The 7 Best BBQ Chain Restaurants, According To Reviews

Barbecue is a beloved American tradition, one that for many, is something like a way of life. People invest big money into smokers, top quality meat, and the best sauces and spices to make some irresistible barbecue, and for many it can turn into an art form. It is said that the best barbecue restaurants are hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Some of them are so low-key you have to ask a local about it first. There's really nothing like digging in at a good barbecue spot, from the first bite of a fresh plate of pulled pork or a fall-off-the-bone rib. You know it's good when you taste it and there's almost no mistaking it. And with barbecue, every element matters, from the barbecue sauce to the cut of meat to the smoker.

With so much top quality barbecue out there, especially in cities known for it like Memphis, Kansas City, or Austin, it's easy to overlook chain restaurants that have locations regionally or nationally and assume that these aren't as good as local restaurants with the independent flair that folks love about great barbecue. But as it turns out, there are excellent barbecue chains out there; you just have to know where to look. We combed through Reddit and review sites to find seven of the best barbecue chain restaurants, based on taste, quality, and value. Keep reading to find out which chains made the cut.

As far as barbecue chains go, it's not common to find one that has as many locations throughout the country as Mission BBQ. Mission was founded in September of 2011, and has since opened numerous locations in 23 states (dozens located across its home state of Maryland alone). Its menu features pretty standard fare, from brisket sandwiches to pulled pork plates. Its sides include fries, collard greens, mac n' cheese, baked beans, and more BBQ side staples.

With so many locations, corporately owned, it's understandable that some barbecue lovers might be skeptical of a place like Mission. But as it turns out, people seem to really enjoy what it has to offer. One Facebook user said the brisket was "tender and moist" and particularly called out the baked beans as a standout side. On Reddit, one commenter called the restaurant "legit" and raved about its pulled chicken sandwich. Another Redditor agreed, saying that its sides were "better than most top to bottom." If you're in the vicinity of a Mission BBQ, it looks like you can't go wrong with the main courses or the sides.

Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q has been in operation for years, since 1989. In that time, Rudy's has built up a chain of restaurants in Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Florida. If you're lucky enough to have a Rudy's near you, you'll find a menu of items that range from traditional to outside of the box. It's got classics like a pork plate, but it also has a spicy pulled pork plate, smoked potatoes, breakfast tacos, and desserts like buttermilk pie.

Barbecue aficionados applauded the restaurant for the taste and quality of its menu. One Redditor said specifically that the chain "does turkey and jalapeño cheddar sausage right." Another Reddit user said that it's the "best bang for your buck when it comes to barbecue." One comment even acknowledged the quality of the food versus its chain restaurant status. Rudy's, the Redditor said, is "better than it has any right to be, being a chain barbecue place with a drive-thru. Those big baked potatoes with brisket are so damn good." Note to self: Get the potatoes and brisket from Rudy's.

Kansas City is known for its BBQ, and more specifically, the sweet sauce that everyone knows and loves, which originated in the city. It's also known for having some top notch barbecue joints, and perhaps the most notable is Joe's Kansas City, which is a chain that spawned from its original location in a gas station. Joe's has more recently become infamous thanks to NFL player Travis Kelce praising it as his go-to barbecue joint in Kansas City, saying on his podcast: "I go in there, get a half slab, a couple Z-mans, a big old order of fries, and I just get that fountain drink."

Social media reviewers also had great things to say about Joe's, with one Reddit reviewer calling it the "best can't go wrong" barbecue in KC, and praised the burnt ends specifically. On Facebook, one Kansas City barbecue devotee said: "For the overall KC BBQ experience, it's the best spot."

Terry Black's Barbecue is a Texas-based chain that gets consistently great reviews and is known for the classics like brisket, pulled pork, and smoked turkey. Social media barbecue lovers agree that it's a great spot, especially for a chain, with one Redditor writing: "I've said this before, but Terry Black's literally changed my views on bbq. Before, I was strictly a sandwich and smothered in sauce kinda guy. Since having Terry Black's pork ribs and brisket, I've been chasing that sauceless high here in Oklahoma."

This says a lot about Terry's, and about the power of great barbecue. Especially if you're mostly only familiar with a standard like pulled pork. A place like Terry's is about much more than pork, as happy customers have shown. Even YouTubers love it, with one food reviewer praising the brisket's tenderness and raving about the sides. Another YouTube review called out the pork ribs for being "near perfection."

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is a chain that originated in upstate New York and has locations across the state. It's been around since 1988, and interestingly enough, the Buffalo location used to be a Universal Pictures film storage vault. In the decades since its founding, Dinosaur has become known for its variety, including unique sliders (like the pork belly) or smoked jerk salmon and West Texas rib-eye. It has become an extremely well-known chain around the state, and New Yorkers who love barbecue seem to frequent the many locations, which include restaurants in Harlem and Troy (near the state capitol of Albany). The original location actually started as a concession stand, and grew from there.

On Reddit, one user said Dino had "outstanding brisket and pork." On Facebook, a reviewer called the restaurant "sooo good" for its "fall off the bone ribs" and excellent mac n' cheese. 

There are many ways to make great barbecue, whether you have a smoker for your ribs or just a standard grill. But there's really nothing like barbecue from a smoker, and in many ways it's the hallmark of a great barbecue restaurant. Jim 'N Nicks Bar-B-Q is known for its smoked meats, plus hearty sides and a fast casual approach.

Jim 'N Nick's has its roots in Birmingham, Alabama, starting out in 1985 in a building where a pizzeria used to operate. Since then, it has grown and expanded to numerous locations across the Southeast. The cheddar biscuits are so beloved that you can even buy the mix right from its site. As far as chain restaurants go, Jim 'N Nick's is one that people thoroughly enjoy. One Redditor said it "had the wings and thought they were wonderful." On Facebook, one reviewer said, "I opted for the O.G. Turkey Sandwich. Fresh, delicious, and tons of meat for the money!" Jim 'N Nick's has lots of options, and some locations even have a drive-thru option for true fast casual BBQ. 

There's a lot of great food in Florida, from excellent Cuban cuisine to delicious Greek spots. The state also has a great barbecue chain in 4 Rivers Smokehouse.4Rivers has a really interesting history, starting as a "barbecue ministry" in 2004, launched by a retired healthcare executive with a passion for brisket. Owner John Rivers turned his brisket hobby into a full-blown restaurant in 2009, and it grew from there. Today 4Rivers has well over a dozen locations across the sunshine state.

4Rivers boasts its own "4R" rubs, which are speciality seasonings that are applied to the chain's brisket and other meats. And the menu, overall, is called delicious by customers. It contains standard brisket, ribs, pulled pork, chicken, cornbread, bananas foster, bread pudding, and vegan burnt ends. Customers seem to love the place, with one Facebook reviewer saying the burnt ends "did not disappoint." Over on Reddit, one reviewer said it has a "good selection of sides (string beans, roasted loose corn, sweet potato soufflé, etc)" and that the "spicy BBQ sauce is soooo good."

This list was compiled through extensive research around the best barbecue chains across the country based on very specific criteria. We combed Reddit, review websites, and sites like Facebook to find consensus around the best chain barbecue restaurants, judging based on the taste and flavor, quality of the meat as well as the sides, and overall value considering the reputation of chain restaurants.

We only utilized reviews that were written over the past year to give the most up-to-date consensus around these chain restaurants, and determined consensus based on two or more positive reviews from a combination of sources. Some restaurants chosen were national chains, while others were regional or spread across a single state. As barbecue has especially high standards from devotees, we weighed our choices very specifically around overall sentiment, based on flavor, tenderness of the meat, quality of the sides (which are an important part of the barbecue experience), and the value of the food based on chain restaurant status.