Starnes Barbecue

The bbq style in this area is not what I prefer, but Starnes is still great on flavor and quality. Never disappoints!

Dry.
Not much meat.
I called my order in to save time and the man who answered seemed very frustrated with my questions. Once I got it, it was dried out and yukky. Won’t go back.

Bbq was ok. It was chopped and not pulled. Very little meat on the bun hence the low price vs other Bbq joints. Sauce was good. People were extremely friendly thar were working there. The restaurant itself was quite old, which is ok, but there were areas that looked extremely dirty and unkempt. Alot of old favorite places are like that though. 5 sandwiches with chips cost us about $ 18 and change.

On a visit from Cali to Paducah, I had the opportunity to stop by for a take out of pulled beef, pulled pork and a ham. I loved the flavor of each but I particularly enjoyed the smoked ham. The smoked flavor was amazing. I am not a fan of salt and i found the ham a bit salty for my taste buds but the flavor was so good. I brought sliced pieces of the ham back to Cali and made sandwiches. They were ridiculously great!

Starnes is my favorite BBQ in the entire world, bar none. My grandmother is from Paducah, KY, so every time we’re in town (we now live in Cincinnati) we load up on sauce and definitely stop in for at least one meal.
I so wish it was closer! Definitely worth the 5 hour drive from Cincinnati. If you’re ever in that neck of the woods, stop by.

Great pulled pork sandwich. Slaw and potato salad were very good as well. And a really cool old school diner style venue. Next time I am passing through Paducah I will definitely stop here and eat again.

Simple and delicious! Meat is the king here. Sandwiches comes with a side: chip, potato salad, or cole slaw. Candy and other snacks sold behind the counter.

I have missed this place. Food was as I remebered it 35 years ago! Prices are close to the same. The décor is pretty much the same.

Family run little joint, bbq pork and beef sanwiches were super tasty, fast and cheap. Service was A+ and very welcoming, they did a ton of takeout. We fed the fam of 4 for $ 22. Sauce has a great flavor and a little kick. Bought a bottle of sauce to go, it’ll be great on grilled foods! When passing thru the area will stop again!

Small, fast, and different from what I was expecting. I ordered some coffee, a pulled pork sandwich, and then got a turkey sandwich to go. Pork had some spice to it, which was nice. Not your classic but the big smoke coming over the roof sold me. Coleslaw was thick and tasty. I’ll be going back if I’m in the area.

Good bbq pork sandwiches for less than $ 3! Limited seating but they are very fast. Potato salad side is pretty yummy too.

Great pork sandwich! Had mine with coleslaw on it. Love the toasted white bread. It fits the family nature of this establishment perfectly. Very friendly service as well. I recommend Starnes highly.

My first visit to Starnes was in 1974 (approximately). Growing up across the river in Golconda, IL, we would make a monthly trip to Paducah to shop for groceries. One of those trips resulted in my first experience at Starnes. The smoke rising from the pit and the wonderful aroma it produced are a couple of my fondest childhood memories. My first sandwich was a barbecue bologna as this was a kids’ favorite. The sandwich was HUGE by childhood standards.
Some 30 years later I still visit Starnes when I return to visit my Dad in Golconda. It’s my pleasure (and his) to make the trip to Paducah if not just to sit at the counter or, if we’re lucky, at the booth to enjoy the wonderful Kentucky-​style barbecue sandwiches which are served on white toast. I now prefer the smoked porked rather than the bologna. Funny how the sandwiches seem smaller now that I’m in my 40s! I like to add the Starnes sauce which is a vinegar and black pepper splash of spicey heaven. (I typically buy a few extra bottles for my friends back in San Diego).
I’ve introduced my daughter to this little local gem and she loves it as much as me! I’m thrilled it’s survived all these years… then again, quality is a timeless thing isn’t it?

A friend and I stopped in here during a cross-​country drive. It was an excellent choice.
The smoky chopped pork was simply fantastic. I was pretty skeptical of the toasted white bread, but it really did work in this case. The spongy fake bread was essentially pressed very thin, and was quite crunchy. It worked very well with the amazing pork within.
The coleslaw was very good. Chopped and thick cabbage, without too much other gunk. Yum!

Opening the door to your car you’ll know exactly what you’re getting, smoked BBQ straight up.
The old «U» shaped diner further tells you you’re in for simple old fashioned treat with five choices and three sides, excluding the candy selection. To be honest, I wouldn’t have wanted anything more.
The sandwich is two slices of toasted white and naked, smoked & chopped meat. The coleslaw was chopped and thick. The one sauce offered is a true southern sauce — tangy, slightly vinegary with a nice bite at the end. Slap the slaw on for added variety but that’s all you’ll get here where simplicity rules.
No plates. No fuss. Just good food.

Starnes has been around from the days I was a student in high school in Paducah. Thus I have been eating Starnes Bar B Q for many years. The dining area is a small building close to the entrance of Nobel Park and you may see the smoke from the meats being bar b queued. Small informal dining area where you will run into a lot of the locals who are regular customers. The bar b q is chopped (I would prefer sliced or pulled) and the sandwich is as «flat as a flitter». Friend that is flat – flat. The bar b q is very good, as is the sauce which can be purchased throughout the area in many grocery stores. You can order sides to go with your sandwich. Prices are very reasonable.

I’ve eaten Starnes BBQ many times, as a lot of our local grocery stores carry the bbq sauce and their meat. This was the first time I had eaten at the restaurant. I went before lunch time, so there wasn’t anyone in there. Extremely friendly staff and a delicious bologna sandwich. I’ll definitely go back.
Their hours are Tuesday through Saturday 8AM-​6PM.

As far as a sandwich goes it was okay. But hard to call this a barbecue restaurant. We were really looking forward to digging into some ribs or chicken. Wish we had known it was only sandwiches before we drove 1.5 hours.

There is very little to say about a place that only has 4 things on the menu (all of which are just different meats). It’s phenomenal. Simple, cheap, quick, and friendly. 4 hallmarks of a great meal. My turkey sandwich with slaw set me back a cool $ 3, worth every penny.

The best barbecue on earth. Seriously. The. Best. You can only get this type of bbq in western Kentucky and Tennessee. Hickory smoked with no sauce. My Granny and I used to go and sit at the counter and have a pulled pork sandwich with a Dr. Pepper. That was back when they still served them in bottles. Even now when I visit Paducah it’s the first place I go. Even before seeing family. And, of course, I always buy a bottle of the sauce to take home to Seattle.