MISSION BBQ — Restaurant in Upper Merion Township

I have been to this location several times over the last two years, and over that time it quickly became one of my favorite restaurants, because the service and quality of the food was always outstanding. I have never hesitated to recommend it to friends and family visiting the area. The prices are not inexpensive, but reasonable (a combo with two sides and a drink will cost about $12-13), and when this place is on its "A" game, it is worth every penny.

Yesterday was my first dine-in visit since the start of the pandemic, and it was also the first time I was less than impressed.

Because of the pandemic, the bottles of sauce have been removed from the tables (understandably so) and are replaced with individual cups behind the counter. When I asked for the Memphis Belle, I was given one small container, hardly enough for my pulled pork platter. When I asked for a "couple more", I was only given one more, at which point I decided not to force the issue any further. (In all fairness, an associate did come by our table later to ask if we had enough sauce, but I feel the best course of action would be to ask the customer at the counter how much they would like, because it felt like they were rationing it).

If the sauce was the only issue, I probably wouldn't have left with a poor impression, but the sides I received were underwhelming: the cup of BBQ beans was only about half full, and the macaroni and cheese looked (and tasted) like it had been scraped from the bottom of the pan when it was just about empty. The sweet tea also tasted more watered down than I remember it.

In each of these cases, the recurring theme was "stingy", which was especially a shock since I have always known this location to be overwhelmingly generous in every way. I realize that times are tough for restaurants after having been shut down for the better part of three months, and that many have to pinch pennies just to stay afloat. However, the experience did lower my impression of this location, and I would have reservations about recommending it to others going forward. I will likely return at some point, hoping that this was simply an aberration for what has always been an...

I went to the King of Prussia location for the first time a few days ago with my husband. We were looking at the menu when an incredibly friendly employee offered to bring us samples. We had no idea what we were in for! Over the course of the next few minutes, we were brought three trays of different foods to sample. It was enough food for an entire meal, and everything was delicious! While we were ordering, we discovered the bubbly sample lady was in fact the store manager, Kaitlyn (sp). She let us take home the food we sampled in addition to our meals. What great service!

Here are some specifics about the food. The ribs either have old bay seasoning or brown sugar baked in, depending on whether you order spareribs or baby back. Both are awesome, with the proper charred top and tender meat inside. The pulled pork tasted smoky and amazing plain, but it was over the top with one of their six sauces. My favorite side was hands-down the cheesy potatoes. They were super cheesy and must've had sour cream or something mixed in to give them a tang that I would drive an hour away for. The brisket and pastrami were great, too. The green beans were a little more spicy than I would prefer, but I appreciated the Southern style bacon and onions. I don't like cornbread, but for some reason I ate the piece they gave me. I think it was because it actually tasted like corn, instead of too sugary like most cornbread.

All in all, I can't...

Hard to go wrong with Mission BBQ as you can see from other reviews. They have a good thing going here, which is not always the case for chain restaurants. They have motivated employees who operate like a well-oiled machine to keep the line moving and customers satisfied even on the busiest of days. I have never eaten-in, but I'm sure it would be just as good. Their take-out service is flawless as it is anyway.

BBQ is such a popular genre of food but can be screwed up too. So far so good at this location.

If there had to be a negative, I'd say that the location(KOP town center) can be dicey to get into since that part of town has been way, way, way overbuilt(used to be a golf course and land was tied up in courts for years with lawsuits) and the board of supervisors is now faced with confronting the ongoing parking dramas(along with police chief) that have followed jamming 30,000 luxury apartment units in the same vicinity as medical facilities(yes, more than 1), upscale restaurants, grocery stores, and a gym.

I'm sure those downsides equate to upsides for Mission BBQ since it drives more pedestrian traffic to the area, not that its needed, but I prefer this was on a separate parcel of land away from the chaos that is the KOP...