Mark's Feed Store Famous Bar-B-Q: A Review

I'll admit, living in Texas for 3 years set the BBQ bar high. We knew how good we had it there and struggled to find anything that measured up once we moved back to the Bluegrass state in 2013.

I had visited Mark's Feed Store several times while living in the Highlands during my college years at Bellarmine. It was good, but admittedly I hadn't been back but maybe once since then. Last week, however, we took the whole family out for lunch. This is a challenge for us for several reasons: it's expensive to eat out for a family of 6, we have several food allergies to consider, and in general our kids are picky eaters. But when Mark's Feed Store invited our family to come for lunch, we were excited to give it a whirl.

Their motto is "Friendly Folks Servin' Famous Bar-B-Q" and I can confirm that the folks were indeed friendly and the Bar-B-Q was definitely delicious (famous, too, if you take into account the 11 "Best of Louisville" awards bestowed upon them by Louisville Magazine readers. We visited the Middletown Location on a Sunday afternoon and it was buzzing with patrons. I always get a little anxious dining out with our crew because the kids can be loud, they get up from their seats a lot, and they require oodles of tic-tac-toe games to keep them occupied. So I was happy to see they had a large table in the front part of the restaurant that sat a little separate from the main dining room. Also a relief was the paper kids menus with activities and the most darling crayon holders you ever did see. And Tuesday's Kids Eat FREE so even though the restaurant is always family-friendly, you would definitely be in good company on any given Tuesday :)


Having just started a Paleo diet in attempt to lose some weight and get back on the Gluten-Free train due to my thyroid condition, I did a little menu research ahead of time. I was pleased to find the menu had clearly marked Gluten-Free items (avoids the whole awkward asking the waiter at the table thing). And as far as Paleo...well, cavemen basically ate meat and veggies, both of which are plentiful at Mark's Feed Store! I'll admit I was a little jealous when they ordered the wings to start as they are fried (so not paleo-friendly), but I did cheat a bit by pulling some of the meat off the bone and dousing it in their honey sauce. Yum!

We all ordered various things from the menu then split it up so we could each try a little of everything. The kids menu was simple, including all the staples most kids enjoy. Best of all, it is one of only a handful of sit-down restaurants where kids can eat for UNDER $5. AMEN! Perhaps that is why they most recently earned the "Best Family-Friendly Restaurant" award in Louisville for 2018. (Did I mention that Kids Eat FREE every Tuesday at all Mark's Feed Store Location?? Can't beat that!)

I was anxious to try the brisket, as that is one thing in particular that we LOVED at most Texas BBQ joints. Ricky loved that it was moist and included a hefty bark on the end. I enjoyed the generous serving size - there was definitely enough to share! I chose the green beans and baked sweet potato as my side. Both were really yummy (and I'm super picky about baked sweet potatoes...in my opinion it is hard to get them cooked just right, but this one was!)

The rest of our orders included the pulled chicken, pulled pork, ribs and chicken fingers with fries. Even the kids meal portions were generous -- more bang for the buck for sure! We were all stuffed...so we asked for the dessert menu to order something to go. The boys chose Oreo Banana Pudding. When they opened the container for "just a peek", they decided they somehow had room to eat it there. It must have been good because a few second later it was gone!

We were all around pleased with our visit and would definitely recommend checking out a Mark's Feed Store location near you. There are 6 convenient locations throughout Kentuckiana.

As a BONUS -- Mark's Feed Store has generously donated a Mark's Family Pack to one lucky More Skees Please reader. This includes:

• 1.5 lbs of Pork
• 1 Quart of Red Potato Salad
• 1 Pint of Mark’s Original Sauce 
• 6 Buns 
• 1 Quart of Baked Beans
  
  *Meat and side options can be substituted; additional cost may apply.*

Visit Mark's Feed Store or More Skees Please on Instagram to learn how to enter! 

**I received compensation for this post, but, as always, my opinion and photos for all reviews are 100% honest and my own.