Bad Bones BBQ

Excellent portions. A little wait, but worth the taste. Few drafts available, but a lot of bottled options available. Definitely a BBQ place!

This may be the best BBQ North of the Mason-Dixon line! Perfect hole in the wall BBQ joint. No frills, just great food. View of the lake is amazing. I had the four meat platter with fries and coleslaw, everything was amazing. My wife had the smoked prime rib, and it's awesome! She's from the South, and I lived there for 16 years. It gets our seal of approval! Try the Colt .45 and Memphis sauces. The house BBQ on the ribs was awesome! If you've never been to a real BBQ Joint, this is perfect to a 'T'. Anything you don't like, is because you don't understand. The place is clean. The Staff is friendly. The food is delicious. The parking is ample. The prices are very fair! The portions are awesome!

Wow what a cool spot! Really beautiful structured building, easy parking, gorgeous view of a sunset over frozen lake and awesome food and beer. They have full menu and beers on tap. We had the hawaiian with a bbq base, highly recommend, and built a veggie. They were both soooo delicious and we tried some amazing sauces: pit master, memphis, luau, golden. The crust was made with love and staff was super fun. I highly recommend stopping in and ordering a bunch of fun stuff to share and try!

We've been coming up to Minocqua for years and it was our 1st time stopping by this place. This is some of the best BBQ we've ever had in Wisconsin. The place is super small and has a nice vibe. Kind of that hole in the wall bar type feel IMO but the food is excellent! They have plenty of sauces to choose from as well and all were delicious. We definitely plan to be back multiple times during our yearly stay, I highly recommend this place!

We stopped here for the first time Sunday night after a busy day of hiking. There were three of us and we had a variety of smoked pork, ribs, and various sides. The food was fantastic! It was amazing to get this quality of BBQ in the northwoods. We sat outside on the deck because the dining room was full. The weather was perfect and there was a duo playing live music. What a great way to end a wonderful weekend in Minocqua! We will be back!

Best BBQ in the northern midwest! The pulled pork sandwich was tender and deep with flavor. The atmosphere is something to be desired because it's relatively noisy and crowded. Not to mention the service is alright. You are expected to clean up after yourself and grab your own sauce bottles. To wrap things up, it is a must stop place for BBQ!

Very good, bbq. we shared the latge 4 meat platter& an order of poutine and everything was amazing. My son and I were both stuffed after eating our fill, and we had enough for lunch the next day.

LOVED the food! Really enjoyed the pulled pork, ribs, slaw, brisket, bbq cheese curds. And the sauces- WOW! Great selection. Sprecher soda really hit the spot. Will totally come back for the food & atmosphere.

The food was so good! I had the Carolina sandwich. It was pilled high with pork and slaw. It could be shared, we took a lot home for leftovers. So many sauce choices too. Fries were the best I've had in a long time. Service was order at the cashier and wait for your number to be called. They have draft and canned beer selections. We sat outside over looking the lake and listened to live music which was fantastic.

A genuine BBQ SHACK, for real. It's worn down. It's grungy. And the food is perfectly awesome about 80% of the time and wildly misses the mark for the rest. Take your chances. It's brisket, pork, chicken. There are a variety of solid sauces. The prices are high for a BBQ shack but not outlandish. The deck is appropriately rustic and rickety. The lake view is northwoods typical. It is what it is, and there's nothing wrong with that.

This place is absolutely filthy with grease and grime, the ceiling isn't even white anymore. The A/C is coated in grease and grime. It has to be a health and fire code violation. Outside of that, the front clerk is rude. We tried to order two pork entrees and she informed us that they do not do that and it must be different meats. I'm paying for it but ok.... The food is mediocre, definitely not the best BBQ but adequate for up north. The ribs are the best choice out of any of their meats. The coleslaw is wilted and wacky very fresh. The baked beans are very sweet and pasty. The pickles were dill and a refreshing way to cut the pastiness of the beans. We tried it and we won't return.

Delicious! Quick lunch stop on a long road trip. Got the nachos with brisket and was very impressed by how fresh and crunchy the chips were with just the right amount of toppings. The pit beans were nice- not too sweet. Enjoyed the lobster Mac as well- very good quality cheese and lobster chunks in most bites. Good quick counter service and nice beer selection. Even saw a bald eagle fly by while eating on their patio. Would absolutely come back when back in the area.

If you are looking for really good bbq in the Northwoods, this is the place. You order at the counter when you walk in. Prices seemed a little high but definitely not unreasonable. We ordered a combo platter (4 meats with two side) to share. It was really good. The ribs and the pulled pork were our favorite, but the other two meats were good two. We ordered the beans as a side which were tastey, just wish the portion was bigger. Service was really good. The place seemed really clean. Inside dining is a little tight, but they have a lot of outside dining for when the weather is good. The restaurant is right on the lake, so great view. Definitely will be back.

We have been there at least a dozen times over the last few years. Loved the food, however when we went in Sat May 3rd mid afternoon and ordered a pulled pork and brisket combo we were deeply disappointed. Many of the chunks of meat were completely dried out, and not edible much less chewable. The meat was obviously days old, and reheated. I am not a complainer, but we should have. I only saw kids working, otherwise I would have.

Amazing brisket sandwich. Easily the best barbecue in the Northwoods. You can sit outside overlooking the nearby lake. Highly recommend

Came across this restaurant traveling through town today--I give it a 10! The lady taking the order was kind and the guys behind the line were working hard to get the food out quickly. We had a chicken sandwich and a sliced brisket sandwich, both were well prepared and generous. I loved the variety of bbq sauces from which to choose. Great job, Bad Bones!

I've been going here for 3 years and the last couple of times I've been it has gone downhill. Today we ordered Ribs and thought I would give them another chance. Unfortunately it was SO DRY it was like chewing leather. I have ordered ribs from Texas and it was so juicy the meat would just fall off!!' I'm very disappointed and will never go back again nor do I recommend it to anyone!!

Today was my first visit to this place. I heard rave reviews from a family member and had seen the cars parked out along the highway so maybe my expectations were too high. I ordered to-go because of having young grandchildren along. As I drove in there were no parking spots for pick-up orders which I kind of expected from my experiences with other places. My daughter jumped out to go get the food. I was pulling out to find other parking when two vehicles came in. One was parking along the drive so I needed to wait before moving. Before I could pull out some establishment person of authority came out and yelled (my grandson said he was very loud and mean looking) at me for "parking" in the middle of the parking lot and to go park on the highway. The pulled pork was flavorless and dry, the ribs were not fall-off-the-bone if that is what you like this is not the place for you. I don't do sauces so maybe that is where all the flavor comes from because the ribs were pretty blah too. Fries and coleslaw were delicious but I've had better without the abuse.

This place has some awesome BBQ. Stopped by for dinner. The place was busy, but the food comes out fast. I had the pulled pork sandwich, my wife and daughter split the Carolina fry basket, and my son had a half slab of ribs. I loved my pulled pork. My son's ribs were perfect. Still a little chew, and just the right amount of smoke. The fry basket was huge. It could have fed three people. Fries are fresh cut and perfectly seasoned. We had a side of beans, which I loved, but everyone else thought they were just ok. They have a variety of sauces. My favorite was the Kansas City heat. The only reason it's not a 5 is the staff there were really chippy with each other giving the atmosphere an odd vibe.

So In 2021, I came here with my family for my birthday and I got the brisket pretty mediocre. But I didn't think too much of it but 2 days go bye and I got food poisoning. Throwing 5 times that night because of it. After that I made the decision I would never come back. But my older brother went this place a year later in 2022 and also got food poisoning. Idk what has changed for the past few years. But i wouldn't recommend eating unless you food poisoning.

My wife and I shared a full slab of ribs , fries, baked beans and potato salad. Ribs were tender and so so good. The beans were perfect and flavorful, fries were pretty darn good but the potato salad needed a little help. Maybe some salt or full fat mayo. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great. The sauce selection was perfect and all were really good. Outdoor seating had a great view and the staff was kind and attentive. The parking was easy too. I'll tell you people love this place they open at 4pm and by 3:50pm the lot at cars waiting to get in.

For the area this food is ridiculous. Chicken was slightly dry, but all the other meats were perfect. Lots of really good sauces to try, and the sides were great.

Barbecue is excellent, the bbq cheese curds are one of our favorite curds anywhere! Brisket, pork, and chicken are all very tasty.

They're stunning here and join it very much.Fast service, comfortable dining. And good cold beer

Woefully unwelcoming staff. By dinner, they were sold out of most food items so the menu was very small. After looking at the caliber of persons taking orders and preparing the food, I opted not to eat here for fear of succumbing to food-borne illness. The venue looked and felt dirty, too. Steer clear of this joint.

The Food was fantastic, the service was excellent. The Ambiance was great. Right of Hwy 51. Other than small parking lot. Great place. Highly recommend

Seating is so so inside . But this is how you make new friends. The food is OMG amazing. From the smoked prime rib (some of the best we have had) only recommendation if they had plain horseradish and not just creamy. The pulled pork is amazing. I didn't need any sauce. It was that juicy. Add a plop of delicious coleslaw and a side of amazing homemade fries and you have something epic. The smoked wings are delicious and we had to bring them home. You get that much food with your dinner. However the kid were not disappointed at all and have snarfed then all down. You have to try this place. Take it home even if you are close by. You will not be disappointed. And kudos to the guy working the smoker that advised us how to park and not get blocked in. He was awesome to talk to and does an amazing job. We will definitely be back!!

If you like bbq and are in the north woods this is a good choice. Order at the counter - think brisket, or chicken sandwiches or platters or a rack of ribs. Sides include choice or beans, coleslaw or fries. Grab a seat outside at a picnic bench and grab your choice of bbq sauce ( lots of different spice levels available ) and utensils. My teenage boys think this place is the best ( if they had a salad option I would have given this place 5 stars). Not the healthiest option but good for an occasional splurge

These folks know what they are doing. The brisket is outstanding. The sides are also so good, including smoked baked beans with pulled pork, coleslaw. If you need a fantastic sandwich with enough for later at night, get the Bomber ( the best). Beautiful lake view from outdoor picnic tables.

Wow, I am so glad we made this stop coming back from camping! We've tried BBQ from coast to coast, and this place definitely ranks in the top 3! The ribs & brisket were perfectly queued and the variety of sauces were more broad than I've ever seen, each one unique & delicious. If you do not love potato salad, give this one a try! The yummiest I've ever tasted.

Absolutely the best BBQ we have ever had!! Price is good. Very popular and a bit hard on parking but highly recommend!!

Just had a terrible experience there because of the weirdo owner. The dude cussed out his staff for letting us sit down at a table after ordering our food to go. When we tried to ask what the issue was he just avoided eye contact and made the girl working the front counter explain that she wasn't sure either.

Visiting the area and glad we stopped in. The four of us all ordered something different and everyone was happy with our food--in fact, we were stuffed. It felt pricey when ordering ($10-20), but on the back end, we couldn't have been happier. There was an incredible selection of sauces (and the dinners had so much meat, you could try three or four sauces with your meal). Everyone liked the fries, and the member of our party who ordered nachos was happy with those. There was a good selection of Wisconsin-made drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic).

After reading through reviews, I guess I'm "glad" it wasn't personal that the woman running the register was so incredibly rude as though we were inconveniencing her to stopping to eat there. We didn't exactly know the process to ordering when we first came in and to say she was unfriendly to my daughter is an understatement. No establishment, no matter what food it is, is worth going to if you're going to be treated so poorly. The other staff seemed very kind but it would be to your benefit to move her elsewhere where she isn't working with the customers directly.

Feels like the Bad Bones folks need to chill. They have great food but it seems tense there. Last time we were there some guy working the smoker told us to leave because he was aggravated at so many customers. They had only been open for 30 minutes at that point. Dude, you are running a business and we had just walked up and had not said a thing or done anything. Why?

Well holy cow have we got a great spot here!!! As opposed to most places in the Upper Midwest when they call their wing sauce "Crazy Stupid" they're serious. A little sweet at first taste and then BAM! The wings are huge by the way. Their brisket is perfectly smoked, moist and tender. Their fries are some of the best in the north and their pit beans leave many southern bbq joints to shame. Honestly. Theres nothing bad about the place. Friendly service on the ordering and kitchen side. Amazing. Add to the fun they had a band playing outside on a Friday afternoon (bigroadband.com) that made it the cherry on top for lunch. Seriously excellent bbq all the way around. Well worth the trip!

Wow! Great food and quick! Lots of GFS options for sauces as well. Will definitely be back to his place.

Self serve which was okay with he. The pork and brisket sandwiches were great!!! I had lunch there and I would have gone back for dinner. Sides of potato salad was really good and they have root beer in a bottle and beer and both were good. Everything about this place made me feel like the Wisconsin I grew up with.

Man is this good food. I had the ribs, no sauce needed. They have plenty of sauces, great sauces but the rub on the ribs was great all on its own. Others in our party had the brisket and the pulled pork and thought is was excellent as well. One of the best meals I have ever had in the area. Amazing

Real good barbecue. Order at the counter and sit down at your choice of tables. There are tables available inside and outside. We sat down outside by the lake, and it was wonderful. Pretty fast service and plenty of portions to fill you up and some. I love poutine and they had it right. So tasty .

The food is outstanding and generous portions for a fair price. Order at the inside counter and then find a seat outside or inside as you wait to hear your number called. Dogs are allowed on their patio and backyard looking out over the lake. They're closed Mondays and Tuesdays so plan accordingly.

Got the bbq ribs .... They were great and wonderful with flavor! The coleslaw along with Potato salad was a plus.

Service sucked. Food sucked. Owner was a prick. About ten tables inside. They forget some of our food. The owner's wife smells and has the manners of a pitbull. Their bathrooms look like they haven't been cleaned in months.

Food was delish and portions were big! Tried the brisket, kids loved the Mac and cheese and pulled pork. We will definitely be back next time we are up north!

Good BBQ food, but small place and terrible parking lot. Some people had to park on the street, Highway 70. Staff were nice and polite. Sandwiches were not cheap, but good size. No table service. You walk in, place your order and pay. They call you when it is ready, usually pretty quick. If you want water it's serve yourself from a cooler next to the sauce counter. Plenty of BBQ sauces to choose from, mild to very hot.

Best smoked meats around! Excellent service! Great atmosphere! The ribs fall off the bone. Delicious! Brisket is done to perfection, not dry and not fatty!

Not real bbq but better than some. Parking bad, hot & nowhere to get cool. Loud speakers for table announcements are obnoxious.

In the area from Atlanta for work, I ran across this place on Yelp and decided to stop in based on the good reviews. Definitely a family owned feel. Service was friendly, preparation was prompt, and this was literally one of the best pulled pork sandwiches I had in my life!- A+

Just went there Jan 31, this place isn't closed, it does have different winter than summer hours. Pulled pork and chopped brisket sandwich were outstanding. Loved the options to have different types of bbq sauce availble.

This place is always packed out too the road. But it has some of the best bbq i've ever had! We live 7 hours away and come up here every year and come to this place!

There's not much I can say. The pictures speak for themselves. You cannot go wrong with any item on the menu. The meats are simply mouthwatering. I visited the area for a short fishing trip and was lucky to enjoy this gem twice. By far the best bbq in the Northwoods.

Slap yo momma good!! Pork was very tender. Good bun. Hand cut fries on point. So many sauces to choose from so no matter where you're from there's something for you. Deep fried bread pudding is also mouth watering delicious! These folks are doing bbq right, y'all! Casual ambiance with lake views and nice people.

The service was awful. It was our first time here. We didn't know how the ordering worked. The lady that took our order was rude that we didn't immediately know what we wanted. We weren't sure if we were to be seated first, or order first. You order first...based off the chalk board when you walk in. We had my 1 year old niece with us and the lady we ordered from looked at us like we were crazy when we asked for white milk. She rudely responds, "we do not have milk." The food on the other hand was fantastic! Loved my ribs!!! It was confusing how the sauses work for the meats. There's a table qith sauces. Some customers took their own bottle, some put some sauce in a cup. Not really clear what the process is. Great food, terrible service and confusing for a frist time customer.

Aaron and Jess do an outstanding job of delivering competition quality BBQ on the daily with a friendly atmosphere. They're a tremendous asset to the Northwoods. We are all better off for having them here. Thank you for taking the risk and moving to tree city.

Just thinking about writing this has made my mouth water. Get the brisket. Trust me. And do not pass up the fries. As we were entering a woman said "I could eat here every day!" Ditto

I was not sure what to expect honestly when we arrived, being that "up north" is pretty far away from any city known for its bbq but it is absolutely phenomenal food. I had the pulled chicken basket and it was the most delicious and flavorful thing ever. The Carolina sauce is on point. So tangy and yummy - the perfect complement to the chicken. While the meat is obviously the main attraction, the sides were delicious too. The Fries have a great flavor and the cole slaw was incredibly vinegar-y. It is so hard to find good cole slaw in the Midwest but they nailed it. We also had the "southern cheese curds" and they were delicious! I sure wish this was closer to home - we'd be in all the time!

We stopped in on a Sunday night for carryout and ended up having a an absolute feast on our last night in Vilas County. We had 2 meals - a half rack of ribs, sliced brisket, with cowboy beans and southern slaw, and a pulled pork dinner with slaw and potato salad. The food was ready quick and was delicious - the ribs fell off the bone (but still had some bite), the pulled pork had a ton of crispy bits, and the brisket was perfect. Overall A+ BBQ.