Buck’s Naked BBQ
50 Wharf St, Portland, ME, 04101
Buck’s Naked BBQ Menu
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Address :
50 Wharf St
Portland, ME, 04101 - Phone (207) 899-0610
- Website https://www.bucksnaked-bbq.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :12:00 pm - 10
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Loud
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Stuart K.
Read the Yelp reviews and decided to give it a try. Started out with the well done brisket ends although a bit salty we couldn't stop eating it. We also had the ribs which were excellent as well as a burger with fries and corn bread. All terrific! Reasonable prices. Large portions. We highly recommend that you give it a try!
(5)Jayson J.
Awesome, Awesome food and beer! Very friendly service, cool decor and great food! I HIGHLY recommend "The Bucket" )has a little bit of everything) and the "Rogue Dead Guy Ale". At the tables they have all four of their BBQ sauces (which are all amazing). Red Skinny Dip is out of this world. I would 110% recommended this place.
(5)J.I. O.
My husband is a huge BBQ so we were happy to find this place while we were walking around Portland, ME.... I had asked my friends for recommendations via facebook for places to eat and this was not one of them but we went anyways. The service was excellent and the waitstaff attentive so no complaints in that department... I actually give the wait staff 5 stars! The food was meh. We started with the poutine fries topped with brisket... I thought these were delicious but my husband wasn't impressed. My husband got the pulled pork with potato salad, coleslaw and cornbread. His meal was just okay. The potato salad was good but the coleslaw could have been sweeter. I had a pulled chicken tostado salad with a side of avocado dressing. The salad was a decent size and pretty tasty. This also came with a side of cornbread. I would have given this place two stars on the cornbread alone which I wanted to save for last. It's important to have tasty cornbread when running a BBQ restaurant and this bread was tasteless. I must admit the texture of the bread was spot on but there was no taste. It either needed to be a little sweeter or a little saltier or something. I feel like they missed an ingredient when whipping the bread together. This wasn't the worse BBQ we have ever had but it certainly wasn't the best either. The food earned a rating of 2-3 stars but the service was a definite 5 star.
(3)Patsy S.
Happy hour. Happy hour. Happy hour. Come between 2 and 6 and indulge in a food and drink menu that averages about 5$ per item. And super good. I had the 6 smoked wings for $5 and then ordered a avocado salad which comes with pulled chicken I was very pleased.Seemed quiet when I came in, but started getting busy around 6pm. Comfortable, and clean restaurant. Definitely coming back for my next bbq fix
(4)Laura N.
Great time today with the family. 5 adults and 2 kids. Sat in the kids room. Great for entertaining the kids while waited for food and were able to relax while they were in a safe environment. Server was very accommodating and understanding when we were in a rush to leave. Food is great! Especially the Mac and cheese. So creamy!
(5)Susan R.
Three of the four of us loved our food. Brisket, pork mac and cheese and kids pulled pork were great. Pork belly salad isnt recommended. But good service.
(4)Royal B.
Cleanliness 4 Service 4 Food 4 Likelihood 5 1-5 (5 Best!) 4.3 Our first visit to Portland, ME and we HAD to have BBQ (hey, we are from Nebraska!) Good BBQ in ME? YES! Good food, good prices, great service, clean restaurant, good job! Our food was hot, fresh and tasty. Our server was incredible. We really enjoyed ourselves, we will go back again when we visit again.
(4)Connor P.
This is a fairly decent BBQ joint. I think the best part is all in the name, all of their food comes "naked" so you have the liberty to apply any BBQ sauce you want. I go in on Wednesday's because they have a $5.99 burger special. It's a great deal if you want a burger and fries and are trying to keep the cost down. The smoked wings were good as well. I went with the Blueberry BBQ sauce because why not? Were' in Maine! Atmosphere is nice. Somewhat open for the BBQ restaurant with a large bar and very well lit. Staff seems to be pretty friendly as well. I also have had the Brazilian sandwich which I was not a huge fan of but I don't think it was because of the way they made it. Great fried pickles!
(4)Brian K.
This review is about the Bloody Mary, for bloodyamerica.com When I say "Maine", what word comes to mind? If you answered anything other than "Lobster" you are a liar or ill-informed about the world. However, if you said BBQ Rib then you must be a Bloody Mary fan! In the land of lobster, there is a great BBQ chain called Buck's Naked BBQ and Steakhouse and like many great places serving up fine 'Que, they've also got a killer bloody mary. Rich smoky flavor and garnished with a FREAKING RIB! Added bonus: you don't have to crack it open or dip it in butter to enjoy it. Lobster can be such a pain in the ass sometimes.
(4)Rob F.
The menu states award winning BBQ. When I asked the staff what BBQ won the awards they where rude and didn't know there menu.. Could not state what won the award. The servers made an effort to get together and defend there incompetence of the menu. Although it smelt good I would assume I microwave cuisine like a chain restaurant. This place is NOT BBQ. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND.. drinks where great one star
(1)Maria M.
The BF, his parents, and I had a great time this weekend for a fun Easter dinner. We loved the fried pickles, and brikset burnt tips for apps, and I enjoyed my pork belly salad. Overall, we had a great time, and the BBQ was just what we were craving that evening.
(4)Tori S.
Went to dinner tonight during Maine restaurant week. My boyfriend and I both ordered off the special menu. Buffalo Brussels sprouts were interestingly good, catfish fingers lightly battered and fried. The ribs are served with only a dry rub, but plenty of different and interesting bbq sauces to choose from at the table. I had the prime rib and enjoyed it much. Tons of food, our desserts are sitting in the fridge as we can not get to them yet. Drink menu was interesting, I stuck with the local Downeast Cider which was perfect. Service on the other hand was pleasant but a tad slow at times. We'd return for sure.
(3)Bonnie M.
I am not the biggest meat eater or BBQ fan, but my husband works just around the corner and he loves Bucks. Before we moved to Maine, he would be here for business trips and eat two meals a day there. His coworkers joked that they're going to name his favorite sandwich after him. My first time I got the same thing as he did, the Cuban. It was good, very greasy, though. I ate about half and that was enough. The next time we came, I got the Reuben and I'm obsessed! It is so good! I believe they make their own sauerkraut and it is delicious. I mean, I crave this sandwich, it's that good. I haven't had anything else since I found Reuben, but I'm totally ok with that. Their Mac and cheese is ok. I'm picky about my mac and cheese, though. We have had the fried pickles and they're good. The only disappointment is the poutine. Gravy tasted terrible. I would avoid it. All in all, Bucks is a great alternative to seafood for the non vegetarian crowd.
(4)Mary C.
Fried pickles were very good. The happy hour specials are also good. The wait staff was a little slow. All in all a nice place to relax. When sitting outside you will see a gentleman playing guitar. Always nice to see a local musician.
(3)Tony M.
great staff and great frozen mudslides !! The naked wings were smokey and tasted great. Pork belly tacos were also very good. I will be happy to eat here again.
(4)Zach K.
Like this place went in a few months ago for a beer and some wings and all was good. Want to try the brisket as it looks like it has a great crust to it. Will be back next time Im in the great state of Maine!
(3)Bill D.
First, I will return to this place. Yum. Second, bbq reviews of course deserve to be segmented by category (pork ribs, pork roast/pulled, brisket, chicken, and everything else). So I have sampled Buck's ribs (catered) and a bbq sandwich (take-out). I always start with these items to gauge how well a new place (new to me) understands bbq. I found both excellent. Meat was firm, but yielding to the bite nicely. Good smoke. Good bark. The sandwich was served with sauce options on the side--love that touch. This means you can really sense the meat and how well the chef controls the cooking. I'd order either one again!
(4)William F.
Fun atmosphere, good service. My drinks were lifeless and the food was a severe disappointment! So dry! The cornbread was like sawdust. My steak sandwich was like beef jerky. Who knew you could go so terribly wrong with a steak sandwich!?
(1)James C.
Went for the pulled pork, potato salad, and cornbread. All very average, the pulled pork didn't leave me craving it as I walked out as a true BBQ place is supposed to do. Neat atmosphere and decent sauces. As usual with most restaurants these days the food was lukewarm. A shame that most cannot grasp timing and the beauty of delivering a dish pipping hot. Maybe come back for the ribs, everything else just seemed average. My personal quest for
(3)Richard W.
We had lunch here yesterday. Fun atmosphere, service was good despite being slammed on graduation day. Has the Thai spicy sweet wings which were crispy and delicious, beef brisket and baby backs. Everything was very good with 5 choices of BBQ sauce on the table, a wide selection of sides and a lengthy beer list. Overall it was excellent.
(5)Stacy P.
While visiting Portland for a weekend, we stumbled across this place while walking around Old Port. The name sounded cute and we decided to come back here for dinner after reading the reviews online. The restaurant itself had a lot of character. The different lights where a nice touch, and had a nice country feel. Even a cute play area for the kids. We ordered our drinks from the Fooze with Booze section, because, let's face it, we thought it was a novelty idea to serve a rib on top of a drink. We both got the margarita, and the drink and rib were delicious. We placed our order and couldn't wait, assuming it was going to be great! The fried pickles for our appetizer was great, but you can't really mess those up. I got the Chicken Tostado salad and my boyfriend got "The Bucket" - a mixture of ribs, chicken, brisket, and a sausage. All of our meet was dry and tasteless. Even my salad dressing had little to no flavor (mango lime). It's almost as if they cooked everything early in the morning and let it sit all day. We probably won't be back, and if we do, it will be for just drinks. The fact that we arrived around 6:30 on a Saturday night with no wait and an empty restaurant should have been a clue.
(2)Tynan N.
Delicious!! I got the pulled pork, smoked sausage, and chicken plate and it was excellent! They even have good gluten free buns!
(5)Alyssa M.
My boyfriend and I went in at about 6pm on a Monday night at the place was dead quiet. We were one of the only couples in the restaurant. The food was good at first, but once we received our entrees we realized they used the same seasoning on all of their food. It was quite a let down. Although moderately cheap, about $45 for two entrees and an app
(3)Chas K.
Despite the kitschy name and lack of curb appeal, ravishing hunger drove my wife and I into Buck's after a long day of walking around Old Port in nearly 80F heat on the day before Palm Sunday. We weren't expecting much. The dining room was dim and dead. The long narrow bar had maybe 20 college-age kids hanging out. I couldn't figure out if this was a sports bar, nightclub/meet market or BBQ joint. In the end, the food was very good. And that's what counts. The menu was extensive and featured items like house brined and smoked pastrami. I had a Cuban sandwich made with pulled pork and ham from a local farm. My wife said that the roast beef on her French Dip was tender and moist. Our server was a perky young woman who knew the menu. She recommended various complementary and complimentary sauces for our sandwiches, and she was right. The food was served quickly and washed down with a local beer and cider. Buck's, in my opinion, isn't a destination, but if I was in the neighborhood and in the mood for good 'Q, I'd go back. Let me know what you think of this review by clicking a button below. Thanks.
(3)John C.
You should ask if the drafts are really a dollar off. Some may not during their happy hour. The wings were awesome.
(4)Joey T.
Tvs were loud enough but the toothpicks were too far away. No nudes. "Buffalo" wings. But I ran out of sauce and my fingers got sticky. Napkins were perfectly dry. 2 stars.
(2)Courty C.
Just the ticket for your late-night, buzzed munchies. Don't be scared by blueberry wings, order lots and quick! Blueberry is a sweet, dark barbeque that goes great with the crispy, juicy wings. Great for groups, there is LOTS of space in here. Was a little disappointed they were out of burnt ends (we were there late though, around 9pm on a busy night for the city with the Ice Bar happenings). Loved the ribs, including the one dressing the side of my boyfriend's bloody mary. Beer? Superb, large, and local selection.
(4)Erich P.
Great Food, Simply Terrible Service Admittedly Bucks has some of the most delicious bbq in town, but their service is simply awful. Last time I was in there I sat at the bar for 15 minutes while both bartenders were too busy to help. Then their friends came in and immediately got service. I have eaten there previously, and also found that ordering anything from the bar, even while seated, was simply not possible to do. I don't know why the service is so terrible. The wait staff seems to just have an understanding that any drinks will take forever, but it's something the owners need to do something about by being properly staffed. The food is great. No complaints about it.
(2)Simon L.
A large establishment tucked into wharf street. Nice bar with television. A Sunday early afternoon visit with the dueling rib combo ($26.99) samples a half rack of St. Louis ribs and a half rack of baby backs. Heavy rub thick with cumin and brown sugar form a blackened char on the ribs. Maybe a first, I preferred the baby backs. Thicker cut, extremely pink smoke color all the way through. Juicy and just the right amount of fat. A very flat cut of St Louis spares was just that - flat and over trimmed. Slightly dry and lacking that juicy meat so prevalent in the baby backs. Sides are Mac and cheese and cole slaw. A very nice cheddar cheese sauce with crisped crumbs on top. Cole slaw had very fresh and crunchy cabbage mixed with pepper, carrots and mayo. Corn bread is a solid, moist chunk of bread. Geary's pale ale washed it down. Quick polite service. Rather not so busy this visit - a positive since no wait.
(3)Tom B.
Just plain bad. Poor service. Waitress wanted to be anywhere but helping our family. Food took over one hour to be served. When it came the portions were small. My wife's strip steak was fatty and tough.
(1)Paul G.
I'm new to Maine, like to go out to eat, and have a toddler who can't sit still for more than about 15 seconds. This usually means that I spend dinner split between trying to enjoy my meal and chasing after a toddler who is running around getting in the way of waiters and aggravating other restaurant patrons. Maybe I could go to a kid's restaurant, but such restaurants tend not to have food that I actually want to eat. Thankfully I found Buck's naked BBQ. What this place has that nobody else seems to is a kids room. This is a room with some wooden house structures, train table, and some toys. Parents can sit at picnic tables in this room and enjoy an adult meal while 10 feet away their children can run wild. Most importantly, they serve the kind of food that parents will probably actually want to eat.
(4)Ben S.
Wharf Street can often be a cruel mistress to new bars and restaurants, though I sincerely hope that Buck's sticks around for a good long time. Great BBQ has made its way to the old port, and I'm not letting go. Going in for lunch on a Sunday, it must have been unexpectedly busy, since they had one poor girl waiting what seemed to be a third of the deceptively large restaurant. She still got our orders quickly, given the circumstances. Big ups! Buck's has a variety of sauces, like any BBQ joint worth its salt, and each have a flavor distinct enough that part of the meal is researching and strategizing just which sauce should go with which meat. Thankfully, they'll give you a generous serving with which to conduct your research.
(4)Kelly O.
Warning: if you've had a beer or three, and then have a platter (meat plus 2 sides and cornbread), you may want to take a nap after your meal here. True story. Bucks is decent for this area; I've had better BBQ, but I've had worse as well, and I think you get a pretty decent bang for your buck here. The pulled pork wasn't bad; seemed to me to be more loin-based vs the usual shoulder/butt, with more of a white color and thick chunks (instead of thorough shredding). I dug the blueberry BBQ sauce they have at every table, haven't seen that anywhere else (plus it screams Maine).
(3)Tony D.
AMAZING!!! Superior service, great atmosphere, AMAZING FOOD!!! I ordered there choose three with chicken, brisket, and pulled pork. Everything was perfect and the home made sauces were on point!
(5)Karen S.
Nice big bar, which is rare in Portland. Good variety of quality food, nothing fancy but filling and flavorful. Good happy hours and nice bar tenders. Worth a stop while roaming around Old Port.
(4)Steve B.
Very Cool place and the staff is wicked friendly. There's 2 guys playing music one with a guitar and the other with a cello and damn they are good. Nice hangout would definitely come back no doubt!!! Didn't eat only drinks so can't comment on food but damn it smells good. A must stop when in the area. It's off the beaten path which makes it enjoyable.
(4)Angela J.
We come here time and time again for the ribs. Overall, the place is definitely commercialized--- though the food is good. I'm won over by the "fooze"--- cocktails are served with a rib on top. Now what beats that?
(4)Steven P.
It won't make you forget classic barbecue from the South where it's part religion, but Buck's serves up some excellent yankee versions nonetheless. Two sticky thumbs up for the jerk chicken and tender barbecued brisket -- and the generous sides of corn bread, beans and slaw hit the mark, too. They also offer an interesting and spicy selection of sauces to dribble over the top of it all. You won't leave hungry. So when you have the urge to head to the Carolinas for some authentic, down-home barbecue, go to Buck's instead -- because you can get there from here.
(4)Kayleen D.
Love this place! Great food and drinks, (so close to Adorn Salon!) A great place to head to after work, happy hour all day Tuesday, the staff is attentive and kind.
(5)Tim B.
The 3 Meat chili was excellent, but the portion was small. Very good selection of draft beer. Smoked Brisket Ruben was excellent. Very friendly bar service.
(3)Christopher L.
I've seen my share of restaurants, and as places go, Buck's Naked BBQ is just alright. The decor is pleasant and fun, the menu is interesting and visually enjoyable, and the options are varied. There are several local beers on draught (a HUGE plus for me) and a written menu with specialty cocktails. However... As meals so, I wasn't impressed. I had the Pulled Pork sandwhich with corn niblets. As the corn was clearly from a can, I won't go on about that. The meat itselt was very well done, and I must give them props for this. There are 4 sauce options, and none of them really hit my fancy until I put my favorite of the 4 on my sandwhich, at which point it was quite a delicious combination of sweet and savory, juicy and tender. The drawback? The sandwhich is fairly small for a place of this type, and was served on a regular cheap potato bun. The sandwhich did taste pretty good, and i enjoyed the way the meat was cooked, but the size of the sandwhich, selection of sauces, and cheap diner quality corn make this just an average place in my opinion.
(3)Monica L.
Yelper AJ didn't steer me wrong on the burnt ends. They were great. I had a loaded baked potato and the roasted Mexican corn. The potato wasn't anything special. The corn was interesting to try and good, but I probably wouldn't order it again.
(4)AJ P.
Probably one of the better BBQ places in Portland. I would stick with their smoked and BBQ stuff. I haven't been to impressed with their sandwiches and "international" stuff. Their ribs are great. Brisket is a little on the drier side. Something that is a real treat, is their burnt ends - great smokey flavor with tender and moist meat. Sadly, they always seem to be out of them. Ribs as a garnish on your drink?!?!? Fooze is a great idea, I'm sad I didn't think about it. As a little side note, their smoked wings are 1/2 price a the bar during any Red Sox game.
(3)David L.
My wife and I had stopped here twice on our stay in late July . Both times we stopped in the bar for drinks and an appetizer. The mix drinks are worth a stop in. Excellent margarita and you can get a rib/drink combo for a taste of bbq. We had the crispy pork belly taco which had a nice clean fresh taste. A little more pork in the taco would have been nice, but then maybe it would be more than an appetizer. We also had thai Chili shrimp and enjoyed the appetizer thoroughly. We will be back next we are in town visiting relatives for the bar specifically. The second night we decided to eat a full course meal after the bar. I ordered st louis ribs and my wife orded the pulled pork. The ribs were lacking in flavor even with an evident rub. My wife's comment on the pulled pork was that it was a bland. The meal was far below expectation. The decor we found took away from our dining experience. It came across as a tiki/voodoo nightmare or maybe something trying to resemble a new orleans theme. I recommend stopping in to the bar and having a small bite in a casual crawl through town before stopping to have a seafood dinner. Or stopping in if you have an absolute craving for BBQ. BBQ enthusiasts may find this disappointing in comparison to other BBQ eateries they may have frequented in lower states. (Portland, ME location)
(2)Michael C.
Its decent BBQ for "Maine." The pork ribs are good, the beef ribs are horrific and they ned ti be pulled from the menu. It seems to me they are bringing up to temp too fast and holding over 250 and causing the ribs ti be dry. My recommendation is to smoke for 10 hours at a lower temp like 180 for 10-12 hours. The bbq sauce needs sine help but is good for "Maine."
(4)Blake A.
not a bad spot, food was good, i actually liked the signature cocktails the best, i had the cee-lo green, overall a decent experience.
(3)Scott O.
3 stars because of the fantastic wings, plus they are half off during happy hour. I ordered the brisket and it was so dry I left the plate almost uneaten. To the servers credit she noticed and asked if it was bad. She did not charge me and offered a different meal. I will try again next time in ME.
(3)Kevin R.
Stand up at the bar (while it's slow) and good luck being waited on while the large chested bartender drinks her drink and doesn't wait on her customers. All we wanted was a beer while it was raining like hell out. Must be we have unreasonable expectations to want to spend money..... Hmmmmmm
(3)M L.
service was good for a busy friday night. Sat in the bar area at a table. The food was alright, nothing to write home about.
(2)Mike S.
Fantastic smoked ribs! I suggest the combo plate to try all three! Also tried the margarita with chili lime rib. Surprisingly tasty and the rib was a great teaser for dinner. Might seem kinda like a novelty but actually kinda worked out!
(4)Charlotte S.
Great cornbread and service. Portions good. Quality is good for the price. Love the sauces on the table. We mixed and matched them to our taste.
(4)Keaven H.
I just had the misfortune to eat at Buck's and I must say, I have not had a meal so bad in a very long time. Everything was over-cooked and covered in grease, even the "greens", which were so limp and flavorless it was hard to tell what they were. Everyone in our party felt sick to their stomach after the meal, and with three people we paid over $150 (with drinks). I can't say that I've had such a disappointing meal in recent memory, and it's safe to say I will not be going back.
(1)Jenn O.
Always excellent, the service and food never disappoint! I love this place, must try!!!
(5)Matt S.
I've never had BBQ in the South so perhaps my review isn't 100% accurate. However, if you're a barbarian like me and love delicious, slow-cooked animals, this is the place to go. The meat was fantastic (pulled pork being my favorite) and their selection of draft beer is pretty damn good as well.
(5)Justin And Elizabeth L.
Though I'm a Maine native, I spent 10 years in Kansas City. I'd estimate that at least four inches of my waistline are directly attributable to the consumption of world-class barbecue. I know my way around smoked meats...and Buck's just doesn't deliver. Buck's might be the best barbecue in Portland, but only in the same way Red Lobster is probably the best seafood restaurant in North Dakota. Since we are on a quest to find a good barbecue fix here in Maine, we ordered a pretty good sampling of their food. Here's the rundown: Ribs - The one bright spot. The ribs were pretty good. Burnt Ends - Awful. Generally, burnt ends are either shaved or scraped off the primal...which typically comes off in bits. These bits are super tasty when chopped and sauced. Since the burnt ends normally have a lot of fat, chopping is key to blending the fat and lean, thus making them delicious. At Buck's, their version of burnt ends is a big ole slice of fatty meat off the end. It's charred beyond recognition (which is not the same thing as "burnt," believe it or not), and served whole. Not good eats. Pulled Pork - It was very wet, with okay flavor. Not moist (as in juicy and flavorful), but wet (as in sitting in water on a steam table or something). The meat had a smoke ring, so I assume it was cooked in a smoker, but honestly, it tasted and felt more like it had been braised. Brisket - Mediocre. Served in a pulled/chopped style. Basically tasted like pot roast. Very little smoke flavor. I prefer my brisket sliced and smoky. Sausage - It was smoked well, but the meat is ground too finely. I know a smoked sausage is generally a finer texture than a bratwurst, but you still want some particle definition to improve mouth feel. Their sausage was more the consistency of Vienna sausage, which is not all that great. Also, they use way too much fennel in their blend. I love fennel in my sausage, but not so much that it is the only spice I taste. Chicken - Who cares? Why would you eat chicken at a barbecue joint? Beans - They serve Boston-style baked beans, not barbecue beans. Now, I enjoy Boston baked beans...but not at a barbecue joint. Barbecue beans should be smoky, saucy and filled with bits of bacon/pork. Slaw - Flavorless, mushy and watery. Sauces - Okay. We appreciated the local flair of the blueberry sauce. The Carolina sauce was pretty good, but it wasn't like any Carolina sauce I've ever had. This was much thicker and sweeter. I think of Carolina sauce as thin and vinegary (and delicious). My wife said she was "insulted" by the mustard sauce, which she described as "watered down Heinz." Lastly, on a big 'ole plate of barbecue, we got two thin slices of pickle. Any self-respecting barbecue joint should give you lots of pickles. As for service, it was friendly and attentive, but remarkably slow, which makes no sense since the place was empty when we went. Also, since barbecue is cooked for hours in advance, it shouldn't take long to plate and serve. Our check (with tax and tip) was more than $60. It broke my heart to think what we could've bought with $60 at a KC barbecue joint...then again, lobster in KC is $20/pound...so life has its tradeoffs. Needless to say, our quest for decent barbecue in Greater Portland continues.
(2)Kelly C.
We have lived in Atlanta for a long time and have had some awesome BBQ. Buck's Naked gave all the BBQ in the south a run for it's money. We ordered entirely too much food - the portions are very generous. We had fried pickles as an appetizer - they were awesome and again, a big portion. We both missed the burnt ends on the menu and are going to try that next time. We ordered the brisket and ribs - for entrees. The sides were fries, baked beans, Cole slaw, potato salad. Everything was very good. The brisket was a tad dry, but still enjoyable. We had enough food for 2 other meals. The service was very good - which is huge to me. I would recommend this anyone looking for some great BBQ.
(4)Kevin J.
Ok I'm here right now 3rd time in a week. Ordered my favorite drink in portland. The bloody buck... The best. Rib on top of a bloody Mary. Third time I ordered it they brought out the ribs on plates 15 minutes before the drink. Whats the point why!!!!! I was sold a dream. Boohoo i hate my life.
(3)Greg R.
Fantastic food and Guinness Draught on TAP! The only negative was the BBQ sauces. They are served in ketchup bottles. C'mon guys, really?!! Ketchup bottles. And one of them has a piece of black electrical tape around it to tell you it's the hot one. I think you can do better than that for presentation. With better bottles, with interesting and clearly written labels, you wouldn't need the sign at the table explaining what's in all the ketchup bottles. More importantly, your regular sauce is terrible. All I taste is Paprika. Any sauce bought at my local grocery store would trounce your sauce in a taste contest. Based on the quality of the BBQ meat you put out, you can certainly do a lot better on the sauces. Please try!!! We'll be back for sure! Might smuggle in our own sauce though.
(4)Jim S.
Atmosphere was good and good beer list. Ribs were overdone. They were nice enough to bring more ribs that were done right. Did all that need to happen. How hard is it to cook ribs. Should be right all the time. Too bad, could have liked this place.
(2)Paul L.
Decent BBQ, good service, and a ton of seating. Worth a shot if you're on the fence.
(4)Ray M.
Stopped for BBQ here after walking endlessly around for a good grub on a visit from Rhode Island. Buck's Naked BBQ is "pants down" the best in the area! The food had great quality and I was excited to see that Banh Mi was offered on the menu. I had always heard about what a great sandwich that was and was very elated to see it on the menu. It exceeded my expectations with a delicious spicy bite and succulent beef. Overall a great dining experience. Definitely would go back every single day if possible.
(5)Dawn J.
My boyfriend and I had lunch here and it was wonderful. The smoked wings were to die for and the Korean short ribs were such an unexpected treat. Absolutely amazing. I'm a bit of a BBQ snob because I have lived in the south but this place runs with the best of them. You can choose very traditional BBQ items or some that are a little more unusual. He and I loved it. The service and atmosphere were excellent and I can't wait to go back.
(5)Tony W.
I'm happy to see that downtown Portland now has a BBQ joint, which I believe is housed in the same space that was once home to The Iguana bar - that classy place where 22 year olds would get blackout drunk and inevitably start dancing on the bar at 12:50am. I wish I could say the BBQ was exciting enough for me to dance on the bar, but unfortunately I wasn't too impressed during my first visit. The interior of the place is pretty open, and there's a bar that stretches the length of the front room. I assume there's more seating out back, because the bar area only had a sprinkling of tables. I came on a Friday night, and the place really wasn't that busy. This was actually my 3rd or 4th choice for the evening, as I was looking for a place with space at the bar where I could chill out and have a quiet dinner. I sat at the bar. They have a small but ample collection of local beers on tap to balance out the Bud Lites and other worse options. The bartender who served me was very attentive and friendly, despite how busy she seemed to be. Plenty of TVs are on all over the area, if for some reason you need to watch all the games at once. There were a group of guys sitting next to me at the bar who were having an interesting debate regarding who among their friends had borrowed (read: stolen) another one of their friend's favorite hoodies. Maybe we'll never know. My usual BBQ go-to is the brisket plate, but I wanted to spice things up a bit and also give myself a chance to sample some other menu options. The menu is HUGE and a bit confusing to read through, but I found the rib combo that allowed me to add brisket. I got a choice of 2 sides, and so I added collard greens and corn 'nibblets' (two vegetables!). I was hoping against hope that the 'nibblets' were code for either hush puppies or corn fritters - unfortunately it was just plain ol' corn. I also ordered a Shipyard Export to wash it all down the meat slide. Food was overwhelming in portions, but underwhelming in temperature and taste. It was served with a corn bread, and the server pointed out 4 different sauces (none of them real hot) that I could accentuate my meat with. The brisket was room temperature and just OK, and the baby back ribs were a bit tough. Collard greens were OK, maybe a bit on the salty side. The corn was...corn. Overall, the meal was fine, but it was not $21 fine. When I travel for work, BBQ tends to be my go-to restaurant of choice; something about a big pile of meat minus all the carby breads, grains and starches somehow makes me feel better about my choice. I travel a lot for work, and so I've also had a lot of road BBQ. I guess it's a mixed blessing that the food isn't mind-blowing. But I will be back to make sure. They also seem to have good wing happy hour specials, so look for an update soon!
(3)Stephanie A.
Dry meat. Over seasoned with dry rub. Disgusting sauses that all tasted the same. And to top it off I spent the rest of the evening sick in the bathroom. There are so many great places to eat in the Old Port. Buck's Naked Bbq is not one of them.
(1)Michael A.
I've been three times and I have had negative experiences. Whether it's having to call three times to get someone to answer and take a to go order or being on the receiving end of not particularly friendly staff, I know when to move on. The food there isn't terrible but from now on I'm going to Salvage and Elsmere where I know what to expect.
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