Old South Barbecue

It’s been here forever and we decided to stop by for lunch. Interior is an old country house with most of the furnishings handmade by the founding family. Sadly the food we ordered was disappointing. We all opted for BBQ plates. It was honestly so shredded and dry I was not sure what we were having. Table behind us ordered half a smoked chicken to share. It looked like a much better choice for the money.

I LOVE Old South. Just good southern Q. Owned by a really nice family. Not a fancy place at all, but the pork with original sauce, and Brunswick stew are as good as any BBQ I had during my eleven years in Memphis.

When you walk in you are transported 40 years back in time. A world without high tech, and no-​one seems to be rushing off to their modern lifes. Happily, this was a time where bbq was not trendy but just good comfort food. This is some of the best bbq in north Georgia. Love everything, sides are top notch too. Don’t expect white linen table clothes, just great food done right.

Old South. Old South. Old South.
For some reason — for the past 6 weeks — I’ve been craving barbecue.
Seriously craving.
Like I want it every day — and even if I indulge the craving — I wind up wanting more of it the next day. And what’s even stranger — I want ribs. Which up until about 2 months ago — I HATED ribs. I was sitting in traffic on Windy Hill Rd — and the smell of smoky goodness assailed my nostrils — so took a left into the teeny tiny parking lot. (Sidenote: I had been here once before — only had a pulled pork sandwich and I remember it being pretty good. But I never came back — I think part of it was the name — I’m sorry but «Old South» just conjures up images of my ancestors tied to tries, undressed to waist and being lashed repeatedly for not picking the cotton fast enough. And part of it was that teeny parking lot situated at a corner with a traffic light. You have to fear getting rear-​ended as you back your car into the road. But I digress.)
This is broken record review:
1) The people are insanely friendly. I didn’t get a hug. But smiles, pleasant attitudes and thanks for your business. Just Wow!
2) The French fries are now crinkle cut — but just like Richard R said — there was no salt on them at all.
3) The Brunswick stew was okay — but like Craig M said — it appears to have been run through a blender — so you wind up with baby food Brunswick Stew.
4) And here’s where I learned my lesson: Don’t ever go to a barbecue restaurant with at least reading Richard R’s effing review of it first. The ribs. The ribs were so tough — I couldn’t even eat them. When I got home, I sliced the meat off the bone. Yes sliced. Then I tried to used my teeth to scrape the meet away from the tough & leathery, outer «skin like» portion of the rib. The closest thing I can compare that outer portion to would be jerky. See pics. Though I’m not sure they even do it justice. They were crunchy, chewy, dry and what little meat I did manage to eat was smoky, but no other discernible flavor or seasoning. I finally gave up and tossed them in the trash.
$ 16.86 down the drain. And I still have to cook tonight because I couldn’t eat this meal.
Normally this would merit a 1 star review — but the people at Old South are just so friendly, just like Scott M — I have to give them at least 2 stars.

My family has been going here for 25 years plus! The staff is amazing. The owners are down right lovely. Can’t say enough about the restaurant and the food!!!

Decided to try this place after eyeing it for weeks. The food as well as the service would pass as «good.» The Texas toast was delicious. However, I don’t think the taste was memorable enough for me to return. It could just be me, but as a Texas native I am a very harsh critic with barbecue!

Yum! Absolutely delicious. Little one loved the Brunswick Stew (no big tomatoes in this recipe which is an instant win for her). Huge portions. We all got the pork and original sauce. The sauce is thicker than other places and has a unique flavor, really good!

Old school barbecue joint with bragging rights of being Smyrna’s oldest restaurant. Pretty much unchanged since the 1960’s. Friendly efficient service where everyone is treated like an old friend. My favorite is the sliced beef sandwich on garlic toast with their original sauce with a vinegar bite. Occasionally I switch things up with the sweet hot for a more TX/​OK flair. Chase it down with some good sweet tea and they always offer lemon. Well worth the visit when in the area. Sometimes you may get your back scratched or a hug but don’t be disappointed if you don’t. It’s nothing personal, they will always treat you well.

Very cool place! A good old hole in the wall ma & pa type of place. Great Sweet tea and BBQ to get your fix!

My quest to find the best bbq continues. On a trip for work here and my colleagues mentioned they wanted to take me to the best bbq in the area and certainly this place did not disappoint. You walk in and the host greeted us with some southern hospitality warming hugging and at the same time thanking us for coming. The smell of bbq is present. We sat down at a table and within less than a min the drink orders were taken and delivered. Had the sweet tea and how could you go wrong with the flavor of sweet tea on a hot Georgia day. I ordered the pulled pork on garlic bread. The food came quickly without any special presentation. The meat was tender and flavorful. The sweet hot bbq was savory and tangy. Over all is place is a gem. For them to be in business since the 60’s speaks loudly. I would go back again and again. Great for a quick lunch or dinner served with southern hospitality.

I love hole in the wall home cooking and a good indication of this is a place run out of an old house. I was sold when I saw a pic of the outside.
And myself and four others raved about the quality of food all through the meal.
We all orderd the pork ribs and a variety of sides and could not finish all of the fine garlic bread.
Be aware this place gets packed with a well deserved reputation for good food at a good price.

I’m from Memphis so yea I’m a little picky when it comes to my BBQ. This little gem was yummy! I don’t mind places that don’t look so fancy like I go to when I’m eating casual. I actually prefer my BBQ spots to look like hole in the walls or not to look fancy because I feel like the BEST BBQ comes from authentic places. This place was DELICIOUS. The pulled pork was tender and unbelievably delicious. The beans and stew were amazing. However, unfortunately the ribs weren’t tender for my preference. My boyfriend agreed as well. The people were friendly and I will definitely be back, just not for ribs lol

Saw their sign, and read the reviews and had to pull in to sample some of the barbecue myself. Their hospitality is as sweet as their tea. This is the only restaurant where the waitress actually scratched my back while I ordered very sweet warm southern gesture. I had the chop pork sandwich, coleslaw, fries and garlic bread — DELISH!

This is a little shack that’s quite scary upon first look. The first time I came it was after dark so I was a little skeptical. I was pleasantly surprised by the cashier who is very friendly and explains everything on the menu if you have questions.
Looks like they can accommodate a small group and it seems as if they have table service but I got my food to go. The place is decorated with old trinkets and old photographs (I wonder who those people are).
I get the chopped chicken sandwich with slaw and hot bbq sauce. This time I tried the potato salad since she says the macaroni is blue box mac and cheese. No go for me. I enjoyed this sandwich and luckily I didn’t have indigestion after. It was moist and fell to pieces, just like I like it. The potato salad was pretty good, best I’ve had besides Thompson Brothers. Good Southern BBQ, and this is coming from a Memphian.

While in Marietta for business, my coworkers and I decided we wanted to get some Barbecue– when in Rome. After requesting a nearby restaurant list from the hotel, we did a quick Unilocal search and saw that Old South Barbecue had 4 stars. Off we went.
We drove right past the small restaurant, did a quick u-​turn and entered Old South Barbecue. We were given a warm southern welcome and told we could pick our own seats. The restaurant is small, really small. We sat in the main dining room at one of the small tables. It seems like all the tables can only accommodate 4 in the main dining room.
Menus were on the table and dirty, they could use a reprint. After reviewing all the options and not being able to pick one single item, I selected the Pick Two Meats for $ 16.99, which also comes with two sides and bread. I went with the ribs and pulled pork for my meats and the fries and hush puppies for sides. You also have your choice of 4 sauces: regular, sweet, hot, and sweet hot– I selected sweet.
Our waitress was very friendly and attentive, filling up our drinks and answering all our out-​of-​towner questions– most of which could have been answered by reading the back of the menu.
All our food could hardly fit on the table. The meat was okay, but on the dry side– possibly because it was late? I preferred the pulled pork over the ribs. The sauces were delicious along with the fries. I would not order the hush puppies again. The best part of the meal was the bread, amazing.
Not sure I would come back, but a good experience with some true southern hospitality.

First, I love BBQ. Sometimes I can tell it’s going to be good before I even take a bite. Old South was one of those places; it just oozes «BBQ.» I ordered a plate of chopped pork, with sweet hot sauce on the side, with two sides (fried okra and green beans) and bread + sweet tea. I always try the Q before lathering on the sauce. Wow… the meat had an outstanding flavor; smoky with some of the burnt ends. I can’t say enough about the meat. The okra was good and fresh, not too greasy. The beans were just OK. The only reason this place isn’t a 5 star is the price. $ 13.50 for a pork plate is high dollar especially when the portions weren’t extraordinary. Solid Q. Go there.

A typical mom and pup BBQ joint in Smyrna. They claim to be the second oldest restaurant in Smyrna, which is quite impressive. The interior is minimally decorated, just like most BBQ joints, so there are not much ambient.
Between me and my wife, we had three meats — pulled pork, chicken (thighs and drumsticks), and ribs. Both pulled pork and chicken were dry and bland. The chicken seemed overcooked and burnt that the bones became brittle. The ribs were much better — tender and moist, although a little on the bland side. Also, the exterior was totally dried out and hard. HOWEVER, you can tell the meats were smoked from start to finish, which I appreciate (Unlike some places that pre-​boil the ribs). There are four types of sauce — original, sweet, hot, and hot sweet. I’m not sure which two we had, but I can only describe the flavor as sour with hint of sweetness, and very sour (almost inedible on its own).
The sides that we had were cole slaw, BBQ beans, Brunswick stew, and chilli. Of the four, I like the chilli the best. The Brunswick stew and cole slaw were both too sour for my taste. However, the slaw pairs surprisingly well with that bland and dry pulled pork. The BBQ beans were good, but nothing special.
The staff was friendly, but not very attentive. Our waitress never check on us or refill our drinks. It was also difficult to get er attention when we needed a to-​go box.
Overall, I’m quite disappointed with the food. I like supporting local restaurant and wish they do well. Hopefully, the dry and bland meats is caused by an off day.

I ate lunch with a friend here. It’s the real deal where a waitress will call you «sweety»…
BBQ was excellent; lean flavorful smoked meat, tender with no fat or grissle. I had the pulled pork with beans and potato salad. Portions were just right. Not skimpy at all.
Décor was early Southern old beat up BBQ joint. There were enough hard working farmer types in there to authenticate the place as a genuine old fashioned family run joint.
I would go back.

All 4 of my sister came for a visit (all at one time, which never happens) and I decided it was best to dine out (since I’m the youngst, everyone is so critical of my food-​lol) instead of cooking. We stubbled upon this place while driving up Windy Hill Rd and decided to check it out.
As we walked in, we were greeted at the door by friendly faces and seated right away. The waitress was great, she took our drink orders and went over a few OLD SOUTH favorites. I ended up ordering the ribs plate with baked beans which were great, potato salad and okra. It was all pretty tasty, but I will say that I’ve had better, the prices were reasonable, and the portions were decent.
My sisters were not impressed with the food, but loved the service we received. The look of the place fits right in with the Old South theme, old & charming. I don’t live far from this restaurant so I would definitely consider trying it out again.

Some Barbecue joints win you over with a signature meat or side, some with their service, others with their Heritage. Old South does it all. They’ve been in this very location for decades bringing their old fashioned charm, hugs, and old world BBQ to the masses. That’s right, you’re family here. The second you walk in the door they give you a Big Ol’ Southern Hug. That’s how to run a family business.
Dad and I were out with the new brother-​in-​law enjoying a guys afternoon when all of us finally agreed we needed to try this place after passing it by for decades ourselves. Each of us were greeted with a deep, lingering hug Old South is famous for and allowed to pick our own seats. True to form, we opted into our traditional pork sandwiches and stew washed down with beautifully sweetened tea.
It’s good que, good people, and a nice stroll down memory lane. If you’re around Windy Hill and S Cobb Drive, stop in and give these people your business. You’ll enjoy it, and they’ll enjoy having you. Every trip is like a visit home.