Shady’s Bakery & BBQ

We stopped for take out while on our way to Nissley Vinyards Saturday evening. The meat was outstanding. Ribs, brisket, pulled pork was all good. They serve very large portions. Only negative for me was the baked beans were too sweet for my liking…
Service was excellent. Very friendly. We will return!!!

Very good meal… Brisket and pork shanks were awesome. The bbq sauces were very good!

I really hate to rate this restaurant this low. There are good things and bad things but the outline follows:
Tonight my wife, daughter and I ate here. It was our first time there and we decided to try it out, since it is close to our home. First of all, the staff is VERY friendly and attentive. I was really impressed! The staff alone is a reason to stop in again.
A little bit about our first impression: Staff=excellent, Service=attentive and food came out quickly. Follow up was also appreciated. The shop= decorations were in line with what I would expect from a BBQ joint. The bathrooms are small and the men’s room is somewhat dark. The floors in the dining area are old and worn. (I remember when this was a pizza place, a scuba shop and several other stores prior to being a BBQ place). Parking is more than adequate. Access is easy, right off Rt 441.
The Food: My family got three different sampler platters, with a few differences. Their sampler platter is two meats, two sides and cornbread. My wife ordered Pulled pork and brisket with sides of Macaroni and cheese and coleslaw. My daughter got pork shanks and pulled chicken, with Macaroni and cheese and French fries. I ordered brisket and a half rack of ribs, with macaroni and cheese and baked beans. They serve their meats without sauce (which I think is great) and have a selection of sauces to try. The sauces are: Sweet BBQ, Shady sauce, vinegar sauce, and hot BBQ sauce. They also have ketchup if you desire. On the drink side: three teas; unsweetened, sweetened and mint sweet teas, as well as Coke products. The drinks are unlimited refills (self service). The mint sweet tea is excellent! My first impression of the platters are that they are stacked up high. A 10″ Chinete plate barely contains the meal.
Meat wise: in my opinion, they were all over cooked and held too long. Not that being over cooked is bad all the time, it just makes me wanting fresher food. The brisket was sliced in ½ inch slices, using the bend test, the meat broke over itself without force, there was little tug. There was a great smoke flavor, but it could have used more salt or something. There was little hint of rub on it, but it did have a beef flavor. The Ribs; the meat fell off the bone just picking up the rack, the meat was mushy in spots, and had a good smoke flavor, but I could not taste the pork. It also had little to accentuate the pork flavor. The pulled pork was mushy, and had little flavor– this was our least favorite meat. The pork shanks are a unique part of the menu. They appear to be Hollywood style cut ribs that are lightly smoked and then deep fried and their rub (or finishing powder) was liberally applied-​we all liked these.
Sides: The Macaroni and cheese had a smoked flavor, but not much else. The cheese had no flavor and it was dry. The cole slaw was cabbage and vegetables in mayonnaise, no real pizzazz. The baked beans were very sweet. The beans were hard, and I did not like the texture or flavor much. The French fries were very good, crispy and flavorful.
Overall impression: I was VERY pleased with the service– the owners have a great staff and should be proud of their friendliness and service. The food– I have had better. The sauces save the day with the meats, which is not my idea of outstanding BBQ. It is ok and far above the crap served by most large franchises. The prices are in line with other BBQ joints.
Will I come back? Maybe. The service and staff are welcoming and great! And I wouldn’t mind eating a plate stacked with the pork shanks. I also want to try their homemade chips and fried pickles. But I will make my own brisket and pulled pork.

the only thing worth eating on 441 between columbia and middletown.
they make some amazing mac and cheese. they’ll put this amazing mac and cheese on your sandwich.
the scent is intoxicating as i drive by a few times a week.

My boyfriend’s coworkers have raved for weeks about this place. We finally decided to give it a change. I got the Brisket with Fries and Smoked Mac and Cheese, He got Brisket and sausage apple cole slaw and smoked mac and cheese. Very Generous portions. Everything very good. The brisket was very tender and flavorful. The smoked mac and cheese was very good as well. I would like to give other things a try sometime. Since I heard they were known for the baked goods. I got a few cupcakes. They were AMAZING! If your looking for a local place to support and try, I would recommend to go for it. Not a lot of seating but if you want to give it a try… you can make it work! Very friendly staff!

portions were huge. baked beans were very delicious. the employees were nice and welcoming. looked very professional for such a small place. fried pickles are recommended!

5 stars for the ribs, super meaty! Sides were ok to good. Beans and BBQ sauce good. Corn bread just ok, sort of commercially made taste. But will be back for the ribs.