Bear Pit Bar-B-Que Restaurant

04/14/09

You've got to be kidding

by octobass at Citysearch

After driving past this place for 30+ years, thought I'd give it a shot. After all, the parking lot's nearly always full. It must be very good.

Well, it's not good. Actually it's horrific.

I picked up take-out ( Beef Ribs,Pork Ribs, chicken,turkey, potatoes, beans, cole slaw and garlic bread) and nearly gagged all the way home in my car from the odor. And--I might add--not one whiff of smoke--pretty weird the restaurant calls itself Missouri BBQ.

Starving when I arrived home, I attacked the food. Yikes, bad move. Most of it was totally inedible. The Beef Ribs were a fright, nothing but gristle and fat, tasting less than fresh and certainly never smoked. Pork Ribs had decent texture, but tasted like a swanson's frozen dinner from 1957. Chicken was passable.

The turkey? Surely this was a joke. The nearest smoke this turkey had been near was when the guy at the processing plant (2-3 years ago?) put it on the truck to send to California while smoking a cigarette.

The cole slaw was not bad. The potatoes were ghastly--How do you screw up potatoes? Is that even possible? I couldn't even look at the beans, let alone eat them.

The whole take-out horror is now in my garbage can, where it truly belongs. 45 dollars worth.

• Pros: Big Parking Lot
• Cons: Every morsel of food, except cole slaw

03/20/09

The Bear Pit is for Bears only

by hamiller at Citysearch

The only HUGE portion you get is a piece of garlic powder toast, other than that the chicken and ribs I had today were tasteless, and dry to brittle dry if there is such thing. I started to wonder if I ordered ribs or beef jerkey. I asked the waitress if the ribs had been fried, because they were greasy, and she said that the bear pit has a different way of locking in the moisture after smoking them. I didnt taste anything smoked, they were so dry the only meat on them was like fried jerky, if there was ever such a thing, and dripping with grease. I think they knew they were overdone, and the way they reheat them is to dip them in hot grease to make them seem moist. The beans were okay, but there was 3 spoonfuls of those. The best part of the whole experience was the soda, and leaving. Also, for those mixed, or minority people out there, this place is full of caucasian people, my friend is light skinned black and my kids are mixed, and we had a ton of weird looks being there. For 30 dollars I could have ate better at Tony Romas, or really ate at a fast food joint and been more satisfied for half that price. I will NEVER go back there, nor do I recomend anyone go. The only good reviews they have are probably from thier own extended family.

• Pros: easy freeway access to get home
• Cons: Dry meat, rushed servers, overpriced

06/26/08

Great Place, Great Tradition

by sillyshell at Citysearch

Best BBQ in town. Great friendly atmosphere. It's hard to find a great place with sawdust on the floor. My family has been going since the day I could walk....over 35 years. The Bear Pit Special on Garlic toast is the first thing everyone should try. We love it!

• Pros: Location
• Cons: Not more of them.