1475 NC Highway 105 South
Boone (828) 265-2828
We ate supper at the Bandana’s cafe one day in late summer. They are also online.
Ray: I had the chopped barbeque plate (chopped BBQ, choice of two side dishes, and garlic bread, $8.19) with baked beans and hushpuppies for my sides. The BBQ was tasty, well cooked, and well chopped. There are 3 containers of sauce at each table (hot, mild, and that nasty South Carolina-type mustard based sauce). Unfortunately, all these sauces seemed to have at least some tomato sauce in them (I prefer vinegar based sauces on BBQ). In any event, I tried (no surprise) the hot sauce. It was spiced just right: enough spice to know it was there but not so much that it totally drowned the flavor of the meat. The beans were good, with chunks of pork BBQ in them.
Tom: I tried the Baby Back Ribs. They were very tender! I was a bit reluctant to try a whole (vs. half) order, but it turned out to be just enough. For sides I had the slaw and hushpuppies. The slaw was sort of nondescript and a bit runny. And, I think we both thought the hushpuppies were a bit on the greasy side yet not quite done either. I gave up on them and just finished the Texas toast.
Ray: The garlic bread was indeed your standard Texas toast, nothing special, but it tasted fine. We also shared a small order of onion rings ($3.09) which were quite good, correctly cooked with almost no detectable grease.. And the hushpuppies had no onions (but they did have corn).
Tom: I also had a glass of white zinfandel with my meal–just a basic house wine. At least they got that right, unlike another restaurant I graced in Carolina Beach, which served me a glass of chardonnay thinking it was zin!
Ray: I washed this repast down with several glasses of good, but really sweet iced tea.
Tom: It would have been perfect for me…
Ray: Maybe. For desert we split a banana pudding (the traditional dessert at a BBQ place). I was expecting a small dish, but we got a huge dish which was plenty for two folks and could easily have been shared by three if they were not porkers like us! The pudding was very good — tasted like homemade.
The food here is served on simple but nice plates, however the glasses are plastic. Likewise, the flatwear is the typical stamped out Chinese junk (and I ain’t talking about a traditional Chinese boat, either).
Tom: The napkins were about as absorbemt as glossy inkjet printer paper, too.
I must say that a visit to the restroom is worth it even if you don’t have to go. The ankle-high latrines, SUV-sized handicapped stall, ankle-high latrine, and enMotion motion-activated paper towel dispensers are a hoot!
Ray: The service here was knowledgeable, fast, and cheerful. Our orders came quickly and without any errors.
The atmosphere here might be described as “renovated barn”. The walls up to about 3 feet from the floor are galvanized steel sheet and there are exposed beams, brick, and wood. On the walls are lots of license plates, big advertising-type thermometers, and a few crosscut saws. The booths are large and comfy, and are lit by light fixtures made from large pails. There was light music playing in the background.
Tom: I can’t gripe about stained acoustical tile since they painted theirs a very dark green!
Ray: This is probably the best place to go in Boone for BBQ. The atmosphere is relaxing, the service is good and fast, and the food is very tasty and the portions are ample.
Tom: Yep–and a nice place, almost too nice in Boone to not be a chain!
GPS Coordinates
Lat: 36° 12.110′
Lon: 81° 40.680′
Menu (prices may change)
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