Bubba Que’s

We’ve eaten at Bubba-Que’s on 39^th at least a half dozen times since it opened. We live nearby and it is convenient for quick, edible barbeque. It is not the best barbeque I’ve ever had, but it is decent, inexpensive and I think as good as Sonny’s. I generally get the pulled pork, beans, and potato salad, plus an appetizer of corn nuggets. The pulled pork has been moist with good bark, the beans are not straight out of the can, and the potato is good, with plenty of egg. I tried the brisket once, but found it dry and unexceptional. My wife generally gets the Bubba’s Salad with pulled pork, and it is definitely a meal. It is a step up from fast food with not much of a price penalty.

This place hit the mark for my expectation. I went in knowing it is a cheap place to get decent, fake BBQ. Sure, the baked beans were from a can with their addition of pulled pork and BBQ sauce, and you can the meat hasn’t been slow cooked to perfection. But, if you are looking for a cheap alternative to southern BBQ, cheap beer, decent service, and a range of sauces, I recommend this place. I will be going back.

Current health inspection report: well… there isn’t one. They just opened in Nov.
Clean, clean & clean. Mr. Clean couldn’t of done a better job!
The location is out of the way in north Gainesville and not very easy to see nor get in to. You have to specifically be going to this restaurant to find it.
You order your food at an order station which I don’t care for. Kind of makes it feel like fast food. Also when I go out to eat I LIKE to be served. The cashier does bring it over to you though. And she does ask you if you’re okay as she walks by… but that’s it.
I ordered the brisket sandwich w/​a side of mac and cheese which was very promptly brought out to me.
There are maybe 7 different BBQ sauces on the table which I enjoyed sampling and you can also purchase a mason jar full to take home. The brisket was tender but there wasn’t much on the sandwich. The mac & cheese was over microwaved as by the time I finished the sandwich (and helped myself to a beverage refill) it was still piping hot.
I had a conversation w/​the manager (possibly the new owner) who was extremely pleasent.
It was odd though that there was a walk through directly to the Hungry Howies next door.
Go figure :-)

Larger than any other Bubba Que’s I’ve ever been to, but the same concept of BBQ in a redneck-​themed atmosphere. The interior is cute if a little overdone on the redneck theme, but the food is good. The sauces – some six of them – are really what makes the BBQ here worthwhile and while not of the same caliber of Pearl’s Country Store by far, it’s decent as an option if you live nearby.

I’m completely baffled by the reviews who said this was great bbq (not this location, but the others). Either you’ve never had real bbq before or just lack taste buds. I’ve had this place 3 times because it’s very close to my house. My pulled pork and ribs are infinitely better than what I’ve had from here, in flavor from both the rub and the smoke and tenderness. Maybe that’s just because a southerner will always out cook a chain restaurant. The pork and ribs were too dry on all occasions. Anyway… the bbq sauces are not good either. Their Mississippi Mud, supposedly a thick, molasses sweet sauce was spicey and had barely any sweetness to it. Their «Tractor Grease» is average at best. The Alabama Slama (or whatever it is), is bleh. The mustard based sauce is the one I haven’t tried yet (and I probably will at some point).
On the positive side, the fries are great. I love the crinkle cut fries and they’ve always been nice and crispy, no soggy fries. The other bonus is that there is usually a good deal going on. $ 1 pork sandwiches (even if not that great, it’s worth the money to buy a couple of those for a quick lunch and they’re a decent size). There was a Thursdays only special for an unspecified length of time, they had $ 6 full rack of baby back ribs. 2 racks and 4 sides fed the 3 of us for $ 20. Even if it isn’t the best, it beat going to publix or driving more than 1 minute down the road in yesterday’s monsoon. Still, the food is average at best, but I suppose it’s serviceable in a pinch.