Blondie's Barbecue — Restaurant in Walpole

I never write reviews but I felt compelled here. The long short here is this place is special and if you care about barbecue, this place is hands down the best in Massachusetts.

Let me qualify this first by saying I've been to every top barbecue place in the United States... All the top 30 in Texas, and most the top places outside of TX as this grows in popularity (Charlotte, Portland, Charlestown, Brooklyn, CT, etc) I also own an offset and make bbq all the time myself. And yes I intentionally left Kansas City and Memphis off this list because I don't care about their oversauced rubbish.

I read some of these other reviews and I'm astonished that anyone would give 3 or 4 stars because they felt the chairs were hard or the acoustics in the dining room weren't to their liking... come on.

Price - This place is priced in line with every other top notch place, and most of those are in dirt cheap middle of nowhere Texas, not on route 1 in Massachusetts. If you know anything about how expensive prime beef is and quality ingredients in general, then you would know that this place best priced extremely fairly. If you want a $4 combo meal, go to Wendy's.

Smokiness/Flavor - If you think the food here lacks smokiness or flavor, it's because you've been eating garbage barbecue that comes off of these crappy electric/gas smokers that use one or two splits of wood for 6 hours. This causes an acrid, overpowering taste that unfortunately people in the northeast have had to become accustomed to. Blondie's uses clean smoke from thousand gallon offset smokers. It takes wayyyy more time to do because you can't leave the fire, and costs wayyyy more because you have to burn so much more wood and pay someone to be there 24x7 to watch the fire. It also makes for a wayyy better product. There's only four other places in all of New England that use offset smokers (aka stick burners) because it's so much more difficult, costly and time consuming. You have to be passionate about BBQ to care enough to do it the right way.

The brisket is the most important item, and the most difficult, and they're doing it right here. Fantastic flavor, perfect fat render, and you can cut it with a plastic fork.

The rest of the meats and sides were no afterthought. Every single one was good but my standouts were the Texas Twinkies, banana pudding, and the turkey (which is not an easy thing to smoke).

Not that I care a ton about service because it's all about the food for me, but it's worth mentioning that everyone I encountered here was extremely friendly an accommodating.

Everyone in Massachusetts should try this place, especially if they have never been to Texas and want to know what true Central Texas BBQ is all about. The best compliment that I could give Blondie's is that you could drop this place smack in the middle of East Austin and it would have a line out the door! It's high time that MA has a...

After months of driving by the slow march of renovations - and, I’ll admit, the occasional bout of social media stalking—I can confirm that Blondie’s Barbecue has officially opened its doors. And yes, it was absolutely worth the anticipation.

What stood out before they even served a single rib was the sense that something thoughtful was happening behind the scenes. The team at Blondie’s seemed to be quietly tinkering and perfecting while construction dragged on—always a promising sign in a region where barbecue can often feel like an afterthought.

The layout is simple but functional. You walk into a narrow entry where you’ll place your order (including drinks, if you’re so inclined), receive a wooden token bearing your table number, and then head into a spacious dining area. There's a self-serve water station - a small but welcome touch, especially considering barbecue's sodium-forward nature.

Prices are fair, especially given today’s meat market realities. Cocktails ring in at $14, and meat is sold by the half-pound. On our visit, we opted for pulled pork, brisket, and spare ribs. The pulled pork was the standout—tender, smoky, and deeply flavorful. The brisket held its own, with a solid bark and decent moisture. The ribs, while well-seasoned, were slightly undercooked—not quite the fall-off-the-bone experience many might hope for. They do use spare ribs rather than baby backs, so your mileage may vary.

The shell and cheese was rich without being overbearing, and the pimento cheese dip was comfortingly nostalgic. The campfire beans were fine, but not memorable enough to revisit. I did appreciate that sides come in two sizes, encouraging diners to sample more without overcommitting.

Cocktails, served in whimsical little flasks (plastic, alas), were both cleverly crafted and pleasantly strong—offering enough novelty without veering into gimmick.

Real utensils were a welcome surprise, though offset somewhat by the unfortunate paper plates. One tore halfway through my meal, launching brisket and sauce across the table. A sturdier vessel would go a long way toward elevating the overall experience.

There is a dessert menu, though we, like so many barbecue rookies before us, over-ordered and couldn’t even entertain the idea of sweets by the end.

The staff, for their part, are warm, attentive, and clearly passionate about the food they serve. Blondie’s may still be settling into its stride, but it’s already a strong—and sorely needed—addition to the local food scene. I’ll be back, and next time, I’m saving room...

I've been driving past this location for months now and was excited to see the location finally open today. Hours currently are 3pm to 9pm Wednesday through Sunday and there is plenty of parking.

Being their opening day, there is bound to be some rough edges but that just means there's ample room for improvement! I carried out so my dining environment (my car) may not have been the best but I didn't want to wait until I got home before diving in. Interior decor is great and the overall vibe of this place is very chill.

Here are the items I tried out (as of 5/2025):

Prime Beef Brisket (1/2lb) - $17 - For Massachusetts it's definitely above average. It was tender and had a good ratio of fat to lean meat. However, I do wish the bark had more smoke flavor to it (this will be a running theme).

Pork Spare Ribs (1/2lb) - $16 - Very tender and tastes pretty great, however, I wish there was more smoke flavor imparted in the meat.

House sausage (1/2lb) - $8 - Good flavor. Firm chew to it which I enjoyed. Again, I wished there was a more smokey flavor!

Cole Slaw (sm) - $5 - Refreshing and crisp. Not too heavily dressed. Vinegar dressing could be a tad more prominent.

Shells and Cheese (sm) - $5 - Nice creaminess to the sauce. Shells were perfectly cooked. Not too heavy.

Brown Butter Cornbread - $4 - Nice chunk of cornbread. Great flavor and something I would order again. Not too dense and I really taste the brown butter!

Banana Pudding - $6 - Toasted coconut adds a nice crunchy texture to the dessert. Not too sweet which I'm thankful for as I'm not a fan of overly sweet banana pudding. Unfortunately the vanilla wafer lost it's crunch by the time I got to it.

Overall I am quite pleased with the offerings here. If they can impart more smoke into the meat I think it will help tremendously in scratching that Texas BBQ itch.

Massachusetts is in desperate need for good Texas BBQ and I have high hopes for Blondies as they certainly have the equipment to make it happen.

I'm hoping that they'll off burnt ends and beef ribs in the future!

I'll definitely be back to try their sandwiches and...