Walker’s Fried Pies & Barbeque

I feel icky giving out such low ratings!!!
I RARELY write 2 star reviews, but lately I guess I’ve been in a foul food mood.
THE SCENE
If you looked up extremely picky BBQ connoisseur in the dictionary, you just might find my picture. Conditions have to be perfect for me to give you five stars or nearly perfect for me to give you four stars. But I’m not an unreasonable man, and even if I didn’t like it as much as the other barbecue I’ve had in the past, I will give credit where credit is due.
What are my perfect conditions you ask?
1) The meat has to be flavorful all by itself without the aid of any barbecue sauce.
2) The meat also needs to be tender and juicy with just a hint of smoke and not like it was bathed in ashes.
3) The sides should also be flavorful and fresh made, not store-​bought.
4) Whether it’s a hole in the wall or nicely appointed location, it should feel like a barbecue joint… preferably with a little blues music playing.
5) And above all, refer back to number one and two! You will never get me back in your store if you can’t get those first two right.
— — — — — - — -
THE EXPERIENCE
Walker’s definitely has the look and feel of a barbecue joint and their ribs have just the right amount of smoke flavor. The seasoning was acceptable but could be have used a little more salt. Where they lost me was the dryness.
It was exactly 10:30 AM on a Tuesday, opening time. The ribs I’d been served clearly had not been cooked that day. Since they are closed on Sundays and Mondays, I can only assume that my ribs were leftovers from the last day of business or worse.
I’m probably most disappointed because this was my third attempt at trying to eat at their restaurant. I pass through this area occasionally and have been wanting to give them a try ever since reading the Unilocal reviews. Once they were closed when they should have been open, another time they were shut down due to a water problem and yet other time they had run out of ribs. It makes me sad because the collard greens they allowed me to sample while waiting were really good. So I anticipated the ribs to be even better.
As for the other sides, the french fries were of the frozen variety (not very good), but the baked beans were okay. They were a little pasty, but had a nice sweetness. The fried apple pie was also pretty good.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Like most meats, I’m sure these taste much better when they are right off the grill fresh. Mine were not. Instead they were dry as a bone, so this is the best rating I can give. Normally I would use the barbecue sauce at this point to improve the flavor of the ribs, but the sauce here is a little too tangy for my tastes. I prefer a sweeter sauce. Service was extremely friendly and makes me want to give them more stars. However, I must stay true to my love for barbecue and call it like it is.
Fresher would’ve made all the difference in making this a four star review.

Hands down the best BBQ ever! In the area for vacation and stopped in for dinner last night. Sweet tea, baby back ribs, chicken, pork, biscuits and fried pies… every morsel was delicious! Great service, great food, now just wish there was one closer to home!

Don’t waste your time.
For years I have been a fan of Walkers. Generally the wait staff is always friendly and the BBQ fresh and delicious. Not today.
My wife and I were in Ellijay and wanted to eat at our favorite BBQ restaurant in the area. After waiting 30 minutes for them to open, we entered and were greeted with a less than friendly wait staff who were barking at each other. Further, the menu had been scrapped and replaced with a hand written piece of construction paper listing no prices and very few options. When I asked for prices the cashier started writing them down and stopped saying it was going to take all day. Not really though as there were only 5 items listed. BBQ pork sandwich, stew, ribs, potato salad, and hot dogs.
Our food took forever and when they served it the order was incomplete. The BBQ was cold and the portions were limited. Sad to see a place like this fall apart.

YUMMMMMMMY!
You want authentic southern barbecue with real southern hospitality?! Check it out!!!
Very small trailer size place next to a gas station, right smack in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Great prices, great lunch! Do not expect diet food though, this is real southern BBQ and REAL southern fried sides! My tummy was soooo happy and full after this tasty lunch. Only sad I didn’t get to try one of the famous fried pies… next time for sure!