North Georgia BBQ & Oyster Shop — Restaurant in Gainesville

Recently went here for lunch with a friend. I had heard good things of the original North Georgia BBQ locations in Dahlonega and Cleveland so when I found out that they had opened a location in Gainesville, I was very curious to try. The interior of the new restaurant looked great with a bar at the side and a big open dining area. As this was both our first time eating here, we decided to go with the fan favorites: The Brisket plate and the Pig Melt. The Pig melt was a pulled pork & cheese sandwich with Texas toast for the bread with a side of French Fries and tangy BBQ sauce. The Brisket plate consisted of 2 large cuts of brisket with 1 slice of Texas toast and 2 side items. My friend picked the collard greens and mac 'n cheese. For BBQ sauce, he picked a spicy one. The Pig Melt was delicious with juicy pulled pork and the toast was neither too greasy or burnt, just right. The french fries were seasoned well, crunchy on the outside, but soft on the inside. My friend's brisket was quite a surprise. We both agreed that it was a good cut of brisket neither too dry nor too fatty, just right. The Collard Greens and Mac 'n Cheese were also great as well. The brisket was so big that my friend had to get a to-go box for it which our server happen to notice and went to grab one instinctively before he could ask. Such good customer service! We both left stuffed but satisfied with the restaurant. We both look forward to what other things are offered like their oysters and...

We have been to here 4 times now so I feel like we have a good understanding of the food and the service. I will start with they have excellent service, top notch. They are nice, quick and efficient. But I will also mention I have never been there where there was a crowd at all, usually the place is nearly empty when we have been there. As far as the food goes, the BBQ is okay in my opinion, but nothing spectacular. We have had the chicken liver, but they are over fried. The Brunswick stew is good, not great. The mac and cheese is extremely peppery, which isn’t my thing, but may be the best for others. My biggest issue is that they don’t print on the menu or anywhere else the 7 BBQ sauces they give you so you have to ask every single time and then have to have the server describe them all. Why wouldn’t yall print them out so people can make a better choice? The kicker is that you can choose two and get little condiment cups of them, but anything more you gotta pay extra for? Really? Since great BBQ is about the sauce, they should all be available for tasting before you have to make a choice and I should be able to choose as much as I want without paying extra. Never been to a BBQ that makes me pay for extra sauce....

We went on the 4th of July 🎆 so it was not very crowded. Its just a short walk from Gainesville square. There is parking around them as well. Its an open layout with a full bar. Staff was polite. Our waiter was friendly. Its an relaxed dining experience. We started with the fried okra and smoked chicken wings. The wings had nice crispy skin. The Korean BBQ sauce was a good choice. The fried okra isn't battered so it's a different take, we both enjoyed it. We then had a 1/2 dozen oysters. My SO said they were delicious and liked the malt vinegar with a little onion in it. Cocktail sauce was good as well. For our meals we had the brisket sandwich and the pig melt. The sauces we choose were the sweet and the Carolina gold. I particularly liked the CG sauce. I'm thinking the sauces are made in house. Brisket and pork were excellent. Fries and Brunswick stew were the sides. We enjoyed this meal all around. Its "traditional" BBQ. I would say asked for extra sauces, I like it messy. My SO noted the bark on the brisket had a peppery bite so be ready for that. 😜We definitely will be back to try some of the other items. We both give this a 👍and highly recommend you check this...