Restaurant Review: Ted's BBQ

Once upon a time there was a restaurant called Wok Express that sat between the Star Market and a dry cleaners and the food was mediocre and after years of sitting in that spot, the restaurant closed down and the building was vacant for many months. Then one day the residents of Five Points noticed that the for sale sign was gone and construction crews began showing up and everyone wondered what in the world was going in the spot the was once occupied by Wok Express. My cousin Lauren, also a Five Points resident, said she heard it was a Ted's BBQ and as it turns out, she heard correctly. A month or so ago a sign went up and the revamped restaurant that said "Ted's BBQ" and another one that said, "Opening Soon". Well, folks, soon has arrived because Ted's opened a couple of weeks ago and of course I had to try it out. 

Last week I read a review on AL.com which is what got my taste buds wanting bar-b-que. The review was very complimentary of Ted's but I wanted to try it out for myself and so last Thursday, on a particularly lazy evening, I decided to give it a try. When searching the Google for Ted's, I discovered from some other blog that Ted's was yet another restaurant creation by that genius David Martin and as soon as I read that, I knew it would be good because seriously, have you ever been to a David Martin restaurant that was bad? 

I opted for the pork plate with a side of mac and cheese and coleslaw. I wish I had gotten the fries because I saw some on a plate as I was leaving and oh my, did they look delicious! I also got an order of banana pudding. The pork plate was super filling and the meat had a really good taste to it. The mac and cheese was very creamy and quite good. The coleslaw wasn't bad, but it also wasn't my favorite. It was vinegar based and I guess I prefer a little mayo in my coleslaw. It did have a nice taste, but when I go again I will opt for a different side item. The jalapeno cornbread also had a nice taste to it.

By the time I finished my dinner I was so stuffed I didn't even want the banana pudding so I left it in the fridge and had it for breakfast the next morning. It was very good - creamy and tasty and not too sweet. The vanilla wafers also had a nice crunch to them and were not soggy at all which was an added bonus. 

Ted's offers a nice variety on the menu. In addition to the pork, they also have smoked turkey, beef or polish sausage, and even a bar-b-que bologna sandwich and on Wednesdays they have beef brisket. You can get either the loose meat or a sandwich. Plate comes with two side items and you can choose from mac and cheese, french fries, green beans, cole slaw, potato salad and bar-b-que beans. There are also stuffed potatoes and salads on the menu and you can buy sandwiches solo - without side items. In addition to the banana pudding, Ted's also offers peach cobbler for dessert. Another unique item on the menu are tamales which can be bought in quantities of one, two, three, six or by the dozen. I definitely want to give these a try some time soon. Ted's also has ribs on the menu on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and you can order either by the rack or a half rack. Like all other bar-b-que joints in town, Ted's offers family packs that can serve 3-4 or 6-8 people or you can place a special order for larger quantities. 

Ted's is open Monday thru Saturday from 10:30 a.m until 9:00 p.m and is closed on Sundays. This restaurant is definitely a welcome addition to the Five Points area. A link to Ted's web site is here -it has not yet been updated with the Five Points location information, but all other information is the same. 

Pork Plate

Up close with the pork 

Banana Pudding