Location: Bristol
Top Restaurants in Bristol
Best Barbecue food near Bristol, Virginia, United States
Find out what Barbecue restaurants to try in Bristol. Bristol is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,835. It is the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee, just across the state line, which runs down the middle of its main street, State Street. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Bristol, Virginia, with neighboring Washington County, Virginia, for statistical purposes. Bristol is a principal city of the Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol, TN-VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region.
Things to do in Bristol
1. Eatz
Overall Ratings
4 based on 234 reviews
Established on December 10, 2007 located in the historic downtown area of Bristol, VA/TN we continue to serve the best homemade food just like Grandma used to make.
Reviewed By URKiddinMee
The aroma wafting on the night air had me anxious to try some of this fare.Unpretentious, clean, cozy, down home, hole in the wall cafe.Fast, pleasant service with family type atmosphere. Tried their meat loaf with the first serving of collard greens I've had since what seems like forever. I wasn't disappointed.It's obvious from the nearly full house that the locals patronize this place, since it's not on the way to anywhere.The proprietor visits every table to assure patron satisfaction. This type of attention doesn't happen in a big chain restaurant. Well worth searching this place out.By the way, the meat loaf was excellent!
2. Baconland BBQ
Overall Ratings
4 based on 47 reviews
Reviewed By 213danas
We stopped here on our way thru Bristol. Important to note is steady flow of locals that rolled through to eat. And they certainly have the right idea. This place is good. The only thing better is the hospitality of the owner and her son. They're only open Wed-Sat because all the food is homemade. They offer 3 sides: potatoes and onions, baked beans, and coleslaw. Quality over quantity. I could have eaten the potatoes and onions until I popped. Thursday's are smoked chicken day; thankfully we hit it on the right day. Wanting a sampling of all the offerings, we ordered the smoked chicken and smoked sausage special with one side. Then ordered the half rack rib meal with 2 sides and a drink. And finally a half pound of chopped pork BBQ with 2 extra buns. We added 3 drinks to round out for a family of 4. $40 total and worth every dime. We opted for the traditional ketchup-based sauce over the SC-style vinegar based sauce. Sweet with a slight kick. Everything was cooked to smoked perfection. My personal favorites were the smoked chicken and sausage special, and the ribs. I'm a rib snob and these won me over. You order at the counter and there are 2 picnic tables outside if you're so inclined, which we made use of. They're not in the shade if this is a concern. Otherwise they package it up nicely for you to go; they even threw in plates, utensils, and napkins for us. Baconland is an unassuming little joint on a back street but we will definitely be back when we find ourselves in Bristol again. (No pics cuz we devoured it too fast!)
3. Delta Blues
Reviewed By NEMO I
First off, you have to stand in line to order at the counter & it takes a while for them to key in your selections even if you know what you want when you get to the register. They also don't clean the tables between guests so you'll have to get paper towels if you want to clean your table before you sit down to eat. When you get the paper towels, get extra because I've never been to a barbecue restaurant so STINGY with paper products. We were given 3 cocktail napkins total for our 3 dishes ordered. It's barbecue!!! If not for the pork rinds with pimento cheese appetizer & ribs, they would have received one star, but the pork rinds were out of this world!! They were still cracking when they arrived at the table & were light as air. The ribs also deserved recognition. They were well cooked, well seasoned & delicious! The baked beans & green beans were just okay. The cole slaw had so much black pepper in it, it was literally inedible & I threw it in the trash. My husband had the burnt ends & they were not like any I had previously. There was so much sauce on them, they had lost all of the texture that makes them "burnt ends". You have to get your own beverages & bus your own table & no one came to check on us while dining. I would get the ribs for take-out in the future, but I wouldn't want to dine in the restaurant again!
