Slows Bar BQ

It’s too complicated for it to be enjoyable. The service is rude, and sitting so close to other people is slightly gross. They were out of silverware for 10 minutes, so if your into all these «Qualities» than this is the place for you.

Terrible set up for a busy restaurant. You go through an order line, then hope like hell you’ll have a place to sit. So if standing around with a tray of food is your thing, then hit them up for sure. Love the food in Detroit, hate the concept in GR.

This is no comparison to the slows in Detroit! I’d give it less than 1 star if it let me! Terrible! Mac n cheese… terrible! Portions and prices… terrible! Wings tasted ok. Cornbread… ok. Won’t be back

Friendly staff, horrible food. I tried to eat their pulled pork sandwich. It was barely Luke warm, way too salty, and the meat was of very poor quality, served on a stale bun. I also had the Mac n cheese. It was ok if you like it dry and lukewarm. Insulting, I won’t be back and if you are smart, you won’t give them a try.

First time here, on a slow Monday night, about half full so plenty of seats open. Extensive beer list on tap, about 40 of them, and a fully stocked bar. Food came very quickly, and we really liked our sandwiches, sweet potatoes, though the Mac and cheese was not bad but probably will skip next time. We parked in the street on the Slow’s end but it’s not too far of a walk from the Market parking lot at the other main entrance to the Market.
I had the Reason pulled pork sandwich and it was good. There is 1 TV at the bar and 1 on either end of the seating areas; so you can catch a view of whatever is on but not intended to be where you catch a big game, much less a smaller game.
The prices were ok, about $ 10 – 12 per sandwich and $ 3 for small size sides (which are good size for a single person).
Overall, I’d come here again and do want to try another sandwich.

We have been meaning to try Slows and found this location by accident when we were in Grand Rapids for the Symphony. So decided to stop for some great sandwiches and waffle fries. Apple BBQ sauce is amazing.
Great ambiance. Friendly, helpful staff. They had someone explaining the menu, how to order and even had a grilled cheese made for my son. (Thank you!)

It was good. It didn’t live up to the hype though. I was expecting to be blown away. $ 70 later (2 adults, 2 children) we were feeling a bit disappointed. I’d like to try it again. I think meat by the pound is probably more economical.

I am completely in love with their mac and cheese. The meat could have MORE smoke flavor and be a little more tender. My husband smokes better meat so that makes me biased I suppose but I like more smokiness in there, just more FLAVOR. I wish they would serve up burnt ends, I asked and was told nope.

I’ve been excited to try Slows since i first heard that it would be opening in the downtown market, and i finally had the chance to try it last night. The set up is confusing at 1^st because you order somewhat cafeteria style; starting with the hot sides, then picking your meats or sandwiches, your cold sides, and then paying at the register. They also have a full bar with beer on tap and cocktails.
My husband and i got the baby back ribs, beef brisket, mac and cheese, and cole slaw. You go to a different station to pick out the sauces for your meats and i liked the apple and the spicy options.
The food was good but not what i expected. The ribs didnt fall off the bone, and adding the sauces on yourself, the flavors didn’t really incorporate throughout.
While it was a neat, new experience. I would go back to try their sanwhiches, but elsewhere next time for my bbq’d meats.

Truly Awesome!
The ambience is very nice, a warm feeling to it. They have communal tables as well as individual tables. You order at the counter and they bring the food to you.
There were 3 of us ordering. 1 ordered the special a BLT with pickled green tomatoes. Another ordered the Yardbird Chicken sandwich along with coleslaw, and I ordered the Triple threat sandwich along with the baked beans.
I was told the BLT was outstanding especially the pickled green tomatoes. I was told she would come back for another one. My other guest ordered the Yardbird sandwich. It was proclaimed to be very good if a bit spicy. The coleslaw was said to be different but good. The Triple Threat Sandwich is pulled pork, ham, and bacon. This was incredible. The pulled pork was the best I’ve had. The ham was one of the best, and the bacon was truly marvelous. The available sauces: Mustard, Hot, sweet, North Carolina, and Apple, were phenomenal. Especially the Apple, it truly tastes like apples. So many places get everything right but fail miserably with the sauces, like at Smokey Bones. Lastly the baked beans were exceptional with large chunks of pulled pork in it.
While the techno music was a little loud, making it hard to have a conversation, I’m forgiving that small flaw.
Finally Grand Rapids has a truly magnificent BBQ joint. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who likes bbq. So far this is my #1 restaurant recommendation for Grand Rapids.

I haven’t ate at slows. But mostly because there are pretty much no vegetarian options and I hate waffle fries! The beers are a wee bit pricey but the tap list is decent enough it doesn’t really matter. I’m glad it’s there, but i don’t really find myself utilizing it for anything besides drinks. I’m sure if you’re into bbq it would be more exciting.

Unimpressive and over rated. As a BBQ connoisseur, cook, and competitor, I was looking forward to Slows arrival in Grand Rapids. However, after a couple visits, and several carryout experiences, I’ll be hard pressed to go back. Although quantity is ample, the quality of the food is mediocre at best, prices high, and presentation sloppy.
I had to laugh when I saw Slows has recently won «Best of GR» for the BBQ category. I’m guessing this is a result of a big advertising budget and probably a grass roots effort to get people to vote for them. If this is the «best» BBQ in GR, then we have a long way to go to impress anyone from Memphis, Kansas City, or Texas.
Luckily, there are a number of other new BBQ joints in the GR area. I’ve not tried them all, yet, but can attest that there is better BBQ in Grand Rapids than Slows. Plus, parking at these other establishments has to be easier than fighting to get in and out of the City Market pay lot.

This Slow’s is a perfect reflection of what Grand Rapids is to Detroit. A cleaner, less edgy, not as good, and ridiculous wannabe version of the original. The staff does not seem to care which represented by the lackadaisical approach to customer service and further supported by the less than stellar version of what we can get on the East side. I assume with the limited menu, that they truck the BBQ over from Detroit because it was much dryer than at Slow’s and it does not smell like a BBQ place.
Oh and the prices seem to be way higher too. Off setting the fuel costs I presume.

Wow wow wow! I had only ever heard of Slows in Detroit and had take out from there only last year. I loved the food especially the pulled pork.
When we heard of the new one in Grand Rapids it was a must on our to visit list. We went late in the evening on a Saturday and unfortunately they were out of their brisket which many say is their best item. We did the, «by the pound» option and got a couple different type of ribs and sides. The ribs neither my date nor I were blown away by. I guess I am a more saucy fall off the bone type of rib person. Slows’ ribs were more dry and not as fall off the bone. Still great flavor just not as much my style. The pulled pork was amazing! Stupendous! Incredible! The mac and cheese was great and their coleslaw is other worldy. As I type my mouth is watering just thinking about it. If you like BBQ I would HIGHLY recommend Slows.
The Grand Rapids location is not far off the main downtown area. They have an amazing selection of both on tap beer and bottles/​cans as well as a full bar. The style of the interior is very cool. The staff was very friendly and helpful. You should definitely make Slows a priority on your list of places to visit for great BBQ in Grand Rapids.

The place is cute, nice cool looking bar. There is separate street entrance if you don’t want to come in through the market. We went on a busy Art-​prize Sunday. Getting table spot was not too hard. About a ten minute wait in the cafeteria style line.
The waffle fries and mac and cheese are medicore. I’d skip them. The pit beans are awesome! We had pulled pork and ribs. Both were ok. Not stellar but fine. I would give the nod to the pulled pork.
The sauces were good, especially the NC style.
Staff was friendly.
Probably does not live up to the hype, but it’s a decent place to eat.

We had some family over from the east side of the state and so we decided to get take out (with small kids and one of them sick, dining in wasn’t a viable option.) We selected quite a few items to take home and so got to sample a wide range of the menu. After having had food from the original Slows in Detroit, I have to say this location’s food isn’t on the same level.
As other reviewers have pointed out, the cafeteria-​like system doesn’t lend itself to a totally comfortable ordering experience and I see how it can get confusing. The other thing that kind of sucks is that the menu is not the same as the original Detroit Slows. What? Why?
The menu items that are available seem to vary quite a bit in quality. The ribs (we got 2 full slabs of baby back ribs) were just «meh». My wife tried hers and looked at me apologetically before telling me they weren’t that great (she knows I totally LOVE the Detroit’s Slows ribs.) I had to agree, though — these were not so tender. Definitely not «fall off the bone», and not terribly flavorful. The sauces were decent, but nothing to rave about. The pulled pork was very good, but a few pieces were dried out. One could chalk that up to us having taken it home, but I’m not so sure. The chicken sandwich was very good. The best part for me was the chili fries. The chili was phenomenal and the waffle fries were perfectly cooked to compliment them, being soft and tasty.
They also don’t have the call-​ahead «Slows to go» thing set up, which kind of sucks. All in all, this place is new, so I’m probably going to give it another try once they’ve settled in but I was certainly not blown away.
In my opinion, dining at this Slows is like going to see a cover band of one of your favorite groups where the guitarist is great but the lead singer keeps missing notes during his solos. Sadly, nostalgia can only take you so far…

I was pretty excited to hear that Slows has opened at the market. They have a solid space with a good amount of seating and a full bar. I would like to say there was around 20 taps on the list and you’re also able to order various cocktails.
The staff was very nice and explained how to order upon arrival. The first station that you’ll encounter is for most of the appetizers. If you want to order Waffle Fries (which I did), you’ll have to place that order with the cashier when you pay for your meat. A server will bring you your fries when it’s ready. The second station is the meat station. You’re able to cater the weight order to your preference (staff sets meat on a scale in front of you). Next stop is the cashier where you can order drinks. There’s also a spot where you can serve yourself water, grab utensils, napkins, and sauces.
My friends and I shared the Baby Back Ribs and the St. Louis Cut Ribs. The flavor of the Baby Back Ribs was okay. I expected the meat to be more tender where it’ll fall off the bone a little easily but this wasn’t the case. However, the meat was good quality and tasted pretty lean. I think St. Louis Cut Ribs’ flavor was better. The sauces that I liked were Apple and Sweet. If you order the Waffle Fries, make sure you eat them when they’re hot and fresh. They lose their crisp and flavor once they’re cold.
Although the ribs were okay, I’m still planning to return to try their brisket, other sides, and maybe a sandwich.

I’m on the fence with this one… Yes, I like BBQ and yes I’m happy to see this beloved Michigan-​based restaurant expand to GR, however, I’m not totally sold on the seat yourself, cafeteria style set up.
First off, Slows does do good BBQ. I think you’ll be pleased with your visit for the food. Now is the BBQ the very best ever in the whole entire world? Probably not. The best BBQ I ever tasted was at this hole in the wall spot in Jackson, MS. Slows, you aren’t going to be able to top that. But I liked Slows ribs and pulled pork nevertheless. Tender, fall of the bone meat without a ton of seasonings. Simple and straight forward BBQ that everyone can agree on. The different BBQ sauces that you could pick from is an easy way to make every different taste at the table happy. Their Mac and Cheese is delish– super goopy cheese in pasta shells baked up when you order. The waffle fries were okay but nothing to write home about (or write a Unilocal about, as it would be).
Where I’m on wavering on a rating is the cafeteria/​deli style ordering. We visited during opening weekend, which may account for some of the craziness, but the line stretched from the counter to the back and around the restaurant wall. As we waited in line, servers came up to us to offer a menu and ask us if we wanted beers. We ordered drinks, which came out before we got to the ordering stations and it was a bit awkward to have to juggle the drink and our tray of food by the end. Of course, the smart people sent one person from their party out to hold a table, so by the time we got our food, all the tables were spoken for. We uncomfortably stalked a few tables to see if we could grab a seat and thankfully someone said they were leaving so we loitered there until they were done. The same process happened when we were getting ready to leave– we offered up our spot up to someone holding their tray of food looking fearfully around, as though they might not get a seat. Servers deliver some sides and drinks to your tables, but again, you get the bulk of your meal at the counter. I tipped the person who brought us our drinks and the person who brought out our food, but I’m not really sure if I needed to tip or if they are paid a normal wage.
Again, I visited during opening weekend so that might account for more people visiting than usual, but the atmosphere was like a zoo and it wasn’t relaxing at all. We basically just ate and cut. My suggestion is to visit during the weekdays in hopes of skipping the masses.

First, the atmosphere at Slows is fairly chaotic. I attribute some of this to being new and really busy, but the place is huge and it is sort of like a deli; you order your food at the counter, then sit down and wait to hear your name called.
My wife and I both had pulled pork sandwiches, which were dressed with coleslaw and pickles. Very tasty, and huge portions! The pork was smoky and well seasoned, although the bun was excessively buttered so it got a little soggy. We tried the mac n cheese, which was rich and tasty, and the bbq baked beans and black eyed peas. The baked beans were delicious and more like a pork and beans dish with huge chunks of tasty pulled pork in a rich, smoky sauce. The black eyed peas were minimally spiced and had a very good texture, and the vegetables therein made them seem almost healthy!
We sat at the bar which was a pleasant experience and had a couple of food beers. It was quite warm and Slows had all the large windows open (they are basically like walls you can open so it was completely open air half way around) and with the rich, spicy bbq and humidity, things were a little sweaty. Even the bartenders were dripping with sweat… I get that dining al fresco is nice, but this was just trapping the heat inside the restaurant with no breeze. What can I say, mama likes her A/​C when it’s over 85 hahaha.

Went in for lunch with my coworkers today. First, I was surprised at how large the Slows area is in the Downtown Market. There are several long picnic style tables and lots of 4 tops. There is a HUGE bar with a ton of taps, and a lot of Michigan drafts. They also have specialty cocktails and a full bar.
The line wasn’t too bad and it went really quickly. The ordering process seemed really strange, there are people behind the counter but I think you basically order everything at the cashier. I’m not sure. We told one person our order but were told to just order at the cash register. I think you order sides from the people behind the counter (before the cashiers). Except for the mac and cheese. That, you order (along with everything else) at the cashier. Weird. They bring the food out, but they just shout your name and you wave them down.
I split the Longhorn with my boyfriend, which has brisket, «special onion marmalade, smoked gouda and spicy sauce.» I really only saw and tasted the brisket. The smoked gouda was a few shreds of cheese, not a piece like I was expecting. I didn’t see any onion marmalade and there certainly wasn’t any spicy sauce. The brisket itself was tender, but not really flavorful at all. I did add some bbq sauce, they have sweet, spicy, apple, SC mustard and NC sauces. The apple is very sweet, the spicy isn’t spicy at all, and the NC is basically just Frank’s red hot. I missed out on the SC mustard but I believe that would have been my favorite.
We also ordered a side of the mac and cheese after reading rave reviews about it. It comes out in a small aluminum tray and it has about an inch thick layer of melted cheese on top. The sauce was good but the amount of cheese was ridiculous (and I love cheese!) I just ate everything underneath the cheese crust, basically. We also split a side of waffle fries, which were good, nothing special.
I liked the atmosphere of Slows but I have had better BBQ at other places (specifically Horseshoe Smokehouse on Grandville). I was pleased at the speed of the service, especially with it being so new. I will probably visit again and try some other meats, but I might pass on the sandwiches. I was full after sharing a sandwich and 2 sides. The total was about $ 23 for two including soft drinks. Sandwiches range from $ 8.50-$ 10 and sides are $ 3 each (which is a good value for the amount you get, I think). The last thing I have to add is that the readability of the signage isn’t great. They have menu pamphlets laying around, though, so we just read everything off that.