Busters Texas Style Barbecue

I had the 2 meat combo of pork ribs and spicy sausage. Also mash potatoes and a salad. The ribs were great with lots of flavor and so was the sausage. The rib cuts were thick and juicy. The mash potatoes tasted of real potatoes however the gravy was instant. The salad was cold and the salad bar was adequate with other veggies. I liked the chipotle Bbq sauce since I am not a fan of tomato based sauces. Having said that the meat was fine as is and did not need any sauce. The only issue I had was the rib portions. I got two ribs and I felt like 3 would have been better as most bbq rib places give you at least that much on a combo plate. I will come back again for a full rib plate. I typically don’t get brisket at places like this as it is hit miss on the dryness as evident by complaints I read about this place.

I eat here often with my lunch work crew. Great environment friendly staff lots of choices for food. Not the best barbecue in Portland. But. Definitely above average brisket turkey and chicken. The ribs I would give three or four stars because sometimes a little dry, but overall great value and price for all the food you get. The Best french fries and best mac & cheese and Portland.!!

We each ordered the Combination Dinner with two meats and two sides. I had the baby back ribs and the spare ribs with Cole slaw and baked beans. My husband went for the beef ribs and pork spareribs with the same sides.
Neither meal was horrible and neither meal was outstanding. The meats were cooked with a nice dry rub and sauces are available on the condiment bar. The sides were disappointing. Each was fairly tasteless. Additionally we chose desserts. The Pecan pie was overcooked and weeping. The Truffle Cake overly sweet.
All in all a very lackluster meal. I won’t be visiting again.

Terrible BBQ the ribs very very dry & hard no flavor.
Chicken looks good but also dry and no flavor. What is good is the brisket and the Mac & Cheese. The beans taste like can beans. All eight of us that ate here today had the same feeling about the ribs.

OMG Buster ’ s are you kidding me passing off these ribs as beef ribs for the same price as the big beef ribs you use to have… commented to the server those are pork ribs. SHAME ON YOU!!! I was forced to leave a star.

HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE
The chicken had ZERO flavor, the ribs were dry. The BBQ sauce
Sweet tasted like vinegar
Mild tasted like Worcestershire Sauce
WE WON’T BE BACK!!!
Explains why every time we drive by the parking lot is empty.

Very expensive for how mediocre it is…
I got a small amount of mac and cheese a small amount of potato salad a quarter rack of ribs and a few slices of beef brisket for seventeen dollars. Not a good deal. There are 20 better bbq joints in Portland.

This place is a good reminder that there are people out there with no taste buds.
I had the brisket, dry and flavorless. I would never ever eat brisket here again.
I had the BBQ beans, meh. Not anything I would pay to eat ever again.
The atmosphere? Lunch line full of old fat white people.
The price? Normal for a bbq place, but I consider it way overpriced for the quality of the food.
For the money I would spend here, I would much MUCH rather eat somewhere else.
Customer service was decent though.

I got the BBQ plate. The BBQ pulled pork was plentiful and pretty decent. The baked beans were awful, had a funny aftertaste. The Texas toast slice was without flavor so I ate a bite and left it.
Gonna conclude this place is a cash cow. Big portions but little flavor means it’s not a price issue, it’s a lack of care. Someone simply isn’t steer-​ing the ship and now they are milking it for all it’s worth.
Put this place out to pasture.

Very good ribs and brisket. Good deep smoke, rub is top notch. Other meats are so-​so. Good sauce. I mix sweet with a touch of hot. Pretty good sides. Beans, fries, green salad are good. Not the greatest potato salad, but adequate. Also very good clam chowder on Fridays. I have had exceptional BBQ in Kansas City which is why I’m critical. But I also know that Texas and Kansas BBQ are different. In the top 5 for Portland though. Grade B

Buster’s in an interesting place, and provides a good value. This is a cafeteria-​style establishment, so you grab a tray and order you food as you go along. This lets you see everything before you choose, and avoids any wait staff. There’s not even a place on the receipt to add a tip. This is good because you get your food right away, you get free refills on the drinks (which you get yourself), there’s a «serve yourself» condiment bar, and plenty of napkins at the tables.
How’s the food? Passable. The brisket and chicken have a good smoky flavor, but are REALLY dry… REALLY, REALLY dry. I made the mistake of trying the beef ribs, and they just barely qualify as «fit for human consumption» — tough is an understatement (think beef jerky or a leather belt), and barely had any usable meat on them (lots of fat, though). Went back and ordered baby backs, and they were certainly better, but were also overly dry. I’m no pit master, but two in my party said that the ribs I make were «much better». The pulled pork was the best protein: smoky, comparatively tender, perfectly-​sauced (quantity-​wise), and pretty tasty.
Steer clear of the «Chicken strips» kids meal. The chicken is more processed than McNuggets, and one bite was enough for my son. The fries taste like generics, not even as good as those frozen garbage Ore-​Ida horrors.
The potato salad was the real surprise — it was actually very good. Lots of big chunks of hard-​boiled egg, and the potatoes in it were cooked perfectly. The macaroni and cheese was definitely on the better side of average, too.
It is sad to say, but the highest-​rated item by all in my party was the toast.
All told, $ 53 for five of us is really cheap, but I wound up spending an extra $ 20 for some baby backs due the horrific beef ribs and a macaroni and cheese kids meal because of the nasty chicken strips.
If you’re just dying for smoked meats and can’t get to anyplace better, it will do in a pinch if you stick with the pulled pork.

I’ve been visiting this BBQ joint for many, many years… so long in fact, that I can remember when they had an «all you can eat Ribs Special «on their menu ! At the end of the day, you either love their Sauces, Meats & Buffet style of serving, or not. I happen to LOVE all three of these things. I highly recommend at least giving the Gresham, Tigard. or Milwaukie restaurants a try. The food is very tasty & the prices are more than reasonable. Additionally, since you are not being «served «at your table, you can save a bit on the «Gratuity «part; (I still leave a tip for the bus-​folks if I eat my meal there, versus to-​go)
: Ask yourself, Do I like BBQ Pork Ribs? If so, I can guarantee you they are way better @ Buster’s, than @ some other place, where the guy calls himself «Famous «& Buster’s are a smaller, locally owned restaurant chain; gotta support local businesses.

We are from out of town and ordered right before closing so maybe that has something to do with it but we were very surprised with how little we got for how much we paid. Four of us ordered the sandwich and side combo deal. The sandwiches were plain… only bun and meat. The sides were also small, the mac and cheese was bland but my buddy says the potato salad was very good. I was also expecting the meat to be drenched or at least prepared with sauce but the meat was plain with the sauce on the side. My brisket was ok tasting. This was not a good value for our money.

Every time I come to Buster’s I remember why it’s been a year or so since my previous visit.
I so want to like this place, but it’s just really hard. Perhaps it’s because I’ve had real Texas barbecue, in Texas, in some of the Hill Country’s finest places. (Salt Lick, Stubb’s, Rudy’s, Coopers, etc.) Perhaps that makes me spoiled on good BBQ
I’m pretty sure I’ve tried just about every thing on Buster’s menu throughout the years, so you can’t say that I haven’t given the place a fair shake.
If you’re looking for good brisket go somewhere else. Every time I’ve tried the brisket, it’s tastes like dry pot roast with a hint of smoke flavoring. They cut it paper thin, and there is absolutely no bark (crust) on it at all. PS Where did all the fat go? You need fat on your brisket to keep it moist. Pass on the brisket, trust me.
However their smoked turkey is great, tender, moist and juicy just like it should be. The rest of their meats are eh… Ok.
Busters sides leave a little something to be desired as well. Don’t get me wrong they’re all edible… I will say this, Buster’s Pecan pie is Legit. It’s probably some of the best pecan pie around.
All in all this place isn’t horrible, but I feel like over the years they are putting a lot less effort in the product they deliver. The staff is always friendly, the place is always clean. However when it comes to good barbecue, I’m all about the brisket, Which I’ve mastered at home on my smoker.
Overall… this place isn’t horrible, it isn’t great either. Just a mediocre bbq joint. I’m sure I’ll come back again if I’m really craving bbq and too lazy to fire up my smoker at home.

Yuck. This place earned two stars for being clean and friendly. Also the meat was at least tender. The good ends there.
The brisket was 100% flavourless. It wasn’t seasoned, and there wasn’t even a smoke flavour or scent.
The baby back ribs were moderately better with at least a little smoke flavour and a bit of a honey crust, but it didn’t permeate the meat.
The macaroni and cheese is not homemade and tastes of cheap processed American. Not good.
Pretty sure the mashed potatoes are the dehydrated kind, or at least premade and frozen out of a bag.
I’m the last one to recommend a chain, but Famous Dave’s has this place beat and lapped.

It’s Texas style so that would explain the music. I grabbed a plastic tray with a cowboy motif on it and some flatware, and moved to the order counter. «Pork ribs please», and within one tenth of a second he slapped three large ribs and a limp piece of toast on my cowboy tray and was gone. I moved a little further down the counter and found sides. «Mac & Cheese and Cole Slaw please», and within five tenths of a second she slid two bowl across. I moseyed over to the cowboy motif booth and took a seat.
The ribs looked like a cross between beef ribs and pork ribs. Do they genetically splice cows and pigs these days? Now good pork ribs should fall off the bone. As a matter of fact, you should be able to simply put one end in your mouth and suck the meat off off the bone. These were more like jerky. If you like to gnaw — this might just be your thing. My dog loved what I didn’t eat, but it took him awhile to gnaw through it.
The Mac & Cheese was beige — a little lighter than butcher paper. I’ve never seen cheese this particular color, but it had no taste except for maybe salt. The Cole Shaw looked like shredded cabbage in a bowl of milk. It was tasteless as well.
There’s nothing to see here — move along.

Let me start by saying I love good Texas style BBQ. I have always been satisfied with the quality, cleanliness, and service of Busters. The overall impression is good maybe not over the top great or the best but a good experience.
I have had a few of the different locations as well as the catering. The Gresham location has been better than all of the other experiences and the catering is also best from Gresham.
If your looking for a good overall experience and are close by you definitely won’t be disappointed. Price is also a bit higher than you would expect.

Texas checking in… Y’all know fat on a brisket is a good thing, right? You don’t have to cook it all out. I’ll give you credit for the bark and smoke ring, but if you have to rehydrate your brisket with your (tasty) sauce, what’s the point? Just shove it in a bag in the oven, then. The pinto beans were good, as was the potato salad.
Three stars instead of two, ’cause mesquite wood must be a chore to get up here, you had traditional sides, and you didn’t automatically sauce the meat – though how you fought the urge is a study in self-​control.
It’ll do in a pinch. Bless your hearts…

I’ve lived in Portland for about six years now over this time I’ve seen 100’s of tv commercials for this place but never tried it. Today my friend and I decided it was time so we headed out. I’ve never been more disappointed in my life. The meat they call BBQ is a sad «cafeteria» style quality you would expect to find at an all you can eat buffet. I ordered the beef brisket dinner that comes with 2 sides. I choose Mac & cheese and mashed potatoes included is Texas toast. The toast was really just bread with butter on it laid on the grill for a few moments (one side only) it was cold and not toast like at all. Mashed potatoes and Mac we decent but again the quality I would expect at an all you can eat buffet. The beef brisket was so tasteless and fatty I did not even finish it. Portland has some amazing BBQ places around town that blow this one out of the water. Sadly my friend a do won’t be back.
I gave it 2 stars for the friendly staff and clean dinning room.

I had to get a to go lunch from Busters and opted for the Pulled Pork on Garlic Toast. It was kick ass good. Perfect grill on the toast and right amount of Barbecue sauce mixed into the pork. It also had the right amount of char on the pork edges.
Along with that I also had the Texas Chili. With a little cheddar cheese on top it was the right compliment to the sandwich.
I would recommend the combo to anyone.