Q Fanatic

I have been here a handful of times the last 4 years. My wife talked me into giving it another shot tonight as I have been under impressed at best in the past. The high spot tonight was the person taking the order, friendly and helpful, unlike the last time when there was loud arguing in the kitchen.
After placing our order we went back to the past experiences, order missing items, disappointing sides, broken ice machine, and OK bbq. This place is so close to being good but continues to fall short, great bread for the sandwiches, but it should be butter and grilled, no variety of sauces at the tables, paper plates and plastic utensils if you can find them, bagged potato chips, no follow up on your dinner was, etc…
Market, Rudolfs, Famous Daves, Rib Cage, Dixies all better…

If you want great ribs, then this is the place you want to go. Most of the time I do a take out orders. The baby backs are so smoky flavoured, the dry rub has a kick and several BBQ sauces to choose from. The mashed potatoes are good, BUT I do miss the parmesan au gratin potatoes. The brisket isn’t bad either, but my favourites are the Ribs!

The food at Q Fanatic is fair. I have only been there a couple times trying different menu items, and have not been excited about anything except the cole slaw. In particular I think the beef is over tenderized and could be a bit leaner. It’s a great family style restaurant with the value packs and casual environment. Not really my preferred dining experience so would only go back if out of town visitors requested to go.

If it weren’t for being on Triple D, I don’t know that this place would be as crowded.
It’s certainly not bad, but there are some staple mainstream things missing: BBQ sauce that’s not the flavor of burnt coffee or sweet as honey. Those are the only two options.
The burnt end were flavorful and extremely tender. Part of me was missing the «burnt» part. Something a little crispy on the outside… But again, flavor, taste and tenderness: Top Drawer! The onions and pepper on the sandwich could’ve been more caramelized. They were a little raw and sharp for my liking, but others might get enjoy them that way.
The beef brisket was really well cooked. I tried it twice and it was consistently good. This is where the lack of a good BBQ sauce really hurt cause the meat was SO good.
Last thing I tried was the corn fritters. Here’s the home run ball. Moist, crisp on the outside, not overloaded with sugar. Just the taste of good corn fried in its own batter. Once again… The lack of a nice vinegar BBQ sauce to balance out the sweet corn would’ve been nice.
All in all, definitely going back to try other things, but gonna try to smuggle in some «non-​hipster BBQ sauce.»

The food is fantastic. The prices seem great for the real made BBQ food and the portions are big! The downfall, it’s soooo good they’re always packed and sometimes it’s hard to find a spot, but well worth the wait! I love local!

This place has been on Diners, Drive-​Ins & Dive and its great. Large variety of BBQ sauces, good portions and always busy! Sampler plate will give you the meat sweats :) in a good way! They doubled the size of the dining area a while ago for more space.

Having seen the segment on Dinners, Drive-​Ins and Dives, my interest had been piqued for quite some time about Q-​Fanatic. Though I travel to the Twin Cities quite often, this place is a good 50-​mile round-​trip outside the city limits. It’s still very much nestled in suburbia, but it’s out there. I simply hadn’t found enough time to hit this place up.
And boy was I missing out.
I finally swung by in November of 2015 and ordered the ½ rack of back ribs and Cajun fries. There had been some legitimate hype surrounding this place, so I was eager to sink my teeth in. When the food finally came, I instantly knew it was going to be delicious. The rib meat was seasoned, but not to a bark. When I finally tasted it, the flavor a rushed my senses. It was tender, yet meaty with a hint of smoke; just the perfect amount. The two kinds of BBQ sauce complimented the ribs perfectly.
I’ve been to world-​renowned BBQ joints all over the country. I’ve had the best that central Texas, Kansas City and St. Louis have to offer, and Q-Fanatic’s ribs rival anywhere I’ve been. They reminded my of a famous place in St. Louis called Pappy’s — and that’s saying a lot considering people wait for hours to get a chance to eat there. The wait for Q-​Fanatic was extremely short, but I also came on a Sunday evening (it’s closed Monday and Tuesday).
I suggest you don’t make the same mistake I did and put off going here. If you’re within 100 miles, jump in your car and head to this Champlin, Minnesota gem.

I got the brisket sandwich. Meat was tender. However I like a small amount of Bbq sauce. The sauce on the table was awful. Espresso and honey. The fries were nicely seasoned. The food came out quick.

Love this place for our bbq! My boyfriend and I go there every time we are in champlin! Amazing sauces!

Like most people, I saw this on Triple D. I got the sausage with peppers sandwich. It is huge so don’t bother replacing the chips with any of the sides. I took the brisket and chicken home with mac & cheese and asian slaw. Pepper Vodka sause and Espresso BBQ are delicious on everything. Seriously, the brisket is AMAZING. The chicken was so nice and tender. SKIP those sides and just load up on meat! Will return as soon as possible.

Tried this place after seeing it on food network, and was so disgusted by the food that I thought I must have been on a hidden camera show. Unfortunately I was not. It was legitimately the worst thing I’d ever eaten. So I waited about 2 years, worked up my courage, and went back. I think I must have had it on a bad day last time, cause this time, it was decent. Definitely not anything worth putting on food network, but it was ok. But then again, I’ve been spoiled by real barbecue, so I guess my standards are mighty high for what qualifies as «good». I got the brisket sandwich with Mac and cheese. The brisket was tender and the roll they used was tasty, but the Mac was pretty gross. I tried a few bites and ended up throwing the rest out. Perhaps next time I’ll try a different side.

Food
The food is phenomenal. Between the beef brisket or the pulled pork, I never know what to get. I enjoy their sauces, they are all delectable and my favorite is the «loose» spicy vinegar BBQ sauce. I love that tangy bite from it and the pulled pork soaks it all up and holds the flavor well. Each table has two versions (traditional honey and espresso) while you can ask for several others behind the counter. Try the Garlic Aioli for something different.
Service (subtract two stars)
Service feels like they are missing something a bit of charisma. I’m not sure what it is, but it feels like every time I talk to someone at Q-​Fanatic, I feel like I’m wasting their time. It almost feels like this establishment thinks too highly of themselves ever since they were on Triple D years ago. It might be time to quit riding that train and remember that their customers is the reason why they are still open. Also what takes the food so long to come out? The last time I was here, My fiancé and I waited nearly 50 minutes to receive our beef brisket meals. Half the dining room was open and half of them already had their food. No one ever stopped by to say, «sorry the food will be out soon» or made any other comment for that matter. The problem is, it’s like this nearly every time you go.
Environment
It’s pretty low lit. Shades are always shut. A little extra lighting could go a long ways. Tables are fairly clean and the booths are pretty wide.
This place is good, but I won’t see myself going out of my way to eat here unless I’ll be hungry in an hour.

Everyone who lives in Champlin thinks we have a closely-​guarded secret in qfanatic but no longer. After DD & D profiled this place we are on the map! There are no words. The food is simply to die for. Don’t bother dining in… you’ll be waiting for ever. Call ahead, get it to go and live happily ever after.
Qfanatic is our families go-​to place for all things celebratory. Just do it!

I heard a lot of hype about Qfanatic, so I came here for lunch with my co workers.
We ordered a big sampler plate. The ribs were great! It was tender, had a nice peppery and smoky flavor to it. Beef was tasty as well but not very tender, it wasn’t smoked long enough. The rest were very disappointing. The bacon was basically smoked fatty pork belly, it didn’t taste anything like bacon at all. Cole slaw was just shredded raw cabbage piled on top of a little bit of dressing in the bottom. It was never mixed. The texture was hard and had no taste to it. Then there was the buns, they were hard! Probably sat in the oven or steamed table too long.
I would come back again, but won’t be ordering any sides.

BEST BBQ. PERIOD.
First time I went was with the boss during work. I have fallen in love since, especially since I discovered brisket! The brisket sandwich is to die for. Double meat of course. And the caesar salad… mmm…Ranch dressing tastes awesome. The expresso sauce and pepper vodka sauce are what I usually get. My mouth is watering just writing this. Seriously great bbq joint for brisket. Haven’t had a chance to try anything else because the brisket is that good.
Did I mention they were on Diners, Dives, and Drive ins with Guy Fieri!!!

Last review not so great… just finished takeout for dinner this eve. Rack of baby back and Pound of chicken. True BBQ and extremely good. Probably best in town (mpls and st. paul) when they are performing at this level. Great job!

Food was good, not the best by far, but good. It’d be great if the food was as good as the place smelled. Smells like a great bbq joint. A friend of mine told me that is was the best ham he had ever had. My friend has excellent taste. It was good but it tasted as though it had been drowned in maple syrup.
The pulled pork had good flavor, nothing spectacular, the brisket had good flavor but wasn’t cooked long enough and was poorly trimmed with too much fat remaining. The ribs were excellent, great rub and a wonderful pepper bite.
We had wonderful sides. Great Mac n cheese, Parmesan potatoes, veggies and some of the best baked beans I’ve had in a restaurant.
Overall it was good, but not excellent.

I decided after receiving a Unilocal message from Qfanatic’s business owner that I should give Qfanatic another shot. I read through my original review and was surprised at how harshly written it was, sometimes it is easy to hide behind a virtual curtain. I figured if a business owner took much time and care in the reviews written about their business that the least I could do was give them a second chance.
So I did. Today at around 12:30pm.
My perspective has not changed in regard to the menu. I still found it confusing, with too many items, and in a hard-​to-​read font. I stared at the menu for just short of five minutes before coming to a conclusion on what I wanted to order.
Next, it was time to place my order which is another slightly confusing process because there are two counters. One counter is for phone pick-​up orders. The other is for placing an order. The counters are clearly marked once you know their individual purposes.
I ordered the pulled chicken dinner with coleslaw and asked to substitute the bread roll for a small portion of mashed potatoes. The cashier was not sure if this was possible so ran back to the kitchen to inquire. The kitchen told her that if I omitted the bread roll, I could purchase a regular side of mashed potatoes for only $ 1 (normal price is $ 2.50). I said OK. The cashier asked me if subbing the bread roll for potatoes was due to a gluten allergy or preference and I answered, «preference.» The final two elements to my order were a fountain drink and mild BBQ sauce which is called «honey BBQ.»
I then went to the dining room and waited for my food to be packaged for takeaway. A short while later, my food was ready and the cashier reviewed the contents and we both noticed that a bread roll had been included even though I had elected to sub it out. I couldn’t help but wonder if possibly Qfanatic’s business owner was in the kitchen and saw my name on the to go order and included the bread roll as a nice gesture (as per my conversation with the cashier, I was not allergic to gluten).
Note to self: Order under an alias when returning to a restaurant in a scenario like this.
The food this time around was leaps and bounds better than it was during my original visit. Here’s the breakdown.
*Pulled chicken — moist and wonderfully flavored
*Mashed potatoes — creamy skin on red potatoes that needed a little salt which I added and they were really good.
*Bread roll — I could have done without the roll. It was doused in garlic and butter and a bit soggy though this could have been due to it sitting in a styrofoam container for 10 minutes while I drove home.
*Honey BBQ sauce — still not quite to my liking but better than I remember. If I return, I’d try the «hot/​spicy» BBQ sauce.
*Coleslaw — as I remember it, having the look of a mayo-​based coleslaw but having a vinegary taste. I think the base of it may be half mayo and half vinegar but I’m not sure. My taste buds simply did not enjoy its flavor.
I guess the long and short of it is that consistency may be a slight issue with Qfanatic or perhaps my husband and I just caught Qfanatic on an off day. Both of my visits were during a weekday around the same time of day, so that eliminates most factors such as dinner rush or food not being as fresh as it could be.
I’m glad Qfanatic’s business owner messaged me and I’m glad I revisited Qfanatic as my second visit has changed my opinion of the food tremendously. I’d be happy to return to Qfanatic in the future.

OK, I’ve been a handful more times now and have found some things that Q Fanatic does really well that really warrant the 4^th star;)
The Slab Cut Bacon is a thing of beauty, get it on the BLT for an amazing sandwich. The pulled pork is great and the pork back ribs are some of the best I’ve had! Get the Deluxe Combo to try a variety of meat and sides. Corn fritters are nice and unique for a BBQ place but I’m not totally sold on the other sides yet, I’ll try some new ones next visit. I’m glad I came back a few times, goes to show you really have to give a place that extra chance. I’ll be back…

I’m not much of a fan of the BBQ since I became vegetarian, however I can appreciate a good meal. I walked in trying not to be skeptical being the veggie Eater I am. Now think Bar B Que.
Thumbs up:
–Veggie options, hallelujah
–Reasonably $
–Decent c.s.
–Clean dining area, even a spot for you to wash your hands besides the restroom
–All the condiments, plates, to gos, bags you need. It’s a self service kind of place with just the bare essentials.
–Food was OK, not bad not good, try their corn fritters though. We had mac cheee, veggies, fries, beans, ribs, buns. I say all in all it was good, not bad, but not great.
–Free popcorn
–Variety of beerrr
Thumbs down:
–Their espresso sauce and fire sauce same thing but with chili peppers, eh eh.
–The food was decent, but I had better at home with my personal chef. No party for my taste buds.
Will wonder over there again sometime.