Woodstack — Restaurant in Georgia

Stopped in here today for a late lunch around 3PM on my way to Atlanta. Decided on barbeque and I wasn't a big fan of Smokin Pig last time I went through Valdosta, it was decent, but not "Top 10 in the country" like their billboards claim. I saw a sign for Woodstack and chose it. The location is just about a quarter of a mile past the other choice on the same side, it's a little tucked back in case you don't see it immediately, it's before the traffic light.

The restaurant itself must be very very new, everything is decorated well and up to date. It's completely clean and has a nice atmosphere. It has a split floorplan to separate the bar area from the main dining room, so it's a good choice for families or anyone else.

Garrison was my server and he was awesome! It wasn't too busy when I was there so that certainly helps, but I can tell by his enthusiasm that he enjoys his job there. He always made sure his tables were doing fine every 5-10 minutes. Made sure to go over details of specials and sauces. Definitely ask for him if he's there.

You're probably asking "what about the food?" This is the real "Top 10 in the country" type of food I expected from the other place. I'm not sure who Woodstack's pitmaster is, but he/she is doing an amazing job. I got the 2 meat plate with pulled pork and Burnt Ends. The pulled pork had great smoke rings, wasn't dry, and seasoned very well. Burnt Ends are a special item and according to Garrison, very popular and run out every day, I can see why. They take the 12 hour smoked brisket, cut the top layer of it off, put it in another rub/sauce, and smoke it for 3 more hours. The result is brisket that melts in your mouth and isn't overly salty like a lot of BBQ places end up doing. The mac n cheese was pretty good, creamy if you have a preference, but it's hard to stand out against the meats here. The fries were fine, I'm sure the other vegetable sides would be great, but I don't do vegetables, hah.

This will be my go to place on I-75 from now on and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves. Sorry my review was long winded, but there isn't much on Google yet so I wanted to cover the bases most people will wanna know. It's rare for me to think a restaurant deserves 5 stars, Woodstack definitely does.

Edit: forgot about sauces! The sweet and spicy was best. The original smokehouse was good, but just kinda average sauce. I'm a huge fan of Carolina mustard sauces, Woodstack's was not very good to me, just too much mustard without any sweet balance. I don't like vinegar based sauce so I didn't try that one. I mixed the Sweet and Spicy with the Original Smokehouse on the pulled pork, was...

I am unable to find words that can cage the experience I had at Woodstack BBQ. I will try my best.

The food is by far the best BBQ I have ever had in my quarter century of life. They carry a wide variety of sauces and a menu that isn't too big, but isn't too small.

A thing I believe they deserve praise for is the fact that the chef has a couple new entres every week. You'll always find a couple new (temporary) items to try that week. I had the Smoked Caribbian Pulled Pork; A wonderful melody of pineapple, green onion, and pulled pork. My girlfriend had their ribs and it was by far the crispiest, jucieist ribs I've ever tasted.

The portions of the meal are perfect. Not too little to make you want more, but not too much where you can split it with someone else.

The staff is very kind and knowledgeable about the menu.

The alcholoic drinks are very well made.

The atmosphere is very "old time-y" but not obnoxious. Very clean.

They had live music while I was there, and it was a tad loud, but it didn't effect us at all. Nothing over the top, just local artists with accoustic instruments. There is seating away from the music if it isn't your fancy.

As for the price, expect to pay roughly $15-$20 per adult depending on what you...

We were in town from Idaho for a few days visiting family, and just needed a quick lunch on our way back to Atlanta to catch our flight. My sister said she had heard Woodstack was good so we gave it a try. WHAT?!!! I wish we would have come here earlier in our trip… We would have eaten here multiple times had we known. We were blown away by every aspect of the restaurant. Service was phenomenal, super friendly greeting and quick table service. The FOOD! Wow. Some of the best BBQ I have ever had. Maybe the best. Quality meat, the brisket was perfectly cooked and moist. All the sides were thought out and done right. Everything was well seasoned, the sauces were not too sweet. We didn’t get cocktails or desserts but you could tell so much thought went into those lists and menus. I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that as a restaurant owner and chef myself, I always try to give places some grace and not judge too harshly as I know how difficult it can be. But when a place just SHINES in every way, like this one does, it deserves to be recognized. Bravo. We will absolutely be back next time we...