Bluegrass BBQ in Reading

Last nights visit was disappointing. My burger was dry and my fries were cold. When I told the server I was told to order and pay for an alternative dish - they were not particularly busy but were just not interested.

Amazing and very delicious burgers

Would like to give a special to Jess (manager) from to start to finish, very professional, friendly, went the extra mile. Also the bar maid Amazon, service with a smile, friendly and greated the moment we walked through the door. Will definitely be going again.

Incredible food every part of it was brilliant service included can’t fault the place

I gave service two as we ordered via an app and the food was brought to us, no other interaction with staff

Epic, huge portions, great vibe.

Big on price but small on portion sizes.

Arrived at around 5.45 pm on a Thursday in November. 2024. Ordered 2 pints, 1 burger and 1 burger and chips. £50. Then we had to wait 40 minutes for it to arrive! After complaining we were told a large order was in front of us! No mention of this when we arrived and no one else to be seen or heard inside? For £17 I expect more from a burger. Don't think I will go back.

Great food, terrible music. Servers were lovely though.

AVOID... lukewarm, overpriced, horrible food, with lacking service, and high chance of food poisoning!!! Came here with my partner after really liking the look of the restaurant and the menu. First 2 red flags when walking in 1. restaurant was almost completely empty at 19:30 on a Friday night (4 other tables in the restaurant) and 2. Complete QR code order and pay. I ordered the North Carolina Lexington Platter (BBQ chicken, pulled pork, mac n cheese, fried onions, chips, pickles, and coleslaw) and my partner order a southern fried chicken burger. When the food came out, it was LUKEWARM. Didn't mind as at this point as we were quite hungry and just thought we'd eat it quick. The lexington chicken was fine, albeit tasteless, and not a lot of it, and a very small pot of "Lexington glaze" on the side. Fries made up the majority of the tray, they had clearly given us a fair few extra to bulk out the trays. The mac n cheese tasted of microwave and had this strange flavour to it I couldn't pin down - later realising it was probably off! There was also no pulled pork on my tray which I only realised when I re-read back what I had ordered when I got back in the car. Assuming they either forgot to make it or they were out (which would explain why the tray had so many extra fries) If they were out, why didn't they mention this?? For a "BBQ smokehouse", there was a distinct lack of BBQ and general flavour on the plate. My partners chicken burger was overcooked and completely dry. Food went cold within a matter of minutes and after finishing about half of our meals, we left. Service wise - staff seemed nice but very little contact with them. No table checkback (basic hospitality 101) and sauce station was completely self service. Cherry on the top of the dining experience - went to bed with (and spent the next day trying to get rid of) a very dodgy stomach - likely from the lukewarm and weird tasting mac n cheese. Wouldn't be surprised if the majority of stuff on the menu came straight from freezer to microwave or spends a long time under a heat lamp. Will certainly not be coming back and would recommend avoiding this place completely!

Have to order from QR codes at the table. Really annoying. I came out to eat and relax, not learn how to look for items on the menu in the app. Food was great and staff is nice, but it feels like too much work. I will not be coming back. I did also notice there is no way to notify the kitchen of allergies or items not liked in the kids meals.

The chips are absolutely delicious! 😋

Great food, be wary of the scotched fries - not for the faint hearted.

Highly recommend it here! We were given the really cool secret room as there was a high number of us. The food came so quickly even though there was 17 of us! The food was amazing and the serving sizes were huge! Jess the manager was great from booking to finish and all the staff working there were so lovely and great. Thank you so much for the great experience!

Another delicious trip to Bluegrass, this time for lunch. The "3 for £18" lunchtime deal is more food than I could quite manage, and all of it delicious.

Small group, bigger group? Just write them a note in advance via their website, they are happy to accommodate you and prepare accordingly. Food is delicious and plenty, prices look high, but the amount makes up for it. To-go boxes are available on request (they are happy to send you home with it so you can enjoy it later at home)

First time visit, great food and service👍🏽

Food was good, service was pleasant, reasonably priced. Njce that they collabed with a local brewery for a themed beer, would visit again.

First time and we loved it. Food was great, portions good and staff friendly.

Food is good if you can eat your meal in less than 5min due to the food arriving Luke warm and by the end off my meal most items are now stone cold and this was not just once but every time I visit this establishment. This won't be my restaurant choice unless my friends wants to come it's such a shame because I really like BBQ meats😞 I'm not a expert but when I eat out I like my food hot unless I chose a dish that's supposed to be served cold.

We are regulars at Bluegrass, we usually visit 3-4 times a year. Our last visit was a Friday lunch, we have arrived before 12:00, so it wasn't too busy. The QR code ordering and direct payments using the app is really easy. The menus are varied, with lots of options for everyone and we always try to get something else to try out. Through a number of visits, having tried over a dozen of the menu options, there wasn't a single one that we would not like or would not order again. This time we have gone with the Boston BBQ Brisket, Burnt ends poutine and a couple of sides. The portions were huge and all food was delicious. Upon request, we have also been given a food box to take any leftovers with us. The service was fast, server helpful, the premises clean and we are looking forward to call again. I personally like the fact they support Siren, Reading's own brewery and have their IPA on the drinks menu.

One of the best bbq restaurants I’ve been to and certainly the best in the area. Portions seem small but damn it fills you up! Meat is so tender and delicious. It’s a struggle everytime to decide what to have. The Jacob’s ladder beef ribs is unreal. As is the maple mayo sauce which sounds weird but is absolutely delicious on fries. Drinks I find a little expensive but aren’t your average run of the mill coke and Pepsi so I understand. I can’t comment on dessert as I can’t get that far 😂

Food was great as usual. Staff all friendly and very efficient. Was really quiet in there. Felt a bit dead to be honest

Food always the best! Love Bouegrass 😊

The staff were friendly but within 20 min of eating here I was on the toilet with explosive diarrhoea as was the other person with me. Definitely the food.

Genuinely the worst restaurant food I’ve ever eaten . £22 spent on chewy chicken and Costco waffles, fries with no seasoning and absolutely the worst mac and cheese ever. Some microwaved bland unmelted mac and cheese with disgusting seasoning .

Love the American diner vibe. A big fan of the order-pay-eat-go system too. Can't fault it.l excellent all round.

Feels like an American meat restaurant, amazing food. Feels a bit odd ordering food on your phone and being the main method but regardless the food and sauce selection is great

Went for a celebratory meal and was disappointed with the whole experience. Food was inedible; brisket just a small lump. Onion rings over fried and inedible. Waffle was frozen and had been heated and the consistency was of a crumbly brick - again inedible. None of us finished our food and for the first time in my life, I actually asked for some money off the bill. Go anywhere else if you wish to have a flavoursome, edible meal.

This place is incredible with top-notch food, but what stood out the most was the fantastic service. Roy & Dominicadid an excellent job, providing thorough explanations about the items I inquired about and ensuring I had a great experience.

Super yummy food. Went on a Tuesday lunchtime so quiet but for the food and drink was awesome. Thoroughly recommended 👌

Quite disappointed with this overall, not really had a "proper" American BBQ experience and I'd be curious to know if a single American was involved with this because it sucked. The drinks are too expensive (£3 for a can), but at least some of the drinks you'll not find elsewhere easily. The food is also expensive. My wife got the brisket which was absolutely tiny and cost £16, tasted fine but not fantastic, came with a tiny bit of old (dry) coleslaw. She got a side of mac n cheese which was absolutely tasteless, except the sprinkle of chilli powder on the top. You need a little salt and pepper at the minimum in the bechamel. I'd suggest putting the meat weights onto the menu but even less people would order. I got the burnt ends poutine which was a good size but it was not a poutine. A poutine is gravy and curds, not gravy and the same bland bechamel you use for your mac n cheese. It was not a good mix, the burnt ends were pretty meh and I also got a tiny bit of dry, old coleslaw. Oh and the onions rings on top were obliterated, not sure what the hell the chef was doing.

He ate here every 2-3 months… but won’t be back. The quality of the food has gone through the floor… and the service is non-existant. Drinks arrived within a couple minutes of ordering… mains arrived 30min later (despite restaurant being almost empty)… the chicken burger was raw… and the sides arrived after the mains were “finished” (the ribs were great to be fair!). When we sent the side back, waitress took them away, and returned to say the manager would be “happy” to refund them (like they were doing us a favour to serve the meal all at once). Sad as this used to be a decent venue with good - albeit pricey - food. Now the service is worse than a busy McDonald’s. Avoid.

Be prepared to be stuffed,top quality food and plenty of it.The chicken and waffles is to die for.

Really enjoyed having lunch here earlier today with my family. Food was superb. Only thing we would say is the menu is fairly pricey for an American smokehouse. Lovely little lunch spot though and would consider the menu for another day.

Food had good flavours but came out cold and missing an item which once we realised and asked.....we were told it was out of stock. Arrived at 8:45 and last orders was 9pm. Staff did not hide their disappointment of us arriving just before kitchen closed. As we were eating they were putting chairs up on tables and getting ready to close. We felt very rushed.

Amazing food and nice service. I have been to the Windsor one and Reading, both great food.

They've removed my favourite dishes. :( But the food they do have is lovely, and the service was great.

Absolutely fantastic food, loved it so much! We were full afterwards, amazing place and brilliant food, definitely coming back again! 🥰

Excellent food, good service and reasonable prices for a city centre restaurant. Music was excellent, just needed to be a little louder outside.

Generally sub par restaurant. Food was basic and kinda of dry with little seasoning and took a long time to get to us. The service staff are weirdly hostile. My friend had accidentally gotten confused when the waitress said Mac and cheese and thought it was his when it was someone else's food in our party. Whilst trying to work it out the wait staff got very hostile and weirdly accusatory for a very small problem. Maybe some customer service training wouldn't go a miss. Definitely wouldn't bother going back.

Had high hopes for this place. Menu looks amazing. However the “touchless” service makes the experience unwelcoming and like we are still in lock down. Note to owners people like to interact with people when ordering food, makes the whole process sterile. Which is not the point of eating out. The app works well to order your food and drink and my short ribs arrived in about 20 minutes. However it was clear they were just reheated (and still not hot) I am assuming because they had been smoked a few days previously and reheated they were dry and lacking flavour. However we’re well seasoned. Such a shame as the place could be amazing. Staff never asked how my meal was and just wanted to know when I was leaving as they wanted to clean up for the night. This was 20:45. Upon leaving the staff were too busy on their mobiles to even acknowledge that I was leaving. Such a shame.

Let my son choose where we grabbed food he'd wanted to come here for a while and I'm very happy with his pick. Very friendly staff, clean restaurant and bathroom, food was amazing. He had some siracha burger and I had mac n cheese chicken and onion rings. Only down side was portions being so generous, I couldn't finish my last ring after helping my boy with his fries. I hate wasting food!

Superb quality BBQ. Beware huge portion sizes and take a big appetite with you.

Brilliant place to eat. Enjoyed everything from the food to the atmosphere to the music.

Great food and reasonably priced

Wasn’t terrible, wasn’t great, left lots to be desired. We had a stack of pancakes and the ultimate plate. Pancakes were really nice, loved the unlimited tea and coffee, beans were amazing. However the Texas toast was not Texas toast it was about half as thick as it should have been and the pulled pork was some of the driest I’ve ever had. Mixed bag

Lovely food, great service. Chicken Waffle was delicious.

I had the chicken wings, brisket with sweet potato fries, and pit beans. Firstly, the chicken wings these were ok, nothing special then the brisket this was very disappointing it was very chewy not much flavour (brisket is meant to be flavoursome, moist and melt in the mouth) next the sweet potato fries again these were ok but nothing special. The reason for my 3 stars on service is because when I came in, I got shown to the table and told about the 2 different ways I could pay and that's it ( I was a solo eater, later when a couple came in they got shown to there table and was asked "if they had been here before and where the sauce station was" I did not get asked that question WHY!!!) My bill came too £37.50 for my food and a alcoholic drink. I would not recommend this place to my friends.

I know America is not great again but I took the extra 4.5 gbp pull pork for the pit bean … there was maybe 5gr ( max ) of meat … a joke tbh … overall food was ok ish but very small portion. Will not be back again

This is not really BBQ. feel sorry for the staff (who were lovely) that have to sell it as Bbq - the menu even talks about red smoke rings on meat as if to say this food has even touched a BBQ. Food is centrally prepared and some is just reheated. I has bbq brisket and it was not good, more like beef that's been put in a slow cooker. If you want expensive loaded chips or a Burger this may be ok, but true BBQ meat it is not... never trust a BBQ place that does not even smell like a BBQ..

Food was ok ( burger and fries) except the side order of Onion rings were running with oil ,even more inside when eating! Service was ok ,never got asked for any further drinks during the meal and we were there an hour and a half so for the above reason you get an below average score

Hi thank you so much to Teigan for her service she is amazingly polite fantastic at her customer service and made me and my partner feel very comfortable and welcome we will be coming back 100 % because of the way Teigan treated us.thank you so much Teigan

Reception staff very good, server biggest monkey I’ve come across, tried to tell me we ordered two coffees, when our receipt confirmed coffee and tea, stood there like a lemon saying I’d ordered two coffees and expecting me to accept it, obviously customer is not always right, asked for milk and that didn’t turn up. Very disappointing!

Great food and service Tried the pit boss platter

We reached at this place around 20:00, it was not busy at all there were lots of vacant seats inside and at the back of the restaurant however the girl who spoke with us was extremely rude, she said we need reservation to dine in and they are full at the moment and there is an hour wait to get a table which was a very ridiculous excuse. I don’t know the real reason why she said that but I am pretty sure she was purely being racist. Reading is a multicultural town and I can’t believe this happened. We didn’t make much of fuss, and left since we didn’t wanna ruin our night. Looking at some of the comments in the review I see that this restaurant only replies to good feedbacks and doesn’t address bad ones. Hope this feedback gets to the management and they provide proper hospitality training to the staff. And yes if there is a different reason as to why we were denied to dine then do explain customers in a kind manner.

Great service, great food and absolutely delicious!!

Amazing food. My go to restaurant…always

I’ve had good experiences previously, but I got this tiny portion of burnt ends for £13. I was baffled when it arrived so I checked if it was correct, and was quickly dismissed saying that it was. To charge £13 for a tiny amount of meat, literally a couple of mouthfuls, without expectations being managed on the menu (it could have said 50g for example) is awful. The quality really wasn’t that great either, and it looks like dog food. Sadly I won’t be returning - an absolute rip off.

My burger was massive, I chose the Tennessee Blue which had some delicious crispy onions and blue cheese sauce. Really good venue for a half-term burger, child friendly, and the staff were helpful with my daughter’s allergies. My daughter is a big fan of chicken wings and immediately asked if we can come back. Loved the tunes (and they weren’t very loud which is a good thing if you have kids with sensory difficulties like me). The lighting was really nice too, not too bright, and mostly natural. Nice outdoor area. Short walk from the station and easy to get to from the Oracle car park.

Went for an evening meal. Wasn't too busy and was able to choose where to sit. Can download QR code and order at your table or go to the bar. Service was good and questions were answered about the menu. Food came out in good time and was tasty. Portion sizes quite big so didn't have a dessert. Also had to take home the extras and was provided with take home boxes.

Pricey but good quality food, large portions and very fast service.

Pretty friendly and efficient service but the food wasn't good. The meat was dry, the poutine was just chips with a drizzle of sauce. A lot of talk in the descriptions as to it being authentic bbq... it isn't.

Lovely good and very accommodating with birthday celebrations! Thanks Jess

Amazing Ribs - best in town. Love the choice of American soda's. Best restaurant in Reading

For all the elaborate menu description, it was simply macaroni cheese with a miniscule amount of burnt onions on top. With a can of American IPA' brewed in Scotland - £19. Utter waste of money!

A bit disappointed with the sides and dry burger meat…..

Really good food and great atmosphere

Not the same as it used to be. An hour wait for food in a pretty much empty restaurant. Average BBQ food in a small portion for a London price.

Understaffed waited 40min for food, had a burger very dry literally nothing that was on the menu was in the burger. Wouldn’t recommend.

Ordered the Platter, £52.50 to share. Poor portions of meat and tray mainly occupied by chips. Seriously underwhelming. My colleague complained at the quality of the pulled pork and it was replenished but still wasn't great. Wish I had a burger instead. Onion rings were great 😁

Great selection of drinks and menu items. Has an outside area (out back as well as the front) as well as an upstairs so there is enough spacing options for groups of people (6 max seems best though). Just... Watch your step on the way in and out as there are a couple. There would be access for wheelchairs and prams, but I'd imagine you're be told to go to the rear. Food is served relatively fast and is good quality. At this time you're able to scan orders at the table as well as order from the bar so splitting bills is much easier. Service is great and always pleasant.

Great place, food great, staff on the ball. If you have a bigger party than 8 you get to sit in an awesome private room which you get to through a smeg fridge. However if your taller than 5,5 you will have to duck through.

Amazing as always, staff and food always great 💯

Omg. The beef rib is insanely good. Not the beefiest or smokiest flavour but for such a fatty cut, the flavour I had in mine was ample. What made it so good was the way it fell off the bone and was soooo tender. The rib, mac n cheese and a beer was over 30 quid which tbh is a bit steep for the amount of food I got. But it really was delicious.

Enjoyed the food, huge portions at reasonable prices. Fun Decor. Quite quiet though for a Saturday. Seated in view of a service area which looked a bit messy, would have been better to have swing doors to block it off a bit

Went here last night and the best food i have had in ages. Friendly staff and fantastic music too added to an amazing evening. Cant wait to go back.

Taken well care and Served fine by Teigan and Maria. The food was ok, not the same as I had from USA though

If you have absolutely no idea what American BBQ food is all about, and, you want to spend a small fortune for next to nothing, go here. Food cooked with no love at all and if poor yanks ever went here they would cry. Absolute garbage. Wings like a chicken nugget.

We ordered for only 2 people and waited over an hour for our food to arrive. Seemed really understaffed but the staff were friendly. The meat was good but the sides were disappointing.

A good atmosphere and welcoming staff, but the food was not to the expectations.

I order pulled pork brioche and I've got just a bun with a pork there where missing egg and it was discussing dry + I was waiting for this lovely dish over 1 hour 🤮 never again

So imagine paying £16 for a burger which is just a salap dash of chicken breast inserted in a bun and total of 45£ food We ordered for two people because of the hype and trust me i was totally disappointed. The food comes after an hour. The coleslaws all over floor of the bag. Okay, so one coleslaw left to eat and that too is just shredded cabbage with like nothing on it, just veggies. And this chicken burger which costs a fortune haha is all soggy and just normal raw patty with all the coating vanished. Trust me even the mc crispy tasted better than what i had tonight. Totallly disappointed and not even recommending anyone to order from here again. 👍🏼

AVOID AVOID AVOID! If I could give this place zero stars I would. I’ve eaten in my fair share of bbq restaurants around the UK and this is by far the worst. We decided to get a selection of the ‘smoked bar’b’que’ options as the pit boss platter looked quite small for two of us. Let’s review the dishes one by one. Chicken wings (stack) £11 - there was barely any meat on the wings. What little meat there was, was dry, bland and cold. Jalapeño cheese hot link sausage £6 - this was the only good thing about the meal, but at £6 for just a sausage, still not worth it. Brisket £13.50 - I usually LOVE brisket, but this was such a disappointment. It would’ve been over priced if it was 50% cheaper. 10cm in diameter at a push. Tasted okay but I’ve had better bought from a supermarket. Burnt ends £12 - again, I usually love burnt ends, but these were the worst thing we ate. Tougher than old boots, drenched in sauce to cover up the lack of flavour and stone cold. Baby back ribs (full rack) £24 - you expect bbq ribs to fall off the bone but we had to hack away at these to get the meat off. On the plus side the amount of chewing I had to do has chiselled my jawline. There was also small shards of bone that could’ve easily chipped a tooth or caused some serious discomfort if swallowed. Bluegrass fries £4 - cold and soggy, hard to get chips wrong in a restaurant kitchen, but they managed it. Famous frickles £4.50 - these were okay, albeit extremely greasy, but for the price, the portion size is very generous. Too much if anything. Very sickly because of the amount of grease. Onion rings £4.50 - same as the frickles, generous potion size but cold, and extremely greasy. Both the onion rings and frickles had a pool of oil in the bottom of the dish they were served in. 2 pints of IPA £7.50 each - decent beer, but the sort of prices you’d expect to pay in London restaurant. All in all we were extremely disappointed, but alas, they already had my money as you have to order off your phone and pay before any food or drinks hit your table. Staff had about as much personality as a plant pot. To make matters worse, half the £94 worth of food ended up being flushed down the toilet as my other half threw it all up within 15 minutes of leaving. Do yourself a favour and steer well clear of this place, I’ve never had a worse experience dining out.

Great food Amazing staff members ✨

Went for breakfast this morning and was really excited as always had a great experience. I waited initially 40 minutes for food baring in mind it wasn’t busy. I found a hair in my food which I asked for a replacement and waited another 20 minutes for this one. I barely received a sorry which is disappointing.

So greasy, guaranteed to stick to your ribs and disrupt your digestion for a week. Not even that tasty. Don't go.

Food was amazing, but quite pricey, would go again but not often. The Dirty Mac was really good, if you go you need to try the smocked halloumi.

Decent BBQ place with a huge menu and excellent customer service. Their food is not the best I had, some things were a little dry or a little oily, but overally it was a hearty meal for a great price, so I'd recommend visiting, especially of you're with kids.

Fantastic place to go with children. Has a very suitable menu for breakfast and lunch. Kids love the pancakes and drinks. Served with toppings of ice cream and bacon. Staff are very kind and helpful.they go out of their way. Pancakes are wonderful and best around. Not a fan of the rest of the menu but it’s very edible. Would recommend for young families for breakfast or for a night out with friends where drinking is the aim and you want somewhere to live the stomach

The service was incredible! Staff were vey accommodating! The food was beautiful and I I would highly recommend this place! Was incredible all round! I’d happily go again without battering an eyelid! Best food around the area!

What we had was very nice, but for two meals and two drinks we paid £73, and left hungry, what can I say :(

Food was slow, but there was a party on.

great food, poppy was quick and a joy to be served by!

Cold inside the restaurant, small portions for a lot of money. Food was ok, tastes good but not worth the cost.

It's colder inside the restaurant than outside. Had to eat breakfast in my coat.

Hard pass, bad customer service and unwelcome vibes

Good food, great service by our lovely young waitress Teigan polite and very helpful and friendly asset to the restaurant will recommend going to friends and family 🌟

Staff were friendly. Ordering through app was easy. Food was edible but I wouldn’t come again.

Fantastic service- polite efficient- warm and welcoming personality -Amazon - Thankyou very much