Billiken's Smokehouse

The food here was decent, though nothing particularly stood out to me; it was all just fine. The service was good, and I appreciated the spacious interior and ample outdoor seating. A significant portion of the outdoor area is covered, providing plenty of shade even on sunny days, and they even have fans to keep things comfortable.

We heard they had a new brisket Mac n’ cheese on the menu and had to go try it for ourselves. It tasted like heaven in my mouth. IT WAS DELICIOUS!! How could you go wrong with Gouda and pimento? I would eat it again and again. The service was awesome and the food came out quick. It was quiet inside the restaurant but we could tell that everyone at the outside bar were having a great time celebrating the 4th with live music!

Stopped in while passing through the state, and now I wish I lived closer. Tried five different barbecued meats and all were very delicious. The burnt ends were deemed the best by myself and the two friends I traveled with. They were sweet, smokey, and dipping the cornbread in the left over juice was the chef’s kiss. Well done!

Billiken's was something I stumbled on while exploring downtown and WOW. This place is such a hidden gem! The restaurant being nestled inside of this old house with the colonial architecture and vibe is really cool, and the staff and service was exceptional! Heather was incredible, very friendly and helpful and made sure we were very well taken care of, genuinely some of the best service I've ever had! And the food was spectacular as well, we got the Everything But The Smoker because we couldn't choose what looked best. The answer is all of it. Tender brisket and ribs, flavorful, smoky pulled pork and chicken, mouthwatering smoked sausage, creamy Mac and cheese, and a wonderful bite of cornbread to tie it all together. Everyone needs to give this place a try!

We were strolling down Caroline St and caught a whiff of BBQ, which we determined was coming from the rear of Billiken's. This made our decision on where to have lunch an easy one . One quick look at the menu and I knew I wanted the Mac and cheese with brisket. My wife ordered sliders, which would allow her to sample the pork, chicken and beef. The food was fantastic! I thought the Mac and cheese was an exceptional dish , creamy cheesy goodness with a touch of smokiness. The brisket was excellent and I was able to try all of the four BBQ sauces on the table. I chose Cole slaw as a side and thought it was above average slaw. The sliders were also excellent with the various sauces and the french fries were perfect. We're sometimes amazed at how often we end up with mediocre fries at restaurants, but not these. Factor in great service and sitting in a beautiful older home and our visit to Billiken's was a 5 star visit in every way.

In a road trip we stopped in Fredericksburg Virginia and ate at this restaurant in a charming old building. Enjoyed the food. One of the unique things they served was a pitcher of Bloody Mary topped with their hearty serving of meat!

Nice place. The food was great. Inside decorations & atmosphere is nice. Very pleasant service by Jami.

Nice place in an old house very neat. BBQ I am use to NC but they tried, it’s good and tasty. Tried the 2 platter and the skillet (plastic looks like cast-iron) interesting place very relaxing.

We heard they had a new brisket Mac n' cheese on the menu and had to go try it for ourselves. It tasted like heaven in my mouth. IT WAS DELICIOUS!! How could you go wrong with Gouda and pimento? I would eat it again and again. The service was awesome and the food came out quick. It was quiet inside the restaurant but we could tell that everyone at the outside bar were having a great time celebrating the 4th with live music!

Visited Billiken's for an event where the outdoor space was reserved for our use. I had such a great time!! The bartenders were very friendly and one of them consistently remembered what I was drinking. Small things like that mean a lot! :) The outdoor space is very nice and the ambiance makes for a great evening. I'm sure it can get hot during the summer but I don't know how they use it for regular service. The food was unbelievable, pork was tender, Cole slaw was refreshing, and macaroni was creamy!! I can't wait to come back for more!

OMG, where has this place been all my life! I had no idea this restaurant existed and walked past it many many times. First the ambiance and rich colonial history of the former Dentist home is just nice. Our servers were good. Provided some background on the restaurant/home and spot on with food recommendations. The food was very good. I had, well attempted to eat a full rack of ribs. Most places I've been to this would have been possible but here was so much meat on those bones, lol. The ribs were fantastic w complimentary sauces which I opted for the spicy-sweet and sweet bbq. Baked Beans were the best I've best I've ever had at a restaurant. Tasted like something you get at a good summer picnic. Just all kinds of deliciousness.

This place was awesome! I'm not sure why we waited so long to come here but I'm so glad we finally decided to indulge. The burnt ends were phenomenal, the cornbread too! I ordered a concoction and it did not disappoint. They have decent portions so ensure you come with an appetite or plan to take some home. The parking can be a bit hectic, so plan to show up with enough time to look around. The restaurant is in a home so the ambiance is very welcoming! Servers were good too!

How much can I love a place? The smell of barbecue literally led us here on a Sunday afternoon around lunchtime. We sat in the back, outside, and listened to Ryan French (check him out on IG) on stage. Loved everything we got but especially the smoked brisket platter and potato salad. Fell in love with the cool old black lab sitting next to us. It's that kind of place.

WHAT I ATE - Virginia @ Billiken's Smokehouse Fredericksburg, VA https://www.youtube.com/@UC3WN1jolV1kV0qk3tbe05rQ A weekend jaunt to Frederricksburg is not complete without stopping at our favorite BBQ place in that area. We always get the ribs and and brisket. Always tender, smokey and flavorful. Even though the smoked meat needs no additional sauce, we still have to try their variety of house BBQ sauces. Mac and cheese is creamy and the coleslaw is crisp and slightly sweet. VIDEO LINK: https://youtube.com/shorts/L_aUBozKq_8

Service was phenomenal, Morgan was my server, she was incredibly attentive and on point. I was visited by the manager Dylan during my visit as well just to check in. The BBQ was great, with a side of green beans and collared greens that were perfectly prepared. The live music outside provides a perfect ambiance without being overwhelmingly loud. Highly recommend!

You can smell the smoke of this historic house/now smokehouse from the street. We got half rack, burnt ends, and a pound of brisket. Delicious. I would have appreciated a hot Vinegar sauce option but the Carolina Hot was tasty. Great friendly service.

Great live music, my group sat outside and service was fast. Got the brisket sandwich and potato salad, food was good and around average price for bbq.

Billiken's Smokehouse serves good barbecue in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I recommend getting the pulled pork platter. The hushpuppies were great. There are a lot of bbq sauces to accompany your meet and sides. Parking appears to be mainly street parking, but we got lucky with a convenient spot. Give this place a try.

The food here is amazing and it's a great place to hang out with friends on first Friday. Their service is great and the bartenders are always super attentive. The only thing that kind of sucks is that they don't have Coke products. Highly recommend either way

This is a very special restaurant in the heart of Fredericksburg which, clearly, was once a private home. The renovation was well done making it comfortable and a very pretty place to dine. There is a large outside patio where you can eat and, on occasion, listen to music both during brunch and dinner. Call to make sure someone is booked so you are not disappointed. The patio also has firepits to keep you warm on a chilly spring or autumn day. The food is very good. The ribs are the best I have had in Fredericksburg and the brisket is very tasty. The cornbread is excellent. The food took some time to get to the table after we ordered which I loved, but my husband wanted quicker service. I am not sure why since the ambiance was very relaxing and quiet making it easy to chat. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Good meat in a great area of Fredericksburg inside an awesome old house? Check, check, check! I'm such a sucker for good BBQ, so when people recommended Billikens to me as the go-to for BBQ, it was one of the first restaurants I checked out since moving to Virginia. The moment you come around the block near this restaurant/house, you can SMELL how good it is. I really loved the atmosphere inside the house, but I know there's also a whole backyard/outdoor area that we didn't check out since it was still a little too cool outside for us. Menu is straightforward, and I loved the nice touch of the pig portraits on their sauces (even though I'm not a fan of AI art - it would be way cooler to see them support a local artist to do work for these!) to easily distinguish between the flavors. The flavors are all pretty good as well, though the Carolina was a bit more runny/liquidy than I thought it would be. We ordered the BBQ nachos and were not expecting this appetizer to be a WHOLE MEAL! Not only was it delicious, it was even better when you slather some of their BBQ sauce on top. I just could not get over how much food this was. Maybe a little much for two people if you also want to fit an entree in your stomach, but definitely a great shareable for 3+. We might have went too hard on the nachos, because we certainly couldn't finish our entrees! I ordered ribs with some mac n cheese and roasted corn and cornbread on the side. Cornbread was perfect. I find that not a lot BBQ places put enough sweetness in the cornbread or it ends up being too dry, but this was perfection. Nice and moist, just a hint of sweetness. It was a perfect compliment to the ribs. As a lactose intolerant person, I always like to *take a risk* on mac n cheese just to see if it's worth the pain later. This mac was pretty good, and even better if you slather some sauce in it. Not top tier and I'm not sure I'd pick that over another side next time, but good. The roasted corn fell flat. It just didn't even taste like corn. It did not seem worth picking as a side and I would recommend skipping over that one. The star of the show was the ribs, of course. Just meat falling right off the bone. Absolutely perfectly done, and the sauce on top highlighted the flavor. I couldn't even finish what I had since the nachos filled me up, but they tasted just as good the next day after being heated up. My husband ordered the brisket, ribs, and sausage. He thoroughly enjoyed the wings as well, and said the brisket was excellent, but we both agreed that the sausage was the best thing on his plate. I would buy that sausage in BULK, it was so good. I thought the food was very good overall, but I want to come back and try some more things on the menu, especially the sides. I think it's a great BBQ option for this area and for a good "Friday night dinner" or date night if you're okay with getting your hands a little saucy!

My wife and a friend of mine went here based on someone else's suggestion. The food was good BBQ food. The ambiance was interesting. It was like going back in time to the 1800s. The location is a historical monument.

What could be a better way to finish a distillery tour than to eat at a smokehouse? This restaurant reminds me of another old school spot I used to frequent in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Same old house type feel, great menu here. Our nice stop here was very quaint and pleasant. I ordered myself a Chimney Stack with Mac and cheese, so delicious and almost too much. Lucky for me, I shared with my two 200 plus pound companions. Since I was the designated driver, I did not partake in any libations. Thankfully our waitress was good enough to keep my soda refilled. But the rest of the party did, and the drinks looked and smelled good. So maybe next time.

After Christmas and before New Years, my wife and I decided to try a Bar Be Que place we had heard good things about but had never been to. The restaurant was called Billiken's Smokehouse. Billiken's is located in downtown Fredericksburg, in a house called The Chimneys. The first thing we liked was the house we ate in had some history. The Chimneys is a mansion that dated to Revolutionary War times. We entered Billiken's Smokehouse and were shown to a table that was in the living room of the mansion. My wife had a Pomegranate Gin Fizz. I had a Stella Artois draft. My wife loved the cocktail she had. For dinner, my wife had the Half Rack of Ribs Platter. She had cole slaw and collard greens. I had the Three Meat Platter. My three meats were brisket, pulled pork, and smoked sausage. I had this with baked beans and corn. First, the meats. They were all fabulous. The brisket was tender, the ribs were meat falling off of the bone. The pulled pork was very tasty, and especially the smoked sausage was to die for. As for the sides, the corn must have been grilled on the ear, then removed. It was excellent. The baked beans did not skimp on the bacon. My wife considers herself an aficionado of greens, and she called our server over to tell her how much she loved the greens. My wife's actual comment was "at last, greens that have vinegar." The only part of the dinner that was not up to that level would be the cole slaw. It just kind of sat there. It was not bad tasting, just a bit of a non-event compared to the other magnificent sides. The atmosphere was wonderful. The restaurant was definitely a mansion of the period, but the food was served on metal trays more reminiscent of a beer garden. This is not meant as a criticism, it just didn't fit the environment. The service was excellent. We never had to wait for anything. Overall, Billiken's Smokehouse is one of the best restaurants we've been to since we moved to Fredericksburg 9 months ago, and we can't wait to take our friends there.

The service was excellent but the menu was rather bland as was the food. They do have a decent craft beer section. I think the place is better known for its outdoor music scene than the food.

The wings were rubbery. Definitely not up to the hype o heard. I'll give them one more go before I throw the towel in on Billikens

Went for a Sunday Brunch and enjoyed mimosas and food. The nachos were by far the best part. We got them with chicken and they were fully loaded. We also had a brisket sandwich and it was tasty. The place is like an old house inside which was pretty cool. Waitress was nice and attentive. Can't wait to go back.

Billiken's has a great outdoor seating area - some is covered, and we were mostly in the shade of a tree near the stage that was set up. We enjoyed the live music while we were there - I particularly appreciated the good volume level. We were right by the band but didn't have to yell at each other to be heard. I was pretty hungry, so I ended up ordering the brisket platter for myself. Nate got the BBQ taco trio. Our server was so sweet and kind and did a great job. The food runner who brought our food was clearly frazzled and seemed visibly annoyed when I asked for napkins for our table. The food was pretty tasty! We also got an order of smoked wings and nachos for the table - those were both delicious. I loved the wings, they were perfectly smoked and not dry at all. The nachos had plenty of toppings and the jalapenos were spicy! The brisket platter was a good amount of food for a hungry person. The brisket wasn't the best I've ever had - it could've been a little juicier and less dry, but it had nice flavor. The collard greens were amazing! Very flavorful and not too salty. I also loved the mac and cheese I had. It was super creamy and cheesy, and the noodles weren't mushy. This place is a great spot for groups. They also serve brunch on weekends, and their smoked cocktails are interesting and unique. Nate and I shared the Georgia peach, which tasted like peach pie. It was pretty sweet and I didn't notice much of a smoked flavor, but I enjoyed it as a treat.

Came here after walking around downtown for the day. Upon walking in on a Sunday, it wasn't really busy at all. We were quickly seated and the gentleman working was so extremely welcoming and sweet. He gave us recommendations on what to order and also a little menu that told us the history about the house. Everything was delicious. Mac and cheese was yummy. My sandwich was huge. Will definitely be back!

So I reviewed this place when it first opened and the food was good but nothing special. Now I have to say they have great barbecue. Brisket, pork, chicken, and sausages... excellent selection and all is great. Moist, juicy, and not dry. Additionally a great selection of sauces. Also, fantastic bar, inside and out... live music, what is not to love. If you are in FXBG take the time to eat at Billikens.

The food was great! I love the historical building and the smell of BBQ wafted the entire room!

Three years after our first experience, thought we would give it another chance. Food was excellent. However, service was nearly non-existent. Our server was barely legible because of the huge barbell through her tongue piercing. In addition, we seemed more like a nuisance to her because she disappeared till we asked for her. Perhaps some customer service training is in order. Sorry to say that the entertainment was not much better. Not child friendly! Basically this is a BBQ place that wants to be a night club.

We waited almost an hour and had waitresses ignore us over 7 times. We finally ordered food at the bar, which the bartender was reluctant to do, only to find out our order was never put it. We left hungry and disappointed as it smelled great, but we'll never know. The atmosphere and music were great, the service was not.

Imagine running a bbq joint with no good bbq sauce, I was pretty excited to try Billikens and we ordered nearly everything on their menu by ordering the everything but the smoker entre for $43. The brisket was greasy, the pulled pork was dry, the pulled chicken was like mashed potatoes, the Potato salad was bland, BUT the mustard sauce they have coupled with their smoked chicken was pretty good. My wife ordered their rattlesnake pasta, such a cool name but it was some of the most unseasoned food I have ever tasted. The fries were really good but you have to specifically request ketchup which is odd. The service was okay, the patio was nice to sit out on but a fair amount of their smoker smoke was blowing in. Personally I'd take mission BBQ over Billikens any day.

The food was AMAZING!!! I had brisket, green beans, and macaroni and cheese. They were all SO good and full of flavor! The green beans were perfectly seasoned and cooked with onions and bacon. The mac and cheese was the perfect mix of gooey deliciousness. As for the brisket, it blew my mind. I'm from Texas and am pretty particular about brisket. The brisket I had at Billiken's was probably the best brisket I've ever had. Seriously. I never touched the BBQ sauce because the brisket flavor was that good! It was so tender that it fell apart with just my fork. To top it all off, the cornbread was awesome - perfect consistency and just the right amount of sweetness. It was the perfect way to close out the meal. I sat at the bar. The ambiance was nice, the lighting was good, and the bartender has it down - she was attentive but didn't hover, she gave great drink recommendations, and the two drinks I tried tasted fantastic. I brought my leftover brisket to work the next day, and a colleague reheated it for lunch. He raved about how fantastic it was, and that was coming out of the microwave!! I can't overstate how wonderful my dinner was. I HIGHLY recommend Billiken's Smokehouse. If I'm ever back in Fredericksburg, Billiken's will be a must for dinner.

I will start on the positives. Great musical performer today. I'd go back for him. Ambiance was good. Food- the nachos came out cold. As in the cheese was barely room temp. Sent it back. Our waiter seemed confused that I wanted hot cheese. Not the whole thing remade- came back - more cold cheese on top of cold cheese. The Bloody Mary was good. My next drink, the vodka and smoked syrup drink tasted like crystal lite and soda water. Horrible for $14. Our regular waiter, not the person who I stopped to talk about the cheese, seemed disinterested and annoyed. She never came to check on us or our food. They never picked up plates when we were done. The actual food though// other than the nachos, was really tasty. We'll give it another try but maybe try the inside bar/restaurant instead of the patio.

We ate here before, and the food was pretty good. We came here again on Saturday, December 2nd around 2-3 pm. My wife ordered the brisket with fries, and I ordered the smoked wings with a side of blue cheese, and the smoked sausage with the Tom Collins drink. The food came, and my wife's brisket was not even warm; the fries were the same temperature, and the sausage was not warm. So I went to find our server because she had been missing for a while. I finally found her coming out of the kitchen and told her about our food. She came by and took the food back. About 5 minutes later, she came back with the new order. Unfortunately, the food was still the same temperature, which it seemed like they brought out the same food again. They could have used the microwave to heat it up and returned the food to us, but they brought out warm food again. So, we just canceled the order. The server returned and finally gave me the blue cheese for the wings; before she ran off, I asked her about our drinks, and she forgot about it. She came back with the drinks, and it was like she had just poured gin and whatever juice in a glass with ice. This was a big dud, so we also sent this back. After all that was served to us, we only ate the wings and decided to leave. The bill came. She dropped it off at our table and apologized because she said they were busy and short-staffed; I call it BS because of her lack of concern about why the food was brought to us with no care. This is why we served low-quality food and poor customer service because our server was chatting up in the kitchen with other patrons. So, as we sat and waited for him to bring a pen so we could sign the bill, we realized she would not return. We had to find a pen in the cubby hole near the kitchen to sign the check. We even told the people about our experience when we left and wished them good luck; they had a big party, so I can imagine how their dining experience may have turned out. I am sad that we had this experience. The first time was great, and we enjoyed the food; we even were in contact with them to cater our retirement party. The management turned us off because they could not get our order correctly priced and were sending us a menu with items we did not request. After a few emails, we decided this place could not provide competent service. To bad there wasn't a manager on site to speak with us to correct the problems they were encountering or even ask why we were sending our food back. Never will we come here again.

A great choice for food. After a several trips here we recommend anything BBQ. It's great flavor. I will state the service isn't great. That's been consistent. Tonight, I ordered an old fashioned. No. Not good. Came in soda style ice and bland mix. I recommend food but stick with beer, wine, or basic drinks. Bartender options are limited and fail at cocktails.

Ah, an ode to Billiken's! This place is a very divey place in every sense of the word. But it just works, I spend most of my time in the outside bar section and I love the laid back casual atmosphere it brings. You'll see dogs, kids, and a variety of different ages - so everyone is welcome regardless of the time of night. The food is about what you'd expect from a place like this ; but it definitely does the job and drinks are standard rail drinks with lots of liquor. Have popped in for DJs, live music, trivia, and just chill nights - I love this place for it's "come as you are" vibe and is always a fun time. Check it out!

We had delivery and the got the order wrong. The macaroni was okay, but the meat wasn't that great.

Absolutely love this place! Food is amazing and the atmosphere is great as well! Every one there is very helpful. Highly recommended!!!

Great historic location in downtown Fredericksburg with excellent pulled pork. We had a smothered corn bread skillet, pulled pork po' boy (which was huge), and Miss Piggy Pulled Pork sandwich with pineapple and mango salsa.

This is a fun place in downtown Fredericksburg. You have the option of indoor or outdoor seating. They have outdoor heaters and fire pits so sitting outside on a cool fall afternoon was really nice. The staff is very friendly. The portion sizes are huge and the food is fantastic. And major kudos to the bar staff for their awesome music playlist!

A friend and I recently visited Billiken's Smokehouse in downtown Fredericksburg, eager to find a good BBQ spot. We drove from Woodbridge, VA to Fredericksburg, VA (about 27 miles or 40 minutes without traffic) to try this place on June 8. As first-time visitors, we were greeted by the hostess and promptly seated. We chose to sit inside and noticed several servers passing by within the dining and outdoor seating areas. Despite being seated by the hostess, we waited patiently for a server to greet us or take our order. One server, who was attending to three other tables in our area, did not stop to serve us. As a black couple, this was concerning, but we decided to wait and see what would happen. After being overlooked several times, the server finally approached us and asked, "Has anyone come to take your order?" We politely said no, and she immediately apologized and took our order. We ordered two mixed drinks, two entrees (two meat platters of pulled pork, brisket, sausage, and ribs with sides), and a dessert. Our food was delicious--hot, fresh, and quick. We had no complaints about the food itself; however, the customer service was poor. Another frequent customer even noticed our experience and advised, "Don't let the service ruin your meal; the BBQ is good," before leaving. To make up for the poor service, our server credited our two mixed drinks as a courtesy. We accepted this offer, left satisfied with the food, and decided we would give Billiken's another try because of the quality of the BBQ. Fast forward to July 4. We decided to have BBQ at home for the holiday. Considering the potential for high order volume, I called ahead to place a take-out order, especially given our 40+ minute drive each way. The hostess acknowledged my request and transferred me to another representative for take-out orders. I indicated to the second representative that I wanted to order a full rack of ribs, pulled pork, and brisket. Unfamiliar with the serving sizes and prices, I inquired further. She said it was sold by the pound and transferred me to a third representative. After waiting three minutes without a response, I hung up. On both occasions--dining in and attempting take-out--we experienced poor customer service. We wanted to like Billiken's because of the BBQ, but the combination of travel time and subpar service led us to decide not to return. It shouldn't take three representatives to handle a phone order, especially on a busy day like the 4th of July. Your staff should be knowledgeable about pricing and serving sizes to quickly respond to customer inquiries.

We had a hungry group after our ghost tour and selected this place because it was close and we could eat inside. We were seated right away and the service was quick. The BBQ was excellent, good hush puppies, cornbread and the pasta was tasty. The dinner portions are big. A good meal with good friends at a nice place.

Pros: I love the variety on this menu. What was surprising is how good the corn is. I never would have thought corn could be made delicious but I was happy with the waitress's suggestion. Their mac n cheese was not spectacular but the entrees we got were impressive which says a lot because I am not a BBQ fan. Cons: I was surprised that there is no ADA compliant entrance to go inside but it is accessible outside but not an adequate amount of fans for when it's really hot. We will definitely be back to try more things on the unique menu

Came for Mother's Day and was able to sit outside. We enjoyed the live music and the lovely patio. The skillet cornbread appetizer was delicious. Our meals were great: the Miss Piggy, the Po Boy, and more. Service was good as well. Food came out fast on a busy day. We will definitely come back.

Really good BBQ ! The fries were so good we placed another order To go. They were very welcoming to our dog even going so far as to bring him a dish and a bowl of water. We will turn next time we're in town.

Awful! Absolutely awful!! Ambiance awful-service double awful! Never got to the food - we sat 1 solid hour waiting for service. We were the fools for waiting that long. Never again! We pity the fool who eat there!

Cold tasteless food took forever to come out tasted like boiled meat not smoked waste of money and my time

The building is very cool and historic. I sampled the baked beans, brisket, mac and cheese, and pulled pork banh mi and everything was delicious! Staff was super friendly and timely. Will definitely be coming back!

GrubHub completely messed up my order, the restaurant made it right no questions asked. All their food was amazing.

Good ambience, decent drinks. The barbecue gave half of my party significant GI distress the next day. Avoid the food unless you have stock in Charmin.

We went there hoping to get some lunch around noon a few days ago...no one greeted us, not one person eating in the dining room areas....that was my first red flag when it's supposed to be a busy lunch time during the holidays...we walked towards the back and saw one guy come out of an event tent (no event happening) outside with a soda-looked at us and walked straight into the kitchen. We walked to the bar and found one customer having a drink and no bartender in sight...we waited 10 minutes and she finally came out of the back then another person came in and walked up to her she chatted with like she was rushing (to do I don't know what)...I asked to see a menu and she said uh yeah...they are up front. Needless to say we left and ate elsewhere that actually likes customers. Don't waste your time here.

Billiken's Smokehouse is another entry in our Fredericksburg Foodie Town collection of places to eat. Although it was February, we opted to eat out back in their nicely appointed tent which included a full bar, ample seating, lighting and heat. We had the beef brisket which was tender and moist, along with sides of collard greens (nicely spiced), baked beans and yummy corn bread.

I am not sure if I went on a bad day or if this is usual, but I was very, VERY disappointed with this restaurant. The location is okay. I'm sure people may like it because it's downtown Fredericksburg and all historical, but this house should not have been turned into a place of business. The service was slow it took about 15 mins for someone to come take our order. Once we finally got our food after waiting another 25 mins. Everything was horrible. The bbq was undercooked, Mac and cheese was not seasoned and the collard green tasted like they were just straight out the can. We were surrounded by flies the entire time we waited and ate. I will never return. Plus there is another small business connected to the inside so people kept walking in and out behind this curtain. It was disorganized.

The Burnt Ends were so good in December, we thought it was a happy accident, like they ran out of Burnt Ends and charred some prime rib in a pinch. so went back today for lunch and just ordered 1 dish of Burnt Ends because lightning doesn't strike twice. But it did. Rich quality steak, hot and spicy, seared and tender. $18 worth it. I don't know if I'll ever be able to order anything else, but we will be planning our trips from DC to Richmond to hit a meal at Billikens. service staff very nice beautiful historic building outdoor seating