Collins River BBQ & Cafe — Restaurant in McMinnville

I've had my eye on this place for quite some time, just never seemed to dedicate the time to head out there. This place has been around for 10 years…sadly this was my first but not last visit. The place is quaint and we were greeted by the manager who told us to grab a seat and make ourselves comfortable. Pursuing the menu and the specials board there are a lot of options here, and I was so tempted to try the Texas Cuban sandwich and wished we were there later to try the Prime Rib. Guess I’ll need to come back again…soon. We did a lot of sharing here…the plates are good sized and you should not be hungry after dining here. The service…excellent. Our waitress Jesse took great care of us and made us feel very welcome.

They do have beer here and I tried a Witbeer called Florida Cracker brewed by Cigar City Brewing…this is a solid beer with nice citrus base but not overpowering and the hint of vanilla gave it a nice finish.

The food…

Hickory Smoked Beef Brisket: When it comes to brisket my measure is the many places I have visited in Texas. For Collins River their brisket is a lean cut, but I was very impressed how moist and tender it was. The smoked flavor was very mild so using a little of their sweet BBQ sauce amped up the flavor. Personally I am more of a fan of brisket with a bit higher fat content, but this was still a solid offering and IMHO better used on a sandwich with slaw and BBQ sauce.

Hickory Smoked Baby Back Ribs: Dayum Good!!! These ribs were absolutely incredible…thick, meaty, perfectly cooked, and fall off the bone tender. If you grabbed a bone, you came back with no meat…just bone. Must say…these are some of the best wet ribs I have had in a very long time! The sauce used on the ribs...perfectly complimented the flavors.

Chicken Tenders: These had an unusual flavor, and I believe it is because they use the same style batter used for the catfish. Overall they are good chicken tenders and they offer a variety of sauces for dipping.

Kids Pulled Pork Sliders: I don’t normally comment on kids plates, but this is an exception. One of the things I will need to try is their pulled pork…it was delicious. The pork was so tender and had a tinge of sweetness (maybe honey) that really created an impressive kids plate.

As for the numerous sides we had the TN Baked Beans and Crinkle Cut French Fries were top of the list. The baked beans had some of the ground beef from Willow Oak Farms and was very tasty. The Southern Coleslaw and Sweet Pepper Slaw on their own were good, but combining the two together was absolutely delicious with the combination of vinegar and mayo based slaw's. The Onion Rings, Cornbread Salad, and Sweet Potato Fries were just...OK. The cornbread muffins were a bit dry and something like a honey butter would have helped them.

Dessert…if the Blackberry Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream is any indication, having dessert here is a MUST!!! Hands down, probably the best cobbler I have ever enjoyed. The berries were perfectly sweet (especially blackberries which can be very tart) and the cake was INCREDIBLE.

Overall…it was well worth the two-hour round-trip drive to enjoy this little gem in...

This review is a bit delayed but I wanted to share the overwhelmingly positive experience I had with the staff and management of Collins River BBQ. My husband and I got married in October '21 at a summer camp in McMinnville . Collins River came very highly recommended by the property as a potential caterer for the event. My husband and I went in for dinner and were immediately impressed by the kindness and generosity of Jim who is the GM, as well as the quality of the food and the hustle of the entire staff. This is a busy restaurant and despite the volume of customers, each table was attended to with warmth and care.

We immediately chose them as the primary caterer and over the course of the months that followed, this team went above and beyond our expectations and contributed much more than delicious food (the brisket is incredible!) to our party. Not only did they scope the project, prepare and deliver delicious food, but they also supplied staff to serve and bartend the event. They were so gracious to our guests in the process! We never could have pulled it off without you guys and we so appreciate the level of service this group brings to the hospitality industry. Of special note is the leadership Jim exhibited throughout the entire process. We will never forget what a contribution you and the whole CR team made!

With...

The older gentleman who ran the cash register was friendly, polite and pleasant. That was of course as he was ringing up a bill that was much too high for the quantity and quality of the food and service.

I don't like giving poor reviews but after seeing this place being featured on Tennessee Crossroads I was expecting better.

The young man who waited on us called my nealy seventy year old father, "brother". A tad disrespectful if you ask me. My father felt disrespected.

The food was cold. The Loaded Potato salad was loaded with sour cream! It was sour cream and taters. Not a potato salad. The brisket was chewy, not cooked long enough and not one hint of smoke flavor to it. The pulled pork was dry, like it was pulled the day before and microwaved. The cornbread muffin was a cornbread medallion. 2 small bites and it's gone. You only get one. The ribs did have a small taste of smoke.

3 people ate small portions with water for nearly $70. Im sorry, it was not worth it.

The atmosphere was good and there was a sweet lady that helped the young man that was supposed to be our waiter but he stood behind the bar alot. Sorry, just wasn't happy at all...