Blue Door Smokehouse

The food was excellent. I went with my family, we shared the smokehouse special, which included every meat they so wonderfully smoke. The meat was flavorful and tender. The three BBQ sauces are to die for, my favorite was the spicy, not too much heat, but so much wonderful flavor.
In summary, my family loves BBQ. Whenever we travel we look for BBQ places to try. This was a giant hit, some off the best I’ve ever eaten.

This place makes me angry. We came on Friday and they were closed a couple hours early, sign reading «sold out». Ok, fine. So we come back Saturday at 4pm (four hours before closing) and they were «sold out» again. Seriously?! It’s the weekend. Plan for it people. We sat in the parking lot for nearly 15 minutes trying to figure out where to go next and watched 13 cars drive up, read the sign and drive away (it became interesting, so we counted). What’s that tell you?
Huge waste of time and a 40 minute drive two days in a row. Really lame. Won’t come back.

Ordered the blue door special. They were out of pulled pork so I doubled up on the brisket. Ribs were solid… good smoke flavor just a bit on the dry side. The sausage was very very good. The brisket was great, fat melted in my mouth. The surprise was the pulled chicken. They top it with some type of dry seasoning and I must say it was simply sensational. Got the ranch beans and potato salad for my side. Both solid and complimentary to the barbecue. The spicy sauce is hands down the best. It’d slightly sweet, good amount of Tang and just enough heat. Overall I’d say this is a fine establishment with great food.

Incredible Ribs!!! Must try the collard greens and add some of the spicy BBQ sauce. Brisket is great as well. Out this on your «Gotta eat here NOW» list.

First, finding this place was by chance. I do what I normally do and ask a local where I can get a good meal that you would be proud to recommend. I don’t even try and steer people to the type of food. The first thing out of their mouth was «barbecue?» And the rest is history. We are at Blue Door.
From the moment you walk in you realize this place is doing it right. Busy little spot 25 or so seats, open just a few hours each day to sell out of what freshest and was made for that days service. Brisket was insane, a bark that you can enjoy on its own and the brisket itself that can be eaten with a spoon. Side on tap for me were vinegar coleslaw and collard greens. Greens were tender and prepared perfectly. The coleslaw was a nice compliment to the dish and cleaned the pallet before each bite of luscious brisket.
I will definitely be returning every time I’m in the Lexington area.

As a barbecue expert I would have to give five stars! Sweet and smoky, the brisket did not even require any sauce. It literally melted in my mouth. Mmmmm
The place is very simple and there is not much room but I would not suggest they change any of that.
Basically you read your dining options off of a chalkboard, wait in line, grab your own silverware and such and hopefully you don’t have to wait again for a seat.
Turnover seems quick as people seem to understand this is a place to eat, have a small conversation and move on.
I usually avoid restaurants that do not serve booze but this will be an exception due to the excellent food.
If you like no-​frills and want some seriously good barbecue this is the place for you.

DELICIOUS.
The staff is super friendly and the to-​go orders are ready fast.
My only suggestion would be to allow the people who order by phone to «skip the line» somehow because we only order to-​go when we’re on a time crunch and waiting in line kinda defeats the purpose. Especially when the line is out the door (understandably)!

What a neat place; the aromas alone can get you hooked! We had the pulled pork sandwich, a beef brisket sandwich, Cole slaw, potato salad and sodas. It was very good; the brisket was one of the best I’ve had. I’d say they’re the best BBQ I’ve tried in Lexington. We’ll return; gotta try the ribs!

I live in Louisville and went here after a tour at Woodford Reserve per recommendation from a friend I was with (although I had actually heard about this place before from a few people). The place is fairly small and we arrived at 2 on a Friday and still had to wait to have a table. The person taking orders at the register was friendly and said he would hold our order until a table became available (very nice to know we wouldn’t have to wait tray in hand letting our food get cold to have a seat).
I ordered the combo plate with brisket/​pulled pork, a side of ranch beans, and the greens. The brisket ranks top two in all that I have tried (only being beat by Green Street Smoked Meats in Chicago, which, let me tell you if I am comparing it to that it’s worth an hour or so drive to try). The meat was tender and juicy and fat melted in your mouth. The pork itself was tasty and they sprinkle some kind of seasoned salt on top which gives it a small kick of flavor, but not any better than I have tried other places. With that being said if this is your first time, get the brisket!!! The ranch beans are not your typical sugar laden barbecue style baked beans one would think of getting at a barbecue restaurant. They had a small punch of heat and while I am sure the sauce they were in had some sort of sugar added they were definitely savory. The greens were also very good, and if you are averse to super vinegary vegetables these are for you as they have somehow perfected cooking them with only the slightest bite.

This is a popular place to eat! The parking lot was full so we parked on the street. It’s an order then sit down type of restaurant, very laid back. The employees were friendly. I ordered the brisket and the meat had a smokey flavor and was delicious. The sides I got, creamy coleslaw and potato salad, were okay. They were lacking seasoning. Also the restaurant does not sell any beer which made me a little sad. But they did have bottled root beer and it was really good. The prices were cheap. They had amazing BBQ sauce! I loved the «hot BBQ sauce» it was perfect!

We both got brisket, everything else was gone by 5pm on a Saturday evening. So if you don’t want brisket come early. Also there is limited dine in seating.
However, the brisket was excellent and so tender! The staff was very friendly and helpful.

This is one of those hole in the wall joints that has amazing food. We were out of towners who only found this by way of Unilocal and Trip Advisor. A little crowded, not much parking and the fountain drink machines were… Interesting. Two of us spilled out drinks over the top of the cup and one crushed the foam cup completely. But the food more than makes up for any shortcomings… Still worth it! If you love meat and/​or BBQ this is the place! The three different sauces at the tables were excellent, and even good mixed together. Loved it & would eat there again.

You wanna talk about the best bbq I’ve ever had in my life. This place is tied with a place back in Michigan. I was blown away by the brisket sandwich I had from here. It just melts in your mouth while eating it. I can’t express enough on how much I loved it. I also got two sides with it. I got the ranch beans and potato salad. Which were also awesome. I really also loved the vibe of this place. A small little blue building just off to the side. These kind of business are what I love to find and keep coming back too. I will be coming back here every time I visit Lexington from now on.

It’s good to be back to this place again. I love bbq scene in and around Lexington but my favorite place is this one. I been here multiple times and hubby gets many times food to go bc they sell out a lot which is clear sign. They are Amazing. My brother was visiting and I definitely wanted him to try this gem. I love their whole menu but my favorite one is their pulled pork. And yes!!! It’s great. Omggg getting water in my mouth typing abt it. we ordered pulled pork and half rack ribs with side of collard green and beans. It was delicious. They have three sauces — sweet, spicy and tangy and I love combo of spicy and tangy. My brother also loved pulled pork so much that the guy who just loves his ribs. took my plate and finished it off. As Always great experience, excellent food. Can’t wait to be back again. Go check this place out!!!

I will admit it. I am a Southern BBQ snob. I grew up eating SC style BBQ. I know what good bbq is and what it is not. This is southern BBQ at its best! No complaints here.
I got the pulled pork, smoked ribs ¼, potato salad, and collard greens. I will break down their awesomeness one dish at a time.
1) pork– if you can’t do good pulled pork, don’t bother to call yourself a BBQ establishment. This place gets it right. It is perfectly cooked, smoked, and shredded. Perfect.
2) smoked ribs — see above. Same perfection as the poke.
3) potato salad– good solid basic potato salad.
4) collard greens– NOT dumped out of a can. Fresh cut and cooked to hell with ham or bacon. Just a hint of spice. Like I would make at home.
I love that they serve everything with a slice of white bread. Be sure to show up early because they run out. Love this place. Best BBQ in Lexington!

This is definitely the best bbq in Lexington!
Lines can be outrageous so be prepared to wait and to take your food to go if the tiny restaurant is full. Seats are first come first serve, so if you do manage to get a table you’ll be watched like a hawk by the other patrons ready to pounce on your table. You probably won’t notice though since you’ll be so busy enjoying your amazing smoked meats.
The sides here aren’t as good as Red State’s, but the meat is definitely superior and that’s why we’ll continue coming back.

This was a 3.5 star experience that is being rounded up to 4 thanks to great service. The guys who work there are friendly, helpful, and quick!
We arrived at 4:00 on a Saturday afternoon to a nearly empty place, but by the time we left, it was filling up.
I ordered the brisket with creamy coleslaw and potato salad. The brisket was tender and flavorful – some of the best I’ve had. I am not typically a fan of potato salad made with mayonnaise, but their’s was good. The use of red potatoes was especially nice. I found the creamy coleslaw not-​so-​creamy and needing more seasoning and a bit of acid.
Paul ordered a combo plate with smoked turkey, pulled pork, baked beans and not-​so-​creamy coleslaw. He liked both meats. I thought the pork was especially good. He described the beans as bland. I already told you about the slaw.
Three sauces were on the tables – sweet, spicy, and tangy. I liked tangy best, but none of the sauces were particularly memorable. Thankfully my brisket was good as is.
I really appreciated the portion sizes here. It was just enough but not too much.
Seating was sparse and somewhat cramped, but they’ve done what they can with the space they have.
All and all, a good BBQ experience!

I’ve just recently started my quest to branch out and give BBQ joints a try. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, and one thing about BBQ places that I learned quickly, is that they have to go big or go home. If you walk away from a BBQ joint, not being totally stuffed, then they didn’t do it right. This place did it and they did it right!
On a weekday during lunch, my friend and co-​worker from Tampa, Brett N. led me to this gem. I told you, and I’ll admit, I’m new to the BBQ world. I’ve heard about this place for awhile, but the hours are odd and sometimes they’re known to run out of food. I can’t knock them over supply and demand though, that says something about them.
The location is in an up and coming locale. When they first opened, there wasn’t much in the area, now there is The Breakout Games and The Beer Hall in the area, just to name a couple of other hot spots. It’s easy to get to from the downtown area.
Now the food… OMG. I hope you’re not hungry and it’s after hours. Brett got the sampler and I’m not a huge beef fan, but I’ve tried the brisket from a few other places and I have to say that it’s the best that I’ve had. I had the smoked turkey platter and I’m not kidding when I say that it put every Thanksgiving Day turkey that I’ve ever had to shame. For my two sides, I had potato salad and baked beans, both were excellent too. They also have Grippos potato chips, so if you’ve never had any, order a bag… at least to go, they’re life changing, as was Blue Door Smokehouse.

Why 5 stars? Because this is in my top 5 BBQ meals of my life.
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When I first started traveling to Lexington for work in 2013, I assumed that the BBQ would be amazing in that part of the country. I had never been to Kentucky before, but I figured that anywhere considered «southern» generally outputs some great ‘Q. I found that while Lexington has a lot of really wonderful eateries, the BBQ was kind of ho-​hum.
Then I went to Blue Door Smokehouse, and everything changed. These guys have completely transformed the game.
First off, I just want to take a second to recognize Unilocal.It goes without saying at this point, but I don’t take a trip somewhere without Unilocal researching what I’m going to eat, where I’m going to stay, and what I’m going to do. Without Unilocal,I never would have discovered Blue Door, but I’ll take it a step further.
Since I travel to Lexington every 3 months or so, I have a ton of places bookmarked, and my stay in Lex is usually brief, so I generally only have time to cross one or two of them off the list. But the reviews of Blue Door were so impressive, and so out of nowhere, that I bypassed my original to-​do list, and went straight to Blue Door from the airport.
What a WONDERFUL decision! So let’s begin:
Brisket: It’s a high-​risk, high-​reward meat. The DeMarcus Cousins of BBQ, if you will. Far too often, you end up with dried out brisket that wasn’t worth the intense labor that it requires. But from Blue Door, it’s some of the best I’ve ever had, possibly #1 all-​time.
Pulled Pork: I don’t know if the sprinkle on top made a difference, and I’m not even 100% sure what it is. But what I do know is that I did not want to ever stop eating it. To the point where I was grossly stuffed, but I just kept punishing my body to get one more forkful. Ridiculously great.
Coleslaw: Creamy and flavorful. Everything I want in coleslaw.
Ranch Beans: This is the only thing that I personally did not enjoy, but that’s not an indictment on Blue Door. They aren’t really my cup-​o-​tea, but they were highly praised in the reviews, so I went out on a limb. Next time I’ll go with the vinegar slaw or potato salad.
Customer Service: As good as it gets. The guy behind the counter was incredibly friendly, and full of that good olé’ southern hospitality.
I usually like visiting new places when I come to Lexington, but I don’t think I will be able to pass up a Blue Door return trip… or three.

Succulent meat that oozes flavor, it’s real BBQ, prepared by real pitmasters. I’m a pulled-​pork fan, it’s my go-​to the first time I visit a BBQ joint but after working my way through Blue Door’s menu, their brisket is my favorite at this joint. Put a boat of greens on the tray and I’m in smoke heaven!
Eat-​in, or take-​out, but get there early on weekends because demand exceeds supply.