Merle’s Bar-B Q

Food is alright… there’s better bbq in GA… interior is «interesting» (I’ll just leave it at that)

I used to come here for wings in the way, way back. The wings were good, but what made them great was the ranch dressing that Merle’s made in house. I don’t typically like ranch dressing, but this stuff is awesome! I also love their rib sandwiches. You can’t find a better tasting BBQ sandwich in The county. If you’ve never tried this place, I highly suggest that you do so and quickly!

Their brisket is fabulous! We love love it! The potato salad is good but maybe a 4 on that but beans, slaw and fries are absolute! We always go through the dt so I can’t say much about the service or atmosphere.

Delicious food at an affordable price. Just happened to ride by on a Sunday after church and stopped to try it out after looking on Unilocal and reading reviews. The reviews I read were on target. The place is very clean with a great staff. We ordered a Big Boy Burger and the Pork Plate. The fries were outstanding and the cole slaw was the best I’ve eaten in a restaurant. The portions were very generous. We were stuffed and completely satisfied when we left. My husband ordered the 7-​layer chocolate cake to eat later. He thoroughly enjoyed every bite! Also, we sampled the Brunswick stew. It was homemade and very good. We will definitely go back.

The WORST barbeque ribs I have ever had! The meat tasted like it was old & the BONE was falling apart! How old are these ribs to have the actual BONE falling apart? The place was almost empty when I pulled up (odd for a Saturday evening) and now I know why! My dog wouldn’t even eat the food. I wasted $ 15 on garbage! The prior comments must be from the employees or from people who have never had decent barbeque. I tried to eat it but after the third bite I threw it out. HORRIBLE FOOD do NOT waste your $$$ here!

Merle’s BBQ — yet another in a long list of wonderful «accidental» finds along the road!
First off this place looks like almost nothing from the outside, but once you walk inside you are in the most cozy, inviting, old school, campy environment — instantly takes me back many years. Love it…
The food is absolutely fantastic. We had the pulled pork sandwich; portion size is nice and big, sauce is excellent, meat is without the big globs of fat found elsewhere. Their Brunswick Stew is stellar and the fries (I freely admit without shame that we are French Fry aficionados) are perfect. If they have the caramel cake on the menu when you stop in you gotta try that!
The restaurant is sparkling clean and the staff were all very friendly and efficient.
Sadly, the one thing that prevents me from giving Merle’s 5 stars instead of 4 is that while we were there, there was a bit of a disagreement going on back in the kitchen which could be overheard out in the dining area. Nothing major mind you but… hey, take it out to the parking lot y’all.

I moved to Dallas about a month ago. When searching for houses here, I came across Merle’s. A «hole in the wall» BBQ joint is usually the best you will find. I was very excited to try Merle’s. We stopped in and got a good sampling including a pork sandwich, a burger, Brunswick stew, banana pudding and a couple of other items. The prices were decent. The staff was very nice and helpful. The food was good. While it isn’t my absolute favorite BBQ, it is very good. I wish their sauce wasn’t so sweet and a little more vinegar based with a little more spice. The burger was a good bit better than average (and probably fresher and healthier than most). The banana pudding was awesome! The food is cooked to order, so prepare to wait. The wait is worth the freshness. Merle’s is close to my house, so I can see myself dropping by pretty frequently. Maybe I will talk sauce with them. :)

Let me ask you something.
Lets say you drive by a little tiny shack on a busy road all the time, it sells BBQ. and every time you ride by the place is PACKED. you think they have good bbq in there?
Well that’s what happened to me. For YEARAS I drove by Merle’s without even slowing down. (you know the speed limit on 61 is 55 right? No? Well then SPEED UP SLOWPOKE!) I’d see the cars wrapped around the building and think. «huh. I’m gonna stop in there one day.»
Fast forward nearly 4 years. and I finally did.
I went inside, on off hours. The place was mostly empty, 2 folks in there I think. It’s a small restaurant with a comfortable eating area. A TV on the wall and a small walk up counter.
We ordered the chopped BBQ with the sauce on the side, but they have lots of other foods too it looks like. Burgers, Chicken strips, fried green tomatoes, fried dill pickles, etc. The prices are pretty good too!
Food:
So. I’m a bit of a sauce snob. I like mustard based carolina style sauce and that’s pretty much the end of it for me. So when I tasted Merle’s sweet molases style sauce I was overwhemled with it. My father however liked it, as did my mother. If you like sweet dark bbq sauce you’ll love their sauce. I however, took it home and put some Maurice’s sauce on it. (Sorry yall, I had to! I grew up on the GA/​SC border!)
That being said, sauce is only part of the equation. The most important part of a BBQ place is the BBQ itself. And this was EXCELLENT. Lean flavorful chopped pork, no thick inedible skin, no surprise chunks of fat, just good clean meat.
Now I’ve tried several BBQ places around Douglasville/​Dallas/​Villa Rica. I’ve tried Hudson’s, I’ve tried Merle’s, I’ve tried Greenbrier, I even tried the now closed Rockhouse. (some of yall might even go to church there now.) I can say confidently, to date for me, Merle’s is the best BBQ in the area, with Greenbrier a very close second.
So if you find yourself out 61 and/​or you need some rims/​tires (they seem to share a building) drop in and give em a shot! I think you’ll like it!

Not particularly a fan of the bbq sauce, but that doesnt mean its bad — just not my style (on the sweet/​tomato side). I come here for the burgers and wings, which are great!

Its not far from where I live and it didn’t look like anything I ever wanted to stop for, but based on Unilocal reviews I was excited to try it. I won’t go on about the establishment… the little old meager place didn’t bother me. I ordered the Beef Sandwich, a «Varsity Style» hot dog and a diet coke. I was told the beef sandwich was brisket. Well I just had the beef sandwich at The Briarpatch restaurant last week, and at Jim and Nicks about a week before that. This one here at Merle’s…it grossed me out. It was a couple big slabs of beef on a bun with sauce. It wasn’t chopped or shredded or anything like that. Ok not a big deal, because the other ones I had were, but the taste… to me it was pretty gross. I tried a second bite after putting some more sauce… nope, then a third with hot sauce… still gross. The hot dog… was better than the sandwich but even that was pretty bad tasting. Don’t think it tastes like the Varsity, not even close. Even the diet coke was flat and syrup-​y. I’d rate the Briarpatch sandwich a 9.5, Jim and Nicks a 8.5, and this one a –1. By the way, my girlfriend was with me and ordered the same sandwich, tasted my hot dog, and she got fries. She hated it all too. I spent about $ 21 for it and left 90% behind on the table. They also had things on the menu like chicken wings and burgers. Is this a BBQ joint? The burgerQ… a burger topped with some pulled pork with sauce? That didn’t even sound good. Yup, me thinks NOT.

I discovered Merle’s BBQ when I moved to Dallas about two years ago… It’s a really small place with a few booths and a couple tables. The food is great and they always get it out to you quick. The only time I had to wait more than ten minutes for my food was on super bowl Sunday. They do have a drive-​thu, but I have never used it, so I can’t say how fast it is… I think it is mostly for pick-​up orders.
The food is really good… The pork plate is excellent and they give you a VERY big portion. My favorite, hands down, is the rib sandwich… I’ve never had the ribs, but if they taste anything like the sandwich, then it’s going to be delicious!
They have great sweet tea, banana pudding and the best fried pickles I have tasted this side of town… Most places use the chip style pickles, they use a whole pickle and slice it long ways into four sections. Their potatoes wedges are also very good and BIG… Be prepared to have some leftovers!
They only down side is that it’s always extremely hot inside! However, if you go at night it’s not as bad as in the early afternoon… It’s a great little place for people that love BBQ!

One of my fav bbque places in the area… brunswick stew is the best around. Try the sweet potato fries, they are the best I’ve had too. I love their pork sandwiches, BB sauce is really good.

Another hole-​in-​the-​wall gem that I would never have tried if I went by looks only. Looks like a wooden trailer set off on the side of the road. Inside it’s plain, but clean (very important!)
But the food makes up for where it lacks in looks. The BBQ is some of the best that I’ve had in the Atlanta area. I always get the shredded pork plate (with bun), baked beans, and brunswick. I love their BBQ sauce — sweet, but not too sweet, tangy and a nice, smooth consistency without being too watery. The pork is tender and juicy. Their baked beans bring back memories of the yummy baked beans from when we used to grill out when I was a kid — thick, smoky & sweet. Finally someone who knows how to make some brunswick stew! Only a few places I have been to make it right and this place is mos def one of them! Really its just my shredded pork with some creamed corn in a bowl — but I don’t care it’s oh so good!
Service is exceptional. We walked in about 10 minutes before closing and although we told them they didn’t have to wait on us, they INSISTED we stay! The owner said «It’s never too late to take care of a customer.» What, what, what??? I mean, I’m not used to that type of customer service these days! You really can’t beat that! And just for that they get *****/​*****, cause customer service like that has been extinct for years!