Old Southern BBQ - Arden Hills (694 & Lexington) — Restaurant in Arden Hills

Average spot for bbq. Seems more Chicago than Southern. It's it a spot that I'll keep returning? Probably not. Only if I am craving bbq and can't get it. I'll come for the sides and wings though.

Brisket was tender and thick, hot link was very mild- good but tasted similar to kielbasa. Chicken Wings were the best! Crisp skin, moist and well smoked meat and the dry run was flavorful and evenly distributed on the skin. Pickled onions was very tasty- slightly sweet and tangy. Cranberry coleslaw was refreshing and very light-i liked it but others may want a bit more sauce. Side salad was perfect with chopped veg- homemade ranch was delicious. House may potatoes were fab! Muffin top was ok. Better at Famous Dave's.

All of the Sauces are SWEET. The Chicago heat with four peppers is very mild. Very good but after several bites/dips, it just tastes sweet.

Cashier wasn't very knowledgeable but could be relatively new. Nice but needs more personable service experience. Asked for dressing and she said that the sauces are in the table; I asked for the dressing for the salad and then she looks at me confused like I should already know, "We only have ranch".

Manager was very friendly and checked in. Asked about our thoughts on the food and we have an honest, good feedback, like stated above. We did acknowledge that it would be awesome to have a spicier bbq sauce-he mentored that is not a seller so the heat was decreased. Very good...

This is the best place within miles. Hands down. That's it, that's all that really needs to be said.

Buuuut, here goes: I love the curb appeal, and as you roll up, you're hit with delicious BBQ wafting through the air, which only heightens your first impression.

Step inside, and the decor and smells only intensify in the best ways. Has a random log inside a restaurant ever looked so appetizing you actually kinda wanna take a bite? Just wait, you'll see.

The staff are always friendly, too. They'll help you out with any and all questions and/or suggestions. Cheer when you tip, like all of 'em! They're fast on the register without being pushy, and the food comes out fast—and always hot and fresh.

The food is to die for. There isn't a single item I've tried that I didn't love. Well, some sauces I enjoy more than others, but that's a personal preference. I like the spicy ones (could be hotter, imo). I can never even get pictures of any of it because we always dig in and devour too much to be picture-worthy by then! My whole family loves it, even the picky ones. Though the kids don't like the macaroni & cheese because of the breadcrumbs (they're boxed mac n cheese aficionados..). Chicken is always perfection. Ribs are finger-licking, fall-off-the-rib fantastic. Adore the hot sausage. Cornbread is stellar.

We order...

I have usually had pretty good experiences at Old Southern, and this one was...MOSTLY decent. Let's start with the good. The ribs were flavorful and smoky and had just the right pull off the bone. Delicious. The sides we had were also very good. I had the dill potato salad, which had just the right amount of seasoning and creaminess. The mashed potatoes were very good, as well. I know it's probably minor, but I am so happy when a Minnesota restaurant salts its food correctly. The cornbread was fine. It tasted good but was very dry. Now the bad. I ordered 1/2 lb. of brisket to go with the rib meal. I don't expect magic with brisket in Minnesota. After eating brisket in Texas, I realize there just isn't any reason to expect the same quality here. That doesn't mean brisket can't, at least, taste good (Q Fanatic usually does a very good job). This brisket was just sad. I usually order the brisket from the fatty end because the flavor is just better. But this was just a fatty blob of gray meat. There was no smoke flavor and no smoke ring. It looked like a piece of meat that had been boiled. There is no way that brisket spent any time in a smoker. It was incredibly disappointing. I will still give Old Southern 3 stars because most of the food tasted very good, and the service was excellent. But, wow...please work on...