Berndt Ends BBQ — Restaurant in Palatka

So I had a post yesterday for a bbq restaurant here in Palatka that i tried for the first time. At the end of it all the owner of berndt ends bbq at 125 FL-20, Palatka, FL 32177 offered for me to come in and give his place another shot becauseof a previous experienceat his restaurant. I was a loyal customer for his food truck for years and he set the standard for what I call great bbq. I called in and placed a Togo order, I had no problem getting through or placing my order. I did not tell them it was me coming that way I got a fair shake of the restaurant. I ordered the brisket platter, with crack Mac and smoked collards. After I paid for my order and carried it to my truck, I went back to introduce myself and take him up on his offer to shake my hand. We had a short conversation and he shared some turkey and chopped pork with me too. He was very kind and courteous. He showed his character and his passion for bbq. The turkey was so moist with the perfect bark and seasonings. I will definitely be back soon for more of that turkey. The chopped pork was the best I've ever had. It was flavorful, lots of bark, smokey with a hint of sweetness that really added to the flavor. The lean brisket threw me back to the days when he had a food truck. It was flavorful, not dry, great bark and sliced perfectly and evenly. He actually know how to separate the fat from the lean and slice it like the only way brisket should be cut. All three meats stood out and were delicious beyond all expectations. The crack Mac was nice and smokey and cheesey without going overboard. Very delicious. The smoked collards are the best of their sides in my opinion. He uses quality meat in the greens and they are smokey and flavorful. His wife was the person who took my order over the phone and also took my payment when I came in. I bought a shirt while I was there, they looked nice and I want to support local businesses by buying merch. The whole experience was very pleasant. Shane had offered yesterday to make up my previous experience months ago, but I wanted to have the experience any customer would have, so I did not give a heads up or let him know it was me until I got my original order. He showed his character by offering yesterday to give me food, but I wanted to pay so I did it the way I did. He did give me a free taste of the turkey and a portion of the pork. Anyone should have a similar experience because I was like any other customer. I would highly recommend berndt ends bbq to anyone in town and it's even worth the drive for surrounding counties. Their is a reason why his bbq is award winning. I recommend this restaurant not only because of the quality of the food but also the quality of the staff. Shane is incredibly passionate about his craft and has mastered it. He has the character that a local business man should and the same goes for his wife. If you ever have any issues with them I recommend you speak with him or his wife directly because they will take care of you. With this being a small local business owned by someone who lives here, I think everyone should support him so that we have more choices and locally owned businesses. As a town this is what we need more of. I want to say thank you to Shane, his wife and all their employees for such a pleasant and positive experience. They also had outdoor seating that was covered and a few beers on tap. For anyone more social than me, this would be a great spot to have a beer and some...

This was an entire experience. Buckle up.

We ended up here because the guy we normally purchase BBQ from in Interlachen wasn't open today. We were in the mood for burnt ends so had this crazy notion that a place with a name like "Berndt Ends" might be able to accommodate. Nope. Silly us.

We figure, okay, we'll just get a pound of brisket to go (noting that there was a takeout order on the counter waiting to be picked up). First gal says okay, but then second gal stops her and tells her, nope, they're "holding off on takeout orders for now." ....Wut.?. O_o

Mkay. So if we want food we now have to eat in. Already feeling invested in any meal at this point since we had come all the way from Hawthorne, we decide to play along and agree to dine in and are directed to a picnic table in the rear/outside.

We are immediately told about all the things that we can't get (which were several). Fine. It's about 545p so that's somewhat understandable, but it's the tone and delivery that made it obnoxious. I feel like I'm now arm wrestling with someone just to try to eat here.

I order the large brisket and sides of their mac and datil beans. The food comes out fairly quickly which we appreciated.

Here's the kicker: The food was only meh. The brisket was very moist and soft but also very literally flavorless. No rub or smoke that we could taste and it relied heavily on the BBQ sauces at the table.

The datil beans were solid and came out at a good temperature. Probably the star of the plate.

Their mac had a really nice flavor but was straight up cold so it made the cheese feel "pasty" and coagulated.

My partner got a similar meal with the same reactions. His differed in that he ordered the green beans rather than the datil beans and the poor beans looks exhausted and shriveled. LOL

Oh, and there are FLIES EVERYWHERE. Yeah. We're outside. I get it. Nature and all that. But this went beyond normal outdoor eating nuisance flies to, "heyyy, maybe y'all have a problem?"

On the upside, I guess it's good that we didn't order a bunch of to-go food that we would have been disappointed with when we got home. Better to have a smaller dine-in meal and find out early, I suppose.

Interesting side-note: we saw two more people pick up to-go orders while we were dining.....fun.

They have other positive reviews. So maybe it was an off day...but maybe there's nothing better in town so the locals get really excited over mediocre BBQ. Who's to say?

We just felt like we were fighting the staff left and right just to get a meal, and now we realize that was just the Universe trying to spare us the experience and we refused to listen.

Lessons were...

This apparently is a ‘locals only’ hangout, a place for those who don’t know or care what quality BBQ is, who don't know how to cook, or any / all combination of the above.

First, the name of the establishment: it's a misnomer & misleading; burnt ends are not a regular item, only as a special, and told not on the day we went (however, we weren't told what day they were offered). Right, makes perfect sense – next.

Still wanted to order brisket to go, and perhaps sides. Initially told by the front staff yes, but then another came from the back to say they’re “putting a hold on all to-go orders”. Um, ok, but as we still wanted to eat, ask our original hostess / server if we dined in, could we still order & then ask for to-go boxes? She said yes, and so we did, as awkward as this was quickly becoming and a sign of things to come.

Ordered brisket, mac & cheese, green beans and baked beans. All the sides were small and not worth the cost, especially given the flavor: everything was a bit bland and served cold (the baked beans being the exception), and it made sense why the datil pepper is so heavily used for flavor. The real insult was from what should have been the star of the show, the brisket: it was so underwhelming, having no real flavor and (like the datil pepper) why so many BBQ sauces are offered on the table. They're needed if you want any actual flavor.

But the final insult to injury? The fact we saw multiple to-go orders going out while we were seated, attempting to eat our way overpriced and unsatisfactory meals.

This was a bad joke. Almost wondered if we were being punked. Stay away if you enjoy real BBQ &...