Countryside BBQ of Marion has only been around for 19 years, but this place will be around for generations if my visit was typical of their dedication to the art of fine barbeque and exceptional southern hospitality. As we pulled into the driveway I was a bit put off as the restaurant had the appearance of a well laid-out chain. I quickly discovered that the building and lot looked this way because of an incredible amount of pride the owners have in their business. Upon entering, we were immediately greeted in a way which made us feel that they did care that we had stopped in to eat. Our waitress had a manner and a voice sweeter then the taste of sweet tea. We looked at the menus and found everything to accommodate the tastes of just about anyone. This is a barbeque place that takes its role as the town's top restaurant very seriously. They cater to many tastes. Of course they feature the hickory-smoked pork sandwich which is chopped fresh to order. Pick the red or white slaw to put on top (I go for red), and you have heaven in a bun. My gosh, they get it so right I started to inquire about homes in the area. The smoky flavor of the pork is evident without being overbearing (ever had a chopped pork that tasted of liquid smoke?), and there were just enough crunchy pieces of pork to go along with the mountain of moist meat. I also tried their chili dog which was excellent. The hot dog had just the right amount of snap to its casing. One of our sales associates went for the hand-breaded chicken tenders. I was told it was the epitome of the best southern fried chicken. This rather incredibly full menu rounds off with country ham, ribeye steak, smoked chicken, and flounder fillets. The sides are typical barbecue fare: green beans, fried okra, hushpuppies, beans, and so forth. I didn’t get to the livermush and cheese served on toast, but will give it a try next time.
The Countryside is the kind of place every town should have. A great establishment run by people who care about the customer and have employees who act like they care that you walked in. They clearly welcome everyone from the blue collar Carhartt customer to the county lawyer in his bowtie and oxford cloth shirt. The Countryside, of course, has a lunch special every day of the week. The specials range from smoked pork, pot roast, and ribs, to shrimp, steak and gravy, or lasagna. Pick a day, any day and you will have an outstanding special that doesn’t come off the back of a Sysco truck. If you pick Sunday, you picked the buffet day - a bit of everything. I failed to mention the desserts. All homemade. The cobbler is worth the trip to
Countryside BBQ
Open seven days a week
Lunch and Dinner
Breakfast weekends
828-652-4885
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