Harvey's Main Street BBQ — Restaurant in Mount Joy

*Edit: It's been 7 years since I first wrote this review, and it amazes me how Harvey's is still every bit as fantastic is it was all those years ago (if we go back to when we ordered from Harvey's catering before he opened the first version of the restaurant, I think... 14-15 years?!?). We were there last weekend. The only thing that's really changed is they added outdoor seating in a lovely garden. Well, they also changed the recipe for the onion rings, which I'm still sad about, since the old recipe was the best onion rings I've ever had. The new recipe is still excellent, top-notch rings, though. The rest of the food is as good as ever, and there's still a constant list of new specials to try. I can't think of any other restaurant that has consistently been so good, for so long!

The BBQ standards (pulled pork, brisket, ribs, chicken) are all excellent. There are several other things on the menu worth calling out, though.

The burgers are some of the best in the area. The Babe's Madeira wine reduction sauce makes it my personal favorite.

The chili has won some local chili awards, and it deserves it. Not super spicy, but very flavorful.

Probably my favorite items at Harvey's are the sides, though. The baked beans are served with a BBQ sauce with nice chunks of bacon. The onion rings are... just awesome. Big rings of fresh onion in a perfectly seasoned coating.

We've been coming here for years, before they rebuilt the restaurant after the fire, and we've been eating their food since before the restaurant opened (local fairs, and their catering). Even though some of the faces have changed, the staff has always been very friendly...

I've been to many BBQ Restaurants and have made my own BBQ Dinners. I'm a very big fan of BBQ Ribs and can tell the differences between the different types of Ribs that are offered for sale. Maybe their dine-in plating is better than their take- out orders. I was expecting great value for what Harvey's offers on their menu based on the pictures and reviews seen here.

May I say, "What a disappointment" to say the most. The meat was tender and the taste was good. My husband enjoyed the $31.00 plate. He would have liked more sausage and more brisket instead of the chicken though.

I ordered the $18.00 half rack of ribs dinner with the corn bread and baked beans. The baked beans were excellent. I liked that they put some bacon in it and they were so tasty. My problem was with the ribs. I don't have a before picture. I ate them they were tender and delicious. The problem was the quality for the price. For $18.00, I expected a half rack of full sized St. Louis Ribs, but what I got was the gristle end of a rack of Country Style Pork Ribs. The picture below will serve as the bones of what I got and that for the price is not acceptable. If you're going to charge $18.00 for it, than you'd better make sure the quality is right. The Ribs should have all been consistent in size and be what the menu is describing, not something else. If I'd had ordered that while dining in, I would have sent it back because for the quality of what I was served was not worth the price they charge. Because of COVID, I understand the take out, and actually preferred it tonight, but because of this, I definitely...

The food is good, but I was surprised to be told to stand in the waiting area and order off a big menu on the wall and pay before we could be seated. With a party of 7, including 2 kids, I wasn't prepared for that and it was very difficult to make very immediate choices so we could get the kids to the table. Why on earth couldn't we have sat and then walked up to look? Then we were still asked for a tip even though the majority of the table service experience was lost. No problem, we still intended to and did, but to pay nearly $150 for a rushed cafeteria experience where we couldn't really relax, order additional items, didn't feel we could reach out to the waitress with a few issues that arose, etc, kind of sucks. I don't think we'll be back to dine in.

Edit in response to the owner's response: I understand and appreciate that everyone is in need of help and the service industry is especially stressed. However, there were at least 2 (possibly 3) waitresses (plus additional staff) and only 2 seated tables, mine included, when we were there. I'm not sure how allowing us to sit down before we looked at the menu was not possible. Please consider allowing your guests to have their table and a menu and then sending someone up to place the order. Making people stand in the lobby unprepared doesn't relieve any stress on your staff or your customer. As a matter of fact, if you were busy, it would have made the problem far worse. Thank you for responding. We will consider returning when regular...