Firefly’s BBQ

I absolutely love this place! My boyfriend and I moved to the area recently and always drove by it and decided to give it a shot and I’m so glad we did! The food is excellent and the service is great and fast! Also the Mac and cheese is phenomenal (as are the ribs). I highly recommend it!

The hot sauce bar was a little confusing but the food made it worth while.

The food is great. Rated, a few years ago, by Nat Geo web site (I think) one of the ten best BBQ in the entire country. Besides which, I live nearby. Everything on the menu is great. My favorite is one of the sample or combo plates with the Memphis ribs and the brisket. The ribs were so tender they must have been cooked for many many hours. The cucumber salid and cornbread are excellent too. You can select your sauce yourself from a sauce and condiments buffet. Can be busy on weekends. They are building an outdoor patio which should help in the warmer weather. There is also a function/​entertainment area room with many pool tables which I have been to many times for company parties, with catered BBQ. Live entertainment is available in the pool room. Note that Firefly’s is not open for lunch on weekdays.

OMG, yes! Other than Dinosaur BBQ in Rochester, NY, this is the best BBQ we’ve had up here in the northeast! The beer selection is huge, the bbq is exceptional, the side are all homemade and really well seasoned. One thing that really lets you know (other than the mead being super tender) whether a bbq restaurant knows what they’re really doing is whether their cornbread is moist or dry… it’s moist and you’ll want to order extra because you’ll want more! They also had a great range of choices for sauces! From sweet, sweet/​tangy, to setting your mouth on fire. :)
On top of the great food, they also have a dining room w/​live music and on the other side of a ½ wall, a really great sized pool hall so you can play and listen to the great bands they book after dinner. And they do book really good quality bands, have a dance floor that’s big enough to fit a lot of people and also important — a great sound system.
We went in early winter on a rainy night, but can’t wait until we can get back up to MA this summer so we can eat outside in their enclosed patio. We also loved that they have a big popcorn maker in the waiting area, so you can munch on fresh «theatre» popcorn while waiting or after eating when you’ve danced enough to need a munchie later. The owners clearly put a lot of thought into this restaurant to create a whole evening experience for their patrons!

This review is on customer service, not the food, really.
They had a booth at this past weekend’s Boston Calling music festival on the plaza at government center. I was starving after standing for 4 hours. Ordered the «barbecue bowl» for $ 14, which was supposed to include barbecue chicken or pork, barbecue beans, cole slow, and mac and cheese. I paid my $ 14 and waited for the my food. They were out of cornbread which was the first disappointment since they are supposed to be known for it according to the reviews on here.
I got the bowl and there was no cole slaw so I asked about it. This bald, older guy yells «I don’t have cole slow, what do you want me to do, we are out» to which I responded, «you don’t have to yell, you just could have told me before I ordered is all.» He starts opening up the register and yelling, «what, you want your money back??! here!» I told him to chill and that I didn’t need the money back. All he had to do was tell customers or put a sign up or something. They didn’t even offer me more of another side or anything.
I know that the portions are not the same at a festival but it was a very small amount for $ 14. IF they didn’t have enough food left to serve proper portions, they should have slashed the prices. That guy was a jerk… he talked to his workers rudely as well.
Customer service is key, especially when there are so many other good barbecue places to give you money to.

I was disappointed with Firefly’s. The service here is excellent– no doubt! However, the food is overpriced and very mediocre BBQ at best. The meat tended to be dry, rather than tender and falling off the bone, or lacking flavor. In some cases, too little meat could be found on the bone. If you’re from Massachusetts, you might think this acceptable or even delicious BBQ. However, don’t mistake large quantities of food for quality. Anyone who’s had good BBQ in the South or parts of the Midwest will have developed the palette to realize that what Firefly’s serves up doesn’t cut it as authentic or even good quality BBQ.

Consistent and excellent food, service, friendly staff. Clean, well run. I love it here. The cornbread is to DIE FOR!

To start, I’m not a huge fan of BBQ restaurants. However, my partner is. We decided to go out for dinner this past Saturday, and this is the place we chose. I was super impressed with the food, the service, and beer options. Probably the best BBQ place I’ve ever been to. I also really liked that the owner was there to greet us and also checked in on us to see how our meal was going. I definitely felt like more than a customer. Thanks Firefly! You’ve earned some new customers with the high quality food and service you offer.

Brunch is delish! Drinks are yummy too… the Bloody Mary is fabulous.
Dinner is great too, I just prefer the brunch because it’s all you can eat, and I LOVE to eat!

Phenomenal and consistent. Chicken and waffles is the bomb. And they have the best cucumber salad! The staff is really friendly and great about having young children there.

No big deal but, I totally had a picture on the wall after I won a wing eating challenge. Totally crushed it.
Foods good, sweet tea is good. Give it a shot.

Love Firefly’s BBQ and Dante’s is a fun live music venue with several pool tables available and seating and dance floor space. Staff is pleasant and waitstaff and bartenders are rock stars!

I had ribs, excellent sauce, not fatty, and fell off the bone :)
I don’t usually like corn bread but this was good! Cold beer as promised. Very friendly hostess and waiter. Good price as well. Definitely will go back for ribs!

REALLY REALLY good BBQ ! I wanted to start off with that because the rest of my story is not good at all. I went in to the restaurant on a busy Friday night. They had private events and live singing going on so the place was hectic but nevertheless we got seated in about 10 minutes ! The food was awesome ! Drinks were good & service was not that awesome. We had a man named Alex. He would leave our empty dishes on the table and walk away; disappear; etc. but anyways we were still planning on coming back… Until I got charged and extra $ 69 on my credit card !!! I guess our waiter thought he did a lot better than he did and he gave himself a tip! I would return because the food was so good; but if I ever go back I know now to only use cash.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this place. I’ve probably came here a million times and it never disappoints me, ever. Every thing on the menu is amazing and the service is absolutely phenomenal. I always get baby back ribs with fries and mac & cheese, the best. I love how they have a mini bar where you can get your sauces and etc.
I highly recommend this place to any southern food lover!

At 10pm most of the restaurants in this area close. I was driving from NH to Hartford and searched Unilocal for a restaurant that wasn’t fast food and was open for a late night bite. Firefly’s was a 10-​minute drive off the interstate. When I arrived there were a few people eating in the bar. I chose, however, to be the solo table in the dining room.
After my first bite the quality of the BBQ was clear. If you’re from New England I’m sure you’ll think it’s incredible. If you’ve ever been to the South or the Great Plains (TX, OK, KS, etc) you’ll think it’s average. Personally, I thought it was ok, at best, but that could have been a reflection of the meats all being cold when they arrived. Disclaimer: it was after 10pm. Meanwhile, if you’re going to continue to serve meals quality shouldn’t deteriorate as crowds dissipate.
One thing that is impressive is the portions. Firefly’s piles the meat on the plate. Meanwhile, value doesn’t stand tall. It cost me $ 30 (with tip) to have a three-​meat combo (and to try and small side of sweet potato pudding). I had a water, not a soft drift. This was some of the most overpriced BBQ I’ve ever eaten. Sadly, the quality was so poor I left more than half of it. The waitress urged me to take it home due to the amount I left on the plate, but the lack of quality didn’t warrant that.
I ordered a combo with brisket, a quarter chicken and smoked turkey. The brisket was the best and although dry it did have some flavor. The chicken looked awesome, but didn’t have much meat on it and with almost all bones I took a bite and moved on. The turkey was dry. I took a few bites of each and asked for the check. The mixed veggies were much better than the meat. The mash potatoes tasted like normal. The cornbread was fair, but the side order of sweet potato pudding was bland. I took one bite and slid it back toward the middle of the table.
While Firefly’s might be good BBQ in the Northeast it wouldn’t last in the South. Keep in mind, I’m rating it based upon the more than 300 BBQ places I’ve eaten at the US, not the others nearby. I wasn’t impressed with the quality of meat or the price, but few can complain about the sauces, which are tasty.

Another phenomenal night at Firefly’s on Saturday. Food, service, beverages, entertainment, all impeccable. They really know how to do it right! We had four at the table this time, and split a bunch of apps; each more delicious than the rest. Lots of oooh and ahhh and mmm and OMG’s going on around the table. Brisket and ribs over the top tender and flavorful. Might try the specials next time but my old favorites are still so good … topped off by super light beignets stuffed with chocolate served with dipping sauces and amazing banana cream pie. The owner even came by a few times to make sure everything was great.
Still my favorite place!

Huge fan of this place!
PROS: Great BBQ. Selection of sauces. Delicious sides. The restaurant itself is set up nicely. Wait staff was superb and energetic.
CONS: Nothing I can think
OVERALL: the ribs and brisket were amazing. You should come here for BBQ. it’s the best I’ve had in the state.

Living in Charlotte, I’ve come to have an appreciation for barbecue, generally pulled pork or pulled chicken as that’s what we’re known for in the Carolinas. I’ve been to Kansas City and I’ve been to San Antonio, where they’re big on ribs and brisket. So when I thought to give a barbecue joint in the Boston suburbs a try, I had very low expectations. What can a New Englander know about cue?
Well, I was wrong. This is some good stuff. I had the three meat combo plate: ribs, brisket and smoked turkey. The ribs were meaty and tasty and while not «fall off the bone», the meat was delicious. The brisket was also moist and not an especially «dry» cut. It did need a little bit of the Memphis sauce to kick it up, but not much. And the turkey was excellent. Actually, the turkey was the best of the three. Very juicy, very moist, Cut with a fork sort of stuff.
The cornbread was quite good. Dry, but a good consistency that held together well. More like a flat cake. Mac & cheese was only okay. A little glutenous and maybe it should have been hotter. The potato salad was very good with a great consistency and plenty of flavor.
Great list of draft and bottled beers, including some local micros and some distant macros.
Very good service. Do they know ‘cue in Marlborough? Yep. It’s the best I’ve had in the Northeast.
Tip: The entrance to the parking lot is to the RIGHT of the restaurant as you’re facing it.

Good, friendly service. They let us order just before they closed.
Memphis sauce is their signature.
Dill pickes fried for $ 8 are great. Nice batter, good dipping sauce.
$ 15 Rib with 2 sides (greens and cucumber salad)
and cornbread. The rib is colder and tougher than expected, but the flavor is sweet with a tiny bit of spice. The cornbread was cold, but it was the end of the day and to be expected. The greens were great, as was the cucumber salad. Good balance of flavors. Not too bitter or tangy.
My friends ordered the pulled pork platter &
Turkey & pulled chicken combo with mac cheese & pan seared veggies. They enjoyed them, but didn’t comment on anything being exceptional.