Bessinger's BBQ — Restaurant in Charleston

This review is based on the BBQ Buffet side of the restaurant, not the sandwich shop.

My husband is stuck in Charleston on business, so the family and I decided to visit him on one of his days off. Having a hankering for BBQ, and doing some research, I suggested eating at Bessinger's and we chose the buffet side of the establishment. We have regretted that decision. :/

First, there is no pricing posted for the buffet before you go inside. There is a pricing menu for the drive-thru, which I'm assuming is for the sandwich shop, and seeing those prices appeared reasonable, I figured we were probably looking at $10-11 per adult. WRONG.

After finding a table and heading to the buffet line, we saw that the pricing was $13.95 per adult, and then pricing for the children ended at 9 years old. Normally we are able to get 4 adults and 1 child, since my youngest is 10, but with their pricing, we were at 5 adults. Although sweet tea is included for free with the adult price, soda's were an additional $2.29. That is an astounding price, in my opinion.

The cost would not have hurt so much if the food turned out to be good, but alas, it was not, with the exception of the pulled pork and the coleslaw. The green beans were very mushy, my husband said the pot roast was dry, and the mashed potatoes were overcooked. For a place that was voted Best BBQ in South Carolina, I was utterly disappointed.

My husband and I then put on our "Restaurant Impossible" hats and took a look at the decor and surroundings. We immediately noticed that the air vents were dirty, and there were spots on the ceiling that appeared to be mold growth. The air vents over the buffet line were dirty as well. I sincerely hope that this was not a sign of the cleanliness in the food prep areas in the kitchen.

As we went to check out, our bill came to $82.17. The food was not worth it at all. As we left the restaurant, my husband spoke exactly what I was thinking - "For an extra $20, we could have gone back to the restaurant we went to the last time and had a great meal that we would have enjoyed!"

This was definitely a learning experience. Do not go to the buffet. We certainly will...

Way over priced and they served me bloody undercooked PORK RIBS....I was sick for days while trying to help a friend who had a major surgery the next day. Also I requested a replacement for the ribs blood was pouring out of my and the lady rolled her eyes no apology nothing, then gave me tiny little ribs with barely anything on them that were STILL BLOODY. They should be required to use a food thermometer that's really ridiculous when you know how unsafe that is when you're dealing with pork!!!!

This place used to be very good I recommended it to my friend that day (May 9, 2024), thankfully she had no problem with her meat because that would've been very bad for her the following day having a surgery. The chicken wings thankfully were good the corn bread many ranges about was dry disgusting and flavorless but the food that WAS good didn't make up for the horrible customer service and being sick for days after... you can see how far I got before I realized blood was pouring into my mouth...(see picture provided) I thought they were just extremely fatty and then have them a little squeeze...Disgusting... I should've got my money back once I got sick with my stomach all tore up the entire 4 days I was there and longer.

Unfortunately I did not have time for me I needed to be there for my friend. They should have to pay for my emergency room visit that I had to make once I got home on day 5... and doctors office visit on day 6 the following day because it got that bad and a $42 refund...

Pretty disappointed we stopped to eat here. The parking lot was empty at 5p on a Saturday, walked in and it was totally empty, I was skeptical at this point. The girl who took our order was unhelpful and overwhelming when we told her we haven’t been here before. Right off the bat- $10 up charge for brisket and turkey bringing our total for two people to a whopping $75!!! We tipped $10 which was the minimum on the screen… although I have absolutely no idea why. You are cattle called to come get your food over a microphone, a lot of the tables are dirty, the only option for sauce on your food AT A BBQ JOINT- was mustard (laughable). We had to walk up to the counter to ask for some kind of barbecue- and you receive no service at the table and have to bus your own table. Again—- $10 tip for what???

The food was edible, but not good. The Mac and cheese had no flavor and I got all of the burnt cheese top pieces, the noodles underneath have no cheese covering them- just buttered noodles. The beans are way over peppered and so both sides were thrown into the trash :(

The pulled pork was edible when covered in BBQ although I had to pick through a bunch of fat. Turkey was dry.

The bathrooms were dirty. Open no-lid trash cans overflowing with used feminine products and trash and paper all over the floor. Almost zero tissue in the dispenser. Sorry to pick this place apart, but I was extremely disappointed and wish I didn’t...