Rubbies Barbeque & Brew

Been around this bar and grill since I was small always was in walking distance as a teenager went here a lot to sing with the jukebox and they had great food then still hear they do. It has a lot of regulars. Good place

What a great south-​end spot. The barbecue, brisket, wings, Rubbie Burger, and Bourbon Steak are all excellent choices. The fries and baked beans are tasty sides. Dinner salads are also great for those looking for a lighter option. Portions are decent. The restaurant has two main dining areas and a separate bar with patio. Pro local tip: The night before Thanksgiving the back room is transformed into a «bowling alley» where contestants hurl a frozen turkey at bowling pins for charity.

Great little hole in the wall place. Been here a handful of times. Service is just so so … not the worst, not the best. The wings are really good … not your traditional chicken wing. Had the ribs today … I wasn’t a fan. Many other places in town with better ribs. But the brisket … is my favorite here. Not too smokey … good flavor tender and juicy. We will definitely be back !

Always great. The best smoked wings in the city. zRan by a mom and son team. Service in the bar by Brandy the bartender is always friendly!

Good service earns a star here. The baby back ribs were pretty good (a lot of meat on the bone), as was the cole slaw (I’m picky about that), but the green beans were quite terrible (skip those). The atmosphere was also a little confusing: third dive bar, third dining room, third pool hall. I’d go back, but it wouldn’t become my go-​to.

I wanted a hot brown so bad. So I had several recommendations to go here. So I did. And I am so happy we did. Excellent service. The food is wonderful. I got my hot brown and a house salad. Which is huge by the way, I shared it with my fiancé. We shared their fries, which sliced natural cut fries that have skins on some of them, with their Simon and Garfunkel seasoning which is rosemary and stuff like that. They were so good. My fiancé got a ¹⁄₃ pound cheeseburger which he described as charred but juicy and he got it fully dressed. He also got a chill dog which is made with their home made chili. This place has huge portions so we didn’t get dessert because we had no room. This place has an old school feel. We will be back!!!

It’s sad. This place used to be a good place to eat. The last few times I’ve gone here the food and service has not been good. The steak or hamburger and fries are usually what I get, and they have continually disappointed me lately. The last time I was there, we were seated at our table for 15 minutes and never saw anyone that worked there. We left. I will not be back!

Holy cow you must check this place out. The smoked chicken wings are to die for, motor oil sauce is fantastic, onions are so big and extra crunchy. Make sure to get plenty of the ranch dressing, they must make it there because it tastes like no other and with a taste of extra dill in the sauce. Friend had the brisket and ribs and I heard no complaints. Kat the bartender was not only cute as a button but really really friendly. The customers made you feel welcome as we all pretty much sat around and talked the night away. Also smoking area has a big tv facing outside so you never miss any game time.

Another good meal here yesterday Jan 6^th. I ordered the smoked wings. 8 of them $ 9.00. Served with blue cheese dipping dressing. All good. My main meal was just the Rubbies double decker burger. Delicious! Came with their own potato chips! Excellent. Service was rather slow. A good solid four stars overall.

We love Rubbies! Their smoked wings are awesome, burgers are huge, ranch dressing is hand made… really a great place. My dad said best pulled pork in Louisville!

Cold beer, good food and the service has greatly improved!!! YAY!!! Love this place!

We love this hidden treasure, especially that it’s not located anywhere near that overpriced waste of $$ called NuLu. The burgers are huge and tasty too. This place has the best onion rings in Louisville, so tell your friends. Great Hot Brown & Bar B Q. We have never been disappointed here ever. No stuck up hipsters waiting on you and relaxed atmosphere too. Do yourself a favor and check it out… it’s worth the drive and it won’t break your pockets like NuLu or Bardstown Road. Wake up Louisville and start supporting these businesses outside the hip loop.

Why did you change your potato skins. I’m not as happy with the new ones as I was with the ones you uses to serve. Please bring the original potato skins back

I love their smoked wings! The brisket sandwich I got was also very good. The bar has an awesome selection of craft and domestic beers. Their bartenders are always friendly and make you feel at home. It can easily go from family dining, to fun neighborhood bar. My only criticism is that service can beer hit and miss in you are in the dining area. Some times it’s spot on, some times you may have to remind a server a couple times to bring the check. Other than that, I highly recommend it.

This was one of the, like, 3 restaurants my parents would go to when I was a kid. It would annoy me, to say the least, when they hung out drinking with their friends and I had better things to be doing at home. Like play video games. But my love for ranch dressing trumped all other feelings because Rubbies has always had THE best ranch ever. So I’d complacently gnaw on my ranch laden wings and salad. Now that my tastes are a little more, um, refined (?) I can find plenty of other dishes at Rubbies I enjoy, like the hot brown, and wide glide. The salads are still awesome as are the wings (drool). And don’t leave without experiencing the premium Bloody Mary– garnished with freakin chicken wings! It’s definitely no frills, and service may sometimes leave a little bit to be desired, but it’s really good, especially for the south end’s limited choices.

My fiancé and I came here on a Sunday for a couple of beers and some food. This place is across the street from our house and, despite having lived there for over a year, I had yet to try it (the fiancé has lived in our home for close to 7 years so he has been many, many times!) We were greeted warmly upon walking in by the bartender/​waitress, Debbie. I had heard great things about the smoked wings so I knew that that was what I would be getting — I ordered the entrée with onion rings and a side of hot Motor Oil Sauce (the sauce that they toss their breaded wings in). Holy hell. Those smoked wings are famous for a reason! They were tender but had a kick from the house made rub. They came 8 to an order and they were so huge that I really only ate about 4 of them (don’t worry, the fiancé took care of the rest!) The onion rings were thick and hot and cooked nicely (i.e. the onion didn’t slide out of the breading) and the Motor Oil Sauce was almost like a teriyaki sauce with one hell of a spicy kick! My fiancé had the beef brisket sandwich with fries which was gigantic, messy, and apparently delicious as it was devoured quite quickly! 2 entrees, 3 beers, and 2 waters later we had only spent $ 34.00. We will be back!

I like Rubbies, it’s a small restaurant along with a bar! Located on south side dr across from the speedway station. Very close to my neighborhood. The food is good for what it is, same with price.
The pulled pork sandwich that I had recently was as close as I could get to what I usually order for «burger» nonetheless it was delicious. Plenty of barbecue sauce to go with it and fries. They also have daily specials which are a good deal if you’re looking for some lunch in this area.
I think this is a nice alternative to the hoops around the corner. The staff is friendly and the food is good. A wall of antiques and such separate the bar from the other side and you might miss it, I sure did.
Also there’s a pool table in the back! How awesome is that! This is definitely the place to hit for good barbecue!

Living out here in South Louisville, whenever I go out for dinner, I usually choose a place that’s new and local or a few of my favorite go tos in the Highlands or Downtown. I always forget about this gem close by.
I’ve eaten or had a beverage or 2 here a handful of times in the 5 years I’ve lived nearby. I don’t know why I forget it. The food is the best American food you can get in this end of town (check Vietname Kitchen or Little Jerusalem for great ethnic eats).
Eat local (self)!
And quit forgetting about Rubbies.
PS — i had the chicken fingers (motor oil style) & will certainly be back for these when I want boneless hot «wings».

Wow… I’ve never walked into a restaurant and every table in the place was dirty the sign said have a seat anywhere so I went looking for a table… I saw the waitress so I asked again… «Seat myself anywhere?» She said «Yer wherever ya like» well I didn’t see any clean tables no one else looked like they were working in the dining room. So I walked out got on Unilocal to find another place that was open at 9:40pm on a Sunday… well I stayed outside 10 minutes didn’t feel like driving anyplace else so I walked back after seeing more people leaving… only to see there still was not one clean table to eat at… No one said anything to me to even try to get my business… I JUST WALKED OUT… This place may have some good food that gave these good reviews but they need to HIRE A WORKING STAFF… THIS WAS HORRIBLE SERVICE.

Have you ever had those places you’ve driven by hundreds of times in your life, but you have never stopped in? That’s how Rubbies was for me. I remember seeing pigs on the windows when I was young and knowing my friends ate there. Yet, somehow, it wasn’t until just months ago I finally set foot in Rubbies. I immediately regretted waiting so long to dine here!
No, there are not many frills here. It’s not fancy schmancy. However, the staff is friendly, and the food is good! There are some nice little touches too, like housemade ranch dressing (I literally crave this), making an otherwise average (i.e. iceberg lettuce) salad above average. I could drink that ranch out of a wine glass. They also have housemade kettle chips. The bbq options are good, my mom loves their chili, and they have some tasty looking specials (posted daily on their Facebook). They also have some local brews (I saw BBC.). It’s in an area with unfortunately too few restaurants, so I appreciate it for that as well. It quickly went from a restaurant to which my family had never been to my family’s «go to» restaurant. It’s that good.
(Random note: I believe they also have Keno, if you’re interested in that.)
There’s also a bar which always seems to be popping if you go in the door on the left (facing the restaurant). I have not been over to that side, but who knows? Maybe I should do that sooner rather than later!