After skipping a few decades from the last time I ate at Country's Barbecue, I've now eaten there twice in the past month. The first time was at the long-standing location on Opelika Road in Auburn which dates back to 1975. It was where we had eaten with our children when they were young. I'm pretty sure that if we dig deeply enough we can find a photo of them sitting in the iconic, enormous red rocking chair. The building is dated, but that fact is ignored by those who cram the parking lot seven days a week. (I just read that a 5700-square-foot new building with a drive-through has been approved for construction at the same location. The original one will stay in business until the new one is finished. Sounds like progress).
This time we were there with friends. The food was very good, but the fellowship is what stands out in my mind. Oh, and the size of my sweet potato. My goodness! We brought most of it home for later and STILL had plenty.
Country's Barbecue in Auburn prides itself on cooking pretty much everything in-house -- the smoked meat, the hand-cut fries, the Brunswick stew, the pies, etc. The menu is extensive, so if you're not in the mood for barbecue, there are plenty of other options from which to choose. I loved the sight of so many tempting sides, ones that you don't see very often, such as skillet apples, fresh cabbage, butter beans, and sliced tomatoes.
A few weeks later, Steve and I spent several days in Columbus and enjoyed the Country's on Broad location. It is, of course, on Broad Street, a tree and public art-lined street in Georgia's second largest city. The building is in a former bus station, and we were seated in an actual BUS.
On this occasion, we took advantage of the Friday special (there's a different one for each day) which happened to be turkey and dressing. Yummo!
This time we ended our meal by sharing a slice of their coconut pie. It was good. The meringue was impressive. I'd say it gives the coconut pie at Big Bob's some worthy competition.
I'm glad to see that Country's Barbecue is still thriving and serving good food to hungry diners. It deserves its spot in my book "100 Things To Do In Auburn, AL Before You Die" which you can order here.
P.S. Country's Barbecue North is also located in Columbus, GA.
Comments