Hillbilly Red's: "better-than-average barbecue" Top 5 Page for this destination Hillbilly Red's Tip by b1bob

Hillbilly Red's is a barbecue restaurant just east of Richmond International Airport. In fact, if you want to make this the first place you eat on landing in Richmond, turn right at the airport entrance and proceed 1 mile (1.6 km) and it will be on the right just past Roma's Italian Restaurant and Golden Skillet. It is an easy place to get into and out of. The decor is about what you might find in and around a hillbilly shack. Even the light fixtures were fashioned out of old metal bathtubs. At the entrance is a pig-shaped flower planter and there is an outhouse on display inside. Because mountain barbecue is noted to have an overly sweet tomato sauce, I wasn't sure I would be keen on this place. You place your order and pay in advance at the cash register. When it is ready, they bring it to your table. The service is friendly and lightning fast.

Favorite Dish: Not knowing the specialty of the house, I ordered the sampler platter. Because there are more ways to prepare barbecue than a dog has fleas, I recommend this for all first-timers to see which smoked meat best suits your taste. The sampler platter consists of pulled pork, spare ribs, and chicken. It comes with two sides and a choice of bread (cornbread squares or hush puppies). For those keen on fries, you have to ask nowadays if they are seasoned. Because I like my fries adorned only with salt and pepper rather than some exotic seasoning, I opted for the double order of baked beans. They were sweet, but not overly so. The meat was very good. In descending order, I liked the pulled pork, followed by the ribs (don't let the pink spot throw you- that's just the smoke ring), and the chicken. The only thing I wasn't keen on was the hush puppies. For me, there has to be small pieces of onion in the hush puppy or it's rubbish. Overall, it was a much better dining experience than I expected.

Address: 353 East Williamsburg Road, Sandston, VA 23150
Comparison: about average
Directions: From I-95: Merge onto I-295 S via EXIT 84A on the LEFT 13.9 mi (22 km); Take EXIT 28B 0.8 mi (1.3 km); Take the I-64 E exit on the LEFT 0.5 mi (0.8 km); Get onto E WILLIAMSBURG RD on the left exit 2.3 mi (3.7 km.) Restaurant on left.
Phone: (804) 737-2007
Price: US$11-20
Rating: 4
Theme: Barbecue