did nothing for my craving for onion rings. The breading was strange, the texture was almost like they'd rolled it in cornstarch and gluten free flour before frying it: tacky, gritty and greasy. Not yummy my friends. Not yummy. My husband enjoyed his fried pickles though, which were actually pretty good; perfect amount of sour and a really nice golden crisp coating. I ordered a Tennessee Triple and my husband ordered the Five Meat Treat. The ribs fell off the bone and were pink, sweet, tangy, and tender. No complaints, they were genuinely good! The pulled chicken and pork were a bit dry but had decent flavor. But the beef brisket...yikes! The meat would've been gray if it hadn't been covered in an awful red sauce made of I don't know what. It was chewy, dry, and everything brisket should not be. The sausage, to put it in the words of my husband, "tastes like an oversized Slim Jim." We paid about $56 for the both of us, and the meal was not worth the price and did not satisfy my itch to have BBQ. All-in-all, we likely will not be going back.
(2)
J B.
Probably the worst barbecue that I have ever had. You could tell the brisket was soaked in some liquid to keep it moist and the flavor was terrible. Don't bother for barbecue, there are many other options.
(1)
Chris S.
My first experience ever at Red, Hot and Blue was a lunch service that I was able to slip into during a break in a conference at the local Westin conference center. We walked in and there was no host(ess) so we stood for a little bit until we were recognized by one of the servers and finally seated. Upon the recommendation of a friend, we started with what was called "onion loaf" which looked like a jumbled heap of onion straws. While it wasn't awful the onion straws were undercooked and lacking a flavor besides that inherent of fried foods. For my main I decided to go with the "all in" burger. I have to admit that my eyes were bigger than my belly (and that does not happen often). It was a burger, BBQ, onion straws all piled on a bun. I wasn't able to keep it together throughout the lunch, but individual pieces of the burger were good. The burger had a flam broiled taste (similar to a Burger King-y taste that is still with me as I burp now). The Pulled pork was dependent on sauces to deliver flavor, and it seemed like the onion straws were just there to say it was done. While I don't frequent red hot and blue, it seems like if you're looking for a unique and we'll put together flavor to just continue on, but if you're looking to feed a lineman or revel in gluttony then this is the sandwich for you. Buyer beware, this is a big sandwich!
(2)
Pam T.
This is my first yelp review but I felt I needed to post about my experience. I really like the Red Hot & Blue in Leesburg and Arlington. The service at this location was not good. We did have a larger group however we were essentially the only ones in the restaurant and the service was disorganized and VERY slow. We had to request our drinks multiple times over 40 minutes (water and ice tea weren't even served quickly). The wait for food was also very long and they did not seem to have a system in place to know who ordered what so they delivered food piecemeal and had to ask who ordered the food that was coming out. Another note not service related. Both of the women's restrooms were not working which makes you wonder about how well the restaurant is managed. Overall, poor experience and will not return.
(1)
Alice A.
Nice place, with a decent amount of tables. Went there for lunch on a week day, we were taken to our table within 5 minutes. The servers are nice, fries are awesome, and burgers ok. The steaks were definitely over cooked though (medium for rare, well cooked for medium rare). The price is really good for the quality. Recommend for night out for a beer.
(3)
Dave D.
I didn't eat here. They closed at 9pm. I can't believe that. What kind of thriving business closes so early? Go next door to Stone's Cove Kitbar. They've got great food and friendly servers and stay open - I didn't leave until 11pm.
(1)
Kathleen P.
Ordered delivery through GrubHub. After waiting exactly 103 minutes for my food, they GAVE ME THE WRONG FOOD. I ordered the Idaho Pig appetizer, a baked potato stuffed with pulled pork, sour cream, and cheese for $6.50. My husband ordered the rib platter. He got his ribs, I got a SIDE SWEET POTATO, inexplicably topped with a mountain of green onions. I called GrubHub immediately and they called the restaurant. The restaurant at that point was closed (10:40PM) but the manager offered to refund the potato. Um, 6.50 refund on an order that totaled $40 after delivery fee and a 20% tip? Let me get this straight, it's 10:40, I've been waiting almost two hours for my food, the food comes and is not what I ordered, and you are offering to refund a whole 12% of my order cost? I don't think so! I asked GrubHub to try again - but they didn't succeed. Never again! Somehow I think if I had been sitting at Red Hot and Blue for 2 hours without food and then had gotten the wrong food, this would have been a different story.
(2)
Lauren N.
Came here with a party of four, and the ribs were great! But...baked sweet potatoes were room temperature, one order of ribs came with corn bread and the other didn't, one order cost 10 cents more for seemingly no reason, they screwed up the beers we ordered and still charged us for all of them, and our waitress was rarely to be seen. Plates were not cleared when we were done despite having little to no free space at the table. I had a much better experience at the Leesburg location and will probably make the trip out there instead.
(2)
Julie Ann C.
Here for dinner and everything was delicious. Started with fried pickles and on to Delta Doubles with their fabulous potato salad & cole slaw. Service was prompt and the food hot. Definitely one of favorite go to spots when visiting the NOVA area!
(5)
FoodSnob D.
I don't do lonngggg reviews because u really just wanna know if it's good, alright, or sucks. I had the ribs, slaw, and beans... The ribs were just "alright".. They didn't have a smokey taste (despite the smokey smell outside), weren't falling off the bone, and didn't have that nice char on top I like to see on ribs... The coleslaw had a great texture (not dry or not too runny) but no flavor, and the beans were not bad but no flavor, not sweet at all. The cornbread comes out cold and the waitress had an attitude when we asked her to heat them up. The waitress was hard on the eyes and I'm being nice and it's like she was forcing herself to be nice .... She tried ... (Poor little tink tink.) So overall it wasn't disgusting but it wasn't Delish either. I probably won't ever come back because for a BBQ joint I expected much more. I had better ribs at chilli's. Shoulda went to hooters.
(3)
Fatt B.
To all the Yelpers who wrote negative reviews: I wish I had read those reviews before dining at this "restaurant". BBQ joints should not be sterile, smoke-free or dead at lunch hour; this place was all three. Staying here despite these omens, my companion and I were treated to mini-pitchers of drinks, each containing a vat of soda large enough to serve as kiddy pools. We each ordered the pulled pork sandwich, mine with chili, hers with corn chowder. Upon receiving our meals, the first thing I noticed was how hot the bottom of the sandwich was, compared to the mild at best temperature of the meat and top portion of the bun. Nothing says authentic southern BBQ like microwaving the food. If you must cut corners, at least toast both buns before serving. The pulled pork was definitely not pulled, and may or may not have been pork. It had the grayish cast of several day old rotisserie chicken, and the taste was no better. We were each only able to down a few bites of this glob of meat before asking for the check. Our sides were was bland as the building itself, but not stomach turning awful. Under the right circumstances, I'd eat here again. Surely there will be another Spanish Inquisition someday, and during a zombie outbreak it is sure to be the one place even the undead will avoid. Until then, I will leave it to the bored suburbanites and traveling salesmen that seem to be the target demographic, though even these folks deserve better.
(1)
Dave S.
I visit all the surrounding restaurants in this area and this place is severely underestimated. The service is great and the food is just as good. I just ordered a few Happy Hour wing specials and they were the best I've had in a long time. The wings are much bigger than any other places in the area and the flavor is awesome. I will definitely be going back.
(5)
Jim S.
Yuck- I am sorry Herndon if this is your only exposure to BBQ, because it ain't very good. Old and overcooked, been here thrice never going back again. 3 strikes and your out in my book.
(1)
Ruben G.
This really doesnt approach bbq in nearly any sense other then they have general american food with some bbq sauce and some bbq-y type sides. We came in here for lunch just the other day roughly 45 minutes after they opened, there were still people standing on tables changing out lights and cleaning being done. we were sat at a booth with red duct tape on various parts, and after I had sat down to look around there were white stains on the back of the seat... wtf. did they film a wild orgy in this place?. After noticing that we decided to give it a couple more minutes because we are apparently stupid and over adventerous, No one came to take a drink order or even walked by. While we were walking out the host guy said, "oh did no one come to take your order? " Which signals a couple things, likely this happens often, and he didnt feel the need to tell anyone he sat someone in their section. its a joke of a place that will probably shut down soon like everything else in that little corner does, if your buddy drags you there for lunch mind where you sit.
(1)
Jennifer F.
The waitress was wonderful, the food adequate, but the bathrooms miserable! The smell was disgusting, the toilets hadn't been washed, and the paper towel dispenser didn't work! I will try to avoid this place again unless work actually makes me go back!
(2)
Joe N.
Impressively fast service, excellent food, friendly people. I don't see why they have an average of 2.5 stars. Would definitely recommend to a friend.
This place kicks a$$. My first time here. I never knew they served their sweet tea in your own personal pitcher, how cool is that! I had the Brunswick stew for starters, excellent choice. The pulled chicken sandwich with a side of fried okra. They have a great patio, nice & breezy on a Sat evening. They have live music on Sat nite.
(4)
Carl P.
Had a terrible dining experience here. No host to be found when we walked in, the bartender came to greet us and rather than taking us to a table she asked us if we had seen the host. Finally a server came by and brought us to a table. Ordered my ribs dry, they came with sauce and it was obvious they were sitting under heat lamps for a long period of time. I went to their website to complain and got a phone call from a manager a few days later. He apologized and offered to send me a gift card so we could come back and give them another shot. Took down my name and address, I never received a gift card. Northern Virginia does not have great BBQ in general but go to Famous Dave's instead.
(1)
Ardnas C.
To call the food mediocre is a compliment. The ribs at Red Hot & Blue are just plain bad. Awful, in fact. And the staff doesn't seem to know too much about the food. If you're looking for help making a selection, they're not the people to ask.
(1)
Angie D.
Pretty good food, clean environment, nice server...but why was our group of five all crammed on a table for four? The restaurant wasn't busy so they could have easily slid a couple of tables together to give us a little elbow room. That was my only complaint so it was overall a pleasant experience and I'm sure we'd all go back again.
(4)
Lynn M.
Terrible! Sat in the bar and had the worst service I've ever had from the extremely rude and slow female bartender who was more interested in interacting with her friends then responding to the smallest requests. We will NOT ever return!! Do yourself a favor and do not eat here.
(1)
Joseph M.
Love the outdoor patio. The service was good but unfortunately the rack of ribs was not great. The side salad and onion rings where also not prepared well and overall I would agree with the rest of the reviews in regards to overall food quality.
(2)
Local F.
Decent food. Great bartenders.
(3)
Steve V.
I had a wicked craving for some barbecue pork this weekend and did find some here but it wasn't what I was hoping for. Despite the parking lot always smelling of smoking meats there was oddly no hint of it in my pork sandwich. The ribs my wife picked had a hint of flavor but it was not what I was hoping for. The sides were good, hush puppies were ok none of which I suspect were made in house though. They do have a respectable selection of local beers. Their "fresh" cobbler was anything but... It was mostly greasy chemicals and preservatives. I can tolerate mediocre barbecue but terrible deserts....
(2)
Doug T.
The food came out relatively quickly and correctly but was mediocre at best. Our server was HORRIBLE and had no personality. I expected to get some southern hospitality at a BBQ place but got NONE. This restaurant needs the show Bar Rescue.
(2)
Juicy G.
Pretty good BBQ, but even better than that are their burgers - believe it or not. The "All-In" burger is probably one of the best burgers I've had at a restaurant to date. It had a good, juicy burger patty on it which had onion straws, cheddar cheese and what they called Mojo BBQ Sauce, but it didn't stop there. In addition there was a heaping mound of pulled pork piled on top of all that. I get my burgers without tomato, and I'm really glad I do in this case because the slice on my girlfriends burger added a good 1/4 inch more of mouth widening bites. It also came with a leaf of lettuce which really didn't add anything to the burger, so I removed that too. I have to be honest and say that the fries while good, gave the appearance and taste that they weren't fresh, but rather flash frozen. They do have a little more going for them than your average fry as they have that orange tint to them from being rolled in spices. This certainly adds to the flavor, but they just don't taste fresh. At $10.00, the price is pretty comparable to that of a burger you would get at pretty much every restaurant, and it's incredibly filling. All the flavors work well together, and overall I walked away really satisfied - if not stuffed. In closing of this review, I also have to add that I agree completely with the reviewer who mentioned how the mini pitchers they serve people's drinks in are a wasteful novelty. I'd also like to add that it gives the impression that the servers are too lazy to refill a standard sized drink and/or simply don't want to be bothered with checking up on patrons. I also just don't like drinking out of pitchers. I'm not a snobby person, but I do have more class than that.
(3)
Nathan M.
This was my first time eating at Red Hot & Blue and while I wasn't overly impressed, the food/service wasn't bad at all. We were seated immediately and the waiter was friendly. The food didn't take long after we ordered. My girlfriend I both had the Delta Double (choice of two meats). I had the ribs and brisket and she had the pulled chicken & pork.. The meal came with two sides and two small corn muffins. We both had the potato salad and I had beans as my second side and she had Mac n cheese. IMO the sides were very good, while the ribs and brisket were only average. The pulled chicken and pork were average as well.. Lastly we had the banana pudding for dessert which was VERY good and cheap as well ($3.95). I'd go back and I recommend any one else to try as well.
(3)
Chandler D.
You couldn't get me to come back here if the plates were free. The only reason I'm writing this is to warn BBQ lovers to steer clear of this location.
(1)
Murphy M.
Please avoid this place. I ordered from there this past weekend and become violently ill. I wasn't even able to hold down any water, the poisoning was that bad. I believe in only writing and promoting places I feel positively about, but after having experienced what I went through, I implore you to avoid this garbage heap at all costs.
(1)
Shashi B.
First I thought they had forgotten the glasses then I saw the other tables and then saw that it was a great idea to serve water and ice tea in the jugs themselves. I did finish 2 jugs of water. My Gumbalya was like sambar rice with shrimp and sausage I enjoyed it very much
(3)
V W.
We've been to RHB several times. For this lunch visit, all was good but nothing was exceptional. We received friendly service. With so many styles of barbeque cooking RHB seems to be in the middle without anything being really distinctive. Portions are good and you add your choice of barbeque sauces (mild, hot, sweet, vinegar). Both the ribs and brisket were good although brisket was not that tender. The coleslaw was very bland, perhaps again to not appeal to a particular taste style at risk of missing with others. More observations: the sauce bottles were sticky and needed cleaning, there is no padding on the booth seats which gets uncomfortable, and the parking spaces are rather narrow so its tight for anything larger than compacts.
(3)
Scott F.
Excellent BBQ. Tons of food for a reasonable price, and tasty. The atmosphere is family friends during the day. So far this is the best BBQ I have found in the area.
(4)
Anson P.
Red Hot and Blue is lower down on my list of places for chain bbq. It's really not that good. I decided to stop by here for dinner when I was in the area, mainly because I wanted to go some place where I knew there would be a tv. I decided to go with a two meat combo. Basically consisted of choice of St Louis ribs (I went with the sweet) and a choice of a second meat. For my second meat, I went with the brisket. The ribs were decent at best but the brisket was really fatty. Normally, I wouldn't complain about fat content but when it starts cutting into my meat content, we have a problem. Portion size was really really small. Not cool. When I want ribs, I want a lot of them. When they are subpar and lacking, I can't knowingly give a good review. The cole slaw was meh and the beans were meh. The corn bread muffin was ok. The thing I love about Red Hot and Blue is the huge pitchers they give you of water, soda, or tea. That's pretty much the only thing I like about Red Hot and Blue. The service was pretty good. Our waiter checked up on us at least 5 or 6 times. It was bordering on the creepy side, but hey, he earned his tip. Our food came out 2 minutes after we ordered it. Strange. If you're in the mood for good bbq, this really isn't the place for you. But if you're looking for a quick place to eat, you could do a lot worse.
(2)
Vivian C.
I didn't read through all the rest of the comments but in case no one mentioned the diminutive corn muffin. The thing is the size of my eyeball, and I'm 5'3" on a good day! The food was only so-so. Famouse Dave has much better ribs. If you are vegetarian, don't order their beans, or make a point of telling them "please don't sprinkle dead animal bits on my beans". I don't think I'm going back there again. Oh well.
(2)
Amita R.
This place hasn't even been open that long and I already know that I won't be a regular at this joint. It was kind exciting to try a new place in Herndon and its very convienant, since its located in the clocktower shopping center. That's pretty much where the niceties end though. I have to agree with the other reveiwers here...if you're looking for great BBQ or even a decent meal, try Famous Dave's in Chantilly or Oakton. It's worth the drive out there. My fiancee tried their pulled pork platter which came with a small (but I have to admit corn muffin), coleslaw (it was missing...flavor!), and beans (meh). I had their pulled chicken platter, but instead of beans, I asked for red skin mashed potates (which were decent) and we both ordered a side of their hush puppies (mmmmhmmm). Since there weren't a lot of patrons at the restaurant, service was excellent and the manager did come by to all the tables towards the end of the meal to ask how the food was, which I thought was a nice little touch.
(2)
Matthew B.
This place is poorly nestled in between a Fresh City and a Starbucks. Plenty of parking is available, although you might need to walk a bit. The entrance is dark and not well marked, so we weren't even sure we were going in the right door. Once inside the lighting is excessively dark and uninviting, with the exception of two VERY bright neon lights on the logo - bright enough to be distracting during our meal. The food is ok and came out in under 5 minutes from when we placed our order. Mine was pulled pork, fried okra, and mashed potatoes. The pork was not bad, although I've had much better. The mashed potatoes are unforgettable, and the fried okra is acceptable. The sauces are enjoyable, at least, with the hot sauce being spicy and the vinegar being close to what I love from home (SC). Although the restaurant is minutes walk from my house I doubt I'll go back. For the price, I have much better options available.
(2)
Sydney S.
Avoid!!! My husband and I went there for dinner about 3 weeks ago, they were not busy and the service was horrible. They use low quality ingredients, it wasn't super cheap, and I would never return. How hard can it be to make some BBQ? I would have left zero stars but that isn't an option on yelp....
(1)
Kimmie K.
My husband and I go here for lunch during the week. I love how quick they are! This is great because it is right around the corner from where I work and I only have an hour lunch break. The lunch deals are great - food is good and is very affordable. If you are looking for something quick during lunch - I highly recommend RH&B. Also, Starbucks is nearby, so that's a plus!
(5)
Ruth C.
I was looking for a change of pace on my lunch break at work and decided to truck down to the clock tower. Brunswick stew is the only thing I'd go back for. I tried the five meat sampler and a bunch of their sides. The ribs were overcooked, the brisket was meh but would've been better had it been on a sandwich slathered with mustard. Pulled pork had tough pieces, turkey too dry, sausage is hard to mess up so that was alright, not too dried out with smoky flavor and grill marks. I have a thing for potato salad so that was fine, but fries were too starchy without enough crisp. Fried okra was edible, not too oily or gummy. Hush puppies overcooked. Generally don't like cole slaw but maybe the disappointment at everything else just made it taste as okay as it did. Barbeque beans tasted like half-drained canned goods cooked with some bottled BBQ sauce. Overall, expected less overcooked meat.
(2)
Jim R.
I was excited to learn that Red, Hot and Blue was opening back up in the Herndon area. The previous incarnation was located in the town on the other end of Elden Street. This one shares the same building with Fresh City. The front entrance to the building is on the side and does not face the parking lot. It's not hard to locate, just a little inconvenient to have to walk to. The place does look pretty nice on the inside, with comfortable tables, a bar and three flat screen TV's. We were greeted by our waitress who seemed a little "weird" to my family and me. Can't really put my finger on it, she was just a little spacy. We ordered and the food was very promptly brought to our table. I had the "Delta Double" with chicken and ribs. My wife had the chicken, and my son had the mac and cheese from the kids menu. My wife's food and my food was served luke warm at best. Now, I know many may not agree with this, but I am a firm believer in never sending anything back to the kitchen if it's not just right. Based upon my profession, I happen to know quite well that the most savory of people usually do not work in the kitchen, so it's just a personal choice for me. We ate what we could of our meal, paid the check and got out of there. My wife and I remarked that since this place just opened the week before we visited, perhaps they were just finding their way and would be better the next time, if we choose to visit again. Although, we know a couple who visited about 2 weeks after we did and they both complained that their food was served luke warm as well. Not a good sign. I haven't been back, and I' m not certain that I will return when there are better options to be found for BBQ not too far away. I do agree with others that Famous Dave's is superior to Red, Hot and Blue. In my opinion, far superior.
(2)
Eric B.
Went a few days ago and the food was mediocre at best. Our server completely forgot about us. Don't think I will ever go back!
(1)
John G.
I read with amusement from Andy who said they do not use smoke at Red Hot and Blue. The Herndon Red Hot and Blue uses two Southern Pride smokers. These are state of the art machines that produce a consistently good product. Pork butts and briskets are slow smoked over night and require 8-10 hours. The wood used is hickory. Ribs and chicken are done in the day time. The red skinned potato salad is legendary. Are their better choices. BBQ down south is like Pizza up north. Its what you grew up with. As a chain the Red Hot and Blue teams from the owners on down strive every day to make it better. For a chain restaurant that is a pretty good commitment. John Gibson
(4)
Dave P.
FUCK YEAH. I'd been missing a convenient RH&B since the one in Herndon closed several years ago to be replaced by that insideous yuppie black hole, Carpool. The one in Leesburg is okay, but getting there from Reston in the evenings is a PITA due to traffic. The new RH&B in Herndon opened at the Clock Tower, at the intersection of Sunrise Valley and Centerville road. If you remember where the old Red Lobster is...same building. Parking is still shitty. Food isn't. They opened on Wednesday, and we were there 2 days later. It was busy. Lines for tables. While we were waiting, the hostess came around with a HUGE plate of sliced up smoked sausage links. Mmmmmm. Good. Just in case the smell didn't get your saliva glands constricting like a machine gun, snacking on these things will. Kitchen is slow, as is expected due to it being just opened. I hope it gets better.. it usually does. When the food finally came out, it was what I remembered it to be -- carolina chopped pork, yum. The chili was okay, not my favorite, but there aren't many places that make chili TheWayItShouldBe(tm) == edible with a single chopstick. We'll be back. If you go on a Friday, get there by 11:40, avoid the wait. Maybe they'll do call ahead seating... one can hope.
(4)
Jim W.
Not a big fan of Red, Hot and Blue.. The meat was dry and tough during my multiple visits and service is uneven at best. One thing that I did love was the HOT sauce. It had good flavor and a nice kick, which is often hard to find in a chain BBQ restaurant.
(2)
Allie S.
The service was slow, the meat tasted like it had been sitting out all day, the ribs were tough and had no flavor.
(1)
Frank W.
Sorry RHB but your only gave but the BBQ pork and service was very average.
(2)
Sean C.
Service was rough because of a busy patio, but the food is great and the drinks very reasonable. The Memphis Dry Rub wings were awesome!
(3)
Steve D.
Ribs here are steadily going downhill ! The last time I went here I grabbed a rack of ribs for takeout . The person on the phone sounded fairly confused on how to take the order. hen I got the ribs home they were dried out and mostly inedible. The times I have eaten inside the ribs were just ok, the pulled pork is not too bad.
(2)
Benjami n.
They have a burger with pulled pork and onion rings on top of it. Such a burger makes for a very fine lunch. I am a huge fan of their french fries. They come seasoned with goodness and if you sprinkle some BBQ powder on them, and dip them in a good mix of mild and hot BBQ sauce, you are in for a treat. I have actually been back a few times just for the fries and a beer. One time the fries were not fresh out of the fryer and were not as good. they need to be hot and crispy.
(4)
Audrey L.
Went there tonight around 8 pm because we were going to be in the area running an errand and we had a groupon. I pointed out the Thai restaurant and mentioned that I wished we were going there instead but whatever, we had a groupon. The place was dead, there were only about 4 tables in the whole restaurant. The server asked us 3 times in 3 minutes if we were ready to order, despite the fact that we were clearly still in the middle of reading our menus and debating with eachother what to order. Finally we decided to just order and we let him know we had a groupon. He said that was fine and he would take it at the end of the meal. I remembered the pulled bbq chicken sandwich being pretty good but now I'm trying to eat paleo, so I ordered the pulled pork platter with a side salad. The salad came out smothered in cheese (eeek) and croutons. Everything was very average. At the end of the meal, the server came back and told us the groupon was only valid at the Arlington location. We were very confused since he acted like it was totally fine in the beginning of the meal. He then asked us if we wanted anything else, my friend turned to ask me if I wanted dessert and the server interrupted us and said "well we're closing". We decided to skip dessert. What restaurant closes at 9 pm? 2 stars for average food and sub-par service.
(2)
Stacie V.
A native Texan, I get homesick for BBQ. This place is close to home and not bad for a chain. Love the bartender!
(3)
Mario N.
Best BBQ so far in the NOVA region. I am a big BBQ fan who grew up in Texas and I miss good BBQ sauce, the meat is good in most places but the sauce is not. Red Hot & Blue is in my opinion better than Famous Dave's
(4)
Nabeel A.
Visited the place today for lunch with my good friend and ordered the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Bread was hard to chew but the chicken tasted good. Overall, its an ok place , nothing exceptional. Dont be surprise if you order a drink and they bring your drink out in a pitcher with a straw. I thought that was interesting. :)
(2)
bao l.
This is the wrong place to go to for BBQ. I placed a carry-out order and the service was bad. No one was manning the Carry-out desk when I got there. Waited almost 10 minutes before just giving up and waving down a waitress to see what the deal was. Apparently I had to go to the bar to pick up my order. I ordered a Chili Bowl, 10 wings in hoochie-goochie sauce, and Five Meat sampler. Chili wasn't bad, wings were so-so. Wings were definitely a lot tastier and hotter after pouring RH&B hot BBQ sauce all over them. I didn't like anything from the five meat sampler. Definitely not coming back here for BBQ.
(1)
Alex W.
Great food and service!
(4)
Mike T.
best BBQ in the world? No. but it's pretty darn good. If you're a low carb fan, try the dry rub ribs with a salad. Good stuff. Falls Church location is just as good.
(4)
S W.
I would drive out of my way to Famous Dave's rather than go here again. The ribs have very little flavor compared to Famous Dave's. The greens sucked, the okra was overcooked. The beans were good -- Bush's, they tasted like. The potato salad was better than Famous Dave's, but hey, you come for the ribs. Famous Daves also has corn muffins that are large, moist, and sweet. I so wished I had driven out of my way to Famous Dave's, all during my meal!!!! But I wanted to try this place. I had been to the one in Fairfax before and got the dry ribs on a recommendation and didn't care for them. This time, I tried the wet and didn't care for them either. Nothing beats that sweet and sassy sauce at Famous Dave's. Oh well, live and learn. Never again.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Drive-Thru : No Caters : Yes
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Dave L.
Had a great tasting and delicious dinner with my friends this past Saturday night with my friends. Katherine was very helpful and courteous and friendly as she look our food and drink orders and brought us our food. The local beer that I had with my meal was also very good. Was hardly crowded At 8:30.
(5)Jean G.
Good bbq for this area. I have tried lots within a 60 mile radius. This place makes my 3rd place winner so far. Hit or miss with service. We have had excellent all the way to the our waiter changed shifts and just left. Wtf? Banana pudding is the dessert of choice here. Lately the bathroom stinks. I will come back once that is fixed. I know I am not the first to mention it.
(4)Dave K.
Went for lunch with a friend, and it wasn't too bad at all. Lots of seating in and outdoors, with quite the authentic motif for blues and jazz decorations, so I was quite happy at this point. We were seated in a booth near the bar, since it was mid afternoon almost the entire place was empty. We ordered the onion ring loaf, and I had a burger. The food was quite delicious. Not extraordinary, and for the price of lunch for two, I felt it was a bit over the top, but still good nonetheless.
(4)Joann M.
Went as hubby has a taste for fried shrimp. Close to the house it fit the bill. A nice surprise was the free appetizer that popped up when I did a yelp check in. Glad I started doing that. I decided to do ribs but opted for their sweet sauce. Not sure why I did. if you like sweet go for it as they are that. Service was where things lacked. Our waitress was very personable and helpful. ... it just seemed like everyone on the floor would vanish right when we needed something. It was a bit frustrating. It fit what we needed for a rainy night near the house.
(3)Bruce K.
Headed to a Muslim country (Turkey) for a few days, I did a Yelp search for "pork" so that I could get my pig on before being without for a few days. Barbecue was the result of that search and so here I am at Red Hot & Blue. At the time of my visit, there was a Yelp check-in offer for a free appetizer. I went with the chicken wings but only a half order. They arrived a few minutes later, very hot and without the usual bath of sauce on them. Easy to eat and dip in the blue cheese. Nice and spicy, good flavor, good meat. These are good wings. After I was into the second wing, my beer arrived. Odd timing, since it was a simple bottled beer that was on special. And as I started into the third wing, my entree arrived. Very poor timing, unfortunately. So I pushed the wings to the side (I later boxed them up and promptly forgot about them in the hotel fridge) and dug into my two meat combo. The pulled pork was decent, but you know how restaurants that put the sauce on the table are. I did add a bit of sauce to the pork though as it did seem to need it. The short rack of baby back ribs were nicely meaty with a dry rub on them and them more dry run dusted on top. Too much, really. But they separated nicely with a knife and I could easily eat them one handed. Not quite "fall off the bone" but still quite good. Parking was difficult as this is a very busy lot and RH&B is buried down in the corner. Four stars for good food and a nice clean restaurant but minus one star for poor timing.
(3)Michael L.
So I'm a southern boy, raised and fed by corn (or rice) and bbq. I'm also from North Carolina, where BBQ is king (especially vinegar based). I was really looking forward to eating here, however I came out disappointed. First off, I ordered the Tennessee Triple, which is triple meat option (what could go wrong there). All the meats came out and you could tell by looking that it was dry. It was during a relatively busy time where turnover of food should be quick so it was surprising. When I actually tasted it, it was what I confirmed by sight... dry. That's a sin to BBQ and carnivores everywhere. The bbq sauce selection was pretty good (vinegar, sweet, spicy) however no matter how much sauce you put on it, you could still taste the dry, cardboard nature of the meat. I would say that the service is very good. They were very attentive about coming by and asking if everything is good and refilled our water whenever it was half way done.
(2)Daniel W.
Being new to the area, I tried here for the first time. Is there something about my face that annoyed these people? Was I wearing my "please treat me like a hindrance" shirt? Because I asked for 2 things, my entire time there, and even the bartender rolled her eyes at me. I ordered the "Rib-wich Combo", and it was flavorless in every sense of the word. It literally had no taste. Made for a boring meal. I didn't think this would be an issue since they tote around their "award winning BBQ" on their advertisements. I will not be returning, and if you do not go, you are not missing anything.
(2)Andrea C.
Wrong store
(5)Will G.
Decent BBQ and Decent Service. It will fill the belly, but not quite the soul as the flavors are just big but not particularly special. Nice porch outlet front for a nice day!
(3)Lyle S.
Over the years I have read hundreds of reviews. I have come to the conclusion that some people could be given a $100 bill, but would complain about it not being more, or the bill being worn instead of crisp. While visiting the Herndon area, we checked Yelp for places to eat. We wanted BBQ, but after reading some of the terrible reviews about this restaurant we almost didn't go. That would have been our loss. We were seated instantly and our server took our drink order immediately. My friend had a Hurricane which she said was one of the best she'd ever had. She had Brunswick stew; again awesome. She had pulled pork dinner, I had pulled pork and sweet ribs. Both were superb. The beans and slaw excellent. The server was great and very attentive. Of course when it comes to ribs etc., someone will always tell about how "Back home their favorite place was perfect and they are always disappointed when eating any other restaurants ribs. Fine, but understand this isn't "Fat Sam's" old rib joint in an old run down building with a pushed in screen door and the smoker on the front stoop. It's a clean, nice restaurant with very good food. I will definitely return. So far, every time I paid no attention to horrid reviews, it's been a great experience.
(5)Barc O.
This has to be the worst barbecue I've ever had. It was greasy and neither me or my dinner companions could finish. The barbecue sauces on the table were bland and the server kept having to go to the back to find out: what the seasonal beer was, what salad dressings they had, etc. The worst offense: the salad came out with the meal instead of before it!
(1)Richard H.
I'm a fan as the 4-star review implies around these parts unless you got a smoker at home and have some secret recipe. I understand it might not be the best damn experience for most but if you're coming here for any other reason than the ribs and the sauce, you coming to the wrong place. I've taken my car from here to Austin Texas, passing by Memphis new Orleans and more on the way there and came up NC on the way back. and as far as sauce flavor it's good, especially the spiciest one. I've had dry, wet, dry and wet. I have to say my favorite sauce is Rudy's in Austin but if I'm itching for smoked ribs, this is the closest place to get it and I'm satisfied with it here.
(4)Sue K.
I had a similar experience as another reviewer. I have been to other Red, Hot and Blue locations and had great experiences. Passing through the area and saw this location. Being from CA, my husband had never eaten at RH&B before. Boy were we disappointed. Service was not only slow, but very lacking in attentiveness. We had to ask for his beer to be delivered more than once, after waiting about 20 minutes for it to be delivered. I had to ask for a tea refill. We noticed that food was being delivered randomly, not knowing whose order it was. The location seems poorly managed. The ladies restrooms smelled of sewage, the signs outside were peeling. Overall a poor experience.
(1)Jason L.
Decent but not great bbq. Memphis dry run always great but the ribs tend to be a little fatty.
(3)Chow N.
This is a great chain to enjoy bbq and I have to say that they have awesome potato salad here. Given that, my group lunch here was a train wreck. A coworker had called ahead to reserve tables for a very large group. So, coming in, they knew that it was going to be busy. The server did a decent job getting people their drinks, and he seemed to know what he was doing as he came down the line taking orders sequentially. Unfortunately, it went to hell after that. We all waited a long time for our food and the food that came out was sparsely delivered amongst people all over the table as the bus boys had to ask "who had the beef brisket?" Both the server and some manager type came out to apologize saying they are short staffed and that there are some screw-ups in the kitchen. It was useless b/c it didn't change anything nor did we get free desserts or soft drink comped. He didn't make it right. The food was decent. I had the pig squealin combo. The pulled pork was moist and tender and the combo comes with a personal sized onion loaf. The only issue is that the sandwich seems a lot smaller and less stuffed than I recall in the past. It didn't matter what we ordered because it seemed that everyone in the party got sausage. I would give this visit 1 star if not for the potato salad. Charlie Foxtrot
(2)ellen c.
I'm giving this place 2 stars and I'll explain why. They lose a star due to less than friendly service. There are only a few servers that don't appear they hate working there. 2 stars are lost due to the bathrooms REEKING of sewage for the past several months! Seriously guys, get this fixed. If I wanted to sit next to a pig pen to eat I would go to a local farm and picnic. My hands don't feel clean after washing them. I have no idea how you are still open from this. Always loved your BBQ, but the facility needs help.
(2)Patrick D.
Short version: I do not recommend placing orders via GrubHub, mediocre food (at best), terrible customer service from management. Ordered via GrubHub. Order was missing a side of coleslaw, no BBQ, no hushpuppies. Ribs, pork and chicken were all dry (and no BBQ sauce to make it better). Grubhub called the restaurant, and all the manager was willing to refund was $3.50 for the hushpuppies. He said that he "couldn't do anything" about the coleslaw and BBQ sauce since they were included with the platters.
(1)Julie Ann C.
Here for dinner and everything was delicious. Started with fried pickles and on to Delta Doubles with their fabulous potato salad & cole slaw. Service was prompt and the food hot. Definitely one of favorite go to spots when visiting the NOVA area!
(5)Sasja T.
In-short: Mediocre food, friendly but lack luster service. My husband and I have eaten as this chain previously, a different location though, and enjoyed it. Not mind blowing BBQ, but good to satisfy an itch. We decided to try this location last evening since it's right down the street from where we live. Oy... oy, oy, oy, OY! "Decent" is about the best I can do. Our bottom line, IF we go back to this location we'll stick with fried pickles and ribs. Our waitress was friendly, but very green. She didn't know their beers at all, and when asked what type of Flying Dog they had her response was, "I don't know alcohol, but I have a list!" She also brought us out the wrong drink, but it wasn't a big deal, she noticed the mistake and swapped it right out. She gets an A for effort. I ordered an Onion Ring Loaf which came out excessively greasy, and did nothing for my craving for onion rings. The breading was strange, the texture was almost like they'd rolled it in cornstarch and gluten free flour before frying it: tacky, gritty and greasy. Not yummy my friends. Not yummy. My husband enjoyed his fried pickles though, which were actually pretty good; perfect amount of sour and a really nice golden crisp coating. I ordered a Tennessee Triple and my husband ordered the Five Meat Treat. The ribs fell off the bone and were pink, sweet, tangy, and tender. No complaints, they were genuinely good! The pulled chicken and pork were a bit dry but had decent flavor. But the beef brisket...yikes! The meat would've been gray if it hadn't been covered in an awful red sauce made of I don't know what. It was chewy, dry, and everything brisket should not be. The sausage, to put it in the words of my husband, "tastes like an oversized Slim Jim." We paid about $56 for the both of us, and the meal was not worth the price and did not satisfy my itch to have BBQ. All-in-all, we likely will not be going back.
(2)J B.
Probably the worst barbecue that I have ever had. You could tell the brisket was soaked in some liquid to keep it moist and the flavor was terrible. Don't bother for barbecue, there are many other options.
(1)Chris S.
My first experience ever at Red, Hot and Blue was a lunch service that I was able to slip into during a break in a conference at the local Westin conference center. We walked in and there was no host(ess) so we stood for a little bit until we were recognized by one of the servers and finally seated. Upon the recommendation of a friend, we started with what was called "onion loaf" which looked like a jumbled heap of onion straws. While it wasn't awful the onion straws were undercooked and lacking a flavor besides that inherent of fried foods. For my main I decided to go with the "all in" burger. I have to admit that my eyes were bigger than my belly (and that does not happen often). It was a burger, BBQ, onion straws all piled on a bun. I wasn't able to keep it together throughout the lunch, but individual pieces of the burger were good. The burger had a flam broiled taste (similar to a Burger King-y taste that is still with me as I burp now). The Pulled pork was dependent on sauces to deliver flavor, and it seemed like the onion straws were just there to say it was done. While I don't frequent red hot and blue, it seems like if you're looking for a unique and we'll put together flavor to just continue on, but if you're looking to feed a lineman or revel in gluttony then this is the sandwich for you. Buyer beware, this is a big sandwich!
(2)Pam T.
This is my first yelp review but I felt I needed to post about my experience. I really like the Red Hot & Blue in Leesburg and Arlington. The service at this location was not good. We did have a larger group however we were essentially the only ones in the restaurant and the service was disorganized and VERY slow. We had to request our drinks multiple times over 40 minutes (water and ice tea weren't even served quickly). The wait for food was also very long and they did not seem to have a system in place to know who ordered what so they delivered food piecemeal and had to ask who ordered the food that was coming out. Another note not service related. Both of the women's restrooms were not working which makes you wonder about how well the restaurant is managed. Overall, poor experience and will not return.
(1)Alice A.
Nice place, with a decent amount of tables. Went there for lunch on a week day, we were taken to our table within 5 minutes. The servers are nice, fries are awesome, and burgers ok. The steaks were definitely over cooked though (medium for rare, well cooked for medium rare). The price is really good for the quality. Recommend for night out for a beer.
(3)Dave D.
I didn't eat here. They closed at 9pm. I can't believe that. What kind of thriving business closes so early? Go next door to Stone's Cove Kitbar. They've got great food and friendly servers and stay open - I didn't leave until 11pm.
(1)Kathleen P.
Ordered delivery through GrubHub. After waiting exactly 103 minutes for my food, they GAVE ME THE WRONG FOOD. I ordered the Idaho Pig appetizer, a baked potato stuffed with pulled pork, sour cream, and cheese for $6.50. My husband ordered the rib platter. He got his ribs, I got a SIDE SWEET POTATO, inexplicably topped with a mountain of green onions. I called GrubHub immediately and they called the restaurant. The restaurant at that point was closed (10:40PM) but the manager offered to refund the potato. Um, 6.50 refund on an order that totaled $40 after delivery fee and a 20% tip? Let me get this straight, it's 10:40, I've been waiting almost two hours for my food, the food comes and is not what I ordered, and you are offering to refund a whole 12% of my order cost? I don't think so! I asked GrubHub to try again - but they didn't succeed. Never again! Somehow I think if I had been sitting at Red Hot and Blue for 2 hours without food and then had gotten the wrong food, this would have been a different story.
(2)Lauren N.
Came here with a party of four, and the ribs were great! But...baked sweet potatoes were room temperature, one order of ribs came with corn bread and the other didn't, one order cost 10 cents more for seemingly no reason, they screwed up the beers we ordered and still charged us for all of them, and our waitress was rarely to be seen. Plates were not cleared when we were done despite having little to no free space at the table. I had a much better experience at the Leesburg location and will probably make the trip out there instead.
(2)FoodSnob D.
I don't do lonngggg reviews because u really just wanna know if it's good, alright, or sucks. I had the ribs, slaw, and beans... The ribs were just "alright".. They didn't have a smokey taste (despite the smokey smell outside), weren't falling off the bone, and didn't have that nice char on top I like to see on ribs... The coleslaw had a great texture (not dry or not too runny) but no flavor, and the beans were not bad but no flavor, not sweet at all. The cornbread comes out cold and the waitress had an attitude when we asked her to heat them up. The waitress was hard on the eyes and I'm being nice and it's like she was forcing herself to be nice .... She tried ... (Poor little tink tink.) So overall it wasn't disgusting but it wasn't Delish either. I probably won't ever come back because for a BBQ joint I expected much more. I had better ribs at chilli's. Shoulda went to hooters.
(3)Fatt B.
To all the Yelpers who wrote negative reviews: I wish I had read those reviews before dining at this "restaurant". BBQ joints should not be sterile, smoke-free or dead at lunch hour; this place was all three. Staying here despite these omens, my companion and I were treated to mini-pitchers of drinks, each containing a vat of soda large enough to serve as kiddy pools. We each ordered the pulled pork sandwich, mine with chili, hers with corn chowder. Upon receiving our meals, the first thing I noticed was how hot the bottom of the sandwich was, compared to the mild at best temperature of the meat and top portion of the bun. Nothing says authentic southern BBQ like microwaving the food. If you must cut corners, at least toast both buns before serving. The pulled pork was definitely not pulled, and may or may not have been pork. It had the grayish cast of several day old rotisserie chicken, and the taste was no better. We were each only able to down a few bites of this glob of meat before asking for the check. Our sides were was bland as the building itself, but not stomach turning awful. Under the right circumstances, I'd eat here again. Surely there will be another Spanish Inquisition someday, and during a zombie outbreak it is sure to be the one place even the undead will avoid. Until then, I will leave it to the bored suburbanites and traveling salesmen that seem to be the target demographic, though even these folks deserve better.
(1)Ruben G.
This really doesnt approach bbq in nearly any sense other then they have general american food with some bbq sauce and some bbq-y type sides. We came in here for lunch just the other day roughly 45 minutes after they opened, there were still people standing on tables changing out lights and cleaning being done. we were sat at a booth with red duct tape on various parts, and after I had sat down to look around there were white stains on the back of the seat... wtf. did they film a wild orgy in this place?. After noticing that we decided to give it a couple more minutes because we are apparently stupid and over adventerous, No one came to take a drink order or even walked by. While we were walking out the host guy said, "oh did no one come to take your order? " Which signals a couple things, likely this happens often, and he didnt feel the need to tell anyone he sat someone in their section. its a joke of a place that will probably shut down soon like everything else in that little corner does, if your buddy drags you there for lunch mind where you sit.
(1)Jennifer F.
The waitress was wonderful, the food adequate, but the bathrooms miserable! The smell was disgusting, the toilets hadn't been washed, and the paper towel dispenser didn't work! I will try to avoid this place again unless work actually makes me go back!
(2)Joe N.
Impressively fast service, excellent food, friendly people. I don't see why they have an average of 2.5 stars. Would definitely recommend to a friend.
(5)Jackey B.
I have a few gripes with Red Hot and Blue in Herndon. I want it to be great because BBQ is my favorite kind of food and it's walkable from my home, BUT it's just not. First of all, the food, the most important part, is not good. You can't soak just anything in bottled BBQ sauce and call it BBQ. Nothing tastes smoky or fresh or fall off the bone like BBQ should. There are lots of other good BBQ joints around (famous Dave's is better, Willards is better), so Red, Hot and Blue needs to step it up. Secondly, the bathrooms in this place are disgusting. Smells like they have a sewer problem and that's on a few different occasions. My fiancé says the men's room is just as bad. Fix it, it's gross. Third, why close so early? They close at 9 or 10. The only thing they may be good for is as a bar, so why not stay open until midnight? All in all, if the food were good I'd overlook the rest and come back. Fix the food.
(2)Carl P.
Had a terrible dining experience here. No host to be found when we walked in, the bartender came to greet us and rather than taking us to a table she asked us if we had seen the host. Finally a server came by and brought us to a table. Ordered my ribs dry, they came with sauce and it was obvious they were sitting under heat lamps for a long period of time. I went to their website to complain and got a phone call from a manager a few days later. He apologized and offered to send me a gift card so we could come back and give them another shot. Took down my name and address, I never received a gift card. Northern Virginia does not have great BBQ in general but go to Famous Dave's instead.
(1)Jon L.
This place kicks a$$. My first time here. I never knew they served their sweet tea in your own personal pitcher, how cool is that! I had the Brunswick stew for starters, excellent choice. The pulled chicken sandwich with a side of fried okra. They have a great patio, nice & breezy on a Sat evening. They have live music on Sat nite.
(4)Ardnas C.
To call the food mediocre is a compliment. The ribs at Red Hot & Blue are just plain bad. Awful, in fact. And the staff doesn't seem to know too much about the food. If you're looking for help making a selection, they're not the people to ask.
(1)Angie D.
Pretty good food, clean environment, nice server...but why was our group of five all crammed on a table for four? The restaurant wasn't busy so they could have easily slid a couple of tables together to give us a little elbow room. That was my only complaint so it was overall a pleasant experience and I'm sure we'd all go back again.
(4)Lynn M.
Terrible! Sat in the bar and had the worst service I've ever had from the extremely rude and slow female bartender who was more interested in interacting with her friends then responding to the smallest requests. We will NOT ever return!! Do yourself a favor and do not eat here.
(1)Joseph M.
Love the outdoor patio. The service was good but unfortunately the rack of ribs was not great. The side salad and onion rings where also not prepared well and overall I would agree with the rest of the reviews in regards to overall food quality.
(2)Local F.
Decent food. Great bartenders.
(3)Juicy G.
Pretty good BBQ, but even better than that are their burgers - believe it or not. The "All-In" burger is probably one of the best burgers I've had at a restaurant to date. It had a good, juicy burger patty on it which had onion straws, cheddar cheese and what they called Mojo BBQ Sauce, but it didn't stop there. In addition there was a heaping mound of pulled pork piled on top of all that. I get my burgers without tomato, and I'm really glad I do in this case because the slice on my girlfriends burger added a good 1/4 inch more of mouth widening bites. It also came with a leaf of lettuce which really didn't add anything to the burger, so I removed that too. I have to be honest and say that the fries while good, gave the appearance and taste that they weren't fresh, but rather flash frozen. They do have a little more going for them than your average fry as they have that orange tint to them from being rolled in spices. This certainly adds to the flavor, but they just don't taste fresh. At $10.00, the price is pretty comparable to that of a burger you would get at pretty much every restaurant, and it's incredibly filling. All the flavors work well together, and overall I walked away really satisfied - if not stuffed. In closing of this review, I also have to add that I agree completely with the reviewer who mentioned how the mini pitchers they serve people's drinks in are a wasteful novelty. I'd also like to add that it gives the impression that the servers are too lazy to refill a standard sized drink and/or simply don't want to be bothered with checking up on patrons. I also just don't like drinking out of pitchers. I'm not a snobby person, but I do have more class than that.
(3)Chandler D.
You couldn't get me to come back here if the plates were free. The only reason I'm writing this is to warn BBQ lovers to steer clear of this location.
(1)Nathan M.
This was my first time eating at Red Hot & Blue and while I wasn't overly impressed, the food/service wasn't bad at all. We were seated immediately and the waiter was friendly. The food didn't take long after we ordered. My girlfriend I both had the Delta Double (choice of two meats). I had the ribs and brisket and she had the pulled chicken & pork.. The meal came with two sides and two small corn muffins. We both had the potato salad and I had beans as my second side and she had Mac n cheese. IMO the sides were very good, while the ribs and brisket were only average. The pulled chicken and pork were average as well.. Lastly we had the banana pudding for dessert which was VERY good and cheap as well ($3.95). I'd go back and I recommend any one else to try as well.
(3)Murphy M.
Please avoid this place. I ordered from there this past weekend and become violently ill. I wasn't even able to hold down any water, the poisoning was that bad. I believe in only writing and promoting places I feel positively about, but after having experienced what I went through, I implore you to avoid this garbage heap at all costs.
(1)Steve V.
I had a wicked craving for some barbecue pork this weekend and did find some here but it wasn't what I was hoping for. Despite the parking lot always smelling of smoking meats there was oddly no hint of it in my pork sandwich. The ribs my wife picked had a hint of flavor but it was not what I was hoping for. The sides were good, hush puppies were ok none of which I suspect were made in house though. They do have a respectable selection of local beers. Their "fresh" cobbler was anything but... It was mostly greasy chemicals and preservatives. I can tolerate mediocre barbecue but terrible deserts....
(2)Doug T.
The food came out relatively quickly and correctly but was mediocre at best. Our server was HORRIBLE and had no personality. I expected to get some southern hospitality at a BBQ place but got NONE. This restaurant needs the show Bar Rescue.
(2)Dave S.
I visit all the surrounding restaurants in this area and this place is severely underestimated. The service is great and the food is just as good. I just ordered a few Happy Hour wing specials and they were the best I've had in a long time. The wings are much bigger than any other places in the area and the flavor is awesome. I will definitely be going back.
(5)Jim S.
Yuck- I am sorry Herndon if this is your only exposure to BBQ, because it ain't very good. Old and overcooked, been here thrice never going back again. 3 strikes and your out in my book.
(1)H.C. D.
RHB, as its known locally, can always be counted on for good wholesome food. The barbecue is delicious, and the only gripe I have when coming here is what to order. Chicken, Beef, or Pork. Most of the time, I stay with the obvious, pulled pork platter or sandwich, and you certainly cannot go wrong with that, but the other two are great choices in their own right. Wait staff is always attentive and the restaurant is comfortable. Highly recommended!
(3)Melinda H.
The weird onion thing sounds like a good idea, but they haven't perfected the art of deep frying. It was greesy and clumpy.
(2)Lynn S.
For chain restaurants I always set my expectations low. They easily met them and slightly exceeded them. I ordered Texas beef brisket sandwich to go and it was very lean, not fatty. The bun was ordinary and the coleslaw was a little too creamy. The meat was tender and tasty, but you have to add sauce if you want it "hot". They also provide potato salad but I passed on it. Nothing fancy, just plain food. This is the kind of place a family could easily take their kids. It's accessible from the Dulles Tollway at Elden Street, at the front of a large strip shopping center. BTW, the bar was fully loaded with two flat screen TVs.
(3)Emily A.
This was pretty much a terrible dining experience. We decided to go here because the Stone's Cove bar next door was a little packed and seemed a little strange and unwelcoming when we walked in. Looking back, we should have stuck it out there! When we walked in, there was no hostess and no one to greet us. The place was not even very busy. There were a lot of empty tables. We waited for nearly five minutes before the hostess came over. Once we were seated, it took another 10-15 minutes before the server came over to get our drink and dinner orders. Her greeting to us was not a greeting...she just said, "do you know what you want?" without even looking at us, just looking down at her little notepad. It was the first time I had even seen her wondering around the restaurant. It didn't even look like she had another table. Maybe part of the reason they were kind of empty on a Friday night!! There were really not many great options on the menu if you are not in the mood for a rack of ribs. I ordered the shrimp platter and the side salad. Again, it took probably another 5-7 minutes to get my salad. I mean, it's a side salad - it should take like a minute! Our food came pretty soon after the salad. My husband ordered ribs, and his food was stuffed on to a plate that was way too small for all the food on it. Every time he would remove something from the plate, something else would fall off of it onto the table. Also, she never brought us a drop plate for the rib bones or tails so we were stuck fitting them onto our already small plates. Another kind of weird thing was that they served salsa with their shrimp. I was not a fan. Also, the sweet potato fries have a cinnamon sugar or something on them to make them sweet. They were not very good at all. The food overall was not terrible, but it was certainly not worth the wait and the poor service!!
(1)JP A.
Fast food BBQ. Its OK going down, then you gotta worry about it coming out. BBQ was nothing special, just OK; only reason I had it was because it was ordered at work. Probably wouldn't go back, rather go to DD BBQ in Sterling or Kernels BBQ in Harpers Ferry for some roadside BBQ that is much better.
(2)Troy R.
Touch my wings and draw back a nub ya will. I've had the catfish (mmmph), burgers (mmm), wings (no you can't have any - get your own and I'll eat what you don't finish), and I've loved it all. The sides are ample and quality as well. I'm not however all sold on the ribs but this place is still a winner with me. Enjoy...
(4)Foodie C.
PASS! Don't waste your hard earned bones for their bones. Ribs were Shoe leather tough. U am guessing they were day old or have been sitting around awhile. I ordered a second round of ribs hoping it would be fresher but.... They were microwaved... How you ask. Center was piping hot. Outside of ribs were hard and warm. All you can eat deal was good price but not worth it Chicken was OK. Sides were ok Service was fine nothing spectacular.
(2)Chris B.
Probably 2.5 stars. The food is pretty much the same as it has always been, which is good but not great. The service I've typically had is slow, with attitudes ranging from mildly polite to indifferent. The place is not my first choice.
(3)Jordan W.
It's not the best BBQ I have ever had, but if you are craving some good southern style cooking, Red Hot and Blue will ease your cravings. I had the 5 Meat Treat Platter which included Ribs, Chicken, Brisket, Sausage, and Pulled Pork served with two small cornbread muffins and 2 sides of your choice. For $15.99 (without tax) this was a lot of food. I actually didn't even touch the ribs because I was so full. My two sides were mashed potatoes and gravy and fries, both were really good and quite flavorful. As for the meats (I did eat) it was a mixed bag. The sausage was dry and really spicy, honestly not that good. The brisket was very dry too and probably the worst I had ever had. The chicken and pulled pork were decent (as long as you put BBQ sause on it) and thankfully not dry like the other meats. Based on this sampler I would suggest ordering the chicken on the menu as it had the most flavor (without having to add BBQ sauce), the sausage, brisket, and pulled pork aren't good enough to order on their own. Like I said at the beginning it isn't the best, but if you are wanting BBQ it will suffice.
(3)Bro H.
I love barbeque, work right next to this place, and literally never go. Food is tasteless and often dry, sides aren't great either. No idea how they were able to open so many seemingly-successful locations in this area.
(2)Greg F.
It has been years since I last visited a RH&B, and I was very pleased with this location. The BBQ is a great value, and for a chain, pretty darned awesome. Food was good, service was good, no surprises. This location has great outdoor seating.
(3)Nick L.
Went here last night with my wife and I have to agree totally with the two star rating by Yelp. Meh. I've experienced better. The only thing that got this place 2 stars was the awesome bartender. Seriously if you're going to go here sit in the bar, she was awesome. My ribs were okay, pretty standard, nothing too amazing about them. My 1/4 chicken was too dry to eat. The potato salad and baked beans are pretty good, above average. Cole Slaw is the standard shredded heavily sauced variety. All in all....Meh.
(2)Peter Q.
One of the better chain BBQ places. Stopped in this one for lunch and we had a good experience. Even had a vegetarian with us (yeah, not very nice of me I know but she was warned) and she was able to put together a good meal and had a nice time as well. Service was fast and friendly and the ribs and brisket are tasty. Not a fan of the bbq beans, but that's no biggie, we all have our likes and dislikes. I would stop in here again.
(3)Jason S.
This is a decent place to grab food. There is nothing special about this place. Its clean and price is decent. Service was decent. If you like pork or bbq items this would be your spot.
(3)Ben H.
I've been to this chain in Texas as well. The service was pretty unhappy but it was a busy lunch and I was there with colleagues, not a date or anything. Food was decent but nothing to crave or plan a trip around. If you're hungry for BBQ and in the area - go for it.
(3)Steven B.
They would get a 4 or 5 for service but the catfish was way undercooked for my liking. I didn't complain because I had a platter and wanted to try everything but when the serve asked me about it I told her I thought it was undercooked. No big deal. Maybe I should order fried catfish well done. The manager came over and tried to explain to me that it was the texture of catfish and it should be that way. I told him to me in my lifetime I have never had it that chewy and soft. He tried to explain to me it was because it was frozen. I didn't need an explanation nor wanted to hear him defending bad fish but I'm pretty sure it was not southern style fried catfish. I'm glad I came by because the shrimp and sausage was great but the manager should go work fast food.
(2)M. L.
My family and I went here one slow Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, it was so slow that I think they were understaffed. When we walked in there was a sign asking to wait to be seated. So we obliged. Five minutes later and no sign of a single soul we decided to seat ourselves and let the first employee we see know. While we couldn't see employees, we could definitely hear a bunch of girls giggling in the back. We sat ourselves on the porch and waited. Eventually my father had to get up and go to the bar to ask for service. We were pretty annoyed by then, we even had someone stop by our table twice to ask if we had gotten service yet. The second time the guy took initiative and took our drink order, even though he wasn't a server. Finally we were greeted by a young male server. He was apologetic and seemed really busy... somehow. However, he was very nice and I appreciated his honesty. His service and the food made up for the wait. And their beverages are a nice bonus... any soft drink that you order is brought out in a little pitcher. No need to ask for refills! I also ordered the margarita, which initially was delicious but after a few minutes all the salt sank to the bottom. I couldn't finish it because it had gotten so salty. If you get the margarita ask for little or no salt. I will be trying this place out again, and if they just speed up their service then it could quite possibly be my new favorite.
(3)Alison T.
I grew up on microwaved leftover brisket. I know what it tastes like, so don't charge me $10 for it and pretend like it's straight from the smoker. I cringe every time some unknowing coworker comes into town and wants to eat here.
(1)Jim H.
Horrible service. Just walked out after sitting at the bar for over ten minutes with no bartender.
(1)Jay n.
In the area for business, and took a chance on a recommendation from my co-workers. Turned out to be a disappointment. 8:30pm on a Thursday evening and the place was fairly dead. By the time we were done with dinner, we were the last two people in the place. Service was acceptable. She couldn't really recommend anything on the menu, and struggled to explain the 'sides' to my colleague. Most things on the menu are fried. My burger order was done incorrectly by the kitchen, and it was 'average' at best. My friends order was 'ok'. The only positive was the Iced Tea served in a pitcher. Maybe it was just this location, but Red Hot and Blue won't get a recommendation from me based on this visit.
(2)Jesse C.
Man I just noticed that this is my 100th review. I guess you are lucky Red Hot & Blues!! Located in the old Red Lobster building in the Clock Tower Shopping Center is Red Hot & Blues. An office mate of mine decided that she wanted to come here for a quick bit to eat. I had no objection to coming here even after reading all the reviews. In we came at Noon of a Friday. The place was packed, the friendly and cute hostess sat us at our table right away. Our server came by and took our drink orders. A minute or two later she came back with or drink and took our order. I go the Pig and Link Lunch Combo which is a lunch sized pulled pork sandwich and a full sausage link. My officemate ordered some a la carte stuff. The food came out pretty fast. I think my combo cost 8 bucks maybe, I don't remember now, but by the picture you can see it's a lot of food. I wish places would stop putting sauce all over their meats. If I want sauce on my pulled pork I'll put it on. The pork itself was very tender, but a little on the dry side, so in the end I did need a little sauce. I didn't care for the sauce they put on though. The sausage was the best part of the meal. It was very flavorful and juicy. They could have done a better job cooking the onions. They were practically raw from what you can see in the picture I uploaded. The potato salad was nothing special, it could have used some salt and pepper. The coleslaw had way too much mayo in there. Other than that, the meal was o.k. Noting too fancy or too exciting. The décor inside is the standard Red Hot & Blues stuff. Music memorabilia all over the wall and blues music playing in the background. Our service was great. We in fact had two servers coming to check up on us all the time. I'd come back here again. The food is o.k., they have cheap lunch combos, and they are quick.
(3)Kevin M.
We've been here several times -- others in our group like it. Drinks are served in mini-pitchers -- avoids the need for most refills! But the BBQ is marginal and requires extra sauce to be edible. The blackened chicken sandwich was inedible until I poured BBQ over it. Food often comes out tepid.
(2)Todd K.
A colleague chose this restaurant while we were visiting Virginia. It was my first visit to a Red, Hot and Blue. We were seated very quickly and the waitress was friendly and efficient. I asked her about the beers but then realized that she must have been too young to drink. I ordered the Dogfish Pale Ale which was just okay. For dinner, I ordered the Delta Double for $12.99 which included ribs and a choice of one other hickory smoked meat. I picked the beef brisket. The beans and slaw that it came with were about average. The ribs and brisket were good, but I didn't like any of the BBQ sauces that were available. The portions are pretty large and I took almost half of the meat back in a doggy bag (container). However, there are better BBQ joints in the surrounding neighborhood with better BBQ sauces.
(2)Lisa R.
Pretty decent. The host looked like he was high and was texting on his phone when we arrived. However, our server was an absolute sweetheart and answered all of my questions. After my boyfriend and I completed our meals, I spoke with the waitress about the corn muffins...... They are tiny and are almost 200 calories each.... For a muffin smaller than a golf ball. Stay away from the muffins!!! The Pulled Chicken was great, but my boyfriend was not too impressed with the ribs. However, we would visit again and try other menu items!
(3)Robbie D.
I've never been to a Red Hot & Blue that really impressed me. This one was the most underwhelming though. After being seated in an eerily empty and cold restaurant by a reluctant teenager, our service was scarce and the food was less than mediocre. You'll basically be treated to reheated food and pre-made sides. Sounds the same as Emily A. and Alison T.'s reviews.
(2)Ken K.
Service was just ok. Live music was too loud for the time of day and smaller outdoor crowd. Brisket was somewhat dry needing sauce. Won't return to this location except for bar fare.
(3)Andy W.
Warning to anybody out there who takes BBQ seriously. This place does NOT use smoke in their cooking. The meat is cooked low and slow, so it's tender enough, but there's no smoke involved. There's no smoke ring in the meat, no fantastic smell as you walk in, nothing. I can recommend the BBQ beans and the catfish, as they were tasty, but really nothing else. I ordered a half slab and only ate two of the ribs before I couldn't stand anymore. Nice server though.
(2)Karla H.
Good food. Good service. Way too many nachos to eat and big pitcher of tea. Mmmmmm. I would have to say the portions seemed smaller than the Raleigh location, it could be my imagination...I will have to go back to Raleigh and check. ;) Would have got 5 stars but the server: ~ forgot salad (which came with our order) ~ forgot ketchup for kids meals (which I request at the beginning of the meal and reminded him of after food came and he still forgot) ~ forgot a plate for the kids to split their salad ~ and on a $27.00 check asked if I needed change on the $40 he saw on the table. REALLY!?!? he wanted a 40% tip....seriously that was kinda funny to me. anywho....I loved the food and it was quick and pretty simple so I will go back. This is not that same service level I get in Raleigh.
(3)Anthony A.
This is my second time trying the Red, Hot and Blue. As I stated before the ribs are the best thing in the house. I went for the all you can eat ribs and chicken platter. The resturant allowed us to split the meal between two people which is a super great deal for $12.99. I devoured the first rounds of wet ribs in no time, the suace hand a slight tang that makes you keep eating and wanting more. So more I asked for, I went for the sweet ribs on the second round. This pig gave his life for the right cuase, sweet ribs. The molasses and sugary taste of the suace took this over the top. I wanted to go for round three but I could take no more. So after two Red hot and Blue resturants I have to say Yay, I'm a fan of the ribs. Next time I'm in the DC area I will make sure this is on the short list.
(4)Susan F.
Service was great. Outdoor seating was a bonus on a beautiful day. BBQ ok. Oreo Brownie Sundae was total disappointment. How do you not heat the brownie before you put ice-cream on it???
(3)Cheryl B.
I'm just not partial to most chain restaurants, go ahead and poo poo me, but really I just don't like my food from a #10 can! Anyhoo....came here with co-workers and we were on a tight schedule so we mentioned to our waitress that we had a clock to beat to see if she could recommend items that might play into that type of need. Instead she just got all snarky on how everyone coming there was in a hurry so why were we any different? COME ON...this location is set in the midst of tons of commercial space, who else is coming in to eat during the day...oh, that's right office folks who want something warm, quick and decent service. Now that I've ranted ... on with the review.... Ribs, pulled pork, pulled chicken and a chop salad were some of our choices...and yes, they all came out pretty fast. The pitcher of beverage each one of us had in front of us seemed a bit extreme to me. Every one of us only made it through 1/4-1/3 so that meant a bunch was tossed after we left. I don't think a restaurant needs wasteful novelties in today's market. The food itself was ok, the greens in my salad were fresh and the pulled chicken was tender with a slightly smoky note to it. Everyone else in the party appeared to enjoy their selections, but the lack of customer service was commented on by each one of us well into the rest of the afternoon. I have had better, and more authentic BBQ...and for sure (if you follow my reviews) I have enjoyed excellent and outstanding customer service regardless of the size or nature of the business....so RHB needs to step it up! Have a good day, darn it!
(2)Ty S.
A BBQ place that can't get their ribs right spells trouble. Considering the amount of work it took me to get to the place from my nearby hotel (Herndon, you have to fix your crossing lights!) I was very disappointed with this stop. Service, price, and ambiance were fine it was the food that left a lot to be desired. My ribs were leathery and mostly flavorless. Very hard to eat and far from the tender, fall off the bones ribs I was hoping for. On th other hand, the catfish was good. Stick with the fish or don't go at all.
(2)Curt O.
After reading other reviews I hesitated to order BBQ here. Ordered the burger with pulled pork and onion strings. A lot of food. The flavors went well together, especially with the various sauces. Had Memphis fries (spiced) - nothing special but decent enough. Tried some of their different sauces. I am a fan of a vinegar based (verses tomatoe based) sauce which they had. Mixed various sauces together to try some differnent flavors. Actually drank two pitchers of their Iced Tea. Some of the sauces had a bite - enjoyed it. Service was good. Manager came around to see how we were doing. That is always appreciated. I gave it a 3 - it was good enough.
(3)Shashi B.
First I thought they had forgotten the glasses then I saw the other tables and then saw that it was a great idea to serve water and ice tea in the jugs themselves. I did finish 2 jugs of water. My Gumbalya was like sambar rice with shrimp and sausage I enjoyed it very much
(3)V W.
We've been to RHB several times. For this lunch visit, all was good but nothing was exceptional. We received friendly service. With so many styles of barbeque cooking RHB seems to be in the middle without anything being really distinctive. Portions are good and you add your choice of barbeque sauces (mild, hot, sweet, vinegar). Both the ribs and brisket were good although brisket was not that tender. The coleslaw was very bland, perhaps again to not appeal to a particular taste style at risk of missing with others. More observations: the sauce bottles were sticky and needed cleaning, there is no padding on the booth seats which gets uncomfortable, and the parking spaces are rather narrow so its tight for anything larger than compacts.
(3)Scott F.
Excellent BBQ. Tons of food for a reasonable price, and tasty. The atmosphere is family friends during the day. So far this is the best BBQ I have found in the area.
(4)Anson P.
Red Hot and Blue is lower down on my list of places for chain bbq. It's really not that good. I decided to stop by here for dinner when I was in the area, mainly because I wanted to go some place where I knew there would be a tv. I decided to go with a two meat combo. Basically consisted of choice of St Louis ribs (I went with the sweet) and a choice of a second meat. For my second meat, I went with the brisket. The ribs were decent at best but the brisket was really fatty. Normally, I wouldn't complain about fat content but when it starts cutting into my meat content, we have a problem. Portion size was really really small. Not cool. When I want ribs, I want a lot of them. When they are subpar and lacking, I can't knowingly give a good review. The cole slaw was meh and the beans were meh. The corn bread muffin was ok. The thing I love about Red Hot and Blue is the huge pitchers they give you of water, soda, or tea. That's pretty much the only thing I like about Red Hot and Blue. The service was pretty good. Our waiter checked up on us at least 5 or 6 times. It was bordering on the creepy side, but hey, he earned his tip. Our food came out 2 minutes after we ordered it. Strange. If you're in the mood for good bbq, this really isn't the place for you. But if you're looking for a quick place to eat, you could do a lot worse.
(2)Vivian C.
I didn't read through all the rest of the comments but in case no one mentioned the diminutive corn muffin. The thing is the size of my eyeball, and I'm 5'3" on a good day! The food was only so-so. Famouse Dave has much better ribs. If you are vegetarian, don't order their beans, or make a point of telling them "please don't sprinkle dead animal bits on my beans". I don't think I'm going back there again. Oh well.
(2)Amita R.
This place hasn't even been open that long and I already know that I won't be a regular at this joint. It was kind exciting to try a new place in Herndon and its very convienant, since its located in the clocktower shopping center. That's pretty much where the niceties end though. I have to agree with the other reveiwers here...if you're looking for great BBQ or even a decent meal, try Famous Dave's in Chantilly or Oakton. It's worth the drive out there. My fiancee tried their pulled pork platter which came with a small (but I have to admit corn muffin), coleslaw (it was missing...flavor!), and beans (meh). I had their pulled chicken platter, but instead of beans, I asked for red skin mashed potates (which were decent) and we both ordered a side of their hush puppies (mmmmhmmm). Since there weren't a lot of patrons at the restaurant, service was excellent and the manager did come by to all the tables towards the end of the meal to ask how the food was, which I thought was a nice little touch.
(2)Matthew B.
This place is poorly nestled in between a Fresh City and a Starbucks. Plenty of parking is available, although you might need to walk a bit. The entrance is dark and not well marked, so we weren't even sure we were going in the right door. Once inside the lighting is excessively dark and uninviting, with the exception of two VERY bright neon lights on the logo - bright enough to be distracting during our meal. The food is ok and came out in under 5 minutes from when we placed our order. Mine was pulled pork, fried okra, and mashed potatoes. The pork was not bad, although I've had much better. The mashed potatoes are unforgettable, and the fried okra is acceptable. The sauces are enjoyable, at least, with the hot sauce being spicy and the vinegar being close to what I love from home (SC). Although the restaurant is minutes walk from my house I doubt I'll go back. For the price, I have much better options available.
(2)Sydney S.
Avoid!!! My husband and I went there for dinner about 3 weeks ago, they were not busy and the service was horrible. They use low quality ingredients, it wasn't super cheap, and I would never return. How hard can it be to make some BBQ? I would have left zero stars but that isn't an option on yelp....
(1)Kimmie K.
My husband and I go here for lunch during the week. I love how quick they are! This is great because it is right around the corner from where I work and I only have an hour lunch break. The lunch deals are great - food is good and is very affordable. If you are looking for something quick during lunch - I highly recommend RH&B. Also, Starbucks is nearby, so that's a plus!
(5)Ruth C.
I was looking for a change of pace on my lunch break at work and decided to truck down to the clock tower. Brunswick stew is the only thing I'd go back for. I tried the five meat sampler and a bunch of their sides. The ribs were overcooked, the brisket was meh but would've been better had it been on a sandwich slathered with mustard. Pulled pork had tough pieces, turkey too dry, sausage is hard to mess up so that was alright, not too dried out with smoky flavor and grill marks. I have a thing for potato salad so that was fine, but fries were too starchy without enough crisp. Fried okra was edible, not too oily or gummy. Hush puppies overcooked. Generally don't like cole slaw but maybe the disappointment at everything else just made it taste as okay as it did. Barbeque beans tasted like half-drained canned goods cooked with some bottled BBQ sauce. Overall, expected less overcooked meat.
(2)Jim R.
I was excited to learn that Red, Hot and Blue was opening back up in the Herndon area. The previous incarnation was located in the town on the other end of Elden Street. This one shares the same building with Fresh City. The front entrance to the building is on the side and does not face the parking lot. It's not hard to locate, just a little inconvenient to have to walk to. The place does look pretty nice on the inside, with comfortable tables, a bar and three flat screen TV's. We were greeted by our waitress who seemed a little "weird" to my family and me. Can't really put my finger on it, she was just a little spacy. We ordered and the food was very promptly brought to our table. I had the "Delta Double" with chicken and ribs. My wife had the chicken, and my son had the mac and cheese from the kids menu. My wife's food and my food was served luke warm at best. Now, I know many may not agree with this, but I am a firm believer in never sending anything back to the kitchen if it's not just right. Based upon my profession, I happen to know quite well that the most savory of people usually do not work in the kitchen, so it's just a personal choice for me. We ate what we could of our meal, paid the check and got out of there. My wife and I remarked that since this place just opened the week before we visited, perhaps they were just finding their way and would be better the next time, if we choose to visit again. Although, we know a couple who visited about 2 weeks after we did and they both complained that their food was served luke warm as well. Not a good sign. I haven't been back, and I' m not certain that I will return when there are better options to be found for BBQ not too far away. I do agree with others that Famous Dave's is superior to Red, Hot and Blue. In my opinion, far superior.
(2)Eric B.
Went a few days ago and the food was mediocre at best. Our server completely forgot about us. Don't think I will ever go back!
(1)John G.
I read with amusement from Andy who said they do not use smoke at Red Hot and Blue. The Herndon Red Hot and Blue uses two Southern Pride smokers. These are state of the art machines that produce a consistently good product. Pork butts and briskets are slow smoked over night and require 8-10 hours. The wood used is hickory. Ribs and chicken are done in the day time. The red skinned potato salad is legendary. Are their better choices. BBQ down south is like Pizza up north. Its what you grew up with. As a chain the Red Hot and Blue teams from the owners on down strive every day to make it better. For a chain restaurant that is a pretty good commitment. John Gibson
(4)Dave P.
FUCK YEAH. I'd been missing a convenient RH&B since the one in Herndon closed several years ago to be replaced by that insideous yuppie black hole, Carpool. The one in Leesburg is okay, but getting there from Reston in the evenings is a PITA due to traffic. The new RH&B in Herndon opened at the Clock Tower, at the intersection of Sunrise Valley and Centerville road. If you remember where the old Red Lobster is...same building. Parking is still shitty. Food isn't. They opened on Wednesday, and we were there 2 days later. It was busy. Lines for tables. While we were waiting, the hostess came around with a HUGE plate of sliced up smoked sausage links. Mmmmmm. Good. Just in case the smell didn't get your saliva glands constricting like a machine gun, snacking on these things will. Kitchen is slow, as is expected due to it being just opened. I hope it gets better.. it usually does. When the food finally came out, it was what I remembered it to be -- carolina chopped pork, yum. The chili was okay, not my favorite, but there aren't many places that make chili TheWayItShouldBe(tm) == edible with a single chopstick. We'll be back. If you go on a Friday, get there by 11:40, avoid the wait. Maybe they'll do call ahead seating... one can hope.
(4)Jim W.
Not a big fan of Red, Hot and Blue.. The meat was dry and tough during my multiple visits and service is uneven at best. One thing that I did love was the HOT sauce. It had good flavor and a nice kick, which is often hard to find in a chain BBQ restaurant.
(2)Allie S.
The service was slow, the meat tasted like it had been sitting out all day, the ribs were tough and had no flavor.
(1)Frank W.
Sorry RHB but your only gave but the BBQ pork and service was very average.
(2)Sean C.
Service was rough because of a busy patio, but the food is great and the drinks very reasonable. The Memphis Dry Rub wings were awesome!
(3)Steve D.
Ribs here are steadily going downhill ! The last time I went here I grabbed a rack of ribs for takeout . The person on the phone sounded fairly confused on how to take the order. hen I got the ribs home they were dried out and mostly inedible. The times I have eaten inside the ribs were just ok, the pulled pork is not too bad.
(2)Benjami n.
They have a burger with pulled pork and onion rings on top of it. Such a burger makes for a very fine lunch. I am a huge fan of their french fries. They come seasoned with goodness and if you sprinkle some BBQ powder on them, and dip them in a good mix of mild and hot BBQ sauce, you are in for a treat. I have actually been back a few times just for the fries and a beer. One time the fries were not fresh out of the fryer and were not as good. they need to be hot and crispy.
(4)Audrey L.
Went there tonight around 8 pm because we were going to be in the area running an errand and we had a groupon. I pointed out the Thai restaurant and mentioned that I wished we were going there instead but whatever, we had a groupon. The place was dead, there were only about 4 tables in the whole restaurant. The server asked us 3 times in 3 minutes if we were ready to order, despite the fact that we were clearly still in the middle of reading our menus and debating with eachother what to order. Finally we decided to just order and we let him know we had a groupon. He said that was fine and he would take it at the end of the meal. I remembered the pulled bbq chicken sandwich being pretty good but now I'm trying to eat paleo, so I ordered the pulled pork platter with a side salad. The salad came out smothered in cheese (eeek) and croutons. Everything was very average. At the end of the meal, the server came back and told us the groupon was only valid at the Arlington location. We were very confused since he acted like it was totally fine in the beginning of the meal. He then asked us if we wanted anything else, my friend turned to ask me if I wanted dessert and the server interrupted us and said "well we're closing". We decided to skip dessert. What restaurant closes at 9 pm? 2 stars for average food and sub-par service.
(2)Stacie V.
A native Texan, I get homesick for BBQ. This place is close to home and not bad for a chain. Love the bartender!
(3)Mario N.
Best BBQ so far in the NOVA region. I am a big BBQ fan who grew up in Texas and I miss good BBQ sauce, the meat is good in most places but the sauce is not. Red Hot & Blue is in my opinion better than Famous Dave's
(4)Nabeel A.
Visited the place today for lunch with my good friend and ordered the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Bread was hard to chew but the chicken tasted good. Overall, its an ok place , nothing exceptional. Dont be surprise if you order a drink and they bring your drink out in a pitcher with a straw. I thought that was interesting. :)
(2)bao l.
This is the wrong place to go to for BBQ. I placed a carry-out order and the service was bad. No one was manning the Carry-out desk when I got there. Waited almost 10 minutes before just giving up and waving down a waitress to see what the deal was. Apparently I had to go to the bar to pick up my order. I ordered a Chili Bowl, 10 wings in hoochie-goochie sauce, and Five Meat sampler. Chili wasn't bad, wings were so-so. Wings were definitely a lot tastier and hotter after pouring RH&B hot BBQ sauce all over them. I didn't like anything from the five meat sampler. Definitely not coming back here for BBQ.
(1)Alex W.
Great food and service!
(4)Mike T.
best BBQ in the world? No. but it's pretty darn good. If you're a low carb fan, try the dry rub ribs with a salad. Good stuff. Falls Church location is just as good.
(4)S W.
I would drive out of my way to Famous Dave's rather than go here again. The ribs have very little flavor compared to Famous Dave's. The greens sucked, the okra was overcooked. The beans were good -- Bush's, they tasted like. The potato salad was better than Famous Dave's, but hey, you come for the ribs. Famous Daves also has corn muffins that are large, moist, and sweet. I so wished I had driven out of my way to Famous Dave's, all during my meal!!!! But I wanted to try this place. I had been to the one in Fairfax before and got the dry ribs on a recommendation and didn't care for them. This time, I tried the wet and didn't care for them either. Nothing beats that sweet and sassy sauce at Famous Dave's. Oh well, live and learn. Never again.
(2)Daniel W.
Being new to the area, I tried here for the first time. Is there something about my face that annoyed these people? Was I wearing my "please treat me like a hindrance" shirt? Because I asked for 2 things, my entire time there, and even the bartender rolled her eyes at me. I ordered the "Rib-wich Combo", and it was flavorless in every sense of the word. It literally had no taste. Made for a boring meal. I didn't think this would be an issue since they tote around their "award winning BBQ" on their advertisements. I will not be returning, and if you do not go, you are not missing anything.
(2)Andrea C.
Wrong store
(5)Will G.
Decent BBQ and Decent Service. It will fill the belly, but not quite the soul as the flavors are just big but not particularly special. Nice porch outlet front for a nice day!
(3)Dave K.
Went for lunch with a friend, and it wasn't too bad at all. Lots of seating in and outdoors, with quite the authentic motif for blues and jazz decorations, so I was quite happy at this point. We were seated in a booth near the bar, since it was mid afternoon almost the entire place was empty. We ordered the onion ring loaf, and I had a burger. The food was quite delicious. Not extraordinary, and for the price of lunch for two, I felt it was a bit over the top, but still good nonetheless.
(4)Bruce K.
Headed to a Muslim country (Turkey) for a few days, I did a Yelp search for "pork" so that I could get my pig on before being without for a few days. Barbecue was the result of that search and so here I am at Red Hot & Blue. At the time of my visit, there was a Yelp check-in offer for a free appetizer. I went with the chicken wings but only a half order. They arrived a few minutes later, very hot and without the usual bath of sauce on them. Easy to eat and dip in the blue cheese. Nice and spicy, good flavor, good meat. These are good wings. After I was into the second wing, my beer arrived. Odd timing, since it was a simple bottled beer that was on special. And as I started into the third wing, my entree arrived. Very poor timing, unfortunately. So I pushed the wings to the side (I later boxed them up and promptly forgot about them in the hotel fridge) and dug into my two meat combo. The pulled pork was decent, but you know how restaurants that put the sauce on the table are. I did add a bit of sauce to the pork though as it did seem to need it. The short rack of baby back ribs were nicely meaty with a dry rub on them and them more dry run dusted on top. Too much, really. But they separated nicely with a knife and I could easily eat them one handed. Not quite "fall off the bone" but still quite good. Parking was difficult as this is a very busy lot and RH&B is buried down in the corner. Four stars for good food and a nice clean restaurant but minus one star for poor timing.
(3)Michael L.
So I'm a southern boy, raised and fed by corn (or rice) and bbq. I'm also from North Carolina, where BBQ is king (especially vinegar based). I was really looking forward to eating here, however I came out disappointed. First off, I ordered the Tennessee Triple, which is triple meat option (what could go wrong there). All the meats came out and you could tell by looking that it was dry. It was during a relatively busy time where turnover of food should be quick so it was surprising. When I actually tasted it, it was what I confirmed by sight... dry. That's a sin to BBQ and carnivores everywhere. The bbq sauce selection was pretty good (vinegar, sweet, spicy) however no matter how much sauce you put on it, you could still taste the dry, cardboard nature of the meat. I would say that the service is very good. They were very attentive about coming by and asking if everything is good and refilled our water whenever it was half way done.
(2)Joann M.
Went as hubby has a taste for fried shrimp. Close to the house it fit the bill. A nice surprise was the free appetizer that popped up when I did a yelp check in. Glad I started doing that. I decided to do ribs but opted for their sweet sauce. Not sure why I did. if you like sweet go for it as they are that. Service was where things lacked. Our waitress was very personable and helpful. ... it just seemed like everyone on the floor would vanish right when we needed something. It was a bit frustrating. It fit what we needed for a rainy night near the house.
(3)Emily A.
This was pretty much a terrible dining experience. We decided to go here because the Stone's Cove bar next door was a little packed and seemed a little strange and unwelcoming when we walked in. Looking back, we should have stuck it out there! When we walked in, there was no hostess and no one to greet us. The place was not even very busy. There were a lot of empty tables. We waited for nearly five minutes before the hostess came over. Once we were seated, it took another 10-15 minutes before the server came over to get our drink and dinner orders. Her greeting to us was not a greeting...she just said, "do you know what you want?" without even looking at us, just looking down at her little notepad. It was the first time I had even seen her wondering around the restaurant. It didn't even look like she had another table. Maybe part of the reason they were kind of empty on a Friday night!! There were really not many great options on the menu if you are not in the mood for a rack of ribs. I ordered the shrimp platter and the side salad. Again, it took probably another 5-7 minutes to get my salad. I mean, it's a side salad - it should take like a minute! Our food came pretty soon after the salad. My husband ordered ribs, and his food was stuffed on to a plate that was way too small for all the food on it. Every time he would remove something from the plate, something else would fall off of it onto the table. Also, she never brought us a drop plate for the rib bones or tails so we were stuck fitting them onto our already small plates. Another kind of weird thing was that they served salsa with their shrimp. I was not a fan. Also, the sweet potato fries have a cinnamon sugar or something on them to make them sweet. They were not very good at all. The food overall was not terrible, but it was certainly not worth the wait and the poor service!!
(1)JP A.
Fast food BBQ. Its OK going down, then you gotta worry about it coming out. BBQ was nothing special, just OK; only reason I had it was because it was ordered at work. Probably wouldn't go back, rather go to DD BBQ in Sterling or Kernels BBQ in Harpers Ferry for some roadside BBQ that is much better.
(2)Troy R.
Touch my wings and draw back a nub ya will. I've had the catfish (mmmph), burgers (mmm), wings (no you can't have any - get your own and I'll eat what you don't finish), and I've loved it all. The sides are ample and quality as well. I'm not however all sold on the ribs but this place is still a winner with me. Enjoy...
(4)H.C. D.
RHB, as its known locally, can always be counted on for good wholesome food. The barbecue is delicious, and the only gripe I have when coming here is what to order. Chicken, Beef, or Pork. Most of the time, I stay with the obvious, pulled pork platter or sandwich, and you certainly cannot go wrong with that, but the other two are great choices in their own right. Wait staff is always attentive and the restaurant is comfortable. Highly recommended!
(3)Melinda H.
The weird onion thing sounds like a good idea, but they haven't perfected the art of deep frying. It was greesy and clumpy.
(2)Jordan W.
It's not the best BBQ I have ever had, but if you are craving some good southern style cooking, Red Hot and Blue will ease your cravings. I had the 5 Meat Treat Platter which included Ribs, Chicken, Brisket, Sausage, and Pulled Pork served with two small cornbread muffins and 2 sides of your choice. For $15.99 (without tax) this was a lot of food. I actually didn't even touch the ribs because I was so full. My two sides were mashed potatoes and gravy and fries, both were really good and quite flavorful. As for the meats (I did eat) it was a mixed bag. The sausage was dry and really spicy, honestly not that good. The brisket was very dry too and probably the worst I had ever had. The chicken and pulled pork were decent (as long as you put BBQ sause on it) and thankfully not dry like the other meats. Based on this sampler I would suggest ordering the chicken on the menu as it had the most flavor (without having to add BBQ sauce), the sausage, brisket, and pulled pork aren't good enough to order on their own. Like I said at the beginning it isn't the best, but if you are wanting BBQ it will suffice.
(3)Bro H.
I love barbeque, work right next to this place, and literally never go. Food is tasteless and often dry, sides aren't great either. No idea how they were able to open so many seemingly-successful locations in this area.
(2)Greg F.
It has been years since I last visited a RH&B, and I was very pleased with this location. The BBQ is a great value, and for a chain, pretty darned awesome. Food was good, service was good, no surprises. This location has great outdoor seating.
(3)Nick L.
Went here last night with my wife and I have to agree totally with the two star rating by Yelp. Meh. I've experienced better. The only thing that got this place 2 stars was the awesome bartender. Seriously if you're going to go here sit in the bar, she was awesome. My ribs were okay, pretty standard, nothing too amazing about them. My 1/4 chicken was too dry to eat. The potato salad and baked beans are pretty good, above average. Cole Slaw is the standard shredded heavily sauced variety. All in all....Meh.
(2)Peter Q.
One of the better chain BBQ places. Stopped in this one for lunch and we had a good experience. Even had a vegetarian with us (yeah, not very nice of me I know but she was warned) and she was able to put together a good meal and had a nice time as well. Service was fast and friendly and the ribs and brisket are tasty. Not a fan of the bbq beans, but that's no biggie, we all have our likes and dislikes. I would stop in here again.
(3)Jason S.
This is a decent place to grab food. There is nothing special about this place. Its clean and price is decent. Service was decent. If you like pork or bbq items this would be your spot.
(3)Ben H.
I've been to this chain in Texas as well. The service was pretty unhappy but it was a busy lunch and I was there with colleagues, not a date or anything. Food was decent but nothing to crave or plan a trip around. If you're hungry for BBQ and in the area - go for it.
(3)Lynn S.
For chain restaurants I always set my expectations low. They easily met them and slightly exceeded them. I ordered Texas beef brisket sandwich to go and it was very lean, not fatty. The bun was ordinary and the coleslaw was a little too creamy. The meat was tender and tasty, but you have to add sauce if you want it "hot". They also provide potato salad but I passed on it. Nothing fancy, just plain food. This is the kind of place a family could easily take their kids. It's accessible from the Dulles Tollway at Elden Street, at the front of a large strip shopping center. BTW, the bar was fully loaded with two flat screen TVs.
(3)M. L.
My family and I went here one slow Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, it was so slow that I think they were understaffed. When we walked in there was a sign asking to wait to be seated. So we obliged. Five minutes later and no sign of a single soul we decided to seat ourselves and let the first employee we see know. While we couldn't see employees, we could definitely hear a bunch of girls giggling in the back. We sat ourselves on the porch and waited. Eventually my father had to get up and go to the bar to ask for service. We were pretty annoyed by then, we even had someone stop by our table twice to ask if we had gotten service yet. The second time the guy took initiative and took our drink order, even though he wasn't a server. Finally we were greeted by a young male server. He was apologetic and seemed really busy... somehow. However, he was very nice and I appreciated his honesty. His service and the food made up for the wait. And their beverages are a nice bonus... any soft drink that you order is brought out in a little pitcher. No need to ask for refills! I also ordered the margarita, which initially was delicious but after a few minutes all the salt sank to the bottom. I couldn't finish it because it had gotten so salty. If you get the margarita ask for little or no salt. I will be trying this place out again, and if they just speed up their service then it could quite possibly be my new favorite.
(3)Steven B.
They would get a 4 or 5 for service but the catfish was way undercooked for my liking. I didn't complain because I had a platter and wanted to try everything but when the serve asked me about it I told her I thought it was undercooked. No big deal. Maybe I should order fried catfish well done. The manager came over and tried to explain to me that it was the texture of catfish and it should be that way. I told him to me in my lifetime I have never had it that chewy and soft. He tried to explain to me it was because it was frozen. I didn't need an explanation nor wanted to hear him defending bad fish but I'm pretty sure it was not southern style fried catfish. I'm glad I came by because the shrimp and sausage was great but the manager should go work fast food.
(2)Alison T.
I grew up on microwaved leftover brisket. I know what it tastes like, so don't charge me $10 for it and pretend like it's straight from the smoker. I cringe every time some unknowing coworker comes into town and wants to eat here.
(1)Jim H.
Horrible service. Just walked out after sitting at the bar for over ten minutes with no bartender.
(1)Jesse C.
Man I just noticed that this is my 100th review. I guess you are lucky Red Hot & Blues!! Located in the old Red Lobster building in the Clock Tower Shopping Center is Red Hot & Blues. An office mate of mine decided that she wanted to come here for a quick bit to eat. I had no objection to coming here even after reading all the reviews. In we came at Noon of a Friday. The place was packed, the friendly and cute hostess sat us at our table right away. Our server came by and took our drink orders. A minute or two later she came back with or drink and took our order. I go the Pig and Link Lunch Combo which is a lunch sized pulled pork sandwich and a full sausage link. My officemate ordered some a la carte stuff. The food came out pretty fast. I think my combo cost 8 bucks maybe, I don't remember now, but by the picture you can see it's a lot of food. I wish places would stop putting sauce all over their meats. If I want sauce on my pulled pork I'll put it on. The pork itself was very tender, but a little on the dry side, so in the end I did need a little sauce. I didn't care for the sauce they put on though. The sausage was the best part of the meal. It was very flavorful and juicy. They could have done a better job cooking the onions. They were practically raw from what you can see in the picture I uploaded. The potato salad was nothing special, it could have used some salt and pepper. The coleslaw had way too much mayo in there. Other than that, the meal was o.k. Noting too fancy or too exciting. The décor inside is the standard Red Hot & Blues stuff. Music memorabilia all over the wall and blues music playing in the background. Our service was great. We in fact had two servers coming to check up on us all the time. I'd come back here again. The food is o.k., they have cheap lunch combos, and they are quick.
(3)Kevin M.
We've been here several times -- others in our group like it. Drinks are served in mini-pitchers -- avoids the need for most refills! But the BBQ is marginal and requires extra sauce to be edible. The blackened chicken sandwich was inedible until I poured BBQ over it. Food often comes out tepid.
(2)Todd K.
A colleague chose this restaurant while we were visiting Virginia. It was my first visit to a Red, Hot and Blue. We were seated very quickly and the waitress was friendly and efficient. I asked her about the beers but then realized that she must have been too young to drink. I ordered the Dogfish Pale Ale which was just okay. For dinner, I ordered the Delta Double for $12.99 which included ribs and a choice of one other hickory smoked meat. I picked the beef brisket. The beans and slaw that it came with were about average. The ribs and brisket were good, but I didn't like any of the BBQ sauces that were available. The portions are pretty large and I took almost half of the meat back in a doggy bag (container). However, there are better BBQ joints in the surrounding neighborhood with better BBQ sauces.
(2)Lisa R.
Pretty decent. The host looked like he was high and was texting on his phone when we arrived. However, our server was an absolute sweetheart and answered all of my questions. After my boyfriend and I completed our meals, I spoke with the waitress about the corn muffins...... They are tiny and are almost 200 calories each.... For a muffin smaller than a golf ball. Stay away from the muffins!!! The Pulled Chicken was great, but my boyfriend was not too impressed with the ribs. However, we would visit again and try other menu items!
(3)Jay n.
In the area for business, and took a chance on a recommendation from my co-workers. Turned out to be a disappointment. 8:30pm on a Thursday evening and the place was fairly dead. By the time we were done with dinner, we were the last two people in the place. Service was acceptable. She couldn't really recommend anything on the menu, and struggled to explain the 'sides' to my colleague. Most things on the menu are fried. My burger order was done incorrectly by the kitchen, and it was 'average' at best. My friends order was 'ok'. The only positive was the Iced Tea served in a pitcher. Maybe it was just this location, but Red Hot and Blue won't get a recommendation from me based on this visit.
(2)Foodie C.
PASS! Don't waste your hard earned bones for their bones. Ribs were Shoe leather tough. U am guessing they were day old or have been sitting around awhile. I ordered a second round of ribs hoping it would be fresher but.... They were microwaved... How you ask. Center was piping hot. Outside of ribs were hard and warm. All you can eat deal was good price but not worth it Chicken was OK. Sides were ok Service was fine nothing spectacular.
(2)Chris B.
Probably 2.5 stars. The food is pretty much the same as it has always been, which is good but not great. The service I've typically had is slow, with attitudes ranging from mildly polite to indifferent. The place is not my first choice.
(3)Robbie D.
I've never been to a Red Hot & Blue that really impressed me. This one was the most underwhelming though. After being seated in an eerily empty and cold restaurant by a reluctant teenager, our service was scarce and the food was less than mediocre. You'll basically be treated to reheated food and pre-made sides. Sounds the same as Emily A. and Alison T.'s reviews.
(2)Ken K.
Service was just ok. Live music was too loud for the time of day and smaller outdoor crowd. Brisket was somewhat dry needing sauce. Won't return to this location except for bar fare.
(3)Andy W.
Warning to anybody out there who takes BBQ seriously. This place does NOT use smoke in their cooking. The meat is cooked low and slow, so it's tender enough, but there's no smoke involved. There's no smoke ring in the meat, no fantastic smell as you walk in, nothing. I can recommend the BBQ beans and the catfish, as they were tasty, but really nothing else. I ordered a half slab and only ate two of the ribs before I couldn't stand anymore. Nice server though.
(2)Karla H.
Good food. Good service. Way too many nachos to eat and big pitcher of tea. Mmmmmm. I would have to say the portions seemed smaller than the Raleigh location, it could be my imagination...I will have to go back to Raleigh and check. ;) Would have got 5 stars but the server: ~ forgot salad (which came with our order) ~ forgot ketchup for kids meals (which I request at the beginning of the meal and reminded him of after food came and he still forgot) ~ forgot a plate for the kids to split their salad ~ and on a $27.00 check asked if I needed change on the $40 he saw on the table. REALLY!?!? he wanted a 40% tip....seriously that was kinda funny to me. anywho....I loved the food and it was quick and pretty simple so I will go back. This is not that same service level I get in Raleigh.
(3)Anthony A.
This is my second time trying the Red, Hot and Blue. As I stated before the ribs are the best thing in the house. I went for the all you can eat ribs and chicken platter. The resturant allowed us to split the meal between two people which is a super great deal for $12.99. I devoured the first rounds of wet ribs in no time, the suace hand a slight tang that makes you keep eating and wanting more. So more I asked for, I went for the sweet ribs on the second round. This pig gave his life for the right cuase, sweet ribs. The molasses and sugary taste of the suace took this over the top. I wanted to go for round three but I could take no more. So after two Red hot and Blue resturants I have to say Yay, I'm a fan of the ribs. Next time I'm in the DC area I will make sure this is on the short list.
(4)Susan F.
Service was great. Outdoor seating was a bonus on a beautiful day. BBQ ok. Oreo Brownie Sundae was total disappointment. How do you not heat the brownie before you put ice-cream on it???
(3)Cheryl B.
I'm just not partial to most chain restaurants, go ahead and poo poo me, but really I just don't like my food from a #10 can! Anyhoo....came here with co-workers and we were on a tight schedule so we mentioned to our waitress that we had a clock to beat to see if she could recommend items that might play into that type of need. Instead she just got all snarky on how everyone coming there was in a hurry so why were we any different? COME ON...this location is set in the midst of tons of commercial space, who else is coming in to eat during the day...oh, that's right office folks who want something warm, quick and decent service. Now that I've ranted ... on with the review.... Ribs, pulled pork, pulled chicken and a chop salad were some of our choices...and yes, they all came out pretty fast. The pitcher of beverage each one of us had in front of us seemed a bit extreme to me. Every one of us only made it through 1/4-1/3 so that meant a bunch was tossed after we left. I don't think a restaurant needs wasteful novelties in today's market. The food itself was ok, the greens in my salad were fresh and the pulled chicken was tender with a slightly smoky note to it. Everyone else in the party appeared to enjoy their selections, but the lack of customer service was commented on by each one of us well into the rest of the afternoon. I have had better, and more authentic BBQ...and for sure (if you follow my reviews) I have enjoyed excellent and outstanding customer service regardless of the size or nature of the business....so RHB needs to step it up! Have a good day, darn it!
(2)Ty S.
A BBQ place that can't get their ribs right spells trouble. Considering the amount of work it took me to get to the place from my nearby hotel (Herndon, you have to fix your crossing lights!) I was very disappointed with this stop. Service, price, and ambiance were fine it was the food that left a lot to be desired. My ribs were leathery and mostly flavorless. Very hard to eat and far from the tender, fall off the bones ribs I was hoping for. On th other hand, the catfish was good. Stick with the fish or don't go at all.
(2)Curt O.
After reading other reviews I hesitated to order BBQ here. Ordered the burger with pulled pork and onion strings. A lot of food. The flavors went well together, especially with the various sauces. Had Memphis fries (spiced) - nothing special but decent enough. Tried some of their different sauces. I am a fan of a vinegar based (verses tomatoe based) sauce which they had. Mixed various sauces together to try some differnent flavors. Actually drank two pitchers of their Iced Tea. Some of the sauces had a bite - enjoyed it. Service was good. Manager came around to see how we were doing. That is always appreciated. I gave it a 3 - it was good enough.
(3)Lyle S.
Over the years I have read hundreds of reviews. I have come to the conclusion that some people could be given a $100 bill, but would complain about it not being more, or the bill being worn instead of crisp. While visiting the Herndon area, we checked Yelp for places to eat. We wanted BBQ, but after reading some of the terrible reviews about this restaurant we almost didn't go. That would have been our loss. We were seated instantly and our server took our drink order immediately. My friend had a Hurricane which she said was one of the best she'd ever had. She had Brunswick stew; again awesome. She had pulled pork dinner, I had pulled pork and sweet ribs. Both were superb. The beans and slaw excellent. The server was great and very attentive. Of course when it comes to ribs etc., someone will always tell about how "Back home their favorite place was perfect and they are always disappointed when eating any other restaurants ribs. Fine, but understand this isn't "Fat Sam's" old rib joint in an old run down building with a pushed in screen door and the smoker on the front stoop. It's a clean, nice restaurant with very good food. I will definitely return. So far, every time I paid no attention to horrid reviews, it's been a great experience.
(5)Barc O.
This has to be the worst barbecue I've ever had. It was greasy and neither me or my dinner companions could finish. The barbecue sauces on the table were bland and the server kept having to go to the back to find out: what the seasonal beer was, what salad dressings they had, etc. The worst offense: the salad came out with the meal instead of before it!
(1)Richard H.
I'm a fan as the 4-star review implies around these parts unless you got a smoker at home and have some secret recipe. I understand it might not be the best damn experience for most but if you're coming here for any other reason than the ribs and the sauce, you coming to the wrong place. I've taken my car from here to Austin Texas, passing by Memphis new Orleans and more on the way there and came up NC on the way back. and as far as sauce flavor it's good, especially the spiciest one. I've had dry, wet, dry and wet. I have to say my favorite sauce is Rudy's in Austin but if I'm itching for smoked ribs, this is the closest place to get it and I'm satisfied with it here.
(4)Sue K.
I had a similar experience as another reviewer. I have been to other Red, Hot and Blue locations and had great experiences. Passing through the area and saw this location. Being from CA, my husband had never eaten at RH&B before. Boy were we disappointed. Service was not only slow, but very lacking in attentiveness. We had to ask for his beer to be delivered more than once, after waiting about 20 minutes for it to be delivered. I had to ask for a tea refill. We noticed that food was being delivered randomly, not knowing whose order it was. The location seems poorly managed. The ladies restrooms smelled of sewage, the signs outside were peeling. Overall a poor experience.
(1)Dave L.
Had a great tasting and delicious dinner with my friends this past Saturday night with my friends. Katherine was very helpful and courteous and friendly as she look our food and drink orders and brought us our food. The local beer that I had with my meal was also very good. Was hardly crowded At 8:30.
(5)Jean G.
Good bbq for this area. I have tried lots within a 60 mile radius. This place makes my 3rd place winner so far. Hit or miss with service. We have had excellent all the way to the our waiter changed shifts and just left. Wtf? Banana pudding is the dessert of choice here. Lately the bathroom stinks. I will come back once that is fixed. I know I am not the first to mention it.
(4)Jason L.
Decent but not great bbq. Memphis dry run always great but the ribs tend to be a little fatty.
(3)Chow N.
This is a great chain to enjoy bbq and I have to say that they have awesome potato salad here. Given that, my group lunch here was a train wreck. A coworker had called ahead to reserve tables for a very large group. So, coming in, they knew that it was going to be busy. The server did a decent job getting people their drinks, and he seemed to know what he was doing as he came down the line taking orders sequentially. Unfortunately, it went to hell after that. We all waited a long time for our food and the food that came out was sparsely delivered amongst people all over the table as the bus boys had to ask "who had the beef brisket?" Both the server and some manager type came out to apologize saying they are short staffed and that there are some screw-ups in the kitchen. It was useless b/c it didn't change anything nor did we get free desserts or soft drink comped. He didn't make it right. The food was decent. I had the pig squealin combo. The pulled pork was moist and tender and the combo comes with a personal sized onion loaf. The only issue is that the sandwich seems a lot smaller and less stuffed than I recall in the past. It didn't matter what we ordered because it seemed that everyone in the party got sausage. I would give this visit 1 star if not for the potato salad. Charlie Foxtrot
(2)ellen c.
I'm giving this place 2 stars and I'll explain why. They lose a star due to less than friendly service. There are only a few servers that don't appear they hate working there. 2 stars are lost due to the bathrooms REEKING of sewage for the past several months! Seriously guys, get this fixed. If I wanted to sit next to a pig pen to eat I would go to a local farm and picnic. My hands don't feel clean after washing them. I have no idea how you are still open from this. Always loved your BBQ, but the facility needs help.
(2)Patrick D.
Short version: I do not recommend placing orders via GrubHub, mediocre food (at best), terrible customer service from management. Ordered via GrubHub. Order was missing a side of coleslaw, no BBQ, no hushpuppies. Ribs, pork and chicken were all dry (and no BBQ sauce to make it better). Grubhub called the restaurant, and all the manager was willing to refund was $3.50 for the hushpuppies. He said that he "couldn't do anything" about the coleslaw and BBQ sauce since they were included with the platters.
(1)Sasja T.
In-short: Mediocre food, friendly but lack luster service. My husband and I have eaten as this chain previously, a different location though, and enjoyed it. Not mind blowing BBQ, but good to satisfy an itch. We decided to try this location last evening since it's right down the street from where we live. Oy... oy, oy, oy, OY! "Decent" is about the best I can do. Our bottom line, IF we go back to this location we'll stick with fried pickles and ribs. Our waitress was friendly, but very green. She didn't know their beers at all, and when asked what type of Flying Dog they had her response was, "I don't know alcohol, but I have a list!" She also brought us out the wrong drink, but it wasn't a big deal, she noticed the mistake and swapped it right out. She gets an A for effort. I ordered an Onion Ring Loaf which came out excessively greasy, and did nothing for my craving for onion rings. The breading was strange, the texture was almost like they'd rolled it in cornstarch and gluten free flour before frying it: tacky, gritty and greasy. Not yummy my friends. Not yummy. My husband enjoyed his fried pickles though, which were actually pretty good; perfect amount of sour and a really nice golden crisp coating. I ordered a Tennessee Triple and my husband ordered the Five Meat Treat. The ribs fell off the bone and were pink, sweet, tangy, and tender. No complaints, they were genuinely good! The pulled chicken and pork were a bit dry but had decent flavor. But the beef brisket...yikes! The meat would've been gray if it hadn't been covered in an awful red sauce made of I don't know what. It was chewy, dry, and everything brisket should not be. The sausage, to put it in the words of my husband, "tastes like an oversized Slim Jim." We paid about $56 for the both of us, and the meal was not worth the price and did not satisfy my itch to have BBQ. All-in-all, we likely will not be going back.
(2)J B.
Probably the worst barbecue that I have ever had. You could tell the brisket was soaked in some liquid to keep it moist and the flavor was terrible. Don't bother for barbecue, there are many other options.
(1)Chris S.
My first experience ever at Red, Hot and Blue was a lunch service that I was able to slip into during a break in a conference at the local Westin conference center. We walked in and there was no host(ess) so we stood for a little bit until we were recognized by one of the servers and finally seated. Upon the recommendation of a friend, we started with what was called "onion loaf" which looked like a jumbled heap of onion straws. While it wasn't awful the onion straws were undercooked and lacking a flavor besides that inherent of fried foods. For my main I decided to go with the "all in" burger. I have to admit that my eyes were bigger than my belly (and that does not happen often). It was a burger, BBQ, onion straws all piled on a bun. I wasn't able to keep it together throughout the lunch, but individual pieces of the burger were good. The burger had a flam broiled taste (similar to a Burger King-y taste that is still with me as I burp now). The Pulled pork was dependent on sauces to deliver flavor, and it seemed like the onion straws were just there to say it was done. While I don't frequent red hot and blue, it seems like if you're looking for a unique and we'll put together flavor to just continue on, but if you're looking to feed a lineman or revel in gluttony then this is the sandwich for you. Buyer beware, this is a big sandwich!
(2)Pam T.
This is my first yelp review but I felt I needed to post about my experience. I really like the Red Hot & Blue in Leesburg and Arlington. The service at this location was not good. We did have a larger group however we were essentially the only ones in the restaurant and the service was disorganized and VERY slow. We had to request our drinks multiple times over 40 minutes (water and ice tea weren't even served quickly). The wait for food was also very long and they did not seem to have a system in place to know who ordered what so they delivered food piecemeal and had to ask who ordered the food that was coming out. Another note not service related. Both of the women's restrooms were not working which makes you wonder about how well the restaurant is managed. Overall, poor experience and will not return.
(1)Alice A.
Nice place, with a decent amount of tables. Went there for lunch on a week day, we were taken to our table within 5 minutes. The servers are nice, fries are awesome, and burgers ok. The steaks were definitely over cooked though (medium for rare, well cooked for medium rare). The price is really good for the quality. Recommend for night out for a beer.
(3)Dave D.
I didn't eat here. They closed at 9pm. I can't believe that. What kind of thriving business closes so early? Go next door to Stone's Cove Kitbar. They've got great food and friendly servers and stay open - I didn't leave until 11pm.
(1)Kathleen P.
Ordered delivery through GrubHub. After waiting exactly 103 minutes for my food, they GAVE ME THE WRONG FOOD. I ordered the Idaho Pig appetizer, a baked potato stuffed with pulled pork, sour cream, and cheese for $6.50. My husband ordered the rib platter. He got his ribs, I got a SIDE SWEET POTATO, inexplicably topped with a mountain of green onions. I called GrubHub immediately and they called the restaurant. The restaurant at that point was closed (10:40PM) but the manager offered to refund the potato. Um, 6.50 refund on an order that totaled $40 after delivery fee and a 20% tip? Let me get this straight, it's 10:40, I've been waiting almost two hours for my food, the food comes and is not what I ordered, and you are offering to refund a whole 12% of my order cost? I don't think so! I asked GrubHub to try again - but they didn't succeed. Never again! Somehow I think if I had been sitting at Red Hot and Blue for 2 hours without food and then had gotten the wrong food, this would have been a different story.
(2)Lauren N.
Came here with a party of four, and the ribs were great! But...baked sweet potatoes were room temperature, one order of ribs came with corn bread and the other didn't, one order cost 10 cents more for seemingly no reason, they screwed up the beers we ordered and still charged us for all of them, and our waitress was rarely to be seen. Plates were not cleared when we were done despite having little to no free space at the table. I had a much better experience at the Leesburg location and will probably make the trip out there instead.
(2)Julie Ann C.
Here for dinner and everything was delicious. Started with fried pickles and on to Delta Doubles with their fabulous potato salad & cole slaw. Service was prompt and the food hot. Definitely one of favorite go to spots when visiting the NOVA area!
(5)FoodSnob D.
I don't do lonngggg reviews because u really just wanna know if it's good, alright, or sucks. I had the ribs, slaw, and beans... The ribs were just "alright".. They didn't have a smokey taste (despite the smokey smell outside), weren't falling off the bone, and didn't have that nice char on top I like to see on ribs... The coleslaw had a great texture (not dry or not too runny) but no flavor, and the beans were not bad but no flavor, not sweet at all. The cornbread comes out cold and the waitress had an attitude when we asked her to heat them up. The waitress was hard on the eyes and I'm being nice and it's like she was forcing herself to be nice .... She tried ... (Poor little tink tink.) So overall it wasn't disgusting but it wasn't Delish either. I probably won't ever come back because for a BBQ joint I expected much more. I had better ribs at chilli's. Shoulda went to hooters.
(3)Fatt B.
To all the Yelpers who wrote negative reviews: I wish I had read those reviews before dining at this "restaurant". BBQ joints should not be sterile, smoke-free or dead at lunch hour; this place was all three. Staying here despite these omens, my companion and I were treated to mini-pitchers of drinks, each containing a vat of soda large enough to serve as kiddy pools. We each ordered the pulled pork sandwich, mine with chili, hers with corn chowder. Upon receiving our meals, the first thing I noticed was how hot the bottom of the sandwich was, compared to the mild at best temperature of the meat and top portion of the bun. Nothing says authentic southern BBQ like microwaving the food. If you must cut corners, at least toast both buns before serving. The pulled pork was definitely not pulled, and may or may not have been pork. It had the grayish cast of several day old rotisserie chicken, and the taste was no better. We were each only able to down a few bites of this glob of meat before asking for the check. Our sides were was bland as the building itself, but not stomach turning awful. Under the right circumstances, I'd eat here again. Surely there will be another Spanish Inquisition someday, and during a zombie outbreak it is sure to be the one place even the undead will avoid. Until then, I will leave it to the bored suburbanites and traveling salesmen that seem to be the target demographic, though even these folks deserve better.
(1)Dave S.
I visit all the surrounding restaurants in this area and this place is severely underestimated. The service is great and the food is just as good. I just ordered a few Happy Hour wing specials and they were the best I've had in a long time. The wings are much bigger than any other places in the area and the flavor is awesome. I will definitely be going back.
(5)Jim S.
Yuck- I am sorry Herndon if this is your only exposure to BBQ, because it ain't very good. Old and overcooked, been here thrice never going back again. 3 strikes and your out in my book.
(1)Ruben G.
This really doesnt approach bbq in nearly any sense other then they have general american food with some bbq sauce and some bbq-y type sides. We came in here for lunch just the other day roughly 45 minutes after they opened, there were still people standing on tables changing out lights and cleaning being done. we were sat at a booth with red duct tape on various parts, and after I had sat down to look around there were white stains on the back of the seat... wtf. did they film a wild orgy in this place?. After noticing that we decided to give it a couple more minutes because we are apparently stupid and over adventerous, No one came to take a drink order or even walked by. While we were walking out the host guy said, "oh did no one come to take your order? " Which signals a couple things, likely this happens often, and he didnt feel the need to tell anyone he sat someone in their section. its a joke of a place that will probably shut down soon like everything else in that little corner does, if your buddy drags you there for lunch mind where you sit.
(1)Jennifer F.
The waitress was wonderful, the food adequate, but the bathrooms miserable! The smell was disgusting, the toilets hadn't been washed, and the paper towel dispenser didn't work! I will try to avoid this place again unless work actually makes me go back!
(2)Joe N.
Impressively fast service, excellent food, friendly people. I don't see why they have an average of 2.5 stars. Would definitely recommend to a friend.
(5)Jackey B.
I have a few gripes with Red Hot and Blue in Herndon. I want it to be great because BBQ is my favorite kind of food and it's walkable from my home, BUT it's just not. First of all, the food, the most important part, is not good. You can't soak just anything in bottled BBQ sauce and call it BBQ. Nothing tastes smoky or fresh or fall off the bone like BBQ should. There are lots of other good BBQ joints around (famous Dave's is better, Willards is better), so Red, Hot and Blue needs to step it up. Secondly, the bathrooms in this place are disgusting. Smells like they have a sewer problem and that's on a few different occasions. My fiancé says the men's room is just as bad. Fix it, it's gross. Third, why close so early? They close at 9 or 10. The only thing they may be good for is as a bar, so why not stay open until midnight? All in all, if the food were good I'd overlook the rest and come back. Fix the food.
(2)Jon L.
This place kicks a$$. My first time here. I never knew they served their sweet tea in your own personal pitcher, how cool is that! I had the Brunswick stew for starters, excellent choice. The pulled chicken sandwich with a side of fried okra. They have a great patio, nice & breezy on a Sat evening. They have live music on Sat nite.
(4)Carl P.
Had a terrible dining experience here. No host to be found when we walked in, the bartender came to greet us and rather than taking us to a table she asked us if we had seen the host. Finally a server came by and brought us to a table. Ordered my ribs dry, they came with sauce and it was obvious they were sitting under heat lamps for a long period of time. I went to their website to complain and got a phone call from a manager a few days later. He apologized and offered to send me a gift card so we could come back and give them another shot. Took down my name and address, I never received a gift card. Northern Virginia does not have great BBQ in general but go to Famous Dave's instead.
(1)Ardnas C.
To call the food mediocre is a compliment. The ribs at Red Hot & Blue are just plain bad. Awful, in fact. And the staff doesn't seem to know too much about the food. If you're looking for help making a selection, they're not the people to ask.
(1)Angie D.
Pretty good food, clean environment, nice server...but why was our group of five all crammed on a table for four? The restaurant wasn't busy so they could have easily slid a couple of tables together to give us a little elbow room. That was my only complaint so it was overall a pleasant experience and I'm sure we'd all go back again.
(4)Lynn M.
Terrible! Sat in the bar and had the worst service I've ever had from the extremely rude and slow female bartender who was more interested in interacting with her friends then responding to the smallest requests. We will NOT ever return!! Do yourself a favor and do not eat here.
(1)Joseph M.
Love the outdoor patio. The service was good but unfortunately the rack of ribs was not great. The side salad and onion rings where also not prepared well and overall I would agree with the rest of the reviews in regards to overall food quality.
(2)Local F.
Decent food. Great bartenders.
(3)Steve V.
I had a wicked craving for some barbecue pork this weekend and did find some here but it wasn't what I was hoping for. Despite the parking lot always smelling of smoking meats there was oddly no hint of it in my pork sandwich. The ribs my wife picked had a hint of flavor but it was not what I was hoping for. The sides were good, hush puppies were ok none of which I suspect were made in house though. They do have a respectable selection of local beers. Their "fresh" cobbler was anything but... It was mostly greasy chemicals and preservatives. I can tolerate mediocre barbecue but terrible deserts....
(2)Doug T.
The food came out relatively quickly and correctly but was mediocre at best. Our server was HORRIBLE and had no personality. I expected to get some southern hospitality at a BBQ place but got NONE. This restaurant needs the show Bar Rescue.
(2)Juicy G.
Pretty good BBQ, but even better than that are their burgers - believe it or not. The "All-In" burger is probably one of the best burgers I've had at a restaurant to date. It had a good, juicy burger patty on it which had onion straws, cheddar cheese and what they called Mojo BBQ Sauce, but it didn't stop there. In addition there was a heaping mound of pulled pork piled on top of all that. I get my burgers without tomato, and I'm really glad I do in this case because the slice on my girlfriends burger added a good 1/4 inch more of mouth widening bites. It also came with a leaf of lettuce which really didn't add anything to the burger, so I removed that too. I have to be honest and say that the fries while good, gave the appearance and taste that they weren't fresh, but rather flash frozen. They do have a little more going for them than your average fry as they have that orange tint to them from being rolled in spices. This certainly adds to the flavor, but they just don't taste fresh. At $10.00, the price is pretty comparable to that of a burger you would get at pretty much every restaurant, and it's incredibly filling. All the flavors work well together, and overall I walked away really satisfied - if not stuffed. In closing of this review, I also have to add that I agree completely with the reviewer who mentioned how the mini pitchers they serve people's drinks in are a wasteful novelty. I'd also like to add that it gives the impression that the servers are too lazy to refill a standard sized drink and/or simply don't want to be bothered with checking up on patrons. I also just don't like drinking out of pitchers. I'm not a snobby person, but I do have more class than that.
(3)Nathan M.
This was my first time eating at Red Hot & Blue and while I wasn't overly impressed, the food/service wasn't bad at all. We were seated immediately and the waiter was friendly. The food didn't take long after we ordered. My girlfriend I both had the Delta Double (choice of two meats). I had the ribs and brisket and she had the pulled chicken & pork.. The meal came with two sides and two small corn muffins. We both had the potato salad and I had beans as my second side and she had Mac n cheese. IMO the sides were very good, while the ribs and brisket were only average. The pulled chicken and pork were average as well.. Lastly we had the banana pudding for dessert which was VERY good and cheap as well ($3.95). I'd go back and I recommend any one else to try as well.
(3)Chandler D.
You couldn't get me to come back here if the plates were free. The only reason I'm writing this is to warn BBQ lovers to steer clear of this location.
(1)Murphy M.
Please avoid this place. I ordered from there this past weekend and become violently ill. I wasn't even able to hold down any water, the poisoning was that bad. I believe in only writing and promoting places I feel positively about, but after having experienced what I went through, I implore you to avoid this garbage heap at all costs.
(1)Shashi B.
First I thought they had forgotten the glasses then I saw the other tables and then saw that it was a great idea to serve water and ice tea in the jugs themselves. I did finish 2 jugs of water. My Gumbalya was like sambar rice with shrimp and sausage I enjoyed it very much
(3)V W.
We've been to RHB several times. For this lunch visit, all was good but nothing was exceptional. We received friendly service. With so many styles of barbeque cooking RHB seems to be in the middle without anything being really distinctive. Portions are good and you add your choice of barbeque sauces (mild, hot, sweet, vinegar). Both the ribs and brisket were good although brisket was not that tender. The coleslaw was very bland, perhaps again to not appeal to a particular taste style at risk of missing with others. More observations: the sauce bottles were sticky and needed cleaning, there is no padding on the booth seats which gets uncomfortable, and the parking spaces are rather narrow so its tight for anything larger than compacts.
(3)Scott F.
Excellent BBQ. Tons of food for a reasonable price, and tasty. The atmosphere is family friends during the day. So far this is the best BBQ I have found in the area.
(4)Anson P.
Red Hot and Blue is lower down on my list of places for chain bbq. It's really not that good. I decided to stop by here for dinner when I was in the area, mainly because I wanted to go some place where I knew there would be a tv. I decided to go with a two meat combo. Basically consisted of choice of St Louis ribs (I went with the sweet) and a choice of a second meat. For my second meat, I went with the brisket. The ribs were decent at best but the brisket was really fatty. Normally, I wouldn't complain about fat content but when it starts cutting into my meat content, we have a problem. Portion size was really really small. Not cool. When I want ribs, I want a lot of them. When they are subpar and lacking, I can't knowingly give a good review. The cole slaw was meh and the beans were meh. The corn bread muffin was ok. The thing I love about Red Hot and Blue is the huge pitchers they give you of water, soda, or tea. That's pretty much the only thing I like about Red Hot and Blue. The service was pretty good. Our waiter checked up on us at least 5 or 6 times. It was bordering on the creepy side, but hey, he earned his tip. Our food came out 2 minutes after we ordered it. Strange. If you're in the mood for good bbq, this really isn't the place for you. But if you're looking for a quick place to eat, you could do a lot worse.
(2)Vivian C.
I didn't read through all the rest of the comments but in case no one mentioned the diminutive corn muffin. The thing is the size of my eyeball, and I'm 5'3" on a good day! The food was only so-so. Famouse Dave has much better ribs. If you are vegetarian, don't order their beans, or make a point of telling them "please don't sprinkle dead animal bits on my beans". I don't think I'm going back there again. Oh well.
(2)Amita R.
This place hasn't even been open that long and I already know that I won't be a regular at this joint. It was kind exciting to try a new place in Herndon and its very convienant, since its located in the clocktower shopping center. That's pretty much where the niceties end though. I have to agree with the other reveiwers here...if you're looking for great BBQ or even a decent meal, try Famous Dave's in Chantilly or Oakton. It's worth the drive out there. My fiancee tried their pulled pork platter which came with a small (but I have to admit corn muffin), coleslaw (it was missing...flavor!), and beans (meh). I had their pulled chicken platter, but instead of beans, I asked for red skin mashed potates (which were decent) and we both ordered a side of their hush puppies (mmmmhmmm). Since there weren't a lot of patrons at the restaurant, service was excellent and the manager did come by to all the tables towards the end of the meal to ask how the food was, which I thought was a nice little touch.
(2)Matthew B.
This place is poorly nestled in between a Fresh City and a Starbucks. Plenty of parking is available, although you might need to walk a bit. The entrance is dark and not well marked, so we weren't even sure we were going in the right door. Once inside the lighting is excessively dark and uninviting, with the exception of two VERY bright neon lights on the logo - bright enough to be distracting during our meal. The food is ok and came out in under 5 minutes from when we placed our order. Mine was pulled pork, fried okra, and mashed potatoes. The pork was not bad, although I've had much better. The mashed potatoes are unforgettable, and the fried okra is acceptable. The sauces are enjoyable, at least, with the hot sauce being spicy and the vinegar being close to what I love from home (SC). Although the restaurant is minutes walk from my house I doubt I'll go back. For the price, I have much better options available.
(2)Sydney S.
Avoid!!! My husband and I went there for dinner about 3 weeks ago, they were not busy and the service was horrible. They use low quality ingredients, it wasn't super cheap, and I would never return. How hard can it be to make some BBQ? I would have left zero stars but that isn't an option on yelp....
(1)Kimmie K.
My husband and I go here for lunch during the week. I love how quick they are! This is great because it is right around the corner from where I work and I only have an hour lunch break. The lunch deals are great - food is good and is very affordable. If you are looking for something quick during lunch - I highly recommend RH&B. Also, Starbucks is nearby, so that's a plus!
(5)Ruth C.
I was looking for a change of pace on my lunch break at work and decided to truck down to the clock tower. Brunswick stew is the only thing I'd go back for. I tried the five meat sampler and a bunch of their sides. The ribs were overcooked, the brisket was meh but would've been better had it been on a sandwich slathered with mustard. Pulled pork had tough pieces, turkey too dry, sausage is hard to mess up so that was alright, not too dried out with smoky flavor and grill marks. I have a thing for potato salad so that was fine, but fries were too starchy without enough crisp. Fried okra was edible, not too oily or gummy. Hush puppies overcooked. Generally don't like cole slaw but maybe the disappointment at everything else just made it taste as okay as it did. Barbeque beans tasted like half-drained canned goods cooked with some bottled BBQ sauce. Overall, expected less overcooked meat.
(2)Jim R.
I was excited to learn that Red, Hot and Blue was opening back up in the Herndon area. The previous incarnation was located in the town on the other end of Elden Street. This one shares the same building with Fresh City. The front entrance to the building is on the side and does not face the parking lot. It's not hard to locate, just a little inconvenient to have to walk to. The place does look pretty nice on the inside, with comfortable tables, a bar and three flat screen TV's. We were greeted by our waitress who seemed a little "weird" to my family and me. Can't really put my finger on it, she was just a little spacy. We ordered and the food was very promptly brought to our table. I had the "Delta Double" with chicken and ribs. My wife had the chicken, and my son had the mac and cheese from the kids menu. My wife's food and my food was served luke warm at best. Now, I know many may not agree with this, but I am a firm believer in never sending anything back to the kitchen if it's not just right. Based upon my profession, I happen to know quite well that the most savory of people usually do not work in the kitchen, so it's just a personal choice for me. We ate what we could of our meal, paid the check and got out of there. My wife and I remarked that since this place just opened the week before we visited, perhaps they were just finding their way and would be better the next time, if we choose to visit again. Although, we know a couple who visited about 2 weeks after we did and they both complained that their food was served luke warm as well. Not a good sign. I haven't been back, and I' m not certain that I will return when there are better options to be found for BBQ not too far away. I do agree with others that Famous Dave's is superior to Red, Hot and Blue. In my opinion, far superior.
(2)Eric B.
Went a few days ago and the food was mediocre at best. Our server completely forgot about us. Don't think I will ever go back!
(1)John G.
I read with amusement from Andy who said they do not use smoke at Red Hot and Blue. The Herndon Red Hot and Blue uses two Southern Pride smokers. These are state of the art machines that produce a consistently good product. Pork butts and briskets are slow smoked over night and require 8-10 hours. The wood used is hickory. Ribs and chicken are done in the day time. The red skinned potato salad is legendary. Are their better choices. BBQ down south is like Pizza up north. Its what you grew up with. As a chain the Red Hot and Blue teams from the owners on down strive every day to make it better. For a chain restaurant that is a pretty good commitment. John Gibson
(4)Dave P.
FUCK YEAH. I'd been missing a convenient RH&B since the one in Herndon closed several years ago to be replaced by that insideous yuppie black hole, Carpool. The one in Leesburg is okay, but getting there from Reston in the evenings is a PITA due to traffic. The new RH&B in Herndon opened at the Clock Tower, at the intersection of Sunrise Valley and Centerville road. If you remember where the old Red Lobster is...same building. Parking is still shitty. Food isn't. They opened on Wednesday, and we were there 2 days later. It was busy. Lines for tables. While we were waiting, the hostess came around with a HUGE plate of sliced up smoked sausage links. Mmmmmm. Good. Just in case the smell didn't get your saliva glands constricting like a machine gun, snacking on these things will. Kitchen is slow, as is expected due to it being just opened. I hope it gets better.. it usually does. When the food finally came out, it was what I remembered it to be -- carolina chopped pork, yum. The chili was okay, not my favorite, but there aren't many places that make chili TheWayItShouldBe(tm) == edible with a single chopstick. We'll be back. If you go on a Friday, get there by 11:40, avoid the wait. Maybe they'll do call ahead seating... one can hope.
(4)Jim W.
Not a big fan of Red, Hot and Blue.. The meat was dry and tough during my multiple visits and service is uneven at best. One thing that I did love was the HOT sauce. It had good flavor and a nice kick, which is often hard to find in a chain BBQ restaurant.
(2)Allie S.
The service was slow, the meat tasted like it had been sitting out all day, the ribs were tough and had no flavor.
(1)Frank W.
Sorry RHB but your only gave but the BBQ pork and service was very average.
(2)Sean C.
Service was rough because of a busy patio, but the food is great and the drinks very reasonable. The Memphis Dry Rub wings were awesome!
(3)Steve D.
Ribs here are steadily going downhill ! The last time I went here I grabbed a rack of ribs for takeout . The person on the phone sounded fairly confused on how to take the order. hen I got the ribs home they were dried out and mostly inedible. The times I have eaten inside the ribs were just ok, the pulled pork is not too bad.
(2)Benjami n.
They have a burger with pulled pork and onion rings on top of it. Such a burger makes for a very fine lunch. I am a huge fan of their french fries. They come seasoned with goodness and if you sprinkle some BBQ powder on them, and dip them in a good mix of mild and hot BBQ sauce, you are in for a treat. I have actually been back a few times just for the fries and a beer. One time the fries were not fresh out of the fryer and were not as good. they need to be hot and crispy.
(4)Audrey L.
Went there tonight around 8 pm because we were going to be in the area running an errand and we had a groupon. I pointed out the Thai restaurant and mentioned that I wished we were going there instead but whatever, we had a groupon. The place was dead, there were only about 4 tables in the whole restaurant. The server asked us 3 times in 3 minutes if we were ready to order, despite the fact that we were clearly still in the middle of reading our menus and debating with eachother what to order. Finally we decided to just order and we let him know we had a groupon. He said that was fine and he would take it at the end of the meal. I remembered the pulled bbq chicken sandwich being pretty good but now I'm trying to eat paleo, so I ordered the pulled pork platter with a side salad. The salad came out smothered in cheese (eeek) and croutons. Everything was very average. At the end of the meal, the server came back and told us the groupon was only valid at the Arlington location. We were very confused since he acted like it was totally fine in the beginning of the meal. He then asked us if we wanted anything else, my friend turned to ask me if I wanted dessert and the server interrupted us and said "well we're closing". We decided to skip dessert. What restaurant closes at 9 pm? 2 stars for average food and sub-par service.
(2)Stacie V.
A native Texan, I get homesick for BBQ. This place is close to home and not bad for a chain. Love the bartender!
(3)Mario N.
Best BBQ so far in the NOVA region. I am a big BBQ fan who grew up in Texas and I miss good BBQ sauce, the meat is good in most places but the sauce is not. Red Hot & Blue is in my opinion better than Famous Dave's
(4)Nabeel A.
Visited the place today for lunch with my good friend and ordered the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Bread was hard to chew but the chicken tasted good. Overall, its an ok place , nothing exceptional. Dont be surprise if you order a drink and they bring your drink out in a pitcher with a straw. I thought that was interesting. :)
(2)bao l.
This is the wrong place to go to for BBQ. I placed a carry-out order and the service was bad. No one was manning the Carry-out desk when I got there. Waited almost 10 minutes before just giving up and waving down a waitress to see what the deal was. Apparently I had to go to the bar to pick up my order. I ordered a Chili Bowl, 10 wings in hoochie-goochie sauce, and Five Meat sampler. Chili wasn't bad, wings were so-so. Wings were definitely a lot tastier and hotter after pouring RH&B hot BBQ sauce all over them. I didn't like anything from the five meat sampler. Definitely not coming back here for BBQ.
(1)Alex W.
Great food and service!
(4)Mike T.
best BBQ in the world? No. but it's pretty darn good. If you're a low carb fan, try the dry rub ribs with a salad. Good stuff. Falls Church location is just as good.
(4)S W.
I would drive out of my way to Famous Dave's rather than go here again. The ribs have very little flavor compared to Famous Dave's. The greens sucked, the okra was overcooked. The beans were good -- Bush's, they tasted like. The potato salad was better than Famous Dave's, but hey, you come for the ribs. Famous Daves also has corn muffins that are large, moist, and sweet. I so wished I had driven out of my way to Famous Dave's, all during my meal!!!! But I wanted to try this place. I had been to the one in Fairfax before and got the dry ribs on a recommendation and didn't care for them. This time, I tried the wet and didn't care for them either. Nothing beats that sweet and sassy sauce at Famous Dave's. Oh well, live and learn. Never again.
(2)