Fresh Air Barbecue - Macon — Restaurant in Macon

Deserves Every Bit of #2 Best BBQ in South!!

Rated as #2 best barbeque restaurants in the south by Southern living. And it deserves every bit of that high praise!

Food -- The menu is simple and that's a great thing. They have ribs, chopped barbecue, chopped chicken, Brunswick stew, coleslaw, and baked beans. And all of it is amazing! I got the rib plates which included everything on the menu: half a pound of ribs, Brunswick stew, coleslaw, baked beans, and two pieces of white bread. Some of the best barbecue I've had ever. The ribs were perfectly cooked, moist, and super tasty. The Brunswick stew is one of the only stews that I've had that reminds me of my childhood and parents fixing. The corn is mostly ground up which makes a big difference in a lot of Brunswick stew. It is by far one of the absolute best Brunswick stew I've ever had.

The baked beans were excellent as well. Perfect amount of density, sweetness, and tart. The coleslaw reminds me of the kind my mom used to make, ground up very fine and awesome. B got the chopped barbecue plate, which included coleslaw, Brunswick stew and white bread. This was also excellent and what they're mostly known for and it was fantastic. Making your own sandwich with a white bread, barbecue, and homemade barbecue sauce is phenomenal. Barbecue sauce is really good, it's their house sauce. They have a regular and hot. It's extremely tasty and yummy, but definitely on the thin side, which is perfect for this type of barbecue, even though I like my sauce just a little bit thicker.

Drinks -- standard Coke products and sweet tea. We messed up and got a diet Coke instead of getting sweet tea, because I'm sure it's amazing. Even though this would go amazing with a beer, no alcohol served, which is fine. They have to go specials, and party packs, if you want to take them home and have some beer with it there.

Service -- friendly and prompt service. It's counterstyle, so you order it at the counter and they have it ready within minutes for you even before you walk away to get a table. They also have drive-thru options. We went on a Saturday and got there a little after 11:00 and had to wait in a little bit of a line. But the closer you wait to noon the more of a line it gets. It was almost out the door when we left around 12:15.

Atmosphere / Vibe -- It's simple as it gets and that's exactly what's necessary. No frills, nothing crazy, just an old-fashioned type restaurant with tables inside in a few out for you to enjoy this delicious barbecue.

Value -- value was great overall. We got a rib platter, a chopped barbecue platter, and a large soft drink for 26 bucks. Definitely would be willing to pay even more for this quality of barbecue.

Overall -- had this some when I was going to college at UGA, the one in Athens. This one in Macon measures up every single bit the same. And absolutely deserving of number two barbecue in the south and number one barbecue in the...

Be sure to read about the service at the end of this review. Was there with my nephew and my brother in law. It had been a while since I had eaten at this location. Upon arrival, I could smell the combined aroma of meat smoking and the steakhouse this location sits behind. Decorations were minimal, and there was nothing that said, 'Eat my food". I'll address the order after I I tell you about the food. I had the chicken plate with slaw a side of Brunswick stew. The chicken was well cooked. Juicy and you could taste the smoke in the sauce. Nice. The stew was a good consistency with a nice mix of meat, liquid, and corn. The stew came with an over abundance of saltines. Three fourths of which were discarded in the waste bin. The slaw was ok flavor wise but you could tell it was either cut by a food processor or either came in a bag. I like a little resistance when I bite into a slaw. Too fine and no zip or zing. I could have eaten the slaw without chewing.

The only real issue was the service. There was none. You walk up to the counter. Order and someone gives you a tray with your food. The lady that rang up the order seem put off that we interrupted her conversation with her Coworkers. I was deciding what to order, so I missed the interaction with my BIL. I ordered, and my nephew paid for my lunch. Mine and his order came to a few dollars less than $30. He paid with a twenty and a ten and said not to worry about the change. The cashier said, " Oh, thanks for the tip. " It was the tone used with her words that ruined the experience. It was like she expected more. What the hell lady? He was gracious enough not to make you count change. At a full service restaurant, we normally tip 20 percent. Better if the service is good. THIS IS NOT A FULL SERVICE RESTAURANT! It's not much more than a drive thru window inside. In fact, I've had better experiences at drive thru windows. You ring up the order. Put our drink in a cup. You put our food on a tray. Yet you act like you deserve more tip. I will make a deal with you. You can keep your remarks to yourself. You can continue your conversation that we interrupted. In turn, I will visit the other BBQ restaurants in the area. If I must have Fresh Air BBQ, I will drive the miles to the...

So I had never been to this place before I let the cashier know that. The BBQ sandwiches were pretty good but the attitudes and atmosphere was negative. A man with not so clean clothes was behind me trying to order and the cashier is looking at him with sheer disgust. Then, he roars his total at the man. (Without saying anything else) I went back up to the counter to purchase additional food and there are 3-4 ppl behind the counter just staring. Not one smile. When I walked up To counter the male cashier stated they would help me at other end. Well as I am standing there no one comes up to help. I understand we have jobs and no one is happy all the time. But we have to do better. I didn’t order any more food because the whole set up is unwelcoming. When people that looked different than me went up to the counter there was positive energy. When the man with unclean clothing went up immediately there was a shift. I will not patronize a place that does not treat everyone equally. I rarely ever write reviews. This needed to...