Green River BBQ — Restaurant in Saluda

At first me and my wife waited for around 20 minutes to be seated. The waitress that was there which she was older, ignored us and seated people who who showed up after 15 minutes of us waiting and they were immediately seated. Seemed like she knew who they were so I am guessing locals. (Just a guess since it seemed like she knew who they were) Eventually a new waitress showed up and had us seated.

Now after being seated our service was wonderful and our waitress was attentive when needed. We ordered. Fried pickles and Jalapeños, fried tomatoes, smoked turkey plate w/ Mac and cheese/baked potato salad and Smoked Beef Brisket Plate w/ Mac and cheese/collard greens.

Jalapeños 10/10 perfect love them.

Pickles 10/10 perfect loved them.

Fried Tomatoes 4/10 raw batter, no flavor. Nice cuts of tomato tho. Side note the Chow chow that came with these was 10/10 Delicous would love to throw that on some 🌭 🌭 🌭

Smoked Turkey 9/10 was expecting dried out turkey and was very pleased to find it was not dried out at all. Just wish it had been a bit warmer when served.

Smoked Brisket 9/10 perfect again just wish it was a bit warmer when served.

Mac and Cheese 2/10 no taste no flavor? No cheese where was the cheese????

Baked potato salad 9/10 really good!

Collard greens 7/10 these were ok.

Now for their sauces.

Mild BBQ sauce 10/10 😋 👌 🙌

Spicy BBQ Sauce 15/10 Was eating that on everything. Which intensified everything. I was Impressed!!!!

Mustard was 6/10 Was ok.

Gave it a 5 star because I believe the issues may just be an off day that can be easily corrected if management address' it.

Hope to be back when I travel through there...

Sorry to have to share my bad experiences, yes that's 2 bad experiences at Green River Barbeque. The first visit I selected the pulled pork platter, should be one of their signature dishes. Unfortunately, it was very poor quality - dry and flavorless. I did ask my server how this could happen and she said it might have been from an earlier batch - yesterday's smoked pork. The trick it seems is to confirm the dish you order has recently come out of the smoker. Humm. . . do they really server day old meat? The answer is YES!

Now for the REAL driver for my rating. Some months later i found myself back in Saluda and thought I would give them another chance. But I didn't forget my first disappointment. When the server came this time, I asked firmly and clearly, "what meat is just freshly cooked and right out of the smoker this morning?" She confidently told me both the pork and beef brisket were just smoked this morning. So, I ordered the beef brisket and my wife got the pulled pork. When the plates arrived it was clear the food was NOT fresh. When I showed the server the pitiful brisket ( even looked pathetic) she agreed and reduced the bill, but didn't replace the serving. So, it seems they STILL serve old meat EVEN when fresh is available.

Needless to say, this was my final visit to Green River Barbeque. To my traveling friends, BEWARE. In western NC we have many great barbeque restaurants. Pick another one,...

This was the first time I ever had a hushpuppy :D and I honestly don't know what to think of it, so I will focus on some other aspects. This restaurant gives me a very authentic vibe, and I enjoyed myself here. The amount of food you get for your money is definitely worth it. For under $12 I had a large serving of pulled pork, 2 hushpuppies, and 2 sides of my choice which also came in a large and delicious serving. Their sauces were all very fine, and I suggest you try the hot sauce, it has just the right amount of kick to it. Their ranch dressing is also unlike one I've ever had and while the salad was small, that ranch made up for it. The best thing I had, their onion straws (rings) were absolutely delicious. Much better than most generic onion rings I've had. The outdoor is also very nice during cool days as they have heat lamps set up to keep you warm which I was very happy about. The reason I cannot give the 5th star, however, is due to the fact that the pulled pork itself seemed kind of sloppy and without any speciality to it. Which is what I love about BBQ. There was also an alarming amount of wasps nearby, fortunely they seemed distracted. However, this will hopefully not turn you away. If you find yourself in the town of Saluda, take a stop here. The service is great and the food will leave you with something...