Bootleg Bar-B-Q — Restaurant in Louisville

Updated September 4, 2022.

Disappointing!

I find it appropriate to reduce the previous five star rating to two stars, and that's generous.

They're now open for indoor dining but my wife and I were disappointed to find the facility almost completely devoid of customers and they were "sold out" of many popular menu items including brisket, ribs, chicken, pulled pork, burgoo, baked beans and desserts.

After placing our order we offered payment using a credit card. The cashier didn't tell us the total amount charged to the card and was unable to give us a paper receipt.

Our impression is that of a once thriving business that's no longer doing much business.

We had called ahead to verify that they were open before driving 112 miles and we weren't informed of the very limited availability of menu items.

UPDATED Jan. 25, 2019.

NEW FACILITY! Previous review still applies except as pertains to the the entirely new building.

Photos of the old facility remain.

This business began years ago as a small carry-out establishment. A small indoor dinning area was added later and hours of operation expanded.

The original facility will soon be demolished.

The large new structure features traditional rustic Southern Bar-B-Que decor and atmosphere. It's built to modern standards largely from repurposed materials salvaged from older structures. Decor includes antique artifacts and rustic modern features. The atmosphere is very casual.

A large dining room is furnished with booths and antique tables of various sizes. The flexible arrangement can accommodate groups of various sizes. A private dining room is also available.

The new building includes large new modern restrooms and the entire facility is completely accessable to people with limited mobility.

Below: WRITTEN NOV, 2017

This has always been a genuine authentic Southern Bar-B-Que joint. Right down to the original facility that was a small shack with numerous additions, some of which were actually old truck bodies pressed into service as part of the smoking and food preparation complex, which was mostly outdoors, covered by a fabric and sheet metal canopy.

Food was served on paper plates with plastic knives and forks, beverages in styrofoam cups.

They had an "A" sanitation rating then and still do.

The food has always been delicious and authentic. I particularly recommend the burgoo and gumbo, both of which are true Southern specialties. Burgoo and gumbo are distinctly different dishes, both of which can be traced to common origins. Burgoo is almost exclusively associated with Bar-B-Que whereas gumbo is usually associated with Cajun cuisine. The two dishes are rarely found at the same restaurant.

I also suggest you try the "Spicy-Hot Cactus Salad". As far as I can determine, it contains no cactus, but I don't know what it DOES contain. Be prepared for a dish that looks somewhat like typical slaw, has a unique brownish tint, crisp, slightly crunchy texture and a distinctive tangy flavor with a hint of peppery bite.

There are lots of sides and desserts, all on em good.

And a selection of non alcoholic beverages.

For years, you had to stand in line to order and pick up at the same window. Limited inside seating was later added and there were picnic tables outside. The original facility wasn't handicap accessible.

If you needed to use the restroom, they had only one, around back and hard to find. You had to ask. It was of the type that flushed, not fancy but clean and had the basic...

I'm confused by the many good reviews since our experience was so terrible.

I even hesitate to write a negative review because I recognize this restaurant is someone's livelihood, but I'm gonna tell you what I wished someone had told me, because I feel betrayed.

You walk in and have to yell through the giant plastic curtain. You can't eat inside, they don't have enough staff (I get it - hard times for everybody).

We still gave it a shot since it was a nice cool evening, the patio was inviting, and the pictures of food looked good online.

My biggest critique was the food. Not sure if we caught them on a bad day, or what.

The twice baked potato was not a twice baked potato. It was a warmed up cup of mashed potatoes with nacho cheese and tough bacon bits. Stop deceiving people, just call it mashed potatoes with nacho cheese.

The green beans tasted like hot bean water.

The brisket was a heap of thinly sliced, tough pieces of meat that tasted like beef jerky, and left a filmy irony taste in our mouths like a slim Jim would. If it hadn't been tossed in sauce, it would have been inedible.

The whole time we ate, all I could think was "could you imagine what would Gordon Ramsay say if this was on Kitchen Nightmares?"

There's 20 places to get good barbecue in town. This place isn't...

My husband & I ordered carry out online, was told it would be ready in 25 minutes. Once we get there we parked in the carry out spot & texted the number along with our name & parking number for our order to be brought out. After waiting 15 minutes after the 25 original minutes they said, I tried calling 3 times to which the phone was never answered it just rang. We decide to walk inside to pick up our order which wouldn’t have been a problem at all, except for the fact when we walked in there was no one doing anything. I took my phone out & called to see if the phone actually rang & sure enough you can hear the phone going off right at the front & still none of the workers walked over to pick it up. A blonde highschool girl was leaning up against the wall till I literally had to stare at her like a deer in headlights to get her to walk over to us just to see what we wanted. We told her we were here to pick up our order and they hadn’t even checked the system apparently. Absolutely the worse experience I’ve ever had & I’ve been coming here for 20 years. I love the food but the little highschool girls working the counter need different jobs if they don’t plan on even talking to their customers. Regret that 9% tip, wish we could have paid when we got there...