Barbecue Shack

In Toccoa to check out Toccoa Falls after a hard rain a few days prior, it didn’t take long to realize there aren’t many decent places to eat in town. A few locals mentioned the food in town was terrible, but the best place was the Barbecue Shack. We popped it into Google Maps and headed over.
Upon arrival, we wondering it this was the correct place. It looked deserted, possibly closed, yet there was smoke coming from the building so we took a peek inside. This isn’t your typical BBQ spot. You’ll feel like you’re being served at home, rather than a restaurant. Upon arrival, pitchers of sweet tea rest on the tables as do plastic containers of BBQ sauce, with the flavors hand written on them in black markers. Nothing is fancy.
You walk up to the counter, order and they plop it on the plate. What amazed us most was the prices. The prices are so low, you’d think this was the early Eighties. And, the food isn’t bad, either. The half chicken is enough to feed two people. The brunswick stew engulfs the plate and if you order any other sides be prepared to eat. They seem to try to fatten you up here, without hurting your wallet. The pulled pork isn’t bad, either. The sauce (there’s three) are blah. Not bad, not good, fortunately, the chicken has enough flavor you hopefully won’t need it.
As for the quality. It’s not bad. Our journey was more about the experience. Shacks like this don’t exist in most places anymore as chains have taken over. The BBQ is slightly at or below average, the cost is the best you’ll ever find, the experience is priceless. It’s almost surreal this place remains in business, but you’ll have to stop by on your own to grasp the full experience. And, watch the drive through. I’m guessing this is how things worked back in the 60s and 70s, before I was around.

One thing you should know about me is I’m pretty picky about my BBQ, and this place is pretty decent. The ribs are about average to below for a BBQ joint, the pulled meats are average to above, and what I really come here for is the BBQ chicken, which I eat without any sauce. Yet, I love to buy the X-​Hot and the Hot sauces to take home to cook on drummettes, so go figure.
The Brunswick Stew is pretty decent, fair amount of fine meat, I like to add a bit of the x-​hot sauce to that and it’s perfect for me. The slaw is really good. Chips come out to your table immediately when you order (small bag). On the menu sign at your table, it says you can get one refill on your sides, which I’ve never tried to do.
There is a drive thru, where you can order and take home. Pretty handy but on a Fri or Sat night, expect it to be a good 4 – 5 cars deep.
I’ll be back for that chicken. I’d move on if you are wanting some ribs — although immediately in the town of Toccoa, there’s no competition, so if you end up here for the full BBQ menu, no harm no foul.

Best around– I’ve been everywhere– Carolinas, Texas, Kansas– this is awesome, old fashioned classic bbq– if you don’t like the stew or slaw you didn’t grow up on classic southern cooking. The wait staff is sweet and only comes around if you need them since everything you need is on your table! It’s been there forever and will continue to be — even with the out of town haters (and I am not from tacoa).
Our whole family loves it– we are foodies from all over– SC, NC, GA, CA, CO– :)

I have been to this place about 4 times. It has been about a year or more since the last time I went. I had lunch here yesterday with my buddy before watching some football. It seems that the place has gone down hill. The service was pretty pitiful. It was like anytime you asked for something the staff felt put out. They also used to put big pitchers of sweet tea on the table where you could help yourself. Now you have to wait on Flo with her attitude to bring it to you. Same with the loaf bread they used to keep on the table. You must now wait for Flo with the attitude to bring it to you.
The meat seemed pretty tasteless and the sauce watery. My friend, who is local to Toccoa, insists the quality was the same. If so, my taste buds must have changed considerably as the food was just plain out sub par. I used to really look forward to dining at the olé Shack when I was in town for a visit. However, next time, I will suggest we try something elsewhere. The first few visits I would have given it a 4 star rating. This time has me at a 2. So that is how I came up with my overall average of 3 stars. However, if my next trip there is the same as this last one, then it is going to be downgraded to two stars at best. So disappointing.

If you like BBQ … the BBQ Shack in Toccoa, GA is the best I’ve ever had. The BBQ Shack offers pork, chicken, or ribs. I like them all. My favorite is the pork plate. It comes with chopped pork, Brunswick stew, slaw, sweet pickles, and potato chips. There sweet tea is delicious and if you save room for a piece of cake they have that as well. For large appetites, the BBQ Shack also offers free refills on their BBQ plates. Great food, great atmosphere, friendly faces, … what more could you ask for? If you visit once … you will go back again and again. I’ve been eating at the BBQ Shack for 25 years. The BBQ Shack is the best!

I really wanted to like this place. It looks like a «joint», from the outside (that’s a compliment in my book. When you walk in there are already pitchers of sweet tea on the table along with a roll of paper towels — a good sign.
I ordered a chopped pork plate with slaw and stew. Slaw was good. Stew had a good flavor but was basically a soup with no visible chunks of mean or anything else except very tiny flakes of potato.
But’s its the BBQ that is critical to a BBQ joint and the pork was dry and tasteless. Another reviewer has said «not an ounce of fat» and that is the problem. It’s the fat that makes BBQ tender and adds flavor. This had hard chunks of meat and no real smoke or BBQ flavor. The Carolina style sauce was OK — I had to use half a bottle to make the pork edible.
In fairness, I didn’t try the ribs or chicken and since I live some distance away I doubt I’ll ever be back to try them.

Just south of Toccoa, on the east side of the road, is a most nondescript restaurant… Gravel lot with a shaky looking fence around it, drive-​thru on the front. Basically, nothing to recommend it visually. But the BBQ is really fine. Ribs, chicken, chopped pork, and cake to die for. Add some iced tea to wash it down and you become the pig at the palace. The ribs are tender and drippin’ with sauce. The pork sandwich has not an ounce of fat, so good you’ll want to eat it without sauce.