Rib City - Grand Junction — Restaurant in Grand Junction

I have eaten BBQ in the top 5 Zagat's rated BBQ restaurants in the US from Jack Stack's in KC to Sunny Bryant's in Dallas and this place is as good as I've had. I say this despite the fact that we did not have a perfect experience on our first trip but we cannot wait to get back. First off, our waitress Mindy, was incredible, very friendly and upbeat and very attentive. The very nice manager walked the room touching all of the tables. They have a full BBQ menu including different regional style ribs, brisket, chicken and pulled pork. They also have a small but interesting Appetizer menu. We shared the hand battered onion rings and they were delicious! My wife and I both ordered the 1/2 and 1/2 rib platters and both chose the baby back and St. Louis style ribs. Great sides to choose from and we ordered cole slaw, baked beans and mac and cheese, which all tasted great. They have five different sauces on the table and it was fun exploring them on our ribs. The St. Louis style ribs were big, meaty and had a very delicious smoky flavor. The only catch was that they brag at the top of their menu that their baby back ribs will fall off the bone or your money back. Both of ours were a little over cooked and too dry to fall off the bone, but we still enjoyed them. When the manager asked, we politely told her but said we didn't want anything, just thought that she should know. She offered ribs to go, we said thanks anyway, then dessert, we said not necessary. She then came back with the check with both our meals comped and we said that was not necessary, we would like to pay for our food. She smiled and said, that's what we do here. I have no doubt that they don't have to honor their guarantee much here, and the ribs were so good when not falling off the bone, we can't wait to get some more when they are! PS, Wednesday special is 25 cent domestic beer and $1 micro beer when...

We ordered two meals: two meat dinner (ribs, 4: good flavor, not as freshly made as some we have had; & pulled pork,4.5) with side potato salad, 5 (loved the mix of potato with some of the skin still on, creamy base, very delish and freshly made) and a side salad with ranch dressing. Second meal was a smoked beef sandwich, 5 (Texas toast for the bread, healthy amount of sliced beef, with a sauce of horseradish/ranch on the side- had to ask for it, Yum!) with a side salad with blue cheese, 5. The side salads were very good with 3-4 grape tomatoes, 2 sliced cucumbers, shredded carrots, fresh mixed lettuce, and the dressings were home made quality, large chunks of blue cheese. Tables were clean with prompt table cleaning by bus service, waitress service was prompt, and food quality excellent. Only recommendation is to clean or check floors when cleaning tables, and please thoroughly wipe down all sauce bottles; BBQ is messy and it’s very unclean to have sticky bottles with last guest chunks on the bottle. We will definitely return. Easy to share a meal in order to save room for a dessert. We thought prices were reasonable with...

This restaurant is located in a strip mall, and is a bit of a drive to get to from the Interstate, if you're just passing through.

The restaurant does not have much in the way of decor customization-- it looks like what it is: a commercial space sandwiched between other shops-- but it was clean, and the waitstaff were friendly and helpful.

I opted for the "Tony Combo," which is a rack of baby back ribs and a choice of meat, choosing dark meat chicken (white meat was an option, as well as other types of meat), bbq beans, and green beans.

The ribs came from a smaller pig, as they were smaller than I get from other restaurants and the grocery store, but it had the full number of bones, and the amount of meat was proportional to the price of the meal; a normal-sized rack would be a steal.

Both the ribs and chicken were fully and properly cooked and moist, and the meat and sides were all delicious.

In summary, the value of the meal was high, the food was delicious, the staff were friendly, and the facility was clean though a little out-of-the-way. I would dine here again, the next time I...