Ted's Bar-B-Q — Restaurant in Huntsville

My coworkers wanted to order out today. They suggested Ted's. One coworker had cash, and 3 of us ordered online. I called in another order with cash. The lady on the other end of the line was yelling that she could not hear my phone number. I just kept repeating it, politely and clearly.

I drove to Ted's, fully intending to park and get out of the car to obtain our orders. There were zero parking spaces. This is not their fault. I went to the drive thru. I didn't have another option. This is also not my fault.

At the window, I told Julie I had 4 orders. I said, "I'm so sorry, there weren't any parking spaces or I'd have come in." She huffed and rolled her eyes. As a person that even now works a form of customer service, I am overly polite, and appreciate anyone performing any service for me. It was sweltering outside today, and you don't cook bbq in the cold. I want you to know I identified the heat as a possible source of added frustration that she can't help. I left without my order. To be fair, I was one of the online orders and a phone order, but I tried to explain this to her. She was too busy being angry I was in the drive thru.

You get a 3, because the fella that answered the phone was polite, and refunded my money. I also know this can't be the easiest job, and that plenty of the public are jerks. I am not! Be mean to the mean people instead of the ones empathizing with what you may have going. Everyone is entitled to a bad day, but your attitude is ugly, and I'd bet dollars to donuts you were the rude lady on the phone too.

My coworkers food looked good, while I ate from the café, so you get a 4 for food. Service would be a 1 if it weren't for the fella on the other end of the phone line. I...

If you are from Alabama you should be ashamed to call this a BBQ restaurant . If you are from up north I can't blame you because Bless Your Hearts you simply do not know any better . This is a faux BBQ restaurant aka FAKE ! Even the wannabee "Blues" theme is a ridiculously sanitized pathetic ripoff of great independent REAL Southern juke joints .I dare anyone to show me a puff of smoke coming out of one of their locations ever ! My last experience ( out of desperation have given them 1/2 doz shots a various locations ) was of a 1/2 chicken that appeared to be have cooked in a microwave - it certainly had never been near a flame as was apparent by the pasty tan rubbery thick fatty skin that should be dark brown / black thin & crispy . I suspect they cook in a commissary somewhere in a low temp electric oven with a dollop of liquid smoke ( or some fake "bbq" gas cooker where u add a stick or two of wood for flavor ) , whatever they are doing it is an insult to Southern Culture , sadly real authentic good bbq is all but non-existent in Huntsville , better to go to Decatur ,Birmingham or at least out in the county to Mary's or New Market . However if you like places like Chili's , Applebees & Ruby Tuesdays and think Golden Corral is good eating , well you might just love this place.. If they want to fix it , hire a REAL pit master & put in a REAL pit -- - a real bbq joint has a screened in door , rickety tables & SMOKE lots & lots of SMOKE ! Alas they appear to be wildly successful which says more about the local customer base and abysmal local dining scene mired in mediocrity in this town...

Our group of four travel a lot and are passionate about our BBQ. We like to try every BBQ place we can and with years of tasting we can confidently say that the food we had at Ted's Bar-B-Q on Friday, February 28, 2025 was the best we’ve had in many years. The BBQ meat was tender and fulll of flavor. The buns held up beautifully and did not get soggy like so many we have encountered at other places. What really took it to the next level was the homemade BBQ sauce. It was rich, flavorful, and with just the right balance of tang and sweetness. Even the French fries were expertly cooked crispy on the outside and perfect on the inside. The Brunswick stew was really good, hearty, and full of flavor. The sweet tea was also very good, not too sweet but just perfect. Portion sizes were generous but not overwhelming leaving us comfortably full without feeling stuffed. The service was spot on, friendly and efficient. Wish I had taken a few more photos but there was a lot of people eating. Our party all agree that Ted’s Bar-B-Q is a place we look forward to on our next visit...