red gum bbq

the smokedmeatrestaurant market is saturated in melbourne, but not on the mornington peninsula, so its a nice point of difference to the vast number of wineries you can dine at.  definitely tricky to find as you have to drive into the service station and out the back.  essentially its a giant shed, but doesnt feel cold or uninviting.  there are picnic style tables spread out, a cosy couch area and a nice section for younger kids. i had the beef brisket, fries, philli cheese steak sandwich (a special) and potato salad.  all of which were great.  themeatwas tender, servings generous and i found the prices reasonable. i would compare them to similar places ive been to (le bon ton, fancy hanks, meatmaiden etc).  just about every table had families with babies or toddlers, yet it wasnt noisy and the kids had somewhere to play.  nice to see more places welcoming families with play areas, making you feel like you can take your kids out and eat a great meal at the same time.  i think they could probably squeeze some more tables in, as it is quite popular and they had to turn people away when i was there.  they are also super strict with their timings, you basically get 1.5hrs to order and eat and then they start hurrying you up, so just be aware of that in case you or you mates are latecomers.

🍖 what's on my plate?
literally everymeaton the menu! 😅
- pulled pork
- jalapeno sausages
- smoked brisket
- beef rib
- beef brisket chilli cheese fries
- mac n cheese
- coleslaw
- cornbread
and some amazing raspberry cider to wash it all down 👌🏾
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this joint was absolutely phenomenal! set up in a massive warehouse, where on one side of the place all the cooking/smoking of the meats happens and literally on the other side is where the communal tables are where you eat it!
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the food itself was mind-blowingly delicious, like seriously, everything including the sides were just ridiculously delicious. let me put it to you this way, this was the best bbq i've ever eaten in my life and i've eaten real texas bbq, honest to god, it's better than that. oh and make sure to get the cornbread, it's what i imagine heaven tastes like 🤤.
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so do yourself and your tastebuds a favour and get on down to @redgumbbq, you won't regret it 👊🏾.

let me start by saying, this is not good bbq, it's average at best (brisket) and doesn't even muster a passing grade for most others.

there's several issues that plague this venue,

1- small portion sizing/ way overpriced $12 for a single sausage is outrageous, $60 for the meal is a joke, for $85 in brisbane you'll feed 4 and better quality to boot. (don't tell memeatis expensive, i do better low and slow at home)

2- over staffing, coupled with under trained staff, we had to chase up our drink order after 45 minutes despite four staff members being behind the bar and the place being more than half empty(the lovely girl at reception excluded)

3- sub par quality of the food.

for all the reviewers claiming this is good bbq, please for the live of god go to sydney or brisbane, a place like this wouldn't survive six months in either.

if i could give 0 stars i would, the owner is clearly out of touch and worries more about his escalade than the bbq he is selling.

bbq is a food of passion, clearly there's no passion for bbq here

red gum bbq was definitely one of my favourite bbq restaurants; they had a wide range ofmeatoptions as well as side dishes. we ordered their pulled pork, chicken wings, lamb, beef brisket, brisket chilli cheese fries, and a few other sides. all of themeatdishes were deliciously smoky, tender, and more-ish! service was friendly also. it was definitely a must visit while in mornington peninsula.

the staff here were really nice and friendly. plenty of indoor seating with outdoor seating also available. however, the only let down is that because of the open venue, you constantly have to wave away flies from landing on your food. the serve of the loaded fries was more than generous. themeatis pricey but the quality is amazing and it’s cooked to perfection - just melts in the mouth. the mac and cheese was also really nice but unfortunately the pasta was not evenly cooked.

took the family there for lunch. easy parking, nice venue, plenty of space. we were put on a shared table when there were plenty of other tables completely empty, and were still empty when we left an hour later. portions were quite small for what you paid for. lamb ribs were small and fatty, hardly anymeaton it. chicken wings were underwhelming. the pulled pork was good. coleslaw was good. nachos for the kids were kids were received well, but the chips however were not. staff were pleasant and friendly, and came over a couple of times to see if we needed more drinks. i know it's minor, but a pet hate is the credit card surcharge. i have reviewed a much better place than this in terms of taste, portion sizes and ambience. i won't be in a hurry to return.

red gum is the only place that does decent tasty barbecue on the mornington peninsula. they use high quality ingredients such as free rangemeatand standout by making a lot of their ingredients by scratch (i.e mayonnaise). gf, dairy free and vegetarian options available.
🍽 st. louis pork ribs - juicy ribs with a delightful smokey char on the outside. cape grim beef brisket -meatfalls apart and melts in the mouth. has a texas style rub on the outside which gives it a really nice flavour. coleslaw - a classic but a favourite. the mayonnaise makes a difference.
if you’re after a rustic and delicious meal look no further than red gum.

we loved red gum bbq!themeatwas amazing-could have been a little hotter but nevertheless it was still the best tasting meat!pulled pork was my favourite!

this was our fourth time in coming here but first time in over a year and have to say it was a bit disappointing this time :( themeatwas dry and everything apart from the mac and cheese came out cold! have usually loved it here but it has gone downhill unfortunately!

we really enjoyed our experience dining at red gum bbq. mymeatcraving was fulfilled with their amazing beef and pork ribs. nothing else to say about the meat, just delicious, they really know what they are doing. we also had the brisket chilli cheese fries to go with the meat. another tasty dish!

the overall vibe of the place is really nice as well, there's a play area for kids and hangout spots of beer lovers.

love this place!

second visit here and must say we were quite disappointed this time around. the brisket was supposed to be 2 serves, or 300g, after being told it was i still didn’t believe it. for $38 out comes 5 strips of dry as anything brisket. the chicken was ok the fries a really small portion and the brisket and jalapeño sausages were nice in flavours but again really dry, as were a few peoplesmeaton our table.
beer is ridiculously expensive here and the food is way way over priced.
i have no issues with the money as we chose to come but we payed top dollar for very average food and won’t be returning.

the bbqmeatwas delicious, great flavour and overall a unique experience i was a bit disappointed with the portion size we had a set menu and the platters were not big enough, service was attentive

great food! themeatwe had was so tender and delicious. great craft beer selection and a great atmosphere overall. i will be be back no doubt about it.

fast food review
meat,meatand more meat! if this describes your diet, red gum is the place for you. beef ribs, beef brisket and pulled pork are all staple and scrumptious. nice side dishes to accompany your mains and beware of the american sized portions of desserts. unique ambience with a very well considered kids play area which is very family friendly. i’ll be back!

food: 4/5
ambience: 4/5
service: 4/5
total: 12/15

this spot is enclosed in a large shed (it can get cold in winter) and it is apparent that it's a family centric venue with kid's play areas. they've got a great variety of beers on tap from local melbourne breweries some of the locals just come down to wet their whistle.

we ordered a large selection of meats and sides, all of which arrived at once and quickly i may add. not usually a pulled pork fan as it is sometimes dry but this was not the case, tender and enough seasoning to keep it moist. the beef brisket was okay, it was also tender but i felt that not enough smoke had imparted onto the meat. the beef rib however was the star of the show, falling apart and gushing with juices. it retained a lot of its natural flavours and the sauces on the table complimented the meat, my favourite was their own blend of sweet and mustardy of course!

pork ribs not sure i'm going to make a fair assessment on these (i had a couple) but they didn't have muchmeaton them. they were finished off with their own glazing so if you love your dry rubs this might not be for you. lamb ribs on the other hand i don't think i got to sample as they may have very well landed on another platter down the table. i never order chicken at american bbq but we ended up with some. my neice didn't finish hers so i just stole her chicken skin, it was pretty darn tasty with all that seasoning they piled on there. also had some buffalo wings, never been a fan of them but yet again i am tasked to clean out the food.

sides were solid. mac and cheese was basic but executed well and didn't feel sickly, very morish. the brussel sprouts were sold out but we ended up with some broccoli salad and coleslaw, sweet and creamy. chips were standard.

awesome spot on the mornington peninsula, better in the summer with the outdoor setting. save some room for dessert, we only saw the signs on the way out.