Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint — Restaurant in Vestavia Hills

BBQ+Chaos We ate at Martin’s in Vestavia, Alabama on Saturday, April 10, 2021. This was our third visit, and we were looking forward to barbecue. Parking was a nightmare. The lot in the front of the restaurant was full. The lot in the back of the restaurant was a disaster as there is only one way in and out. There was quite a bit of horn blowing, backing, near-misses, and frustration. We waited patiently to order in the one line that was open. The rather surly young woman took our order with minimum interaction. There were no tables outside, so we sat a booth near the front of the restaurant. We waited and watched as children ran uncontrollably through the restaurant with lots of near-misses with servers carrying trays of food. We checked again for a table outside, but it appeared most the people outside had settled in for a long evening. My daughter and I shared the combo plate for two with brisket and spare ribs (two dry rub and two saucy). No table numbers were provided, so along with the music and the crowd noise, the servers loudly shouted the order numbers. My husband ordered the bbq sandwich and fries. Portions of all meats and sides were smaller, and the fries were seasoned nicely but were cold. The brisket was tender and tasty but a little fatty. The ribs were delicious. I liked the saucy, and my daughter preferred the dry rub. This restaurant does not allow you to refill your soda or tea, so it was almost impossible to get more to drink. The barbecue sauce is provided in small, plastic cups. Our favorite was the thicker sauce that perfectly complemented the meat. I would recommend going to Martin’s Monday - Thursday. The atmosphere was loud, crowded, and not conducive to conversation on an early Saturday evening. As a note, we ordered the hush puppies, and they were delectable! (No tartar sauce was provided, but they were still incredible!) We took a walk after dinner and finished with a quick trip to Bendy’s ice cream. We have not written off Martin’s, but it could definitely...

Maybe I'll wait to see if it improves. MOST disappointing, since I was looking forward to the brisket most of all, was the HUGE hunk of fat in the center of what should have been 3 lbs. SLICED brisket. I guess when he got to the chunk of fat, he just threw it in the container. So I I really got 2.5 pounds Sliced brisket and 1/2 pound chopped up chewy meat around a hunk of fat. The pulled pork was pretty good, but we can get that all over Birminghamm. (Miss Myra’s whole butt for the same $ as 3 lbs. pulled) Another issue,, especially in this underserved area of Cahaba Heights, you've got to be prepared to serve ON TIME, on BIG days. Like College football playoff night. I called 2 days ahead and ordered MEAT ONLY to go. How hard could that be? Pick up 6 pm. I called at 5 pm to make sure it would be ready. I stood in line at the to-go pick up area staring at my empty, labeled bag with 6:00 pm on it, for 45 mins. I got there 15 mins early. Some people came in, placed their orders and got them, all in front of me. Not very good system for call ahead pick up/pre-order. Maybe they didn't know it was going to be like this on a game day, but really, MEAT could have been ready. What was sliced and served properly was good, but I still paid for a chunk of fat we couldn't eat. Maybe I'll try them again if they're still around. In the meantime, still on the lookout for some...

Recently attended a seminar here where lunch was provided.....this place was represented to presenter as providing a "quiet, secluded area" suitable for a presentation....we were seated on an outdoor patio area with plastic sheeting walls & outdoor heaters next to one of the two main entrances into the establishment. The music was so loud we could barely hear the presentation...not to mention the constant barrage of folks walking back & forth in front of the A/V screen. To top it off, one of the servers decided to open one of the large garage type doors which totally exposed our small group to even more noise & traffic...after that, we couldn't hear at all! We had no server assigned to our area , had to get our own drinks & stand in a long line of other customers to place our food orders. The food was mediocre at best....bbq pork tasted like it was boiled in a crock pot/no flavor.....the sauce on the table(as none came on the meat) was akin to red water with peppersauce added. Sweet tea was not sweet. As a business owner, if you are going to accomodate private groups, then do so AND do it right.....clearly all you care about is the $$$. As for the lack of service, I truly hope the company putting on the presentation did not tip. We will never revisit nor recommend this place to anyone!...