Bainbridge Island Barbeque

OMG I just cried! I saw that this place is closed! When am I going to deliver your DimSum, Greg? :(
This makes me so sad — because this was a family owned restaurant in a quaint little island away from the hustle and bustle of Seattle. It’s about a 30 minute Ferry ride across the bay and over to Bainbridge island. I had BORK — ½ brisket ½ pork all in a sandwich. MMMM I want to know what’s in that BBQ sauce — crack? It was meaty, tender, and addictive. mmmmm delishhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
I had a taste of the macaroni salad (delish!) mayo-​y goodness! Also, the mac and cheese had goldfish crackers. I salivate as remember this place.
RIP BIBBQ~!!! They had the best signage all over the place. Everything is made to order! Until we meet again

We were initally going to go to this place seeing that we love bbq and love family run businesses. However after reading through the comments I noticed of there was a bad review the owner immediately acted like an ass and gave extremely horrible respinses. Even to reciews that were just regular reviews on good and bad of the place. Sad to hear the owner get instantly defensive and agressive towards his customers rather than take constructive criticism and try to make his business better. I guess we’ll never know if the food is even O.K. because the owner is what turned us away from wanting to try this place.

Decided to give BIBBQ a try after reading their reviews on Unilocal,and they didn’t disappoint.
We had the pulled pork, brisket, creamed corn, coleslaw, mac and cheese and fried taters. Everything was excellent. The meat was cooked/​smoked perfectly, the bbq sauce was exceptional and the mac and cheese was out of this world– perhaps the best mac and cheese I ever ate… EVER!
Of note, although they advertise delivery, both online and on the signs just outside of their restaurant, BIBBQ no longer delivers. No big deal for me as I live close by.
Also, please be prepared to wait, as they make everything to order, so plan ahead when ordering take out, or dining in.
Enjoy!

As Erica (below) said, we were also hesitated to go inside. My husband actually went to the door and checked inside first. Because it has such a great reviews and 4.5 stars, we wanted give a try.
My husband and I ordered pulled pork sandwich and with 2 sides. Pork was amazing! We loved it a lot. Warm potato and beans were a little sweeter side, but I loved the beans with cilantro topping. Kids ordered hot dog and mac n cheese. Hot dog was a good size and seemed they were grilled. Mac n cheese was their side and I tried a little. It was also good, nothing like Kraft box.
Priced very well, and portion was big enough. I would say for a not big eater, pulled pork sandwich was a little too big. Service was also very good. Owner brought my side later and he was very friendly and his wife? refilled my husband’s drink without asking while he was using bathroom.
Only reason I gave 4 stars was décor inside of restaurant. It is not modern, fancy, classy or anything, but simple. We would say this place was good found! Glad we walked in.

I’ll admit, I was a little tempted to turn around when I saw the place. It’s a little old house set off from the road with a fuzzy cat prowling around and a «closed» sign propped by the door so you don’t know if they’re really open or not. I’m sure glad we stayed, though!
Inside is nothing fancy. Some simple tables and chairs with floor lamps in the corners. There’s another room that may be more of a bar area? There was a little boy (the owner’s son?) riding his big wheel around the dining room, which proved entertaining :-)
I got the bork sandwich, which comes with pulled pork and shredded beef, your choice of sauce, and the option of cheddar or gouda. The sandwich was smoky and rich and you got a TON of meat!
If you get the «meal» option, you can choose 2 sides. The meal was under $ 10! I was impressed with the unique ingredients and flavor combinations that were offered. I chose the warm potato salad that had a bacon balsamic maple basil dressing. It was sweet and tangy and really interesting, not to mention yummy! I also got the creamy corn side. The corn was a little roasty and in a creamy but mild sauce. Also very good. The coleslaw had a light dressing and had fresh fennel in it, which made it refreshing and gave it a fresh flavor.
The owner was very kind when we left, and thanked us for coming. Try it out when you’re on Bainbridge!

Great lunch bargain!
For $ 7.95 you get a brisket or pork sandwich, one side and a bottle of soda pop. We actually ‘upgraded’ to a bottle of beer for an extra $ 2. That makes a super lunch!

Very good BBQ. Interior ambiance is very casual and hodge-​podge, but BBQ is why you come!
Even better? Owner is very involved in the community and is also present at many island events.
Extra points beyond great BBQ Pork? I stopped in at closing time. They could have said no, but they asked what I wanted to go. I just wanted some meat to go. Totally went out of their way and saved my dinner plans.
Great BBQ, friendly service, tasty sauce, serves beer… May want to call ahead, if they are not busy, they may close early.

Holy hell! BIBBQ is slap your momma good! The wings! The brisket! The ribs! The mac and cheese, beans, corn, potato wedges! It’s all amazing!
And the sauces! Damn! When I die, fill my casket with BI Habanero sauce!
I’ve had many award winning BBQ’s in my day, from the heart of BBQ country. BI BBQ is up there with the best of them.
Don’t go to BI BBQ for overdone ambiance and pretense. The place is nothing but the bare essentials. It is there for the food, nothing more and nothing less. If you don’t love BBQ food, there’s nothing here for you.

I just had the most bizarre conversation with BI Barbeque:
Me: Hi — I’m looking at your menu online and I’m“m wondering if you have take-​out party trays in addition to the entrees.
Them: Yes. But it’s not online.
Me: Ok, how could I find out about that?
Them: You have to talk to the owner.
Me: Great — are they available?
Goes away.
Owner: What?
Me: I’m trying to find out what type of party trays you have available but they tell me they’re not on the menu.
Owner: What to do you want?
Me: Well I’m not sure. I guess I ‘m calling to find out what’s available?
Owner: Do you want meat?
Me: Yes.
Owner: What so do you want?
Me: I’m not sure. Salmon is listed on the website. Is that available?
Owner: Salmon is too expensive right now.
Me: Ok. I guess I’m“m confused. I’m on the customer side, I’d like to make an order for a party but I don’t know what’s on the menu. Salmon’s out. Maybe you can tell me what my options are?
Owner: Well you said you wanted meat and now you’re asking about fish. When is this? How many people?
Me: Tomorrow. 15 people.
Owner: What do you want?
Me: Hesitating.
Owner: We’re not communicating here.
Hangs up.
It might be delicious, fantastic and reasonably-​priced but it really shouldn’t be this hard to give a big chunk of my money to a restaurant.

Oh my, we were very lucky to make it before the closing today.
We ordered:
½ lb pork rib: Off the bone delicious! I had it with the competition style bbq sauce, but they have several more options to choose from.
Half chicken: Moist and yummy – also with the competition style bbq sauce. You can tell chicken is cooked right when the breast meat is moist and tender.
Mac & cheese: This was probably the best I’ve ever had. The cheesy macaroni was topped with corn flakes that gave it a nice crunch.
Creamy spinach: Yum!
Creamy corn: Must try also.
Everything here was delicious. The service was wonderful.
I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone living in or traveling through the Seattle area. It is worth the ferry ride over the bay.
Note: They can be a little hard to find on foot. You have to walk all the way to near the end of the downtown strip. They have stands near the road that read «Dine in /​Take out» and they’re nestled at the end of the dirt parking lot.

This was easily among the best BBQ I’ve ever had, and I’ve had my fair share from Tennessee to Texas. If you live on or are visiting Bainbridge Island, you absolutely need to visit Bainbridge Island BBQ.
We went to BI BBQ while visiting Bainbridge from Seattle and we’re so glad and lucky to have found this place and the amazing food, atmosphere and service. I knew the food would be amazing as soon as the smell of the food hit us. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with the milder sauce — it was divine. Also ordered a 16oz serving of beans (also superb). There is something magical about the flavors that come out of the sauces used in each dish — the balance between sweet and spicy is absolutely perfect. The person I was with ordered the half chicken with homemade potato wedges. The portions were so generous and the prices are terrific.
I almost never over-​eat, but this was one occasion where I couldn’t help it — there were just so many great dishes and sides, its really difficult to choose.
The atmosphere is clean and comfortable and everyone is very friendly and helpful. Greg and his wife really made our visit feel special. Eating here was really the highlight of our Bainbridge day trip. We can’t wait to come back again.

My husband and I got two pulled pork platters to-​go with the coleslaw and beans as our sides. My husband has celiac disease and can’t eat wheat so we just took the meat home to make our own sammies. The pork was sooo good. It was moist and tender and had a slight smokey flavor but the natural pork flavor really came through. I got the medium spicy chipotle sauce and my husband got the mild sauce which both of us preferred because it was so tangy and delicious. The chipotle was really good too, don’t get me wrong. The beans were da bomb. That’s right, I’m bringing back da bomb. They are cooked with chunky sweet onions and bacon and aren’t overcooked or mushy. The coleslaw was fresh and crisp, although I personally prefer a sweet slaw instead of the more savory style they serve here.
So glad to finally have gone here. A new gluten free option on the Island!

Excellent in every way!!!

My family just had the opportunity to spend a lovely weekend visiting a friend on Bainbridge Island. I have to admit I have never really been into going to BBQ restaurants. Boy was I missing out! This place hands down was the best meal I have had in ages we were still raving about it yesterday 4 days afterwards. I went with the elk burger, mac and cheese, and creamy corn. My son had a big beef burger and my boyfriend had the buffalo burger. My 20 month old daughter was in love with the mac and cheese. We all thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Was top notch and very reasonably priced.

After continuing to visit this location, the food seems to just get better and better. The customer service is great and they are always smiling. The food is consistent which seems to be rare around here. The sauces are great to try and they have many available. Its taken a while to get my wife to visit BBQ joints with me but now she only wants to go to this place. The pulled pork and mac n’ cheese are great. Good job and we look forward to visiting more often.
Also, I think its great this is a family orientated establishment. If a child playing bothers you, do us all the favor and stay at home, this isn’t the 60’s.

Original Review: Three Stars
«Only BBQ joint on the island, so it doesn’t have to be that great; the meat is good, but the BBQ sauce and the staff’s friendliness are lacking any flavor. However, I’ll continue to go back because as I already stated it’s the only place to get BBQ on BI».
Owners Response:
«save your money kyle, and go to macdonalds instead. i would prefer not to cook for you» –Greg E.
My Reply:
«Greg,
Sorry you feel that way, but you’re simply demonstrating exactly what I placed in the review. Best of luck to you and your business in the future.
Former customer,
Kyle»
Final Review: One Star
I think this clearly demonstrates how customer friendly BI BBQ is, and recommend you either heed the warning or go find out for yourself; however, be careful how you review this place. Greg expects Five Stars with every customer? Heck I didn’t think my initial review was too bad.
Peace

Whoa, this is some good eating!
I had heard about this restaurant from friends for over year before venturing there myself to try the buffalo burger. Arrived at around 6:30pm and was pleased to see the place almost full. The menu is great and, despite what some other posters might believe, it offers plenty of options at unbelievably reasonable proces.
Ordered the buffalo burger with the mild sauce, a side of spinach and a side of the mac and cheese. The bf ordered a full rack of ribs with medium sauce and the same sides. The burger was fantastic; the mac and cheese insanely rich and delicious (lovin’ the cornflakes and goldfish crackers!); the spinach was a nice complement with other, spicier foods and the ribs were well cooked and perfectly tender.
There is most certainly a wait once the food is ordered and this, I am told, can be anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 minutes. Knowing this before going helped and we appreciated the individually cooked meals and preparation that goes into them. The service was just fine.
This will become a new favorite B.I. haunt for me and the fam!!!

When we got off the ferry from Seattle and looked at the map, we were slightly discouraged by how far this place was from the port. But we had heard such great things about it that we decided to brave the walk in the drizzle. On our way, we passed by some famous diner with an overpriced menu and despite a random woman with a dog telling us that the diner had the best food on the island, we continued on our way to barbecue.
The main street through town was all torn up, and we were starting to get tired and hungry. We were tempted a couple of times to eat at various other places, but as we neared the place, we decided that we had come too far to turn back. We rounded the corner and we surprised to see that the place was a house down a side street. We could see the smoke from two smokers drifting about, and the smells were quite encouraging. We began to doubt if we could actually eat there, since many of the signs on the building spoke of take out and catering. But we went in, and sure enough, there were a few tables in a charming little dining room.
The menu was typical BBQ fare, except for some creative sides and sandwiches. The girlfriend opted for a Bork, which was a combination of pulled pork and brisket with cheese, and a side of mac and cheese with goldfish cracker crumbs. I stuck with the more traditional ribs with side of fried potato wedges. They had three choices of sauces, basically mild, medium, and spicy. We both went with medium based on the recommendation of our waiter, and I got some of the spicy sauce on the side.
The food was amazing. Despite filling up on the complementary peanuts, we didn’t leave a scrap of food our plates, even with generous portions. The sauces were unique and wonderful, and the meat cooked perfectly. The potatoes were amazing, and I am told that the mac n cheese was excellent too. During dinner, the owner, Greg, came by and chatted with us for a while. He was thrilled that we had come all the way from Washington, D.C. and was also pleased that we had first heard about his place on Unilocal.
This is a hidden gem on the island and is completely worth your walk. I did not expect to get such good BBQ in, of all places, an island west of Seattle. But I’ll be back every single time I go to Seattle.

I was excited to try this place, I do love a good BBQ, sadly I was disappointed.
I liked the spinach side dish, however it is a very small portion, 3 bites max. Also the menu wasn’t as extensive as I was led to believe.
The food was good, atmosphere is severely lacking. Poorly cleaned, run down floors, and the heat was cranked to about 95 degrees when we were there.
I do not think I will be returning here.

OMG, did I enjoy my meal at this Bainbridge Island hideout. Off the beaten path but well worth finding if you want really good tasty inventive reasonably priced BBQ.
RIght outside you cant miss the smokin’ barrel pit in front of a vintage wood building off Windslow Way.
Fantastic whiskey brown sugar, chipotle honey or habanero insane BBQ sauces, huge quantity meal and excellent quality meats…
and the cole salad, beans and mac n cheese topped them all off just perfectly, not to mention those COLD beers served in frosty glasses.
Nice friendly wait staff, served quickly in order to make our return ferry.
Gregory Epstein has done a great job with the restaurant, makes me even wanna live there for this BBQ!