Tammy F.

Hands down our favorite restaurant in Ozaukee County! The food is always amazing, I don't think we've ever had a 'meh' dish here!! Here is what we usually order: brisket sandwich, pulled pork or chicken sandwich, reuben, burnt ends, chicken wings, nachos, kids mac and cheese, French fries, baked beans, dessert. The kids meals are great because they include a choice of side dish, drink and dessert and they are $6-7. All of this is always hands down amazing. The food there is literally addictive. The barbecue sauces are awesome. We have even ordered catered food, (like a bunch of food to take home and feed a group) and it was very well done. Our guests enjoyed it. It's a very clean restaurant with friendly service. The service is attentive and prompt. I would eat there every day if I could ;)
(5)
Chad C.

Great place! Nice interior with delicious food. I wish it was closer to my home! The burnt ends were delicious. I had one bad piece that was just WAY too fatty, but that was just one out of 8 or so that I ate. I'd get those again in a heartbeat. Another highlight was the macaroni and cheese. I wasn't expecting this to be that great, but boy was I pleasantly surprised. Great creamy texture and flavor. I also loved the brussel sprouts. Low-lights? The wings tasted great but were not cut and therefore very difficult to eat. I wouldn't get them again just based on how difficult they were to eat, but that bleu cheese that accompanied them sure was tasty. If you don't mind the trouble and mess, I recommend these. Another low-light is the Atlas vinegar slaw. It was bland and flavorless - probably the worst thing I ate. Not terrible by any means... it just paled in comparison to everything else. The dessert menu looked incredible, but we were just too full. I'm glad my sister bought a house in Cedarburg, because I have a new BBQ place in the area to visit over and over again.
(4)
Dan B.

Hmmm, seems like I always have to preface my BBQ reviews with "I'm from Texas so...." I'm from Texas so my view of BBQ is slightly biased but I try to remain impartial. BBQ had a nice rub but not much crust/bark. Must be using commercial smokers because there wasn't a lot of smokiness imparted to the meat. Pork ribs were tender and stripped off the bone cleanly. Brisket...Hmmmm, if you're gonna cut a slice like that it better be moist and tender. I even asked for a cut off the point to ensure it would be moist....but I don't think they distinguish between the point/flap. This is probably more of a Texas thing where we choose between one cut or another. Several sauces to choose from...KC was a favorite. Sides were A-OK.
(3)
Mishell C.

It's ok ... But I don't get the fuss over the Mac and cheese . The ribs are good but I am From Texas so Q is our thing and it's hard to beat . The grill cheese however is a different story. ..... I will be talking about that hit gooey mess for a while
(3)
Lucas E.

Awesome BBQ and a great crowd. Located in downtown Grafton, parking is easy and almost always available. My wife and I have been coming from Germantown since we discovered this gem. Plenty of beers on tap or bottle. My favorite is the pulled pork and chipotle potato salad for a side.
(5)
Chris P.

Best bbq pork tacos I have ever had!!! Quick service and great price! Great atmosphere.
(5)
Heidi H.

Super friendly and helpful waitstaff. It's hard to choose what to order off the menu (everything looks so good), but the servers are very knowledgable and can guide you to suit your tastes. There are several sauces to choose from, tableside, and the staff can help you pair them with your menu item (North, South, East, West sauces all have a geography tie-in and background). Our favorites: fried pickles, rotisserie chicken and baby back ribs. Don't forget the brussel sprouts and mac & cheese when you choose your sides. Also note, I called the restaurant this week and had a few questions about their amazing Burbon collection. Dave took my call and was able to answer all of my questions. I'm not sure if he was the owner, a manager or a server; but he was so kind, and took time to find out where to buy an amazing, hard-to-find burbon (Blanton's Single Barrel) - You can tell they really care about their customers.
(5)
Neme C.

Went there-great service-food was good -but very small portions for what they charge!!
(4)
Brett W.

Awesome place, great envirnment
(5)
Lisa A.

We went for Mother's Day yesterday and the food was excellent my soon to be 88 year old mother loves this place !! The beef brisket, pulled pork and chicken were all delicious and my mom really loved the chocolate pecan pie it took awhile to get the pie (we said nothing) and they gave it to her for free !! The only problem was the waitress put our to go boxes in front of the wrong people , I went to enjoy my cornbread later and it was my moms pulled chicken sand oh well , that certainly won't keep us from going back !
(4)
Wendy S.

We are regulars at Atlas because it is one of few places we can go to and get consistency: in food, service and beverages. Last night was no exception! Let's start beverages. There are two beverages that are my favorites at Atlas: Diet Dr. Pepper ON TAP (haven't seen that since traveling to San Antonio!) and the New Glarus Two Women Lager. Yummy! We always order the burnt ends, and coming from someone who doesn't even really care for BBQ sauce of any kind, they are always moist and tasty. We ordered the St. Louis Ribs with corn bread and mac & cheese; one of us always orders this when we visit. The corn bread is to die for and honestly would order it as both of our sides if we didn't also love the mac & cheese so much; the meat has always fallen right off the bones. I decided to order the special: Asian Tacos with Pulled Pork Ham and Pineapple Salsa. I was a little leery when ordering this because I'm not the kind of person who normally mixes my fruit with any kind of meat, but I was game to try something new. Am I glad I did! The pork was moist and seasoned just right and the pineapple salsa was a nice compliment to the tacos. As usual, we had to turn down dessert because we were full - the portions never disappoint! We will definitely be back to Atlas again and again and again. It's nice to walk into a restaurant and be known by name; it definitely is one of the reasons we keep going back!
(5)
Manisha W.

We are new to Grafton, and finally went here since we've heard so many good things about this place. It did live up to it! Great service, one of the best we've seen in awhile. May be it was just our server :) The Mac and cheese side was something really good to remember topped with bacon... Nice choice of sauces on the table. Branding on the bottles was just great. Good food, and good place to grab some dinner.
(4)
Yeti M.

We have been here several times. I am a HUGE BBQ enthusiast, and have pretty high expectations. I will say up front my experiences at Atlas have been a mixed bag, but I have found things I reeealy like on the menu and I now stick with them and enjoy my visits. I also think they have been improving. So lets get the negatives (things I didn't like) out of the way. The burnt ends appetizer... They didn't lie. They were burnt and not very enjoyable when I had them(and three others in my party agreed). I prefer sweeter sauces, and theirs are all pretty spicy (and very thin). I know this is totally personal, but with four sauces on the table one of them should be a little bit sweet. I now bring my own. Now on to the good ! The ribs were pretty good, nice and smoky and meaty. My personal favorite is the brisket sandwich. I had this just yesterday again, and it seems to get better every time. I wouldn't normally pick a pretzel roll, but the ones Atlas serves are sublime. I think I keep coming back for the rolls as much as anything else. The seasoned fries are very good (and not my first choice normally). The corn bread is very good, The salads have been top notch, and can make a very good meal by themselves (with a side of corn bread !). The Chicken Nacho's are really good. We have gotten an order of these every time we have been there, and they too seem to get better every time. I have had the fish there also which was excellent Service has always been very good, and seems better every time we go there. It seems like every time we go there we make at least two special requests for something different than it is on the menu, and this is always cheerfully received and the orders always come out the way we asked for. My first trip to Atlas, I would have probably given them two and a half stars. But as I have gotten to know the menu, I feel it is a solid four for me. I am sorry I didn't write down the name of the woman who took care of us yesterday, because the service was really top notch.
(4)
peter k.

Dined at Atlas multiple times. Restaurant is clean, sauces are decent. Actual meats that we've had there range from mediocre to decent. If you live far enough north that dining in Milwaukee is inconvenient (saukville?) - this place offers serviceable bbq and isn't a bad option. For people who live closer to Milwaukee, there are much better options available in the city. Last time we were there, my wife had the world's chewiest brisket sandwich. When she popped off the top piece of bread, she found that ALL of the meat was sliced the wrong way (with the grain, not against). This was very disappointing. Making a decent piece of brisket and then letting someone ruin it by cutting it the wrong way seems criminal! Emailed the restaurant to let them know about our experience -- no response from them after two weeks. To a non-bbq enthusiast, our complaint might sound petty - but if you are into bbq- you know that cutting brisket the wrong way is a sin!!.
(2)
Nicole H.

BBQ is good and there are very tasty sides! A giant bonus is the local beer selection!
(4)
Lotty D.

I come here all the time and it has never been less than 5 stars. We always sit at the bar so Adam can take care of us. Great service, and even better food! I personally believe the portions are perfect. I am completely stuffed after the sandwiches. A few nights ago my boyfriend and I split the full rack of St. Louis ribs. We were completely full and we could barely finish them. The ribs were excellent and had a ton of meat on them. Also, I enjoy that the owner or manager (which ever, I'm not sure) go around to tables once in awhile to make sure everything is up to standard. I highly recommend Atlas BBQ!
(5)
Rob D.

Finally got back to Atlas and I have to say. Excellent. Service was perfect!!! The food was great. I thought the FF now are literally best in Ozaukee Cty! Seems like the place has really stepped it up since the last time I was there. I had the BBQ nachos and those were really good. I would say maybe add some BBQ beans to it?? Might dress it a tad more. Still not a fan of the sauces, but overall worth the drive and easily the best restaurant in Grafton. Food tastes fresh and the feel inside is good.
(5)
Steve S.

Amazing food. Had great service. We'll be back for certain.
(5)
Eve K.

Ok BBQ spot with a variety of sauces and great fried pickles. Food: 3, atmosphere: 2, service: 3 Cost to worth it rating: 3 Return worthiness: maybe Highlights: - Fried pickles: typically you find these in thick spear wedges or pickle chips, so I enjoyed this hybrid of thinner cut long strips. I also appreciated the uneven crispy breading with a touch of sweetness as you can tell they are homemade vs from a frozen bag - Wi cobb salad: loved the blue cheese crumble and bits of cheddar cheese combo. Avocado was a nice touch as well and great topped with the pulled pork. - Sauce variety: liked the variety offering 5 from different areas of the country. Bonus for even having one with an Asian twist similar to a Korean bulgolgi sauce. My favorite was a mixture of the Texas one (tomato but black peppery) and the X (habanero mango). - Kid-friendly: had crayons and a paper placement with a pig on it for the kids menu and gave us a small bowl of fruit to start Midlights: - Mac and cheese: well-cooked spiraly noodles in a creamy sauce. Liked the crunch of the breadcrumbs but would've been cool for them to be browned and have a little more bacon. Solid side dish, but the main reason it's not a highlight is because of the name. Mac and cheese lends itself to a particular cheesy flavor and texture, but this was more like an alfredo. - Meat flavor: they depend a lot on the sauces, as on their own I tasted both the pork and brisket and though they were tender, the seasoning was lacking. - Burnt ends: dig the concept but were drowning in too much sauce. - Atmosphere: nothing special and a bit devoid of personality Lowlights: - No banana cream pie: it's listed on the online menu, but not the actual one when you get there and is my hub's favorite - Bourbon cocktail: a lemonade concoction and a good pour of bourbon, but too sweet for my taste Not bad and I liked some of the items, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come back.
(3)
Barbara B.

This place is excellent! We had the fried chicken and ribs which were out of this world. The service was outstanding - Justin and Emma were right there whenever we needed them. If you want great food and service this is the place for you,
(5)
Miguel W.

Ok, this place rocks. I've been here 4-5 times now and have had excellent food and service on each visit. The thing that I really like about this place is that they do everything quite well, which is rare for a BBQ place in these parts. Some do brisket well, but their ribs aren't good. Some do ribs well, but their shoulder is dry or boring. Some do shoulder well, but they don't know how to cook a brisket. This place does them all well and their sauces are terrific as well including the fantastic sauce that accompanies their French fries! Keep up the great work Atlas! I'll be in whenever I'm in the area....
(5)
Peter C.

Great to see a BBQ place in the North Shore area that offers up some good food and beer. They added a 5th sauce as of the last time I went back - X for Xtra Hot that is my new favorite. You have to try all of them to make the right decision for what you are eating that day. I have got the pulled pork, Nachos, beef brisket, and mac and cheese - all are AMAZING. I would highly suggest getting the Mac & Cheese as your side and it won't disappoint. The service is a little slower at busy times and they don't take reservations so make sure you get there early or plan on waiting around for a table - it gets packed quick. As an avid beer drinker their tap selection is always rotating and always has the Kentucky Bourban Ale, which is good every now and then to match up with the BBQ.
(4)
Danielle I.

excellent black bean burger but only vegetarian options available. The in house sauces seemed pretty good from my limited experience. I do pity the lack of vegatarien food so little can go far. Would be near impossible to hold a dinner party with a mix of meat eaters, and vegetarians. No vegan stuff sorry. Over all it was about what i expected. Right above chain restaurants so not quite the best in town.
(3)
Jeri P.

This was top notch. The service was absolutely excellent. Olivia is, by far, the best server in WI. She immediately brought something for my son to munch on with the menus which as any parent knows, is super important. She made suggestions, explained their sauces, educated us about the smokers, and never let out drinks go empty. The manager made sure to ask us how we were and how our experience was. The food was so good I immediately was looking forward to the next time I'd be able to go back.
(5)
Lola L.

The food was a little better than average. The fries need to lose the seasoning salt, or it should be optional. Too much! The cole slaw is excellent. The BBQ is good, not the best I've had. Very clean restaurant. I would go again, but not with such high expectations. Good for kids!
(4)
Adam D.

Very happy with this place. They have great food, great service, and a great environment. I feel like it's rare to find a place where everyone is so passionate about the menu. They also have a great selection of higher quality beers. Try this place one time and get the brisket sandwich. It's a game changer.
(5)
Kevin P.

I've eaten here many times and it's always really good. I've enjoyed the burnt ends, the wings, the chili, but the true STICK OUTS are the beef brisket and the baby back ribs!! Perfectly smoked, tender, and delectable. My gauge for a good BBQ joint is always if the meat(s) can stand on their own and don't need sauce....Atlas stands tall and proud in this category. Who needs sauce when the meat is this good?!
(4)
Melanie C.

Compared to Kansas City, St. Louis and Memphis, I've honestly been spoiled... This place just didn't compare. Not even top 10 of my favorites. Ordered the split combo with brisket and St. Louis ribs, both were overcooked to the point that the bone on the ribs were soft, and instead of the meat cleanly breaking away from the bone it was stuck and had to be forcefully freed.
(1)
Adam W.

The food is great, best BBQ. Try the pulled pork sandwich, the coleslaw is a great touch
(5)
Jessica S.

Slow and low - that's how great barbecue is achieved. ... I think. I'll very sadly admit that preeeeetty much all I know about 'cue has come from the Food Network, Travel Channel, and when I went to see the Body World's exhibit. That was an accident. I swear to God, I thought the twelfth specimen was hors d'oeuvres. Anyway, I realise most "bbq" I've had doesn't conform to the traditional definition to which die-hard barbecue competitors -- those smokey-smellin' fanatics who build their own smokers out of old iron drums and name their fire breathing beast something like "Big, Black, and Nasty" -- hold as Scripture; so maybe keep that in mind as you continue reading. Or don't. Whatever. I violated my cardinal rule about visiting a new restaurant for the first time: we we went after 6:00pm on a Saturday and didn't have reservations. Not only that, but it was a holiday weekend coinciding with Harley Davidson's 110th anniversary. There's no reason why our visit should have been so pleasant. My manlove and I got our names on the waiting list (45 minutes, we were warned) and approached the nearing-capacity bar. As we stood behind occupied bar stools squinting hopelessly at the tap beers, one of the gentlemen seated nearest me noticed our arrival. "Guys! Drink up! This lady needs a seat!" he mirthfully shouted to his two buddies, and none of them would take "no" for an answer. While I thanked them, one of the other two guys mentioned he was an employee and was more than happy to make room for guests. That's good juju, man. Good juju. Before we could begin to drink our beers (his: Bell's Oberon, mine: Point's 2012), the hostess said our patio table was ready. ... Hot damn, this was shaping up fine indeedy. Their burnt ends were a must. And I didn't mean to shout my order at our dear server when she came asking what we'd like for an appetizer, but I know that's what I must've sounded like. I was just really excited to get my first taste of barbecue's cream of the crop. Served with one of their signature, ooey-gooey barbecue sauces, these charred brisket morsels are technically trimmings that have received repeated tasty baste action through out the smoking process. And ohhhhhhhhhhh Lord, sweet sweet Lord, they were crazy good. My first bite made time stand still. The fat melted, the caramelized bark yielded just begrudgingly, and everything felt right in the world. So ... why three stars? Here goes ... The pulled pork on my sandwich (entree) was dry despite their "South" (vinegar-based) sauce poured on top, unflavorful, and the portion was fairly chintzy. I tried adding more of their "West" sauce, a slightly spicy "Texas" style sauce featured with their burnt ends during my previous moment of Nirvana, and the pork was still ... blah. It breaks my heart to say this! While I was excited to have their cole slaw as part of the sandwich, I found it included numerous chunks of celery and what I thought were pickled peppers. Those are a couple of things I didn't want in my cole slaw, on top of my pulled pork sandwich. I wanted to love it so much but ... I just couldn't. While I consoled myself with a side of their honey bacon brussels sprouts (LITTLE ROASTED, GREEN BUNDLES OF AMAZEBALLS, THEY WAS!), my boyfriend was valiantly plowing his way through their featured dinner special, the Hog Burger: a half-pound burger topped with bacon, cheddar, and meat pulled from their ribs. I didn't get a chance to try it until six hours later, when it had officially become cold leftovers eaten from a to-go box, but even then it left me seeing stars. After one bite, it felt like the Patron Saint of burgers, St Fatty McFlavor, had just dropped the tastiest nuclear bomb on my taste buds. Though I'm giving Atlas three out of five stars because of my pulled pork problem, please understand that I was otherwise impressed with everything else. Of extra EXTRA special note, the bottles of homemade barbecue sauce brought to our table were spotless. -- Have you ever grabbed a bottle of ketchup/mustard/barbecue/angel tears in a restaurant only to find it sticky or slippery? Removing the greasy cap reveals a desiccated crust of old sauce around the bottle's mouth? Attention to seemingly negligible details such as these says to me that the people running this restaurant have their priorities straight. By the end of our meals the sun had set, the fountain was singing in an invigorating blue light (well done, Grafton city planners!), and the Harley riders were continuing their ruthless parade up and down Green Bay Road (12th Ave). I was still heart-broken about my pulled pork sammich, but I was so otherwise pleased with the Atlas dining experience that I knew I would be back. I KNOW they can make a better pulled pork sandwich than what I had. Plus, I still don't know the name of their smoker.
(3)
Courtney H.

Delcious, all orders come with a side of cajun fries, soo good. Six different BBQ sauces on the table lets you cater you meal to your liking. Very good!
(4)
Stephanie R.

I wasn't sure what to expect when walking in to Atlas for the first time. On a weekday late lunch time the restaurant was fairly busy. The location was at one time an upscale restaurant, so no pseudo shack here. I was excited to find that everything on the menu is homemade except for the bread. Yes, even the pickles, the sauerkraut, and they smoke tomatoes for soup. I opened the menu and the grilled pork & cheese leapt out at me, and I couldn't get past it. Pulled pork, blue cheese and caramelized onions on toasted sourdough bread, for a reasonable $7.95. The bleu cheese used will definitely make Wisconsin proud. The pork was tender and wonderfully smoky and could easily stand on its own without sauce, but I had to try all of the sauces: the North is a tomato-based, Memphis-style sauce; the East is a Korean BBQ-style sauce; the South, a Carolina-style vinegar with cayenne and Tabasco and the West, a Texas-style sauce with a bit of spice. I loved the vinegar. The fries were sprinkled with some BBQ rub, a nice touch. For dessert, they even had key lime pie and coconut cream pie to offer, but we managed to show some restraint and will save desserts for another visit. Our server at the bar was great and had apparent passion for BBQ and for the restaurant.
(4)
Amanda S.

Amazing food! Amazing service! We have even brought in large groups of 10 or more and we still get great food and service. Love the grilled pork and cheese, baby back ribs are great and the pulled pork and chicken have great smoked flavor! Just like bbq should taste! Plus their bbq sauces are made in house....delicious!
(5)
Sarah C.

My mother-in-law suggested this place because the buzz on the street is that it's great. Being the hipster that I am, I usually dismiss comments like this, but boy, am I glad it was her choice as to where we went! For a place this new--they are sure doing it right; I certainly hope this trend continues! Our merger party of three ordered far too much food--but even as I write this with a full belly, I look forward to tearing into some leftovers. We got: the Buffalo Wings and Fried Pickles as an appetizer, the St Louis ribs platter, the pulled chicken and beef brisket combo platter and the pulled pork platter. For sides: the mac and cheese, potato salad, coleslaw, and cornbread. You can truly tell that the food is made fresh. Ate at the restaurant, so everything was piping hot when it was brought to the table. Atmosphere is nice in the restaurant, not too busy with the decor, but also not too plain. Sad I live out of town so I can't visit more often, but it will be a nice treat whoever I'm there!
(5)
Daniel Dtm S.

The best Burnt Ends ever! Great prices, lots of parking, and very nice happy hour. Our bartender gave us a great description of all their homemade BBQ sauces. I recommend trying all of them. My sis drove me here from DT Milwaukee it's worth the drive.
(5)
Nick S.

I really like me some BBQ and this place was not all that bad. I like their sauce selection. East, West, North, and South. East was my favorite, alongside their X brand. I got the pulled pork and beef brisket, with mac n cheese and corn bread. I feel like the portion size was good and the pricing was where it should be. I would recommend this place for the area.
(4)
Joe O.

Went here for lunch on Monday. I got the st Louis ribs platter. Food came out fast and service was good. I loved the ribs and the cornbread was amazing! My family enjoyed their entrees as well. This is a great place to go for a quick lunch and they even take to go orders which is perfect for lunch breaks at work I definitely will be back
(5)
Dan B.

I gave Atlas BBQ a second shot sunday. My first visit I had the St Louis ribs and it was terrible, tasted like left overs. This time I tried the so called pile high pork sandwich. I could only eat half and tossed the rest. I ordered cream corn as a side dish a received corn from a bag with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. It definitely was not cream corn. Needless to say, I will not be returning. A waste of time and money.
(1)
Becky S.

I'm glad to see a new restaurant open in Grafton - the options are seriously lacking. I've been here once for lunch and once for dinner. I got the pulled pork sandwich both times and I have to say it's very good. It definitely needs sauce which is not a problem because this place has several homemade bbq sauces that are delicious. I did catch a few fatty pieces that I didn't want to eat, but overall it's really good and you really can't go wrong with a warm pretzel bun. My brother-in-law had the ribs and he said they WERE NOT GOOD. This was unfortunate to hear since this is what they are all about! I plan to go back, but I will stay away from the ribs.
(3)
P M.

First off, we should all realize that this place is NEW. Anyone that wants to see the best a place has to offer should stop now and come back 90 days in. That being said, these guys are exceeding what anyone should expect from a brand new place. The business is so hard to begin with, small margins, turnover, backwards economics from suppliers to the table, we should all be grateful that this team has chosen to take on opening a clean, all house-made (hate the neon glow of chains), affordable restaurant. We need more places like this. I encourage you all to give it a try now, again in a week or so and before the year turns they will be firing on all cylinders. The Good: They have nailed their brisket and their smoked 1/2 chicken. Great char and seasoning on the brisket, just enough marbling, and smoked just enough. The meat gets very tender, takes on that pink tinge and has a great flavor profile. The chicken will make you forever forget about those grocery store rotisserie chickens. The skin gets tight and crisp, both white and dark meat stay juicy and the smokiness permeates the meat in a "just enough" way. Their four different sauces are quite admirable. I would like to see a spicier option than their west. Perhaps, as the owner is part Japanese, they would consider using wasabi to spike a sauce rather than the obligatory habanero or chipotle. None the less they are all different, house made and high quality. Side dishes are all very good. The best of the best, the mac and cheese (nice, subtle touch of truffle oil) the creamed corn (not cooked to a mush) potato salad (picnic style) corn bread (see the other posts, its the bomb) and the fries (not many left in this size of a place taking the time to hand cut and make a quality fritte). Deserts were good. We had the banana cream and the French Silk pies. Both had great crusts. I imagine f they put their minds to it they will be able to do some appropriate, in season fruit cobblers and crisps as well. Service was good. This end of the North Shore does not have a huge labor pool for hospitality, none the less, they are doing a good job selecting eager and enthusiastic servers, bartenders and managers. I was really impressed to hear that the owner was giving an orientation to some new employees in the back room. Most individually owned places are "here's your apron, bring some pens, and can you pick up a shift Saturday night". Nice work taking the time to ensure your team is on the right page. Wine list is just ok, and it should be. Its a BBQ joint, not a bistro. That being said, the beer list is very good. Some nice craft, drafts, Miller Lite as needed in MKE, WI (or you run the risk of a revolt) and a better than average bottle selection. One last shout out for Diet DR P on the gun. Anyone smart enough to pay this subtle homage to BBQ's southern roots get an extra point in my book. All in all I think this place can do really well. It needs local, current support and before long they have the chance to take off and draw some customers from a wider circle. Once that happens they might be a tough seat to get. Best of luck, keep up the good work.
(4)
James M.

Sat down at the bar and was greeted by a wonderful bartender, she took our order and brought back the drinks nice quick. We took a pub table near the bar. The young lady that was our server stopped by promptly only to tell us she would be right back. 10 minutes later she showed up. To me it appeared that she was very inexperienced at waitressing. Being that they have only been open a few weeks I gotta give her a play on the slow service. Hopefully she catches on soon. Once our order was in everything went smoother. We got our appetizer without much delay. But, the deep fried pickles we ordered were very greasy and the pickles did not stick to the batter. The pickles would literally slide out of the batter(maybe it was the grease?). Our server failed to set us up with silverware. The dinner items arrived at an appropriate time after the appetizer. But, or waitress didn't bring us one of the wooden boxes that holds the bbq sauces, salt/pepper, etc etc. Nor did she provide a steak knife for my friends ribeye steak. I also had to ask for my side of corn bread (it was very very Brown, not yellow like corn bread should be). The waitress also had to be asked for a serving of the honey butter to accompany the corn bread she didn't bring until asked. Now, onto the entrees. I got the trinity combo platter. It was delicious. I chose baby back ribs, brisket, and pulled bbq chicken. My two sides were the corn bread mentioned above and macaroni and cheese. The ribs had such a nice bark on them that I will order a rack next time I go there. The brisket was so tender and really not too fatty that I was jealous because I can't make a good brisket at home. The chicken had just enough smoke to it as to not be over powered by it. My friend had the ribeye and she said it was wonderful. With it she had not burnt corn bread and Atlas fries with the atlas mayo. So in a nutshell the food was awesome and the service needs some help. I'm sure that the girl we had was just intimidated by the criowd coming in the door. When we arrived at 4:30 the place was relatively calm with only a few people at the bar and 5-7 tables full. By the time we left, people were two deep waiting at the bar for a table. Good job Atlas BBQ! I want to see you there for a long time. You are a fresh face in the area and I think it is just what was needed. Chain restaurants don't cut it with me so I root for local business any time I can.
(3)
Chase H.

The shrimp plate needs help, $13.00 for 6 small shrimp. That's not right, & the waiter just said, that's just how it is. The thing is I've spent about $ 500.00 there and that's what happened. ~ you lost my money & I ain't afraid to spend it.
(2)
Vas K.

We've eaten here at lease 5-6 times and have tried numerous items. I love their food, although when I got the ribs I felt they were a bit dry. Their burger is great, the loaded grilled cheese is perfect, they have some of the best pulled pork in the area. They have a fantastic selection of beers on tap, I hope that never changes. Service has been a bit spotty but average overall.
(4)
Jason G.

Lost of gluten free options and sauces to choose from. Everything was delicious and reasonable prices. Large beer selection.
(5)
T.J. M.

Great brisket sandwich and fries! Dipping sauce with fries was awesome. Great selection of beers too! Highly recommend!
(5)
Margaret R.

Best damn BBQ in the area! We came during their "soft opening" and loved the food so much we have come back already even though we live near downtown Milwaukee. Definitely worth the drive! Ambiance is nice and casual, staff is VERY friendly and eager to please. Menu has a unique variety of BBQ items, but approachable. I like that they have a couple vegetarian options to appeal to more folks. Prices are reasonable and you get a fair amount of food for what you pay for. Alright, let's get to the good stuff - THE FOOD! Seriously, I cannot say how happy I am to have finally found an awesome BBQ joint. Ribs? So good. Pulled pork? Smokey and moist and to die for. Brisket? Heavenly. Fried chicken? True Southern breading and delish! We also tried the Reuben and liked it too. The fries are sooo good, seasoned well and served with a tasty sauce. And I swear I'd lick the bowl clean from the baked beans if no one was looking! My hubbie loves the creamed corn, but it wasn't my thing since there are onions in it. The mac 'n cheese is pretty good too. The cornbread is moist and flavorful, but again, this is one my hubbie loved more than me. (It is a more coarse crumb and I don't care for that type of cornbread, but it WAS very moist, so that's a win in my book.) And I have never tried a fried pickle that I liked until now! O.M.G., sooo good here! I was hesitant to try them, but so happy I did since it might be my favorite appetizer! I found out afterwards that they make their own pickles and boy, are they awesome! The sauces are simple, yet tasty and honestly - not even needed since the BBQ is so flavorful. The only disappointment was dessert. The variety of pies is nice, but I thought they were just ok and not nearly as impressive as the rest of the food. I think the Chocolate Silk or the Chocolate Chunk Pecan were the best out of the bunch we tried. I almost forgot to mention that my husband really liked the beer selection, especially one of the drafts they have on tap from Sheboygan. Love to see the local support! I have left both times stuffed, with leftovers to take home and dreaming of the next time I'll be able to taste some more smokey deliciousness...
(5)
Mike S.

Solid 4 stars and holding after many visits. The staff is responsive and friendly, the food is consistently good and served hot, beers stay cold and filled, and their sauces are a good representation of the regional varieties of BBQ. Go with confidence.
(4)
Alan E.

I will first say that I was skeptical going in. Being a transplanted Texan I had little hope of them doing it right. But to my amazement they have it dialed in and are trying to do authentic BBQ. We first ordered the fried pickle's and burnt ends. If they are there order them! The burnt ends were meaty and full of smokey goodness! Just what you would ask for. I ha the three meat plate to try everything and the brisket had a good smoke ring and was pretty tender. The ribs were fall off the bone and again good smoke ring. They still need to get more seasoning on the smoker but with time that will come. Over all, the service was great( it was packed). But the food had the true smokey flavor that it should. The best compliment I can give is the meat does not need any sauce! Hope his helps and I will be back. Cheers!
(4)
Hungry H.

Place was killer!!! Great Beef Brisket Reuben, perfectly smoked BBQ!!! Wet Sauce was served on the side which I like because I'm not a huge wet sauce guy. Really good sandwich, can't wait to go back!!!
(5)
Kevin R.

First of all, it is important to note that this restaurant is still in its soft opening period - their grand opening isn't until next week. This will color my review a bit... The bottom line is that this place is very promising. The decor is similar to what the previous restaurant had (Paramount) but a little more casual and homey. The color palate is similar and is very attractive. They have built a rather large bar on the one side of the restaurant. All in all, the decor is "sophisticated casual" to my eyes. This is a BBQ place however, it is really all about the food, so let's go there. Overall, it was good. They are still working on a few menu items but my wife and I thought it was good. My wife had their beef brisket Reuben - a tasty spin on a classic. I had their pulled pork plate. Honestly, the pork was a little dry but it did have a good taste - adequate smoke, decent bark and overall was acceptable. We tried several sides too - their creamed corn is really good and has a unique flavor. Their mac and cheese was good as well, and their hand cut fries were very tasty and properly seasoned. We also tried their key lime pie dessert. It was homemade and tasty, although it was a bit pricey for the size of the piece. Their sauces were fairly typical of BBQ joints. They have a couple of different tomato based sauces and a Carolina (vinegar based) one too. They do have this one unique sauce - their Korean BBQ sauce. It is a soy sauce based concoction and I really liked it. All of their sauces were decent, so I had no real complaint there. Service was good, although it showed the typical problems that are inherent with a soft opening. A few delays, and few minor issues, but perfectly acceptable. The owner was walking around and following up with everyone. He seems like a really nice guy that genuinely cares for the customer experience. The place is family friendly. They have a great kids meal - choice of meal, side, drink and ice cream for $5.25. They even brought buckets of new Crayola crayons with huge placemats to color. Check and check! The bar has a wide selection of beers, wines and liquor, and I thought their tap beer selections were above average. Bar prices were typical of the area. The food pricing is also about average for the area. Sandwiches are about $8-10, entrees are $12-20, desserts are $5-6... Our dinner for a sandwich, entree, 2 large beers, 2 kids meals and 1 dessert came to $55 with tax. All in all, this place has real promise. Even though I had a few issues, I am going to give it a 4 for right now since it is still their soft open. If it was an established restaurant, and based on the one visit, I would give it about a 3.5, but I think this place really could come into its own here. The area desperately needs more restaurants and I hope this one does well. I am spoiled on BBQ since I travel to Kansas City so often that I regularly get some of the best BBQ in the world. While this place isn't there yet, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to go back, and who knows - it just might turn into something special!
(4)
Tom M.

This place does BBQ right! Their Wings are a full wing and are super awesome. I douse them in the Southern sauce and drown them with some of the many local beers on tap. I also like their fried chicken and ribs. I've never left thinking I should have gotten more food or that it wasn't as good as I had expected. Paired w good service it's quickly became one of my favorite places.
(5)
Patricia U.

Started off with an order of fried pickles, the pickles were delicious, however the Alabama white dipping sauce was watery like dipping into milk. When I asked our server about the consistency of the sauce, she said it was normally watery because of the vinegar used to make it, I'm not a fan of dipping a batter fried appetizer into something that makes it soggy. Ordered two entrees, I had the beef brisket with sides of brussels sprouts and baked beans, my husband ordered the half chicken with sides of mac & cheese and coleslaw. Both the brisket and chicken lacked smoke flavor and the chicken had an odd texture. The brussels sprouts were amazing and the baked beans were good. My husband said the mac & cheese was just okay and wasn't a fan of the coleslaw with it's vinegar base. We tried all five sauces, especially liked the North for taste and consistency, the X was good for heat. The sauces seemed watered down, unlikely to return.
(3)
Doug D.

Best place in ozaukee county. Pork nachos are amazing. The beef brisket sandwich is awesome. Service is good, restaurant is clean, and it's all made there. This is a must go to if in Ozaukee.
(5)
Brian P.

Awesome experience. For a busy Friday night, the service was incredibly fast, the food was excellent ( I highly recommend a combo platter so you can try and little bit of everything), and the beer selection was real nice. I had brisket, St.Louis style ribs, mac and cheese (incredible!) and baked beans that happened to have bacon in them (F-yeah!). Ozaukee County has long needed a great BBQ place to call their own, and it appears that it has finally arrived in Grafton.
(5)
Kacie S.

I would like to make the point that we came on opening night so we expected it to be packed. I actually called at around 430 requesting to make a reservation for two, but the individual that took my call explained it wasn't possible. I asked if they would be willing to make an exception and hold a place for us even though it was generally not their regular procedure but she declined. We arrived and it was not as busy as I had expected it to be. It was a Monday and still a little early for dinner, so we were happy we could be seated right away. When you first walk in, there are a few tables in the bar area and then the dining room is straight ahead. There are 5-6 booths that line the back wall and then roughly 10-15 tables. We asked if we could sit in a booth, but again, we were told No. The booths are reserved for parties of 4-6 so we, being 2, could not sit there. The hostess then offered a comfortable 4 top...?? (as if some were better than others.) I also want to add that as the night progressed, they did seat parties of less than 4 in the booths... So this bothered me just a little. ;) We were seated at a very VERY wobbly table across from the bar. I don't mean the type of wobble you can fix with a few napkins, this table seemed to not be put together properly. We looked over the menu and our waitress arrived promptly to take our drink order. On the back of the food menu is the drink menu... But the only items listed are beer, wine, bourbon, and soda... They didn't have drink specials or a list for specialty drinks so I asked for a dr. Pep and cap'n. the waitress seemed very confused by my request and after several minutes of explaining what a tall double was and what cap'n was (rum) she placed my order. I completely understand that this is a BBQ restaurant, but I also believe the menu should offer at least 3-5 alternatives for individuals that have restrictions... Such as a dairy allergy like myself. Even the vegetarian black bean burger contained eggs.. And besides that all they had was a stripped down side salad and a fruit cup. I ended up ordering the fried shrimp for, wait for it, $18... Ouch... My bf ordered the Wisconsin grilled cheese with sides of corn bread and fries. I gave him one of my sides, the mac & cheese (because the only side they had I could eat was fries) and he also ordered the tomato soup to go with his sandwich. (The table is still wobbling.) The food came out extremely fast. We were both impressed with the wait for our food being that the restaurant was fairly full and busy. I can say that we were both pleasantly surprised. My shrimp (7 pieces) were awesome. The breading was flavorful and crunchy and the shrimp were large and cooked perfectly. I grew up on the gulf so seafood is my favorite. This was some of the best fried shrimp I've had in the midwest. The french fries were also REALLY good. I know they're just fries... but great fries deserve some recognition too. Unfortunately, that was the end of my dining experience... I have to admit I did feel a little cheated paying $18... The shrimp were GREAT... But they definitely weren't worth $2 a piece. My bf loved everything except the soup... He said it was too sweet and would be better served as a dipper for the grilled cheese. He also had them add some avocado to his grilled cheese, which they did, and he said the sandwich tasted great. The service was above average. We could tell that our waitress had never worked in a restaurant before, but she was pleasant and accommodating. The owner stopped by our table once or twice, but he didn't really get into conversation... His dialogue was slightly generic and it didn't seem to me like he was actually engaging his opening night clientele. Overall, our food was SO good. The Atlas is clean and inviting. I gave this restaurant a 3 because their menu was very "silo'd" and I felt like $47 for grilled cheese and fried shrimp + sides was very steep. I hope this business succeeds here. I love small family businesses and new places to frequent. GOOD LUCK ATLAS! keep up with the tasty food!! :D
(3)
Julie L.

Had the pulled pork sandwich. Must say that it's the best BBQ I've had in Wisconsin. The pretzel bun was like the icing on the cake. Friendly, attentive staff. Went during lunch on a Friday during lent. There was a fish special for our Catholic friend which according to him, was very good. Would definitely go back.
(4)
Leah W.

Horrible! We went at 5pm on Friday - was not busy at all. Service was all but ok - the staff was more concerned about their social hour back by the kitchen and trying new drinks with the bartenders. The food - sub par. The best dish was the deep friend pickles, oh and our sides were good too. Baby back ribs were dry/tough and not served at proper temperature - luke warmish. Same with the brisket and the burnt ends. The burnt ends had some fatty/chewy pieces and other pieces that were like leather. We were so looking forward to this place. The pricing would be reasonable if the food was good. We didn't even have a chance to express to our server because not once did she ask how our meal was!
(1)
Joe I.

As I love authentic BBQ, I was so excited about trying Atlas. I was very disappointed. Although the meat was good and smokey, the sauces were subpar - from bad to mediocre. My wife and I joke (sort of) that next time we'll bring a bottle if Sweet Baby Ray's with us. The owners need to research recipes and come up with better sauces. For anyone who knows what real BBQ is like, they will be disappointed.
(2)
Doreen D.

Stopped in on a busy Saturday night and were pleasantly surprised. We had been searching for a place for dinner and this was just what we had hoped for. First off - it smelled like a barbeque place. The real deal. We sat at the bar and the bartenders were attentive. The beers on tap were good but I also tried the bloody Mary after they had given me one of the barbeque jerkys to try. It was good - but one of the few non-homemade things, they used a Bloody Mary mix instead of making their own. My only disappointment. I had the slider appetizer in order to try the three meats. All were excellent. My partner had the St. Louis style ribs with sides of french fries and cole slaw. Again, he was impressed, and he's usually pretty picky. Next time we're in Grafton, we will definitely head back here.
(4)
J J.

We need more good restaurants in the Cedarburg/Grafton area - so excited to have a good BBQ place now! Have been there twice now. There were some 'bumps' - but they are a new place, it's understandable. I hope the quality and care remains high. Will be back regularly!
(4)
Perry W.

Great service, very friendly and attentive. The meats were excellent, we had both the pulled pork and brisket. Best side was the mac and cheese. Good selection of draft beer served in proper glassware. Clean and comfortable environment. Only downside was a slightly slow kitchen and some of the sides like the cornbread were a bit dried out. I am sure they will work through these kinks, we will be back!
(4)
John W.

So thrilled that great bbq is now in Ozaukee county. Nice beer selection. My wife had pulled pork sandwich and great homemade slaw. I had beef brisket Reuben. Nice and smokey and nice sauce choices. Side of creamed corn was good but not great. Looking forward to trying more on the menu. Good service and loved the fact the host warned us the kitchen was backed up--giving us the choice to wait. We only waited 15 minutes so not bad at all for a brand new restaurant. Service was friendly and they did nice job on decor. Will definitely be back for more.
(4)
Kari A.

Great BBQ, helpful and attentive staff, nice atmosphere. We are from Chicago and stopped on our way home from Door County. We tried the slider trio so we could get a sampling of different meats. They were all delicious! We also had the cole slaw, fries, and mac n cheese....all great. Their sauces are all good and well thought out. Finally, as a parent of a young child, I appreciated the children's menu and fresh fruit. I really wish we had this good of BBQ in Chicago!
(5)
Brian K.

Enjoyed a lunch here today. Some pros and some cons. The meats were cooked perfectly and taste great. The fries are good and the ranch is amazing. The atmosphere was great and the server was very polite. The only downfall that i found was the bbq sauces. I don't know where these recipes came from but you can put them back. That is the only thing keeping this place from easily being that place in Grafton people want to go eat at everytime. Fix the sauces and this place is a 5 star all day every day.
(4)
Kellee C.

I really wanted to love everything, but sadly I did not. We arrived at 7pm on Friday and were quoted a 90+ minute wait. We waited only about 60 minutes. I ordered the burnt ends and was told they were sold out of burnt ends, AND ribs. So I settled on a pulled pork sandwich and my dining partner ordered the brisket platter. We ordered fried pickles for an appetizer; they were quite good. We liked the lighter tempura-like batter and loved how the thick the pickles were. The sauce with the pickles had a nice subtle flavor. What seemed like an excessive amount of time passed when we finally received our meals. It was obvious my sandwich had been sitting for quite for a while. The flavors of the sandwich were good, but the bottom bun fell apart as soon as I picked it up. It was a mushy mess. The fries that came with the sandwich were old, and had been seasoned excessively (I had seen them go out to other tables and there was not even half the amount of seasoning that I had). I liked that they used a dry rub to season them, there was just entirely too much of it. The brisket was also good. The creamed corn was very good, although it was really just corn with cheese and not true creamed corn. The mac and cheese was above average. The corn bread was dry and clearly overcooked (burnt), although the sweet butter was a nice compliment. The service started out wonderful, but declined greatly once our meals arrived. They were delivered by another server and the next time we saw our server was when he dropped the check ... before we had even finished eating. We were going to order dessert, but after waiting 30 minutes for the server to return, we decided we were no longer interested. In all our meal was good - average overall. We plan to return, but will wait a few months until they work out some of the kinks.
(3)
Marlys S.

Great restaurant. Very friendly, professional service. The Cuban sandwich was amazing. Our 2-1/2 year old pronounced the Mac and Cheese "yummy." The wine list is respectable for a BBQ restaurant. Prices reasonable. The fries were average, but the sandwich was so huge, we didn't eat many anyway. No reservations on the weekend, but you call ahead to put your name on the waiting list.
(4)
Sandy F.

They had a Chinese New Year special menu which I thought was interesting and creative. The bbq eg rolls were good. Then I got a pulled pork sandwich and it was just OK. The service was fine and the place was packed at lunch.
(3)
Dave S.

I don't like long reviews. So here goes. Damn Good! From out of town and came with my cousin. Good spices and good smoke. It's meat heaven. Have fun drooling.
(5)
R B.

Tried this place twice now. Although its a BBQ place they do a mean home made veggi burger, the bun was warm and had just the right amount of buttery crunch. The place itself is really nice too, large for a Grafton eatery with undoubtedly the prettiest restrooms - complete with chandeliers. A great find I am looking forward to a third visit!
(5)
Brian W.

Finally got to try Atlas BBQ. I stopped in for a take-out order, the staff was super friendly and the atmosphere was great. For take-out you order from the bartender, since this was my first time there , I had a few questions and the bartender was very helpful. They have two menus to order from; their standard restaurant menu and a call in menu where you can order the meats by the pound, I ordered by the pound. They have a fine selection of sauces(5), and they are all very tasty, I had a hard time choosing just which four I wanted. I can't say which is my favorite because they are all very good. I ordered the Brisket, pork, cole slaw and cornbread, it definitely satisfied the three of us! The meats had a wonderful smokey flavor and the smoke ring on the Brisket was perfect. My only complaint is the price, a little high in my book, it is very good quality food, but I have had comparable BBQ for a little less $. Overall, I highly recommend Atlas BBQ, I will surely be going back.
(4)
Nora B.

Wanted to try the new place so called to order take out only to be told they don't do take out over the phone. Went in and sat at the bar to order take out. Order was slow but the bartender was great. Got the order and drove 5 min home. When opened the food was not warm anymore. The ribs were OK, the sauce was better. Partner like the pulled pork sandwich. I would not do carry out again but partner is home bound so will not be back.
(3)
Nathan W.

I've had dinner at Atlas 4 times since they opened and cannot wait to go back. I have tried all of their bbq meats and most of the sides and have found everything to be perfection. I do have to say that the St. Louis ribs are my favorite, they have a good bark on the outside with a nice smoke ring and the meat is fall off the bone tender, there is absolutely no sauce needed with these. As for the sauces, I haven't yet decided which one is my favorite, but I enjoy all of them. I like to switch it up and have a different sauce with each bite. The burnt ends are an amazing appetizer, but I would have to say that the fried pickles are my favorite. Prices were very reasonable for the quality and quantity of food you get, you can really tell that everything is made from scratch and isn't just some frozen food services product. Beer selection is good, although I prefer to keep it simple and have a tall boy of Old Style with my bbq. The other menu item that was a complete surprise to me was the smoked tomato soup, I am a huge fan of tomato soups and this one does not dissapoint (very smokey!). We have brought our two young children with us a couple times now and have had fantastic experiences with them, they automatically get a fresh fruit cup as soon as they sit down, this helps to keep them occupied until the other food arrives. Service has always been fantastic and I have not had to wait long for a table. Great atmosphere. I can't wait to go back and try some of the other menu items. As far as suggestions to improve things, I would love to see smoked sausage and fried okra on the menu and maybe some banana pudding for dessert.
(5)
Andrew D.

Love, love, love the BBQ... My previous post was left wanting with the marginal service, but our recent visits show it has improved. I doubt people update their reviews with positive remarks, but I am upping the STARS as service is on the up swing. Quick comment to owners - Why are you charging $.35 for extra tiny cups of Atlas sauce at a BBQ place? I could dump the entire contents of a 16oz BBQ bottle on the table into my BBQ and no one would say anything (except a look of disgust from my wife) yet a tiny cup of Atlas Sauce is going to cost extra. Feels like scrapping for pennies and is just an irritant. Load up the Atlas sauce, its a game changer for your restaurant. Start bottling it and put it in large containers on the table. Definitely worth its place among the others. Despite that comment - keep up the good work on the BBQ!
(4)
Mj B.

Stop looking and eat here! Everything except the ketchup(which of course is Heinz) is completely homemade, including the 5 delicious BBQ sauces that are bottled daily! Ask for Jimmy, because he's not only attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable, but he'll also weave a descriptive tale of the Kardashians to help you differentiate the sauces. Charming! We had the burnt ends, fried pickles (pickles are also homemade), pork BBQ nachos, Baby got Mac (Mac and Cheese with baby back ribs mixed in), and a two-meat plate with the brisket, links (also homemade and pretty spicy), Atlas fries, and cornbread. Amongst heated debate we learned that everyone had a different favorite dish, but we all agreed everything was very good. We even bought the Asian BBQ sauce (EAST) to take home. Did I mention things are all homemade? And Grafton also gets mad props for being adorable and a true slice of American goodness!
(4)
PJ C.

Stopped for a quick light lunch and had an excellent meal. The brisket Reuben was very tasty as was the bbq poutine. Would love to come back with more time and a bigger appetite. Sampled the sauces and many were very good. Server was super friendly. Next time we are back in town visiting relatives we will stop.
(4)
Hilary B.

Delicious meal! Not far off 43. Easy to get to. Parking not an issue for us as we were after any lunch rush might have happened, but did look like it might be limited otherwise. Brisket Sandwhich was top notch. Mac and cheese side on point. Star of the meal was the burnt bits brisket appetizer for me. Wowza good. Our service was good and was timely but again it was not at a busy time as some of the other reviewers noted. It's a cute little downtown and a nice break off the highway.
(5)
Jessica H.

I'm a huge fan of the atlas burger made at this resteraunt. So good! The atlas bbq is located where the old paramount used to be in Grafton. Parking can be tricky when the downtown is bustling with other activity as they have no private parking. The resteraunt features, booths, tables and a bar. We always ask to be seated in a booth and enjoy the table top bbq sauces that they offer to add to whatever you order. My husband has had several dishes here, and liked all but one. I always choose the atlas burger and always want more of the Dipping sauce they add for the fries. It's a bbq flavored masterpiece. The servers have always been nice and friendly and the place smells like a bbq smoker from down south- hard to leave it smells so good. You won't be disappointed with the atmosphere or food. Casual and tasty.
(4)
Erin M.

This place has such solid eats. Thank you Atlas for bringing some charm and some genuinely good cuisine to Grafton. Grafton can sometimes remind me of concrete, corporate america playground, so it truly is refreshing. I hope this placce is around for years to come. I've been here a few times and have never let down, by anything. The beer selection is great. So important with BBQ. I am OBSESSED with the BBQ chicken nachos from here. Homeade chips, homeade cheese (with some spices) and some great BBQ chicken. The only thing I need to ask for sometimes is more cheese, and that's becausse I really love it so much. And its only ~8 dollars. Such a great price. I was there yesterday drinking a beer and catching up on some homework (I had a craving for the nachos) and they told me they had a special: BBQ chicken Mac and Cheese. They transofrmed my favorite dish on the menu into the best macaroni and cheese evaaaaaaaa. And this mac and cheese was not lacking in the cheese department. It was really yum. The one complaint I've heard was when we took my brother there. He ordered BBQ plate with 3 types of meat and was disppointed with the size. When I looked at it, I couldnt help but agree. I think he liked everything on it, but was expecting sommore meat for the price. Other than that, I find the place extremely resonable with beer prices, app prices, and sandwich prices.
(4)
David B.

The best meal in months a fabulous server , Elsie. The Hot links rock and the sides were perfect. Lakefront Beer and handmade desert . hurry and eat here you won't be disappointed
(5)
Ryan B.

Good compared to other food in Grafton.
(2)
Krishna A.

I love their habenero pepper bbq sauce! The ribs were quite good. I prefered the baby back Vs their st lous ribs. The service is superb. The hostess, the waitress, they were all very nice. Grafton - this is how America used to be - a city full of nice people.. Very little crime..
(5)
Celeste L.

Good food and customer service I got the Atlas BBQ and came without fries. Great selection of BBQ sauces. Worth it!
(5)
William R.

Got the Rib sandwich special....and feels like I had a Wendy's moment....where's the beef. What I did have tasted fine but for the cost it definitely wasn't worth it. The side of beans was warm..could've been hotter. Maybe I'll skip this place next time.
(3)
Naomi C.

Excellent food and excellent service. We had the Hercules dish with a side of bbq beans and brussels sprouts. I normally hate brussel sprouts, but I liked these. I loved all the bbq meats they gave us, ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and chicken. The sauces were very good, my favorite was the West sauce. Add to all that a top notch waitress and it was a great experience I would recommend and definitely go back.
(5)
Jim M.

I'm really downgrading this place, and it's not because of slow service, and needing to ask for water, but the quality of the food. The brisket has become extremely fatty, and the sandwiches must be prepared by a16yo McDonald's dropout. Had a Cuban, and all the stoned ground mustard was on one side of the sandwich under the meat, pickles were on the other, and some yellow mustard was squirted on a corner of the top bun. Now granted this is what we've come accustomed to when you go at arbys and dairy queen, but then again, they don't charge nearly $11 for a sandwich. Similar to the fast food restaurants, Atlas has gone to relying on an oversized bun with very little meat. Not going to last long like this. Heads need to roll or they'll be locking the doors for good...
(2)
Todd N.

The food is of good quality, however the service not so much. Last time there was an extremely long wait and this time the check was incorrect twice. The waitress not attentive at all. There were a couple minor food items that were not correct, but fixed. Maybe the waitress was new or having an off night. It is unlikely that I will be back because of poor service.
(3)
Ann G.

We stopped for a late dinner. Everything was great. Good service and delicious food. I had the smoked tomato soup, which was really good and unique. Also had the burnt ends. Kids enjoyed .50 wing night (Thursday) and my husband had pulled pork and cheese (with bleu cheese and onions) and very yummy fries. We tried most of the BBQ sauces. My favorite sauce was East. My son loved North. Nice atmosphere and super clean.
(5)
Sherri T.

Visited this place based off a recommendation while on a business trip. While the atmosphere was a little odd to me, the bar area was great. The food and beer selection was great. Our bartender recommended menu items and we we ordered what he told us. Everything was really good. The smoked chicken wings are crisp and hSd the right amount of smoke flavor. I bookmarked this place for future visits, Word of warning the do not take American Express,
(4)
Yelp R.

Nice staff, felt very welcomed. I ordered the brisket with fries. The fries were heavily seasoned but everything was delicious. Tasted like a true BBQ. Nothing lacked flavor, and the bread held up the sauce and remained crispy. The meat was nicely seasoned too and had a good ratio of fat on there. And all their sauce is homemade! Nice variety to choose from. I also had a bloody mary, which was another good choice. If youre hungry, eat here.
(4)
J W.

Cute place. Great food, variety of sauces. Pretty good service after a short wait to start. Get the burnt ends. Portions are big. Side of slaw was enormous. We could have shared one among 2-3 people. We will be back next time we're in the area.
(4)
Abby K.

Beef brisket was smokey, tender and quite flavorful, the baby back ribs were nicely caramelized, smokey and delicious. The mac n cheese was one of the best I've had. It was creamy and had pieces of pancetta in it. Loved the corn bread with honey butter but was a little turned off when I realized the waitress charged me for an additional portion of butter especially with the tiny bit that came with the large chunk of bread. They have many sauces like 6 to choose from, we didn't like any of them, I mixed 2 flavor together and that was tolerable. Thank goodness the meat was good enough on its own or we would have been disappointed. Over all the experiences was good. Portions could stand to be a little larger for the price, but I understand good meat is expensive and will treat myself again sometime.
(4)
David S.

Been here twice now. Food was very good each time. Service was slow, maybe hire another waited, but other than that it was great.
(5)
Kyle B.

The service was horrible. We got there and it took at least 15 minutes to get our drinks and water. It is now going on 45 minutes and we are still sitting here without any food. In addition, she has not checked back with us. This is completely unacceptable. This is the second time the service has been subpar.
(1)
Shane B.

This review will be short and sweet. It was wonderful! My girlfriend had the salmon and I had their pulled pork. We were able to enjoy their patio on on a lazy day of relaxing. Our server was spectacular and understood our substitutions/needs (my girlfriend does not like food touching and requested separate plates). There was no complaint or issue, just great service. The pulled pork was tender and flavorful and the choices of bbq sauces at the table were perfectly complimentary. The Salmon was perfectly medium rare and the sauce a perfect compliment. The mac n cheese side was also wonderful in flavor and is offered as an entrÃ©e as well. We will definitely go back and we are glad to have found another little gem.
(5)
Emily K.

Holy crap. We stopped at Atlas on our way up to Green Bay and we were totally blown away. Everything was so, so good. The sauces themselves were a bit thin, but the flavors were there. The meats were awesome. Great smoke ring, super tender. Awesome. Another place that is far from home that I'll be dreaming off...
(5)
David W.

Overrated. You can get better BBQ at Dickeys or Famous Dave's for much cheaper. Portions were small for the price and nothing had enough smoke flavor. Everything was so dry so you have to use plenty of sauce to make it taste good. St Louis Style Ribs were dry and lacking in flavor. Brisket was very dry. There was no juiciness or elasticity in the meat. The fat layer didn't render into the meat and was just a layer of fat on top of the dry stringy brisket. Smoked Chicken Wings were the saving grace to the meal. They were small but tender and flavorful. Mac and Cheese was decent but a little bit gritty. Needed to be creamier. Brussels Sprouts were ok. Kinda one note on flavor. Overall, meh... Wouldn't go out of my way to eat here.
(2)
Rick R.

I was in Grafton on business and finished my meeting toward the end of the standard lunch hour. I was starving. I heard about Atlas and asked a co-worker how close they were located to the office. He invited himself along and we were on our way. I asked the server when the meats were smoked. If they smoked the day before, they'd likely be dried out and I would not order the BBQ. She said the smoke the meats overnight, so I was probably better off getting them at lunch than at dinner. I always order the smoked beef brisket as my gauge to the quality of the BBQ establishment. I also like ribs. Atlas offers a build-your-own platter option which includes choices of St Louis or Baby Back ribs. I decided on baby back ribs and beef brisket, along with house cut fries and mac-n-cheese. I also ordered a side of cornbread. The ribs were okay. I didn't think they were as meaty as I expected them to be but they weren't dry, so that was a plus. The meat also did not fall of the bone, which properly cooked BBQ meat should not do. These were done right. The brisket really surprised me. It was one of the most moist and tender briskets I've had locally without being too fatty. I was anxious to know how they did it, but I doubt they'd tell me that secret. Most places can't pull off smoked brisket that moist. The mac-n-cheese was creamy and had a slight cajun spiciness to it. It was topped with crispy baked bread crumbs. Well done on the mac-n-cheese, Atlas. The house cut fries also surprised me. They were crisp and topped with a house made seasoning blend (I presume - it could have been Lawry's I guess) that brought a delicious flavor. I was really expecting boring fries, but these fries rocked! What did disappoint was the cornbread. As soon as it was served, I was skeptical. It was too brown. I gave it a try anyway and sure enough, it was dry. It had a good "cornbread" flavor, but it was dense and dry. No amount of butter would save it. The server, who was awesome by the way, offered to bring us different cornbread, but we were done with our meal and ready to settle up. She was kind enough to have the cornbread removed since it was obvious, we barely touched it. I don't put sauce on smoked BBQ, but I did want to try the 6 sauces they offer, so I took small pieces of meat and put a drop of sauce on the pieces to try them all. I liked 5 of the 6 sauces. They range from tangy to spicy. I was pleased with my first visit to Atlas and I want to go back for dinner sometime to see if they served moist BBQ meats at night too, or if it dries out like I think it will.
(4)
Steve C.

Amazing bbq!! Great drink selection. Great atmosphere and plenty of seating. Pulled pork and pulled chicken were outstanding. Potato salad was fantastic to top it off. Highly recommend!!
(5)
Kacie S.

I would like to make the point that we came on opening night so we expected it to be packed. I actually called at around 430 requesting to make a reservation for two, but the individual that took my call explained it wasn't possible. I asked if they would be willing to make an exception and hold a place for us even though it was generally not their regular procedure but she declined. We arrived and it was not as busy as I had expected it to be. It was a Monday and still a little early for dinner, so we were happy we could be seated right away. When you first walk in, there are a few tables in the bar area and then the dining room is straight ahead. There are 5-6 booths that line the back wall and then roughly 10-15 tables. We asked if we could sit in a booth, but again, we were told No. The booths are reserved for parties of 4-6 so we, being 2, could not sit there. The hostess then offered a comfortable 4 top...?? (as if some were better than others.) I also want to add that as the night progressed, they did seat parties of less than 4 in the booths... So this bothered me just a little. ;) We were seated at a very VERY wobbly table across from the bar. I don't mean the type of wobble you can fix with a few napkins, this table seemed to not be put together properly. We looked over the menu and our waitress arrived promptly to take our drink order. On the back of the food menu is the drink menu... But the only items listed are beer, wine, bourbon, and soda... They didn't have drink specials or a list for specialty drinks so I asked for a dr. Pep and cap'n. the waitress seemed very confused by my request and after several minutes of explaining what a tall double was and what cap'n was (rum) she placed my order. I completely understand that this is a BBQ restaurant, but I also believe the menu should offer at least 3-5 alternatives for individuals that have restrictions... Such as a dairy allergy like myself. Even the vegetarian black bean burger contained eggs.. And besides that all they had was a stripped down side salad and a fruit cup. I ended up ordering the fried shrimp for, wait for it, $18... Ouch... My bf ordered the Wisconsin grilled cheese with sides of corn bread and fries. I gave him one of my sides, the mac & cheese (because the only side they had I could eat was fries) and he also ordered the tomato soup to go with his sandwich. (The table is still wobbling.) The food came out extremely fast. We were both impressed with the wait for our food being that the restaurant was fairly full and busy. I can say that we were both pleasantly surprised. My shrimp (7 pieces) were awesome. The breading was flavorful and crunchy and the shrimp were large and cooked perfectly. I grew up on the gulf so seafood is my favorite. This was some of the best fried shrimp I've had in the midwest. The french fries were also REALLY good. I know they're just fries... but great fries deserve some recognition too. Unfortunately, that was the end of my dining experience... I have to admit I did feel a little cheated paying $18... The shrimp were GREAT... But they definitely weren't worth $2 a piece. My bf loved everything except the soup... He said it was too sweet and would be better served as a dipper for the grilled cheese. He also had them add some avocado to his grilled cheese, which they did, and he said the sandwich tasted great. The service was above average. We could tell that our waitress had never worked in a restaurant before, but she was pleasant and accommodating. The owner stopped by our table once or twice, but he didn't really get into conversation... His dialogue was slightly generic and it didn't seem to me like he was actually engaging his opening night clientele. Overall, our food was SO good. The Atlas is clean and inviting. I gave this restaurant a 3 because their menu was very "silo'd" and I felt like $47 for grilled cheese and fried shrimp + sides was very steep. I hope this business succeeds here. I love small family businesses and new places to frequent. GOOD LUCK ATLAS! keep up with the tasty food!! :D
(3)
Julie L.

Had the pulled pork sandwich. Must say that it's the best BBQ I've had in Wisconsin. The pretzel bun was like the icing on the cake. Friendly, attentive staff. Went during lunch on a Friday during lent. There was a fish special for our Catholic friend which according to him, was very good. Would definitely go back.
(4)
Harriet T.

Full disclosure: I am from the south and from Memphis so barbecue has to be incredibly good... I got the brisket which had good flavor, but was extremely fatty. I liked having a choice of six different kinds of sauce. That was nice. I have never been to a restaurant with cornbread considered as a side item-interesting. Mac n cheese was okay... If I was in the area, I might go back, but I definitely would not make a special trip.
(3)
Aubrey G.

First visit here for us on an early Saturday night (7/6/2013) about 5:30 PM. We decided to sit at the bar, even though there were tables available. Ordering cocktails, we were a bit disappointed right off the bat as bartender "Pat" first poured our straight-up requests into a thimble of a jigger before pouring it into a glass without even a dribble more. Oh well, this is a BBQ restaurant and the reason why we came; not for cocktails, but Atlas pimps itself as a "Bourbon" spot too, so, there is our conundrum. We ordered brisket tips (without the "West BBQ sauce") and a full order of spare ribs (Kansas Style). Both the ribs and the brisket were excellent..... the brisket, exceedingly so. The ribs, though nicely smoked with a bit of a char, were a bit on the dry side. Having said that, one certainly does not have to add BBQ sauce to either of these items; they taste just wonderful without BBQ sauce, of which they have four. We tried them all....they were all very good. In summary, the BBQ is good old-fashioned slow smoked BBQ; not sure I have had it anywhere else in WI, so this is the place to come if you like that style. We had four sides: Mac and Cheese, cole slaw, potato salad and corn bread; all outstanding. As I stated, the bar and the bar menu reflects the fact that Bourbon whiskey is a priority here, however, the twelve or so brands listed are your everyday, well stocked cocktail bar brands and nothing really unusual. That, coupled with the diminutive pours with small jigger measuring cups (and not a drop more), does not make this place a Bourbon lover's destination. Service was outstanding at the bar by both Pam and Adam. Both of these folks were upbeat, friendly and informative about the food, drink and general restaurant questions we had. True ambassadors for the restaurant and assets to the business. We definitely want to come back and try some of the other BBQ items on the menu. Looking at the plates of food being served to others, we know we won't be disappointed.
(4)
M P.

Went here the other night with the family. The place was very clean and open. Staff were friendly. The food was good but nothing special. We ordered the Hercule platter which was huge! We wanted to sample all of their meats. To me it was rather dry but my husband and kids enjoyed it. One of my favorite sides were the seasoned fries and Brussels sprouts. Overall we like the food but service can improve because our food took a good 35 minutes to come out and we didn't even order much and to make it worse there were only 2 other tables there. We will be back to try the other items on the menu.
(3)
Kurtis K.

I travel for a living and have seldom come across bbq as good as this. Complete win right hear. As real as bbq gets, 5 sauces at the table. All representing different regions of the country. Had 4 of the 6eats all cooked just about perfect. This place is a must go for bbq adventurers. Hit it up.
(5)
Lisa A.

We went for Mother's Day yesterday and the food was excellent my soon to be 88 year old mother loves this place !! The beef brisket, pulled pork and chicken were all delicious and my mom really loved the chocolate pecan pie it took awhile to get the pie (we said nothing) and they gave it to her for free !! The only problem was the waitress put our to go boxes in front of the wrong people , I went to enjoy my cornbread later and it was my moms pulled chicken sand oh well , that certainly won't keep us from going back !
(4)
Ron R.

Holy cow that's good 'Q!! Moving up here from Illinois, I thought my BBQ days were over. Sure, we can get a rack of baked ribs from just about any supper club. But to get real, down home, smoked barbecue? Nearly improbable I say. Well, some time ago, while traveling through Grafton, my nose picked up the very distinct smell of Hickory and pork. It didn't take long before I found the Atlas BBQ sign, located right in the heart of downtown. Just a few blocks away from the Ozaukee trail. It took a few months, but we stopped in for lunch just yesterday. The first measure of a true BBQ joint for me are simple questions. Do the folks really understand the 'soul' of 'Q? Can they speak the language? Do they really know what barbecue is? The staff at Atlas should be proud. Not only did they know what a Memphis style pulled pork was, they also offered several sauces, including one I have never experienced! A vinegar based North Carolina sauce that really made my pulled pork sammie a work of art! (Not that it needed ANY sauce, the pork by itself was great!) The bartender answered every question expertly, from the type of smoker (Ole Hickory) to the different temperature requirements between chicken and brisket. I felt as though the food must have been prepared by a pitmaster with a 50 year background. I was sure there would be a cragged old man, poking at the hickory and tending to the Boston butts. So to sum it up, if you're looking for real good authentic 'Q, head a few miles up the road to Grafton, and take your bike to ride of the calories on the trail, because they make their own dessert as well!!!
(5)
Megan N.

This place is off my list for good. Everything I've had is DRY DRY DRY! I can't believe they get such good reviews. The service is always slow, the meat is always dry and the sides are are always cold.
(1)
Todd D.

Have ordered take-out twice from them. I tried the fried pickles and brisket sandwich the first time, the chopped salad and brisket sandwich the second time. My first experience was very positive--the order taker on the phone explained their sauces to me, and I was so excited to have brisket I was overcome with meat-tastic happiness. Their brisket was outstanding, and I really like deep friend pickle chips and was pleased to see them on the menu. For the second trip, I was less happy with the service. The order taker was much less familiar with the menu, and never asked about sauce. When I got there, it was obvious the hostess took my phone order. She was quite young, so okay, everyone starts a jobs sometime, I'm over it. The brisket was again outstanding. Just the right amount of fat left behind, the flavor was fantastic and it was fall-apart tender. The chopped salad--meh. It was worth a try, and the dressing was spicy mustard, but the cabbage content was so high it was difficult to chew. If you're going here for the salad....well this is a BBQ place. Consider your life choices. The meat, on the other hand, is worth the effort to go here. I wouldn't hesitate to come back. If you're ordering take out, think about timing your pick up. The fries and sandwich buns begin to get a little soggy, the shelf life is limited. Arrive a little early and be there when it comes out of the kitchen--you'll be glad you did.
(3)
Tammy F.

Hands down our favorite restaurant in Ozaukee County! The food is always amazing, I don't think we've ever had a 'meh' dish here!! Here is what we usually order: brisket sandwich, pulled pork or chicken sandwich, reuben, burnt ends, chicken wings, nachos, kids mac and cheese, French fries, baked beans, dessert. The kids meals are great because they include a choice of side dish, drink and dessert and they are $6-7. All of this is always hands down amazing. The food there is literally addictive. The barbecue sauces are awesome. We have even ordered catered food, (like a bunch of food to take home and feed a group) and it was very well done. Our guests enjoyed it. It's a very clean restaurant with friendly service. The service is attentive and prompt. I would eat there every day if I could ;)
(5)
Chad C.

Great place! Nice interior with delicious food. I wish it was closer to my home! The burnt ends were delicious. I had one bad piece that was just WAY too fatty, but that was just one out of 8 or so that I ate. I'd get those again in a heartbeat. Another highlight was the macaroni and cheese. I wasn't expecting this to be that great, but boy was I pleasantly surprised. Great creamy texture and flavor. I also loved the brussel sprouts. Low-lights? The wings tasted great but were not cut and therefore very difficult to eat. I wouldn't get them again just based on how difficult they were to eat, but that bleu cheese that accompanied them sure was tasty. If you don't mind the trouble and mess, I recommend these. Another low-light is the Atlas vinegar slaw. It was bland and flavorless - probably the worst thing I ate. Not terrible by any means... it just paled in comparison to everything else. The dessert menu looked incredible, but we were just too full. I'm glad my sister bought a house in Cedarburg, because I have a new BBQ place in the area to visit over and over again.
(4)
Dan B.

Hmmm, seems like I always have to preface my BBQ reviews with "I'm from Texas so...." I'm from Texas so my view of BBQ is slightly biased but I try to remain impartial. BBQ had a nice rub but not much crust/bark. Must be using commercial smokers because there wasn't a lot of smokiness imparted to the meat. Pork ribs were tender and stripped off the bone cleanly. Brisket...Hmmmm, if you're gonna cut a slice like that it better be moist and tender. I even asked for a cut off the point to ensure it would be moist....but I don't think they distinguish between the point/flap. This is probably more of a Texas thing where we choose between one cut or another. Several sauces to choose from...KC was a favorite. Sides were A-OK.
(3)
Mishell C.

It's ok ... But I don't get the fuss over the Mac and cheese . The ribs are good but I am From Texas so Q is our thing and it's hard to beat . The grill cheese however is a different story. ..... I will be talking about that hit gooey mess for a while
(3)
Lucas E.

Awesome BBQ and a great crowd. Located in downtown Grafton, parking is easy and almost always available. My wife and I have been coming from Germantown since we discovered this gem. Plenty of beers on tap or bottle. My favorite is the pulled pork and chipotle potato salad for a side.
(5)
Chris P.

Best bbq pork tacos I have ever had!!! Quick service and great price! Great atmosphere.
(5)
Heidi H.

Super friendly and helpful waitstaff. It's hard to choose what to order off the menu (everything looks so good), but the servers are very knowledgable and can guide you to suit your tastes. There are several sauces to choose from, tableside, and the staff can help you pair them with your menu item (North, South, East, West sauces all have a geography tie-in and background). Our favorites: fried pickles, rotisserie chicken and baby back ribs. Don't forget the brussel sprouts and mac & cheese when you choose your sides. Also note, I called the restaurant this week and had a few questions about their amazing Burbon collection. Dave took my call and was able to answer all of my questions. I'm not sure if he was the owner, a manager or a server; but he was so kind, and took time to find out where to buy an amazing, hard-to-find burbon (Blanton's Single Barrel) - You can tell they really care about their customers.
(5)
Wendy S.

We are regulars at Atlas because it is one of few places we can go to and get consistency: in food, service and beverages. Last night was no exception! Let's start beverages. There are two beverages that are my favorites at Atlas: Diet Dr. Pepper ON TAP (haven't seen that since traveling to San Antonio!) and the New Glarus Two Women Lager. Yummy! We always order the burnt ends, and coming from someone who doesn't even really care for BBQ sauce of any kind, they are always moist and tasty. We ordered the St. Louis Ribs with corn bread and mac & cheese; one of us always orders this when we visit. The corn bread is to die for and honestly would order it as both of our sides if we didn't also love the mac & cheese so much; the meat has always fallen right off the bones. I decided to order the special: Asian Tacos with Pulled Pork Ham and Pineapple Salsa. I was a little leery when ordering this because I'm not the kind of person who normally mixes my fruit with any kind of meat, but I was game to try something new. Am I glad I did! The pork was moist and seasoned just right and the pineapple salsa was a nice compliment to the tacos. As usual, we had to turn down dessert because we were full - the portions never disappoint! We will definitely be back to Atlas again and again and again. It's nice to walk into a restaurant and be known by name; it definitely is one of the reasons we keep going back!
(5)
Manisha W.

We are new to Grafton, and finally went here since we've heard so many good things about this place. It did live up to it! Great service, one of the best we've seen in awhile. May be it was just our server :) The Mac and cheese side was something really good to remember topped with bacon... Nice choice of sauces on the table. Branding on the bottles was just great. Good food, and good place to grab some dinner.
(4)
Neme C.

Went there-great service-food was good -but very small portions for what they charge!!
(4)
Brett W.

Awesome place, great envirnment
(5)
Yeti M.

We have been here several times. I am a HUGE BBQ enthusiast, and have pretty high expectations. I will say up front my experiences at Atlas have been a mixed bag, but I have found things I reeealy like on the menu and I now stick with them and enjoy my visits. I also think they have been improving. So lets get the negatives (things I didn't like) out of the way. The burnt ends appetizer... They didn't lie. They were burnt and not very enjoyable when I had them(and three others in my party agreed). I prefer sweeter sauces, and theirs are all pretty spicy (and very thin). I know this is totally personal, but with four sauces on the table one of them should be a little bit sweet. I now bring my own. Now on to the good ! The ribs were pretty good, nice and smoky and meaty. My personal favorite is the brisket sandwich. I had this just yesterday again, and it seems to get better every time. I wouldn't normally pick a pretzel roll, but the ones Atlas serves are sublime. I think I keep coming back for the rolls as much as anything else. The seasoned fries are very good (and not my first choice normally). The corn bread is very good, The salads have been top notch, and can make a very good meal by themselves (with a side of corn bread !). The Chicken Nacho's are really good. We have gotten an order of these every time we have been there, and they too seem to get better every time. I have had the fish there also which was excellent Service has always been very good, and seems better every time we go there. It seems like every time we go there we make at least two special requests for something different than it is on the menu, and this is always cheerfully received and the orders always come out the way we asked for. My first trip to Atlas, I would have probably given them two and a half stars. But as I have gotten to know the menu, I feel it is a solid four for me. I am sorry I didn't write down the name of the woman who took care of us yesterday, because the service was really top notch.
(4)
peter k.

Dined at Atlas multiple times. Restaurant is clean, sauces are decent. Actual meats that we've had there range from mediocre to decent. If you live far enough north that dining in Milwaukee is inconvenient (saukville?) - this place offers serviceable bbq and isn't a bad option. For people who live closer to Milwaukee, there are much better options available in the city. Last time we were there, my wife had the world's chewiest brisket sandwich. When she popped off the top piece of bread, she found that ALL of the meat was sliced the wrong way (with the grain, not against). This was very disappointing. Making a decent piece of brisket and then letting someone ruin it by cutting it the wrong way seems criminal! Emailed the restaurant to let them know about our experience -- no response from them after two weeks. To a non-bbq enthusiast, our complaint might sound petty - but if you are into bbq- you know that cutting brisket the wrong way is a sin!!.
(2)
Nicole H.

BBQ is good and there are very tasty sides! A giant bonus is the local beer selection!
(4)
Lotty D.

I come here all the time and it has never been less than 5 stars. We always sit at the bar so Adam can take care of us. Great service, and even better food! I personally believe the portions are perfect. I am completely stuffed after the sandwiches. A few nights ago my boyfriend and I split the full rack of St. Louis ribs. We were completely full and we could barely finish them. The ribs were excellent and had a ton of meat on them. Also, I enjoy that the owner or manager (which ever, I'm not sure) go around to tables once in awhile to make sure everything is up to standard. I highly recommend Atlas BBQ!
(5)
Rob D.

Finally got back to Atlas and I have to say. Excellent. Service was perfect!!! The food was great. I thought the FF now are literally best in Ozaukee Cty! Seems like the place has really stepped it up since the last time I was there. I had the BBQ nachos and those were really good. I would say maybe add some BBQ beans to it?? Might dress it a tad more. Still not a fan of the sauces, but overall worth the drive and easily the best restaurant in Grafton. Food tastes fresh and the feel inside is good.
(5)
Steve S.

Amazing food. Had great service. We'll be back for certain.
(5)
Eve K.

Ok BBQ spot with a variety of sauces and great fried pickles. Food: 3, atmosphere: 2, service: 3 Cost to worth it rating: 3 Return worthiness: maybe Highlights: - Fried pickles: typically you find these in thick spear wedges or pickle chips, so I enjoyed this hybrid of thinner cut long strips. I also appreciated the uneven crispy breading with a touch of sweetness as you can tell they are homemade vs from a frozen bag - Wi cobb salad: loved the blue cheese crumble and bits of cheddar cheese combo. Avocado was a nice touch as well and great topped with the pulled pork. - Sauce variety: liked the variety offering 5 from different areas of the country. Bonus for even having one with an Asian twist similar to a Korean bulgolgi sauce. My favorite was a mixture of the Texas one (tomato but black peppery) and the X (habanero mango). - Kid-friendly: had crayons and a paper placement with a pig on it for the kids menu and gave us a small bowl of fruit to start Midlights: - Mac and cheese: well-cooked spiraly noodles in a creamy sauce. Liked the crunch of the breadcrumbs but would've been cool for them to be browned and have a little more bacon. Solid side dish, but the main reason it's not a highlight is because of the name. Mac and cheese lends itself to a particular cheesy flavor and texture, but this was more like an alfredo. - Meat flavor: they depend a lot on the sauces, as on their own I tasted both the pork and brisket and though they were tender, the seasoning was lacking. - Burnt ends: dig the concept but were drowning in too much sauce. - Atmosphere: nothing special and a bit devoid of personality Lowlights: - No banana cream pie: it's listed on the online menu, but not the actual one when you get there and is my hub's favorite - Bourbon cocktail: a lemonade concoction and a good pour of bourbon, but too sweet for my taste Not bad and I liked some of the items, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come back.
(3)
Barbara B.

This place is excellent! We had the fried chicken and ribs which were out of this world. The service was outstanding - Justin and Emma were right there whenever we needed them. If you want great food and service this is the place for you,
(5)
Miguel W.

Ok, this place rocks. I've been here 4-5 times now and have had excellent food and service on each visit. The thing that I really like about this place is that they do everything quite well, which is rare for a BBQ place in these parts. Some do brisket well, but their ribs aren't good. Some do ribs well, but their shoulder is dry or boring. Some do shoulder well, but they don't know how to cook a brisket. This place does them all well and their sauces are terrific as well including the fantastic sauce that accompanies their French fries! Keep up the great work Atlas! I'll be in whenever I'm in the area....
(5)
Peter C.

Great to see a BBQ place in the North Shore area that offers up some good food and beer. They added a 5th sauce as of the last time I went back - X for Xtra Hot that is my new favorite. You have to try all of them to make the right decision for what you are eating that day. I have got the pulled pork, Nachos, beef brisket, and mac and cheese - all are AMAZING. I would highly suggest getting the Mac & Cheese as your side and it won't disappoint. The service is a little slower at busy times and they don't take reservations so make sure you get there early or plan on waiting around for a table - it gets packed quick. As an avid beer drinker their tap selection is always rotating and always has the Kentucky Bourban Ale, which is good every now and then to match up with the BBQ.
(4)
Danielle I.

excellent black bean burger but only vegetarian options available. The in house sauces seemed pretty good from my limited experience. I do pity the lack of vegatarien food so little can go far. Would be near impossible to hold a dinner party with a mix of meat eaters, and vegetarians. No vegan stuff sorry. Over all it was about what i expected. Right above chain restaurants so not quite the best in town.
(3)
Jeri P.

This was top notch. The service was absolutely excellent. Olivia is, by far, the best server in WI. She immediately brought something for my son to munch on with the menus which as any parent knows, is super important. She made suggestions, explained their sauces, educated us about the smokers, and never let out drinks go empty. The manager made sure to ask us how we were and how our experience was. The food was so good I immediately was looking forward to the next time I'd be able to go back.
(5)
Lola L.

The food was a little better than average. The fries need to lose the seasoning salt, or it should be optional. Too much! The cole slaw is excellent. The BBQ is good, not the best I've had. Very clean restaurant. I would go again, but not with such high expectations. Good for kids!
(4)
Adam D.

Very happy with this place. They have great food, great service, and a great environment. I feel like it's rare to find a place where everyone is so passionate about the menu. They also have a great selection of higher quality beers. Try this place one time and get the brisket sandwich. It's a game changer.
(5)
Kevin P.

I've eaten here many times and it's always really good. I've enjoyed the burnt ends, the wings, the chili, but the true STICK OUTS are the beef brisket and the baby back ribs!! Perfectly smoked, tender, and delectable. My gauge for a good BBQ joint is always if the meat(s) can stand on their own and don't need sauce....Atlas stands tall and proud in this category. Who needs sauce when the meat is this good?!
(4)
Melanie C.

Compared to Kansas City, St. Louis and Memphis, I've honestly been spoiled... This place just didn't compare. Not even top 10 of my favorites. Ordered the split combo with brisket and St. Louis ribs, both were overcooked to the point that the bone on the ribs were soft, and instead of the meat cleanly breaking away from the bone it was stuck and had to be forcefully freed.
(1)
Adam W.

The food is great, best BBQ. Try the pulled pork sandwich, the coleslaw is a great touch
(5)
Jessica S.

Slow and low - that's how great barbecue is achieved. ... I think. I'll very sadly admit that preeeeetty much all I know about 'cue has come from the Food Network, Travel Channel, and when I went to see the Body World's exhibit. That was an accident. I swear to God, I thought the twelfth specimen was hors d'oeuvres. Anyway, I realise most "bbq" I've had doesn't conform to the traditional definition to which die-hard barbecue competitors -- those smokey-smellin' fanatics who build their own smokers out of old iron drums and name their fire breathing beast something like "Big, Black, and Nasty" -- hold as Scripture; so maybe keep that in mind as you continue reading. Or don't. Whatever. I violated my cardinal rule about visiting a new restaurant for the first time: we we went after 6:00pm on a Saturday and didn't have reservations. Not only that, but it was a holiday weekend coinciding with Harley Davidson's 110th anniversary. There's no reason why our visit should have been so pleasant. My manlove and I got our names on the waiting list (45 minutes, we were warned) and approached the nearing-capacity bar. As we stood behind occupied bar stools squinting hopelessly at the tap beers, one of the gentlemen seated nearest me noticed our arrival. "Guys! Drink up! This lady needs a seat!" he mirthfully shouted to his two buddies, and none of them would take "no" for an answer. While I thanked them, one of the other two guys mentioned he was an employee and was more than happy to make room for guests. That's good juju, man. Good juju. Before we could begin to drink our beers (his: Bell's Oberon, mine: Point's 2012), the hostess said our patio table was ready. ... Hot damn, this was shaping up fine indeedy. Their burnt ends were a must. And I didn't mean to shout my order at our dear server when she came asking what we'd like for an appetizer, but I know that's what I must've sounded like. I was just really excited to get my first taste of barbecue's cream of the crop. Served with one of their signature, ooey-gooey barbecue sauces, these charred brisket morsels are technically trimmings that have received repeated tasty baste action through out the smoking process. And ohhhhhhhhhhh Lord, sweet sweet Lord, they were crazy good. My first bite made time stand still. The fat melted, the caramelized bark yielded just begrudgingly, and everything felt right in the world. So ... why three stars? Here goes ... The pulled pork on my sandwich (entree) was dry despite their "South" (vinegar-based) sauce poured on top, unflavorful, and the portion was fairly chintzy. I tried adding more of their "West" sauce, a slightly spicy "Texas" style sauce featured with their burnt ends during my previous moment of Nirvana, and the pork was still ... blah. It breaks my heart to say this! While I was excited to have their cole slaw as part of the sandwich, I found it included numerous chunks of celery and what I thought were pickled peppers. Those are a couple of things I didn't want in my cole slaw, on top of my pulled pork sandwich. I wanted to love it so much but ... I just couldn't. While I consoled myself with a side of their honey bacon brussels sprouts (LITTLE ROASTED, GREEN BUNDLES OF AMAZEBALLS, THEY WAS!), my boyfriend was valiantly plowing his way through their featured dinner special, the Hog Burger: a half-pound burger topped with bacon, cheddar, and meat pulled from their ribs. I didn't get a chance to try it until six hours later, when it had officially become cold leftovers eaten from a to-go box, but even then it left me seeing stars. After one bite, it felt like the Patron Saint of burgers, St Fatty McFlavor, had just dropped the tastiest nuclear bomb on my taste buds. Though I'm giving Atlas three out of five stars because of my pulled pork problem, please understand that I was otherwise impressed with everything else. Of extra EXTRA special note, the bottles of homemade barbecue sauce brought to our table were spotless. -- Have you ever grabbed a bottle of ketchup/mustard/barbecue/angel tears in a restaurant only to find it sticky or slippery? Removing the greasy cap reveals a desiccated crust of old sauce around the bottle's mouth? Attention to seemingly negligible details such as these says to me that the people running this restaurant have their priorities straight. By the end of our meals the sun had set, the fountain was singing in an invigorating blue light (well done, Grafton city planners!), and the Harley riders were continuing their ruthless parade up and down Green Bay Road (12th Ave). I was still heart-broken about my pulled pork sammich, but I was so otherwise pleased with the Atlas dining experience that I knew I would be back. I KNOW they can make a better pulled pork sandwich than what I had. Plus, I still don't know the name of their smoker.
(3)
Courtney H.

Delcious, all orders come with a side of cajun fries, soo good. Six different BBQ sauces on the table lets you cater you meal to your liking. Very good!
(4)
Stephanie R.

I wasn't sure what to expect when walking in to Atlas for the first time. On a weekday late lunch time the restaurant was fairly busy. The location was at one time an upscale restaurant, so no pseudo shack here. I was excited to find that everything on the menu is homemade except for the bread. Yes, even the pickles, the sauerkraut, and they smoke tomatoes for soup. I opened the menu and the grilled pork & cheese leapt out at me, and I couldn't get past it. Pulled pork, blue cheese and caramelized onions on toasted sourdough bread, for a reasonable $7.95. The bleu cheese used will definitely make Wisconsin proud. The pork was tender and wonderfully smoky and could easily stand on its own without sauce, but I had to try all of the sauces: the North is a tomato-based, Memphis-style sauce; the East is a Korean BBQ-style sauce; the South, a Carolina-style vinegar with cayenne and Tabasco and the West, a Texas-style sauce with a bit of spice. I loved the vinegar. The fries were sprinkled with some BBQ rub, a nice touch. For dessert, they even had key lime pie and coconut cream pie to offer, but we managed to show some restraint and will save desserts for another visit. Our server at the bar was great and had apparent passion for BBQ and for the restaurant.
(4)
Amanda S.

Amazing food! Amazing service! We have even brought in large groups of 10 or more and we still get great food and service. Love the grilled pork and cheese, baby back ribs are great and the pulled pork and chicken have great smoked flavor! Just like bbq should taste! Plus their bbq sauces are made in house....delicious!
(5)
Sarah C.

My mother-in-law suggested this place because the buzz on the street is that it's great. Being the hipster that I am, I usually dismiss comments like this, but boy, am I glad it was her choice as to where we went! For a place this new--they are sure doing it right; I certainly hope this trend continues! Our merger party of three ordered far too much food--but even as I write this with a full belly, I look forward to tearing into some leftovers. We got: the Buffalo Wings and Fried Pickles as an appetizer, the St Louis ribs platter, the pulled chicken and beef brisket combo platter and the pulled pork platter. For sides: the mac and cheese, potato salad, coleslaw, and cornbread. You can truly tell that the food is made fresh. Ate at the restaurant, so everything was piping hot when it was brought to the table. Atmosphere is nice in the restaurant, not too busy with the decor, but also not too plain. Sad I live out of town so I can't visit more often, but it will be a nice treat whoever I'm there!
(5)
Daniel Dtm S.

The best Burnt Ends ever! Great prices, lots of parking, and very nice happy hour. Our bartender gave us a great description of all their homemade BBQ sauces. I recommend trying all of them. My sis drove me here from DT Milwaukee it's worth the drive.
(5)
Nick S.

I really like me some BBQ and this place was not all that bad. I like their sauce selection. East, West, North, and South. East was my favorite, alongside their X brand. I got the pulled pork and beef brisket, with mac n cheese and corn bread. I feel like the portion size was good and the pricing was where it should be. I would recommend this place for the area.
(4)
Joe O.

Went here for lunch on Monday. I got the st Louis ribs platter. Food came out fast and service was good. I loved the ribs and the cornbread was amazing! My family enjoyed their entrees as well. This is a great place to go for a quick lunch and they even take to go orders which is perfect for lunch breaks at work I definitely will be back
(5)
Dan B.

I gave Atlas BBQ a second shot sunday. My first visit I had the St Louis ribs and it was terrible, tasted like left overs. This time I tried the so called pile high pork sandwich. I could only eat half and tossed the rest. I ordered cream corn as a side dish a received corn from a bag with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. It definitely was not cream corn. Needless to say, I will not be returning. A waste of time and money.
(1)
P M.

First off, we should all realize that this place is NEW. Anyone that wants to see the best a place has to offer should stop now and come back 90 days in. That being said, these guys are exceeding what anyone should expect from a brand new place. The business is so hard to begin with, small margins, turnover, backwards economics from suppliers to the table, we should all be grateful that this team has chosen to take on opening a clean, all house-made (hate the neon glow of chains), affordable restaurant. We need more places like this. I encourage you all to give it a try now, again in a week or so and before the year turns they will be firing on all cylinders. The Good: They have nailed their brisket and their smoked 1/2 chicken. Great char and seasoning on the brisket, just enough marbling, and smoked just enough. The meat gets very tender, takes on that pink tinge and has a great flavor profile. The chicken will make you forever forget about those grocery store rotisserie chickens. The skin gets tight and crisp, both white and dark meat stay juicy and the smokiness permeates the meat in a "just enough" way. Their four different sauces are quite admirable. I would like to see a spicier option than their west. Perhaps, as the owner is part Japanese, they would consider using wasabi to spike a sauce rather than the obligatory habanero or chipotle. None the less they are all different, house made and high quality. Side dishes are all very good. The best of the best, the mac and cheese (nice, subtle touch of truffle oil) the creamed corn (not cooked to a mush) potato salad (picnic style) corn bread (see the other posts, its the bomb) and the fries (not many left in this size of a place taking the time to hand cut and make a quality fritte). Deserts were good. We had the banana cream and the French Silk pies. Both had great crusts. I imagine f they put their minds to it they will be able to do some appropriate, in season fruit cobblers and crisps as well. Service was good. This end of the North Shore does not have a huge labor pool for hospitality, none the less, they are doing a good job selecting eager and enthusiastic servers, bartenders and managers. I was really impressed to hear that the owner was giving an orientation to some new employees in the back room. Most individually owned places are "here's your apron, bring some pens, and can you pick up a shift Saturday night". Nice work taking the time to ensure your team is on the right page. Wine list is just ok, and it should be. Its a BBQ joint, not a bistro. That being said, the beer list is very good. Some nice craft, drafts, Miller Lite as needed in MKE, WI (or you run the risk of a revolt) and a better than average bottle selection. One last shout out for Diet DR P on the gun. Anyone smart enough to pay this subtle homage to BBQ's southern roots get an extra point in my book. All in all I think this place can do really well. It needs local, current support and before long they have the chance to take off and draw some customers from a wider circle. Once that happens they might be a tough seat to get. Best of luck, keep up the good work.
(4)
James M.

Sat down at the bar and was greeted by a wonderful bartender, she took our order and brought back the drinks nice quick. We took a pub table near the bar. The young lady that was our server stopped by promptly only to tell us she would be right back. 10 minutes later she showed up. To me it appeared that she was very inexperienced at waitressing. Being that they have only been open a few weeks I gotta give her a play on the slow service. Hopefully she catches on soon. Once our order was in everything went smoother. We got our appetizer without much delay. But, the deep fried pickles we ordered were very greasy and the pickles did not stick to the batter. The pickles would literally slide out of the batter(maybe it was the grease?). Our server failed to set us up with silverware. The dinner items arrived at an appropriate time after the appetizer. But, or waitress didn't bring us one of the wooden boxes that holds the bbq sauces, salt/pepper, etc etc. Nor did she provide a steak knife for my friends ribeye steak. I also had to ask for my side of corn bread (it was very very Brown, not yellow like corn bread should be). The waitress also had to be asked for a serving of the honey butter to accompany the corn bread she didn't bring until asked. Now, onto the entrees. I got the trinity combo platter. It was delicious. I chose baby back ribs, brisket, and pulled bbq chicken. My two sides were the corn bread mentioned above and macaroni and cheese. The ribs had such a nice bark on them that I will order a rack next time I go there. The brisket was so tender and really not too fatty that I was jealous because I can't make a good brisket at home. The chicken had just enough smoke to it as to not be over powered by it. My friend had the ribeye and she said it was wonderful. With it she had not burnt corn bread and Atlas fries with the atlas mayo. So in a nutshell the food was awesome and the service needs some help. I'm sure that the girl we had was just intimidated by the criowd coming in the door. When we arrived at 4:30 the place was relatively calm with only a few people at the bar and 5-7 tables full. By the time we left, people were two deep waiting at the bar for a table. Good job Atlas BBQ! I want to see you there for a long time. You are a fresh face in the area and I think it is just what was needed. Chain restaurants don't cut it with me so I root for local business any time I can.
(3)
Margaret R.

Best damn BBQ in the area! We came during their "soft opening" and loved the food so much we have come back already even though we live near downtown Milwaukee. Definitely worth the drive! Ambiance is nice and casual, staff is VERY friendly and eager to please. Menu has a unique variety of BBQ items, but approachable. I like that they have a couple vegetarian options to appeal to more folks. Prices are reasonable and you get a fair amount of food for what you pay for. Alright, let's get to the good stuff - THE FOOD! Seriously, I cannot say how happy I am to have finally found an awesome BBQ joint. Ribs? So good. Pulled pork? Smokey and moist and to die for. Brisket? Heavenly. Fried chicken? True Southern breading and delish! We also tried the Reuben and liked it too. The fries are sooo good, seasoned well and served with a tasty sauce. And I swear I'd lick the bowl clean from the baked beans if no one was looking! My hubbie loves the creamed corn, but it wasn't my thing since there are onions in it. The mac 'n cheese is pretty good too. The cornbread is moist and flavorful, but again, this is one my hubbie loved more than me. (It is a more coarse crumb and I don't care for that type of cornbread, but it WAS very moist, so that's a win in my book.) And I have never tried a fried pickle that I liked until now! O.M.G., sooo good here! I was hesitant to try them, but so happy I did since it might be my favorite appetizer! I found out afterwards that they make their own pickles and boy, are they awesome! The sauces are simple, yet tasty and honestly - not even needed since the BBQ is so flavorful. The only disappointment was dessert. The variety of pies is nice, but I thought they were just ok and not nearly as impressive as the rest of the food. I think the Chocolate Silk or the Chocolate Chunk Pecan were the best out of the bunch we tried. I almost forgot to mention that my husband really liked the beer selection, especially one of the drafts they have on tap from Sheboygan. Love to see the local support! I have left both times stuffed, with leftovers to take home and dreaming of the next time I'll be able to taste some more smokey deliciousness...
(5)
Kevin R.

First of all, it is important to note that this restaurant is still in its soft opening period - their grand opening isn't until next week. This will color my review a bit... The bottom line is that this place is very promising. The decor is similar to what the previous restaurant had (Paramount) but a little more casual and homey. The color palate is similar and is very attractive. They have built a rather large bar on the one side of the restaurant. All in all, the decor is "sophisticated casual" to my eyes. This is a BBQ place however, it is really all about the food, so let's go there. Overall, it was good. They are still working on a few menu items but my wife and I thought it was good. My wife had their beef brisket Reuben - a tasty spin on a classic. I had their pulled pork plate. Honestly, the pork was a little dry but it did have a good taste - adequate smoke, decent bark and overall was acceptable. We tried several sides too - their creamed corn is really good and has a unique flavor. Their mac and cheese was good as well, and their hand cut fries were very tasty and properly seasoned. We also tried their key lime pie dessert. It was homemade and tasty, although it was a bit pricey for the size of the piece. Their sauces were fairly typical of BBQ joints. They have a couple of different tomato based sauces and a Carolina (vinegar based) one too. They do have this one unique sauce - their Korean BBQ sauce. It is a soy sauce based concoction and I really liked it. All of their sauces were decent, so I had no real complaint there. Service was good, although it showed the typical problems that are inherent with a soft opening. A few delays, and few minor issues, but perfectly acceptable. The owner was walking around and following up with everyone. He seems like a really nice guy that genuinely cares for the customer experience. The place is family friendly. They have a great kids meal - choice of meal, side, drink and ice cream for $5.25. They even brought buckets of new Crayola crayons with huge placemats to color. Check and check! The bar has a wide selection of beers, wines and liquor, and I thought their tap beer selections were above average. Bar prices were typical of the area. The food pricing is also about average for the area. Sandwiches are about $8-10, entrees are $12-20, desserts are $5-6... Our dinner for a sandwich, entree, 2 large beers, 2 kids meals and 1 dessert came to $55 with tax. All in all, this place has real promise. Even though I had a few issues, I am going to give it a 4 for right now since it is still their soft open. If it was an established restaurant, and based on the one visit, I would give it about a 3.5, but I think this place really could come into its own here. The area desperately needs more restaurants and I hope this one does well. I am spoiled on BBQ since I travel to Kansas City so often that I regularly get some of the best BBQ in the world. While this place isn't there yet, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to go back, and who knows - it just might turn into something special!
(4)
Patricia U.

Started off with an order of fried pickles, the pickles were delicious, however the Alabama white dipping sauce was watery like dipping into milk. When I asked our server about the consistency of the sauce, she said it was normally watery because of the vinegar used to make it, I'm not a fan of dipping a batter fried appetizer into something that makes it soggy. Ordered two entrees, I had the beef brisket with sides of brussels sprouts and baked beans, my husband ordered the half chicken with sides of mac & cheese and coleslaw. Both the brisket and chicken lacked smoke flavor and the chicken had an odd texture. The brussels sprouts were amazing and the baked beans were good. My husband said the mac & cheese was just okay and wasn't a fan of the coleslaw with it's vinegar base. We tried all five sauces, especially liked the North for taste and consistency, the X was good for heat. The sauces seemed watered down, unlikely to return.
(3)
Doug D.

Best place in ozaukee county. Pork nachos are amazing. The beef brisket sandwich is awesome. Service is good, restaurant is clean, and it's all made there. This is a must go to if in Ozaukee.
(5)
Brian P.

Awesome experience. For a busy Friday night, the service was incredibly fast, the food was excellent ( I highly recommend a combo platter so you can try and little bit of everything), and the beer selection was real nice. I had brisket, St.Louis style ribs, mac and cheese (incredible!) and baked beans that happened to have bacon in them (F-yeah!). Ozaukee County has long needed a great BBQ place to call their own, and it appears that it has finally arrived in Grafton.
(5)
Leah W.

Horrible! We went at 5pm on Friday - was not busy at all. Service was all but ok - the staff was more concerned about their social hour back by the kitchen and trying new drinks with the bartenders. The food - sub par. The best dish was the deep friend pickles, oh and our sides were good too. Baby back ribs were dry/tough and not served at proper temperature - luke warmish. Same with the brisket and the burnt ends. The burnt ends had some fatty/chewy pieces and other pieces that were like leather. We were so looking forward to this place. The pricing would be reasonable if the food was good. We didn't even have a chance to express to our server because not once did she ask how our meal was!
(1)
Joe I.

As I love authentic BBQ, I was so excited about trying Atlas. I was very disappointed. Although the meat was good and smokey, the sauces were subpar - from bad to mediocre. My wife and I joke (sort of) that next time we'll bring a bottle if Sweet Baby Ray's with us. The owners need to research recipes and come up with better sauces. For anyone who knows what real BBQ is like, they will be disappointed.
(2)
Chase H.

The shrimp plate needs help, $13.00 for 6 small shrimp. That's not right, & the waiter just said, that's just how it is. The thing is I've spent about $ 500.00 there and that's what happened. ~ you lost my money & I ain't afraid to spend it.
(2)
Vas K.

We've eaten here at lease 5-6 times and have tried numerous items. I love their food, although when I got the ribs I felt they were a bit dry. Their burger is great, the loaded grilled cheese is perfect, they have some of the best pulled pork in the area. They have a fantastic selection of beers on tap, I hope that never changes. Service has been a bit spotty but average overall.
(4)
Jason G.

Lost of gluten free options and sauces to choose from. Everything was delicious and reasonable prices. Large beer selection.
(5)
T.J. M.

Great brisket sandwich and fries! Dipping sauce with fries was awesome. Great selection of beers too! Highly recommend!
(5)
Mike S.

Solid 4 stars and holding after many visits. The staff is responsive and friendly, the food is consistently good and served hot, beers stay cold and filled, and their sauces are a good representation of the regional varieties of BBQ. Go with confidence.
(4)
Alan E.

I will first say that I was skeptical going in. Being a transplanted Texan I had little hope of them doing it right. But to my amazement they have it dialed in and are trying to do authentic BBQ. We first ordered the fried pickle's and burnt ends. If they are there order them! The burnt ends were meaty and full of smokey goodness! Just what you would ask for. I ha the three meat plate to try everything and the brisket had a good smoke ring and was pretty tender. The ribs were fall off the bone and again good smoke ring. They still need to get more seasoning on the smoker but with time that will come. Over all, the service was great( it was packed). But the food had the true smokey flavor that it should. The best compliment I can give is the meat does not need any sauce! Hope his helps and I will be back. Cheers!
(4)
Hungry H.

Place was killer!!! Great Beef Brisket Reuben, perfectly smoked BBQ!!! Wet Sauce was served on the side which I like because I'm not a huge wet sauce guy. Really good sandwich, can't wait to go back!!!
(5)
Doreen D.

Stopped in on a busy Saturday night and were pleasantly surprised. We had been searching for a place for dinner and this was just what we had hoped for. First off - it smelled like a barbeque place. The real deal. We sat at the bar and the bartenders were attentive. The beers on tap were good but I also tried the bloody Mary after they had given me one of the barbeque jerkys to try. It was good - but one of the few non-homemade things, they used a Bloody Mary mix instead of making their own. My only disappointment. I had the slider appetizer in order to try the three meats. All were excellent. My partner had the St. Louis style ribs with sides of french fries and cole slaw. Again, he was impressed, and he's usually pretty picky. Next time we're in Grafton, we will definitely head back here.
(4)
J J.

We need more good restaurants in the Cedarburg/Grafton area - so excited to have a good BBQ place now! Have been there twice now. There were some 'bumps' - but they are a new place, it's understandable. I hope the quality and care remains high. Will be back regularly!
(4)
Perry W.

Great service, very friendly and attentive. The meats were excellent, we had both the pulled pork and brisket. Best side was the mac and cheese. Good selection of draft beer served in proper glassware. Clean and comfortable environment. Only downside was a slightly slow kitchen and some of the sides like the cornbread were a bit dried out. I am sure they will work through these kinks, we will be back!
(4)
John W.

So thrilled that great bbq is now in Ozaukee county. Nice beer selection. My wife had pulled pork sandwich and great homemade slaw. I had beef brisket Reuben. Nice and smokey and nice sauce choices. Side of creamed corn was good but not great. Looking forward to trying more on the menu. Good service and loved the fact the host warned us the kitchen was backed up--giving us the choice to wait. We only waited 15 minutes so not bad at all for a brand new restaurant. Service was friendly and they did nice job on decor. Will definitely be back for more.
(4)
Kari A.

Great BBQ, helpful and attentive staff, nice atmosphere. We are from Chicago and stopped on our way home from Door County. We tried the slider trio so we could get a sampling of different meats. They were all delicious! We also had the cole slaw, fries, and mac n cheese....all great. Their sauces are all good and well thought out. Finally, as a parent of a young child, I appreciated the children's menu and fresh fruit. I really wish we had this good of BBQ in Chicago!
(5)
Brian K.

Enjoyed a lunch here today. Some pros and some cons. The meats were cooked perfectly and taste great. The fries are good and the ranch is amazing. The atmosphere was great and the server was very polite. The only downfall that i found was the bbq sauces. I don't know where these recipes came from but you can put them back. That is the only thing keeping this place from easily being that place in Grafton people want to go eat at everytime. Fix the sauces and this place is a 5 star all day every day.
(4)
Kellee C.

I really wanted to love everything, but sadly I did not. We arrived at 7pm on Friday and were quoted a 90+ minute wait. We waited only about 60 minutes. I ordered the burnt ends and was told they were sold out of burnt ends, AND ribs. So I settled on a pulled pork sandwich and my dining partner ordered the brisket platter. We ordered fried pickles for an appetizer; they were quite good. We liked the lighter tempura-like batter and loved how the thick the pickles were. The sauce with the pickles had a nice subtle flavor. What seemed like an excessive amount of time passed when we finally received our meals. It was obvious my sandwich had been sitting for quite for a while. The flavors of the sandwich were good, but the bottom bun fell apart as soon as I picked it up. It was a mushy mess. The fries that came with the sandwich were old, and had been seasoned excessively (I had seen them go out to other tables and there was not even half the amount of seasoning that I had). I liked that they used a dry rub to season them, there was just entirely too much of it. The brisket was also good. The creamed corn was very good, although it was really just corn with cheese and not true creamed corn. The mac and cheese was above average. The corn bread was dry and clearly overcooked (burnt), although the sweet butter was a nice compliment. The service started out wonderful, but declined greatly once our meals arrived. They were delivered by another server and the next time we saw our server was when he dropped the check ... before we had even finished eating. We were going to order dessert, but after waiting 30 minutes for the server to return, we decided we were no longer interested. In all our meal was good - average overall. We plan to return, but will wait a few months until they work out some of the kinks.
(3)
Marlys S.

Great restaurant. Very friendly, professional service. The Cuban sandwich was amazing. Our 2-1/2 year old pronounced the Mac and Cheese "yummy." The wine list is respectable for a BBQ restaurant. Prices reasonable. The fries were average, but the sandwich was so huge, we didn't eat many anyway. No reservations on the weekend, but you call ahead to put your name on the waiting list.
(4)
Sandy F.

They had a Chinese New Year special menu which I thought was interesting and creative. The bbq eg rolls were good. Then I got a pulled pork sandwich and it was just OK. The service was fine and the place was packed at lunch.
(3)
Dave S.

I don't like long reviews. So here goes. Damn Good! From out of town and came with my cousin. Good spices and good smoke. It's meat heaven. Have fun drooling.
(5)
R B.

Tried this place twice now. Although its a BBQ place they do a mean home made veggi burger, the bun was warm and had just the right amount of buttery crunch. The place itself is really nice too, large for a Grafton eatery with undoubtedly the prettiest restrooms - complete with chandeliers. A great find I am looking forward to a third visit!
(5)
Becky S.

I'm glad to see a new restaurant open in Grafton - the options are seriously lacking. I've been here once for lunch and once for dinner. I got the pulled pork sandwich both times and I have to say it's very good. It definitely needs sauce which is not a problem because this place has several homemade bbq sauces that are delicious. I did catch a few fatty pieces that I didn't want to eat, but overall it's really good and you really can't go wrong with a warm pretzel bun. My brother-in-law had the ribs and he said they WERE NOT GOOD. This was unfortunate to hear since this is what they are all about! I plan to go back, but I will stay away from the ribs.
(3)
Tom M.

This place does BBQ right! Their Wings are a full wing and are super awesome. I douse them in the Southern sauce and drown them with some of the many local beers on tap. I also like their fried chicken and ribs. I've never left thinking I should have gotten more food or that it wasn't as good as I had expected. Paired w good service it's quickly became one of my favorite places.
(5)
Brian W.

Finally got to try Atlas BBQ. I stopped in for a take-out order, the staff was super friendly and the atmosphere was great. For take-out you order from the bartender, since this was my first time there , I had a few questions and the bartender was very helpful. They have two menus to order from; their standard restaurant menu and a call in menu where you can order the meats by the pound, I ordered by the pound. They have a fine selection of sauces(5), and they are all very tasty, I had a hard time choosing just which four I wanted. I can't say which is my favorite because they are all very good. I ordered the Brisket, pork, cole slaw and cornbread, it definitely satisfied the three of us! The meats had a wonderful smokey flavor and the smoke ring on the Brisket was perfect. My only complaint is the price, a little high in my book, it is very good quality food, but I have had comparable BBQ for a little less $. Overall, I highly recommend Atlas BBQ, I will surely be going back.
(4)
Nora B.

Wanted to try the new place so called to order take out only to be told they don't do take out over the phone. Went in and sat at the bar to order take out. Order was slow but the bartender was great. Got the order and drove 5 min home. When opened the food was not warm anymore. The ribs were OK, the sauce was better. Partner like the pulled pork sandwich. I would not do carry out again but partner is home bound so will not be back.
(3)
Nathan W.

I've had dinner at Atlas 4 times since they opened and cannot wait to go back. I have tried all of their bbq meats and most of the sides and have found everything to be perfection. I do have to say that the St. Louis ribs are my favorite, they have a good bark on the outside with a nice smoke ring and the meat is fall off the bone tender, there is absolutely no sauce needed with these. As for the sauces, I haven't yet decided which one is my favorite, but I enjoy all of them. I like to switch it up and have a different sauce with each bite. The burnt ends are an amazing appetizer, but I would have to say that the fried pickles are my favorite. Prices were very reasonable for the quality and quantity of food you get, you can really tell that everything is made from scratch and isn't just some frozen food services product. Beer selection is good, although I prefer to keep it simple and have a tall boy of Old Style with my bbq. The other menu item that was a complete surprise to me was the smoked tomato soup, I am a huge fan of tomato soups and this one does not dissapoint (very smokey!). We have brought our two young children with us a couple times now and have had fantastic experiences with them, they automatically get a fresh fruit cup as soon as they sit down, this helps to keep them occupied until the other food arrives. Service has always been fantastic and I have not had to wait long for a table. Great atmosphere. I can't wait to go back and try some of the other menu items. As far as suggestions to improve things, I would love to see smoked sausage and fried okra on the menu and maybe some banana pudding for dessert.
(5)
Andrew D.

Love, love, love the BBQ... My previous post was left wanting with the marginal service, but our recent visits show it has improved. I doubt people update their reviews with positive remarks, but I am upping the STARS as service is on the up swing. Quick comment to owners - Why are you charging $.35 for extra tiny cups of Atlas sauce at a BBQ place? I could dump the entire contents of a 16oz BBQ bottle on the table into my BBQ and no one would say anything (except a look of disgust from my wife) yet a tiny cup of Atlas Sauce is going to cost extra. Feels like scrapping for pennies and is just an irritant. Load up the Atlas sauce, its a game changer for your restaurant. Start bottling it and put it in large containers on the table. Definitely worth its place among the others. Despite that comment - keep up the good work on the BBQ!
(4)
Mj B.

Stop looking and eat here! Everything except the ketchup(which of course is Heinz) is completely homemade, including the 5 delicious BBQ sauces that are bottled daily! Ask for Jimmy, because he's not only attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable, but he'll also weave a descriptive tale of the Kardashians to help you differentiate the sauces. Charming! We had the burnt ends, fried pickles (pickles are also homemade), pork BBQ nachos, Baby got Mac (Mac and Cheese with baby back ribs mixed in), and a two-meat plate with the brisket, links (also homemade and pretty spicy), Atlas fries, and cornbread. Amongst heated debate we learned that everyone had a different favorite dish, but we all agreed everything was very good. We even bought the Asian BBQ sauce (EAST) to take home. Did I mention things are all homemade? And Grafton also gets mad props for being adorable and a true slice of American goodness!
(4)
PJ C.

Stopped for a quick light lunch and had an excellent meal. The brisket Reuben was very tasty as was the bbq poutine. Would love to come back with more time and a bigger appetite. Sampled the sauces and many were very good. Server was super friendly. Next time we are back in town visiting relatives we will stop.
(4)
Hilary B.

Delicious meal! Not far off 43. Easy to get to. Parking not an issue for us as we were after any lunch rush might have happened, but did look like it might be limited otherwise. Brisket Sandwhich was top notch. Mac and cheese side on point. Star of the meal was the burnt bits brisket appetizer for me. Wowza good. Our service was good and was timely but again it was not at a busy time as some of the other reviewers noted. It's a cute little downtown and a nice break off the highway.
(5)
Jessica H.

I'm a huge fan of the atlas burger made at this resteraunt. So good! The atlas bbq is located where the old paramount used to be in Grafton. Parking can be tricky when the downtown is bustling with other activity as they have no private parking. The resteraunt features, booths, tables and a bar. We always ask to be seated in a booth and enjoy the table top bbq sauces that they offer to add to whatever you order. My husband has had several dishes here, and liked all but one. I always choose the atlas burger and always want more of the Dipping sauce they add for the fries. It's a bbq flavored masterpiece. The servers have always been nice and friendly and the place smells like a bbq smoker from down south- hard to leave it smells so good. You won't be disappointed with the atmosphere or food. Casual and tasty.
(4)
Erin M.

This place has such solid eats. Thank you Atlas for bringing some charm and some genuinely good cuisine to Grafton. Grafton can sometimes remind me of concrete, corporate america playground, so it truly is refreshing. I hope this placce is around for years to come. I've been here a few times and have never let down, by anything. The beer selection is great. So important with BBQ. I am OBSESSED with the BBQ chicken nachos from here. Homeade chips, homeade cheese (with some spices) and some great BBQ chicken. The only thing I need to ask for sometimes is more cheese, and that's becausse I really love it so much. And its only ~8 dollars. Such a great price. I was there yesterday drinking a beer and catching up on some homework (I had a craving for the nachos) and they told me they had a special: BBQ chicken Mac and Cheese. They transofrmed my favorite dish on the menu into the best macaroni and cheese evaaaaaaaa. And this mac and cheese was not lacking in the cheese department. It was really yum. The one complaint I've heard was when we took my brother there. He ordered BBQ plate with 3 types of meat and was disppointed with the size. When I looked at it, I couldnt help but agree. I think he liked everything on it, but was expecting sommore meat for the price. Other than that, I find the place extremely resonable with beer prices, app prices, and sandwich prices.
(4)
David B.

The best meal in months a fabulous server , Elsie. The Hot links rock and the sides were perfect. Lakefront Beer and handmade desert . hurry and eat here you won't be disappointed
(5)
Ryan B.

Good compared to other food in Grafton.
(2)
Krishna A.

I love their habenero pepper bbq sauce! The ribs were quite good. I prefered the baby back Vs their st lous ribs. The service is superb. The hostess, the waitress, they were all very nice. Grafton - this is how America used to be - a city full of nice people.. Very little crime..
(5)
Celeste L.

Good food and customer service I got the Atlas BBQ and came without fries. Great selection of BBQ sauces. Worth it!
(5)
William R.

Got the Rib sandwich special....and feels like I had a Wendy's moment....where's the beef. What I did have tasted fine but for the cost it definitely wasn't worth it. The side of beans was warm..could've been hotter. Maybe I'll skip this place next time.
(3)
Naomi C.

Excellent food and excellent service. We had the Hercules dish with a side of bbq beans and brussels sprouts. I normally hate brussel sprouts, but I liked these. I loved all the bbq meats they gave us, ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and chicken. The sauces were very good, my favorite was the West sauce. Add to all that a top notch waitress and it was a great experience I would recommend and definitely go back.
(5)
Jim M.

I'm really downgrading this place, and it's not because of slow service, and needing to ask for water, but the quality of the food. The brisket has become extremely fatty, and the sandwiches must be prepared by a16yo McDonald's dropout. Had a Cuban, and all the stoned ground mustard was on one side of the sandwich under the meat, pickles were on the other, and some yellow mustard was squirted on a corner of the top bun. Now granted this is what we've come accustomed to when you go at arbys and dairy queen, but then again, they don't charge nearly $11 for a sandwich. Similar to the fast food restaurants, Atlas has gone to relying on an oversized bun with very little meat. Not going to last long like this. Heads need to roll or they'll be locking the doors for good...
(2)
Todd N.

The food is of good quality, however the service not so much. Last time there was an extremely long wait and this time the check was incorrect twice. The waitress not attentive at all. There were a couple minor food items that were not correct, but fixed. Maybe the waitress was new or having an off night. It is unlikely that I will be back because of poor service.
(3)
Ann G.

We stopped for a late dinner. Everything was great. Good service and delicious food. I had the smoked tomato soup, which was really good and unique. Also had the burnt ends. Kids enjoyed .50 wing night (Thursday) and my husband had pulled pork and cheese (with bleu cheese and onions) and very yummy fries. We tried most of the BBQ sauces. My favorite sauce was East. My son loved North. Nice atmosphere and super clean.
(5)
Sherri T.

Visited this place based off a recommendation while on a business trip. While the atmosphere was a little odd to me, the bar area was great. The food and beer selection was great. Our bartender recommended menu items and we we ordered what he told us. Everything was really good. The smoked chicken wings are crisp and hSd the right amount of smoke flavor. I bookmarked this place for future visits, Word of warning the do not take American Express,
(4)
Yelp R.

Nice staff, felt very welcomed. I ordered the brisket with fries. The fries were heavily seasoned but everything was delicious. Tasted like a true BBQ. Nothing lacked flavor, and the bread held up the sauce and remained crispy. The meat was nicely seasoned too and had a good ratio of fat on there. And all their sauce is homemade! Nice variety to choose from. I also had a bloody mary, which was another good choice. If youre hungry, eat here.
(4)
J W.

Cute place. Great food, variety of sauces. Pretty good service after a short wait to start. Get the burnt ends. Portions are big. Side of slaw was enormous. We could have shared one among 2-3 people. We will be back next time we're in the area.
(4)
Abby K.

Beef brisket was smokey, tender and quite flavorful, the baby back ribs were nicely caramelized, smokey and delicious. The mac n cheese was one of the best I've had. It was creamy and had pieces of pancetta in it. Loved the corn bread with honey butter but was a little turned off when I realized the waitress charged me for an additional portion of butter especially with the tiny bit that came with the large chunk of bread. They have many sauces like 6 to choose from, we didn't like any of them, I mixed 2 flavor together and that was tolerable. Thank goodness the meat was good enough on its own or we would have been disappointed. Over all the experiences was good. Portions could stand to be a little larger for the price, but I understand good meat is expensive and will treat myself again sometime.
(4)
David S.

Been here twice now. Food was very good each time. Service was slow, maybe hire another waited, but other than that it was great.
(5)
Kyle B.

The service was horrible. We got there and it took at least 15 minutes to get our drinks and water. It is now going on 45 minutes and we are still sitting here without any food. In addition, she has not checked back with us. This is completely unacceptable. This is the second time the service has been subpar.
(1)
Rick R.

I was in Grafton on business and finished my meeting toward the end of the standard lunch hour. I was starving. I heard about Atlas and asked a co-worker how close they were located to the office. He invited himself along and we were on our way. I asked the server when the meats were smoked. If they smoked the day before, they'd likely be dried out and I would not order the BBQ. She said the smoke the meats overnight, so I was probably better off getting them at lunch than at dinner. I always order the smoked beef brisket as my gauge to the quality of the BBQ establishment. I also like ribs. Atlas offers a build-your-own platter option which includes choices of St Louis or Baby Back ribs. I decided on baby back ribs and beef brisket, along with house cut fries and mac-n-cheese. I also ordered a side of cornbread. The ribs were okay. I didn't think they were as meaty as I expected them to be but they weren't dry, so that was a plus. The meat also did not fall of the bone, which properly cooked BBQ meat should not do. These were done right. The brisket really surprised me. It was one of the most moist and tender briskets I've had locally without being too fatty. I was anxious to know how they did it, but I doubt they'd tell me that secret. Most places can't pull off smoked brisket that moist. The mac-n-cheese was creamy and had a slight cajun spiciness to it. It was topped with crispy baked bread crumbs. Well done on the mac-n-cheese, Atlas. The house cut fries also surprised me. They were crisp and topped with a house made seasoning blend (I presume - it could have been Lawry's I guess) that brought a delicious flavor. I was really expecting boring fries, but these fries rocked! What did disappoint was the cornbread. As soon as it was served, I was skeptical. It was too brown. I gave it a try anyway and sure enough, it was dry. It had a good "cornbread" flavor, but it was dense and dry. No amount of butter would save it. The server, who was awesome by the way, offered to bring us different cornbread, but we were done with our meal and ready to settle up. She was kind enough to have the cornbread removed since it was obvious, we barely touched it. I don't put sauce on smoked BBQ, but I did want to try the 6 sauces they offer, so I took small pieces of meat and put a drop of sauce on the pieces to try them all. I liked 5 of the 6 sauces. They range from tangy to spicy. I was pleased with my first visit to Atlas and I want to go back for dinner sometime to see if they served moist BBQ meats at night too, or if it dries out like I think it will.
(4)
Steve C.

Amazing bbq!! Great drink selection. Great atmosphere and plenty of seating. Pulled pork and pulled chicken were outstanding. Potato salad was fantastic to top it off. Highly recommend!!
(5)
Harriet T.

Full disclosure: I am from the south and from Memphis so barbecue has to be incredibly good... I got the brisket which had good flavor, but was extremely fatty. I liked having a choice of six different kinds of sauce. That was nice. I have never been to a restaurant with cornbread considered as a side item-interesting. Mac n cheese was okay... If I was in the area, I might go back, but I definitely would not make a special trip.
(3)
Shane B.

This review will be short and sweet. It was wonderful! My girlfriend had the salmon and I had their pulled pork. We were able to enjoy their patio on on a lazy day of relaxing. Our server was spectacular and understood our substitutions/needs (my girlfriend does not like food touching and requested separate plates). There was no complaint or issue, just great service. The pulled pork was tender and flavorful and the choices of bbq sauces at the table were perfectly complimentary. The Salmon was perfectly medium rare and the sauce a perfect compliment. The mac n cheese side was also wonderful in flavor and is offered as an entrÃ©e as well. We will definitely go back and we are glad to have found another little gem.
(5)
Emily K.

Holy crap. We stopped at Atlas on our way up to Green Bay and we were totally blown away. Everything was so, so good. The sauces themselves were a bit thin, but the flavors were there. The meats were awesome. Great smoke ring, super tender. Awesome. Another place that is far from home that I'll be dreaming off...
(5)
David W.

Overrated. You can get better BBQ at Dickeys or Famous Dave's for much cheaper. Portions were small for the price and nothing had enough smoke flavor. Everything was so dry so you have to use plenty of sauce to make it taste good. St Louis Style Ribs were dry and lacking in flavor. Brisket was very dry. There was no juiciness or elasticity in the meat. The fat layer didn't render into the meat and was just a layer of fat on top of the dry stringy brisket. Smoked Chicken Wings were the saving grace to the meal. They were small but tender and flavorful. Mac and Cheese was decent but a little bit gritty. Needed to be creamier. Brussels Sprouts were ok. Kinda one note on flavor. Overall, meh... Wouldn't go out of my way to eat here.
(2)
Aubrey G.

First visit here for us on an early Saturday night (7/6/2013) about 5:30 PM. We decided to sit at the bar, even though there were tables available. Ordering cocktails, we were a bit disappointed right off the bat as bartender "Pat" first poured our straight-up requests into a thimble of a jigger before pouring it into a glass without even a dribble more. Oh well, this is a BBQ restaurant and the reason why we came; not for cocktails, but Atlas pimps itself as a "Bourbon" spot too, so, there is our conundrum. We ordered brisket tips (without the "West BBQ sauce") and a full order of spare ribs (Kansas Style). Both the ribs and the brisket were excellent..... the brisket, exceedingly so. The ribs, though nicely smoked with a bit of a char, were a bit on the dry side. Having said that, one certainly does not have to add BBQ sauce to either of these items; they taste just wonderful without BBQ sauce, of which they have four. We tried them all....they were all very good. In summary, the BBQ is good old-fashioned slow smoked BBQ; not sure I have had it anywhere else in WI, so this is the place to come if you like that style. We had four sides: Mac and Cheese, cole slaw, potato salad and corn bread; all outstanding. As I stated, the bar and the bar menu reflects the fact that Bourbon whiskey is a priority here, however, the twelve or so brands listed are your everyday, well stocked cocktail bar brands and nothing really unusual. That, coupled with the diminutive pours with small jigger measuring cups (and not a drop more), does not make this place a Bourbon lover's destination. Service was outstanding at the bar by both Pam and Adam. Both of these folks were upbeat, friendly and informative about the food, drink and general restaurant questions we had. True ambassadors for the restaurant and assets to the business. We definitely want to come back and try some of the other BBQ items on the menu. Looking at the plates of food being served to others, we know we won't be disappointed.
(4)
M P.

Went here the other night with the family. The place was very clean and open. Staff were friendly. The food was good but nothing special. We ordered the Hercule platter which was huge! We wanted to sample all of their meats. To me it was rather dry but my husband and kids enjoyed it. One of my favorite sides were the seasoned fries and Brussels sprouts. Overall we like the food but service can improve because our food took a good 35 minutes to come out and we didn't even order much and to make it worse there were only 2 other tables there. We will be back to try the other items on the menu.
(3)
Kurtis K.

I travel for a living and have seldom come across bbq as good as this. Complete win right hear. As real as bbq gets, 5 sauces at the table. All representing different regions of the country. Had 4 of the 6eats all cooked just about perfect. This place is a must go for bbq adventurers. Hit it up.
(5)
Ron R.

Holy cow that's good 'Q!! Moving up here from Illinois, I thought my BBQ days were over. Sure, we can get a rack of baked ribs from just about any supper club. But to get real, down home, smoked barbecue? Nearly improbable I say. Well, some time ago, while traveling through Grafton, my nose picked up the very distinct smell of Hickory and pork. It didn't take long before I found the Atlas BBQ sign, located right in the heart of downtown. Just a few blocks away from the Ozaukee trail. It took a few months, but we stopped in for lunch just yesterday. The first measure of a true BBQ joint for me are simple questions. Do the folks really understand the 'soul' of 'Q? Can they speak the language? Do they really know what barbecue is? The staff at Atlas should be proud. Not only did they know what a Memphis style pulled pork was, they also offered several sauces, including one I have never experienced! A vinegar based North Carolina sauce that really made my pulled pork sammie a work of art! (Not that it needed ANY sauce, the pork by itself was great!) The bartender answered every question expertly, from the type of smoker (Ole Hickory) to the different temperature requirements between chicken and brisket. I felt as though the food must have been prepared by a pitmaster with a 50 year background. I was sure there would be a cragged old man, poking at the hickory and tending to the Boston butts. So to sum it up, if you're looking for real good authentic 'Q, head a few miles up the road to Grafton, and take your bike to ride of the calories on the trail, because they make their own dessert as well!!!
(5)
Megan N.

This place is off my list for good. Everything I've had is DRY DRY DRY! I can't believe they get such good reviews. The service is always slow, the meat is always dry and the sides are are always cold.
(1)
Todd D.

Have ordered take-out twice from them. I tried the fried pickles and brisket sandwich the first time, the chopped salad and brisket sandwich the second time. My first experience was very positive--the order taker on the phone explained their sauces to me, and I was so excited to have brisket I was overcome with meat-tastic happiness. Their brisket was outstanding, and I really like deep friend pickle chips and was pleased to see them on the menu. For the second trip, I was less happy with the service. The order taker was much less familiar with the menu, and never asked about sauce. When I got there, it was obvious the hostess took my phone order. She was quite young, so okay, everyone starts a jobs sometime, I'm over it. The brisket was again outstanding. Just the right amount of fat left behind, the flavor was fantastic and it was fall-apart tender. The chopped salad--meh. It was worth a try, and the dressing was spicy mustard, but the cabbage content was so high it was difficult to chew. If you're going here for the salad....well this is a BBQ place. Consider your life choices. The meat, on the other hand, is worth the effort to go here. I wouldn't hesitate to come back. If you're ordering take out, think about timing your pick up. The fries and sandwich buns begin to get a little soggy, the shelf life is limited. Arrive a little early and be there when it comes out of the kitchen--you'll be glad you did.
(3)
Adam W.

The food is great, best BBQ. Try the pulled pork sandwich, the coleslaw is a great touch
(5)
Jessica S.

Slow and low - that's how great barbecue is achieved. ... I think. I'll very sadly admit that preeeeetty much all I know about 'cue has come from the Food Network, Travel Channel, and when I went to see the Body World's exhibit. That was an accident. I swear to God, I thought the twelfth specimen was hors d'oeuvres. Anyway, I realise most "bbq" I've had doesn't conform to the traditional definition to which die-hard barbecue competitors -- those smokey-smellin' fanatics who build their own smokers out of old iron drums and name their fire breathing beast something like "Big, Black, and Nasty" -- hold as Scripture; so maybe keep that in mind as you continue reading. Or don't. Whatever. I violated my cardinal rule about visiting a new restaurant for the first time: we we went after 6:00pm on a Saturday and didn't have reservations. Not only that, but it was a holiday weekend coinciding with Harley Davidson's 110th anniversary. There's no reason why our visit should have been so pleasant. My manlove and I got our names on the waiting list (45 minutes, we were warned) and approached the nearing-capacity bar. As we stood behind occupied bar stools squinting hopelessly at the tap beers, one of the gentlemen seated nearest me noticed our arrival. "Guys! Drink up! This lady needs a seat!" he mirthfully shouted to his two buddies, and none of them would take "no" for an answer. While I thanked them, one of the other two guys mentioned he was an employee and was more than happy to make room for guests. That's good juju, man. Good juju. Before we could begin to drink our beers (his: Bell's Oberon, mine: Point's 2012), the hostess said our patio table was ready. ... Hot damn, this was shaping up fine indeedy. Their burnt ends were a must. And I didn't mean to shout my order at our dear server when she came asking what we'd like for an appetizer, but I know that's what I must've sounded like. I was just really excited to get my first taste of barbecue's cream of the crop. Served with one of their signature, ooey-gooey barbecue sauces, these charred brisket morsels are technically trimmings that have received repeated tasty baste action through out the smoking process. And ohhhhhhhhhhh Lord, sweet sweet Lord, they were crazy good. My first bite made time stand still. The fat melted, the caramelized bark yielded just begrudgingly, and everything felt right in the world. So ... why three stars? Here goes ... The pulled pork on my sandwich (entree) was dry despite their "South" (vinegar-based) sauce poured on top, unflavorful, and the portion was fairly chintzy. I tried adding more of their "West" sauce, a slightly spicy "Texas" style sauce featured with their burnt ends during my previous moment of Nirvana, and the pork was still ... blah. It breaks my heart to say this! While I was excited to have their cole slaw as part of the sandwich, I found it included numerous chunks of celery and what I thought were pickled peppers. Those are a couple of things I didn't want in my cole slaw, on top of my pulled pork sandwich. I wanted to love it so much but ... I just couldn't. While I consoled myself with a side of their honey bacon brussels sprouts (LITTLE ROASTED, GREEN BUNDLES OF AMAZEBALLS, THEY WAS!), my boyfriend was valiantly plowing his way through their featured dinner special, the Hog Burger: a half-pound burger topped with bacon, cheddar, and meat pulled from their ribs. I didn't get a chance to try it until six hours later, when it had officially become cold leftovers eaten from a to-go box, but even then it left me seeing stars. After one bite, it felt like the Patron Saint of burgers, St Fatty McFlavor, had just dropped the tastiest nuclear bomb on my taste buds. Though I'm giving Atlas three out of five stars because of my pulled pork problem, please understand that I was otherwise impressed with everything else. Of extra EXTRA special note, the bottles of homemade barbecue sauce brought to our table were spotless. -- Have you ever grabbed a bottle of ketchup/mustard/barbecue/angel tears in a restaurant only to find it sticky or slippery? Removing the greasy cap reveals a desiccated crust of old sauce around the bottle's mouth? Attention to seemingly negligible details such as these says to me that the people running this restaurant have their priorities straight. By the end of our meals the sun had set, the fountain was singing in an invigorating blue light (well done, Grafton city planners!), and the Harley riders were continuing their ruthless parade up and down Green Bay Road (12th Ave). I was still heart-broken about my pulled pork sammich, but I was so otherwise pleased with the Atlas dining experience that I knew I would be back. I KNOW they can make a better pulled pork sandwich than what I had. Plus, I still don't know the name of their smoker.
(3)
Jessica H.

I'm a huge fan of the atlas burger made at this resteraunt. So good! The atlas bbq is located where the old paramount used to be in Grafton. Parking can be tricky when the downtown is bustling with other activity as they have no private parking. The resteraunt features, booths, tables and a bar. We always ask to be seated in a booth and enjoy the table top bbq sauces that they offer to add to whatever you order. My husband has had several dishes here, and liked all but one. I always choose the atlas burger and always want more of the Dipping sauce they add for the fries. It's a bbq flavored masterpiece. The servers have always been nice and friendly and the place smells like a bbq smoker from down south- hard to leave it smells so good. You won't be disappointed with the atmosphere or food. Casual and tasty.
(4)
Erin M.

This place has such solid eats. Thank you Atlas for bringing some charm and some genuinely good cuisine to Grafton. Grafton can sometimes remind me of concrete, corporate america playground, so it truly is refreshing. I hope this placce is around for years to come. I've been here a few times and have never let down, by anything. The beer selection is great. So important with BBQ. I am OBSESSED with the BBQ chicken nachos from here. Homeade chips, homeade cheese (with some spices) and some great BBQ chicken. The only thing I need to ask for sometimes is more cheese, and that's becausse I really love it so much. And its only ~8 dollars. Such a great price. I was there yesterday drinking a beer and catching up on some homework (I had a craving for the nachos) and they told me they had a special: BBQ chicken Mac and Cheese. They transofrmed my favorite dish on the menu into the best macaroni and cheese evaaaaaaaa. And this mac and cheese was not lacking in the cheese department. It was really yum. The one complaint I've heard was when we took my brother there. He ordered BBQ plate with 3 types of meat and was disppointed with the size. When I looked at it, I couldnt help but agree. I think he liked everything on it, but was expecting sommore meat for the price. Other than that, I find the place extremely resonable with beer prices, app prices, and sandwich prices.
(4)
David B.

The best meal in months a fabulous server , Elsie. The Hot links rock and the sides were perfect. Lakefront Beer and handmade desert . hurry and eat here you won't be disappointed
(5)
Hilary B.

Delicious meal! Not far off 43. Easy to get to. Parking not an issue for us as we were after any lunch rush might have happened, but did look like it might be limited otherwise. Brisket Sandwhich was top notch. Mac and cheese side on point. Star of the meal was the burnt bits brisket appetizer for me. Wowza good. Our service was good and was timely but again it was not at a busy time as some of the other reviewers noted. It's a cute little downtown and a nice break off the highway.
(5)
Ryan B.

Good compared to other food in Grafton.
(2)
Krishna A.

I love their habenero pepper bbq sauce! The ribs were quite good. I prefered the baby back Vs their st lous ribs. The service is superb. The hostess, the waitress, they were all very nice. Grafton - this is how America used to be - a city full of nice people.. Very little crime..
(5)
Andrew D.

Love, love, love the BBQ... My previous post was left wanting with the marginal service, but our recent visits show it has improved. I doubt people update their reviews with positive remarks, but I am upping the STARS as service is on the up swing. Quick comment to owners - Why are you charging $.35 for extra tiny cups of Atlas sauce at a BBQ place? I could dump the entire contents of a 16oz BBQ bottle on the table into my BBQ and no one would say anything (except a look of disgust from my wife) yet a tiny cup of Atlas Sauce is going to cost extra. Feels like scrapping for pennies and is just an irritant. Load up the Atlas sauce, its a game changer for your restaurant. Start bottling it and put it in large containers on the table. Definitely worth its place among the others. Despite that comment - keep up the good work on the BBQ!
(4)
Mj B.

Stop looking and eat here! Everything except the ketchup(which of course is Heinz) is completely homemade, including the 5 delicious BBQ sauces that are bottled daily! Ask for Jimmy, because he's not only attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable, but he'll also weave a descriptive tale of the Kardashians to help you differentiate the sauces. Charming! We had the burnt ends, fried pickles (pickles are also homemade), pork BBQ nachos, Baby got Mac (Mac and Cheese with baby back ribs mixed in), and a two-meat plate with the brisket, links (also homemade and pretty spicy), Atlas fries, and cornbread. Amongst heated debate we learned that everyone had a different favorite dish, but we all agreed everything was very good. We even bought the Asian BBQ sauce (EAST) to take home. Did I mention things are all homemade? And Grafton also gets mad props for being adorable and a true slice of American goodness!
(4)
PJ C.

Stopped for a quick light lunch and had an excellent meal. The brisket Reuben was very tasty as was the bbq poutine. Would love to come back with more time and a bigger appetite. Sampled the sauces and many were very good. Server was super friendly. Next time we are back in town visiting relatives we will stop.
(4)
Celeste L.

Good food and customer service I got the Atlas BBQ and came without fries. Great selection of BBQ sauces. Worth it!
(5)
William R.

Got the Rib sandwich special....and feels like I had a Wendy's moment....where's the beef. What I did have tasted fine but for the cost it definitely wasn't worth it. The side of beans was warm..could've been hotter. Maybe I'll skip this place next time.
(3)
Naomi C.

Excellent food and excellent service. We had the Hercules dish with a side of bbq beans and brussels sprouts. I normally hate brussel sprouts, but I liked these. I loved all the bbq meats they gave us, ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and chicken. The sauces were very good, my favorite was the West sauce. Add to all that a top notch waitress and it was a great experience I would recommend and definitely go back.
(5)
Jim M.

I'm really downgrading this place, and it's not because of slow service, and needing to ask for water, but the quality of the food. The brisket has become extremely fatty, and the sandwiches must be prepared by a16yo McDonald's dropout. Had a Cuban, and all the stoned ground mustard was on one side of the sandwich under the meat, pickles were on the other, and some yellow mustard was squirted on a corner of the top bun. Now granted this is what we've come accustomed to when you go at arbys and dairy queen, but then again, they don't charge nearly $11 for a sandwich. Similar to the fast food restaurants, Atlas has gone to relying on an oversized bun with very little meat. Not going to last long like this. Heads need to roll or they'll be locking the doors for good...
(2)
Todd N.

The food is of good quality, however the service not so much. Last time there was an extremely long wait and this time the check was incorrect twice. The waitress not attentive at all. There were a couple minor food items that were not correct, but fixed. Maybe the waitress was new or having an off night. It is unlikely that I will be back because of poor service.
(3)
Ann G.

We stopped for a late dinner. Everything was great. Good service and delicious food. I had the smoked tomato soup, which was really good and unique. Also had the burnt ends. Kids enjoyed .50 wing night (Thursday) and my husband had pulled pork and cheese (with bleu cheese and onions) and very yummy fries. We tried most of the BBQ sauces. My favorite sauce was East. My son loved North. Nice atmosphere and super clean.
(5)
Sherri T.

Visited this place based off a recommendation while on a business trip. While the atmosphere was a little odd to me, the bar area was great. The food and beer selection was great. Our bartender recommended menu items and we we ordered what he told us. Everything was really good. The smoked chicken wings are crisp and hSd the right amount of smoke flavor. I bookmarked this place for future visits, Word of warning the do not take American Express,
(4)
Yelp R.

Nice staff, felt very welcomed. I ordered the brisket with fries. The fries were heavily seasoned but everything was delicious. Tasted like a true BBQ. Nothing lacked flavor, and the bread held up the sauce and remained crispy. The meat was nicely seasoned too and had a good ratio of fat on there. And all their sauce is homemade! Nice variety to choose from. I also had a bloody mary, which was another good choice. If youre hungry, eat here.
(4)
J W.

Cute place. Great food, variety of sauces. Pretty good service after a short wait to start. Get the burnt ends. Portions are big. Side of slaw was enormous. We could have shared one among 2-3 people. We will be back next time we're in the area.
(4)
Abby K.

Beef brisket was smokey, tender and quite flavorful, the baby back ribs were nicely caramelized, smokey and delicious. The mac n cheese was one of the best I've had. It was creamy and had pieces of pancetta in it. Loved the corn bread with honey butter but was a little turned off when I realized the waitress charged me for an additional portion of butter especially with the tiny bit that came with the large chunk of bread. They have many sauces like 6 to choose from, we didn't like any of them, I mixed 2 flavor together and that was tolerable. Thank goodness the meat was good enough on its own or we would have been disappointed. Over all the experiences was good. Portions could stand to be a little larger for the price, but I understand good meat is expensive and will treat myself again sometime.
(4)
David S.

Been here twice now. Food was very good each time. Service was slow, maybe hire another waited, but other than that it was great.
(5)
Kyle B.

The service was horrible. We got there and it took at least 15 minutes to get our drinks and water. It is now going on 45 minutes and we are still sitting here without any food. In addition, she has not checked back with us. This is completely unacceptable. This is the second time the service has been subpar.
(1)
Shane B.

This review will be short and sweet. It was wonderful! My girlfriend had the salmon and I had their pulled pork. We were able to enjoy their patio on on a lazy day of relaxing. Our server was spectacular and understood our substitutions/needs (my girlfriend does not like food touching and requested separate plates). There was no complaint or issue, just great service. The pulled pork was tender and flavorful and the choices of bbq sauces at the table were perfectly complimentary. The Salmon was perfectly medium rare and the sauce a perfect compliment. The mac n cheese side was also wonderful in flavor and is offered as an entrÃ©e as well. We will definitely go back and we are glad to have found another little gem.
(5)
Emily K.

Holy crap. We stopped at Atlas on our way up to Green Bay and we were totally blown away. Everything was so, so good. The sauces themselves were a bit thin, but the flavors were there. The meats were awesome. Great smoke ring, super tender. Awesome. Another place that is far from home that I'll be dreaming off...
(5)
David W.

Overrated. You can get better BBQ at Dickeys or Famous Dave's for much cheaper. Portions were small for the price and nothing had enough smoke flavor. Everything was so dry so you have to use plenty of sauce to make it taste good. St Louis Style Ribs were dry and lacking in flavor. Brisket was very dry. There was no juiciness or elasticity in the meat. The fat layer didn't render into the meat and was just a layer of fat on top of the dry stringy brisket. Smoked Chicken Wings were the saving grace to the meal. They were small but tender and flavorful. Mac and Cheese was decent but a little bit gritty. Needed to be creamier. Brussels Sprouts were ok. Kinda one note on flavor. Overall, meh... Wouldn't go out of my way to eat here.
(2)
Rick R.

I was in Grafton on business and finished my meeting toward the end of the standard lunch hour. I was starving. I heard about Atlas and asked a co-worker how close they were located to the office. He invited himself along and we were on our way. I asked the server when the meats were smoked. If they smoked the day before, they'd likely be dried out and I would not order the BBQ. She said the smoke the meats overnight, so I was probably better off getting them at lunch than at dinner. I always order the smoked beef brisket as my gauge to the quality of the BBQ establishment. I also like ribs. Atlas offers a build-your-own platter option which includes choices of St Louis or Baby Back ribs. I decided on baby back ribs and beef brisket, along with house cut fries and mac-n-cheese. I also ordered a side of cornbread. The ribs were okay. I didn't think they were as meaty as I expected them to be but they weren't dry, so that was a plus. The meat also did not fall of the bone, which properly cooked BBQ meat should not do. These were done right. The brisket really surprised me. It was one of the most moist and tender briskets I've had locally without being too fatty. I was anxious to know how they did it, but I doubt they'd tell me that secret. Most places can't pull off smoked brisket that moist. The mac-n-cheese was creamy and had a slight cajun spiciness to it. It was topped with crispy baked bread crumbs. Well done on the mac-n-cheese, Atlas. The house cut fries also surprised me. They were crisp and topped with a house made seasoning blend (I presume - it could have been Lawry's I guess) that brought a delicious flavor. I was really expecting boring fries, but these fries rocked! What did disappoint was the cornbread. As soon as it was served, I was skeptical. It was too brown. I gave it a try anyway and sure enough, it was dry. It had a good "cornbread" flavor, but it was dense and dry. No amount of butter would save it. The server, who was awesome by the way, offered to bring us different cornbread, but we were done with our meal and ready to settle up. She was kind enough to have the cornbread removed since it was obvious, we barely touched it. I don't put sauce on smoked BBQ, but I did want to try the 6 sauces they offer, so I took small pieces of meat and put a drop of sauce on the pieces to try them all. I liked 5 of the 6 sauces. They range from tangy to spicy. I was pleased with my first visit to Atlas and I want to go back for dinner sometime to see if they served moist BBQ meats at night too, or if it dries out like I think it will.
(4)
Steve C.

Amazing bbq!! Great drink selection. Great atmosphere and plenty of seating. Pulled pork and pulled chicken were outstanding. Potato salad was fantastic to top it off. Highly recommend!!
(5)
Harriet T.

Full disclosure: I am from the south and from Memphis so barbecue has to be incredibly good... I got the brisket which had good flavor, but was extremely fatty. I liked having a choice of six different kinds of sauce. That was nice. I have never been to a restaurant with cornbread considered as a side item-interesting. Mac n cheese was okay... If I was in the area, I might go back, but I definitely would not make a special trip.
(3)
Aubrey G.

First visit here for us on an early Saturday night (7/6/2013) about 5:30 PM. We decided to sit at the bar, even though there were tables available. Ordering cocktails, we were a bit disappointed right off the bat as bartender "Pat" first poured our straight-up requests into a thimble of a jigger before pouring it into a glass without even a dribble more. Oh well, this is a BBQ restaurant and the reason why we came; not for cocktails, but Atlas pimps itself as a "Bourbon" spot too, so, there is our conundrum. We ordered brisket tips (without the "West BBQ sauce") and a full order of spare ribs (Kansas Style). Both the ribs and the brisket were excellent..... the brisket, exceedingly so. The ribs, though nicely smoked with a bit of a char, were a bit on the dry side. Having said that, one certainly does not have to add BBQ sauce to either of these items; they taste just wonderful without BBQ sauce, of which they have four. We tried them all....they were all very good. In summary, the BBQ is good old-fashioned slow smoked BBQ; not sure I have had it anywhere else in WI, so this is the place to come if you like that style. We had four sides: Mac and Cheese, cole slaw, potato salad and corn bread; all outstanding. As I stated, the bar and the bar menu reflects the fact that Bourbon whiskey is a priority here, however, the twelve or so brands listed are your everyday, well stocked cocktail bar brands and nothing really unusual. That, coupled with the diminutive pours with small jigger measuring cups (and not a drop more), does not make this place a Bourbon lover's destination. Service was outstanding at the bar by both Pam and Adam. Both of these folks were upbeat, friendly and informative about the food, drink and general restaurant questions we had. True ambassadors for the restaurant and assets to the business. We definitely want to come back and try some of the other BBQ items on the menu. Looking at the plates of food being served to others, we know we won't be disappointed.
(4)
M P.

Went here the other night with the family. The place was very clean and open. Staff were friendly. The food was good but nothing special. We ordered the Hercule platter which was huge! We wanted to sample all of their meats. To me it was rather dry but my husband and kids enjoyed it. One of my favorite sides were the seasoned fries and Brussels sprouts. Overall we like the food but service can improve because our food took a good 35 minutes to come out and we didn't even order much and to make it worse there were only 2 other tables there. We will be back to try the other items on the menu.
(3)
Kurtis K.

I travel for a living and have seldom come across bbq as good as this. Complete win right hear. As real as bbq gets, 5 sauces at the table. All representing different regions of the country. Had 4 of the 6eats all cooked just about perfect. This place is a must go for bbq adventurers. Hit it up.
(5)
Ron R.

Holy cow that's good 'Q!! Moving up here from Illinois, I thought my BBQ days were over. Sure, we can get a rack of baked ribs from just about any supper club. But to get real, down home, smoked barbecue? Nearly improbable I say. Well, some time ago, while traveling through Grafton, my nose picked up the very distinct smell of Hickory and pork. It didn't take long before I found the Atlas BBQ sign, located right in the heart of downtown. Just a few blocks away from the Ozaukee trail. It took a few months, but we stopped in for lunch just yesterday. The first measure of a true BBQ joint for me are simple questions. Do the folks really understand the 'soul' of 'Q? Can they speak the language? Do they really know what barbecue is? The staff at Atlas should be proud. Not only did they know what a Memphis style pulled pork was, they also offered several sauces, including one I have never experienced! A vinegar based North Carolina sauce that really made my pulled pork sammie a work of art! (Not that it needed ANY sauce, the pork by itself was great!) The bartender answered every question expertly, from the type of smoker (Ole Hickory) to the different temperature requirements between chicken and brisket. I felt as though the food must have been prepared by a pitmaster with a 50 year background. I was sure there would be a cragged old man, poking at the hickory and tending to the Boston butts. So to sum it up, if you're looking for real good authentic 'Q, head a few miles up the road to Grafton, and take your bike to ride of the calories on the trail, because they make their own dessert as well!!!
(5)
Megan N.

This place is off my list for good. Everything I've had is DRY DRY DRY! I can't believe they get such good reviews. The service is always slow, the meat is always dry and the sides are are always cold.
(1)
Todd D.

Have ordered take-out twice from them. I tried the fried pickles and brisket sandwich the first time, the chopped salad and brisket sandwich the second time. My first experience was very positive--the order taker on the phone explained their sauces to me, and I was so excited to have brisket I was overcome with meat-tastic happiness. Their brisket was outstanding, and I really like deep friend pickle chips and was pleased to see them on the menu. For the second trip, I was less happy with the service. The order taker was much less familiar with the menu, and never asked about sauce. When I got there, it was obvious the hostess took my phone order. She was quite young, so okay, everyone starts a jobs sometime, I'm over it. The brisket was again outstanding. Just the right amount of fat left behind, the flavor was fantastic and it was fall-apart tender. The chopped salad--meh. It was worth a try, and the dressing was spicy mustard, but the cabbage content was so high it was difficult to chew. If you're going here for the salad....well this is a BBQ place. Consider your life choices. The meat, on the other hand, is worth the effort to go here. I wouldn't hesitate to come back. If you're ordering take out, think about timing your pick up. The fries and sandwich buns begin to get a little soggy, the shelf life is limited. Arrive a little early and be there when it comes out of the kitchen--you'll be glad you did.
(3)
Tammy F.

Hands down our favorite restaurant in Ozaukee County! The food is always amazing, I don't think we've ever had a 'meh' dish here!! Here is what we usually order: brisket sandwich, pulled pork or chicken sandwich, reuben, burnt ends, chicken wings, nachos, kids mac and cheese, French fries, baked beans, dessert. The kids meals are great because they include a choice of side dish, drink and dessert and they are $6-7. All of this is always hands down amazing. The food there is literally addictive. The barbecue sauces are awesome. We have even ordered catered food, (like a bunch of food to take home and feed a group) and it was very well done. Our guests enjoyed it. It's a very clean restaurant with friendly service. The service is attentive and prompt. I would eat there every day if I could ;)
(5)
Chad C.

Great place! Nice interior with delicious food. I wish it was closer to my home! The burnt ends were delicious. I had one bad piece that was just WAY too fatty, but that was just one out of 8 or so that I ate. I'd get those again in a heartbeat. Another highlight was the macaroni and cheese. I wasn't expecting this to be that great, but boy was I pleasantly surprised. Great creamy texture and flavor. I also loved the brussel sprouts. Low-lights? The wings tasted great but were not cut and therefore very difficult to eat. I wouldn't get them again just based on how difficult they were to eat, but that bleu cheese that accompanied them sure was tasty. If you don't mind the trouble and mess, I recommend these. Another low-light is the Atlas vinegar slaw. It was bland and flavorless - probably the worst thing I ate. Not terrible by any means... it just paled in comparison to everything else. The dessert menu looked incredible, but we were just too full. I'm glad my sister bought a house in Cedarburg, because I have a new BBQ place in the area to visit over and over again.
(4)
Dan B.

Hmmm, seems like I always have to preface my BBQ reviews with "I'm from Texas so...." I'm from Texas so my view of BBQ is slightly biased but I try to remain impartial. BBQ had a nice rub but not much crust/bark. Must be using commercial smokers because there wasn't a lot of smokiness imparted to the meat. Pork ribs were tender and stripped off the bone cleanly. Brisket...Hmmmm, if you're gonna cut a slice like that it better be moist and tender. I even asked for a cut off the point to ensure it would be moist....but I don't think they distinguish between the point/flap. This is probably more of a Texas thing where we choose between one cut or another. Several sauces to choose from...KC was a favorite. Sides were A-OK.
(3)
Mishell C.

It's ok ... But I don't get the fuss over the Mac and cheese . The ribs are good but I am From Texas so Q is our thing and it's hard to beat . The grill cheese however is a different story. ..... I will be talking about that hit gooey mess for a while
(3)
Lucas E.

Awesome BBQ and a great crowd. Located in downtown Grafton, parking is easy and almost always available. My wife and I have been coming from Germantown since we discovered this gem. Plenty of beers on tap or bottle. My favorite is the pulled pork and chipotle potato salad for a side.
(5)
Chris P.

Best bbq pork tacos I have ever had!!! Quick service and great price! Great atmosphere.
(5)
Heidi H.

Super friendly and helpful waitstaff. It's hard to choose what to order off the menu (everything looks so good), but the servers are very knowledgable and can guide you to suit your tastes. There are several sauces to choose from, tableside, and the staff can help you pair them with your menu item (North, South, East, West sauces all have a geography tie-in and background). Our favorites: fried pickles, rotisserie chicken and baby back ribs. Don't forget the brussel sprouts and mac & cheese when you choose your sides. Also note, I called the restaurant this week and had a few questions about their amazing Burbon collection. Dave took my call and was able to answer all of my questions. I'm not sure if he was the owner, a manager or a server; but he was so kind, and took time to find out where to buy an amazing, hard-to-find burbon (Blanton's Single Barrel) - You can tell they really care about their customers.
(5)
Rob D.

Finally got back to Atlas and I have to say. Excellent. Service was perfect!!! The food was great. I thought the FF now are literally best in Ozaukee Cty! Seems like the place has really stepped it up since the last time I was there. I had the BBQ nachos and those were really good. I would say maybe add some BBQ beans to it?? Might dress it a tad more. Still not a fan of the sauces, but overall worth the drive and easily the best restaurant in Grafton. Food tastes fresh and the feel inside is good.
(5)
P M.

First off, we should all realize that this place is NEW. Anyone that wants to see the best a place has to offer should stop now and come back 90 days in. That being said, these guys are exceeding what anyone should expect from a brand new place. The business is so hard to begin with, small margins, turnover, backwards economics from suppliers to the table, we should all be grateful that this team has chosen to take on opening a clean, all house-made (hate the neon glow of chains), affordable restaurant. We need more places like this. I encourage you all to give it a try now, again in a week or so and before the year turns they will be firing on all cylinders. The Good: They have nailed their brisket and their smoked 1/2 chicken. Great char and seasoning on the brisket, just enough marbling, and smoked just enough. The meat gets very tender, takes on that pink tinge and has a great flavor profile. The chicken will make you forever forget about those grocery store rotisserie chickens. The skin gets tight and crisp, both white and dark meat stay juicy and the smokiness permeates the meat in a "just enough" way. Their four different sauces are quite admirable. I would like to see a spicier option than their west. Perhaps, as the owner is part Japanese, they would consider using wasabi to spike a sauce rather than the obligatory habanero or chipotle. None the less they are all different, house made and high quality. Side dishes are all very good. The best of the best, the mac and cheese (nice, subtle touch of truffle oil) the creamed corn (not cooked to a mush) potato salad (picnic style) corn bread (see the other posts, its the bomb) and the fries (not many left in this size of a place taking the time to hand cut and make a quality fritte). Deserts were good. We had the banana cream and the French Silk pies. Both had great crusts. I imagine f they put their minds to it they will be able to do some appropriate, in season fruit cobblers and crisps as well. Service was good. This end of the North Shore does not have a huge labor pool for hospitality, none the less, they are doing a good job selecting eager and enthusiastic servers, bartenders and managers. I was really impressed to hear that the owner was giving an orientation to some new employees in the back room. Most individually owned places are "here's your apron, bring some pens, and can you pick up a shift Saturday night". Nice work taking the time to ensure your team is on the right page. Wine list is just ok, and it should be. Its a BBQ joint, not a bistro. That being said, the beer list is very good. Some nice craft, drafts, Miller Lite as needed in MKE, WI (or you run the risk of a revolt) and a better than average bottle selection. One last shout out for Diet DR P on the gun. Anyone smart enough to pay this subtle homage to BBQ's southern roots get an extra point in my book. All in all I think this place can do really well. It needs local, current support and before long they have the chance to take off and draw some customers from a wider circle. Once that happens they might be a tough seat to get. Best of luck, keep up the good work.
(4)
Daniel Dtm S.

The best Burnt Ends ever! Great prices, lots of parking, and very nice happy hour. Our bartender gave us a great description of all their homemade BBQ sauces. I recommend trying all of them. My sis drove me here from DT Milwaukee it's worth the drive.
(5)
Nick S.

I really like me some BBQ and this place was not all that bad. I like their sauce selection. East, West, North, and South. East was my favorite, alongside their X brand. I got the pulled pork and beef brisket, with mac n cheese and corn bread. I feel like the portion size was good and the pricing was where it should be. I would recommend this place for the area.
(4)
Joe O.

Went here for lunch on Monday. I got the st Louis ribs platter. Food came out fast and service was good. I loved the ribs and the cornbread was amazing! My family enjoyed their entrees as well. This is a great place to go for a quick lunch and they even take to go orders which is perfect for lunch breaks at work I definitely will be back
(5)
Dan B.

I gave Atlas BBQ a second shot sunday. My first visit I had the St Louis ribs and it was terrible, tasted like left overs. This time I tried the so called pile high pork sandwich. I could only eat half and tossed the rest. I ordered cream corn as a side dish a received corn from a bag with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. It definitely was not cream corn. Needless to say, I will not be returning. A waste of time and money.
(1)
Patricia U.

Started off with an order of fried pickles, the pickles were delicious, however the Alabama white dipping sauce was watery like dipping into milk. When I asked our server about the consistency of the sauce, she said it was normally watery because of the vinegar used to make it, I'm not a fan of dipping a batter fried appetizer into something that makes it soggy. Ordered two entrees, I had the beef brisket with sides of brussels sprouts and baked beans, my husband ordered the half chicken with sides of mac & cheese and coleslaw. Both the brisket and chicken lacked smoke flavor and the chicken had an odd texture. The brussels sprouts were amazing and the baked beans were good. My husband said the mac & cheese was just okay and wasn't a fan of the coleslaw with it's vinegar base. We tried all five sauces, especially liked the North for taste and consistency, the X was good for heat. The sauces seemed watered down, unlikely to return.
(3)
Doug D.

Best place in ozaukee county. Pork nachos are amazing. The beef brisket sandwich is awesome. Service is good, restaurant is clean, and it's all made there. This is a must go to if in Ozaukee.
(5)
Brian P.

Awesome experience. For a busy Friday night, the service was incredibly fast, the food was excellent ( I highly recommend a combo platter so you can try and little bit of everything), and the beer selection was real nice. I had brisket, St.Louis style ribs, mac and cheese (incredible!) and baked beans that happened to have bacon in them (F-yeah!). Ozaukee County has long needed a great BBQ place to call their own, and it appears that it has finally arrived in Grafton.
(5)
Kacie S.

I would like to make the point that we came on opening night so we expected it to be packed. I actually called at around 430 requesting to make a reservation for two, but the individual that took my call explained it wasn't possible. I asked if they would be willing to make an exception and hold a place for us even though it was generally not their regular procedure but she declined. We arrived and it was not as busy as I had expected it to be. It was a Monday and still a little early for dinner, so we were happy we could be seated right away. When you first walk in, there are a few tables in the bar area and then the dining room is straight ahead. There are 5-6 booths that line the back wall and then roughly 10-15 tables. We asked if we could sit in a booth, but again, we were told No. The booths are reserved for parties of 4-6 so we, being 2, could not sit there. The hostess then offered a comfortable 4 top...?? (as if some were better than others.) I also want to add that as the night progressed, they did seat parties of less than 4 in the booths... So this bothered me just a little. ;) We were seated at a very VERY wobbly table across from the bar. I don't mean the type of wobble you can fix with a few napkins, this table seemed to not be put together properly. We looked over the menu and our waitress arrived promptly to take our drink order. On the back of the food menu is the drink menu... But the only items listed are beer, wine, bourbon, and soda... They didn't have drink specials or a list for specialty drinks so I asked for a dr. Pep and cap'n. the waitress seemed very confused by my request and after several minutes of explaining what a tall double was and what cap'n was (rum) she placed my order. I completely understand that this is a BBQ restaurant, but I also believe the menu should offer at least 3-5 alternatives for individuals that have restrictions... Such as a dairy allergy like myself. Even the vegetarian black bean burger contained eggs.. And besides that all they had was a stripped down side salad and a fruit cup. I ended up ordering the fried shrimp for, wait for it, $18... Ouch... My bf ordered the Wisconsin grilled cheese with sides of corn bread and fries. I gave him one of my sides, the mac & cheese (because the only side they had I could eat was fries) and he also ordered the tomato soup to go with his sandwich. (The table is still wobbling.) The food came out extremely fast. We were both impressed with the wait for our food being that the restaurant was fairly full and busy. I can say that we were both pleasantly surprised. My shrimp (7 pieces) were awesome. The breading was flavorful and crunchy and the shrimp were large and cooked perfectly. I grew up on the gulf so seafood is my favorite. This was some of the best fried shrimp I've had in the midwest. The french fries were also REALLY good. I know they're just fries... but great fries deserve some recognition too. Unfortunately, that was the end of my dining experience... I have to admit I did feel a little cheated paying $18... The shrimp were GREAT... But they definitely weren't worth $2 a piece. My bf loved everything except the soup... He said it was too sweet and would be better served as a dipper for the grilled cheese. He also had them add some avocado to his grilled cheese, which they did, and he said the sandwich tasted great. The service was above average. We could tell that our waitress had never worked in a restaurant before, but she was pleasant and accommodating. The owner stopped by our table once or twice, but he didn't really get into conversation... His dialogue was slightly generic and it didn't seem to me like he was actually engaging his opening night clientele. Overall, our food was SO good. The Atlas is clean and inviting. I gave this restaurant a 3 because their menu was very "silo'd" and I felt like $47 for grilled cheese and fried shrimp + sides was very steep. I hope this business succeeds here. I love small family businesses and new places to frequent. GOOD LUCK ATLAS! keep up with the tasty food!! :D
(3)
Julie L.

Had the pulled pork sandwich. Must say that it's the best BBQ I've had in Wisconsin. The pretzel bun was like the icing on the cake. Friendly, attentive staff. Went during lunch on a Friday during lent. There was a fish special for our Catholic friend which according to him, was very good. Would definitely go back.
(4)
James M.

Sat down at the bar and was greeted by a wonderful bartender, she took our order and brought back the drinks nice quick. We took a pub table near the bar. The young lady that was our server stopped by promptly only to tell us she would be right back. 10 minutes later she showed up. To me it appeared that she was very inexperienced at waitressing. Being that they have only been open a few weeks I gotta give her a play on the slow service. Hopefully she catches on soon. Once our order was in everything went smoother. We got our appetizer without much delay. But, the deep fried pickles we ordered were very greasy and the pickles did not stick to the batter. The pickles would literally slide out of the batter(maybe it was the grease?). Our server failed to set us up with silverware. The dinner items arrived at an appropriate time after the appetizer. But, or waitress didn't bring us one of the wooden boxes that holds the bbq sauces, salt/pepper, etc etc. Nor did she provide a steak knife for my friends ribeye steak. I also had to ask for my side of corn bread (it was very very Brown, not yellow like corn bread should be). The waitress also had to be asked for a serving of the honey butter to accompany the corn bread she didn't bring until asked. Now, onto the entrees. I got the trinity combo platter. It was delicious. I chose baby back ribs, brisket, and pulled bbq chicken. My two sides were the corn bread mentioned above and macaroni and cheese. The ribs had such a nice bark on them that I will order a rack next time I go there. The brisket was so tender and really not too fatty that I was jealous because I can't make a good brisket at home. The chicken had just enough smoke to it as to not be over powered by it. My friend had the ribeye and she said it was wonderful. With it she had not burnt corn bread and Atlas fries with the atlas mayo. So in a nutshell the food was awesome and the service needs some help. I'm sure that the girl we had was just intimidated by the criowd coming in the door. When we arrived at 4:30 the place was relatively calm with only a few people at the bar and 5-7 tables full. By the time we left, people were two deep waiting at the bar for a table. Good job Atlas BBQ! I want to see you there for a long time. You are a fresh face in the area and I think it is just what was needed. Chain restaurants don't cut it with me so I root for local business any time I can.
(3)
Becky S.

I'm glad to see a new restaurant open in Grafton - the options are seriously lacking. I've been here once for lunch and once for dinner. I got the pulled pork sandwich both times and I have to say it's very good. It definitely needs sauce which is not a problem because this place has several homemade bbq sauces that are delicious. I did catch a few fatty pieces that I didn't want to eat, but overall it's really good and you really can't go wrong with a warm pretzel bun. My brother-in-law had the ribs and he said they WERE NOT GOOD. This was unfortunate to hear since this is what they are all about! I plan to go back, but I will stay away from the ribs.
(3)
Tom M.

This place does BBQ right! Their Wings are a full wing and are super awesome. I douse them in the Southern sauce and drown them with some of the many local beers on tap. I also like their fried chicken and ribs. I've never left thinking I should have gotten more food or that it wasn't as good as I had expected. Paired w good service it's quickly became one of my favorite places.
(5)
Margaret R.

Best damn BBQ in the area! We came during their "soft opening" and loved the food so much we have come back already even though we live near downtown Milwaukee. Definitely worth the drive! Ambiance is nice and casual, staff is VERY friendly and eager to please. Menu has a unique variety of BBQ items, but approachable. I like that they have a couple vegetarian options to appeal to more folks. Prices are reasonable and you get a fair amount of food for what you pay for. Alright, let's get to the good stuff - THE FOOD! Seriously, I cannot say how happy I am to have finally found an awesome BBQ joint. Ribs? So good. Pulled pork? Smokey and moist and to die for. Brisket? Heavenly. Fried chicken? True Southern breading and delish! We also tried the Reuben and liked it too. The fries are sooo good, seasoned well and served with a tasty sauce. And I swear I'd lick the bowl clean from the baked beans if no one was looking! My hubbie loves the creamed corn, but it wasn't my thing since there are onions in it. The mac 'n cheese is pretty good too. The cornbread is moist and flavorful, but again, this is one my hubbie loved more than me. (It is a more coarse crumb and I don't care for that type of cornbread, but it WAS very moist, so that's a win in my book.) And I have never tried a fried pickle that I liked until now! O.M.G., sooo good here! I was hesitant to try them, but so happy I did since it might be my favorite appetizer! I found out afterwards that they make their own pickles and boy, are they awesome! The sauces are simple, yet tasty and honestly - not even needed since the BBQ is so flavorful. The only disappointment was dessert. The variety of pies is nice, but I thought they were just ok and not nearly as impressive as the rest of the food. I think the Chocolate Silk or the Chocolate Chunk Pecan were the best out of the bunch we tried. I almost forgot to mention that my husband really liked the beer selection, especially one of the drafts they have on tap from Sheboygan. Love to see the local support! I have left both times stuffed, with leftovers to take home and dreaming of the next time I'll be able to taste some more smokey deliciousness...
(5)
Leah W.

Horrible! We went at 5pm on Friday - was not busy at all. Service was all but ok - the staff was more concerned about their social hour back by the kitchen and trying new drinks with the bartenders. The food - sub par. The best dish was the deep friend pickles, oh and our sides were good too. Baby back ribs were dry/tough and not served at proper temperature - luke warmish. Same with the brisket and the burnt ends. The burnt ends had some fatty/chewy pieces and other pieces that were like leather. We were so looking forward to this place. The pricing would be reasonable if the food was good. We didn't even have a chance to express to our server because not once did she ask how our meal was!
(1)
Joe I.

As I love authentic BBQ, I was so excited about trying Atlas. I was very disappointed. Although the meat was good and smokey, the sauces were subpar - from bad to mediocre. My wife and I joke (sort of) that next time we'll bring a bottle if Sweet Baby Ray's with us. The owners need to research recipes and come up with better sauces. For anyone who knows what real BBQ is like, they will be disappointed.
(2)
Chase H.

The shrimp plate needs help, $13.00 for 6 small shrimp. That's not right, & the waiter just said, that's just how it is. The thing is I've spent about $ 500.00 there and that's what happened. ~ you lost my money & I ain't afraid to spend it.
(2)
Vas K.

We've eaten here at lease 5-6 times and have tried numerous items. I love their food, although when I got the ribs I felt they were a bit dry. Their burger is great, the loaded grilled cheese is perfect, they have some of the best pulled pork in the area. They have a fantastic selection of beers on tap, I hope that never changes. Service has been a bit spotty but average overall.
(4)
Jason G.

Lost of gluten free options and sauces to choose from. Everything was delicious and reasonable prices. Large beer selection.
(5)
T.J. M.

Great brisket sandwich and fries! Dipping sauce with fries was awesome. Great selection of beers too! Highly recommend!
(5)
Mike S.

Solid 4 stars and holding after many visits. The staff is responsive and friendly, the food is consistently good and served hot, beers stay cold and filled, and their sauces are a good representation of the regional varieties of BBQ. Go with confidence.
(4)
Kevin R.

First of all, it is important to note that this restaurant is still in its soft opening period - their grand opening isn't until next week. This will color my review a bit... The bottom line is that this place is very promising. The decor is similar to what the previous restaurant had (Paramount) but a little more casual and homey. The color palate is similar and is very attractive. They have built a rather large bar on the one side of the restaurant. All in all, the decor is "sophisticated casual" to my eyes. This is a BBQ place however, it is really all about the food, so let's go there. Overall, it was good. They are still working on a few menu items but my wife and I thought it was good. My wife had their beef brisket Reuben - a tasty spin on a classic. I had their pulled pork plate. Honestly, the pork was a little dry but it did have a good taste - adequate smoke, decent bark and overall was acceptable. We tried several sides too - their creamed corn is really good and has a unique flavor. Their mac and cheese was good as well, and their hand cut fries were very tasty and properly seasoned. We also tried their key lime pie dessert. It was homemade and tasty, although it was a bit pricey for the size of the piece. Their sauces were fairly typical of BBQ joints. They have a couple of different tomato based sauces and a Carolina (vinegar based) one too. They do have this one unique sauce - their Korean BBQ sauce. It is a soy sauce based concoction and I really liked it. All of their sauces were decent, so I had no real complaint there. Service was good, although it showed the typical problems that are inherent with a soft opening. A few delays, and few minor issues, but perfectly acceptable. The owner was walking around and following up with everyone. He seems like a really nice guy that genuinely cares for the customer experience. The place is family friendly. They have a great kids meal - choice of meal, side, drink and ice cream for $5.25. They even brought buckets of new Crayola crayons with huge placemats to color. Check and check! The bar has a wide selection of beers, wines and liquor, and I thought their tap beer selections were above average. Bar prices were typical of the area. The food pricing is also about average for the area. Sandwiches are about $8-10, entrees are $12-20, desserts are $5-6... Our dinner for a sandwich, entree, 2 large beers, 2 kids meals and 1 dessert came to $55 with tax. All in all, this place has real promise. Even though I had a few issues, I am going to give it a 4 for right now since it is still their soft open. If it was an established restaurant, and based on the one visit, I would give it about a 3.5, but I think this place really could come into its own here. The area desperately needs more restaurants and I hope this one does well. I am spoiled on BBQ since I travel to Kansas City so often that I regularly get some of the best BBQ in the world. While this place isn't there yet, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to go back, and who knows - it just might turn into something special!
(4)
Hungry H.

Place was killer!!! Great Beef Brisket Reuben, perfectly smoked BBQ!!! Wet Sauce was served on the side which I like because I'm not a huge wet sauce guy. Really good sandwich, can't wait to go back!!!
(5)
Alan E.

I will first say that I was skeptical going in. Being a transplanted Texan I had little hope of them doing it right. But to my amazement they have it dialed in and are trying to do authentic BBQ. We first ordered the fried pickle's and burnt ends. If they are there order them! The burnt ends were meaty and full of smokey goodness! Just what you would ask for. I ha the three meat plate to try everything and the brisket had a good smoke ring and was pretty tender. The ribs were fall off the bone and again good smoke ring. They still need to get more seasoning on the smoker but with time that will come. Over all, the service was great( it was packed). But the food had the true smokey flavor that it should. The best compliment I can give is the meat does not need any sauce! Hope his helps and I will be back. Cheers!
(4)
Doreen D.

Stopped in on a busy Saturday night and were pleasantly surprised. We had been searching for a place for dinner and this was just what we had hoped for. First off - it smelled like a barbeque place. The real deal. We sat at the bar and the bartenders were attentive. The beers on tap were good but I also tried the bloody Mary after they had given me one of the barbeque jerkys to try. It was good - but one of the few non-homemade things, they used a Bloody Mary mix instead of making their own. My only disappointment. I had the slider appetizer in order to try the three meats. All were excellent. My partner had the St. Louis style ribs with sides of french fries and cole slaw. Again, he was impressed, and he's usually pretty picky. Next time we're in Grafton, we will definitely head back here.
(4)
J J.

We need more good restaurants in the Cedarburg/Grafton area - so excited to have a good BBQ place now! Have been there twice now. There were some 'bumps' - but they are a new place, it's understandable. I hope the quality and care remains high. Will be back regularly!
(4)
Perry W.

Great service, very friendly and attentive. The meats were excellent, we had both the pulled pork and brisket. Best side was the mac and cheese. Good selection of draft beer served in proper glassware. Clean and comfortable environment. Only downside was a slightly slow kitchen and some of the sides like the cornbread were a bit dried out. I am sure they will work through these kinks, we will be back!
(4)
John W.

So thrilled that great bbq is now in Ozaukee county. Nice beer selection. My wife had pulled pork sandwich and great homemade slaw. I had beef brisket Reuben. Nice and smokey and nice sauce choices. Side of creamed corn was good but not great. Looking forward to trying more on the menu. Good service and loved the fact the host warned us the kitchen was backed up--giving us the choice to wait. We only waited 15 minutes so not bad at all for a brand new restaurant. Service was friendly and they did nice job on decor. Will definitely be back for more.
(4)
Kari A.

Great BBQ, helpful and attentive staff, nice atmosphere. We are from Chicago and stopped on our way home from Door County. We tried the slider trio so we could get a sampling of different meats. They were all delicious! We also had the cole slaw, fries, and mac n cheese....all great. Their sauces are all good and well thought out. Finally, as a parent of a young child, I appreciated the children's menu and fresh fruit. I really wish we had this good of BBQ in Chicago!
(5)
Brian K.

Enjoyed a lunch here today. Some pros and some cons. The meats were cooked perfectly and taste great. The fries are good and the ranch is amazing. The atmosphere was great and the server was very polite. The only downfall that i found was the bbq sauces. I don't know where these recipes came from but you can put them back. That is the only thing keeping this place from easily being that place in Grafton people want to go eat at everytime. Fix the sauces and this place is a 5 star all day every day.
(4)
Kellee C.

I really wanted to love everything, but sadly I did not. We arrived at 7pm on Friday and were quoted a 90+ minute wait. We waited only about 60 minutes. I ordered the burnt ends and was told they were sold out of burnt ends, AND ribs. So I settled on a pulled pork sandwich and my dining partner ordered the brisket platter. We ordered fried pickles for an appetizer; they were quite good. We liked the lighter tempura-like batter and loved how the thick the pickles were. The sauce with the pickles had a nice subtle flavor. What seemed like an excessive amount of time passed when we finally received our meals. It was obvious my sandwich had been sitting for quite for a while. The flavors of the sandwich were good, but the bottom bun fell apart as soon as I picked it up. It was a mushy mess. The fries that came with the sandwich were old, and had been seasoned excessively (I had seen them go out to other tables and there was not even half the amount of seasoning that I had). I liked that they used a dry rub to season them, there was just entirely too much of it. The brisket was also good. The creamed corn was very good, although it was really just corn with cheese and not true creamed corn. The mac and cheese was above average. The corn bread was dry and clearly overcooked (burnt), although the sweet butter was a nice compliment. The service started out wonderful, but declined greatly once our meals arrived. They were delivered by another server and the next time we saw our server was when he dropped the check ... before we had even finished eating. We were going to order dessert, but after waiting 30 minutes for the server to return, we decided we were no longer interested. In all our meal was good - average overall. We plan to return, but will wait a few months until they work out some of the kinks.
(3)
Marlys S.

Great restaurant. Very friendly, professional service. The Cuban sandwich was amazing. Our 2-1/2 year old pronounced the Mac and Cheese "yummy." The wine list is respectable for a BBQ restaurant. Prices reasonable. The fries were average, but the sandwich was so huge, we didn't eat many anyway. No reservations on the weekend, but you call ahead to put your name on the waiting list.
(4)
Sandy F.

They had a Chinese New Year special menu which I thought was interesting and creative. The bbq eg rolls were good. Then I got a pulled pork sandwich and it was just OK. The service was fine and the place was packed at lunch.
(3)
Dave S.

I don't like long reviews. So here goes. Damn Good! From out of town and came with my cousin. Good spices and good smoke. It's meat heaven. Have fun drooling.
(5)
R B.

Tried this place twice now. Although its a BBQ place they do a mean home made veggi burger, the bun was warm and had just the right amount of buttery crunch. The place itself is really nice too, large for a Grafton eatery with undoubtedly the prettiest restrooms - complete with chandeliers. A great find I am looking forward to a third visit!
(5)
Brian W.

Finally got to try Atlas BBQ. I stopped in for a take-out order, the staff was super friendly and the atmosphere was great. For take-out you order from the bartender, since this was my first time there , I had a few questions and the bartender was very helpful. They have two menus to order from; their standard restaurant menu and a call in menu where you can order the meats by the pound, I ordered by the pound. They have a fine selection of sauces(5), and they are all very tasty, I had a hard time choosing just which four I wanted. I can't say which is my favorite because they are all very good. I ordered the Brisket, pork, cole slaw and cornbread, it definitely satisfied the three of us! The meats had a wonderful smokey flavor and the smoke ring on the Brisket was perfect. My only complaint is the price, a little high in my book, it is very good quality food, but I have had comparable BBQ for a little less $. Overall, I highly recommend Atlas BBQ, I will surely be going back.
(4)
Nora B.

Wanted to try the new place so called to order take out only to be told they don't do take out over the phone. Went in and sat at the bar to order take out. Order was slow but the bartender was great. Got the order and drove 5 min home. When opened the food was not warm anymore. The ribs were OK, the sauce was better. Partner like the pulled pork sandwich. I would not do carry out again but partner is home bound so will not be back.
(3)
Nathan W.

I've had dinner at Atlas 4 times since they opened and cannot wait to go back. I have tried all of their bbq meats and most of the sides and have found everything to be perfection. I do have to say that the St. Louis ribs are my favorite, they have a good bark on the outside with a nice smoke ring and the meat is fall off the bone tender, there is absolutely no sauce needed with these. As for the sauces, I haven't yet decided which one is my favorite, but I enjoy all of them. I like to switch it up and have a different sauce with each bite. The burnt ends are an amazing appetizer, but I would have to say that the fried pickles are my favorite. Prices were very reasonable for the quality and quantity of food you get, you can really tell that everything is made from scratch and isn't just some frozen food services product. Beer selection is good, although I prefer to keep it simple and have a tall boy of Old Style with my bbq. The other menu item that was a complete surprise to me was the smoked tomato soup, I am a huge fan of tomato soups and this one does not dissapoint (very smokey!). We have brought our two young children with us a couple times now and have had fantastic experiences with them, they automatically get a fresh fruit cup as soon as they sit down, this helps to keep them occupied until the other food arrives. Service has always been fantastic and I have not had to wait long for a table. Great atmosphere. I can't wait to go back and try some of the other menu items. As far as suggestions to improve things, I would love to see smoked sausage and fried okra on the menu and maybe some banana pudding for dessert.
(5)
Neme C.

Went there-great service-food was good -but very small portions for what they charge!!
(4)
Brett W.

Awesome place, great envirnment
(5)
Wendy S.

We are regulars at Atlas because it is one of few places we can go to and get consistency: in food, service and beverages. Last night was no exception! Let's start beverages. There are two beverages that are my favorites at Atlas: Diet Dr. Pepper ON TAP (haven't seen that since traveling to San Antonio!) and the New Glarus Two Women Lager. Yummy! We always order the burnt ends, and coming from someone who doesn't even really care for BBQ sauce of any kind, they are always moist and tasty. We ordered the St. Louis Ribs with corn bread and mac & cheese; one of us always orders this when we visit. The corn bread is to die for and honestly would order it as both of our sides if we didn't also love the mac & cheese so much; the meat has always fallen right off the bones. I decided to order the special: Asian Tacos with Pulled Pork Ham and Pineapple Salsa. I was a little leery when ordering this because I'm not the kind of person who normally mixes my fruit with any kind of meat, but I was game to try something new. Am I glad I did! The pork was moist and seasoned just right and the pineapple salsa was a nice compliment to the tacos. As usual, we had to turn down dessert because we were full - the portions never disappoint! We will definitely be back to Atlas again and again and again. It's nice to walk into a restaurant and be known by name; it definitely is one of the reasons we keep going back!
(5)
Manisha W.

We are new to Grafton, and finally went here since we've heard so many good things about this place. It did live up to it! Great service, one of the best we've seen in awhile. May be it was just our server :) The Mac and cheese side was something really good to remember topped with bacon... Nice choice of sauces on the table. Branding on the bottles was just great. Good food, and good place to grab some dinner.
(4)
Lisa A.

We went for Mother's Day yesterday and the food was excellent my soon to be 88 year old mother loves this place !! The beef brisket, pulled pork and chicken were all delicious and my mom really loved the chocolate pecan pie it took awhile to get the pie (we said nothing) and they gave it to her for free !! The only problem was the waitress put our to go boxes in front of the wrong people , I went to enjoy my cornbread later and it was my moms pulled chicken sand oh well , that certainly won't keep us from going back !
(4)
Yeti M.

We have been here several times. I am a HUGE BBQ enthusiast, and have pretty high expectations. I will say up front my experiences at Atlas have been a mixed bag, but I have found things I reeealy like on the menu and I now stick with them and enjoy my visits. I also think they have been improving. So lets get the negatives (things I didn't like) out of the way. The burnt ends appetizer... They didn't lie. They were burnt and not very enjoyable when I had them(and three others in my party agreed). I prefer sweeter sauces, and theirs are all pretty spicy (and very thin). I know this is totally personal, but with four sauces on the table one of them should be a little bit sweet. I now bring my own. Now on to the good ! The ribs were pretty good, nice and smoky and meaty. My personal favorite is the brisket sandwich. I had this just yesterday again, and it seems to get better every time. I wouldn't normally pick a pretzel roll, but the ones Atlas serves are sublime. I think I keep coming back for the rolls as much as anything else. The seasoned fries are very good (and not my first choice normally). The corn bread is very good, The salads have been top notch, and can make a very good meal by themselves (with a side of corn bread !). The Chicken Nacho's are really good. We have gotten an order of these every time we have been there, and they too seem to get better every time. I have had the fish there also which was excellent Service has always been very good, and seems better every time we go there. It seems like every time we go there we make at least two special requests for something different than it is on the menu, and this is always cheerfully received and the orders always come out the way we asked for. My first trip to Atlas, I would have probably given them two and a half stars. But as I have gotten to know the menu, I feel it is a solid four for me. I am sorry I didn't write down the name of the woman who took care of us yesterday, because the service was really top notch.
(4)
peter k.

Dined at Atlas multiple times. Restaurant is clean, sauces are decent. Actual meats that we've had there range from mediocre to decent. If you live far enough north that dining in Milwaukee is inconvenient (saukville?) - this place offers serviceable bbq and isn't a bad option. For people who live closer to Milwaukee, there are much better options available in the city. Last time we were there, my wife had the world's chewiest brisket sandwich. When she popped off the top piece of bread, she found that ALL of the meat was sliced the wrong way (with the grain, not against). This was very disappointing. Making a decent piece of brisket and then letting someone ruin it by cutting it the wrong way seems criminal! Emailed the restaurant to let them know about our experience -- no response from them after two weeks. To a non-bbq enthusiast, our complaint might sound petty - but if you are into bbq- you know that cutting brisket the wrong way is a sin!!.
(2)
Lotty D.

I come here all the time and it has never been less than 5 stars. We always sit at the bar so Adam can take care of us. Great service, and even better food! I personally believe the portions are perfect. I am completely stuffed after the sandwiches. A few nights ago my boyfriend and I split the full rack of St. Louis ribs. We were completely full and we could barely finish them. The ribs were excellent and had a ton of meat on them. Also, I enjoy that the owner or manager (which ever, I'm not sure) go around to tables once in awhile to make sure everything is up to standard. I highly recommend Atlas BBQ!
(5)
Melanie C.

Compared to Kansas City, St. Louis and Memphis, I've honestly been spoiled... This place just didn't compare. Not even top 10 of my favorites. Ordered the split combo with brisket and St. Louis ribs, both were overcooked to the point that the bone on the ribs were soft, and instead of the meat cleanly breaking away from the bone it was stuck and had to be forcefully freed.
(1)
Courtney H.

Delcious, all orders come with a side of cajun fries, soo good. Six different BBQ sauces on the table lets you cater you meal to your liking. Very good!
(4)
Steve S.

Amazing food. Had great service. We'll be back for certain.
(5)
Nicole H.

BBQ is good and there are very tasty sides! A giant bonus is the local beer selection!
(4)
Eve K.

Ok BBQ spot with a variety of sauces and great fried pickles. Food: 3, atmosphere: 2, service: 3 Cost to worth it rating: 3 Return worthiness: maybe Highlights: - Fried pickles: typically you find these in thick spear wedges or pickle chips, so I enjoyed this hybrid of thinner cut long strips. I also appreciated the uneven crispy breading with a touch of sweetness as you can tell they are homemade vs from a frozen bag - Wi cobb salad: loved the blue cheese crumble and bits of cheddar cheese combo. Avocado was a nice touch as well and great topped with the pulled pork. - Sauce variety: liked the variety offering 5 from different areas of the country. Bonus for even having one with an Asian twist similar to a Korean bulgolgi sauce. My favorite was a mixture of the Texas one (tomato but black peppery) and the X (habanero mango). - Kid-friendly: had crayons and a paper placement with a pig on it for the kids menu and gave us a small bowl of fruit to start Midlights: - Mac and cheese: well-cooked spiraly noodles in a creamy sauce. Liked the crunch of the breadcrumbs but would've been cool for them to be browned and have a little more bacon. Solid side dish, but the main reason it's not a highlight is because of the name. Mac and cheese lends itself to a particular cheesy flavor and texture, but this was more like an alfredo. - Meat flavor: they depend a lot on the sauces, as on their own I tasted both the pork and brisket and though they were tender, the seasoning was lacking. - Burnt ends: dig the concept but were drowning in too much sauce. - Atmosphere: nothing special and a bit devoid of personality Lowlights: - No banana cream pie: it's listed on the online menu, but not the actual one when you get there and is my hub's favorite - Bourbon cocktail: a lemonade concoction and a good pour of bourbon, but too sweet for my taste Not bad and I liked some of the items, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come back.
(3)
Barbara B.

This place is excellent! We had the fried chicken and ribs which were out of this world. The service was outstanding - Justin and Emma were right there whenever we needed them. If you want great food and service this is the place for you,
(5)
Kevin P.

I've eaten here many times and it's always really good. I've enjoyed the burnt ends, the wings, the chili, but the true STICK OUTS are the beef brisket and the baby back ribs!! Perfectly smoked, tender, and delectable. My gauge for a good BBQ joint is always if the meat(s) can stand on their own and don't need sauce....Atlas stands tall and proud in this category. Who needs sauce when the meat is this good?!
(4)
Miguel W.

Ok, this place rocks. I've been here 4-5 times now and have had excellent food and service on each visit. The thing that I really like about this place is that they do everything quite well, which is rare for a BBQ place in these parts. Some do brisket well, but their ribs aren't good. Some do ribs well, but their shoulder is dry or boring. Some do shoulder well, but they don't know how to cook a brisket. This place does them all well and their sauces are terrific as well including the fantastic sauce that accompanies their French fries! Keep up the great work Atlas! I'll be in whenever I'm in the area....
(5)
Peter C.

Great to see a BBQ place in the North Shore area that offers up some good food and beer. They added a 5th sauce as of the last time I went back - X for Xtra Hot that is my new favorite. You have to try all of them to make the right decision for what you are eating that day. I have got the pulled pork, Nachos, beef brisket, and mac and cheese - all are AMAZING. I would highly suggest getting the Mac & Cheese as your side and it won't disappoint. The service is a little slower at busy times and they don't take reservations so make sure you get there early or plan on waiting around for a table - it gets packed quick. As an avid beer drinker their tap selection is always rotating and always has the Kentucky Bourban Ale, which is good every now and then to match up with the BBQ.
(4)
Danielle I.

excellent black bean burger but only vegetarian options available. The in house sauces seemed pretty good from my limited experience. I do pity the lack of vegatarien food so little can go far. Would be near impossible to hold a dinner party with a mix of meat eaters, and vegetarians. No vegan stuff sorry. Over all it was about what i expected. Right above chain restaurants so not quite the best in town.
(3)
Jeri P.

This was top notch. The service was absolutely excellent. Olivia is, by far, the best server in WI. She immediately brought something for my son to munch on with the menus which as any parent knows, is super important. She made suggestions, explained their sauces, educated us about the smokers, and never let out drinks go empty. The manager made sure to ask us how we were and how our experience was. The food was so good I immediately was looking forward to the next time I'd be able to go back.
(5)
Lola L.

The food was a little better than average. The fries need to lose the seasoning salt, or it should be optional. Too much! The cole slaw is excellent. The BBQ is good, not the best I've had. Very clean restaurant. I would go again, but not with such high expectations. Good for kids!
(4)
Adam D.

Very happy with this place. They have great food, great service, and a great environment. I feel like it's rare to find a place where everyone is so passionate about the menu. They also have a great selection of higher quality beers. Try this place one time and get the brisket sandwich. It's a game changer.
(5)
Stephanie R.

I wasn't sure what to expect when walking in to Atlas for the first time. On a weekday late lunch time the restaurant was fairly busy. The location was at one time an upscale restaurant, so no pseudo shack here. I was excited to find that everything on the menu is homemade except for the bread. Yes, even the pickles, the sauerkraut, and they smoke tomatoes for soup. I opened the menu and the grilled pork & cheese leapt out at me, and I couldn't get past it. Pulled pork, blue cheese and caramelized onions on toasted sourdough bread, for a reasonable $7.95. The bleu cheese used will definitely make Wisconsin proud. The pork was tender and wonderfully smoky and could easily stand on its own without sauce, but I had to try all of the sauces: the North is a tomato-based, Memphis-style sauce; the East is a Korean BBQ-style sauce; the South, a Carolina-style vinegar with cayenne and Tabasco and the West, a Texas-style sauce with a bit of spice. I loved the vinegar. The fries were sprinkled with some BBQ rub, a nice touch. For dessert, they even had key lime pie and coconut cream pie to offer, but we managed to show some restraint and will save desserts for another visit. Our server at the bar was great and had apparent passion for BBQ and for the restaurant.
(4)
Amanda S.

Amazing food! Amazing service! We have even brought in large groups of 10 or more and we still get great food and service. Love the grilled pork and cheese, baby back ribs are great and the pulled pork and chicken have great smoked flavor! Just like bbq should taste! Plus their bbq sauces are made in house....delicious!
(5)
Sarah C.

My mother-in-law suggested this place because the buzz on the street is that it's great. Being the hipster that I am, I usually dismiss comments like this, but boy, am I glad it was her choice as to where we went! For a place this new--they are sure doing it right; I certainly hope this trend continues! Our merger party of three ordered far too much food--but even as I write this with a full belly, I look forward to tearing into some leftovers. We got: the Buffalo Wings and Fried Pickles as an appetizer, the St Louis ribs platter, the pulled chicken and beef brisket combo platter and the pulled pork platter. For sides: the mac and cheese, potato salad, coleslaw, and cornbread. You can truly tell that the food is made fresh. Ate at the restaurant, so everything was piping hot when it was brought to the table. Atmosphere is nice in the restaurant, not too busy with the decor, but also not too plain. Sad I live out of town so I can't visit more often, but it will be a nice treat whoever I'm there!
(5)

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Address : 1304 12th Ave
Grafton, WI, 53024
Phone (262) 618-2181
Website https://www.atlas-bbq.com
Click To Get Directions

Opening Hours

Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm

Specialities

Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Dogs Allowed : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes

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Atlas BBQ

1304 12th Ave, Grafton, WI, 53024

Atlas BBQ Menu

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