Satchel’s BBQ

You think you know good barbecue? Get yourself and some friends and/​or family over here. This is the best I have ever had in the Detroit area. They used to be great, but they have made some improvements. Now, my mind is blown. I need to come here more often. Instant mood and flavor supercharger!

This place is one of Ann Arbor’s best-​kept secrets. If you’ve been searching for good, local soul food that isn’t Zingermans prices, try Satchels! They also are great for catering and are very personable. I recommend the pulled chicken or pork and the cornbread.

The rib sauces was a little heavy on the vinegar… All of the flavor a of sauce but the ribs were tasty. The greens were OFF THE HOOK! Mashed, vinegar slaw was meh. The bread pudding was to die for. Seriously. The staff was friendly and right now it’s their anniversary so they are giving $ 5 coupons out.

I’ve never been a big fan of BBQ, but I on a whim, a friend and I stopped at Satchel’s for lunch. I had the pulled pork, mac & cheese and coleslaw… yummo! When we go there, the staff were cutting up greens & cabbage so I know the veggies were really fresh, the mac & cheese was fantastic and the meat was tender and cooked to perfection. The place is so not prententious which made me like it even more

This place knows how to do bbq and they do it well. The brisket is so tender and has a great smoke ring. The pulled pork is also excellent, in fact all the meats are good, even the sausage. The sides are phenomenal, i recommend the mac n cheese and the baked beans. There is also many different sauces to suit your style. This place is legit, plus hickory wood smoke is a nice touch

Don’t waste your money and time with Slow’s, this is where the real BBQ is at. No frills, no crazy lines, no hipsters who have never been out of Michigan and wouldn’t know a correctly cooked brisket if it hit them in their ironically bearded faces.
I always go with my boy, one of us gets the pulled pork plate and the other the brisket plate and we share. My sides– greens and coleslaw (with mayo, duh). His sides– mac and cheese and baked beans. Their cornbread is how its supposed to be– crumbly, slightly dry (to soak up the fat and BBQ sauce obviously) but not so dry you need a sip of sweet tea in between each bite (SLOWS– is your cornbread out of a box or something?!). The mac and cheese is crazy good; way better than you will get at the Roadhouse for $ 15 (the other useless, overhyped BBQ joint in this part of Michigan).
Major downside is no alcohol. I prefer spicy meat served with a brew or whiskey on rocks. Which is why we usually get take out and eat at home.
To all the whiners on Unilocal who don’t like the ‘homeliness’ of this place and judge the food by what the people serving it are wearing– cool, stick your pretentious joints and leave all the pork to me. They run out because its so good, duh #2.

My husband and I came to Ann Arbor to eat before visiting a friend. We usually go to our favorite spots, but I saw this BBQ place that I hadn’t heard of. After going to EMU, I was intrigued that there was a BBQ place I wasn’t familiar with. I read the other Unilocal reviews, where many were positive, but some were not so great, especially from some Elite members. I dismissed that some people have differing taste buds and experiences, so we decided to go based on a 3.5 rating.
Satchel’s is behind Verizon, next to Whole Foods. The parking lot looked packed, but the restaurant was empty. You order at the counter and then find a seat. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with potato salad and mac ‘n cheese. My husband ordered the brisket plate with beans ‘n rice, cornbread, and baked beans. Our total was $ 32 with tip. When our order was up, we were called to get our food, even though we were the only ones there.
Taste:
Cornbread– little dry
Mac ‘n cheese– very tasty
Pulled pork– juicy, but some burnt areas
Potato salad– decent
Brisket– juicy
Beans ‘n rice– SPICY!
Baked beans– good
Temperature:
My mac ‘n cheese was luke warm at best. If it was warm, this would be perfect! Nothing was as hot as I would have enjoyed it to be.
Cleanliness:
There are flies. Not many, but flies. Another reviewer mentioned these and the sticky sauces. This remained the same. The mop and bucket were left in the dining room near a table and the hallway bathroom. Sauces were not filled, some very low. Pop spray covered the metal back splash. There were three workers — two women, one male, with the two women on their phones. One woman was wiping down tables, but those weren’t what needed cleaning. I understand it was not busy, but I expected this restaurant to be flawless for people who have nothing to do.
The same woman who was cleaning tables also asked me how my meal was when we were nearly done. I said, «It’s fine» because we were about to leave. We did eat, but for $ 32 with tip, I won’t be returning. I really had high hopes based on the Unilocal ratings.

Good greens ! It’s hard to find greens done right and these were! Mashed potatoes were good and homemade as was the gravy, rich and meaty gravy no trace of gravy mix taste but obviously made with beef drippings. Cornbread fair, could have been better if it was hot and served with honey.
Brisket sandwich excellent and good portions. ½ slab ribs meaty and delicious we had the dry rub large ribs.
Counter service was quick and pleasant.
Only improvements would be bigger size is portions of the sides.

If I had my druthers I’d do BBQ take out every day but given the higher price point of some other joints in town and the distance of a few others my wish doesn’t always come true. So, I’ve now embarked on a mission to try and find something a bit more affordable and convenient to my home. It’s with this in mind that I decided to give Satchel’s a try. Tucked in the back behind the Verizon store off Washtenaw is this quick and somewhat cheaper take out option. I stopped in on a Tuesday night and was in and out in about 15 minutes, not too shabby! They pack up the food pretty nicely so it was still good and warm by the time I reached my house on the west side, changed into my PJs, and got to digging in.
I got a half slab of ribs and the brisket to split between my husband and I. Each came with 2 sides so we tried the mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, coleslaw, and baked beans and a piece of cornbread each. I hate to compare it to other places but I did find the sides to be on the smaller side compared to a few other spots. I hate to reference another place in a review of a business so I’ll stay vague here but typically my husband and I can each get a couple of meals out of a side dish from some other joints. I’d say you can get three servings out of each from Satchel’s. Not enough to cover both of us for a second dinner but enough to do us more than fine for one meal each. I did like all of the sides quite a bit though and the cornbread was also good.
Onto the most important part – The meats! The half slab of ribs were quite meaty, tender, and had a great flavor. The brisket was juicy and had a fantastic smoke on it. I was fine eating it without any added sauce or anything. For take out they only gave us one sauce which I wasn’t a huge fan of, a bit too vinegar-​y for my tastes since I do like a sweeter sauce. It seems like they have a few other options when you dine in so I’d be curious to ask them for a different one next time.
In the end I did end up dropping almost 40 dollars on the whole shebang. While a nice helping of each we couldn’t quite eek out two meals each out of it which we’ve been able to get at a few BBQ takeout joints but it’s also cheaper than a few other places in area. So in general it’s middle of the road in terms of price point and I do think it’s worth it for the most part. I just wish the sides were a bit larger and it would be perfect. I see that they do have the «Satchel of Satchel’s» options with 1lb of meat and two pints of sides to feed 2 – 3 for a lower price point ($ 25 – 33 depending on your meat choice) which is a good deal. I just wish they allowed a combo of meats since we tend to got for a different meat each. But it is a cheaper option if we’re both feeling like ordering the same thing.
The gal that rang me up was really sweet and, like I said, it’s definitely quick service. There is dine in available, I just prefer to take mine home and pig out in the privacy of my own home.

This place is not worth the 1 star I had to give it. The service was one of the worst I’d ever received. Some guy came up to the counter with a toothpick in his mouth that he DID NOT take out for our order. I’m still not sure if he worked there, regular street clothes with his hat turned to the side. First thing he said: «we out of pork». What happened to hello? Welcome to???
The place was a complete mess! I don’t go out and spend money to bust my own table. That’s the whole point in going out. The food, OMG!!! I ordered the fatty, tasteless brisket, cold Mac and cheese with black-​eye pees to match. I wanted the collared greens that were raved about on Unilocal and on the signs around the restaurant (?). I felt sick before I could choke down half the plate. Cook at home!!!

Solid Ann Arbor bbq. And on a random note, their gumbo awesomely tastes kind of like Peking duck (must be the star anis).

My family and I tried Satchel’s for the first time two weeks ago. I was very excited to try the beef brisket, however I was very disappointed! Our meat was cold and there were flies flying all around our table (yuck)! The greens were made with pork and they were also too sweet for my liking. This could be a good place to eat if they made a few adjustments, e.g. Making sure their meat is warm when they serve it. Sorry, I will not be knocking down doors to eat here again…

The food was ok, definitely overpriced.

Easy 5 stars! Delicious pulled pork and corn bread. Really– what more do you need. Other sides were good too; coleslaw, mac&cheese, beans. That was great but the meat was delicious!!! Service was so nice and portions were generous. We were on a road trip and stopped by will definitely recommend and return for sure!!!

I love BBQ. Got to Texas multiple times a year and I work near by so I thought i would give it a try since the rating was 4 out of five. I really don’t think that it is that good. Brisket is probably my favorite cut of meat and I was sorely disappointed. They did give you a good portion size but it was bland and dry. If it was not for the fat layer I would probably not have enjoyed it at all. The best thing I had was their Kielbasa and it was really good! Did not try the ribs, but want to. Their mac&cheese and cornbread were the other two things I tried and were good. Doesn’t mean that one shouldn’t try the place, who knows I may have gotten a bad batch.

Ok. I was in Mount Pleasant Michigan with my wife. She was going to a Keith Urban concert. I drove two hours to see Michigan Stadium and to eat at Satchels. I have had a lot of BBQ. I’ve been to Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, and Mississippi. Well let me tell you something, Satchel’s beats them all. I had the rib platter with two sides, greens and coleslaw (vinegar based) and it came with corn bread. The ribs were a mouth watering delight. They were smokey and juicy and not falling off the bone. (PERFECT!!!) the greens were juicy and tender, the slaw was tangy and fresh. The corn bread was moist and wonderful. I drove two hours to get here and if I wasn’t leaving for Milwaukee tomorrow I would go back. Go to Satchel’s and try anything I bet you will love it. Please don’t miss this gem. LOVED IT!!!

The sides are okay, the pulled chicken is great with bbq sauce, the chicken wings are horrible. They gave my friend a sample to bring home, a whole container… They were not seasoned and the skin was… I don’t know, it just wasn’t good. Hate to give them a not-​so-​good review because I did like going in to dine the once or twice before. Friendly and quick.

Satchel’s is my go-​to bbq place. Their ribs are as good as any I’ve had, although I’ve encountered a few dry ones occasionally. Their sides are spot on. You can’t really go wrong with anything they make IMO. I’ve never had to wait more than a few minutes for anything here, and the atmosphere is nice and relaxed.

Stepped in this place just because of comments from Unilocal.However, it turned out really disappointing.
1. Brisket is cold and taste no flavor. Not real southern style BBQ.
2. More ridiculously, sauce is so runny like salad dressing
3. They got an app at cashier and ask you put percentage of tip rate right after order without any service. Apparently, it is not a sit down restaurant at all.

I’ve been craving for some BBQ food, so after my workout, I found my way to Satchel’s… I haven’t been there since Feb 28, 2011… that was my first visit, not sure what kept me away for this long, but I’m glad I made I stopped by because a revisit was long over due.
The parking lot was full… wasn’t sure if they were all there to eat, but was able to find a lot in front of the restaurant… walked in and saw couple of tables that were occupied… lot has changed since my first visit…
They replaced the paper plates with real ones… the paper menu board was replaced, they have a station for trash, bin for used dishes, etc… Ordering is simple though, which is good. I went with combo plate, briskets, pulled pork with mac-​n-​cheese and greens with water (sorry, I had given up soft drinks… but I’m happy to see they still kept the coke products).
Got my food quickly since it wasn’t busy… the dish came with corn bread (which I did not like on my first visit) and 2^nd time wasn’t any different… they got rid of texas toast or wasn’t sure if it was extra, but it didn’t come with my order… maybe it still comes with the ribs? Ah yes, for the combo, you cannot get the rids… it’s $ 12.95 before taxes.
The mac-​n-​cheese was at best ‘below okay’… not sure if it was first batch from the morning (I went around 3pm), but it was lukewarm and just couldn’t put my finger on the taste… the greens remained the same.
The pulled pork was tender and juicy… I didn’t find any that were dried out… as for the brisket… they were okay… the meat wasn’t juicy nor dried out… I tasted the smoke flavor from the pulled pork… but not in the brisket. As for their sauces, still the same.
Originally, I was going to give them 3 stars, but had to rate them two stars for the following:
— tables — they were dirty… I had to look around to find a decent table that I could sit on… the tables were not wiped down after it was used by other customers.
— BBQ Sauce bottles — messy and sticky… the tops of the bottles were messy with sauces dripping down or on top… the sides of the bottles were sticky…
— Bins for used dishes — they were over flowing — both of them…
What got me was the dirty tables and sticky bottles… otherwise for the meat, it was decent and gets 3 stars from me. I’ll be back again, but it won’t take me two years… but I’ll be back… and like all other BBQ joints, I guess timing is the essence to get the meats when they come off the smoker.