Sometimes, the best BBQ comes from your own backyard. But a good BBQ restaurant is not hard to find — every state has some fantastic BBQ restaurants that whip up brisket, ribs, and pulled pork sandwiches. But if you live in or near, or happen to be visiting, Alabama — one of the states in the BBQ Belt — customers say you can't pass up eating at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q.

The BBQ restaurant started with "Big Bob" Gibson cooking up barbecue in his backyard in Decatur, Alabama. He was known for his special Alabama white sauce, a mayo-based BBQ sauce as opposed to traditional tomato. Gibson ended up opening a restaurant, which had to move locations multiple times to accommodate its popularity. Just over 100 years later, the BBQ restaurant has two locations in Decatur, more than 60 awards, and as of 2024, a spot in the National BBQ Hall of Fame.

One Tripadvisor reviewer wrote, "The ribs were fall off the bone good. The waitstaff were very attentive. The food was served quickly and was hot." Another diner said, "Definitely a must go to! Delicious award-winning barbecue food was absolutely amazing." One Yelp reviewer even wrote, "Every single bite I took was perfect." They also complimented the restaurant's famous sauce, saying, "That vinegar sauce is freaking fire!" The sauce got plenty of shout outs, with one diner citing it as the best, and another confessing, "Had to bring home a bottle of white sauce."

Customer recommendations and warnings

The Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q menu isn't gigantic, focusing on BBQ sandwiches and platters of BBQ meat, including ribs, wings, smoked turkey, and brisket, as well as some classic sides and homemade pies. If you're having trouble deciding what to order, customers have a few recommendations. A Tripadvisor reviewer wrote, "The beef brisket was the star. The baked beans were quite good as well." The ribs, pulled pork, and smoked turkey also got shoutouts. Many reviewers were incredibly complimentary of the pies, with the coconut cream getting multiple recommendations.

The restaurant's reviews aren't without complaints, however. One Tripadvisor reviewer wrote, "The meat was way over cooked and dry." A few diners agreed, with one Yelp reviewer writing, "The meat had no taste. I couldn't detect hickory smoke. The pork was burnt and very fatty." The Brunswick Stew got polarizing reviews, and some were disappointed the restaurant serves its signature sauce out of a bottle rather than fresh. One of the items that remained consistent with positive reviews was, surprisingly, the various pies. So while this joint is clearly known for BBQ, it has just the thing to satisfy one's sweet tooth, too. 

If you can't get make it to out to the famed restaurant, Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q does bottle and sell its Alabama white sauce, so you can make like Big Bob and cook out in your backyard with the state's signature BBQ sauce.