Porter's Real Barbecue

Everything was sold out and left.

Porter’s Real Barbecue is one of those places where you can smell the smoker before you even get to the door.

The restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere and plenty of seating, but the food is obviously the main attraction. The barbecue is the real deal, with brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and all the classic sides you’d expect. Portions are generous too, so it’s not hard to leave full.

One thing I liked was that the place felt busy without feeling chaotic. There was a steady stream of people coming through, which is usually a pretty good sign for a barbecue restaurant.

As the author of The Grant Colson Thriller Series, I spend a lot of time traveling, and good barbecue places tend to become memorable landmarks on road trips. They have their own personality compared to chain restaurants.

The staff was super friendly, and the service moved quickly even with customers coming and going throughout the meal.

Funny enough, while working on the Maui Desire Romance Series, I started paying more attention to the kinds of places where people naturally gather and talk. A barbecue restaurant like this has that easygoing atmosphere where conversations seem to happen naturally.

The Columbia Center area has plenty of dining options, but Porter’s definitely stands out if you’re in the mood for barbecue.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Brisket Pulled Pork Sausage Coleslaw and Baked Beans, Pulled Pork Sandwich

Very nice place it was featured on Triple D at one time

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The best BBQ! The baked Beans are to die for!! Banana pudding is a little bit of Heaven!! Get some!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Brisket was so good, too bad they ran out.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Best BBQ in town

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Brisket Pulled Pork Sausage Coleslaw and Baked Beans

Best brisket by far, supremely good mac & cheese, and great mopping sauces. Folks at the counter are wonderful, will carve exacly to your liking. The sausages and ribs are great, too, but really I'm about that amazingly juicy brisket...

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

The brisket was so dry I needed a glass of water just to look at it. If I rubbed two pieces together, I probably could have started a fire. I don’t even know how or why they would even sell that. I wish I was over exaggerating.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 2

The burnt ends are amazing!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Super delicious!
Very friendly staff

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Always a good place to grab a bite to eat. We decided to pop in on a Friday night because all the other restaurants were packed. Normally I just do porters for lunch but I didn't want to wait on long lines. When we got to porters they were almost sold out of everything but they had enough pulled pork, brisket and coleslaw that we could throw together a couple sandwiches. Like I said I normally go here earlier because when they sell out that's it for the day.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great pulled pork special.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Very unorganized. They rush you, and I didn't receive my full order but was charged for everything that should have been in the order. Of course its on me for not checking until I got home, but they were not busy and had no reason to be in a hurry.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 4

Service: 2

We came with the kiddos and were welcomed in right away! We were helped by Jay and he was so professional and helpful! We had a great meal and great experience. Definitely recommend this place!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Bigger chain feel, good food, thats all i got

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5