Koal’s BBQ of Alexandria — Restaurant in Alexandria

Overall, an okay experience. The food wasn't what I expected. The man/manager/owner was very friendly and wanted customers to have a good time. We probably won't return, especially since we came from 1 hour away to try it based on the reviews.

Location: easy to find by gps. In a shopping center with plenty of parking. I didn't realize it was next to cindies and that was a little awkward for the kids.

Service: Very kind, but the waitresses and servers may need more training. They didn't tell us they were out of food items and let us just sit there at the table without- they weren't going to tell us until we asked about the items. Also, we had a party of 6 and each of us got food served at a different time. My food was cold by the time the last person got their food (15-20 minutes). Also, the person taking orders did not describe portion sizes accurately. We were told the cups of etouffee were large but they are not- its more of an appetizer for one person.

Food: Just okay. The baked potatoes were probably the best of it all. The guys ordered ribs and chicken and felt they were dry. The ceasar salad was just sad- only lettuce and dressing with 2 small cherry tomatoes. I ordered etouffee and was disappointed in the size and there was hardly any crawfish in it. The mac and cheese was ok. We honestly wondered if the meats and sides were leftovers from the previously busy night since this day was very slow. It just seemed reheated and not exactly fresh.

Price: a bit expensive, especially for the quality. Etouffee was $8 for a cup. Mac & cheese side was $3. If you want the brisket mac it's $5 and it's simply the regular mac & cheese with some brisket pieces on top. The pit plate that one person got was nearly $30 and he was not happy with the quality. He hardly ate it.

Atmophere: very roomy and comfortable. Plenty of room at tables. No booths. Lighting and menu is great. We did think the items things were served on was funny- some just trays (ribs), some had plates (salad), some had plates on a trays (ribs, potato, and etouffe), and some had 2 trays stacked (ribs).

Overall, an ok experience. If the food had lived up to the expectation and the servers were more experienced, it would have...

Went today for lunch because my little girl begged me to take her to Koal's so she could try their ribs. Her ribs were pretty fall off the bone. She enjoyed them so that makes me happy. What I'm super disappointed in was the $22 Blackened Salmon Salad I got. It was a pitiful excuse for a salad (they spread it onto a medium sized dish but it's about the size of a side salad elsewhere if you were to serve it on a smaller plate). They make NONE of their salad dressings in house. On to the salmon, it was cooked almost perfectly BUT it had ZERO seasoning on it. Zero. I added salt and pepper at the table and drizzled a little of the balsamic dressing onto it. For that amount of money, I have higher expectations. That is a high end restaurant salad price for a mediocre meal. I also received a large end of lettuce on my plate...editable!! When asked how everything was I was honest. The nice, older man gave me a free dessert for my next time in. He offered to have a new salad made but I didn't have time to "wait a bit" for it. The gesture was kind though. The girl expediting...brownish hair, excellent personality and light-hearted sense of humor was amazing!! Keep her because she's a gem. The blonde behind the register was nice enough...could smile and greet people when they come in. I'm in the service industry, I own my own business...soooo Koal's improve. Alexandria needs good restaurants that can stick around. AND that salad isn't a $20ish salad. Sorry...just not! Great job on the ribs!! Very clean restaurant. 👌 This was my second time in...I waited a year in between. Both not top notch...

So, my dude and I took a drive up to Alexandria today to check out a couple of farmer's markets and visit the zoo...you know so he could make fun of me for wanting to pet the big kitties (they're so cute!). Afterwards we decided to grab some lunch. BBQ was a must since we had picked up a brisket at 1 farmers market and you know...cravings. we stopped at Koal's and we were so glad we did. I ordered a salad that came out the nice big cubes of smoked ham and turkey fresh lettuce, tomatoes and red onion. It had cheese and bacon and the most delicious fresh croutons I've ever gotten when ordering a salad. The plate arrived and I knew I'd be eating twice as soon as I saw it. Lunch and dinner today was taken care of. He got a PB&J sandwich with fries. What he got was a huge sandwich on fresh bread stuffed with pulled pork, brisket and jalapeño sausage. The fries were obviously freshly made and the BBQ sauce delicious with a good smoky flavor and not super sweet like so many other places. As soon as we had our first bites we decided that it would totally be worth the 45 mile drive from home just to go eat here. The menu has a great variety to choose from and something everyone will like. We heard something when we were getting ready to leave, brisket queso...idk what that is yet but the only thing that prevented us from ordering it to try it out was the fact that we were too full and already had takeout boxes full of leftovers in hand. Next time I'll definitely be seeing what thats...