Eli's BBQ - Riverside

We love Eli's BBQ and always will. If they came out this way, they'd retire in a week. We drive 2.5 hours one way just to enjoy this wonderful food. I love smoked meats and bbq. I've had barbecue from Michigan to South Carolina, and nobody compares to Eli's. The dirty mashed potatoes, oh my word. The mac and cheese was so cheesy! And the wings!! The cole slaw!! Not one thing on the menu is bad. Everything is worth every single penny. If I could work there for long enough to learn how to do it myself, I swear I would. Best. Barbecue. Ever. It is like I'm eating love.

Nice setting and courteous staff. The BBQ, however, was only about 4 stars in my opinion. I ordered the ribs, and it appears they cut all the ribs individually after smoking them and then maybe broil them to reheat—they definitely didn't seemed to have been smoked fresh that day... I’m a BBQ fanatic and always try local BBQ when I travel for work, and these just weren’t 5-star ribs. The meat selection was also limited. I would have expected brisket and hot links on the menu, but the closest thing to hot links was hot dogs. The sides were good—the mac and cheese was appropriately cheesy, and the beans were solid.

Oh, my Gawd! This place has great bbq! My brother and I went on a Wednesday on our way to KY and tried the hot dogs. So good we took our other brother the following Friday on our way back to Cleveland. Hot dogs with creamy slaw and pork crackling. Best hit dog ever. Tried the pulled pork sandwich too - excellent. Wouldn't know this place was here unless ypu heard about it or were looking for BBQ. Eli- nice place and great food. Enjoyed our food on the outdoor patio in the sun.

This place is absolutely worth going out of your way for. The staff is welcoming, there was hardly any wait, and most importantly the food is phenomenal! The pulled pork was tender and juicy. The ribs are really unique. I've never had anything quite like this. They seem like they are made with a dry rub, cooked until perfectly tender, cut into single ribs, and then the sides are seared. It has a crisp almost like a very tender bacon. All the sides we tried were delicious. I've had a lot of disappointing mac and cheese from other restaurants. This was wonderfully gooey and cheesy. The jalapeno cornbread and jalapeno grits are amazing too. The place has a fantastic atmosphere with a pavilion next door with picnic table seating. This is the perfect place to enjoy dinner on a warm evening.

Absolutely loved my experience, they even let me pick the next vinyl for the record player since it was my birthday! It was so delicious!