Saddleback BBQ

$ 20 for overdone chicken and a tiny scoop of soggy corn cake. Left still hungry, and I’m not a big eater. Never again. Not to mention, they allow people to bring dogs. Gross.

Great food. The smoked chicken was sooooo tasty! Got a fork, never used it. Perfect portions, got the three meat and had plenty, and didn’t over eat. The people were so nice too, answered all questions with a lot of knowledge. Very comfortable place, warm and cozy.

Best BBQ in town. The dry rub on the ribs is so good you don’t need sauce. The pulled pork was perfect. I preferred the pork to the beef and chicken. My favorite side is the baked beans. I enjoyed having beers at the next door REO Town Pub — after we ordered the brought it over to us and we ate at the pub. Only negatives are that it is expensive (but worth it), the run out of certain foods sometimes, and it can get crowded at lunch. Highly recommend this place.

Pork Rinds FTW!
Consistently excellent food and service. I have ordered carryout from Saddleback BBQ for lunch several times and every meal has been a home run. (Bonus points for carryout lunches being packed properly!) The brisket sandwich is my favorite, but everything I have tried has been delicious. And the pork rinds are freaking awesome — a wonderful alternative to the typical side options. The house made sauces are also top notch.
Did I mention the pork rinds?

This is an update to my earlier review. I wanted to share with the community the follow up I received from the owner of the restaurant after posting my initial review. Again, these guys were top-​notch in customer service when I worked with them for a catered event. The problem was with the food.
I was pleasantly surprised this morning with the immediate feedback they provided me (via a personal email). This was great and goes a long way. I wont go into the details, but needless to say, they want to make things right with me. They offered a number of opportunities for me to share my experience with them and to get an explanation. Based on this, I am more convinced that my experience may have been a one-​off and more a result of extenuating circumstances.
I wish these guys nothing but the best and plan to be back.

Service is phenomenal and very friendly! Food is great. Small place, music is a little too loud and nothing I care to listen too.

Meh on the pulled pork. Overall however I think it’s pretty good and I’d go back but not in a hurry. Staff is ok they need some jolly holidays soon. Cheer up guys!

I love bbq!
I travel frequently and seek out local bbq joints.
I will be back at Saddleback frequently.
I got there 10 minutes before they closed, and was greeted by friendly staff.
This is important. Many places when you walk in the door just before closing, you get the stink eye from the employees. They could not have been more gracious in welcoming me.
I ordered the 2 meat plate and chose pulled pork and brisket with fries as a side. To go!
I also ordered a second side fresh pork rinds. Wait what? Did you say fresh pork rinds?
Yes delicious crispy, seasoned perfectly delicious crispy fresh pork rinds. Did I mention they are delicious and crispy?
They offer 3 sauces red, yellow and vinegar.
Red is kind of traditional with a little heat. Just the way I like it.
Yellow is mustard based and Vinegar is, yep you guessed it vinegar based.
Not a fan of the mustard or vinegar, nothing to do with Saddleback’s sauce just not my preference.
Very nice portions, good bark and smoke ring.
I like to try the bark without sauce, and the pulled pork was outstanding.
The brisket is above average as well.
Friendly staff, great food and kitchy décor.
Whats not to like?
Get yourself in here and eat some Q.
By the way they have delicious crispy fresh pork rinds…

Best in Lansing! Great ribs and pork! Friendly staff and fun environment. Highly rated!

Had the pulled pork and mac-​n-​cheese. It was good, but nothing that deserves 5 stars in my opinion. Pork didn’t have a real smokiness flavor, could have easily just been slow cooked in a crock pot. Mac-​n-​cheese was very similar to Bob Evans.
What surprised me, was when I went in there at 1:30 on 10÷16÷15 they were playing loud rap where you could clearly hear «Motherfuckin» and «Nigga» OK, maybe your trying to be edgy or hip, I don’t know. Just seems to me that would deter more people than it would impress.

First time checking out Saddleback BBQ after hearing great things. All in all, it lived up to expectations.
I ordered the brisket sandwich with pork rinds. It came with picked veggies and a jalapeño corn cake on the side. The brisket sandwich was delicious with or without sauce. It was topped with some slaw, which was alright, but definitely outshined by the rest of the flavors. The meat was tender and just fatty enough. The pork rinds were tasty, but a bit too spicy for me to actually finish the large serving. It was plenty of food for just over $ 10.00.
The brisket was served without sauce, but three sauces are available to top your food. One standard sauce with a bit of a kick (which I went with), a vinegar-​based sauce (which generally aren’t my preference), and a mustard-​based sauce (also not generally my preference). The sauce was flavorful and also had just enough of a kick.
As a major spice wimp, the combined spice of the pork rind seasoning and the sauce wasn’t enough to hurt, but enough to keep my mouth pleasantly tingling for a while after I finished eating.
The restaurant is clean and beautifully decorated with a mix of classic details and modern ones. Beautiful vintage-​looking incandescent lights and fixtures contrast with a graffiti-​style chalkboard menu and pig mural on the wall. A variety of old-​school and new-​school hip-​hop pumped through the speakers, a bit louder than one might expect at a small restaurant at lunchtime, but it was no problem as far as I’m concerned.
Parking in the lot behind the row of shops on Washington Ave in Lansing’s REO Town takes you past the back of the restaurant, where you can see the smoker at work. This is real smoked BBQ. Be aware that for restaurants like this, that usually means when they’re out, they’re out, regardless of what the closing time on the sign says (7-​ish, for the record).
Saddleback BBQ definitely lives up to the hype, and is well worth the visit to REO Town. I will certainly be back to sample the rest of the menu options.

First time visit with a couple friends to Saddleback. We had heard some positive reviews and decided to stop in. High expectations and we weren’t disappointed.
On a beautiful September afternoon quite a few folks were enjoying their meals sitting outside on the benches. Pretty packed when we arrived around noon. The inside, with about 8 tables, was also packed out with folks standing in line.
A big A+ on the brisket sandwich. We all sent with that option and very much enjoyed that option. I didn’t add any sauce to the sandwich — didn’t feel the need. Great taste. Next time I might go with the bbq taco option.
Nice staff too. High marks for welcoming us and stopping by the table a couple times to see if we were ok.
If you’re in the mood for smoked meat, stop by Saddleback BBQ. A short drive from downtown Lansing makes it very easy.

Ribs blew me away, perfect! All meat, perfectly cooked, and seasoned! Great service and great sides. Pork rinds are homemade and worth trying. A little pricey, but all good food cost a little more. Mill definitely be back.

Yummy. Had the pulled chicken tacos and the Mac and cheese. The food was super good. I tried the pulled pork and coleslaw. The coleslaw was a little spicy. The pork was yummy too. I suggest the lemonade, worth the up charge. Go early, by 11:30 there was a line to the door.

The ribs were the best I’ve ever had in my life. The spice was perfect and packed great flavor. The meat was not too tough and had the right consistency. The pork was very good too. The mac and cheese was creamy and delicious. Can’t wait to come back and try wings!
Awesome service, sweet atmosphere, food dynamite

Holy meat coma, Batman! Ah-​maze-​ing!
If you know and love good barbecue and can’t make it to the south, this is your new jam! I am very picky about BBQ. I love the stuff! That meaty, fatty, juicy combination of flavor, smoke, spice, and tenderness is a formula not many can attain. This guy nails it!
Ok, so we shared the three meat combo, which included ¹⁄₃ pound of (our choice) ribs, pulled pork, and brisket with a side of homemade pork rinds. The brisket was perfectly marbled and tender to a point that I questioned the legality of it. I was drooling before I even got a bite… and it did not disappoint! The thick slices of brisket were piled on top of the pulled pork. Pulled pork has a reputation of being dry and needing to be drenched in sauce… not this stuff! Perfectly juicy and flavorful. Ok, let’s talk RIBS. Um, I have no words, so let’s not. Go here! Get some meat and bask in the flavors and freedom to stuff your face full of this goodness! My eyelids were sweating in the best way.
Oh! Homemade pork rinds were delicious with the (genius) spray bottle of malt vinegar on the table. I didn’t try the famous corn jalapeño cake that came with our meat mountain, but my guy said it was great.
24 bucks gets you all of this and a drink.
The place is small and in an up and coming artsy district of downtown Lansing. The staff was suuuuper friendly and looked like they could start a badass rock band at any minute.
They ask your name when you order and pay at the counter and bring it all out to your table on a metal cookie-​sheet type tray.
Even after we paid there was a guy that would come around and ask how we were doing, if we needed anything, and how the food was. I’m all about service, so this was the icing on the carnivorous cake for me! Turns out he is the chefs bro. We definitely told him how much we loved everything through sweating eyelids and meats in our teeth. I can’t wait to go back!
They also have some kind of chicken wings that I can’t wait to try AND hand cut fries.
Dooooood! THIS is why I could never be a vegetarian. Barbecue… this place GETS IT!

This place is nipping at Meat’s heels! My family and I were seated immediately, right next to two of Lansing’s Finest. I wrangled the kids while my wife went up and ordered a little bit of everything.
The ribs were crispy, but not dry. The brisket was juicy and flavorful. The pulled chicken and pulled pork were the perfect home for both the red and yellow bbq sauces.
The real stars of the show? The jalapeño cornbread cake and the fries. I was OBSESSED with these sides. By the end of the meal, my kids were handing me their fries just to see if Dad would explode!
Definitely go, and say hi to the pig on the wall for me.

Tried a new place today, and am happy that I did. Delicious pulled pork, not fatty or greasy. Yummy potato salad with lots of creamy, mustardy dressing and celery seed, just the way I like it. I am happy that I didn’t have to salt it. The little scoop of cornbread-​jalapeño stuff is a nice touch — and it’s awesome! I wanted more of that.
The dining room is small, but there are tables outside so you can enjoy the nice weather. Please put sauce bottles on the tables outside! Each interior table had 3 bottles of sauce, all homemade. One’s mustard-​style, one’s vinegar (Carolina) style, and one is «red,» I’d call this more of a traditional style. It had a touch of chili and cayenne to it. My personal favorite is the Carolina vinegar style sauce. Finally, I recommend the lemonade. They offer both sweet and unsweetened ice tea.
Friendly service. If you can’t find a place to park, go behind the building that is located across the street. There’s a big, paved lot back there. Arrive around 11:30 — 11:45 if you don’t want to wait in a long line that stretches out the door. For the price, I wish they would give just a little bit more meat and a little bit less salad or side. I paid $ 11.66 for ¹⁄₃ lb. pulled pork, potato salad, a scoop of corn bread «stuffing» (for lack of a better word) and drink. If the price goes down after their first few weeks, I’ll be back for sure.

Bottom line: I’ll wait a few months to come back in hopes of Saddleback working out the kinks.
Visited on Wednesday (their 2^nd day of regular service) at 1:00pm hoping to avoid the lunch rush. The line was out the door and took about 15 minutes to make it to the front. Once our order was in it only took about 5 minutes to get our food. Waiting isn’t a problem but call ahead if you’re in a rush.
Atmosphere — 5 stars
Simple, clean and charming inside. Love the old brick wall with the pig mural. We chose to sit on the patio on the great big picnic tables. Great place to be for the rest of the summer.
Service — not so hot
The waiter came out with our trays and without a word dropped them in front of us and walked away. When I asked for some BBQ sauce (shouldn’t they bring sauce without having to be asked?) I got a curt «Behind you» as he turned to go back inside. Sweeten up a little, dude. We would all have a better time.
Here’s what we ordered:
Brisket — 2 stars
This was the main event for me. Unfortunately I was disappointed. I read in the Lansing State Journal about the two owners going down to Georgia to buy their smoker. One of them comments «Instead of spending three or four months learning these things by trial and error, were were able to get a little bit ahead of the game on that one.» He’s bragging but there are no shortcuts in learning to smoke great brisket. Trial and error is what gives you your own unique perspective. Ask a southern pit master if even 3 or 4 months would be enough time to learn the craft.
Hand cut fries — 5 stars
This is hands down the best item on the menu. Perfectly crispy and salty. Don’t miss these.
Mac and cheese — no stars
Imagine you’re making Velveeta Shells & Cheese. Before you add the cheese packet you have to taste one noodle out of the boiling water to make sure it’s cooked properly. That watery flavorless noodle is what their mac and cheese tastes like.
Chicken tacos — 2 stars
The only flavor came from the cilantro. Chicken and tomatillo salsa added nothing to the experience. The corn tortillas tasted like they came straight out of a package from Meijer without being steamed or fried.
The food was served with a garnish of pickled veggies and a jalapeño corncake. It was a nice touch but didn’t make or break the meal. Personally I prefer traditional moist and crumbly cornbread. Corncake is too wet for me, like it wasn’t cooked long enough.
Price — We spent $ 21 and change. Seems fair to me.

The southern BBQ is tremendous. It’s just the basics: brisket, pulled pork, sausage and sides. All are prepared perfectly. The brisket is smoked on-​site and was fork-​tender. The pulled pork was lean and exquisite with a variety of barbecue sauces to try. The sausage was also lean and cooked to perfection.
It is a very small restaurant, so check on reservations. Prices are very reasonable. A three-​meat platter (plenty for 2 or 3 people) is only $ 21 plus soft drinks.
They don’t have a liquor license, but there’s a great neighborhood pub next door.
And both Saddleback and the REO Town Pub feature outdoor seating when the weather allows.