Bark Barbecue Cafe — Restaurant in Maryland

I had high hopes for this place after seeing it on a foodie Instagram place. I was sorely disappointed. We walked through a cloud of flies to get to the restaurant and the inside is not inviting at all. Freezing cold, sterile white, and a strange smell. Sort of a mix of something sweet, something rotten, and cleaner?

Anyway, they don’t have times posted on the menu so it was disappointing when I couldn’t order the breakfast burrito at 12:30pm because the stopped serving at noon. No worries-I adjusted and got the pulled pork sandwich and my son got ribs and mashed potatoes. We also ordered one of their huge cookies to go but couldn’t get it because they were already out (at noon??).

We got our food (it was approximately $65 for a sandwich with chips, 1/4 rack of ribs (3 bones), a cup of mashed potatoes, two canned diet cokes and 1lb of brisket that I got to go just to try at home). We didn’t want to eat in the freezing, weird-smelling restaurant, nor did we want to eat outside with the flies so we took it all to go to get back on the road towards Annapolis.

We were starving so we tried some of the food in the car. So disappointing. No smoke ring, no smoke flavor, meet was overcooked so it was kind of squishy (not tender…just mushy). The Carolina Gold BBQ sauce was tasty but there was just a tiny splash of it. The coleslaw and pickles on the sandwich was the “best” part. My son’s ribs were the same: overcooked and no smoke flavor with a BBQ sauce that somehow happened to also be flavorless? This place sells itself as Central-Texas Barbeque. Well…I’m from Central Texas and…nope. I can overlook that they don’t have any of the things that make Central Texas BBQ iconic (besides brisket)-no sausage, smoked turkey, beef ribs or sides like pinto beans, Mac and cheese, greens etc. If you’re going to write on your website that you’ve been studying Central TX BBQ for 7 years then at least have a smoke ring and smoke flavor on your meat. Heck…I’d have taken ANY flavor on the meat.

Never mind the food was horrible. The service was meh. They were understaffed for how busy they were: just one dude working the register with no personality, a girl running food and basically ignoring the line or anyone standing around looking for napkins or extra sauce, etc. No hospitality, no smiles, no nothing. Might have well been at McDonald’s for how pleasant the...

I stumbled upon this place by chance while waiting for my kids’ speech therapist, who was running a bit late. I figured I’d grab a quick bite and was pleasantly surprised to find this spot just around the corner. I ordered the breakfast burrito, and the friendly host asked if I wanted to add any meat—so I went with pulled pork.

Once I got back to the car and took my first bite, I was impressed—the flavor was genuinely delicious. The ingredients were fresh, and the pulled pork was a perfect touch. However, I have to be honest: for the price, the portion felt underwhelming. At $17.50, I expected something more substantial—maybe closer to the size of a Chipotle burrito. Instead, it was about the size of two stacked Chinese egg rolls.

That said, I’ve seen reviews mentioning the food being dry, and I can confidently say that wasn’t my experience at all—everything was moist and well-prepared. I understand that running a food business requires careful pricing to stay afloat, but there’s also a balance to strike between profitability and customer satisfaction. Slight adjustments in portion sizes or pricing—or even listening more closely to customer feedback—could really make a difference in encouraging repeat visits and building long-term loyalty.

Would I come back? Possibly. But I’d be more eager to do so if the value better matched...

This place should be on everyone’s list to check out at least once! I came across it as an up-and-coming BBQ joint in Maryland, and since my wife and I are big BBQ fans, we had to make the trip. We drove a few hours to get here and arrived within the last hour of service. We ordered the platter for two ($42), which was a great value. Since they were out of chicken (a good sign—it must be 🔥), we added pork belly instead (additional charge), and it did not disappoint!

My favorites were the brisket—both lean and moist cuts were excellent—and the ribs… OMG 🤤 absolutely 🔥. The pork belly was also on point, with crispy edges and a deep, smoky flavor that hit just right. The chipotle aioli, Alabama white and bbq sauces were solid.

For sides, the standout was the collard greens. They had that slow-cooked, homemade flavor—like someone’s grandma (or someone with thick arms 💪🏽😂) was back there putting love into every batch. The Mexican rice and coleslaw were solid and paired nicely with the meats. The "lasered" potatoes were unique and delicious, especially with the house-made pickled onions and pickles.

I do wish they offered mac and cheese—just a small thing—but overall, everything was spot-on.

We’ll definitely be back. Thanks for the amazing...