MISSION BBQ — Restaurant in Lexington Park

I have only recently heard of Mission BBQ and while in town for business this week, decided to give the California, MD, location a try.. I'm happy I did..

I'll talk atmosphere first and then transition to the food.. This location puts off an industrial lodge kind of vibe, with wafts of aroma from the smoker, and many vertical spaces adorned with military, law enforcement, and other donated patches, along with framed pictures, flags, and gear such as helmets.. I found myself meandering around the restaurant before ordering and after eating just taking it all in..

Let's talk food now, shall we?!? Mission BBQ offers a handful of smoked meats including lean and moist brisket, pork, turkey, chicken, and sausage, all available as plated entrées or sandwiches..

There are a plethora of salads and sides to cater to any palate, and they offer a whole host of fountain and bottled beverages to wash everything down with..

On this visit, I tried the two-meat sampler with lean brisket and turkey.. I added the green beans and smoked corn on the cob, which was billed as a seasonal side..

As far as sauces are concerned, there are six different sauces tableside and a Baja Bold available on request at the counter.. I opted for the latter, a blend of habanero and mango that was decidedly sweet with a really nice kick!! I tried three of the six at the table, too..

The brisket and turkey were amply portioned, were moist, and had an incredibly balanced flavor.. The green beans were well seasoned and teeming with bits of white onion and bacon, which cemented their place as a savory side for the meal.. The smoked corn on the cob was good, too.. I enjoyed that it didn't carry too much smokiness that would detract from what it is..

As an added bonus, Mission BBQ throws a really tasty piece of sweet cornbread out there to round out the meal.. My piece was moist and had a wonderfully sweet flavor..

All in all, they've thought about literally everything.. At the drink station there's a repurposed tool box chock full of condiments, wet naps, and anything else you might need to enjoy your meal..

I am sold on the concept and they delivered outstanding eats and customer service to boot.. As another added bonus, they offered me their strawberry shortcake for being a first-time veteran guest, so that was just the icing on the cake.. Pun intended..

So, if you enjoy BBQ and have a Mission BBQ near you, saunter down and give them a try.. I doubt...

I don't know at what point I became a BBQ snob, but after a long time in the south I am always leery of BBQ places outside of SEC territory. However, Mission BBQ is legit. I actually went there twice in a week to see if there was a difference between dine-in and take out, and it doesn't matter. Their BBQ holds up.

When I ate in, I ordered my go-to first time test of brisket and sausage to see what is up. I'm not a brisket fan, but it is a telltale of a good joint and theirs was moist, good smoke flavor, and tender. It melts in the mouth. The sausage was nice, though personally I prefer a non-cheese sausage which I didn't see offered. It too was tender and flavorful. The second time I went in, I got spare ribs for take away. When I opened the box, I was (at first) surprised/annoyed that they weren't sliced. The moment I picked them up, I knew why. These were some of the most tender, fall of the bone ribs I have ever had. They were amazing. Again, they have a mild smoke flavor that accentuates (not buries) the rib. The rub seems to have a bit more chili powder than I prefer, but it does not detract from the food. At the table and for take away are six regional sauce offerings so you can find one that suits your needs. (Though it isn't really needed)

Mission BBQ offers standard sides. I tried the beans, coleslaw, mac and cheese, and collard greens. All were fine. (I'd put the beans in the pit a bit longer to get more smoke in them) I'd avoid the corn bread that seems to come with most meals. They can save some money and just leave it off the plate. It was probably the only thing I didn't care for as it just tastes like Jiffy mix with nothing in it. Toss in some corn, cheese, or chilis and it would be much better.

The restaurant's atmosphere is nice. It's a bit loud inside which makes it hard to hear when ordering. They have nice outdoor seating which is a bit quieter if you are hard of hearing like me. The last thing that really impressed me with Mission was the speed of service. When I went for take-away, it was a Friday evening at 6pm. I expected to be there a while. To my surprise, I was in and out with my food in under 5 minutes. They are an efficient operation that churns out high-quality Q....

On my family's very first visit to this restaurant all of the food was fantastic with one, very minor, exception. My wife went to the counter, not to complain, but to let them know about it. The person she mentioned it to just happened to be the district manager. He offered to take off the item with the issue but my wife insisted that she just wanted them to know about it and the rest of the food was great so we weren't worried about it. After a few minutes the district manager came over to our table and was super apologetic, gave reason for the issue, and said it was something they needed to train to. He proceeded to say that even though it was minor he wanted to strive for perfect EVERY time. He wound up comping the entire meal, gave us vouchers for future visits, and brought us complimentary dessert. He then hung out with us for several minutes talking about the company history, how they cook their food, what they do for first responders, the local area, and asked about us and our history. I really couldn't have asked for a better experience, and if I could rate it higher than five stars I would.

As for the food itself, all of the meats had a nice smokey flavor and were not dry like you see at some other chain BBQ restaurants. The sides were fantastic too. Beans flavorful, green beans were full of flavor and tender but not mushy, mac n cheese was pretty good (I like mine with a bit sharper cheese flavor), collard greens were delicious. The sauces, while they do have several, I wasn't a big fan of. They weren't bad, but I'm very picky about sauce and none of them hit the mark for me. Most people will probably find one or two that they really like.

Altogether, a very great place to eat and great service to go with the fantastic food. My family will be going back again soon.

UPDATE Returned here after too long of a wait and everything was fantastic. I got the half chicken this time and it has SO much smoke flavor. The meat was very juicy as well. Can't say enough good...