Shep's BBQ & Catering — Restaurant in Palestine

I had this big, long review in my head lambasting the sauce (BBQ flavored marinara??) and mentioning how the ribs were a little less tender than I would have liked. However, the food was, all-in-all pretty good and did eat every speck of it after all, so..

There were two shining examples of excellence that came out of Shep's. First was the excellent service and attitude toward customers.

There is a process for placing an order at Shep's. You line up at one end and move down the line to different spots as you go until you get to the register. It's somewhat reminiscent of the soup Nazi (a la Seinfeld) with the one glaring exception that if you're not a local and screw up the system, no one yells "no BBQ for you" at you. They are still super nice to you and you still get fed, as evidenced by the fact that I still got fed. ;)

The other star of the show (at least from what I got) was the turnip greens. Hands down best turnip greens I have EVER had ANYWHERE. I would have been perfectly content if my plate had been nothing but four portions of those greens with another portion of greens on the side (instead of the white bread). Whoever makes those greens deserves a gold medal pinned on them by the President while a choir sings hallelujah in the background, a cannon is fired in salute, and performing monkeys dance the merengue.

So, all that being said, I do recommend stopping in at Shep's if you happen to be in or near Palestine. And, not sure if I mentioned, but the greens are...

This little BBQ joint doesn't look like much from the outside, the interior is reminiscent of a 1970's country-style cafe. Then there's the food. Oh the FOOD!!! The smell alone will have your mouth watering like Grandma's Sunday supper! The meats are well-seasoned, moist and perfectly prepared. The sauce is flavorful without being overwhelming, allowing for the taste of the meat to shine through. The side choices are wonderfully varied, cooked to perfection and taste like they just came out of the kitchen. Did I mention the peach cobbler? Some of the best I've had in East Texas! The staff is beyond friendly, treating you with care and consideration like you're family. I've never been or seen an unhappy customer. All are greeted with the enthusiasm and joy of a long-absent friend. The prices are very reasonable, making it one of the more affordable BBQ places I've been. This is one of my favorite places to eat, and I recommend it...

I lived right next door to this place for over six years I could literally hit it with a rock from my door step and never once did I smell any Pitts going! I tried them a couple of times the first time the people were not very polite, the restaurant is very small and un inviting and the food sucked! You can not call it barbeque when you boil your meats to mush! And you can taste that they boil and not smoke there was no hint of smoke at all and what they consider a sauce was a joke! The second time I ate there was just to make sure they just weren't having an off day the first time but I should have known better! Lmao! It surprised me to see the positive reviews they received on here the people that wrote them must not know barbeque or either they are a family member or work for them or...