excellent bbq and a new favorite restaurant!. having heard so many kudos about papa's from friends and local islanders, yet never finding the chance to dine here, i actually scheduled advance plans for a sunday lunch. so, with a dining companion in tow, we set out to sample some serious bbq. our dining experience here was absolutely wonderful, with prompt and friendly service, as well as extremely excellent bbq. i now have another favorite restaurant to share!
papa's is tucked in the back of the towne centre shopping complex and not easily seen from highway 80, though once you turn off the main road into the parking lot maze, you will see it adjacent to anytime fitness. there is plenty of parking available, so no issues. there are even parking spaces right up front specifically designated for papa's.
there are a couple of tables and chairs outside for dining on pleasant days. this gives papa's a nice sidewalk cafe feel, and with suchgoodweather, looks to be a popular option. seating in the main dining area is spacious and comfortable, with booths and tables available. the decor is modern/casual, and with a nod to the beach, has sea shell lights over the booths. even though the dining area has high ceilings, there is not much noise reverberating, so dining conversations can be held at a normal volume.
being the first diners in the restaurant on that sunday morning (6-15-14), we were able to enjoy a nice long chat with our waitress (serelle) about menu items. she was very helpful explaining everything going on as we were newbies to papa's. other wait staff were over at the host stand area awaiting patrons, so they were on-point and ready.
the fried pickles appetizer was very good. i was going to share a picture, but my dining companion attacked them before i was able to snap anything. the appetizer in real life on the table looks better than the pictures on the menu, honestly. the pickles were not limp or greasy as some can be elsewhere. plus, they were not overly salty, which i appreciate. if you are a fried pickles fan, as i am, give these a try.
i normally am a seafood guy, but on my first visit here, i was determined to sample the bbq. i chose the bar-b-que pork dinner, which is freshly smoked and chopped. in my opinion, it is shredded/pulled for the most part with some chopped pieces sprinkled in. this was a welcomed surprise since i prefer shredded/pulled over chopped. the meat was absolutely and perfectly cooked, and there was a large amount of it on the plate. another surprise was sauce already drizzled over the meat. it is a mustard-based sauce, which is my favorite. this sauce was a perfect compliment to the meat. i even added some more. i forgot to buy a bottle of their sauce, but i shall do that on my next visit. yes, the sauce really is that good, and there will be another visit.
there are plenty of sides from which to choose. very important note: their macaroni and cheese is only available on sunday. this is probably the best macaroni and cheese i have ever eaten in a restaurant. it is as close to what grandma always served on sundays as you are going to get anywhere. i also wanted to sample their fried okra. it was very, very good, with literally no grease and absolutely nothing scorched. this was fried okra done right.
after such a fantastic meal, there was no room left for dessert, sadly. oh yeah, the sweet tea was a hit with my dining companion. he is really, really picky about sweet tea, so this is great praise. every aspect about dining at papa's was top-notch, which is extremely rare anywhere. the folks back in the kitchen certainly know how to cook, i can say that much. i swear some grandmas are back there rattling the pots and pans and hopefully teaching the younger generation a thing or two.
really, if you have not eaten with papa's before, make plans now to do so. you will enjoy it.
another review shall soon be forthcoming on papa's seafood offerings. ;-)