Pig-Sty BBQ — Restaurant in Boynton Beach

UPDATE: After getting positive replies from the management I decided to see if anything got better. Nope. I didn't even get to eat there this 2nd time. The line was inside the dining room and I estimate I didn't move for 5 minutes. The iced tea stuff is still right by the food service door and in the 5 minutes I was there I watched a lady get popped in the elbow by someone coming out of the kitchen. The "menu" was not made any clearer. Not going there again. 1st off, this is not waiter/waitress service. Secondly, the ordering process is horrible. It is confusing, it is slow, it is unintuitive. There were 3 or 4 people in line when we entered and by the time we paid, (a) there was a line out the door and (b) our food was barely warm. There was a box with menus but the box was inconspicuously located and the menus looked like they were pamphlets; not menus. There was a menu-board above the ordering and serving counter. However, anyone of reasonable intelligence would interpret the board to mean that they serve only two things: 1- your choice of meat on a sandwich and 2- your choice of 1lb of meat wrapped in butcher paper. So either eat a sandwich or get the pound of meat and then unwrap it and eat a little of it and take the rest home. There is one more discrepancy to confuse you more. There is a piece of paper taped to the serving counter which describes the meat you can get (available at the time?) and then lists days and a window of time. It is very odd and confusing. I still have no idea what it meant. After deciding between being forced into a sandwich or a week's worth of brisket, I opted for a last minute Hail-Mary and ask if I could get less than a pound. To my delight, I was told "of course, you can get any amount you want". I felt like saying "well then, rather than scaring your customers away, why don't state that on your board or do something really crazy like selling a "brisket dinner" or "pulled pork dinner" and you put the appropriate amount of meat on the plate. Not everyone knows what a serving size of meat is. So after than fiasco is completed, you get to stand there as the "butcher" works on your meal, and re-calling out the other person's meal ahead of you because the "sides-person" is behind and not paying attention because they are assisting the cash-person. The fiasco cannot be explained. You have to see for yourself. When the meat goes on the tray, it is just slopped on butcher paper. No plates. They serve everything with a piece of white bread under it. And I mean, whitebread. Not a roll, or a bun, or nice piece of bread. I am talking "wonder-bread" bread. By the time I sat down, our dinners were barely warm.

We were there around 6 and only maybe 2 tables were already sat, and the few in front of us and then the bunch behind us. When it came to getting the drink, I found that the iced tea dispenser is next to the swinging kitchen door. The dispenser is literally fractions of an inch from the edge of the door. What that means is when someone comes out of the kitchen, the doors whacks you right in the arm. When it came to the condiments for the food and french fries, you need to get up and put them in cups. And they were out of ketchup. There were two BBQ sauces on the table, thankfully I didn't need to keep getting up for that. I loved the sauce. it was very good. I like spicy so I used that. However, I tried the one labeled "mild" and it was so close to the spicy that I concluded that someone must have mis-filled it. I was able to get a few squirts of sauce on the tray until the container became clogged. I gave it a good squeeze and it went all over the place. Then, I went to get more and this time, it was stuck for good. The brisket was pretty good but it was definitely leaning towards the "too-salty" end of the spectrum. The pulled pork both smelled and tasted like a wet dog. The fries were burnt to a crisp, cool, and just not very good. The mac-n-cheese had a good consistency but frankly, I needed to remind myself it was mac-n-cheese because I wouldn't be able to tell...

I ate lunch their yesterday - tried the ribs, brisket, pulled pork, & baked beans. It's served semi-old school style, no plates, on paper with white bread, placed on a tray. The brisket was incredibly tender and very good, although I'm not a brisket expert. The ribs were cut St. Louis style, we're extremely meaty, and like the pulled pork, not "oversmoked". It is possible to put too much smoke into pork and not let the meat speak for itself. The ribs had a nice pull from the bone and in terms of volume, a few go a long way. The pulled pork was pulled, not shredded (there's a difference), and very good - moist, flavorful, but again - not oversmoked. The baked beans are excellent, loaded with meat (perhaps of different types) and different spoonfuls have different flavors, so do spend some time to enjoy them.

At our table there were two sauces - I think one was labeled Sweet or Normal or something like that - the other was labeled spicy or hot, my memory fails me there (I took pictures, but none of the food closeups were decent - perhaps a greasy finger or two didn't help). Anyway, both sauces were very good, and to me, they appeared to be the same sauce, just one had a little spice added to it. They weren't too heavy/thick/sweet that they compromised the meat. As someone who smokes his own meat and makes his own sauce and rub, I don't like it when thick, heavily sugared sauces are used - and these were just about right, just sweet enough so the kids will be okay with it.

Many, many years ago, when this plaza opened (1986 or so) this restaurant was Mama Jennie's, a very good little italian restaurant. It's hard to see any of the old place left in the interior - and that's a good thing. Good tables and chairs with some unusual booth style chairs are very comfortable and nice. The decor has just the right amount of detail for a place that is serious about BBQ. And the checkout is super modern, the cashier screen flips 180 degrees over to you at the counter for your credit card signature and tip.

Two times someone came over to check on us and make sure everything was okay. About the only things I could criticize the place for is:

1. The floor is a little uneven, and dark wood in some spots - in a really odd sort of "wooden floor in an old country store that sags and slopes because of 150 years of use" sort of way, and some stepped areas are painted in yellow and some odd triangular slopes are not marked at all - and not in a great area - it's as you first see the order counter and the menu items, so you're looking up, not down, plus you just came in from the bright outside into a dark area - your eyes don't have time to adjust. Granted, I'm not the most graceful person (big guy, big feet, etc.) but I was concerned for my companion (my father) who's pretty mobile but at 80 could have taken a spill. Hey - it's not going to keep me from coming back, but holy crap - I'd have that arranged differently, based on our litigious and/or elderly population. I'd fall down, bleed, happily eat the BBQ and wouldn't think twice, but that's me.

2. The menu above the ordering counter - it seemed a little confusing to me, but it was my first time, my vision isn't that great so I just asked for some recommendations and I was happily answered and taken care of - this was not "Soup Nazi" style ordering. Still, it's probably not a super example of clarity. Still, I know what I want, you just don't immediately know if there are platters/combos that might be the best choice, etc.

But these are minor, trivial, quibbles - this place is about delicious, serious BBQ. I've eaten a lot of it, in a lot of places from this country (maybe too much) that have appeared on TV shows and in magazines as "must try" - and The Pig Sty is clearly one...

Would love to give Thomas and his wife 5 stars. Unfortunately I was literally sick to my stomach when I saw the bill and couldn't enjoy their tasty food. I'm a believer in giving credit where it's due. I spoke to owners prior to posting this review. I would like for you to look at reviews of other businesses that I have left, if you are concerned about accuracy of this experience. The GOOD: food temperature and quality was fine. Portion sizes were average and taste was good. It's obvious that a lot of care goes into their cooking methods and into purchasing quality ingredients, meats etc. The place has nice ambiance, was clean and it's probably a good happy hour place. The BAD: their pricing, their pricing, their pricing !!! and their lack of care for customer concerns. It is absolutely ridiculous that an average lunch for one was over $32.00 before tax and tip !!!! This is ridiculous. A piece of sausage, a small cardboard tray serving of fatty brisket and a small macn cheese with fries was $32.09 plus TAX and plus tip. My wife had beans, small serving of pork and small brisket with macncheese and paid $28.89 plus TAX and plus tip. The soda is gross generic cola from a dispenser. Please see photos attached. YOU CAN BE THE JUDGE. I'm concerned because these are hard working folks that seem to think that paying $35 for one "to go" BBQ plate for ONE is ok and the norm. They mentioned food costs, labor, rent etc, I don't doubt them. Dentists don't charge $250 for teeth cleaning, a facial or Massage is not $350, yes all costs are increasing but a basic BBQ lunch can't possibly be 35% more than a comparable meal at a J Alexander's or a Cheesecake factory. If we are going to compare ingredient quality, portion sizes, and type of cousine, we can chat about Asian or seafood restaurants with premium sushi and hand crafting. If refuse to accept this level of pricing for food that is decent and average. We are not at a 7 star hotel in Dubai UAE where I can spend $65 on breakfast for one. If I want BartonG pricing for south beach standard quality food, I will head there. This is FAR FROM A BETTER DINING ESTABLISHMENT where dishes are priced STARTING at $25-$35+ THERE'S NO EXCUSE for charging what they charge for what they serve. Robs bbq , Georgia pig, scrubbys haven't decided that they need to bill clients a $35 lunch for one or to-go. Sorry, but the fact that you opted to argue about your overhead, instead of considering a combo price restructuring, tells me that customer satisfaction is not a top priority. See photos attached (included the Palm steakhouse...