Bam Bams BBQ — Restaurant in Orem

[Preface]I live in The South, I have only had Texas BBQ once in my life, the only time I went to Dallas. This place is average where is counts and below average where it doesn't. I would day BBQ in name only. Brisket had too much salt and generally lacked flavor, super disappointing. EPIC FAIL COMING UP NEXT. For a BBQ restaurant that even includes Carolina BBQ sauce, when I ordered, the gentleman with the glasses decided to be condisending when I said "1/2 brisket 1/2 barbecue" this man said "it's all BBQ, so what do you want". Times likes these I remember my wife saying "Darling there is a reason Jesus loves everybody, unconditionally". Bless his heart. A BBQ restaurant (who business is BBQ) doesn't know in The South barbecue IS pork, with variations of said pork. The term "pulled pork" came from Kroger grocery stores in the midwest. Nevermind the fact BBQ originates from South East. Imagine a restaurant calls Snowies Powder you walk in and or 1/2" of slush and a half pound of powder, the dude looks at you and says it's all snow what do you mean by powder. That's how I felt. Atmoshphere is like a new jersey restaurant deli. When I asked for a mixed plate or sample platter. The guy with glasses abruptly said we don't do this, this like a deli. Truth! This is not a BBQ pit, as all true BBQ restaurant have mixed plates or sample platters to showcase the pit master cooking ability. In fact if its the first time at the restaurant, that is the recommended route to get you hooked. I highly doubt there is a 6'-4" 320lb bubba back their smoking the brisket. Now for the sides. Huge epic fail again the cole slaw is vinger based which I do like. But they have it in a plastic bin, not a metal container, ergo it oxidizes and turns brown, tastes Mid. Tater salid has way to much Mustard and pickles to make is overbearing, skip it. So should you go there? Depends. No if you want a South East experience as only Southern thing there is their BARBACUE, that is legit. Just do a take out order and eat it while watching Outerbanks and skip everything else. Yes, do go if you like the abrupt arrogance of Northerns and enjoy expectations of knowing exactly what you want to order. Also go if you like gross Tater salad and average slaw, and by the way, To add insult to injury they can't even do a Carolina BBQ sauce right as it had a hint of tomato in it, not the spices and vinegar. Me personally, when I am in Utah, I will just stick with Chili's, at least least is not...

As you walk in, you are greeted with the pleasant aroma of smoked BBQ. It's a strong start.

I split some BBQ pork, brisket, ribs and a smoked sausage with two others in addition to getting some potato salad, mac & cheese, and cole slaw sides.

The BBQ pork was just sadness on a tray. While it was cooked to the point where the connective tissue broke down to yield an easy to pull apart meat, it was a tad dry, and BLAND! It could benefit from a LOT more dry rub!

What a shame, because both the brisket and ribs were tender, juicy, and rich in flavor! The ribs in particular were fantastic. They had a perfect level of char on them, and were fall off the bone! The sausage was also very good. Despite it falling apart easily, it was spicy, and very flavorful!

The cole slaw was quite good, but nothing that stood out from the pack. The same goes for the potato salad, even though it was slightly acidic. The mac & cheese did stand out in that it was cooked perfectly: al dente! A lot of BBQ places tend to serve mushy and overcooked mac & cheese, but not Bam Bams! However, the mac & cheese could benefit from more pepper, spices, and a sharper cheese present in the cheese mix, as it was quite bland.

I'd say the food is 4 stars overall in quality (better than the majority of BBQ places I have eaten at.), but Bam Bams gets 3 stars. Why? One reason: COST!

It cost each of us $40! FORTY DOLLARS! That's 4-5 days of my groceries in 2024! That's more than what I spent at Ten3, a fine dining establishment in ABQ! While it was enough food to fill each of us up, for that price point, I expect ALL of the food to represent perfection in the art of BBQ for me to give a 5 star rating! Bam Bams is not there yet.

Despite a 3 star rating, I can recommend it as a one and done provided you get brisket, ribs, or sausage. Just make sure you make Auntie Fee's mac & cheese recipe first, and...

Fantastic scent of BBQ! First off, the place has a really good BBQ smell to it when you walk in. The place was busy, noisy, and had about a fifteen minute wait in line, on a Saturday night about 6:00 PM.

However, the smell was the best part. The brisket is only okay, at best. We have had much better. The brisket was also cold, not warm, and was like eating a cold beef sandwich. It is over priced for what it is.

We ordered a brisket sandwich with a side of beans. The beans tasted like a bad chili with too much cumin seasoning. We would not recommend the beans. Also had an order of brisket swachos, that looked and sounded good. However, that's about it, the thick corn chips they use, have a heavy corn flavor and over powered the brisket; the brisket and corn chips did not pair well together. It ruined what little flavor the brisket had.

Perhaps the pulled pork swachos would be better. But the brisket and corn chips used, were not a match.

The self serve pep.si soda fountain machines were actually really good; it had a good flavor "syrup" mixture ratio and good carbonation; also had really good ice. They have a few condiment options available, such as sliced jalapenos, onions, and pickles. Also had packaged ketchup, salt, pepper, napkins, and straws available. The place has large wooden picnic tables for the seating, which fit well with the theme for a BBQ cuisine restaurant.

It wasn't an awful experience, but not great one either. After eating here, we felt the review ratings this place has, were probably based more on hype, than on good food. Those giving it five stars, apparently haven't experienced good BBQ brisket before, so to them it might be the best they've ever had. If you've had good bbq brisket before, you might be disappointed with this place.

We won't be eating here again. That being said, you...