Baldy’s BBQ

My friends and I stopped in here the night of the zombie pub crawl. We were not loud or belligerent. We sat down and ordered some fries, fried pickles and two sandwiches. After waiting 30 minutes we asked where our food was. They said it was on its way. After 45 minutes and seeing a handful of other tables that sat down after us getting their food, we asked to have our money back. Our request was denied.
At this point it appeared that they had lost our order. The server was helpful in getting our food to us but she had to take our copy of the order to fill it. They claimed they were swamped, but it did not appear like there were that many people in the restaurant. Also this was fried bar food and two sandwiches, not gourmet plates that require prep.
The food was mediocre, what was more frustrating was the fact that my friend asked if we could be compensated for waiting nearly an hour for such a small order. Baldy, played it off as though we were overreacting. «everyone is waiting a long time» was his response and denied our request to receive something in return for their bad service (this was after he refused to let us have our money back after waiting 45 minutes).
At the end of our meal he came over and condescendingly asked «was it worth the wait?» and threw an order of fries at us in a sad attempt to make amends. It very well could have been an order of fries that someone failed to pick up.
My answer? No. Your food was forgettable, the wait was nearly an hour, the service was nonexistent. To the owner Baldy, in the future when you fail to deliver to your customers you should apologize upfront instead of brushing them off. I know that my friends and I will never be going back here again. Talk about bad first impressions.

Everything about this place is ok. Not good. Not bad. It’s stuck in the vestibule of mediocrity. I mean, the food is good, but nothing to write home about. I actually really want to give it a better rating, since it’s really the only bbq joint near campus. But I can’t in good conscience do that.
Frankly, they ought to make it a fast food style place. Go in and order at the counter. Pay. Fill your own beverage. Wait for your food. Eat your food. Refill your own beverage.

I found this place by accident while looking for something else. I’d been out of town for a while and didn’t recognize this bright yellow building upon my return. It said BBQ, which is a strong indicator I’ll like it, so I tried it.
Asking for the signature dish, I was directed to the Beast. Very far from healthful, this is nonetheless a delicious jumbo sandwich. Baldy’s does brisket very well, and I particularly enjoyed their in-​house BBQ sauce. If you eat reasonably, you could split this eponymous dish in half and have two suitable lunches.
I showed up during a slow period, so there was plenty of parking. The clerk was friendly and patient, answered all my questions at least perfunctorily, if not gregariously. I look forward to returning and trying a couple more dishes.
Oh yeah, the fries were amazing. That’s important.

I’ve been to this place several times and it seems to be improving quite a bit since it opened. The interior is nothing special, but it’s clean, and the service is quick and friendly. It might be different during the lunch rush, but i’ve only been there for dinner or take out.
Food wise, the fries are delicious – they use a seasoned batter, and they always seem to be hot and fresh out of the fryer. I also really like the cornbread, it reminds me of what you get down south, dense and crumbly but not overly sweet.
I also like the sloppy chick sandwich, which includes pork, brisket, and pulled chicken, but all of the sandwiches look pretty good and are generously sized. The ribs are smoked and served dry, not like the typical baby back ribs at many restaurants. They aren’t dripping with sauce and falling off the bone, but we found them very tasty. They have a number of sauces, but we liked the yellow mustard based sauce and the spicy one best. In general, they go pretty easy on the spices, but that’s pretty standard for BBQ in Minnesota.
Yeah, it’s not nearly as mind-​blowing as some of the BBQ I’ve had in Texas and the deep south, but it’s still pretty good. We get takeout here fairly often – if you call about 10 minutes before you arrive, it’s always hot and ready to go.

After reading several recent reviews of this place in local magazines I decided to once again to find the unfindable in this city, a GOOD BBQ joynt. I’ve lived here 29 years and I’ve been searching since the day I moved here. Folks, this place convinces me once again that it does not exist in MN. As many of you know, the signature item on any great BBQ joynt’s menu are the ribs. When I saw them being removed from plastic wrap I should have known what to expect. These were some of the worst dried out tough ribs I’ve ever tasted. My wife suggested that maybe it was really jerkey and just mis-​labeled. So the terrible ribs did taint my opinion of the rest of the meal which was beef brisket (good) pulled pork (good) cole slaw (underseasoned) potato salad (good) and beans (boring). Only saving grace is that we’re headed to KC in August! Oklahoma Joe’s here we come!

BBQ places seem to attract a particular kind of connoisseur (snob. Is it the same thing?), and I don’t know much about BBQ (this would be the point where I’d say — «but I know what I like.» Or is it — «but I play one on TV.» Wait, would I play a connoisseur or a BBQ? And what would BBQ sound like — ba dum ch).
The Beast — The menu says it’s the best sandwich in town, and while I usually think poorly of immodest hyperbole, for my money it just might be (and at $ 9 I spend my money wisely). The bacon and onion rings added to the brisket really make it happen, now if they just threw in some spicy chocolate …
Pulled Pork Sandwich — again, I’m no authority, it tasted like any other decent quality pulled pork.
Sausage Sandwich — really enjoyed this, one single, solid piece of firm, nicely seasoned sausage.

To start I haven’t had a lot of pulled pork sandwiches in my life so I couldn’t really say what’s authentic or «really good». However I doubt my sandwich would qualify.
I was really excited to try this place after I heard about it and its proximity to campus. I ordered the regular pulled pork sandwich with fries and a pickle on the side. The service was nice and friendly, almost overly so as I was trying to have a conversation with my lunch partner and was awkwardly interrupted too many times to count.
Pulled Pork — The pork meat was too wet which I didn’t think was normal. So wet that the bottom bun was too moist therefore it couldn’t be properly held to eat. I liked that the tables had the sauces out for customers to choose from however they were weak. I had to continuously douse my sandwich with BBQ sauce, and none of the sauces were distinct to me, it wouldn’t have mattered which one I grabbed because they all tasted the same — bland.
Fries — awesome! I would come back for these in a heart beat. Perfectly cut, golden color, crispy on the outside but soft on the inside.
I want to give this place another go because I like BBQ so hopefully it improves on second try. Good price for my meal, just wish it was better tasting.

I usually temper my reviews. In this case because I specifically went here out of the way and spent more money based on the Unilocal reviews I’m going to not sugar coat this.
Mac and Cheese and pulled pork were good, meaning fine, but nothing to write home about or go out of your way. I had the Beast and it was tough and stringy. The BBQ sauces were again average and as one of the other reviewers says, it’s nothing compared to a roadside BBQ place say in Texas.
Also the prices shocked me as I walked in. No sandwich under $ 7 and the appetizer cheese curds were $ 7. Now they were good, but at $ 7 that’s a big number on my budget.
I used Unilocal to find a good place that was not a franchise driving up 35 for this place and so need to call it as I see it here. sorry it didn’t meet my expectations which were set from the reviews and the prices.

I returned to Baldy’s BBQ shortly after my last review, hoping to expand my knowledge of their offerings. On this second trip, I tried perhaps the hands down favorite of BBQ types: the ribs.
I hate to say it, but these ribs did not seal the deal for me with Baldy’s. If anything, it made me doubt my first review (of the pulled pork sandwich).
I suppose after recent experiences with the likes of Market Street and the now defunct Mr. B’s BBQ, I was just dying for some tender BBQ. I mean that’s the whole point of BBQ! You cook a tough piece of meat for hours and it magically transforms into succulent heaven.
Baldy’s has tender down, don’t you doubt it. But I began to get suspicious about the tender. The meat just had no texture at all. Shouldn’t the outside have just a little resistance, along with the heaping dose of spice and smoke? How do you even get them that tender? Are they cheating?
I sound like a jerk here, the first time I appreciate something and the second time I make nefarious suggestions about it. I don’t even know if it’s possible to «cheat», and I sure don’t want to accuse anyone of it (not least the most promising BBQ place I’ve been to in Minneapolis).
My prior complaint about the lack of action in the sauce remains. C’mon guys, take it up a notch!
In short, the pulled pork sandwich maintains it’s seal of approval. The ribs get something more of a «meh».
Worth another return, no doubt. There’s quite a bit more menu to get through.

Let me preface this by saying that I’m going to grade on a curve just a little bit here. South of the Mason-​Dixon line you can readily find barbecue places that best Baldy’s, but Baldy’s represents a successful effort to bring a southern tradition to a land where barbecue basically means Famous Dave’s.
I go here for the lunch specials. On Monday, for example, you can get a pulled pork sandwich with a side and a drink for under $ 8 (subtract another $ 1 if you show a student ID). The pork is slightly too salty, masking some of the meat’s natural flavor, but it’s a good sandwich and the regular barbecue sauce tastes great with it. The cheesy corn bake appears to be one of Baldy’s signature sides, and the best way I can think of to describe it is that it’s like sort of like corn chowder, except with a lot more corn and cheese. I like it, but others might find it a bit heavy. The fries are good too.
The service is attentive and my food has always arrived quickly. The restaurant is also clean and has an LCD TV in one seating section that has been tuned to ESPN with the sound on each time I’ve been in.

I love BBQ and it was great to have a new place open so close to the U. Actually, it may be one of the closest BBQ places to Downtown as well. I have now tried them three times, and I am pretty well satisfied. I would like a spicier BBQ sauce, but they may be over-​compensating for Minnesota tastes. The staff is super nice and service quite speedy. The pork, ribs and chicken I had were amazingly tender, and despite the lack of serious heat, very flavorful. I’m hoping they are thinking about catering, because there would be a big market for it at the U. If they get going and decide to deliver, there will be a big demand for their food.

I stopped into try the place, and I thought it was pretty good. I skipped special, but if I went back, that’s probably what I’d order.
I ordered the «beast» a brisket sandwich w/​coleslaw, bacon and two onion rings on top. It’s as healthy as it sounds. Sandwich was messy as hell, but very good. They didn’t skimp on the beef and thought it was excellent. The fries I didn’t find special, given that I had 2 onion rings, I wish I would’ve gone with corn bake or different side.
Service was awkard. Very friendly, but awkard. Not sure if my waiter was new to being a waiter? But it was fast and friendly, and he just seemed a little unsure of what he was doing… for example… he told me the special of the day (pulled chicken) and then asked «do you want that, or do you need to read the menu?»…now, reading it writing sounds rude, it wasn’t rude, just didn’t know the tact of asking…
I’d go back, I do like that they have lunch specials and I’ll have to try the ribs one day. It’s closer to 3.5 star’s than 4, but I’ll try to bring up the review…

I came back twice this week, partially because being new everyone wants to try this place, and I am now leaning on the side of being a fan. Take this judgement with a grain of salt, I am comparing it to the other lunch options on the west bank, and this place is coming up among the top ones.
The last 2 times I had sandwiches, the smoked brisket and the sloppy chick. Liked both of them very much. The smoked brisket comes with no sauce and you can add yourself your favorite one, the sloppy chick is supermessy, and very good. I confirm my impressions on the sides, french fries are awesome!
The service improved a lot, they have now many more waiters and many more customers, which means they can be a bit slow on rush hour, but I am willing to cut them some slack. I think they are working on the kinks and will sort out the service hiccups.
Next week we are ordering takeout buckets… I’ll let you know!
UPDATE: we did ordered and the best part was definitely the brisket, we also had the pulled chicken and the pulled pork, which were both good, both not quite as delicious as the brisket. In the order we had a variety of sides including the cheesy bake. Well the cheesy bake is basically melted cheese, good in a very bad for you kind of way…
Anyway the delivery itself came a bit late and they don’t provide beverages or utensils, but the food is every bit as tasty as it is at the restaurant.

I’m torn between 2 and 3 stars since it’s still pretty new (2 weeks open). My friend and I stumbled upon the restaurant as we were exploring the neighborhood. They were indeed very nice to us the entire time.
My friend ordered the pulled pork with a side of slaw and I got the rib tip entrée with slaw and the cheesy corn bake. Her sandwich was very big and the did remark that the pickle was very good. The rib tips were tasty enough, but nothing really special. I think I was expecting some sauce, even though it is nice to have it not smothered like other place. The sides were okay, but not special.
The kicker was that I was charged $ 11 for the rib tips even though the menu said $ 10. I know it’s only $ 1 but still. I was expecting them to change the bill, but instead the server said it was a «typo». Mmm. I’m not too bent out of shape by it, but I can imagine other people getting upset. Plus, the server told us it was the third typo they’ve found. Not good for the opening 2 weeks…
I hope they work out the kinks…