City Barbeque — Restaurant in Liberty Township

I met the new (to me) manager Emily Smith. She took my order and arranged our sides with our sandwiches to save us a couple of dollars, which was very thoughtful. She was very friendly and personable when I asked her when the sweet potato casserole will come back. Emily made sure we had some extra sauce and called me by name twice, which I doesn't often happen at a business. We've been going to the Powell City BBQ since it opened about 20 years ago and have met many great managers. Emily is definitely a memorable one. The Powell City is in good hands with her!!! I hope to see her again when we visit next.

2025 Update! Enjoy Home Cooking with Friends at Powell City BBQ! My husband & I have been eating at City BBQ since we moved to Columbus OH in 1992. We’ve been to at least 3 here, 1 in Indy, and 1 in North Carolina. Our favorite City BBQ, which feels like home away from home, is the Powell store. It’s small, and everyone is so friendly it feels like having dinner with your friends or family! The mouth-watering smoked BBQ smell will hit you as soon as you get out of your car! My favorite meal is: *Pulled Pork Sandwich (soft & tender & you choose your own sauce—Original for me!) *Creamy Cole Slaw (yummy on my pulled pork!) *Corn Pudding (hot & sweet, and I ask for a piece with crust!) *Hush Puppies (I get 2 of my husband’s 8, piping hot, crispy! with a touch of onion) *Cornbread (soft, light & sweet; we get enough to take loaves home to have with salads) *Chocolate Chip Cookies (fresh baked & soft with lots of chocolate impact!) ? Sweet Tea (If you like it, OMG! It’s perfect, but very sweet) My husband gets Pulled Pork, Hush Puppies, Cornbread, and loves the *Texas Toast! Our son gets the New Seasonal Sandwich or Main Dish because he’s adventurous. He also shares the Hush Puppies & Cornbread. Sometimes we split the Corn Pudding & Cole Slaw. He & I occasionally share a hot *Peach Cobbler with Whipped Cream! I try to learn each employee by name because they’re all so welcoming, helpful, and fun! Right now, managers include laughing Alex, effusive Mia, friendly Harlan, joker Emily (review above) & big dawg/GM Tammy with Lucas, Mary, Alli, Maddie, Grace (Booyah!), Knighton, Roderick, Seth, Maria, Morgan, Ross, and Rosemary. They’re all wonderful!!! Thanks for being the best! This is where I go to either celebrate a good day or treat myself after a rough day. The Powell City BBQ is our favorite place to eat out! We give it 10...

On May 25, 2019 approximately 5 pm. City Barbecue in Powell. We chose City Barbecue passing through knowing that it was in the area, but landed ourselves in nothing more than fat, gristle, and disappointment. Ordered a full rack of ribs and full chicken.

With that said, of course you know it expensive. We don’t mind that because at other City Barbecue’s we received quality meant and service. We begin our order and this is the first part of our bad experience. The cashier obviously did NOT want to be at work on Memorial Day weekend. She rolled her eyes as were taking our time with choosing our order. I look behind me to see if we were holding up folks and not a soul in line. She confirmed the order with an attitude as if we were keeping her from life itself. It was bad enough for both my wife and myself to notice at one.

I run to the restroom to wash my hands, and they were hideously dirty. I felt as if I was at a truck stop gas station restroom in a horror movie. Urine all over the floor and towels thrown about because the trash can was not emptied. We receive our meals, I begin the full rack of ribs and wife begins the chicken. The ribs were over 50 percent fat and gristle and barely pulled any good meat off the bones. It was nearly unmanageable.

I noticed my wife having the same issue with the chicken. The chicken was so bad that she broke the braces in her mouth trying to remove meat from chicken. I have seriously had a better experience overall at KFC in the 90s. This City Barbecue is no where close to being quality service and food. You pay high dollar for terrible meat. That’s not it either. I go back up to the counter where the clerk still hates life. Not to complain, because I’m trying to maintain good mood for the weekend. I ask for two boxes, and she gives me one. I correct her and she gets the second. By far worst service I’ve ever received in a long time at any restaurant.

On the way out, no toothpicks to remove the fat and gristle from teeth, not meat. Instead of complaining, we simply decided to...

We ordered brisket, chicken, Mac & cheese, & string beans for a 24 people party 48 hours in advance. We asked to pick up our order at 4:30. When we arrived, we were told they were out of brisket & we could substitute something else or wait for a driver to return from another store with brisket. I told the guy in charge that it was unacceptable to be put in this position since I gave them more than adequate time to have the order and know what was needed for it to be filled in time for our pickup. We had guests arriving at 5:15. I waited until 4:50 (we did not want a substitute item) and asked the guy in charge the status of the driver. He was rude & basically told me he’s on his way. He knew I was not happy. He went to the ovens and said he “found” a brisket in an oven and said they would slice it and give me the whole thing. So, we left with the brisket and found that they did not provide any paper products or cutlery that was supposed to be included with the order. We called a few guests who brought plates, napkins, and cutlery to our family get together. The chicken was very good; the brisket was not. This “found” piece of meat was tough, the sliced pieces had to be cut with a steak knife. This “found” brisket must not have been cooked all the way. Usually, brisket will fall apart & shred easily. Last, they did provide us with buns. We had ordered enough for 24 people, but 1 package of buns actually had a missing bun so only 23. I spoke to someone after we found out about missing the paper products and asked for a $50 credit because of totally messing up our order. Had I waited to call them after trying the brisket, I would have asked for a $75 credit. This experience was awful & stressful knowing you have 24 people coming for dinner in less than 45 minutes. Not going back...