The Original Ronnie's BBQ

This was my first visit to The Original Ronnie’s BBQ, and I had no idea what to expect; safe to say, I was blown away! I placed my order online, and while it said it would be ready at 1:21, and I arrived at 1:27, I didn’t get my food until 1:55. So yes, I did have to wait… but was it worth it? YES. 1000x yes. I ordered a feast: 🍗 Sampler box with quarter leg chicken 🥗 Coleslaw 🥔 Potato salad 🥫 Baked beans 🐟 Hush puppies 🌽 Cornbread 🍑 Peach cobbler 🍋 Lemonade poundcake 🥤 Large limeade Every single bite was on point. I’m not a huge baked beans person, but even I could tell they were really well done. The coleslaw was crunchy and fresh, the potato salad was delicious, and the hush puppies and cornbread were perfect little sides. The peach cobbler was warm and comforting, and the lemonade poundcake? Dense, rich, and a real slice—not one of those flimsy little slivers. And the limeade—OMG. Tart, sweet, and so refreshing. I wanted to take a couple gallons home. But the real star? The meat. Juicy, flavorful, tender... it didn’t need sauce at all, but the sauce made it even better. The sampler box was a fantastic value for the amount and quality of food. Bottom line: Yes, there was a wait. But once that first bite hit? I forgot all about the time. Will absolutely be back.

Customer service 10/10 good vibes as soon as we pulled up. Smelled that bbq biking down the rode and wheeeww it was so good. The limeade was the best I’ve had, don’t sleep on the cobbler either! I wish Mac and cheese was everyday and ribs were sold out so we’ll have to come back on a Sunday.

First time here, you stay in your vehicle and get in line and order and wait for your amazing, juicy delicious BBQ! I had the sampler with everything and such a lot of food!! Such good savory flavors and definitely took care of the BBQ craving I was having! I recommend!

drive up and get your BBQ platter before they run out. I've been cycling past this place for a while and finally had a chance to stop in and get a platter. generous portions, tender fall off the bone BBQ 🤤

Perfect BBQ, just like I was invited to a family cookout!!! Me and my friend got sampler boxes with everything they offer, tried to get all the sides too. Every single thing was amazing. Weekends only, worth a 10 min drive out of downtown Richmond to get in that line! Right off our nice country bike trail for those inclined too.

The wonderful gentleman who was grilling chicken on Thursday for a Friday opening absolutely knocked my socks off with his incredible kindness to my family! We were pulling off a working-class spring break, staying at inexpensive hotels at night and riding our bicycles on the rail trails of Virginia by day. The culmination was an overnight trip on the Virginia Capitol Trail, which runs from Richmond to Jamestown/Williamsburg. We staged from Ronnie's parking lot on Wednesday morning, and miraculously by Thursday afternoon, we had ridden 110 miles (two to three times our previous daily distances). Exhausted and hungry, I spoke to the man at the smoker. He confirmed what I already knew: they didn't open till Friday, and no, he could not sell me any of the food he was pulling off the grill. I thanked him anyway, telling him that I figured as much but had to try. As I told him what we had just finished doing, he slid, first one, then another, piece of perfectly charred, smokey chicken onto a piece of foil. He gave it to me, and he would not accept any payment. I accepted it gratefully, and returned to my incredulous son and girlfriend. We ate it with the biggest grins on our faces. It was heaven, and as I was raving about how amazing the food was, he appeared on our side of the building carrying two lemonades, a bottle of water, and two more slabs of amazing chicken. It was the best barbecue I think I've ever eaten, and not just because it was perfectly prepared. The free food from that stranger was seasoned with kindness and generosity. At a time when things are feeling bleak and discouraging, our cups were refilled, spiritually. I'm brought to tears, just remembering it. Thank you, Ronnies! We'll be back. We are very, very grateful!

I was staying at a campground nearby. A Google search brought up Ronnie's and reviews were good, they did not disappoint! I got 1/2 rack of ribs and when I was done I wish I'd have ordered a full racķ. Ribs were smoked perfectly, tender, juicy, fall of the bone, and super tasty. Everyone I came in contact were great. The guy that took my order was a happy, energetic, character. The lady that brought my order was sweet as could be. Great folks, great food!

Took a bike from Richmond to this place in the middle of June and the limeade HIT. Best limeade I've ever had in my life! All sides are great, so any one of them is a good choice. The cornbread is beautifully golden and moist. The chicken was beautifully smoked with the meat falling off of the bone when you pull it! The BBQ sauce is delicious and sweet, but not too sugary! The brisket sandwich was also great with the fat melting in your mouth.

I came here 7 years ago and it was very good. Seems to have gone down since then. The staff is friendly and ordering is easy. The food, however, was disappointing. The pulled pork sandwich, although tender and moist, was extremely bland. Had zero flavor. The ribs were also very tender, but they too lacked flavor. I'm not sure if everything is smoked together, but the ribs tasted like brisket. There was no distinguishing taste and I had to coat them in sauce to get any real flavor. The mac & cheese was fresh, straight out of the oven and very cheesy. The peach cobbler was too sugary. So sweet, that I couldn't finish the tiny cup. I won't be back, but I wish the business well.

Hands down one of the best bbq spots I've been to in a while. Matter of fact is the best bbq spot I've ever been to in Richmond. The ribs are so tender. So flavorful with a nice smoke flavor. The smoked chicken is absolutely amazing. Fried fish (whiting) seasoned well. Baked beans were good enough to order again. They were like bbq baked beans. A mild sweet flavor. Brisket was melt in your mouth. The pulled pork is a vinegar based but their bbq sauce balances everything out. Their bbq sauce is good on EVERYTHING! The sweet tea lemonade pound cake was great as well. I'm definitely looking to revisit again. If you've been looking to go! Run don't walk!

Great food. I recommend ordering online to skip the long car line. Just a drive through with picnic tables.

The best BBQ around with friendly, courteous people serving it up. Perfect smokey flavor.

Do NOT skip this place if you are remotely close to downtown Richmond. I make an effort to stop here and grab some slow smoked BBQ every single time I visit. I learned about this honey of a gem while riding my bike along the Virgina Capital Trail a couple years back. My buddy and I were just completely enveloped in the aromatic and almost tear-inducing smoke that was rolling out of the chimney and across the trail. Both of us turned and looked at each other simultaneously with a knowing nod that we would be stopping there on the return leg. With our appetites firmly worked up from a long ride on the VCT; we could see cars lined up almost out into the road. That was definitely telling... We parked the bikes along side the business, ordered up a couple of pulled pork sandwiches and a sampling of all the sides; and waited... The wait was absolutely worth it. SOOOO smokey, and delicious with just the right hit of seasoning, fresh slaw, melty Mac-n-Cheese, green beans so good you HAD to drink the juice at the bottom of the cup! I'm tellin' y'all... I ALMOST don't wanna write this review because I want to keep this place to myself... but, here ya go; now it's out there for the world to see.

The only thing they didn't give me enough of was napkins!!!!! Ribs sooooo good make you wanna slap your mama! Drove all the way from DC for this and it was well worth the drive, money &bite! Best BBQ spot! Food for the soul!

Our neighbor brought us take-out from Ronnie's today. She was excited to try it as she was in the area when it was open (Fri, Sat & Sun, until they run out). The place is locally famous & for good reason. Insanely tender and flavorful brisket, chopped bbq is vinegar based juicy & delicious, cornbread not too sweet (rare in these parts!). Good potato salad, very good baked beans & tasty apple cobbler. Bbq dishes were flavored distinctly. Yum!

The food was legit Carolina bbq and AMAZING!! The collard greens were AMAZING, the pulled pork was so flavorful and juicy. Ribs were so meaty and delicious! Brisket was melt in your mouth. The attendant was so patient with us and had great recommendations. Don't forget to try the Sweet Tea Lemonade pound cake. We left with 3 extra slices, it was that good!!

Ordered pulled pulled pork, chopped chicken and beef brisket, with collards and beans. Everything was pretty tasty, but we were not a fan of the vinegar sauce on the pork. Nice people, not a whole lot of ambiance, but I will probably come back and try the ribs.

First the bad: seemed a bit expensive when the order taker in the outside line told us the total. Looking closer at the menu, we didn't realize the half slab of ribs didn't include sides, but it's all there. And the good: we wouldn't change a thing. It was well worth the price. Awesome ribs, even without the sauce. Kinda wish one of us had ordered brisket or pulled pork so we could have sampled that ... next time. And I didn't see cobbler on the menu ... now i do ... looking forward to trying that too. Reviewer "wolf p" said she wouldn't be back ... great! More for the rest of us that appreciate good bbq.

Perfectly Cooked Ribs!!!!! Great Cornbread. I was shocked at how well cooked their ribs are. Nice sizes. I was totally satisfied. I added hot sauce because I like very spicy sauce. This place is very much worth a visit!

Really good ribs, pulled pork and brisket. The sauce has a lot of vinegar, which I love. Good value too.

Fancy, no. Tasty, absolutely. My favorite is the beef brisket which is incredibly juicy,

Im trully disappointed pointed in this place, The brisket is severely lacking in flavor it could be a lot better. I also got a Green Poisonous french fry. I ordered peach cobbler and got a mashed up apple pie in a sauce cup 3 hush puppies truly a misery

The food is subpar there are many other bbq places that serve way better barbecue. Now four years ago Aris Ronnie was the best, but it just went down here afterwards.

I love the peach cobbler here when they have it! Our family used to order our smoked thanksgiving turkey from Ronnies and it was a corpse by the end of dinner. Definitely recommend!

This is the best pork barbecue I've ever eaten. I ordered the barbecue sandwich with 2 sides, potato salad and cole slaw, but there are many other selections as well. The barbecue was tender, with a vinegary tang, very flavorful. The staff was friendly and helpful and helped me get my order quickly because I was in a rush and they expedited it for me. THAT is service. Even without that level of service,, I will come back here next time I'm in Richmond....or even drive down just for that!{ As for "ambiance", this is no frills. You order, drive up and are on your way. There are picnic tables on the side if you want to eat there. It's all about the food here.

Outstanding BBQ at a great price!! Only critique is no indoor restaurant just drive up.

Some of the best BBQ in Richmond Va. Staff is very friendly. Brisket was tender and moist. Green Beans were yummy and can't wait to try the Mac And Cheese. Take out only but picnic tables on side of building. Highly recommend for a delicious afternoon.

It's you want down home knee slapping bbq. Come here!!! You well not be disappointed at all!!!

Listen closely!!!!! Best barbecue in town, old country, Deep South taste flavors, should be on food channel barbecue joints show, don't let the location fool you, best ribs, best brisket, chicken as good as old country taste is, service really good, super cool ambiance, by the country fields on the side of the road! Just perfect!!!

Good good food and good amount of food for the coat Very nice staff. I could drink the BBQ sauce....

If you are ever in the Richmond Area definitely hit up this gem. The customer service was great, the food was AMAAZINGGGGGGG. The Ribs, the pulled meat, the chicken, with their BBQ Sauce is all delicious. The only downside was that I visited on a Saturday, and they only serve Mac&Cheese on Sunday's. This just means I'll have to come down and visit on a Sunday soon

I am a bbq fanatic and this place is top notch. The chopped pork is uhmazing. One of the few that truly needs no additional sauce. We had the sampler and it was perfection. Great smoke flavor to all meats. Do not miss this place if you are near Richmond and looking for bbq.

Service was fabulous Food delicious. It seems to have some island influence which was an added surprise. Apple cobbler was delicious. We got the sampler. All meats were tender.

Jackfruit BBQ is AMAZING! I've followed a meatless diet for about 5 years now and occasionally the smell of saucy, vinegary, BBQ will make me crave it. I was happy to find out that Ronnie's had a meatless bbq option and it is delicious! Minced perfectly, flavorful, and filling. 10/10

Let me start by saying that I wanted to give this place 5 stars. Simply because they had the good grace to add peach cobbler as a side dish. Ronnie's endeared itself to me for that reason alone. I ordered the rib box. My greedy az started with the cobbler so my expectations were high. And it was good! The right ratio of crust to fruit and it was not syrupy sweet. It was just right, flavorful! The portion WAS PERFECT, for me, but again I'm greedy so, it could've been bigger. (GOOD LOOKING OUT) The ribs were dry rubbed but somehow the meat was a little dry despite the good layer of fat right on the bone. From what I understand about BBQ this fact normally ensures juiciness. I think perhaps they went a little far as the burned rub detracted from the overall flavor. The accompanying sauce was spicy and a little tangy and unusual but very good. It helped. But still a bit dry. They smelled amazing. For my 2nd side, I bravely ordered the potato salad as it is notoriously "not as good as my Mamma's" regardless of where I go. To my surprise is was BANG! Fresh, probably made last night. Light, and the potatoes where not mushy. Very flavorful. I'm very impressed. I'd definitely recommend. Thank you for a great meal during RBRE2020.

I got a half dozen ribs, pound of pulled pork, a side of bbq beans and collard greens. They added two containers of BBQ sauce. Everything was good and it's easy to see why this place is so highly rated. This is western style BBQ ya'll. The pulled pork was especially nice and moist with excellent flavor. The ribs were OK, a little dry and not a lot of flavor I would highly recommend you call your order in. They get especially busy on the weekends. Plenty of off street free parking.

This is the cutest little BBQ place right off of route 5. I've eaten here a handful of times before and love it every time. So far, I've tried the pulled pork, brisket, ribs, and chicken. This last time, I ordered the brisket combo and rib combo, both with mac and cheese and fries (gotta get my carbs and starches). These two are probably my favorite things to order here. The brisket is always so juicy and well seasoned, with a smokey flavor. The ribs are fall off the bone good, but not too tender. I love pretty much all their sides. Baked beans, coleslaw, fries, and mac and cheese: ALL GOOD. Side note: they only have Mac and cheese on Sundays, so plan accordingly!

The brisket was delicious and I ordered it online and didn't have the wait. I appreciate the collared greens didn't have pork. I had a couple of their sides and look forward to more with time.

We were at Dorey Park for a softball tournament and trying to find a good place for lunch. Original Ronnie's BBQ did not disappoint! The brisket was flavorful and super tender! Fries were amazing, and the cobbler was the perfect end note. We will be back the next time we are in town!

This little hole in the wall is amazing! We pass this all the time on the way into Richmond so we decided to finally give it a try. Tons of ppl are always waiting in line on weekends (which they are only open at). You can order food online which is convenient for wait times. There are a ton of choices. We tried the chopped chicken, pulled pork and beef brisket along with plenty of sides: coleslaw, man n cheese, cornbread, peach cobbler, and baked beans and corn bread. The portions are the right size- not too much and too little. Everything was delicious and flavorful. This is one of the best BBQ spots I've ever been to. It's a great hidden local spot that everyone should try. We will definitely be dining here often if not every weekend!

The best bbq place in all of Virginia. I drive over an hour just to get Ronnie's. The service and flavor are absolutely outstanding. It's a good thing I don't live closer because I would eat here every day if I could. The best.

We ate there today for the 1st time, the brisket sandwich was tender and very large really hood. Now the burnt ends where different than I was expecting, I was was looking for a dry rub style with a smoke ring but these where in a container and a sauce like juice very tender and tasty. Everyone has their own style so you can't complain but I'm still looking for some dry rub burnt-ends.

I'd like to return. For the Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich. Only. They sure know how to do BBQ! The BBQ Sandwich was bountiful and delicious. Unfortunately, I ordered the Combo, and for sides, I chose Hand-cut French Fries (can't go wrong with Fries, I thought). And Mac & Cheese. I was informed that Mac & Cheese was available only on Sunday. Okay, let's try the Baked Beans. It was packaged & ready to go in ~ 5 minutes. Back at home, I started with the Fries. It's been years since I've had Fries that bad. Oddly cut, limp as a dishrag, and about equally flavorful. I ate half & trashed the rest. Similar story with the Baked Beans. How on G-d's green earth do you bungle Baked Beans? They managed. Considering that my order came up in ~ 5 minutes, I'm guessing the Fries & Beans were prepared in advance. Waaay in advance. On the plus side, the store was clean, parking was easy in the dedicated lot, and the one lady I interacted with was pleasant.

Best BBQ around. Cooked to perfection. The sides excellent. Easy online order and easy organized pick-up. Everything homemade.

I kept hearing about this place and kept putting it off but today was the day. After reading reviews and drooling over pictures I decided to try Ronnies. Goooooodddddnessss was all I could say after the first bite of my brisket sandwich. I opted to skip the coleslaw. This sandwich is packed full of meat that is packed full of flavor. I ate about half the sandwich without the bbq sauce because it was just that dag on good. I also got cobbler and potato salad. Say what, that cobbler was delicious and the potato salad reminded me of one of the aunties at the church. I will definitely be back

This place!!! I would post picture but I eat it too fast every single time. We moved to this area a few months ago and our neighbors said we absolutely needed to try Ronnie's BBQ. Now we've had bbq all over the country... and BbQ is one of our favorites so to say we've had good BBQ is an understatement. This place is fire!!!!!!!!! The BBQ chicken and the brisket are our go to for meat! The bbq chicken literally falls off the bone and the flavor is so forking delicious! The cornbread, F$&@ it's good! Talk about orgasm in your mouth! The beans, these are the beans that farts dream of. And let me tell you they are worth every fart that may come. Honestly there isn't anything there that isn't great! Just go eat it.

The food was very good. And the take out set up is very well done. We ordered 2 brisket sandwiches. The brisket was great. But they only packed bread for one sandwich. We also got the jumbo chicken wings and barbecue ribs. The food is great. I suspect the missing roll is sitting in the counter forgotten with all the cars waiting to pick up food. We would order takeout again but check before leaving that we have everything.

The service was great! Very friendly staff. My order was taken quickly and came out fast and neatly packaged.

Well it's not the best bbq your gonna have being from Texas I take my bbq serious and this place is middle of the pack not GREAT but was bad

Ribs were great. They were smoky and moist. The sauce was tasty and balanced between sweet and tangy. Miracle of miracles none landed on my white shirt! Coleslaw was fresh and beans were homemade, sweet and smushy in a good way. Roll was fine. The Colonel had brisket and did not eat the bun (he never does) with fries and coleslaw. He was happy. Sprossling had pulled pork with fries and collard greens. "Hey these greens have meat in them!" He yelled happily. They serve Pepsi products and have no root beer so we drank Crush and Dr Pepper. Be aware this is more like an overgrown roadside stand so there is only a portapotty and no real seating.

Great bbq and everyone is super nice. Ronnie is a cooking machine, the best smoked meats around!

I came here because of the Food Network's "Best I ever ate" on ribs. The ribs were very good I give them that. The smoke flavor, amount of meat on the bone, and it did come off the bone easy. I would put it in my top 10 of ribs ever but probably #7-8 out of my list. The pulled pork had a lot to be desired. It was dry and well I just didn't like it. The brisket was very good, moist, and yummy. The chicken wings were just okay. The skin wasn't tasty enough to eat for me so I took it off. By the way, I had the big Sampler. Bread was not stale but not fresh. They are stingy on the BBQ sauce. You have to use porta potties for the bathroom. Seating sucks. They should provide a few more outdoor options if you can deal with the flies that hang around because of the yummy smell. So yeah I give the ribs a 5 but the whole experience but a 3 overall.

On my way back to Raleigh, this was a nice side trip to try out. We saw the place on the food network and needed to try it out. The ribs were fall off the bone and the brisket was cook perfect. The beans and fries were also top notch. The only complaints were, they were skimpy on the BBQ... I wish I had more, because it was amazing, and they were out of some of the sides.

We were coming from Richmond to surry and we came across Ronnie's bbq. The food was good and the customer service was good. They also has picnic tables and thing for the kids to do outside. The only thing that wasn't really that good was the bathroom, but overall every thing was great.

I enjoy the chicken and the location is great. It is packed when it is opened. You need to come if you visit Richmond. The ambiance is great for the bike rider. You are eating outside. Lol. Great place albeit.

BEST BARBECUE EVER!!! and the owners/staff are the sweetest people you'll ever meet!!!

It was pretty good! We've gone a few times, I would definitely recommend the ribs the most highly -- they were fantastic. Also really good BBQ sauce!