Rackem Smackem Ribs

Really nice barbecue. We had the Jack Daniels BBQ sauce, which all three of us loved. Steamed shrimp was also very good, but could have had more spice. Glad we stopped here.

Being close to work I really wanted this place to be halfway decent, I’d heard nothing good from friends but decided to at least give it a chance. I came in on an all you can eat lunch buffet and I had two kinds of pulled pork, corn, Mashed potatoes and BBQ Chicken. The first pulled pork had a sauce that is vinegar based, if I had to guess the ingredients my thoughts would be, vinegar, vinegar and just a dash of vinegar. I tried to force myself to finish it but I simply could not. The other was a brown sugar base which was more edible, but I’m pretty sure it came prepackaged as it tastes like the same prepackaged stuff you find in many places in the area. The chicken had no seasoning at all that I could tell and would have been perfectly tasty had it been cooked on a grill rather than stuck for a month in a dehydrator. it was sooooooo dry. The corn was decent, In fact I’ve not had corn this good since the lunch ladies in grade school (I’m kidding, it was terrible, straight out of a can). Folks you have a nice place, you just need a cook who can actually cook.

If you are interested in endless crab legs it is a great place to visit. The first plate comes with shrimp, ribs and crab legs, then you can reorder whatever you want. The ribs and shrimp were really good but we came for crab legs. They were sweet and tasted fresh. Glad we tried it will return.

I stopped in on a roadtrip down the coast. I came in at a strange time on Memorial Day (2:30) and the place is split into one side being a bar and the other the restaurant. The kind man came out and said sorry for the wait, he was in charge of running both sides even though they were basically two different establishments. He sat me brought a menu and told me their specials for today. I ordered the barbecue sandwich that came with fries, slaw, and your choice of sauce. They have four bbq sauces to choose from. My food came out quickly and it was exactly what I had wanted and expected. Heaping helping of fries and meat on the sandwich with loads of flavor. I couldn’t have been happier. The nice man stopped by a few times to make sure I didn’t need anything between runs from one side of the place to the other. Not expensive and really kind service. Thanks for the yummy meal! Would definitely come again!

Short version: My family stayed for dinner at Rackemstackem. The service was lovely, but the good was terrible. I would not suggest it to anyone based on food, let alone the size of the menu. They were very few choices.
Long version: My family was driving down from New York to North Carolina, and we stopped at Rackemstackem for dinner. I ordered the Reuben, my grandma ordered the meat loaf, my dad ordered the chicken Caesar salad, my brother had the Philly cheesesteak and the rest of the children (all 8 of them) split two BBQ platters and two plates of chicken tenders. My Reuben wasn’t too bad. Could have used more meat, but over all «ok». Same with the cheesesteak. The Caesar was terrible. It was Caesar soup with some lettuce croûton and chicken added. The meat loaf was poor. Lukewarm and the stewed tomatoes were way too sweet. The children complained about the BBQ platters and all it’s components. Same with the chicken finger plates. All in all, it was a failure especially for BBQ. Unless the staff pulls a u-​turn in the kitchen, I would not suggest anyone stop to eat there. Not a pleasant experience as far as the victuals are concerned.

We were tempted here by the promise of all you can eat crab. And in that regard, it delivered. But it didn’t knock my socks off. The crab was definitely plentiful, and it was pretty tasty. Not overdone, nice and sweet, and I liked the seasoning they put on the outside (even if it did get all over my hands. Their sides did leave a bit to be desired? Turnip greens sounded good but were basically flavorless and the onion rings were nothing to write home about.
Two others god BBQ and reported it was… just OK. So I think that’s the general review for this place. Just OK. Our server was friendly, but forgot to bring salads (which just left more room for crab, so I was OK with it). There was also someone very noisily tossing silverware in to either a metal bin or a bin filled with more silverware, which was deafening. Our server put a rapid stop to it, which I liked — she’s paying attention — but then ended up doing the same thing herself later in the meal. To top it all off, the atmosphere is a bit odd — tables very sparsely placed in a large open room. So… if you can forgive the oddities of the place… maybe it’s worth it for a one in a while crab treat.

Several friends and I went to this place for the all you can eat Crab Legs and Shrimp. The food was crab legs were great and the side were good also. Great service from Tiffany.

Found in the small town of Verona, VA, Rack’em Smack’em Ribs is a simple restaurant serving mostly locals with the occasional passerby. Once in the door, you can go left and you are in a separated bar area complete w two pool tables, darts, sports on TV, and high top tables. I chose to sit in the restaurant side which is a large hall style w tables. They claim that their pulled pork sandwich is the specialty. It is served 4 different ways — Virginia style sauce, Jack Daniels Sauce, Carolina sauce, or Memphis Style — which is dry w Virginia sauce poured over. I chose to get mine dry with the 3 sauces on the side. The waitress, Jasmine, who was incredibly nice and attentive, was very confused but we finally understood each other. The pulled pork was good by itself and the fries were good too. Now for the sauces — the Virginia was my overall favorite– mildly spicy, good flavor, reminiscent of TX BBQ. The Jack Daniels was also very good. It was sweeter but w a little bite and unlike other JD sauces I’ve had, you could really taste the JD and it didn’t taste like molasses. It’s not what I typically like in a sauce but was unique enough that I found myself dipping into that sauce quite a bit. Now for the Carolina sauce — what on earth is that stuff? It’s just vinegar w a few spices. I had heard of such things but I guess I expected a sauce… It’s really just vinegar… It’s even clear. It’s not a «bad» taste but this TX boy would never call this BBQ sauce. Nice family atmosphere. Great service. Better than average food. Nice little restaurant with a family owned feel. It was not the best I’ve ever had but definitely worth checking out. I will eat here again.

I ordered pork bbq and got some sort of mushy, stringy stuff with sauce. I could not eat it. Waiter asked if he could bring something else I said no that I had lost my appetite. Even after telling him I thought it was terrible they still charged me full price.
If some one hates on what is supposed to be a signature dish you’d think management would be interested trying to make amends. Not a peep.
Atmosphere is lousy as well. Big open «hall» with some tables thrown in it.

Stopped in on the way back from Dulles on the first of February. I was dining with a friend and his wife, we were the first ones in the door.
Nice clean environment. The menus could use a little work but the delightful waitress helped us find the fare we desired.
My friend and I each ordered the BBQ Platter ($ 9.99) and his wife ordered a BBQ Salad (not on the menu but customized for her).
The platters were nice. Good portion for the money. What they called Virginia BBQ is what I would say is a true representation of the definition. Their brisket was nice but I did not really understand the presentation of it with sauteed onions, pickles and bbq sauce. Their version of NC style was nice but a little dry. Their Memphis style was ok. The macaroni and cheese was a nice baked simple recipe. The slaw was good but bland. I will say that the baked beans were some of the better ones I have had in a long time. The iced tea was lovely and without a doubt I would go back again.
I have to give it to them for honesty. I asked what kind of smoker they were using and the waitress did not know but she would find out. She came back and said we use liquid smoke. I have been to many places that do not use that ingredient correctly… These folks are using it in such a way that makes it a good thing.
If you find yourself in Verona, Rackem Smackem is worth a try.

If you are cruising down 81 and are looking for a good BBQ sandwich, this place is great. They have several varities, including VA, NC, Georiga and Jack Daniels BBQ.
I had the NC, spicy vinegar based. VA is Tomato Based. Good portion, Great BBQ and good Fries.
Building is new and clean. I foud this place using Unilocal.
Pricing was very good, I left Full and Happy!

Totally meant to review this place after stopping here over the summer, so here goes.
We were on our way back to MD from KY, and were starving after a long day on the road. My dad, my brother, and I all agreed that we needed to find some ribs, and fast.
With the service on my iPhone coming in and out through the middle of nowhere, I was finally able to track down this «rib» joint. 3 stars? Worth a shot.
I must say, we should have kept driving. The ribs were falling off the bone, and covered in sauce. Normally this would be a good thing, but the sauce was bland, and the meat even more so. Something about them seemed almost fake. It was like they were boiled or something.
To be fair, maybe their steaks are good. But with a name like «Rackem Smackem Ribs», you’d expect the ribs to be their go-​to dish.
The place was empty, so service was good enough. No character or anything to place… it was your basic, run of the mill «family restaurant».
All in all, if you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere in Western VA, and you’re literally going to die if you don’t eat something ASAP, then you can go ahead and give this place a shot. At the very least it’ll give you something to get to the next town.

Enjoyed our meal of steak and shrimp special. Service was good, except that the waitress forgot to return my card, so I had to come back for it… Will definitely return!