Rusty Can — Restaurant in Newbury

For those who dont know, I am an avid BBQ fan! Whenever I see a BBQ joint, my mouth starts watering. My feet and back become sopping wet in anticipation of all of the smoked meats. I start trembling from excitement. This flare-up is followed by a pungent odor that is emitted through my pores, that odor of which is a smoky flavor that can pierce through even an N95 mask. Many innocent bystanders revolt when said musk attacks their senses. As their stomach stars to turn, mine starts to rumble.😈 The beast awakens within... this beast is one that can be tamed through one method only. The series of events that follow will illustrate a noteworthy experience out here in Newbury.

Driving into the parking lot, my hands are slipping off the wheel. Exiting the car and strolling toward the establishment, as an oily residue, is left behind leeching through fabric and nestling in to marinate for years to come. Upon arrival, we awaited our table for a total of 20 minutes. Once seated 💺 I scrutinized the menu, which is standard procedure for me. A whirlwind of thoughts was swarming through my mind, imagining all the plates in front of me and which one to pick. I decided on the half rack of ribs with creamy mac and cheese and blow-the-bowl 🚽 out bbq beans. It was a record-setting take down on them bones. There is a jug of sauce on the table for consumption. I first sample by plopping my lips on the rim and swigin' that john back. It was love at first swig fo sho💯. I couldn't help my eyes from wandering over to my family's plates. Seeing all of food innocently sitting there. Just wait till what happens next. And if yall don't like BBQ (there's probably something wrong with you), you can get a chicken samitch, which is what my sister did. She was enjoying it until I snatched it right out of her dainty little paws✌️. She tried to fight back but didnt prevail. I was causing a scene😂. The whole restaurant was silent and staring at me as I scoffed down someone else's meal. You would've thought I've never seen food the way I was mackin' dat😎. I also attacked my mother's plate🍽 (happy mothers day XD). She (and I) had the pulled pork sandwich. I doused that bad Larry in some BBQ sawce and I was off to the races. Once finished, I gently dabbed my face with a clean paper towel to remove the sauce and food remnants that made it out alive. Unfortunately, I was unable to save room for dessert as I ate 3x as much as the daily recommended diet suggests. I did, however, scoop out a big ol handful of peppermints that were hiding in a metal pal by the door. I was so stuffed when I left 😩 twas definitely worth the drive. Oh yea, remember those beans from earlier? Yea, those were knocking down the door the next morning. Good thing it wasn't my bowl that was nearly blown apart.

If you're looking for a BBQ joint that will knock your socks off, look no further than...

Let me first preface this review by stating that I have been to the Rusty Can quite often, brought and recommended to friends about this establishment, and even ordered take-out several times after a tiring day. Apparently, customer service and satisfaction is NOT a prority lately! Yesterday (Thursday), I ordered regular chicken nachos. I was told it would be twenty minutes before I could pick up my order which was $21.25. When I arrived, my daughter was already there to pick up her order. As she came out, she told me that my order was ready and waiting only after 12 minutes. Since I was using a gift card with $60 on it, I decided to give the cashier $1.25 in cash and told her to deduct the remainder of $20 from the card. She gave me my receipt and like most people, stuck it in my pocket, picked up my order, and went home. At home, my wife checked the receipt to find that we were charged the price ($21.25) on the gift card and the cashier put the $1.25 in cash in the register. Also, the receipt had jack cheese and white chicken as our order which we did not ask for. Not only that, but our chicken nachos were stone cold as if they were sitting for more than a half hour. The nachos were soggy and extremely greasy. As stated, we have ordered this before and this was nothing like we had previously ordered. We live only 5 minutes away. I immediately, called back to express our disappointment with our order and being overcharged. The cashier that I had dealt with upon pickup was the same person who answered the phone and she had a very cavalier attitude when informing her of the situation. After explaining what had happened, I was informed that there was nothing she could do and I would have to speak to the owner. I was told that he would not be in until the next day at 11:00 in the morning. She took my name and telephone number and said I would get a call back from him. THAT did not happen! As stated earlier, customer service and satisfaction is NOT a prority. I will find it difficult to return to this restaurant again! ADDENDUM: Finally, a week later, I received a call back from the manager who responded to my comments. The matter has been resolved and apologies given for the confusion that followed after submitting...

After many, many years of going to the Rusty Can I finally decided to leave a review after deciding that, in my opinion, it's just decent BBQ.

The BBQ meats themselves are very good. I've never had bad brisket here. The pulled pork is solid. Smoked wings are good. Being a BBQ restaurant this is kind of one of the most important things, so it's good they have the proteins down pretty well. The thing is, I've had better brisket at a lot of places.

I really, really do not like the sides. It's crazy to say but the sides almost feel like they are purposely done with little effort, but in my opinion sides are very nearly as important as the protein at a BBQ place. The collard greens taste like sour vinegar, the fries are very basic, the mac and cheese is flavorless, the beans aren't much better than what comes out of a can. The cornbread is good though.

The service, like others have mentioned, ranges from poor to acceptable. It matches the vibe of this place that bothers me which kind of feels like they are doing a favor by serving you?

Eating inside I'd say is a personal preference. For me it's very dark and dingy, unless you're in the section next to the kitchen which feels like a cafeteria. No not my thing but fine if you don't mind that.

Also the wait here can be laughable. Not the fault of Rusty Can, but I would never try to go here on a weekend.

Lastly, it's very expensive. Prices shot up after Covid and continued to rise. To be fair, that's pretty much the standard at a lot of restaurants, but you can get still get cheaper BBQ than this.

My advice? If you go here, get takeout (check your order, I've missed $20 sides of meat a few times) and order their specials like the nachos, brisket bomb, hush puppies, and homemade chips which are all excellent. Unless you never have access to smoked meats of any kind, I'd recommend against the plates (especially with the sides issue mentioned above).

The other option is to check out the newer Scarlet Fire BBQ ten minutes up the road in Amesbury. Their brisket is mind-blowing, the sides are excellent, and the service is friendly and makes you...