Hammerdown Barbecue — Restaurant in Brambleton

EDIT: After going to Hammerdown many times after the first, it definitely deserves a fourth star. Maybe my early travails were from their growing pains. Service has gotten much faster. The food is good, although tastes may differ.

Our first experience with Hammerdown was at their food truck parked in Middleburg. There was a short line of people in front of us but it took nearly a half hour for the guy to take our order. He and a customer blabbed on ceaselessly while a line formed. Then, when we finally got to order, they were out of almost everything.

Despite an initially disappointing experience, we looked forward to the opening of their restaurant. It is near our house and much closer than Willards, our usual BBQ spot.

Unfortunately, the experience in the store was identical to the food truck. The service is as sloooooooow as the meat is cooked. Servers engage in petty conversations with customers while long lines build. Several staff members seemed to be in training, constantly interrupting one person who knew what she was doing. This one knowledgeable person couldn't stay focused on the tasks she was doing. It took literally five minutes for one guy to cut up a sausage link and put it on a bun. Then it took the cashier nearly ten minutes to check out the people in front of us as he fumbled through the iPad register.

I get that people need training, but you do that BEFORE the lunch rush. I get that you should be friendly and talk to customers, but NOT have a long, protracted conversation when there are 20 people in line waiting. I always hoped it was an isolated experience but we had the same problems at least five different times.

Now to the BBQ. It is pretty darned good. The ribs are huge and the meat just falls off the bone as you'd expect. The brisket is perfect. Pulled meat is as good as it gets. Sausage is great. The mac and cheese is good and spicy, if you like that. Cole slaw is delicious but the sauce is a bit thin. It isnt the best BBQ I've had but it is in the top 5 or 10.

Prices are high. Whoa. A half rack of ribs is about 18 if I remember and it comes with no sides. We can easily spend twice what we do at Willards. As an economist, I know that things are priced by what the market will bear, and HD has long lines, so I guess the prices are right. I will pay for quality, but this place makes my wallet hurt.

The location is good. Parking lot is unfinished and a little small. Tables are spartan. Hand washing station is very nice. Outdoor patio is a bonus for people who like eating outside.

Bottom line is that the Q is very good but I literally cringe when I think about how I will have to endure the painful service. The good news is that these problems are fixable by management. They need to train during light hours and stay...

Absolutely the best bbq quality I’ve had in the area. This place may not look over the top but I assure you it’s beyond expectations.

The sides are less to be desired; nothing stands out to me between the collards, slaw, and Mac but the baked beans are delicious. It’s a mix of pinto/black/kidney/no-name bean and they have flavor.

The pastrami: Come. On. This pastrami is just out of this world. Perfect rub, perfect texture. Perfect flavor. Nothing compares. I’m told it’s not always available but when it is they sell out quick.

The brisket is second to the pastrami. All of the same qualities however my portion had a little less flavor which I balanced with the house sauces. So moist, so tender and just great overall.

I’m not a rib fan but after chit-chatting with a few of the employees during a down time for them they offered up a rib for tasting and let me tell you…it’s the definition of fall off the bone. I soon became a fan of ribs and I’m coming back specifically for them.

The sauces are simple and few to choose from leaving your with little to no dilemma of which one to use. The spicy one is pretty good and the regular is…regular but good taste and the vinegar is what it is…not my cup of tea.

The beer selection is pretty strong for this area. They pull a lot from the breweries around the area and they have a few taps from the better breweries from Richmond.

This place is so small town in the biggest county. I met a few people working the lunch shift but I spent the most time talking to Damien. He had such pride in the place and was more than accommodating. I had questions about the meat before ordering and he had no issues giving me the info I needed. I located a spot at the bar after eating outside he talked a little bit about the history and how things were going. After asking more questions about the meat he brought out the rib sampler and talked all about the process and cooking. He’s a true ambassador to the restaurant and you can tell he’s very proud of its success. Thank you Damien!

Overall this place is now my bbq destination and I don’t think I’ll be going out of my way for any of the others. The prices are reasonable and the meat is done so well. Give it a chance and you won’t be...

Where do I start? We placed an almost $100 order for pick up at 6 pm. We arrive around 5:45 pm. Everyone was standing around in a crowd waiting for their online orders mixed in with the people who ordered in store. At 6:10 pm we ask about our order, they say "we are working on it" ok great. As I sit at the table waiting for my order along with 30 others, I notice the teenagers just goofing off & the OWNER chatting away at the bar to 2 customers. 6:40 pm rolls around and our order is "finally ready". We drive 15 minutes back to the house, un load everything and notice that we are missing collard greens and they gave us part of someone else's order. We then have to drive all the way back (they close at 7 pm) so they could fix their error. I tell the kid at the counter and he says "ok one second" tell me why it took them 15 minutes!! The owner filled the container then just left it sitting there! To top EVERYTHING off, once we get back home for the second time I opened (what was supposed to be) a pound of chicken. Nope. It was about 3 bites of chicken along with half a container of brisket?

Im convinced every 5 star review here is either friends or family of theirs. The establishment is a complete ** show & the barbecue is awful. Dry, no flavor and the sides are an abomination. If you think this bbq is good then you either have the taste buds of a child or you have never left the state and gotten real bbq.

Wont be returning back to this...