Crosstown Barbecue — Restaurant in Springfield

Since my daughter is attending Missouri State, I have become a frequent visitor to the area since August and I have been kind of informally sampling/reviewing the BBQ joints in town. This is the 4th one in the Springfield area I've tried.

Ultimately, I was so completely disappointed. Happened to drive by the place and from the outside, it looked intriguing: Definite feel of a one of a kind hidden treasure location based on signage, location, etc.

Upon entering, the inside matched with a unique decour and layout. Everyone was extremely friendly and I will give high marks for customer service/how they treat you.

I ordered Burnt Ends Special to go since I always start with Brisket when I try a place out -- if you can't get brisket right, then I probably won't be back. This special came with two sides and I again stayed with the basics - fries and baked beans - for the same reason. Also I did read a little about the place and it sounds like they hang there hat on their beans, so why not try out what they claim to be something they do well.

After everything else being so incredibly awesome, then came the really crucial part. How was the food? Well... that's why I was so absolutely disappointed. To be blunt, none of it was very good: The brisket was dry and tough (and not just "it's burnt ends so naturally it's not going to be as moist as the stuff in the middle... I'm talking bone dry!) To make matters worse, it was cut into oversized chunks which only pointed out the dryness/toughness. Ok, so maybe I got some stuff late in the day that was at the end of life... still not great, but understandable.

But, no not really that either considering there was no flavor/taste to the bark an NO smokiness to the meat whatsoever. It tasted more like an oven cooked minimally seasoned beef roast than anything. I've gotten better executed Brisket from chain BBQ places! Finally, I was able to the choke the last half of the meat down with dipping it in the included sauce (spicy with a nice kick but not too spicy... good sauce, but I don't go to BBQ joints for the sauce and so if I'm forced to start reviewing your sauce, you're obviously in trouble) and then moved onto the sides.

The Beans were good...a solid entry, but given that the advertising and reviews of the place indicate the Beans are their best offering...well, they weren't that good. The fries were undercooked and still partially crunchy in the middle. Clearly this was a case of them pulling them from the frier too soon in an attempt to fill an order quickly.

While I get that speed of service is important, I'll gladly wait the extra 60 seconds it takes for the food to be RIGHT over the food being fast...every single day!

In summary, when it comes to BBQ joints, I give well executed "chain BBQ" a 2 rating and I find nothing to give this place anything higher. I did look over their menu and it sounds like they have a lot of interesting/unique sandwich offerings. Maybe those are better? But when I order something off the "Specials" section and find it to be anything but, I'll likely be hard pressed to try other parts...

Steve & his family have always been absolutely great to my parents & even myself since my 1st visit when I was in high school (age 14). We have KC in our blood & the same KC style BBQ flavor running through our taste buds!

However, this review is a very special one. Certainly not a typical review by any means. I am now 48 yrs old & I've not seen Steve in probably a good 8 - 10 years & while eating there the afternoon of Christmas Eve (2018), Steve was talking to us about our holiday plans & during that conversation he made me realize I had made a really HUGE mistake; a mistake that could've cost me my family's entire Christmas dinner & on a Christmas that was a very special Christmas for us to boot.

During our conversation, I had realized that after all of the house cleaning, all the Christmas decorating, the last push to finish up our 8 month remodel, & of course every possible distraction you could image, that I completely forgot to set my frozen turkey in the fridge to thaw 3 days prior. I was beginning to go into my freak out mode. We didn't have the money to buy another turkey, especially a premade one, or even a ham, but my parents did ask Steve if he has one we could possibly buy & the only thing he had available was a ham that was waaaay to big for our family.

As we were sitting there brainstorming, Steve walks over to our table with a full-sized smoked turkey and told us to have a very Merry Christmas. I literally wanted to cry!! I am pretty sure I thanked him countless times, & hugged him as many times as he had time for before we left.

In my heart his kindness went above & beyond!!! We know a LOT of business owners, & friends with many of them but I cannot honestly say that any of them would extend the kindness that he did for us this holiday Season.

I already knew that Steve is a great guy & I already knew that he helped those in need of food on a regular basis & the mere fact that he helped me & my family when we are much more fortunate than most of the people he helps was a kindness that I will NEVER EVER forget!!

The kindness Steve & his family bestowed upon me & my family will be a kind gesture that will always be in my heart, as well as my parents' hearts. I still cannot thank him enough, I will never be able to. He saved our 1st Christmas with ALL of our grandchildren & kids in our home at the same time. A very special Christmas indeed. 💓

The one thing I can do, as my husband Tim was quick to point out is not wait another 8 years to eat at Crosstown BBQ & he's exactly right!!

Crosstown BBQ will now & always be our #1 choice for BBQ!! Correction, it was always our #1 BBQ choice, the problem was because it wasn't right up the street & because we are creatures of habit & we tend to eat at establishments that are within a 5 min drive from home. That won't happen anymore!

Steve Williams, Owner of Crosstown BBQ has gained 2 more LOYAL customers...for life!! Thank you again Steve! Thank you from the bottom of our 💓!!

From our Family....to yours, Merry Christmas & Happy New...

Outstanding "old school" BBQ. Service and food were OUTSTANDING. I was driving cross country from Massachusetts to Arizona just after the new year (I'm a AZ Snowbird). I looked on Google the night before for a good BBQ place that I could stop at around noon time the following day. Well I found it !!! No shiny commercial electric smoker here that uses pellets like all the chains you find across the country. Meats aren't measured on a digital scale. Mr Steve Williams the owner introduced himself during my visit. He took the business over from his parents in the 80's. The smoker was original equipment from I guess was decades old. Several "timeline" pictures, newspaper articles and awards lined the walls of this BBQ joint cut out of time from years past. Steve was a true gentleman. While I was waiting for my food he was wheeling in 50 lb bags of potatoes and I thought gee, I don't recall seeing baked potato on the menu. Then my three-meat, two side meal arrived. Oh my....hand cut fries! That explains all the russets. Spot on St Louis ribs. No sauce needed. Brisket was perfect and hot link cut lengthwise? What a great idea and perfect way to use the white bread served with meals. I truly enjoyed my stop and look forward to visiting again driving east or west between my two homes. Thanks again...