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Brank's BBQ & Catering
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 10:30 am - 8:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
24 reviews for Brank's BBQ & Catering
Review Highlights
"And yes they have sweet tea."
(in 6 reviews)
"The pulled pork was delicious."
(in 7 reviews)
"The chicken and ribs are always perfectly smoked."
(in 12 reviews)
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24 reviews in English
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Review from Sylvia T.
Tacoma, WA
1/12/2012 3 Check-ins Here
OMG YUMMMM-OOOOO
-Sweet Tea... Delish
-Pulled pork sandwich on a nice crisp bun. add a little house BBQ sauce to it and Yum-o
-Fries have a little skin left on them they are seasoned with "crack" or something because you will eat. them. all!
-Potato Salad was good; and Im picky with Potato Salad and only like 2 people's recipes in my entire family and they won me over on theirs!
-BBQ baked beans are pretty good, it's like baked beans w/ ground meat in it so it's Chili-esqe but sweet tasting?!
-Oh and last but not least Corn Bread Muffins! Fresh and crumbly and so beyond delish with a little pad of butter.
And since I lLOVE their Sweet Tea... the waitress refills my cup to go; I'm thinking she knows me now?! I often lose track of time just enjoying the food so much... and Rush out w/ my TO-GO SWEEEET TEA TRAVEL CUP!
Enjoy! I haven't had a bad experience yet! -
Review from joe c.
Auburn, WA
5/17/2011
The bad:
The bbq sauce tastes funky, strong on the sweetness and vinegar. The beans were soupy and tasteless. The coleslaw was bland and plain. Pulled pork was very watery, not much taste.
The good:
The ribs and the chicken were bbq'd well, but not having a decent bbq sauce kind of negated that for me. The cheesy potatos with corn was good. The rolls were good. The apple crisp was so-so.
Overall it wasn't a horrible experience, but I doubt I'll ever be back. If only they had a decent bbq sauce, I'd have bumped this to a 3. But how can you be a bbq place and not have a decent sauce, or at least a couple different types? -
Review from Sarah S.
Kirkland, WA
3/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is still my go-to place for "home style" BBQ. The chicken and ribs are always perfectly smoked. I love that fact that you can smell the pit cooking from 1/2 mile away. I'm not a big fan of most of the things on their menu, I find the sandwiches lacking and most of the sides are average. Except the fries. DO NOT EVER GET THE FRIES. I don't know what they do to them, but every time my Fiance gets them (he always forgets he doesn't like them), they are soggy, and taste of old oil.
My main reason for going here is to satiate my chicken and rib craving. I give them 5 stars for that, and 2 stars average for everything else. -
Review from Ks K.
St Paul, MN
1/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
We tried the buffet. Short ribs, smoky, tender. Chicken, smoky, tender, bit dry on the white meat. But hey, that's what the sauce is for! Pork loin, smoky, tender. Corn bread muffins yummy, but had to ask for them as they had buns on the buffet. Didn't try the buns, I like corn bread with my BBQ. The side dishes a little thick & filling. Brownie a bit dry, but very chocolatey.
Service polite & efficient. Cleared our plate quickly. When we came (4:15) not too busy, but quickly filled up later. Located in strip building. Parking in lot in front. -
Review from Mark H.
Auburn, WA
5/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
My favorite BBQ in the south sound! My favorite baked beans in the whole world!
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Review from doug j.
Kent, WA
Excellent ribs. Good lunch portion. Will definately be back.
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Review from Breanna C.
Pacific, WA
5/12/2011
My husband and I stopped by Brank's last night for the all you can eat buffet and unfortunately weren't impressed at all. We were excited to try a BBQ joint two miles from home and now are kind of wishing we hadn't.
The buffet runs from 4 - 8:30 PM and we arrived around 5. It was steady but not crowded
First, you pay for the buffet when you walk in the door. This isn't a deal breaker until they give you a dirty look for not tipping. Sorry, I'm not going to tip before I know your level of service. They don't mention that sweet tea, lemonade and water are included in the price but you have to pay extra for soda. They just hand you a glass of ice and point in the general direction of the dining room.
Second, for $14 I wasn't expecting gourmet but I was expecting the food containers to at least be stocked. I started with the salad bar and most of the containers were empty. The lettuce did appear fresh and the dressing (I had ranch) was good although a bit runny. It looked like other toppings at one time included shredded cheese, olives, croutons, sunflower seeds, chickpeas, tomatoes, beans, and raisins.
The rolls were tasty but ran out by our second trip through and were not restocked.
The short-ribs were good but definitely needed the sauce at the table.
The pulled pork was delicious. I could almost go back just for the pork...almost.
The corn side dish was pretty tasty as were the cheddar hashbrowns.
I didn't try the chicken or other sides.
You'd think for a company that offers a weekly buffet they'd do what needed to be done to keep it stocked with food. I'd understand if we showed up fifteen minutes before closing, but we were there early in the night.
Third, we probably could have asked for more rolls if anyone cleared the plates from our table at any time during our visit. There was a large party in the center of the dining room who seemed well taken care of but it didn't appear the other groups, including us mattered. A few of the tables sat uncleared for at least fifteen minutes after the customers left. I definitely would have left a tip if we'd received ANY service.
Overall, the food was OK, at least the food that was available on the buffet line. I've had better service at a fast food restaurant and THEY DON'T SERVE BEER OR WINE! -
Review from Peter T.
Tacoma, WA
7/13/2011
Branks is extremely overpriced and their meats don't always taste the same. Consistency is key and they don't have it. Also their beans are overrated, yes they are delicious but they are always served lukewarm, upsetting really. I was only going to the buffet because it costs to much otherwise, but last time I went they didn't have the pulled pork (the only reason I go) and they had tri-tip instead (who the hell wants tri-tip?) There wasn't any cornbread served either (so upsetting!) The time before that they didn't have any rolls until the end of the night at the buffet. Hello cornbread and rolls super cheap, it will cost less than meat to fill me up. Branks only gets two stars because when they do have pulled pork it is pretty good, the cornbread is also good (when they have it), but overall the rest of the menu is hit or miss usually miss and way to expensive.
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Review from Erickson E.
Seattle, WA
3/2/2010
Seattle is a BBQ desert, it's no lie. What few BBQ places there are often are underwhelming. That said, I'm glad Branks is around to help take up some of the slack. It's great BBQ, and reliably consistent.
Branks is by no means the best BBQ around, but it IS quite good nonetheless. In the dozen or so times I've eaten in I've yet to be disappointed. The few BBQ options (ribs, brisket, pulled pork, etc) are all very solid, very reliable, and come in large portions. The sides (beans, slaw, etc) are all tasty and consistent.
It's unusual to find a BBQ spot as consistenly good as Branks. Definitely worth visiting, again and again. In fact, I'm going tomorrow and am very much looking forward to my usual Trail Boss with ribs and brisket.
It's not Texas BBQ, and it's certainly not Kansas City, but it's about as good as you'll find in the Northwest. Highly recommended. -
Review from j C.
Puyallup, WA
6/8/2011
Delicious food, friendly staff and it's right off the freeway!!!
My favorite is the coleslaw! Sweet and crunchy and tastes wonderful, especially after stuffing my face with BBQ!
Cornbread is my second fave and following close behind that is the brisket! My hubby loves the sweet tea!
If you like BBQ, you need to check it out. -
Review from Larisha S.
Tacoma, WA
5/22/2010
I have always wanted to eat here, I've seen it for years even at its previous location... never got the opportunity. Not a bad experience but I must say, i had to "lol" about it. Decor is fantastic, homey, but nice. Wait staff was friendly, but they seemed like they had no idea what was going on the entire time. My boyfriend and I were excited that they served (fantastically delicious) sweet tea. We both ordered the Round-Up platter. with 3 meats and sides. however, my boyfriend's arrived with 2 sides. and extra fries... perhaps to hide the fact he was missing a meat... ribs... because... they ran out after they made my plate. we wondered why there was a long wait... maybe they were all trying to figure out what to do... what we were really wondering about. was... he didnt get his ribs, when we asked about it, they said that baby backs would be a $3 up charge...
wait a minute. if he ordered something, they didnt come out and tell us they didnt have it, but sent it out anyway, and then said that if we wanted ribs, we'd have to pay $3 extra for something they messed up on... somethings a little off...
nevertheless good bbq. potato salad was sub-par but the coleslaw was great. fries not so great, beans pretty good. and aside from all the slight mishaps... not a bad place to eat. good portions and i took a to-go box with me. -
Review from Rum M.
1/6/2009
The best overall bbq joint in Washington state! The only thing done better somewhere else are the ribs (Jones bbq is my fave for ribs) but that is just one item out of their tasty arsenal. Awesome bbq sauce, nice smoke flavor on the brisket, bread is fresh and unique. And yes they have sweet tea!
Service has always been good and helpful. I will consider Brank's for catering if I ever host a large event at some point. Their location is right off of 167 so if you are ever somewhere close to Auburn, definitely try them. -
Review from Tiffany A.
Sumner, WA
11/10/2006
Brank's has the best BBQ in Sumner. Not only is the food good, but the portions are huge and the french fries are from fresh-cut potatoes.
They've relocated off of Main Street and are now in a more easily accessible location on 24th (just off Hwy 167 at the 24th St Exit). The new location is also much bigger! It includes a restaurant area for familes and large groups, plus a smaller luncheon area. The two counters -- one for take out ordering, the other for in-store dining check-out also make it easier to pop in and get a carry-out. -
Review from Jamie W.
Puyallup, WA
6/6/2011
GREAT FOOD! Their catering is even better!
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Review from Alex L.
Bellevue, WA
12/25/2010
I thought that Brank's was good! Their buns for the BBQ sandwich was perfectly toasted. The portions were reasonable. The BBQ I thought was good, having good flavor and texture. Service was good, being friendly and in touch. I thought that the theme of this restaurant was kind of iffy, being kind of off but still had a nice, down to earth, friendly touch. Overall a good place if you want BBQ.
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Review from Scott G.
Hollister, CA
7/19/2011
Used to eat here every time I came into Sumner back when I was a truck driver. Food was absolutely awesome. Always got it fairly quick (always had to get it to go, since I had my big-rig illegally parked across the street :-p). If I ever head back to Washington for some reason, I think I might just have to make a detour to eat at this place.
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Review from Steve B.
Bellevue, WA
2/2/2009
Brank's is, to me, the exact reason that most Washingtonians don't know what really great BBQ tastes like. If you grow up eating this and think it's what BBQ should taste like, you won't know any better and you'll just keep eating it. But, if you travel a lot and eat it in KC, Texas, or North Carolina, you quickly find that this style of BBQ doesn't do it for you anymore.
We ordered the Trail Boss Plate, which consists of two choices of meat. Both of us chose pulled pork (because I'm a North Carolinian, I have to and that's the LAW) and brisket, with their cowboy beans and slaw. Our friends had chicken and ribs, so there was a lot of sharing. The chicken was dry and leathery and the brisket was actually more like strips of under-dried jerky than anything I know as brisket. The ribs were probably the best of the entrees, but the pulled pork was an utter and dismal disappointment. Here's the capsule description of GREAT pulled-pork barbecue: INTENSELY smoked, seasoned with NOTHING but salt and pepper, UNSAUCED, firm and slightly chewy, moist but not swimming in juices, steaming hot when delivered to the table, closely trimmed of all fat and gristle, and wildly aromatic with HICKORY smoke - not mesquite, not applewood, not oak, HICKORY. Brank's was a pile of mushy, stringy, lukewarm pig in a side bowl full of juices and less aroma than you'd get from taking a big sniff 400 yards from a small fire. It wasn't smoked with hickory or even the omnipresent mesquite, which would have been preferable - mesquite is at least spicy smoke, like hickory - but with what our server described as "fruitwoods". (Apple, pear, and anything else that falls under that catch-all description, I guess) The only fruitwood with ANY spice is cherry and that has maybe half as much as mesquite and maybe a quarter that of hickory. The smoke tasted like what you get from alder-planking a salmon: faint, unassertive, and one-dimensional.
The beans were freakin' WONDERFUL, though. I'd probably go back to Brank's for those, if I was, for unimaginable reasons, driving through their Sumner industrial park and was ravenous. I love baked beans, any style, and theirs were everything the BBQ wasn't. The slaw was nicely flavored but, as any Southerner knows, slaw is a palate cleanser and cooler, functioning as relief from the heat, smoke, and spice of the BBQ. (If it isn't doing THAT, you'd do just as well to go outside and chew some grass, IMHO) So, slaw is supposed to be COLD. Brank's was warm and the dressing was close to separating.
I gave up a few years ago on taking those "ya GOTTA go there!" recommendations from well-meaning friends who stumbled across a new out-of-the-way BBQ place. They simply NEVER pan out. And I've sought out and tried every BBQ joint within a 25 mile-radius of Seattle and have found ONE - Three Pigs in Bellevue - which was passable. Some of the most celebrated - like Dixie's in Bellevue, with their fatty, undersmoked, grey meat and that insipid, tasteless, test-of-manhood, arrested-development NON-sauce, "The Man" - I've found inedible enough that I simply left the meal on the plate and went home. Brank's wasn't THAT bad. The place is pleasant, clean, and roomy and the staff is wonderful but, at least in BBQ terms, It's All About The Q. And Brank's is only going to turn your crank if you've never eaten BBQ anywhere but WA. -
Review from Jamie M.
2/1/2010
I swung in here for take out on a Saturday afternoon. I called ahead and they had my order waiting for me (a pork sandwich with cole slaw and potato salad). I didn't much care for their bbq sauce, so I'm glad they put it in a to go container and not actually on my sandwich. I thought the meat didn't even need the sauce, it had plenty of flavor on it's own. My only complaint is that my pork was actually quite oily, which I've never experienced at a bbq place before. The cole slaw was tasty and I liked the potato salad, even though it was pretty heavy on the dill. I'd swing in here again if I was in the area.
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Review from Kurt E.
Enumclaw, WA
6/3/2010
I have had lots of BBQ and really enjoy it, but I did not enjoy the food at Branks at all. When the premade iceberg salad is the highlight of your meal, things aren't so good. I found the meat to be dry, not tender, and utterly flavorless. Their BBQ sauce had a weird, sweet taste that was not barbecuey nor good. Their fries were pretty good, that's about all I can say on the positive side. The ambience was big, empty, quiet, and spooky. Now I know why it was so empty.
PS - Plus no beer! How do you have BBQ with no beer? -
Review from Lija H.
San Francisco, CA
4/5/2006
OK - peeps, this is as good as it gets in Sumner, WA. My husband is from Texas so even though we were getting married in Washington, we wanted to infuse a little Texan fun into the weekend. We had Branks cater our day-before party at my parents lake house with great BBQ. The food was delish and the true 5th star comes for best service around. We realized after about an hour that people were chowing down and that we would need more food. One quick call to Branks and the owner was back in the van and at our house with more plates of hot, finger licking BBQ.
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Review from Jack R.
Bothell, WA
12/29/2009
Loved the BBQ sauce, the pulled pork, ribs, sandwiches, and the beans. The potatoe salad was okay. Clean, great decore and atmosphere. Family loved it. Definitely going back.
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Review from Merissa B.
Sumner, WA
2/16/2011
Went there with friends last Saturday night and had ribs, chicken and brisket. The ribs were good, but the chicken and brisket were dry as heck! No amount of BBQ sauce was gonna save them. Also had the sweet tea, which is hard to mess up, and it was way too sweet. Won't be going back again. Oh and also if you or someone is allergic to anchovies (like my husband is) don't eat here because I'm pretty sure they use Worcestershire sauce in their BBQ sauce due to the fact that my husband broke out in hives after eating here.
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Review from Buckwheat J.
Tacoma, WA
8/21/2010
I ate here back in March or so, and obviously forgot to write about it.
The short version: Really tasty meats, chicken and brisket were outstanding, pork was good but definitely second. The sauce I got was heavy with cumin (pronounced coo-minn, there's no Q in there). Sides were a little small for the price. Overall, it was good but expensive, and they are in the middle of nowhere.
Long Version: I got there on a Saturday night and the dining room was half full, with one 12 top. They appeared to be understaffed and there was no manager present. Understaffed can be interpreted as not a large enough wait staff to customer ratio , or not enough waitstaff numbers wise to have a total IQ pool of over 100. Being the veteran chef/cook I am, I am all too familiar with overbearing waitresses who attempt to make up for their lack of good service skills by being loud, controlling and thoroughly obnoxious. These people were totally in the weeds with a half full dining room. They could not figure out who was working what station. Food was going out to the wrong customers (since I was ordering to go, I had plenty of time to observe all of this). It was pretty much the definition of a clusterf**k. To top it all off, they were out of St. Louis ribs that night.
When I finally got the hostess to take my order (she had been busy trying to keep the food going out and the waitrons in line), I ordered one of the combo meals that happened to include the St. Louis style ribs. Since they didn't have them, I asked to sub one of the other kinds instead (makes sense, right? Its not like I was asking for lobster instead of ribs). Miss Hostess informed me that there would be an additional $3 charge to substitute the other kind of ribs. I stated that this did not make sense, since I wasn't the one who ran out of ribs. She was nice about it and explained that their computer system was setup that way and there was no avoiding the upcharge. After some negotiation, she got on the phone to the MIA manager, who finally authorized the substitution at no additional charge. 45 minutes after I walked in the door, I finally received my order. I checked it and headed out.
When I got into the food, the portions were a little on the small side, both meats and sides. But that chicken was f'n outstanding. It was the highlight of teh meal. The brisket was pretty damn good too, but the pork ribs were just okay. Don't remember if they had more than one sauce, but the one I got tasted more like a cumin tomato sauce with a little celery salt. It was pretty bad (I ended up using my own home made batch). But the meats really did not require sauce, and I normally go for a lot of sauce. They were very flavorful, with just teh right balance of salt/fat/seasoning/smoke. Great stuff. The sides were mediocre and small portions, and the corn muffins were pretty much Jiffy corn bread mix out of a box.
If you make the journey out there, bring plenty of patience, and avoid the sauce (unless you like lots of cumin). Its spendy for what you get, but the chicken and brisket were outstanding on my visit. I would go again just for those two things, but only if I was already in the area. -
Review from Susan W.
3/29/2009
Went here yesterday for the first time with friends who go here almost every weekend for the all you can eat rib tips. Started off poorly when the hostess was on the phone taking an order and didn't even acknowledge us to say "be with you in a second." Then a second hostess/waitress came into the front area only to answer another phone ringing. Rather than put them on hold and take care of us first, she took the call. Had we not been with friends I might have walked out the door at that point. However we stayed and proceeded to have a decent lunch. Took a little while to get our orders even though 3 of us ordered the special of the day and figured they would have a lot of them pre set up. Girlfriend had her salad order messed up. They thought she wanted it to go?? BBQ rib tips all you can eat for $8.95 a good deal. Wish the sides were a little bigger. Cole slaw, beans and potato salad all very good. Fries were the skin on kind and looked overdone to me. I didn't even want to steal one of my friends plate. Corn bread was a tiny muffin, I'd prefer a nice big square of it. BBQ sauce a little sweet with a weird spice like cinnamon in it. I'd bring my own sauce from home next time. I'm a former Texan too and this place has nothing on any Texas BBQ place I've been to. Also they don't serve any liquor and a nice beer sure would have been better than a soda or sweet tea. Also no desserts listed on the menu. Peach Cobbler or Banana Pudding would have been perfect. Will go again to try the brisket & pulled pork sandwich. Decor was very pleasant.
