A Route 9 Barbecue Stop for Brisket, Ribs and Big Plates

A tray with sliced brisket, ribs, two sides and a square of cornbread can make a very convincing case for slowing down at this Route 9 barbecue house. The menu is built for that sort of meal: smoked meats in generous portions, Southern-leaning sides, several sauces to try, and enough choices to keep a return visit from feeling like a repeat.

The format is easygoing. Order at the counter, choose a plate or sandwich, settle into a booth, or take the meal along. Service moves efficiently, which suits a quick lunch, but the rustic dining room has enough warmth for an unhurried family dinner as well.

A few miles from I-91, the restaurant is a convenient stop for travelers passing through and for locals looking for a substantial barbecue meal without much ceremony. A free parking lot has ample space, and takeout is built into the operation rather than treated as an afterthought.

Pulled pork, sliced brisket, ribs, smoked chicken and beef ribs form the backbone of the menu. The two-meat combination plate is a particularly sensible route for a first visit, giving you a chance to put brisket beside pork or ribs and still leave room for the sides that matter almost as much as the meat.

Brisket is a frequent choice here, served in tender, flavorful slices with the smoke and seasoning doing the work before any sauce enters the picture. It is a good meat for sampling across the sauce station, since a little Carolina-style tang can take it in a very different direction from a richer, sweeter barbecue sauce.

The pork ribs have the tender, nearly falling-off-the-bone quality many diners want from a barbecue plate. For a more dramatic order, the single beef rib plate brings an oversized cut to the tray, often paired with mashed potatoes, house-made gravy, cornbread and another choice of side.

Smoked chicken offers a change of pace for a table that does not want every order to be brisket and ribs. With several meats available individually and in combinations, the menu works well for a group that prefers to taste around rather than commit to one large platter.

The self-serve sauce station is more than a condiment stop. It lets you try several barbecue sauces in small amounts, then decide which one belongs with which meat. Carolina sauce is among the options, bringing a sharper note that can brighten pulled pork or cut through the richness of brisket.

This is also handy with the oversized nachos. They arrive as a substantial order on their own, and the opportunity to add different sauces keeps the plate from being a one-note starter. A table can pass it around before the barbecue trays arrive, though it is large enough that it may become lunch in its own right.

Macaroni and cheese, potato salad, mashed potatoes with gravy, jambalaya, cornbread and house-made pickles give the meal a broad Southern-style supporting cast. The appeal of a combination plate is that it makes room for some of these without requiring a separate round of orders.

The mashed potatoes and house-made gravy make an especially natural companion to the beef rib. Potato salad brings a cooler counterpoint to smoky meat, while jambalaya adds more spice and heft for anyone who wants their side dish to show up with some personality.

Cornbread is mildly sweet and a little cake-like, served with butter. It is the sort of side that gets broken into early, then used to pick up a last dab of sauce or gravy near the end of the meal.

The house-made pickles deserve a place on a loaded tray. Their tang provides a useful break between bites of fatty brisket, ribs and creamy macaroni and cheese.

Barbecue plates may get most of the attention, but the menu reaches beyond the smoker. The Southern fried chicken sandwich arrives on a toasted roll with house barbecue sauce; potato salad and cornbread make fitting companions when you want a sandwich lunch that still carries the flavor of the larger barbecue menu.

The Santa Fe salad is not a token light option. It is substantial enough to become a take-home meal after lunch, a useful detail for diners who want something different from ribs but are not looking for a small plate.

Creative specials appear alongside the core menu, adding some variety beyond the familiar brisket-pork-rib routine. Specific offerings can change, but the broader point is that regulars have reasons to scan the board rather than automatically order the same tray every time.

Desserts are displayed near the ordering counter, an effective bit of temptation when you are still deciding whether a barbecue meal needs a final course. Pecan pie is among the sweets that have appeared there, along with other desserts that may vary from visit to visit.

A range of craft beers gives the meal another option beyond the usual soft drink. The selection can change, but barbecue, a cold beer and a long booth conversation is a combination that does not need much explanation.

On weekends, the restaurant has offered an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet that carries barbecue into breakfast territory. Brisket and pulled pork appear alongside dishes such as shrimp and grits, house-made bacon, brisket hash, cream-cheese-stuffed French toast, spicy chicken and red velvet waffles.

That is a broad brunch spread by any measure. A plate can move from savory hash to sweet French toast, then circle back to smoked meat without anyone at the table having to agree on one style of breakfast.

Brunch schedules and individual buffet dishes can change, so it is worth confirming current availability before making a special trip for the buffet.

Portions here regularly exceed a single sitting, and ready-to-use takeout boxes make the outcome straightforward. The second meal is often part of the bargain: brisket, pork or sides travel home without requiring an awkward search for containers.

The restaurant also handles barbecue buffet catering for sizable gatherings. One buffet service fed a team of nearly 40 with plenty to go around, putting the same smoked-meat-and-sides approach to work beyond the dining room.

Indoor booth seating gives dine-in guests a comfortable place to spread out, while an outdoor patio or terrace has also been available. On quieter visits, the room has been comfortable for conversation, a welcome trait when the table is comparing sauces or debating the next plate.