Bub's BBQ — Restaurant in Sunderland

I don't know who was the first to decide that Bub's was good barbecue, or how they managed to convince/deceive the people they must have recommended the place to, but it certainly was no one with any discernible taste of what barbecue is. Maybe they had only seen barbecue on tv, or heard that there was pig and sauce involved, but either way, Bub's is not it.

First, and foremost, take note of the smoker out front that, depending on the day, may be belching smoke into the air, and then take note of the fact that there's no one out there tending to it, or a work area anywhere around it. Yes folks, this smoker is purely for show. Someone comes from inside every hour or so and throws a couple logs in, just to (falsely) advertise their barbecue. I say falsely, because Bub's doesn't actually smoke their pigs, they use propane. Knowing absolutely nothing else about Bub's, I would almost completely discount the quality of their food. If I wanted faux barbecue, I could have (and I have) stuck a pork shoulder in the oven and wait 12 hours.

But okay, maybe you don't mind that there's no bark or natural smokey flavor in Bub's barbecue, even then, when you do get your pulled pork, or brisket, or what have you, it's absolutely swimming in sauce. When I got my pulled pork it was in a puddle of sauce. A puddle! I've always thought that barbecue should be perfectly fine without any sauce whatsoever, and that the sauce is just the cherry on top of an already quality meat. In short, barbecue is not the sauce, it's what you put the sauce on. And Bub's could not ignore that principle any harder if they tried. Not that the sauce itself is bad, it's perfectly serviceable, but there's just so, so much of it, and even if I was the type of person who drenched my barbecue in sauce, it just adds so much to the disingenuous feel of Bub's.

I don't mean this to be offensive to the nice folks at Bub's (and they are nice), but to anyone who has had real barbecue, the food they're passing off is just that, offensive. On the plus side, some of the sides are decent, but they're a bit strange. Mostly it just seems that the spices are not what you would expect, and that's fine. Weird, but fine. I did like the roasted potatoes, the onion rings are good, the hush puppies are alright, but ultimately, Bub's is just a disappointment.

I moved to western Mass from NC this past year, and in preparation, I was checking out some restaurants in the area, and almost everything I saw in the way of barbecue was how great Bub's was, and that it was the best New England had to offer, and just weeks after moving, bright-eyed and excited, we went to Bub's and to be honest, it was just plain depressing. I was worried that this would be my only option for barbecue within an hour's drive, then I discovered the amazing RJ's Grub, just a mile or so down the road from Bub's in a trailer, and not only was it the best barbecue I've had since moving, but it's among some of the best barbecue I've ever had (in good company with some of the best BBQ places in NC, TN, SC, and TX). Sadly, they had to leave their place in the parking lot of the former Snowzee's, and haven't settled back down yet, but if and when they do, I highly recommend ignoring Bub's and tracking down RJ's, wherever...

If I could give them a 0 I would. Today I went to Bub's barbeque and ordered 1/2 slab of ribs. I didn't say baby back or regular; however, there is a distinct difference, but the cooks did not tell me. When my order was called, I looked for the ribs, but saw a small portion of ribs on a plate. I didn't accept it because I'd never seen 1/2 slab so small. (I was used to 1/2 slab at Wildwood Barbeque in Hadley, and having prepared 1/2 slabs at home for at least 50 years). The cashier said she wasn't going to argue with me. I told her it wasn't a matter of arguing, but a fact that this wasn't a half slab, and I didn't want it. The bill came to $16.04. I sat down, and then went back to the counter. The manager was there and told me that there was a difference between baby back ribs and regular ribs. I know that, but surely the baby back ribs were the smallest 1/2 slab I'd ever seen. Anyway, she told me that they'd reimburse me, and that I could go ahead and have the side dishes. I did not want anymore side dishes for I'd wanted the rib dinner. I'd lost my appetite. When I arrived home to check my bank account, they'd only reimbursed me $7.00, a deficit of $9.04 was in the wind. The manager told a bold face lie, and I will not let this go. What she did was very wrong; it was criminal. Integrity is my motto, and I'd never recommend this restaurant to anyone!

I've moved on and know better than to expect a good meal from Bub's. As a southerner, I know the difference between a slab, 1/2 slab and 1/4 slab. I was cheated. So...

I am rejecting this response because: I do not accept Bub’s decision; however, I will move on. The manager is a liar. She told me that they had pork ribs and baby back ribs on the same list; a customer wouldn’t know which to order. She said the cooks should have asked me what type of ribs I wanted, but they didn’t. I do blame myself for even going to Bub’s because at the onset of their opening many years ago, the food wasn’t good. My sides didn’t cost $9.00, and I said that I would pay for the sides. Really thinking how this all turned out, the manager saw my hue, and therefore, I believe, she decided that I was trying to get away with not paying, or perhaps she thought I didn’t have the money. I do feel that I was discriminated against as a black person. A half slab of baby back ribs would cost more than $7.00. She cheated me on the sides by charging me $9.00 - a little potato salad and coleslaw. See below. Her ribs were 1/4 of a whole slab. Bub's is cheating the customers). What Bub’s tried to sell me was ¼ of that slab as ½ of baby back ribs. She will have to live with her lies and discrimination. Wildwood Barbeque on Rte. 9 in Hadley is awesome. Their ribs and sides are the best! And I found a Caribbean restaurant in Springfield, whose customer service...

Tonight my wife and I went to bubs on a dinner date to reminisce about how one of our first dates was to Bubs. We have been going to bubs on and off throughout the years, and unfortunately tonight will probably be the last time we go.

We ordered a pulled pork sandwich, onions rings, the gator and shrimp dinner, and got two canned drinks. With the 15% tip we left at checkout (which I'm fine with, I'm happy to support local restaurants I enjoy), it came to $60 which is around what I'd expect to pay for a nice dinner for two in the area.

While ordering, we noticed that they were out of burgers, and shortly after ordering, the cashier came out to tell us that the gator was out of stock, as was the onion ring dipping sauce, but she could double up the shrimp for us. We weren't thrilled but rolled with it, though the gator was the main thing my Wife wanted. Last time we went, they were out of several main items as well.

We get our order, and it was 11 pieces of Shrimp for $23.99. The shrimp was luke warm and the tips felt kind of cool, almost as if it was cooked earlier, left in the fridge, and then thrown back on the grill upon ordering. When we asked if that was the right amount of shrimp we were told it was... It just felt kind of stingy, especially because we ordered something they then told us after paying that they didn't have, why not just throw a few extra shrimp in? And unless our math is wrong, if we got just the shrimp dinner, it would have been $5 less for one less shrimp, so in a sense we got ripped off on that.

The cashier was very friendly but the cook was clearly annoyed with us for not being satisfied with 11 shrimp.

The free sides bar was pretty sparse, there were several spots that were empty, and this was at 6:30 on a Friday in the summer, you would expect this to be well within normal dinner time...

It just felt like nearly every part of the meal was sub par, and it's sad because we have very much enjoyed bubs over the years. I know the owner responds to a lot of these reviews, so I'm ready to catch some hands over this, but it just felt like a waste of $$ given how sub par everything was. I hope we just caught them on a bad night but I don't see us...