The Pit Stop

I'm here for work and I was surprised to find such good bbq up north.
I've tried bbq all throughout the US and this is actually in my top 3.

Great Service , the staff was friendly and line is quick.

Pretty small place with no indoor seating or restrooms.
They have a couple of bench tables outside.

I'm going to miss this place, but if I'm ever in the area I'm sure to be back.

Also fyi they are only open 2 days a week so don't miss your window!

One of the best bbq I've had! Their service is quick and friendly! Their pulled pork is by far one of the best I've had! It just fall apart in the best way possible! It's perfectly smoked and well seasoned! Their brisket was very tasty as well! I'm personally not a huge corn bread person, however, their corn bread was perfectly sweet! Mac and cheese was pretty good as well! I definitely cannot wait to come back!

Tried 3 meats the other day - brisket, pulled pork and chicken. It was ok. Everything on the bland side. Since i smoke meat occasionally i prefer mine much better. The chicken tasted a bit stale or dry especially the drumsticks.

Silly me, I should have read my own review in 2019. Looks like nothing has really changed. I think I'm just gonna get my own smoker again.

The brisket here has a sweet hint in the pink ring. They burn cherry pits as they smoke the best brisket east of St Louis, Memphis, and Austin. Yes their three day operation thru the winter has me scheduling my drives through GR.
Love the friendly banter with the counter help. The catering order we placed was handled with professionalism. Love how your place is clean, tidy, and organized to keep the flow!

So I wanted bbq and there were two places near the hotel, and this one looked the best. They have picnic tables outside and when you walk in it's a good bar and they make your plate. I stood there for 5 minutes while an older guy text on his phone. A young guy came from the back and asked if he could help me then the other guy jumped up and said he would help me. I was the only customer in there at the time. I ordered my plate and it was over 20$ for one plate. All the tables were full so I took it back to my hotel room. I was upset to find there were no napkins or eating utensils in the bag. Being in a hotel I had to eat Mac and cheese and tator tot casserole with my hands, not fun. The brisket was ok, but the corned beef nuggets were so salty I could t eat them. The chicken was very good and both sides were just ok. Between the high price, and poor customer service I will not be eating here again. You're better off going to one of the chain places unfortunately.

Food is absolutely amazing. 10 out of 10 will highly recommend. The service is fast and friendly. BBQ to go cause you'll never want to leave. Not much on decor for it's a small hole in the wall that will transcend your taste buds.

Really good food and the people were very nice. Just stopped in for take out for lunch on Thursday.

We stopped in to grab dinner for a group of 6 of us. It was our first visit and they greeted us after ringing the gong by yelling. They were very helpful with portions and making recommendations for our group. Luckily, they had enough left of each meat item we wanted because it sounds like a lot of stuff doesn't last long. They were out of coleslaw but that was the only thing.

The ribs and chicken were probably the favorite for everyone. The brisket was enjoyed but it lacked some flavor but still tasty. The green beans had an interesting seasoning but we enjoyed them. The cornbread was literally like cake, and delicious.

The pricing was reasonable for how much food we brought home. The storefront is tiny you can't see inside because of the fogged windows of BBQ! The young staff was basically all wearing pajamas but they were helpful.

We will definitely be back.

Just what I needed to end the week!! The Pit Stop is a hidden gem of powerful flavors. The pulled pork was PERFECT. The sides complimented the meat well and the corn bread was top notch. I'm not a huge fish person but the salmon was amazing! I don't regularly get barbecue, but I'll be sure to stop by again.
Lots of parking available and only open on Thursday and Friday!

Grand Rapids isn't quite known to be a BBQ destination. It excels in Beer and other cuisines but not in BBQ. Therefore, I was a little surprised and cautiously happy when I found out about The Pit Stop and decided to check it out.

Note: This place is only open on Thursday and Friday!

Here are my ratings based on different criteria:

Quality of food: Excellent. The menu changes weekly depending on what they're cooking. When I went, they had option of ribs, pulled pork, and brisket. The option I chose was ribs with 2 sides. My 2 sides were angry taters and beans. Their portion size is massive! They do their best to completely pack the Styrofoam containers. This is how it should be. One should not ever go hungry at a BBQ joint. My ribs were big and juicy and went really well with the spicy BBQ sauce. The angry taters were...angry (spicy) and the beans were cooked to perfection. All the meat is high quality and cooked just right. My colleague got the brisket and pulled pork and couldn't stop licking his fingers. All the food also comes with cornbread which is probably the best one I have ever had.

Decor: okay. This place isn't meant for a sit-down type of meal. In fact, the only seating they have are benches outside which nobody uses in winter. There's literally nothing that I can remember about the decor of this place.

Cleanliness: good. The floors and counters were kept clean. It didn't look like they have public restrooms so I can't comment on that.

Service: good. The owner is always behind the counter and he's always smiling and happy to help answer any questions. This place is really well staffed and the whole thing runs like a well oiled machine. The line always moves really quickly.

Price: pricey. Two meats with two sides and a drink come out to about $17 which is a little expensive. However, for the quantity of food you get, you can easily have two meals out of it.

The Pit Stop is an excellent place to get your BBQ cravings answered. Grand Rapids should feel really lucky to have this great of a place. Makes waiting for Thursday and Friday even more worth it now!