red state bbq

they have the absolute best tastingribsand brisket!

concerned consumer. tried out red state bbq after reading all the reviews and was surprised to find just the opposite.. when we first pulled in we noticed the surroundings. it's located outside a run down motel and the outside wasn't very attractive but we gave it a try anyway due to the reviews we figured nothing but good could be inside. once inside we was greeted by our waitress who seemed friendly at first. she was a young thin girl she introduced herself as holly or haley. haley i think. we ordered some drinks some frickles for our appetizer and a rib dinner and sides for our entrees. our drinks came fast but it took us forever to receive our frickles and when we finally did they was cold and tasted of old oil but we ate them anyways hoping our entrees would be better. long after our order was already placed almost twenty minutes later our waitress comes to inform us there was no moreribsso we ordered brisket instead feeling bummed. took us forever to get our brisket our sides was cold and not that good our brisket was raw our service slow took forever to get our waitress back to the table to switch our brisket in for pulled pork. our waitress's only concern was flirting with any guy in the restaurant that gave her attention. we observed that all of her customers where being neglected while she seemed more concerned to talking to all the guys in the place than noticing our brisket was raw or getting us a refill in our cokes. the manager aslo was present in the dining room but never checked on us as well and never seemed to notice that our waitress was too distracted to give her customers service guess this behavior is customary in this establishment. there was several kids in the restaurant along with my own and was really uncomfortable when to our horror we overhead our waitress using foul language while chatting with other employees at the counter. i'll never bring my children back into this place wouldn't advise anyone to do so either. if it wasn't bad enough when we finally paid our bill used the restroom and made our way out to our car we walked past our waitress out in the parking lot next to a car with what appeared to be a few other employees. we where violated with more inappropriate language.her and other employees and could strongly smell marijuana being used. will never bring my children any where near this establishment again. the management definitely needs to get it together in this place and keep an eye on not only their customers but obviously their employees. worst experience i ever had. bad service raw food and we feel violated by foul language and inappropriate behavior by the employees working in the establishment. can't imagine how this establishment has such high ratings. bad food! bad service! and a negative atmosphere! we are a christian family and we do not appreciate or tolerate foul language or drugs!

this was hands down the best bbq i have ever eaten. theribswere literally falling off the bone, the brisket was unbelievably tender, and the sauce itself was crafted by the hand of god. definitely recommend!!!

the pulled chicken and theribsare so flavorful they don't need sauce. however if you need sauce they have some. memphis sweet and carolina are so perfect. one of two of the best bbq joints in lexington.

we googled bbq in lexington, ky and found this fantastic bbq just minutes off i-75. it couldnt be easier to find. we had the special of the day.....dbl smoked brisket, chicken and pork. you could also chooseribsor just brisket. it came with your choice of 2 sides. there were 4 sauces on the table. everything was delicious, tender beyond belief and so filling! the service was awesome. the owner stopped to say hello. we are from michigan just on our way to florida. we would highly recommend this bbq!!!! google it!: red state bbq rocks.

yummy dinner!. i had just flown from tampa today back to the cincinnati airport and on our drive home to danville, ky from the airport my husband suggested stopping here to eat. (we had some take-out pulled pork and pulled-chicken with our daughter's family, who lives in georgetown, a couple of weeks earlier.)

what a treat! my husband ordered the brisket dinner and loved it. i ordered the 1/2 slab ofribswith french fries. i asked for a knife thinking i would need it to cut some of the meat off the ribs, but was i ever wrong! it practically fell off theribswith the touch of a fork. pick up the bone to get the last savory bits!
and the french fries were the best that i have every had anywhere!
the waitress was great!

very highly recommended!

----august 5, 2015------
still like it but have moved my rating down. okay, they have gotten popular and it's hard to get in. good service, quickly served but not quite the higher quality it has always been. and if they are going to be busy, they need to learn how to manage a dining room. sign clearly says "please seat yourself" several empty tables and then i find out there is a couple ahead of us on "the list". sheesh. sides aren't the best in the world any more.ribsstill good.

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still a little light on the smoke for me...but.... among the topribsto be found in the central ky area. falling off the bone, flavorful rub.

sides are good, especially the bbq beans and the potato salad.

made a major drive to pick up a to-go order. i must like 'em!

-----29 mar, 2012-----
great off-the-beaten-path bbq. a little light on smoke, but killerribsand pulled pork.ribsaren't usually ready until around 12:30pm so plan a little late lunch. some really good sides to choose among.

in fairness we have never had southern bbq but this was head and shoulders better than anything we can get in ny and some of those are pretty good(dinosaur bbq etc). we are here on business and want to eat there every night to make sure we try it all.ribsliterally fall off bone, pulled pork and brisket lean/juicy.

a great treat!. as a visitor from washington state, i don't claim any knowledge of the differences between regional bbq styles. i just like good food, and i found it here! we were starving after a long day at the kentucky horse park, and urbanspoon pointed us here. it was just getting dark, and we were a little worried when we pulled up to see a tiny little building in front of "the bates motel" with only one car out front. but so glad we stayed! theribswere the meatiest i've ever had, with nice crunchy crust from the rub and tender and juicy inside. as others have mentioned there isn't much smoke flavor and the rub isn't very spicy, but perfect cooking made that ok. all 3 sauces were good. "spicy" wasn't very spicy at all but had a nice tang. the sweet was your basic bbq sauce, and carolina mustard was a nice change for us westerners. my cole slaw was crisp and tasty, and my daughter's mac n cheese was delicious. peach bread pudding was delicious! the bathrooms were an afterthought added on to the building, and may be in danger of falling off someday soon, but hey, the plumbing works. service was fast, prices were great. i wonder if they could mail me some ribs?

great bbq!. the service here was friendly and fast. the atmosphere was casual, the dining area was small enough to be cozy but bright and roomy enough to walk between full tables. the food was terrific. theribshad a light smoky flavor without being overwhelming. there were three sauce choices, carolina mustard sweet and spicy and better for chicken than pork. the texas sweet sauce not too sweet and just enough spice, great on ribs. the memphis spicy sauce had a nice bite with a touch of sweetness to cut the fire. theribswere tender, fall off the bone, perfect. i got the potato salad because a "bad" review on here mentioned that it had dill pickles and it was perfect, just the way i like it, very close to what i make at home. the baked beans were also good, as was the mac and cheese. the only downfall of the meal was the coleslaw, which was bland, my husband likes it sweet and i can eat it sweet or with a vinegar and oil type dressing, but the cream coleslaw at red state was neither, just not to our tastes! overall we had a great experience and a terrific meal and we will be visiting here often!! my husband grew up with kansas city bbq and he says it's really hard to impress him with bbq, but red state bbq definitely impressed him!

on point!!. wow! lived in lex all my life and a neighbor from ohio had to tell me about this spot! it was delicious! the pull pork sandwich and 2 sides $9.00. fresh potatoe fries were great. my slaw could have used a little more flavor so i asked for vinegar, well it could just been me but i like sweet slaw. tried the sauce you put on yourself, i liked it alot. can't wait to go forribssoon! i will recommend to my friends too, very glad it's so close. give it a try...don't dress up or you'll feel out of place. i loved it brought back memories of clifside in frankfort.

pumpkin bread pudding. i like that it is not overpoweringly sweet. a nice hit of mumpkin flavor. lovely custardy texture. a perfect sweet for a crisp fall day.


-----16 nov, 2011-----

pulled pork sandwich. every bit as good as the chopped pork sandwich, just a bit different texture.


-----16 nov, 2011-----

chopped pork. very tender, nice and juicy, good smoke flavor. all the way around good q.


-----16 nov, 2011-----

beef brisket. nice and tender, yet holds together well to show the bite mark. good smoke flavor not overpwering. not dry but not dripping. nice smoke ring.


-----11 nov, 2011-----

ribs. had theribsfor dinner last night. they are good but not red states strongest offering. they where perfectly done. they where very tender but not falling apart, decently moist, light on the smoke.


-----27 oct, 2011-----

best bbq in the area. this is the first bbq i have had in town that i can say is as good as i can make, and i dont have to spend 2 days doing it. good smoke flavor yet not overpowering.
we had the brisket and pulled pork sandwiches. the pork had a nice bark, was very moist and tender.
the brisket was smoked just right. still firm enough to hold together but pulls apart easily. great smoke ring.
portion size is generous. prices are reasonable. staff are very friendly and accomodating. you can tell they care about what they are doing.

ribs. these are the bestribsever. huge servings and loved the spicey bbq sauce. the mac and cheese and corn pudding is amazing. this will become a weekly visit.

best bbq in central kentucky!. so far i've tried the ribs, pulled chicken, and pulled pork and all were outstanding. in fact, theribswere just about cooked to perfection. for sides both the slaw and the mac and cheese were good - the real standout, however, is the baked beans cuz they've got as much bbq prk in them as they do beans! good stuff! the sweet sauce isn't really that sweet, and the spicy sauce isn't remotely spicy, but they are both pretty tasty all the same. my big quibble is the lack of mutton and the excessively "texas" decor for a kentucky bbq joint.