Old 30 BBQ - Bucyrus, OH — Restaurant in Bucyrus

I love good barbecue. When I was down in South Carolina in the early 2000's for work, I was educated in southern barbecue.

My instructor was a friendly black woman who ran her restaurant with pride out of an otherwise run-down store front. I came in, a green Ohio Yankee, and she lovingly taught me the wonders of pork and brisket with that special red line, piled high on a Kaiser roll. She told me to take my Cole slaw and add it to the pile. She gave me a yellow bottle of Carolina mustard barbecue sauce to apply.

I was transported. It was just me and her in her little restaurant as I feasted on the amazing food she'd assembled for me. She pointed out the old converted RV in the lot next door with the crooked chimney, a lazy blue curl of smoke snaking up into the hot, humid early evening air, and told me her husband built that magical place.

Dessert was a piece of wonderful, homemade coconut custard pie. I left, feeling that I'd had an authentic experience.

Don't get me wrong, Old 30 fills a spot, and their food is satisfying, but for me their barbecue itself is lacking. The smoke is one note. I know they have a smoke shack. I see it. I smell it. My mouth waters. Then I go in.

The staff are great. The atmosphere is clean and modern. Hey, it's always packed. They have a variety of sauces to try (I really like their mustard sauce!) It's just that their barbecue is ... Flat. Is it their rub? Do they hurry their smoke? I'm not sure. There's definitely no love in their meat, which makes me sad.

I have eaten their food three times over the years that they've been open. I always approach the experience with an open mind. It's just that so far, none of their barbecued meat has ever clicked for me that says "I need to eat here more often."

On the other hand, they have two standout dishes. Their baked beans are very good. Their mac and cheese, specifically their brisket mac and cheese, is otherworldly good. This stuff I could just get a hotel pan of. Just send me to a corner with a fork and let me eat myself to death. Their blend of cheeses, the moist pulled pork, and the sweetness of the barbecue sauce are worth the indulgence.

The owners have added The Venue, which is a large, climate-controlled rentable hall, and their extensive two-level back deck offers one of the best outdoor dining settings around.

In warm weather, live bands perform on a stage some distance away from the deck, and an outdoor bar means drinks are readily available.

I'm very glad this business is there, and I am delighted for the owners that it's prospering, I...

My 3 sisters and I were looking for a new place in which to have dinner together; in our search, we saw this Old 30 BBQ Restaurant listed and decided to check out as a possible place to eat out with our husbands. There is plenty of parking an easy to find location and access to other restaurants and a Wal-Mart. The Maitre D was very pleasant, as were the waitress and waiters. There is a very nice selection of various dishes. The only thing that seemed to be lacking were coffee ☕️ cups as few guests requested coffee. My sisters love their coffee, and I just wanted a cup as we had been on a visit at the hospital to visit a sick relative. Most of us know how comforting coffee ☕️ can be in that particular situation. I was willing to accept ice tea in place of coffee if necessary as I just needed something to drink as initially only three cups were found. However, our waitress was going to do her best to get the order as we had requested, and gratefully, she was able to find enough cups for us each to have coffee. We all agreed that the coffee ☕️ was delicious, so kudos to our waitress ❤️. As for the food.... oh....man... it was delicious. Two of us had the smoked balona (baloney), one of which had sweet potato fries, smoked baloney with pepper jack cheese and smothered onions, and the other had smoked baloney with pepper jack cheese and a small bowl of Mac & cheese, the other sister had barbecue pulled pork sandwich and the Mac & cheese and I ordered the Mac & cheese with a barbecue pulled pork with the sweet barbecue sauce with chopped green topper. The two with the smoked baloney were surprised just how good that sandwich was. They loved it and said it was very tasty. The sister, with the barbecue pulled pork, said hers was just yummy 😋. The sweet potato fries were crispy and very tasty. I had ordered the Mac & Cheese pulled pork with the sweet barbecue sauce topped with chopped green onions. Oh man ... it was to die for. I mean, it was melt in your mouth good. Every bite you wanted one more. 😋 This is an excellent place to eat. The atmosphere was like going to a barbecue with your fam 👪🇺🇸 Just overall welcoming. The pricing was affordable. The interior was a down-home country invitation. It is located near the local golf course with beautiful scenery. I highly recommend this particular restaurant, the Old 30 Barbecue named after the...

I recently ordered barbecue from this establishment and was genuinely surprised to receive only a single portion of sauce, with an added charge for any extras. For a restaurant that specializes in barbecue, where sauce is arguably as essential as the meat itself, this policy feels both stingy and short sighted.

Would the same rule apply if I were dining in? Are seated guests also rationed to a single serving of sauce and charged for more? Somehow I doubt it. The entire approach undermines the spirit of barbecue, which traditionally reflects abundance, warmth, and generosity, not penny pinching.

Unfortunately, the stinginess was not the only issue. The barbecue itself was some of the worst I have had. As for the sauce, in hindsight, I am glad I was not given more; it was equally unimpressive, bordering on unpleasant.

To make matters worse, they serve frozen fries instead of fresh cut. This is a lazy and disappointing choice that further signals a lack of pride in what is being served. When even the sides feel phoned in, it speaks volumes about the kitchen’s priorities.

The only thing that was remotely decent was the baked beans. They were passable, though certainly not enough to redeem the rest of the meal.

To top it off, the woman working the to go counter was incredibly pushy and had a flat, monotone personality that made the interaction feel rushed and unpleasant. There was no warmth or sense of hospitality, just a transactional exchange with no effort to make the customer feel welcome.

I have traveled extensively across the United States and have had barbecue in every major region from Texas to the Carolinas, Kansas City to Memphis and I know good barbecue when I taste it. This was not it.

Frankly, the only reason this place maintains its current rating is because most people simply do not know any better. For anyone who has experienced real regional barbecue, the quality here would be an obvious letdown.

In short, between the underwhelming food, frozen sides, pushy service, and the baffling surcharge for basic condiments, this experience missed the...