Phat Daddy's BBQ — Restaurant in Ellettsville

My family and I decided to stop for some lunch after some energy burning at urban air just outside of Ellettsville. First time coming to Phat Daddy's BBQ and they did not disappoint! We were immediately welcomed upon walking in and a gentleman even gave us the inside info about some of the "off menu" options for my younger daughter and different ways to have the biggest bang for our buck! After ordering and grabbing our drinks and selecting our seating, we were greeted by the man himself, Phat Daddy Bruce, and made to feel like family. He introduced himself to my entire family asking their names and shaking each of our hands, telling us about himself and you could easily tell that the food was going ro be absolute heaven just hearing the passion in his voice about how his food is prepared and seeing the smile on his face and his energy flowing through every person in the building! Now onto the food itself, I said before you could tell by his words it would be heavenly but I'm not even sure that is a strong enough word to describe just how perfect these meals were! I had a grilled cheese with pulled pork and mac n cheese, the wife had Bruce's burger made with pulled pork, BBQ, in house slaw, and a smash burger with sidewinder fries, my youngest had nuggets and crinkle cut fries, and then our newest family member had a pulled pork quesadilla with green peppers and onions, and mac n cheese. Again words can not describe just how tender and juicy the pork was in everything, the mac n cheese using penne noodles with some table side house made bbq sauce over them just melted in our mouths. The quesadilla had such tremendous flavor and you could taste the beautiful mix of the veggies in with the pork itself. My youngest daughter enjoyed the nuggets and fries and loved the interaction with Bruce and even got a cupcake and sticker before leaving. As for my wife and the Bruce's burger, I will simply say I have gone out to eat now for many many years with this woman and very rarely have I ever seen her finish her entire plate none the less in the manner that she devoured that thing! It was pulled high with so many delicious toppings that I personally didn't think she'd make it even a quarter of the way and Bruce himself even teased her asking if she could handle it....but she smiled a winning grin when he came back around to check on everyone and showed him the empty plate letting him know that she had tried several versions of a pulled pork and slaw burger but never found one that was spot on perfection for everything until today. To Bruce and all the Phat Daddy's family, we thank you for an incredible experience and will be seeing you again and...

I really wanted to like this place. I would love to have a good BBQ place in the area buuuuuuttttttttt….. We walked into the front door and into a huge room and it was at least 80 degrees, no windows open, no ac nothing. You are herded into a line to order at a counter. Half the menu is on a TV and the other half written on chalkboards. The menus are lacking detailed information to make a complete ordering decision and makes the interaction at the counter unnecessarily long because you have to ask multiple questions that should be displayed on the menus. The sweet girl at the counter taking orders was inconsistent while asking us ordering questions. She asked my wife multiple questions that she didn't ask me and vice-versa which made things even more confusing. We chose to eat outside because it was so hot inside. The staff was nice enough to clean the outside table for us that nobody was busing. We got outside and sat down. We got our food quickly which was nice but unfortunately they forgot multiple things. It happens, no big deal. The young girl goes and tracks the missing items down. The portion size was good. The sides are served in what appears to be cheap metal dog food bowls. I got a pulled pork sandwich, side or fries and coleslaw and a pulled pork grilled cheese. My wife got a pulled pork sandwich, side of fries and mac n cheese. Both of our pulled pork was extremely dry. When I say dry I mean literally pork jerky and once we chewed it enough it oddly turns into pork powder. I wish I was kidding when I say I literally couldn't swallow it because it dried my mouth out so bad. The sauce was super sweet and bland at the same time and the rub they used just wasn't good. It tasted like chili seasoning. The coleslaw was soup. Cabbage was literally floating in a cup of dressing. The mac n cheese was 100% the fancy kraft mac n cheese. It wasn't horrible mac n cheese but come on! The fries were pretty good and the pulled pork grilled cheese was only good because the cheese rehydrated the pork. For the first time in my life, I bought a meal and immediately went to another restaurant and ate another meal. Sad! Definitely was...

Three stars for just starting out. I want you guys to succeed! We need a good, fun bbq place. I hope you are it. My first taste of Phat Daddy's was at a fair. Great food. We had pulled pork and brisket sandwiches with sides of mac and cheese. Pretty darn good fair food goes. Usual service, efficient and friendly enough. Fast forward to Phat Daddy's the restaurant. I had the same level of service which is not ok for a restaurant. It felt like they were still in fair mode where you don't have to deal with customers after the food is provided. Plenty of staff was buzzing around, but no attention to the customers. A women in the window, staff chatting near the sofa. I would have thought a big smile and welcome handshake for the first week would be normal. Nope. I was handed my glass for the drink but being new did not know I had to get my own drink. That's fine if that's how it's done. I just wasn't told. Again, fairground level service. My sandwich and fries came quickly. No choices for sauces were given. Maybe there is another sauce? My pork was not hot, just a little warm. It was a tad dry. The sauce provided a bit of moisture. The fries were hot and fresh. I was checked on once by a young woman. She gave a nice smile. I'm going back a few times and hope there will be improvement as the staff matures from fair mode to...