Dawg Gone Good BBQ

The real deal… authentic southern BBQ! Well worth the 15 hour drive from NJ. Had a rib plate, a chicken plate and a pulled pork sandwich. The sides were out of this world, yams, green beans, potatoes. the owner came over and piled on some extra cole slaw and it was sooo good. Thank you for the delicious experience!

The pulled pork melts in your mouth! It’s delicious. The banana pudding is also a must!

A hidden gem I only found because of Unilocal.The tall gentleman (in white t-​shirt in the photo) is probably the biggest draw to this little BBQ joint snuggled into a corner in Athens. He can talk to anyone and makes each person feel special.
Ordering was a little glitchy, due to interruptions between staff members, and a little bit of order confusion due to a trainee, but the food was still served up very quickly.
It was this scramble (the restaurant wasn’t very busy, less than ¹⁄₃^rd of tables filled) as well as a HVAC unit on the wall with dirty vents that are making my review 4 stars instead of the full 5, but please understand that a 4-​star review is still a Very Good. I try to be very fair in my reviews, and I can honestly only give a 5-​star rating only if I have a very difficult time thinking of something a business can do to improve.
In this case, besides the order confusion (not major), & the dirty vent unit (how major this is depends on how you feel about such things). «Meh» was the barbecue pork itself — not terrible, I’ve definitely had worse… but it was a bit boring unless you put on a lot of sauce, and it could be improved by having a bit of crispy outside bits.
This BBQ was very soft. Great for elderly friends or anyone who finds the act of chewing to be unnecessary labor. Grab your toothless pals and c’mon down! lol!
The hamburger buns are very fresh, love those smooth, soft buns? This is your place. Get your mind out of the gutter. You foodies better sit down, because I am about to harsh your mellow. This restaurant does not bake their bread on site in a brick oven imported from Tuscany. They come out of a bag, made of… wait for it… plastic! (Gasp!) I think it was Sunbeam brand. It was fine. You’ll get over it. Sandwiches are only $ 5 and the amount of meat, whether pork or chicken is very generous.
We would have liked to see: BBQ sauces on the table and some sauce options. A salt shaker on the tables would be a nice thing as well. We wondered if they don’t put all that on the tables because Athens is a college town, not sure. At the very least, a little service table with napkins, salt, pepper, 2 – 3 varieties of sauces would be a good idea. Put business cards and take-​out/​catering info there too, and something to get customers to look up the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Back to the food, the sides of green beans and macaroni and cheese are very good. The consensus at our table was that this restaurant does a better job on their side dishes than on the BBQ. The Italian beans had a nice taste of being cooked with smoked ham perhaps, and were just right.
The mac and cheese had lots of cheese in it (see the cheese strings in one of my photos!) unlike many places now that serve macaroni (and cheese), with skimpy amounts of cheese. The collard greens were excellent and cooked from scratch.
The servings of sides were large.
You can also buy BBQ by the pound for $ 11. Quite a deal! Lots more things on menu than I can remember.
*Positives:
Friendly operator
Casual atmosphere, nice to look out on the street, tables, chairs clean, clean bathroom/​soap/​paper towels.
Simple menu, not overly complicated.
Great side dishes.
Generous portions.
BIG PROPS FOR Providing piece of aluminum foil under sandwich to prevent juices from sides from being absorbed by the bun.
NO loud music, can eat BBQ without stereotypical country music… big asset!
Styrofoam plates & cups, dangit!
*Negatives:
Confusion over order (NBD overall).
Dirty HVAC unit customers can see.
BBQ without sauce a bit bland & overly soft, needs more texture to it.
Would like sauces/​condiment varieties & on table.
Styrofoam plates and cups, dangit!
*Suggestions:
More interesting stuff on walls — trade BBQ for an Athens interior decorator’s help. Not too many overly happy pink pigs please, but a couple antique looking ones would be good. Hobby Lobby will have all the stuff you need. Make it a fun place for people to be able to take photos (& hopefully check-​in & post to social mafia… er, media!(
A table with condiments & marketing materials (marketing materials in containers attached to wall above the table, along with marketing signs about their Facebook page, etc) for customers to help themselves.
I’d hang at least 3 stained glass sun catchers inside the front window, using fishing line. You can probably commission a glass artist to make one with restaurant name on it.
A pretty big pink pig statue with the pig holding a pennant with restaurant web address/​name on it & wearing a UGA t-​shirt or sweater vest gets my vote if you decide to have a pig! Customers will enjoy having pictures taken with him. Each time customers post to social media, you’ll be getting advertising!
As Forrest Gump said, «And, that’s awl I gots ta sayyy about tha-​at.»

My experience was A+! The food was great. I tried the pulled pork, chicken and sausage. I didn’t even use a barbecue sauce on any of it, it was great without it! The pulled pork was tender, juicy and had an amazing flavor to it! The macaroni and cheese was also amazing! The owner, Mr. BJ, came out from behind the counter and talked to me while I was eating lunch. One of the nicest guys I’ve ever met! I enjoyed the down home cookin’ as well as the hospitality and conversation! Keep up the good work, BJ. Your barbecue is Dawg Gone Good — even from a Gamecock fan like myself!

Really good BBQ. A family owns the restaurant which is really cute. It’s a lot of food for the price. The mac and cheese has some extra seasoning in it that is really good.

The worst BBQ place ever The food was not great at all. I was disappointed on the beans I was expecting homemade beans they were can beans. it was really hot inside I would never come here again.

Placed my review on my check in but needles to say the food was superb and the owners were super nice! Very small operation but clean and prices were great without lacking the quality food. I highly recommend to anyone who’s a fan of barbecue! This barbecue so good I’ll make you wanna slap your momma ;)

This is my go to place for BBQ in Athens. No other joint can match the flavor bursting out of the small downtown location. Everything is excellent especially their sides. The collard greens are cooked to perfection — which is EXTREMELY rare in Athens. Anyone who has given the Butt Hut or Saucehouse a good review does not know good food/​is not from the south. Pulaski heights is another good joint, but their sides are the worst. If you are looking for good food, this is the place to go. It’s not too fancy on the inside (more of a hole-​in-​the-​wall), but when you’re looking for BBQ, the food is all that matters. And you always get genuinely friendly service, so that’s an added bonus.

Hats off to everybody at Dawg Gone Good BBQ, and especially Chef Mr. BJ, for a down-​home delicious pre-​game meal Saturday afternoon. I’m from Tuscaloosa and can attest first hand that Dreamland doesn’t hold a candle to the ribs and fixins at DGGBBQ. The ribs and pulled pork were as good as I’ve had anywhere outside of Archibald’s in Nothport, AL. The mac n cheese and collard greens were as good as my grandma used to make and home style banana pudding was a perfect finish. Recommend highly!

Their collard greens and potato salad were delicious ! We got a mix of the hot and sweet sauce and it has a good kick, but not overwhelming. The pulled pork was also pretty good as well. I definitely wouldn’t mind coming back here again !

So I’d seen Dawg Gone Good BBQ out of the corner of my eye last time I was in Athens, and decided to stop off for a quick lunch the next time I was in the area. Wow! What an amazing find! I know, I know, I can hear the locals asking «Where have you been, dude?!» And I’m like, I’m sorry, man. I don’t get to Athens that much…“
And I wish I did get to Athens more often, because this barbecue really rocks! I believe the owner was in the kitchen when I got there. He did come out to ask how I was doing, and indicated the pulled pork I was eating was his grandmother’s own recipe. I’m not going to lie. It was delicious. I was offered a choice of hot or sweet barbecue sauce for my sandwich. I asked for a mix of the two, and the effect was really nice. I get the idea a lot of love and pride goes into this food. Indeed, that was some of the best slaw I’ve ever had. (It had raisins in it.)
The price tag was also outstanding. I’m telling you, this place is a real Athens gem. I will happily return for more. Holler if you’re coming with.

Okay here it goes. I am still inside the little restaurant. Its great! Loved all the food. Wish this place was in my town. Nice owner and family too!

Pretty decent bbq place in dowtown athens. I loved the Mac and cheese. The potatoe salad was pretty good but I couldn’t finish due to how thick and creamy it is. That’s a personal preference though. Their bbq sandwich is decent. I wish it was served on a better bun. Mine sort of went soggy and fell apart soon after I begin eating. I would come back for a quick bite.

Oh, this place is the jam! Great food, incredible prices, awesome staff. The atmosphere inside is lively and if you come there regularly they’ll always remember you. I prefer to get a pulled pork slider or two, with sides of macaroni and cheese and the fantastic spinach supreme casserole. All plates are prepared right in front of you so there is no wait and I’ve never seen them run out of meat, though sometimes the sides do run out late at night.
I always take new people here and my job even orders catered lunches from here every month. If you are downtown during happy hour, you might even be lucky enough to see the owner walk into the bar with a tray of sliders, brownies, or pulled pork cups for patrons to enjoy, while he takes a load off from a busy and hot day of cooking.

Just visited Athens for a wedding this past weekend and had a PHENOMENAL meal at Dawg Gone Good! I went with ten friends from New York — all people who knows and love food — and every single one of us was incredibly impressed with this place. The owner/​chef, William, was also incredibly nice and came to check in on our table.
We had a nice chat and I am happy to say he was one of the nicest people we met in Athens which is hard because really everyone in that town is incredibly nice.
In any case, if you are looking for traditional, homemade BBQ and some innovative dishes as well (I recommend the summer squash casserole), this place with please both your visiting uncle and out of town foodies alike.

Delicious bbq quickly from friendly folks. It’s a shame they open so late (3pm), fantastic that they stay open so late (3am). Probably still Athens’ «best kept secret.»

Oh my god this is good. May be the best BBQ I have ever had… and I have had some BBQ. You must go here if you can.

Heather and I shared a slab of ribs with a mix of hot and sweet sauce. It was really good. Baked beans and collard greens for sides; the beans were decent and the greens weren’t bad. No alcohol which was a bummer.
Good customer service. Very limited indoor seating but plenty outside seating.

My favorite BBQ in Athens (or elsewhere). Unlike a few years back they seem to be now actually keeping the hours they ostensibly should be open. The pulled pork is perfect.

Cmon son. Next time ill be sure to taste it before I buy it. Definitely not my type off bbq. So i guess thats just my bad. I bought the pulled chicken sandwich with macaroni and green beans. Food was very forgettable.
Its like they didnt even try.
Very cramped waiting area. Outdoor seating.