Buz and Ned's Real Barbecue

On our way back from the game on Sunday, we made a stop in Richmond with Sarah Helms to eat at Buz and Ned's Real Barbecue. Sarah had always wanted to try this place but had never come up with a good enough excuse to go. That's where The Newtster comes in.

Buz and Ned's is apparently a bit of a Richmond tradition these days. Since I have not lived in Richmond since 1992 though, I was not familiar with the place. I learned though that it was my uncle Chip's favorite barbecue joint in Richmond, though he said the only one he knew about was in a shack in the parking lot in front of a gun store on Route 1 in Ashland, north of Richmond. This location may still be there, but we went to one downtown near the old Richmond Diamond.

Buz and Ned's was apparently featured on Throwdown! with Bobby Flay in an episode featuring BBQ Spare Ribs. Buz evidently won as the staff was wearing t-shirts reading "The Flay Slayer".

While the ribs looked good, we were told to go with the pulled pork sandwich. Sarah and I both got the pork sandwich while Julia went with the pulled chicken sandwich. We all enjoyed our sandwiches, which had a nice smoky and sweet flavor due to the sauce. We all wished there had been some of the sauce on the table to add to the sandwiches, but maybe it was elsewhere in the restaurant. I really have no complaints about the sandwich though as it was the best I have had in quite a while.

We also had an array of side items, including macaroni and cheese (can't be seen in the pictures), cinnamon bourbon apples, hush puppies, and sweet potato fries. I thought the fries were the best of the bunch as they were both sweet and salty. The macaroni and cheese was good as far as texture and appearance, but could have used a bit more salt and pepper, which were on the table. The sweet tea was also quite good.

All in all, I would certainly go back to Buz and Ned's but it is probably not in the top 5 barbecue joints I have been to.