Do you understand the saying, “don’t evaluate a book by its cover?” So likewise, one should not evaluate a barbecue restaurant in Kentucky for its unassuming location.
Especially in Paducah, Kentucky.
A Paducah organization, Starnes Bar-B-Q, has been dishing up delicious, melt-in-your-mouth barbecue since the 1950s.
Family-owned and operated since 1955, this unassuming and tiny BBQ joint is a local favorite. And when we state “unassuming and small,” we mean small and unassuming.
Since Starnes Bar-B-Q is the kind of BBQ restaurant that, if you stretch your arms out, you may touch both walls. What it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in taste: big, bold, BBQ taste.
This location is the real deal. There’s a smokehouse out back, where Starnes sluggish smokes their meat to perfection. Utilizing old-school techniques and genuine wood, the barbecue brings out a smoky char that can only come from a low, sluggish cook.
The meat is then slathered in a sweet, spicy, sticky sauce; the kind of things you wish you could suppress and consume– it’s that great!
And yes, you can take a bottle home with you!
When a location has stood the test of the Starnes Bar-B-Q method, you know they’re doing something.
And that’s precisely what this no-frills, fan-favorite, bold-turquoise BBQ shack in Paducah, Kentucky, is doing. This is a legendary Kentucky BBQ!
Because Starnes Bar-B-Q is the kind of BBQ restaurant that, if you stretch your arms out, you may touch both walls. Tiny. What it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in flavor: huge, bold BBQ taste.