Chester's Barbecue — Restaurant in Groton

We stayed in Groton for a short weekend get away, and for dinner we had a hankering for BBQ. a quick search turned up this establishment, and it got pretty good reviews, so we thought we would give it a try.

well, let me tell you, if you like traditional southern barbecue, this is the place for you! food is excellently cooked in the traditional style (things are smoked and sauce is served on the side if you want to dip. food has pink rings and is excellent quality.

we ordered several things to sample what they have:

first thing: the North Carolina pulled pork. this is extremely tender pulled pork dressed with some vinegar. this was probably the BEST dish of our sampling. even my picky 4 year old ate and ate and ate it.

next: spare ribs. st. louis style. i'm not a huge fan of baby back ribs... too much work, not enough meat. they are easier to cook then the st. louis style ribs though. but that didnt stop the ribs from being perfectly smoked and seasoned. not too dry, not too moist. the dry rub on the is amazing! they should sell jars of it, though it is probably a secret formula.

next: beef back ribs. this is an under considered barbecue cut. but i love it. rich flavor, a big bone to suck on, and if done correctly, quite satisfying. this is where i had my first issue, but it is only minor. they were a little bit overcooked and dry. beef back ribs can be tough to cook. maybe even harder then short ribs. they were seasoned quite nice, but they didn't have the same "fall off the bone" quality as the pork ribs. it can be tough to get them 100% perfect, and my guess is they are not a big seller. beef ribs are a lot more sinewy then other cuts, and you want to make sure everything is cooked fully. that didn't stop the flavor from being spot-on though. still extremely satisfying.

we got sides and sauces to go with our main entrees:

Cornbread: very good. if i were to guess, it is home made from scratch, not jiffy mix. i loved it! my wife would have preferred jiffy. it was light and pillowey. not too sweet, and full of flavor.

rice and beans: very traditionally styled. this is stewed beans mixed with fresh rice and some peppers/onions/etc. very southern (as opposed to Louisianan style). i gobbled them up.

Potato Salad and Baked Beans: honestly, i didn't get a chance to taste these. my wife ate them all before i had a chance to try them. this is probably a good sign, because if there was anything bad about them, she would have had me taste them. but they were gone before i had a chance.

BBQ Sauce: they have 2 types: sweet and spicy. very similar flavor profiles but definitely different sauces. this was my second sticking place, but it really comes down to a matter of taste. both of them were very tomato-y. there is nothing wrong with this. i just prefer a more vinegary sauce. i do like things hot and the spicy sauce doesn't disappoint. not overly hot-i-need-a-glass-of-milk, but a definite zing. the sweet sauce went quite well with the pork ribs. the spicy with the beef ribs, and the north Carolina pulled pork didn't need anything. but, again, i say that bbq sauce is a personal preference, depending on where you come from in the country.

if you made it this far in my review, great! all in all, this is a great place! prices are good, we got all of our food for under $50, ordered online, and was ready to be picked up when i got there. this is a must stop for any...

I walked into Chester's BBQ for the first time to get some lunch. The place was dark, nearly void of customers, and didn't smell very pleasant. I walked to the counter to order and there was a lady sweeping who was the cashier. I said 'hello' and wasn't greeted back. My first impression wasn't very good, but I was hungry and was told that it was a good place to go.

The cashier asked me what I wanted and I asked for two pulled pork sandwiches. I was quickly asked what I wanted with my order, like what kind of bread and sauce. I felt unpleasantly rushed when I asked what the options were for breads and sauces (they are Texas toast or hard bun with either sweet, tangy, or sweet and tangy sauce). For two sandwiches it cost $19.12. A bit steep for just a couple sandwiches, but I assumed they'd be amazing. Waiting for my number to be called I sat in the dark dining room, where most of the light came from the windows out front.

When my number was called I walked up and said 'thank you', but no one cared to even look up at me from the other side of the counter. When I had my sandwich the first bite I had was nearly all fat and bread. Other than that the pulled pork was okay, but I could get better pulled pork at Groton Town House or Texas steakhouse​ for less with much more food on my plate.

From my first experience at Chester's BBQ I will never go back to it. Maybe it was a bad day for them, maybe not. Regardless it was an absolutely...

I don’t eat a lot of barbecue out despite it being one of my favorites, just because there’s so much good food out there but this wasn’t just barbecue, it was better than when I imagine the taste of barbecue in my head. It tasted like if I were trying to describe how amazing the experience of food is to someone who had never had it. The ribs were exceptional, in flavor and how they came off the bone, the perfect tenderness and char. We got the sampler and the pork and brisket were to die for. The Mac and beans and Cole slaw were the perfect sides, you get three. And we saved the chicken for later but absolutely delicious. Tastes like true barbecue, not all the overly sweet flavor you can often associate but the actual genuine flavor of the meat. Their sauce is to die for, just right, not overly sweet, but you get the true flavors of the meat coming through, complemented by not drowned in sauce, although you can do that too if you like more sauce! Even their Cole slaw tastes delightful, so fresh with a little crunch, not too sweet or mayonnaisey, just the perfect balance. Definitely a road trip stop or if you’re in the area. We stopped because our New Haven picks were closed on a Sunday but my boyfriend remembered this place from his childhood trips and said it was worth the extra couple miles! Happy we found...