Rib & Loin

It’s a 5 * price and cafeteria Quality food. The service was low-​quality but polite. The food was awful and no compensation was offered. However the decorations are very nice.

Great food and courteous hostess and servers. Food is incredible for a very reasonable price

Love eating at either location! This one has a private dining room that works great for business meetings, rehearsal dinners, etc. Always super clean and the wait staff remember you and your family. Can’t find places like this anymore!

*First, from a food aspect, let’s state that there is really NOTHING that sets R&L apart from any other well managed, reasonably clean BBQ establishment in this town. I don’t fully understand the «Best of» stickers pasted on the door … Must be a weird type of popularity contest. Oops! Should have written a spoiler alert!!!
*The location visited this afternoon, on Hwy 153, displayed all the usual expected décor (pictures of dancing pigs {?}, photos of old cowboy boots, etc), expected in this region. I’ve noticed most BBQ restaurants in this area seem to gravitate towards ‘hillbilly’ or ‘western’ décor. If one can find a BBQ joint that doesn’t try to «set the stage» (Dixie BBQ), you’re probably in for a treat! R&L does not fit into this category, however. D^%#, forgot the spoiler alert, again!
*Our platter of ribs, cut between Baby-​back & Standard; was totally ample for three adults, if somewhat greasy. Seasoning really was an ‘add-​on’ –not slow cooked in the meat, at least from the taste. (Tinkers; up in Lakesite was the benchmark, but alas; they are long gone) Today’s meat was tender, yet strangely, weirdly chewy; kinda got bigger in my mouth, the longer I chewed it! Insure the bottles of table sauce are filled when placing an order, you’ll need them to remove/​cover the bland, everyday taste of the main BBQ entrée.
*Our sides consisted of corn on cob (⁵⁄₅), mac ‘n cheese (⁴⁄₅), fried okra (⁴⁄₅), and a loaded potato (¹⁄₅). The corn was simply delightful, piping hot, done, and yummy-​sweet. Mac ‘n cheese was above average. Okra (I hate okra! Was tasty). Green beans, well… Green Giant canned offerings are better tasting, and present better on the plate. Well, IF they were actually ON the plate. R&L, like most BBQ JOINTS, have fallen prey to the labour-​saving practice of ‘pre-​serving’ portions in styrofoam cupp-​etts. God only knows when they were first scooped! If things are so d^%# tight that you need to measure every bean, macaroni, learn to train your servers, or get outta the business! You are serving FOOD. present it as though itz NOT an afterthought! We are partaking of your offering; taking it into our bodies! Have some pride!
*The potato… Yes. The. Potato.
The potato deserves a paragraph all unto its own… My potato was ahhhh, ‘loaded’. I should have noticed that the waitress didn’t ask exactly ‘how’ I wanted the spud dressed. So… I received a pre-​made/​manufactured/​food-​frozen ‘loaded’ unit. Okay… IF it had been warmer than a corpse. At least it was thawed. In university days, I made many a meal of cold ‘taters, and as far as a cold ‘tater goes, this offering was just fine, if somewhat ahhhh, unexpected. I suspect the cream cheese might have been ummmm, just slightly past prime, but it was not too runny, and the extra moisture-​juice balanced the over-​dried, yellow/​orange cheese product that protectively glazed my spud.
*Honestly, I would have awarded a single star but for the incredibly up-​beat staff, and comfy/​homey atmo that R&L displayed this afternoon. Like many endeavours in life, BBQ is so simple, and yet so easy to screw up. R&L is soooo, close; yet so far off the mark. If you really don’t pay a great deal of attention to what you and your family eat, R&L will serve just fine. Enjoy!
Great access inside for folk using walkers, canes, etc. Restroom was clean and well-​stocked. Good exit to Hwy 153 East, not-​so-​much West. No personal checks accepted!

One of my favorite restaurants in the Hixon/​Chattanooga area. Good bbq, the stuffed potato is my wife’s favorite. I love the pulled pork and chicken but my favorite is the chicken wings. It comes with some of the best ranch dressing I have ever tasted.

Best pulled pork ever! The pork stuffed baked potato is the greatest. I also appreciate the fact that I can eat there and leave and not smell like a bbq pit!

I’ve never dined in, but my family frequents the drive through. The pulled pork shoulder is delicious and well worth the $ 8.99.
The pulled pork is tasty and succulent and almost melts in your mouth. This business has perfected the art of smoking meat!
Must try the hot sauce BBQ sauce. It’s a nice spicy twist on the traditional southern BBQ sauce.
I recommend rib and loin for get togethers, catering or a wonderful take out for some yummy sammiches!

I always try to stay away from Chain restaurants and eat at local BBQ restaurants but I was very pleased the other day I went for the first time not only at the great service we had but how good their food was. I had the beef brisket which was great and I would definitely recommend it! I will definitely be coming back soon!

My family and. I ate here a couple of weekends ago because I fell for the «Best of…» awards for BBQ. We went to the one in Hixon and the it was nicely decorated for Christmas. We placed our orders and I got the pork, chicken, and rib combo and was eagerly awaiting to chow down on ‘Nooga’s best BBQ. To be fair, I’ll let you know that I am a true BBQ lover and cook, so I’m biased to my own — but hey, this is ‘Nooga’s best, right? NOT!!!
The food came out and the ribs were yellow, hard, and dry. It appeared they were boiled/​steamed to death with a bland seasoning, then thrown on a cooktop to reheat. They were horrible! I’m a firm believer that meat, especially BBQ, never comes in contact with water. If these ribs weren’t boiled or steamed, then only God knows how they could make them taste any worse. In addition to the horrible ribs, the pulled chicken and pork were tasteless and dry, too.
While paying my bill, the clerk asked how everything was and I said, «at least the cole slaw was good». Yes, the cole slaw was the only thing that earned a star from me.

I love their pulled pork potato with their Sweet Tea! Very yummy! Not my top BBQ place, but the service is quick and the price is right for a family on a budget. Christmas decorations were very nice!

MEH. That’s how I have felt for years about Rib & Loin. There’s a problem when your best tasting chicken is chicken tenders.
Their chopped chicken is just disgusting, dry, and flavorless. Even the toppings on a stuffed baked potato can’t save it. That potato was so dry I poured on the entirety of the sauce it came with, plus the hot BBQ sauce I got extra. I could have probably added more if I had it.
The thing I do like about their potatoes is that they also put bacon and chives on them. But they seem to put less cheese and sour cream on compared to their competitors, which makes it difficult to ignore the dry, tasteless nature of the chicken. My mom made the mistake of only getting cheese on hers.
You get a lot of food, and it’s cheap, but because it’s cheap, it’s not very good. I’ve never understood why this place is so well liked.

I’ve never had to use that much sauce to get BBQ moist enough to eat. The fried okra was oddly tough. The mac ‘n’ cheese was that standard soupy over-​cooked noodle thing. The toast was… toast.
R&L was one step below your average BBQ place in the area. But hey, the service was good and the previously Western Sizzler architecture was cozy.

I am soooo disappointed at the reviews people have put out here. I visited this restaurant this weekend on my way back from dropping my dauighter off at camp. I read the reviews and decided to try it out. This had to be the wrost BBQ place I have ever eaten. The mac and cheese has straight from the box and runny. The coleslaw was bland and more like mayonaise soup. The ribs were tender but tasted like they were cooked the day before. The pulled pork was okay but I was soooooo disgusted by the sides that I couldnt really eat it. The only positives were the sauce and the arnold palmer’s. I did get a to go cup to wash down the taste that was still lingering around 100 miles down the road. Go anywhere else but here is you do not want to be disappointed.

Very good BBQ. Only had the large Pork sandwich and side of Mac and cheese. Pork and slaw were fantastic. Good smokey flavor. Mac and cheese was average, but as I came for the Q, who cares.

I love going back to TN and eating here. You just can’t get this kind of BBQ here in NY. I love the pulled pork diner plates.

Manager was pleasant, but owner refused to sell BBQ by the pound, even though it was on the menu. Said that was his wholesale price and he couldn’t afford to sell it to me at that price and let me eat in his restaurant with my family who had ordered 3 additional meals.

Every time I go back, I just keep discovering more things I like! The banana pudding is amazing. Can’t resist ordering and devouring it when I’m here. So, so good.

A great BBQ place with a large menu for times when I’m not in a BBQ mood (but I usually go with the ribs). I’ve tried both locations and find them equally good. Rib & Loin is the de facto place that our clan goes for to-​go orders for our large family gatherings.

A group of my friends likes to meet here for dinner occasionally. Finally I got a chance to join them. It’s standard, run of the mill BBQ. There wasn’t anything really special about it, other than it was cheap and you get a good sized portion. It wasn’t particularly good, but it wasn’t particularly bad either. The staff was friendly enough and was attentive. I would eat here again, but only if my friends wanted to eat here. I don’t mind the food, since it’s so cheap.

If general BBQ could ever be turned into a nationwide chain, it should use the recipes from rib and loin. I usually get the chicken BBQ potato. There is a drive through with the nicest-​albiet-​accent-​laden people. Between the friendly staff, the very good BBQ and the very low cost of eating at Rib and Loin, I am always happy, never dissapointed. Try the hot BBQ sauce for fiery loins.