Last weekend we took advantage of some unseasonably cooler weather and drove the family truckster up to the picturesque town of Blue Ridge in the North Georgia mountains to sample the TripAdvisor #1 rated bbq joint in America, Joe’s BBQ.
As a Kansas City native (now living in Atlanta) and having resided in Memphis briefly, I am a bit of a BBQ snob, here is my review.
Bikes & BBQ
Getting There
Joe’s is in Blue Ridge, GA, a pleasant 1.5 hour mostly highway drive from Atlanta.
The Town
Blue Ridge is a one stop light, single street town well past it’s heyday of yesteryear. The town adapted and is now a tourist destination, with knick-knack and boutique shops. It is also home to the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway.
The Service
The service was awesome. Joe himself was there hosting and helping.
My son and Joe
The Food
The Meat — 
The meat was favorable and moist (hate that word). I would have liked the smoke to penetrate the meat a bit more, but it still had excellent flavor.
Terrible Pic
The Sides — 
I was a bit disappointed with the sides. The mac & cheese was ordinary, but good. The beans in my opinion had too strong of an onion taste.
As you can see from my daughter’s shirt, she enjoyed the mac & cheese.
The Sauces —
Joe’s has 4 sauces:
Mild — My favorite and Memphis style
Spicy — Memphis style with a bit of kick
Mom’s — Carolina style
Hot — Tabasco style
The Cost
We had 2 pork platters plus drinks and 2 kid meals which cost $35.74 ($41.10 with tip).
The Best In America?
Overall, Joe’s is easily the best BBQ joint I have eaten in Georgia and I will be back. The best in America though, no I don’t think so.
Next Review
Next month I am headed to KC for a BBQ pilgrimage. Be on the lookout for a review of the TripAdvisor #2 rated BBQ joint, ironically named Joe’s as well and my personal favorite. We’ll also be having a sauce giveaway on the blog!
Adam S. is a contributor to Point Me to the Plane, former airline pilot and now corporate pilot. He is also a huge astronomy geek.
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12 comments
@ Adam — I love the exact 15% tipping!
Thanks Gene!
Hey, as a current KC native, not sure when you’ve been back last…but might throw Q39 out there. The brisket was crazy delicious. It’s new(ish?) but beat out Joe’s by a hair imho. Waits can be just as bad…the place is hip or something. And its tough to beat gas station bbq! (no affiliation with any of these places, btw)
Thanks for the recommendation Paul! Mark below recommended a possible meatup (instead of meetup). I will be in KC on the 6th and the 7th and will put out a post to see if there is any interest.
Joe’s KC is by far the greatest BBQ on earth.
Ahem, brother!
The emergence of Q39 just goes to show that BBQ is a thriving industry in Kansas City. I would need multiple taste tests between Joe’s and Q39 to pick a winner. 🙂
Joes (Oklahoma Joe’s) is great and is my favorite but Central BBQ in memphis is pretty close!
Honestly, it sounds like we need a miles and points meat-up.
Haha a meat up, I love it! I would be down for a meatup if there was is interest. I will be up in KC on the October 6th and 7th.
As a KC resident I would have to say Joe’s KC (or whatever oklahoma joe’s is going by these days) has the best meats but best beans has to go to jack stacks.
Good call James! Mark above recommended a possible meatup (instead of meetup). I will be in KC on the 6th and the 7th and will put out a post to see if there is any interest.