Judge's Bar-B-Que

Ok...so maybe the westside of downtown is not your thing. You stop at the hospital, but venturing over the bridge on Michigan road...umm not so much....WELL YOUR MISSING OUT!! Judge's BBQ has been a staple of revitalization of West Michigan Road for several years now. Located on the other side of Haughville, directly across the street from the library and the Wheeler's Tow yard, Judges offers up mouth watering, tender flavorful BBQ for your soul. Less then 2 miles down from the restaurant and you can already smell the distinct smell of BBQ...you know you are in for a treat. I tried the pulled pork, which was tender and smoky. The chicken was my absolute favorite. The seasoning was not only on the outside of the chicken but peel the skin off and two-3 layers in, you can still see the seasoning....NOW THAT IS SOME GOOD CHICKEN.

Judge's unfortunately is not open Mon-Thursday...But BAAABY if your anything like me and treat yourself on payday Friday's...this is the buffet to be at. YES...I SAID BUFFET...they have a Lunch Buffet at Judges every Friday.

If you are having a wedding, work lunch or employee appreciation---skip the BORING sandwiches and hit up a local, hometown favorite, and utilize Judges for your catering. Your employees will THANK YOU!!

Just realized I never dropped in a review from my first Elite event this year and am cleaning out my drafts...heh. Great BBQ place and Judge's backstory how he came to be at this location is what entrepreneurs everywhere appreciate. Throw in good slow and low BBQ along with excellent sides and you have a winner. The Elite event was fantastic and Judge was gracious with his time (and food).

For me way on the NE side though...this is just such a haul to get there. If I lived closer I would certainly make a regular stop.

For those times when you want to show your intern what a pig you are and do it all on a shoestring budget: enter Judge's all-you-can-eat Friday BBQ lunch. Yes, you heard me, all you can eat BBQ! Ribs, ribs, ribs (obviously my favorite), pulled pork, pulled chicken, mac n' cheese, corn pudding (just like mom's), boiled and buttered cabbage and buns. I'm feeling full just talking about it.

I loved Judge's before I even experienced their bbq. The owner has such a social media and in-person personality that you can't help but jump on his bbq-loving bandwagon. Good news is, his business and eats are just as good as I had imagined. If I had to pick three dishes from the buffet to fill myself to the rim: ribs, mac n' cheese and corn pudding. Yeahhhhh that's where it's at. Oh! The cost? $11-$12 for the buffet. Extremely reasonable - especially given my loaded down styrofoam plate.

This summer, I worked with sponsors at the State Fair, so I was there every single day for a month. PRAISE THE LORD that Judge's BBQ was also there daily.

I didn't get around to trying it until the last week, but once I did, I bought it every single day (okay, okay I bought it twice in a day a few times as well). I've never been a huge BBQ or brisket girl but apparently that's because I had never had the good stuff.

The sandwich is huge and once you load it with pickles, consider yourself #blessed. I have not been to this actual location yet, but it's written as my "Yelp goal for 2016" (check it out on the online Yelp talk thread. ;)

Ok it is as good as everyone made it out to be. This place shouldn't ever have under 4 stars, and if you think it should talk to Judge about your problem he is a very nice man.

Everything from scratch is how Judges does it. This includes all of the sides to the old school way of cooking his meat ( charcoal!!). I tried every form of meat they had on the menu and it was all top notch. All of the pulled products were juicy but not greasy. The beef brisket had a nice smoke ring and could be cut with a fork or plastic knife. The chicken thighs and legs had seasoning swap into the meat making every bit as flavorful as the last. All the sides are good but you must try the corn bread stuffing, awesome!!

Give it a try. You want be disappointed. Pulled BBQ Chicken, baked beans, corn casserole, greens excellent. Try the lunch buffet. All forementioned plus pulled pork, chicken, mac cheese, fried apples etc. Tradional, warm pub feeling. Friendly staff & owner, Judge stopped by our table for our thought on resturant.

Great place for lunch...just wish they were open for dinner. To far for lot of our friends for lunch.

I met Judge and he gave me a full tour! The attention to detail is pure heart. He loves to barbecue. The inside is great and perfect for large groups. I went on a Tuesday and it was packed, so get there early for lunch. I had the pulled pork and the brisket. The sweet potatoes are mouth watering. I can't wait to go back.

Quick Tip: IUPUI folks get 10% discount.

Holy barbeque buffet Batman! This place is the mother lode for more amazing barbeque options than any person should consume at one time. As of this review, their buffet hours are only on Fridays from 11-1, but it is well worth working your schedule around that timeframe to make it in here.

They had plenty of parking in their lot behind the restaurant, and there is also street parking all around the area. The older brick building is a neat one, and I'm sure it has quite a bit of history, as it looks like it has at one point housed quite a few businesses that have now all been merged into the one large open space. The smell of BBQ hits you as soon as you walk in, and you just know it is going to be good.

The options that we had when I was here were extensive, and I tried just about everything there. The BBQ was all done properly, and you could easily tell this wasn't the kind of place that took shortcuts. The ribs were my favorite, but were followed closely by the smoked chicken, which usually isn't that high on my list, but this was amazing. The pulled pork was great, and the brisket was tender and smoky. The house recipe sauce that I got on the side with mine was delicious, and had a nice kick to it. The homemade sides only played second fiddle to the main BBQ attractions because the BBQ was so good, but all of the homemade sides were exceptional. My favorite was the corn casserole, but the mac-and-cheese was a close second followed just behind by the BBQ baked beans.

To top it off, Judge himself was there to walk around the restaurant when he wasn't cooking out back, and was making sure that everyone there was enjoying themselves and the food. The guy is super nice and has a serious passion for what he does, and it shows in his product. If you have any questions about it, there is a good chance he is standing outside the back door manning the smokers, and he was happy to answer any questions we had about the process.

You can't call yourself a BBQ lover in Indy without going here to try all of what they have to offer. Just be sure that you come hungry.

Came for lunch with hubby and daughters. I not a buffet girl, but seriously. Here's a sampling - pork, chicken, ribs, rib tips, crazy-good sweet potatoes and baked beans. Greens and slaw. My 7 year old was in heaven especially with the green beans. Seriously the best I have EVER had.
Different buffet items daily.
FYI you can order off the menu for more choices or non-buffet fans.
Plus BONUS - they cater! Office party anyone ?

Random comment but the fountain drinks were perfectly fizzy and I'm picky about that!

Ask for Judge! He's a great guy. And pick up some BBQ sauce to take home.

I was fortunate enough to try pretty much all of his items at a event he put on recently. The judge was extremely nice and courteous and told us all about the history of his restaurant and himself. Everything was very flavorful and delicious, if you like bland food do not come here. My only gripe about the food is the sauce, he has a dark rich brown sauce. Not a sweet and spicy, or tangy barbecue sauce. So that was kind of a dealbreaker for me I won't go back just because I do not like the barbecue sauce at all. But oh my God the food was amazing!