521 BBQ & Grill — Restaurant in South Carolina

After reading all of the great reviews, I was excited to try the BBQ at 521. Boy, were we disappointed. We were seated, outside (thank God, it was a beautiful night) at about 7:00 p.m., and waited several minutes before our drink order was taken. It was immediately clear that our server was having difficulty taking care of his section and we later found out it was his first night and, from what we could see, no one was offering any support to him. It took a bit before our drink order arrived and then we order our dinner. I ordered smoked chicken and brisket with two sides - collards and green beans. My husband ordered ribs and smoked chicken with his two sides of beans and fries (I think). Several minutes passed and our server came out to tell us they were out of smoked chicken and brisket. So hubs changed his order to all ribs and I changed mine to chicken wings. Several minutes later, I was told they were out of green beans and collards! So I ordered a side salad and onion rings (I think). Seriously, thank God it was a beautiful night and we were relaxing, otherwise I would have been less than understanding. Well, FINALLY our dinners came. The ribs were fatty and tough. The wings were good. I never got my onion rings. When the server brought the tab, we were charged for items we didn't order. He went back and re-figured it and came back and it was still incorrect. Instead of correcting it a second time he just gave us the amount we were overcharged, in singles. Honestly, it was not a good dining experience. I felt sorry for the guy, on his first night, having to tell us they were basically out of everything. He seem flustered and I would have talked to a manager, but didn't want the blame to fall on the server. Definitely will not be going back. I am not sure why anyone is raving about this place. I guess if you are going to chance...

Went there 1X for Wednesday beer specials and decided to eat "baby back" ribs with red slaw and baked beans. When I mentioned to bartender that both the slaw and the beans were not good, he never even offered to let me have a mayo based slaw instead, nor any other side to substitute. So, basically, I had no sides to eat with my bad rib dinner...but did have to pay for two sides.

The red slaw had a ketchup / vinegar base, was super chopped up and had a peppery flavor. The slop they called "baked beans" was more like a thick gravy with two little beans in it that I had to search for with my spoon...and the alleged baby back ribs were NOT baby back ribs in my opinion. The ribs were tough, chewy, fatty, and too BIG to be baby backs. The sauce on them was not very good either.

Hubby had pork chops that were ok, but way too small for the money. He liked the collards, but agreed with me that the baked beans were lousy.

The bartender then thanked my husband as he put the check in front of him. Little did he know that I PAY the bills...and I got no replacement sides, and no thank you for having spent about $40....the bartender got a "small" tip...but I wish I would have left him NO tip...to help me to pay for the bad food.

The bartender should have at least offered to get the owner for me, who was hanging around drinking...

Me and my family can always count on 521BBQ for an enjoyable dinner. Not only are the dishes exceptionally tasty, but the waiters and waitresses are always attentive. In my opinion what makes a restaurant special is not the amount of food on the menu, it’s how it is served. There is a big difference in eating a platter of ambrosia, served by a waiter that through the platter to your table and one that is served with a smile and kindness. Imagine you go to a restaurant that is darkly lit, the servers are wearing unclean caps, and hands that have the remnants of the last dish prepared. When they give you a table they do so frowning when the menu arrives, it practically thrown. The food is unappetizing, whether it is how it tastes or if it is the services that make it so is uncertain. Many restaurants have this reality. From their unclean restaurants to their distant and questionable service, which makes eating outside a challenge, but I can count on 521BBQ for a wonderful service. 521BBQ is one of the few restaurants remaining that offers such a service, that reminds its customers of a time eating out was a family experience, a novelty, an enjoyable experience to count days for. Not only for its food, but also for the memories it helps...