Baldy's Barbeque — Restaurant in Bend

This was the most disappointing dining experience I have had in Central Oregon to date. Several of my friends highly recommended this establishment and for the life of me I cannot see why. I would liken my meal to store bought pre cooked ribs, partially frozen coleslaw and badly microwaved premade mashed potatoes.

We ordered our food at 6:10 PM with only two other occupied tables in the restaurant. At 6:40 when we still had not received our order and the three tables that had been seated after we ORDERED got their orders, we started to think we might have been forgotten. At 6:50 we flagged down our hostess and inquired about our food, she quickly rushed into the kitchen. At 7:05 she returned with our food. Unfortunately my entree was correct (but completely lack luster but we will get to that.) but both of my sides were incorrect. My companions meal was correct. Our hostess shortly after returned and corrected my meal. I ordered the ribs with brisket and a side of coleslaw and garlic bacon mashed potatoes. (first go I received baked beans and french fry's, not even close to what I ordered - further reinforcing that we were forgotten about.) My brisket was tough hardly even warm and mostly unseasoned. No BBQ sauce or even juice from the meat supplied with it. The ribs were cold and appeared to have been sitting out for quite some time. The coleslaw was more like a sundae. Obviously just retrieved from the cooler. Three bites into my mashed potatoes it was just as cold as the slaw. My companions ribs were in the same state, cold and unappealing. His pulled pork was bland and by far the best item on his plate.

Overall I would recommend avoiding this...

I love having this Baldy's on the Eastside. Parking is plentiful and easy (versus Westside), and there is rarely a wait. The staff is always super polite and friendly. My husband and I have frequented Baldy's for years and we've even gotten their Thanksgiving special, which was delicious (except I personally prefer roasted turkey to smoked).

My favorites are the brisket and the prime rib. I've seen customers complain about the prime rib, so I should explain that smoked prime rib appears different than roasted prime rib and won't have the red or pink color you're used to with roasted. It's also a little cooler in temperature. But it's served with hot au jus and I really like the taste and texture! It's one of my favorites in town and I've eaten prime rib everywhere.

The mac and cheese is also incredible and uses Beecher's flagship cheese in the sauce. It's creamy and rich. The sauce does not reheat well (separates and gets oily) so eat the whole thing (not difficult!). Another favorite is the coleslaw, which I would describe as a super fresh and elevated version of KFC's. It's chopped instead of shredded, which I find easier to eat, and it has a very light and tangy, thin dressing. It's so refreshing and I could eat a bucket of it.

One last item we love at Baldy's is the on tap root beer. I don't ever drink soda but I love having a glass of this in the summer. It's got a little extra bite to it and they have a root beer float on the menu if you're so inclined.

This is a solid little BBQ place that I'm really happy to have...

A must stop for us in Bend. We have always had friendly prompt service here. I've had the cornbread in the past and like it okay but was in the mood for a salad tonight. Good Cesar. Not drowned in dressing. Garlic mashers include bacon pieces. Yum. Baby backs are tender with good flavor as usual. I always get the full rack because I love leftovers!

My drink was an Arnold Palmer, mixed nicely. If you want a flavored tea, they have some Torani syrups they can mix in. My husband had the peach and he really liked it. I for one like plain tea most of the time so I'm thankful they have plain tea on hand.

One word of caution. Our bottles of BBQ sauce at table side had no pointy spout (like the standard diner mustard & catsup dispensers). It appeared to have a valve. To overcome the valve one has to squeeze fairly hard, then all of a sudden the BBQ sauce comes flying out resulting in backsplash. In other words, I hope you're not wearing a white shirt. This can be solved by Baldy's going back to the standard sauce dispenser as depicted in another picture here on this Google page for...