Pasture Q

A few friends and I were looking for a place that wouldn’t be super crowded during UVA’s graduation weekend. We wound up at Stonefield because it had more than one option in the event that all of the places were packed. When we arrived, Pasture Q was pretty dead. There were maybe three other tables besides ours. The place is going for a cute, rustic look, but it feels pretty sterile inside.
I ordered a wheat beer, and I was served something dark that definitely wasn’t what I had ordered. When I asked the server about it, she brought me the correct beer, so I ended up with two. Their food menu is pretty simple with some starters, platters, and sandwiches. You can pick your sides for both the sandwiches and platters, which was nice. I ordered the BBQ chicken thigh sandwich with fries. They have a variety of BBQ sauces on the table, so you can doctor your own meat. The sandwich was lack luster, and I had to douse in BBQ sauce to make it flavorful.
There are tons of great BBQ places in Cville, and I don’t think Pasture Q is going to be able to stand up to the competition. I wanted to like this place, but it just wasn’t that good.

Came here before catching a movie across the street. The location is great and the restaurant itself is very spacious. The portions ended up being a little smaller than expected, but the flavors were good and the service was pretty quick. The sides were the real star though — mac and cheese was amazing! and the cucumber salad was my personal favorite. I also tried the brisket chili which had a nice kick and warmed me right up, but I thought the cornbread that came with it was a little dry.

O-​K BBQ. Certainly not bad by any stretch but I feel like I paid a little much for what ended up being a somewhat bland meal, even after trying all of the sauces they list on the table.
The sausage link was probably the best part of the meal.

we visited here with some friends that live in the ville. first impression was the place is a bit STERILE, COLD and NOT INVITING. when we walked in there was a strong chemical clean smell, like bar cleaning chemicals… not pleasant.
server really didn’t know the menu. asked about fried pickles and they were described incorrectly from what we ordered… but were ok, nothing to rave about though. ordered the 2 meat plate ($ 16.99) and the brisket was almost 100% fat… they replaced it with a new piece on my request and it was decent.
when we received our check there was 20% gratuity added for our party of 4 adults and 3 kids. when i asked the server about it she said that this is for parties of 6 or more. BAD POLICY FOR A PLACE LIKE THIS! this is not «high maintenance service», not to mention we shared two meat plates with our kids. having worked in the service industry through college i have a high respect for the service industry, and we always tip 20% or more out of principal. (GOOD OR BAD SERVICE CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOUR EXPERIENCE) if you are going to charge the gratuity it needs to be told to you up front and not when you deliver the check. this place is one step beyond a fast casual restaurant serving bbq on a tin plate with picnic paper. i would not expect the gratuity added to check in this place, especially given that half our party didn’t even order their own entrée. BAD BUSINESS!
the BBQ was not bad, it’s just the environment and the service that is this place’s downfall. maybe i’m biased having grown up in Texas, but when i think BBQ joint i picture smoked meats and a rustic homey feel to the restaurant. i didn’t even see a smoker anywhere in the restaurant! what’s up with that?
the prices for the portion sizes are a bit off too. our friends got the bbq chix sandwich ($ 9.00) and it was like half a chix thigh… not enough for what they are charging.
SIDE NOTE: have fun getting the bbq sauces out of the tin container on the table. bottles are too big for container and you have to pry them out to use them. POORLY THOUGHT OUT DESIGN.
the whole area where this shop is located is a bit overpriced for cville. all together for two entrees and two orders of fried pickles our bill came to $ 72.00. a bit too pricey for what they are selling.
this place COULD IMPROVE WITH BETTER MANAGEMENT, BETTER SERVICE, BETTER PRICES, and MORE ATTENTION TO DETAILS!
for our money, quality and value, WE WON’T BE RETURNING HERE!

We stopped in here for a lunch on a recent visit from Virginia Beach. Everything we sampled was excellent. Maybe since there is nothing but disappointing Bbq in the Hampton Roads area, it made it seem that everything we tried was pure heaven.
For starters we shared a shaved collard green salad with peppercorn dressing. Neither of us had ever had collards this way. It was quite delicious and we appreciated the unique presentation of such a common regional ingredient. Plus, its always a good idea to lay down a base of roughage before diving into a plate of Bbq. Helps to keep everything moving along.
We also split a pickle plate sampler, which was divine. Pickled beets, califlower, carrots and cucumbers. The texture was just right as was the balance of salt, sweet and vinegar. What a way to get your vegetables!
My wife ordered the pulled pork sandwich with a side of mac and cheese while I ordered the brisket sandwich with a side of potato cheddar casserole. Both meats were deeply flavorful with just the right bite of smoke. You sauce your own Bbq at PastureQ from a selection of either North Carolina, South Carolina (mustard or vinegar based) or White Alabama sauce. We both like some sweet tang on our ‘Q so a double squirt of North Carolina sauce served us both well.
The sides, which in my opinion are always as important as the Bbq, were Oh My God good. The mac and cheese was a faultless, creamy delight but the potato cheddar casserole could turn me into a vegetarian if I knew everything was going to taste as good as that little ramekin full of gloriousness. What genius concocted such a thing?
Maybe the noshers of Charlottesville are a bit more jaded when it comes to Bbq than in the rest of Virginia based on the number of negative reviews posted here. But if Jason Alley could just pick this place up and put it down somewhere in Virginia Beach without changing a thing on his menu, he would rule the place. There simply isn’t anywhere here that is executing Bbq at this level.
Someday…Someday…Someday

I recently went here with my boyfriend and was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was. My boyfriend and I both ordered the brisket, pulled pork, and BBQ chicken! The chicken was probably the best I have ever had. My boyfriend loved the brisket but it was a little fatty for my liking. The waitress we had could have been a bit more attentive but over all it was great! We will be back soon!

Stopped into Pasture Q for our first visit since the restaurant rebranded itself from its earlier beginnings as Pasture. Admittedly, we were rather shocked to be so impressed with their change to an upscale BBQ-​centric home-​cooking concept. Great funky atmosphere, just loud enough to feel comfortable dining with kids but not loud enough to drown out conversation. The kids’ menu is reasonably priced ($ 4) and includes choice of slider (pulled pork, fried catfish, chicken) or PB&H sandwich with a kid-​sized side. If those aren’t appealing to your little ones, there is most likely something from the appropriately-​portioned a la carte side options that will fit the bill ($ 3). The adults shared deviled eggs & a house-​made pickle platter (great variety: 2 kinds of pickles, beets, cauliflower, carrots) and enjoyed them both. We went on to split the 3 meat platter & couldn’t have been more pleased. The fried catfish (locally caught in the Rappahannock) was light & crispy — delish! The pulled pork was flavorful, tender & had just the right amount of smoke. Most surprisingly, the chicken thighs were deboned, which provided a large portion of meat that was wholly accessible (as opposed to eating off the bone). Several different sauces are available to dress your meats as well. The BBQ beans, collard greens, jalapeño slaw & cornbread were all top-​notch. We haven’t been this pleased with a new-​restaurant dining experience in years. This restaurant is a great addition to Stonefield and we’ll be back!

Best BBQ in Cville. The Friend Potato Skins will make you come back!
Got the BBQ platter with pulled pork, brisket, slaw and fries. All of the delicious. Beer list is great too!

This is the best of its type I found in cville,. Good service, food well presented and spciced. Prompt and casual, I would come again.

Good, but didn’t impress me. I’m from California so I don’t know much about
BBQ, my boyfriend from the south said it wasn’t that great. I probably wouldn’t go back. Props for friendly service and a great beer list though.

Love the design of the space. Excellent beer list. We had a great lunch. Tasty BBQ sandwich on great bread. The staff is friendly. The vibe is great.

Perhaps they should have stayed with their old menu.
We tried the barbecue effort tonight and were very disappointed. The pulled pork was clearly pulled pork but there just was no flavor. You should not need to soak it with sauce to make it taste good. The sausage was bland and flavorless. The ribs were the reason I write this review. They were tough with almost the consistency of jerky. They should have provided hammer and chisel to help separate the bones and meat. Worst I have had in decades of eating ribs. My friend had the ribs and his were no better.
Ok, the fries were good and the coleslaw tasty.
If you are at the mall and looking for a quick snack, maybe ok but do not make a special trip to this place. It is just not worth it.

We stopped in for C’ville restaurant week. (A reason I’ve never done any restaurant week was fear of paying a fixed amount and getting a lesser portion). They were offering 3 courses for $ 16, which seemed like bargain, so we took family (our son) and friends too. The nice thing is that they use OpenTable! Wish all restaurants would do this, it’s a trouble-​free way to reserve!
Upon entering, the server was very quick to greet us with a smile and was knowledgeable about the menu and the restaurant week specials. We ordered the assortment of pickles and the fried pickles as appetizers for the table. The $ 5 for the pickles was a joke, there were 2 very thin jalapeño slices, 3 beets that were sliced and a couple other things, to include a few thin slices of pickled cucumber on the very small, bread-​size plate. The brine that all these items was pickled in wasn’t too tasty either. The fried pickles tasted much better.
Once the first course arrive, the black bean soup — it tasted and looked AMAZING! But when I put my spoon into it, I was shocked to see it was barely a layer of beans covering the bottom of the bowl! There was hardly anything there!
So, when the second course arrive, the BBQ catfish — it looked great, awesome flavor, but again, the portion was slightly small, but not nearly as small as the brisket/​egg noodles that others at our table got — That was ridiculously small! It was bordering on being a joke and much of the brisket in it was fat and it was diced into quarter inch cubes, so wasn’t really edible with the fat.
We brought this up to the server, but nothing was done about it.
Upon ringing out, we saw that she had also charged us a 20% gratuity, since there were 6 of us. This is very poor, since we didn’t feel this was an appropriate gratuity based on the lack of follow-​up with the customer service.
Overall, the food was tasty, server was friendly, but lacked the customer service skills that recognize and address an issue to keep the customer happy.
There are way too many other places to eat in C’vill and in this particular plaza… We won’t be back…

I liked the new pasture Q. They have a pretty good happy hour and the bbq was pretty tasty. I liked the brisket the best, it was a little fatty, but I like it that way if cooked right, it was melt in your mouth. Collards were awesome. They have several good bbq sauces to choose from. Good service, and a Nice atmosphere. Recommend.

My husband and I stopped in after the movie last evening, first time there but not our last!
We were pleasantly surprised at the modern twist to BBQ. My husband tried a local whiskey and now wants to find the distillery and buy a bottle. We had the fried bread & butter pickles they were good but we still prefer dill. Cole slaw, BBQ pintos, broccoli casserole and collards were fantastic. The catfish was lightly breaded and fried to perfection, great twist on the portobello mushroom. We also enjoyed the chicken and brisket, both were very flavorful. For dessert we tried the chocolate cake and lemon pie, good portion size but not so big that we couldn’t finish.
Our server was polite, enthusiastic, attentive and knowledgable.
We would like to see more Virginia wines on the list.
Highly recommend!

Eh. It was fine, but I won’t be going back. Being from North Carolina, it’s difficult to call this BBQ. The beans, fries, and pulled pork were ok. The chicken and cole slaw I wasn’t a fan of. The variety of sauces were nice, and the drinks were good. Something about the restaurant just didn’t do it for me. maybe it was the atmosphere? In any event, I’ll be getting my BBQ fix from Ace’s from now on. I’m kind of sad to say that I don’t see this place being around much longer, but that’s the nature of the restaurant business I suppose. To be honest, I preferred Pasture when it wasn’t PastureQ.

Pasture Q’s friendly and attentive waitstaff did a great job during my recent visit, and the pimiento cheese remains top-​notch. But as a Texan with a deep love of barbecue, the revamped restaurant’s take on meat left me underwhelmed.
I ordered the brisket platter, and got a substantial clod of beef instead of the thin slices I’d expected. It was fork-​tender, moist, and nicely prepared — but it seemed to have been made in a slow-​cooker, not a smoker. It lacked any smoky flavor, and I didn’t see the distinctive pink nitrate ring around the outside of the meat. If there was any kind of dry rub, it didn’t seem to make much of an impression. It wasn’t bad at all for a big slab of meat, but it wasn’t what I was hoping for.
The Virginia barbecue sauce didn’t help much, either; it seemed thin, and the flavor didn’t really assert itself. The ribs fared better, with a great crispy exterior and a savory, smoky, well-​seasoned interior. But mine were a bit on the small side — more spareribs than St. Louis ribs — and were chewy when they should have been tender.
As for the sides, the gluey, bland mac & cheese seemed to come straight out of a box, and the frozen-​broccoli-​bits-​from-​a-​bag-​in-​Velveeta-​sauce casserole was no better. I figure the chef was going for classic comfort food, but at a restaurant that touts fresh, local food, cheaping out like this on the sides felt like a big letdown and a missed culinary opportunity. (Mac and _​pimiento_​cheese. Think about it.)

Pasture q
I want to be the first to say I am probably not qualify to critique or qualified to judge Jason alley as a chef or a businessman! On those qualifications he is out standing, but the essence of BBQ and the soul, I have over 30 years experience and a great family history !
They only been open for two weeks, hope this helps get the kinks out !
I humbly present my findings and opinion .
I did enjoy this place and I think the fried cat fish would have been a better choice !
My meal :
Chicken grilled not smoked, waitress said it was smoked. No pinkness or smoke flavor ! It appeared to be grilled .
Plenty of flavor
Boneless skinless thighs .
Chicken didn’t need sauce and it was cut in strips !
Pork chopped flavorful little chewy but good. Probably cooked to 175 degrees
Hint of smoke. I would have not sauce the pork! It should be able to stand alone!
Brisket sliced wrong, with the grain and part of point attached. Fatty
Less flavorful. Dark on one side, light on the other. Brisket was poorly done, staff appears to have no clue on how to slice brisket. I would recommend that they cut the point up for burnt ends! Yum and chunk the flats in about 2 inch squares and add the brisket juice with a little sauce. Hold in small vacuum seal portions .and serve when ready.
Very thin smoke ring
All food appeared reheated
Slaw mayo base no flavor
Collards excellent good favor, sweet and tangy !
Corn bread good small
Sauces all tangy, no real sweet sauce
Sauce ok!
White sauce called Alabama sauce ! Big bob Gibson would be proud! More of a novelty than a real sauce !
Tea great
Waitress excellent !
Tried to compensate for not eating the brisket .
Atmosphere typical modern BBQ joint style ! No soul !
Quality of meat is good .
What type of cooker: old hickory x two
Gas cooker commercial wood assist
At noon, the majority of customers was female, interesting. I think the high price will keep middle age middle class males away .
Also this place has a wine list! Really
I do think this place will do very well in Charlottesville .
I would like to know if the pit master know what a stick burner is.
All in all I enjoyed my experience! A little too price but us in a high rent district. Look forward in trying the cat fish .
Not a blue collar place, but definitely Charlottesville like !

I loved the old Pasture menu. The new menu doesn’t impress as much as before.
The pimiento cheese and the fried pickles are delicious. The bbq left a little bit to be desired. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t impressive. There are too many other good BBQ places around the area to really make it worth the while.