Barbecue Caboose Cafe — Review by Brennen Taylor

The Dishes

The reviewers ordered a smoking sampler platter which included sausage, ribs, pulled pork, jumbo chicken, and two sides of baked beans and creamy coleslaw. The sausage had a mushy texture despite having a snap from the skin, and the flavor was decent but unremarkable. The ribs looked burnt and were extremely dry and mushy with no real meat or flavor, requiring sauce to be palatable. The coleslaw looked dry as stated on the menu. The baked beans were standard canned beans with no special quality.

Additional dishes included a barbecue pizza (medium) which had a thin crust that was criticized but the pizza itself was not terrible and tasted like it was made to order, making it the most edible item. A jumbo hot dog loaded with chili, cheese, sauce, and onions came out boiled rather than grilled with no sear marks, resulting in a soggy bun and meat with no pop or flavor. The mac and cheese side appeared to have rice mixed in with hard cheese that tasted unpleasant. A smoked chicken breast sandwich was extremely dry and nearly impossible to chew, described as worse than hospital food. A chili dish with pulled pork had an appetizing cheese pull but tasted like low-quality cafeteria food with no oomph factor.

The Experience

The restaurant has cute decor with charming signage including a cowboy blessing on the wall. The space felt eclectic and inviting from the outside, though the exterior was noted as a bit dirty and unkempt. A kitchen worker came out excited to greet the reviewers, expressing genuine enthusiasm about their visit. However, there was a hair found frozen in one of the ice waters, which was considered a cleanliness issue. The beer glasses had rust on them. The restaurant has a drive-through window, which explains the fast food quality of the meals despite it being marketed as a sit-down restaurant.

Value and Pricing

The barbecue pizza was relatively cheap at around thirteen to fifteen dollars, which aligned with fast food pricing rather than sit-down restaurant pricing. The smoking sampler platter was noted as surprisingly small, described as a get your whiskers wet type of sampler for one person rather than a substantial meal. Overall pricing seemed reasonable but felt more appropriate for the low quality of food being served.

Notable Moments

That sucks and I feel bad because the guy just came out super stoked that we were here to try this food.

If you know Jack, you'll want to come back. No, thank you. I wouldn't even come back if someone kicked me in the back. Hit the road, Jack.

The food is not very good. Either today's an off day for them or the food is just no good here.

The Verdict

Barbecue Caboose Cafe appears to be primarily a tourist attraction catering to visitors on Jack Daniels Distillery tours rather than a quality dining establishment. The consistently poor execution across nearly every dish, from dry proteins to mushy textures and low-quality ingredients, makes this restaurant difficult to recommend. The only safe option would be the jambalaya. The cute aesthetic and friendly staff cannot overcome the disappointing food quality. This restaurant would only be worth visiting if you have limited time between distillery tours and need a quick meal, but there are likely better options in the area.