Did the tour as part of VCU Family Day. Was a great time with great food and 2 awesome tour guides. They made ya feel at home and definitely know their bbq.

I booked the trip for my boyfriend's birthday - there were 4 of us total. We were the only ones registered that day, which worked out perfectly, because Ryan was able to tailor the tour based on places we've already eaten, and the neighborhood we wanted to end in. He also gave amazing recommendations for places to continue on to for the afternoon, but to be honest, we were all in a food coma by that time!!! Ryan really knows his stuff - the revised covid protocols didn't take away from our ability to enjoy the tour (the nice weather helped), and it was lovely to take our time and chat with the owners.

We participated in this tour on Saturday, March 13th. It was all around excellent! Our tour guide was friendly, personable, knowledgeable, courteous, and service oriented. Both he and the restaurant owners were Covid aware and took appropriate measures We visited three restaurants that my husband and I had not yet experienced. All three were excellent and the portions were generous. One establishment presented us with a generous half rack of ribs each as their 'sample.' along with a slice of home made, on site baked French apple pie that was generous enough for two people. The ribs were fall of the bone tender. We enjoyed them so much we took a half rack of ribs home with us. Another restaurant served us each a pulled smoked chicken slider and a sliced smoked rib eye slider, along with house made jalapeno mac and cheese and baked beans, and house made sauces for the sliders. The chicken was moist and tender with just the right amount of smoky flavor. The smoked rib eye was phenomenal. We've never had rib eye prepared in this manner. It was flavorful and melt in your mouth tender. The sauces were also house made: an apple infused red barbecue sauce that was a truly tasty variation on traditional sauce. The owner had already sold out of pulled pork so we didn't have a chance to try this apple infused sauce on pork, but I bet that's incredible. We also sampled the owner's house made South Carolina mustard based sauce, a new experience for me. It was very good and an excellent sauce for the smoked rib eye slider. We took home a pound of brisket from this restaurant and that was also very good. The third restaurant experience was nothing short of incredible: we were each served a very generous Cuban sandwich, no doubt the best Cuban sandwich we've ever had. The sandwich was accompanied by jalepeno mac and cheese, cowboy beans, Texas caviar (a picco de gallo type salsa/salad) cole slaw and tortilla chips. The portions were generous and every single bite was delicious. The pork on the Cuban was meltingly tender, the pickles were exactly the correct degree of tartness, and the mustard, God bless this restauranteur and his staff, was SPICY ENOUGH. Heaven save us all from a bland Cuban sandwich, and this owner and his staff certainly does! There was so much food that I brought half home (and ate it before midnight, LOL.) We also brought home a whole mesquite smoked rotisserie chicken. HUGE chicken, moist and tender, with an incredible flavor. Do not leave this place without a spit cooked chicken! The restaurant owners were welcoming and gracious. It was fun to hear their stories and to listen to and experience their unique approaches to barbecue. Not one of these restaurants was a chain or a franchise. They are all privately owned and operated. You will have an excellent experience on this food tour!

Thanks, Ryan, for an enjoyable afternoon and for introducing us to a few amazing restaurants we may never have found otherwise. Way more food - all high quality - than expected as “samples.” Great COVID-safe activity!

This is a fantastic thing to do any time of the year, and it is extremely Covid-friendly. The tour guide was friendly and extremely knowledgeable about everything BBQ-related and about things Richmond-related. All of the pitmasters were so friendly and welcoming, and I was able to truly appreciate how much work goes into their food. I would recommend this to anyone who loves great food, even if you aren't a big BBQ eater (which is the category I fall into). I thought the food and service at each stop was amazing, and we were able to go to restaurants that I have never heard of/would never have thought to go to. This experience is a great way to support local businesses, which is especially important given the times today. I really cannot recommend RVA BBQ Tours enough!