Redemption BBQ and Market — Restaurant in Short Pump

I’m a Tar Heel born and bred, and it’s tough to impress me with BBQ. This place NAILED it.

Bit of a hole in the wall kind of spot, weird setup and not much seating, but it works. The food is so good it doesn’t matter.

I asked the owner what the most authentic VA style he had was and got that, it was very similar to NC style pulled pork. Mine came already sauced but I added some sauce to it. It was perfectly fatty, well seasoned, and melted in my mouth. All the sauces I had with it were delectable- my favorite was the hot version of the vinegar based sauce, subtly spicy with a punch of puckery vinegar.

For sides, I had Mac and cheese, collards, and hoecakes. The mac was creamy and delicious without being overly heavy or greasy. The collards appeared to be cooked low and slow with ham hock, the only way to do them right. They were PERFECT with the hot vinegar sauce too. The hoecakes were also tasty, they served as a great vessel for trying out all the sauces. My girlfriend got hot honey chicken tenders, which she raved about. Hers came with potato salad, which I tried- was also amazing. Nice and creamy, well seasoned, and he added some vinegar to it as a nice contrast. It was delicious!

We came in close to closing time (they closed at 7 on a Friday night) but the owner still made us feel welcomed and not a burden. Seems like a super nice guy. The food is amazing and the customer service was great, if this place was downtown it would probably get a lot more noise. Anyway, I LOVED it, will definitely go back. The closest I’ve gotten to BBQ that feels like home since moving to...

It was the end of the night. I just wanted a sandwich, that's all. It ended up costing me $11.00! I didn't complain when I then learned that there's an upcharge for everything (bun, slaw, bbq sauce...) I only wanted a sandwich and they knew that. I never saw a menu. There was no communication. I wasn't going to make a big deal over a sandwich so I just left, but I felt 'taken'. On the receipt that they e-mailed me through Square, it asked me for feedback. So I mentioned that I felt misled in how they handled the transaction. They replied back saying that the prices and breakdown of goods were on the menu. I replied again that I didn't see a menu and that they didn't communicate anything to me regarding what I was getting or what it would cost. This was their reply:

"You caught us. I thought no one would unravel our nefarious plot to get rich by ripping people off with coleslaw and bread. I’ve requested a $2.50 refund for the bun and slaw and your tip of $0.00. Spend it wisely."

Wow Redemption BBQ, did you learn that behavior from Jesus? How very professional of you. I didn't want the refund and never asked for it. You asked about my experience and I told you. Maybe you shouldn't ask customers for feedback if you're just going to insult them....

In a world of never ending chain restaurants along W Broad St, please just take a turn at the Olive Garden and head two minutes down the road to Redemption BBQ. Somehow, this is seemingly one of the few BBQ spots around that advertises themselves as authentic Virginia BBQ. Maybe that’s because nobody outside of VA actually knows what this style is. And I’ve always been just as confused. Generally vinegar based sauces with things added to make to less acidic/sour? Something like that anyway. So the result is a fine chopped pork or chicken that’s much more “wet” than most places. I’m aware this description sucks. Whatever. They offer a pretty wide variety of things outside the traditional BBQ options (burgers, sandwiches, and seemingly even deep dish pizza), and so I do think this diverts a little focus. The shop is more set up to be a take out spot with few tables in a strip mall, and they clearly do a lot of that as their business. And I think the variety makes it a great spot for that. But like I said, if you’re in this area, you could do MUCH worse than stopping by...