Van's Pig Stands — Restaurant in Shawnee

Van's Pig Stand: A Delicious First Impression Despite a Few Bumps in the Road! My first visit to Van's Pig Stand in Shawnee was, overall, a very enjoyable experience, and I'm already looking forward to my next trip! From the moment we walked in, we were greeted by genuinely friendly and helpful staff who immediately made us feel welcome and pointed us in the right direction. The interior had that classic, comfortable barbecue joint feel that you expect and appreciate. While our initial attempt at the drive-through didn't pan out (we waited a short while with no response), this minor inconvenience was quickly overshadowed by the positive experience we had inside. The woman who took our order at the counter was a delight – friendly, smiling, and patient. There were a couple of small hiccups with our order. I initially requested blue cheese dressing for my salad, which I was told they didn't have, only to have someone else mention they did. Ultimately, it turned out they didn't. I then requested ranch, which unfortunately also didn't make it into our bag. Instead, my BBQ turkey salad came with a small container of what I believe was a balsamic vinaigrette. While the vinaigrette was actually quite good, I was a little disappointed not to receive either of my initial dressing requests. However, let me tell you, the barbecue itself more than made up for these minor issues! The chopped brisket was absolutely awesome – incredibly flavorful and tender on its own. We couldn't resist trying their Carolina and Peach Habanero sauces, and both were fantastic! They added a wonderful depth and complexity to the already delicious brisket. The BBQ turkey salad was also excellent, packed with flavor and a generous portion of turkey. Despite the dressing mix-up, we were still completely satisfied with our meal. The quality and taste of the barbecue were truly outstanding. The friendly service we received inside was also a major highlight. While a couple of small operational kinks prevented a perfect five-star rating, Van's Pig Stand delivered on what truly matters: fantastic barbecue and welcoming hospitality. We will definitely be returning when we're back in the Shawnee area and are eager to try more of their...

Had Van's twice in two days. First time was better than first and deserves 5 stars. Second d visit is 3 stars so gave Van's 4 stars. Had lunch - ordered brisket on salad and homemade carrot cake. Meat was tender and smokey. Lettuce simple iceberg - nothing fancy but good. Chose to use barbeque sauce as dressing as I didn't care for their creamy red wine dressing. I added the complimentary sliced onions and dill pickles to the salad and voila my salad was a masterpiece! For desert - a slice of two layer carrot cake and its a showstopper! Moist and filled with tender walnuts. Of course the best part of carrot cake is the frosting - it didn't disappoint. My next visit was the next day - to pick up 5 pounds of pulled pork and 2 pounds of sliced ham for a family get together celebrating a 90th birthday. The pulled pork was barely pulled - it was in huge chunks. It had just come out of the smoker/oven and it was not sufficiently pulled to eat. Of course I didn't know this until I pulled the foil top off the pan at the party. That was frustrating. Also the meat didn't have a sufficiently strong smoke taste like it had the previous day - Didn't taste the same. The ham was good. However I had to ask the counter person to put it in a foil pan - he handed me the ham in a styrofoam container - the pork was in a foil container. I drove 30 miles to pick the neat up and could not heat it up at the party in styrofoam. He obliged. Didn't get any condiments other than the two barbeque sauces which would have been nice. Van's has been around since 1930 - it obviously is doing something right. I will go back again if I ever get back to Shawnee., OK. Made it back to Van's for a 3rd visit and the food was very good! Pulled pork had exceptional smoke flavor, ribs moist and meaty. Side of culy shoestring fries were the my son had ever eaten. Slaw and potatoe salad were yummy. Even ordered and took home a quart of pulled pork and a pint of their spectacular pinto beans home. Manager graciously gave me some buns so my family at home could enjoy pulled pork sandwiches. Very kind! Raising...

I was contacted almost immediately by the GM, she did offer her apologies and promised to make everything right, and for that I am very appreciative.

Upon entering the restaurant the service was lackluster, I greeted the cashier with a "good afternoon, how are you" and the reply was a "I really don't want to talk to you" can I take your order. So I placed my order, I ordered a 2 meat combo with baked beans and fries. I received my meal in a very acceptable time. Upon receiving my food however, I was given two boats overflowing with pickles, I asked the staff member why he brought me a jar's worth of pickles, he said that was the norm and that is was normally for larger families. Ok, so now on to my meal, the brisket and pork was old, stale, and dry, I mean days old, I've smoked enough meat to know when it's a couple of days old and been reheated a few times it's done. The BBQ sauce was freezing cold, so naturally as soon as it touched the meat it was cold. The fries were soaked with oil, to the point I could ring excess out of them. I am very disappointed with my experience at this location, it's not what I'm used to, I guess the Norman location has spoiled it's guests and raised expectations that I would expect...