Durk's Bar•B•Q

Went to this location couple of weeks ago and based on the reviews I was expecting a lot more. Let’s start with the good points. The service was excellent, very fast and eager to help out. On the day we visited there was a promotion to get the appetizers half price. Also there was a great variety of beers. We got a half tray of nachos, one corn dog, ribs and mac and cheese. The nachos were very tasty and worth to try. While the corn dog and the mac and cheese were also very tasty, you could taste that this was a pre-made meal you buy from the market and you heat up. But the biggest disappointment was the ribs. I was not expecting ribs like the ones in Texas, but this was even hard to chew. Just look at the picture I took and you can understand that this was either overcooked or cooked days in advance. On top of that, the toilets were very sticky ( like you are on a club or something ) and the place was not busy so I am sure someone could easily clean them in no time. Honestly not a great experience.

Loved this place. Plan to go back for lunch (before we leave Providence) so that we can try the things we missed tonight. The smoked tomato sliders (missing one in pic) and brussel sprouts were amazing as were the cornbread, pulled pork and brisket. The portions were perfect and the flavours, spot on. We’ve seen other not-so-complimentary reviews but none applied to the meal we had this evening.

In my never ending quest for BBQ, it was Durk’s for tonight. Voted “Best in RI” 🏆 was definitely an incentive to go and try it out. Not sure who voted Durks as best, but hey, anyone can have a bad night. Walked in to the middle of Saturday night service and saw max 10-12 people sitting…. Should have seen that as a warning ⛔️ FYI, all wine selections come in cans…micro beer choices are okay at best. Also, this place has a heavy selection of whiskeys, but what if you just want a cold Narragansett with a meal? Ordered a sangria….got what tasted like a sweet whiskey 🥃 punch 👎 Wanted to try a little bit of everything since it was my first time there…. The food was somewhat disappointing at best ….. Wings were overcooked/ charred/ no flavor. Brisket Chili was probably the best thing ordered Meatloaf Sandwich tasted just like a burger The Pork Ribs had a great smoke ring and although cooked perfectly, lacked any flavor. The Beans and Mac n Cheese also were both plain and had little to no flavor. I guess I just expected more….. Very little value for the cost. Kept thinking of where else to go tonight and leaving as quickly as possible. Not recommended for several reasons. Plenty of other great places to eat BBQ in Providence…..those 10 patrons on a Saturday night spoke volumes to me without uttering a single word. 👎👎

I do not understand how this restaurant is voted #1 BBQ in Providence. If Durk's is #1, I would run away from ALL BBQ restaurants in Providence. There are two types of brisket cuts. One with the big slice of fat running through the middle, the second without the fat. Durk's serves the brisket with the fat. The fat needed to be rendered a little bit more. I could not taste a distinct smoked flavor in the brisket. The banana pudding was a joke compared to banana puddinga in the South. The thick torched marshmallow is the star of the banana pudding. The pudding lacked vanilla wafers, bananas, to pudding ratio. I tasted maybe four banana slices, and one was definitely rotten. I had to dig to find vanilla wafers. The pudding lacked real banana flavoring. As far as atmosphere, there was a group of businessmen having a great time over lunch and drinks. Service- I had to go figure out how to pay. The guy never came back. I also ordered the smoked mushrooms. The mushrooms have a very distinct up-front smoked flavor, and then the brown sugar flavor follows. After I ate a few mushrooms, I started to taste the smoked flavor as a burnt flavor. I tried a few more mushrooms. Needless to say, I left a bowl of mushrooms. The BBQ sauce is thin. There is a hint of flavor. Each time I tried the BBQ sauce, I waited for a deep flavor, which never happened. I'm extremely disappointed. I will stick to BBQ in the South.

Ordered catering and the food was awesome. They provided everything we needed including the serving spoons. One try of food was missed and the catering manager, Jason Cool, delivered the tray which I'm sure must have been over an hour round trip. We really appreciated him offering this solution and not refunding us which is what I was expecting when I called. Overall amazing food and amazing service.

Stopped in as we were in the mood for some bbq. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich and corn bread. Others at my table got the chicken legs, sausage, wings, beans and coleslaw. Service was very good, food also was really good. The pickles were a surprise favorite among all of us. They also had an extensive whiskey list with standard prices for the offerings.

Legit the best bbq place I’ve been to since moving to New England from Virginia 6 years ago. I genuinely believe that decent barbecue let alone good barbecue is extremely difficult to come across and this was pretty darn good bbq. The items that really stood out to us: The corn bread was like an actual corn bread and not a cake which was really refreshing. Wasn’t super sweet had great texture and the honey butter had a wonderful texture. The Mac and cheese: FINALLY A MAC AND CHEESE THAT I ACTUALLY ENJOYED. Something that I will go back for. I am so picky with my Mac and cheese - this is the best Mac and cheese I have had at a restaurant ever. My husband had The Burger 1/2 lb and he said “ was one of the best meals he’s had in a long while “ Pulled pork - juicy , tender, smoky, enough said Definitely go check this place out ✨we are definitely going back

Excellent service. The waiter was very professional and gave serious, right on target recommendations. I returned the House Old Fashioned for a 4 Roses Single barrel bourbon whisky recommended by the waiter which with no exaggeration was the best Old Fashioned in my life. The Brussels sprouts were absolutely delicious. The chili again without exaggeration was the best in my life. The ribs were so tender and juicy – perfectly cooked. My only wish is that they would have 2 different types of BBQ sauces, one being more of a Kansas City type, admittedly a more pedestrian style. Excellent service. The waiter was very professional and gave serious, right on target recommendations. I returned the House Old Fashioned for a 4 Roses Single barrel bourbon whisky recommended by the waiter which with no exaggeration was the best Old Fashioned in my life. The Brussels sprouts were absolutely delicious. The chili again without exaggeration was the best in my life. The recommended nachos were again honestly the best in my life. The ribs were so tender and juicy – perfectly cooked. My only wish is that they would have 2 different types of BBQ sauces, one being more of a Kansas City type, admittedly a more pedestrian style. We live in NYC, and are planning to squeeze in one more visit before we leave tomorrow. We will definitely come back whenever we are in Rhode Island.