Shady Oak Barbeque & Grill — Restaurant in Fort Worth

A Disappointing Dining Experience at Shady Oaks

When I first entered the restaurant, I was excited for a pleasant dining experience. Unfortunately, it quickly turned into one of the worst restaurant experiences I’ve ever had. From the moment I sat down, the prices on the menu were shockingly high for what they were offering. As I would soon find out, the food was not only overpriced but also of incredibly poor quality.

I ordered a rack of ribs and a side of mac and cheese, expecting a hearty meal. However, when the food arrived, I was stunned by how little there was. The ribs looked like they’d been picked clean before they even got to my plate. There was barely any meat on them, just a few sad scraps hanging off the bone. As for the mac and cheese, it was even worse.

When I say that the mac and cheese had rust in it, I mean it literally. At first, I thought there might be some spices in the dish, but on closer inspection, I realized there were actual specks of rust. It was disgusting, and I couldn’t believe this had passed any kind of kitchen inspection. Needless to say, I couldn’t eat it.

As bad as the food was, the service was somehow even worse. My waiter, Daryll, made the experience unbearable. From the moment he came to take my order, he had an attitude that was both rude and dismissive. He seemed like he had no interest in being there, and it felt like I was a burden just for sitting at his table. His demeanor was sour, and his interactions with me were laced with impatience and irritation.

Throughout the meal, Daryll kept checking in on me, but not in a friendly, professional way. It was more like he was hovering, constantly reminding me to finish up and pay the bill. I hadn’t even had the chance to finish what little food I had before he started hinting that I should settle the check. It felt like I was being rushed out, even though the restaurant wasn’t busy.

When the check came, I was shocked to see that a gratuity tip had already been added, without any warning or explanation. I didn’t appreciate the lack of transparency, and when I asked Daryll about it, he lied. He tried to claim that it was a standard practice, but I knew that wasn’t true. Adding a gratuity is typically reserved for larger parties, and I was dining alone.

What made it worse was how insistent he was that I pay the gratuity. It wasn’t optional, according to him, and he kept pushing me to pay right away. His pressure tactics were not only uncomfortable but completely inappropriate. I was left feeling cheated and manipulated.

I also noticed that there seemed to be discrepancies in the amounts on the check. When I asked for clarification, Daryll was evasive and seemed irritated that I would even question it. He gave me no clear answer, which only made me more suspicious about what was going on.

To add insult to injury, the overall dining atmosphere was disappointing. The restaurant was dimly lit, and not in a cozy, romantic way—more like they were trying to hide how shabby the place really was. The tables were sticky, and the general cleanliness left a lot to be desired.

At no point during my meal did I feel valued as a customer. The combination of terrible food, rude service, and sneaky billing practices left a bad taste in my mouth—literally and figuratively. It’s one thing to have a bad meal, but it’s another to feel like the staff doesn’t care about your experience.

I left the restaurant feeling like I had been taken advantage of. I had paid far too much money for a meal that I couldn’t even eat, and the service was so poor that it ruined any chance of me ever coming back. I can confidently say that I won’t be recommending this restaurant to anyone.

The restaurant didn’t just fail to meet my expectations—it was a complete disaster from start to finish. I wouldn’t even give this place one star if I had the option. Daryll’s behavior, in particular, was a major factor in how terrible my experience was. He clearly has no business being in the...

TL;DR- stop looking. You’ve found your barbecue place. Friendly staff, great service and delicious food is what you will get here.

I chose this place because it was near my hotel. Upon arrival, I saw the parking lot was about 80% full I’d guess. It was around a late dinner time. There was a short line of people picking up to go orders. I didn’t place an order online, so I placed my to go order in person. In the time I was waiting, maybe 8-10 minutes, I was surprised at what I saw. I was checked on by 4 employees. I was offered a beverage-while-I-wait by two of those employees. And this wasn’t JUST checking on customers. They made friendly chat, asked about how I was doing and what I’d ordered. I watch several employees offering to help the employee working on the to go orders. The short line was moving quickly, there were just several orders taking place. I heard the staff laughing together and even singing together. Everybody there seemed to be having a great time and they all seemed interested in providing good service to the customers. I received my order (brisket, chicken, spicy beans and cinnamon apples) and headed back to my hotel. The brisket was melt-in-your-mouth tender. And flavorful. After my first bite, I switched to the chicken. I wanted my last bite to be the brisket. The chicken was so delicious! I was 4 bites in before I realized I hadn’t even tried the bbq sauce. I finished the protein on the tray. I was getting a little full, but after seeing how they had totally nailed the brisket and chicken, I had to see how the sides tasted. I took my first bite of the spicy beans. Holy cow! I like spicy food (this wasn’t overly spicy at all), but what these beans delivered was an amazing flavor with a hint of heat. Nothing overpowering within the flavor profile. A real balance of flavor where you can appreciate each of the items involved. So tasty. I finished the beans. By this point, I was actually full. I powered through it and tasted the apples. I’m not a “sweets” kind of guy, but they were darned tasty as well. If I’d have had the room, I’m sure I would have finished them as well.

Long story short; the friendliness of the staff, the customer service and amazing food mean I will make it a point to stop by here anytime I can. You should DEFINITELY check...

Let me say that I have worked in the food service industry for over half of my life so it take a lot for me to write a negative review about a restaurant based on the service received. If anyone understands that we all have bad days, it’s me. But this was just poor service all around from the entire restaurant staff which includes the management. We visited earlier this evening and had 4 adults and 1 child who required a high chair to be seated. We were seated without a high chair. The manager who stopped by our table a few moments after we were seated to bring us silverware was also asked for a high chair for the table, he didn’t return. The server then came to greet the table and I was still standing holding our 2 year old as I was waiting for the high chair that we now had asked three times for. Our server brought one to the table. All was fine, until the food was served. Only 2 of the 4 of us received food. The food runner did not ask us if we were waiting on more food, as she had the ticket with only those couple items on it. The server came by to let us know that she would be back with a refill for my daughter and that the rest of the food would be out very soon. The refill never arrived. About 15 mins went by after we saw the waitress last and she asked if they still had not received food and was going to check the kitchen. At this point, the 2 of us that did receive food were finished eating. She came back to the table a few moments later and had to re-take our order as she did not remember what we wanted nor did the kitchen have a ticket for anything else as it was not rang in with the other food. We were told it would be out in a few minutes, and after waiting about 15 mins we were just ready to leave as it was a very poor experience overall. We then received a check for over $55.00 for 2 dinners. Paid and left. At no point did a manager even stop by our table to apologize for the delay in service or even attempt to make it right. It seemed as though this server may have been new, however she should have someone working in a section nearby that is watching over to make sure she doesn’t need any assistance or help her out on occasion...