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Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
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I hate you Ludy's! You broke me of my manhood.
I was hungry and passing through Woodland, and happened upon the downtown area. Ludy's looked like the best option, and I had been craving me some bee bee cue lately.
I wasn't THAT hungry, so thought I'd just get myself a sandwich. There was so much dang meat on that sandwich, I couldn't finish it. I couldn't finish a sandwich!!!! What the hell is wrong with me?!?!?! What with the huge pile of crispy tasty fries and side of sweet cole slaw. I barely ate half of what was in front of me. And, it wasn't for lack of trying. I felt like Joey Chestnut after a long hard day at work.
After my broken manhood, the saddest part was that I couldn't take the leftovers with me because I would be in the car for another 3-4 hours.
S and I went to visit our friends in Woodland. After we left we decided to go to Ludy's. He had played there a few years ago and liked their food,
I am convinced that the best BBQ is found in questionable neighborhoods. In places where they put it on a plate and put it in a brown bag to go.
While Ludy's does not match those kind of places; they do a good job. My ribs and links were good. S. did not like is brisket very much because he always compare this dish to our favorite pit in Oakland, that is no longer in business. I can not give him a bad time, because I compare every link order to the same place. Of course what we can't have always seems better than what we can.
People thought this was:
Love the decor love the service love the food! It was very easy to find since it was on Main St. and parking is in the back. Theres an outside eating area and inside. I would have sat outside but it was a little packed. There was tons of stuff to look at and it was a fun place to eat. You order first and then they bring it to u. I ordered the 3 pork ribs & 1/4 chicken and it came with fries, a corn bread, and potato salad (or bbq pork beans or cole slaw). It was really good bbq! Their bbq sauce was also very delicious. It came either regular or hot. I prefer the regular. You can even buy it in bottles to take home. The prices are little pricey but it was worth it. As for the service it was ok since they were very friendly and nice but when it was time to get our mudd pie it took forever since 2 big parties came in but I think they should of brought us our dessert first.
People thought this was:
If you love meat and/or BBQ then this is your place in Yolo county. They have home made BBQ sauce in 2-3 varieties served heated that are amazing. I wish I had the recipe for the stupid sauce.
This place definitely is not oozing ambiance if your in the front dining room. The patio outback with running water, small fountains, etc... is much nicer. I traveled here 4-5 times before I realized they have a nice back patio.
So, this is not truly a waiter service kind of place. You get in line, order your food and drinks and proceed to a table. Then a server brings the food to your table. The amount of time the line and/or the food take are completely at the whim of how busy they are. Sometimes the seem a bit understaffed. But, the service has always been friendly.
If your new to this experience and are a meat eater I would recommend that you order Freddy's Sampler which has 2 Pork ribs, 1 beef rib, half of a Hot Link, a 1/4 chicken and 2 ounces Tri-Tip. (If you don't live in California - tri tip is a fictional concept - its just a piece of the upper sirloin where it pyramids.) If your a californian - realize that no one else in the country believes in Tri-Tip.
Anyway - the pork ribs and beef ribs are amazing here. And to be honest the sauce makes them hard to match. Ludy's also sells the sauce by the quart to go. I think like $4 a quart. I have had the tri-tip as a main entree. Its good but not nearly as good as the Mix of all their goodies at once. It also helps to get extra corn bread with this platter. And extra cole slaw.
In fact - I wish all my food at every restaurant came with extra corn bread and cole slaw now that I think about it. Yes, even with sushi. LOL
So - if you are married to a slob and get crazy in public about messiness - do not come here. I am a slob - and I am sure that my wife was horrified every time we came here. LOL
But, the sauce is fantabulous. I wish I had a quart right now - I would be eating it on an Ahi steak.
People thought this was:
Greeeeeat BBQ. Grate service.
This easily the best BBQ joint in all of Yolo county. The tri tip sandwich is really good. The pulled pork and chicken sandwiches are good as well. Their burgers are pretty tasty too. The fries are yummy. The corn bread is fantastic.
I absolutely adore the decor. This a great place to visit if you ever venture out of Davis.
People thought this was:
I have been coming here for at least ten years so they must be doing something right. The ambiance of Ludys is geared towards country living and even though this place is kind of expensive it seems to thrive because it caters to the good ol' boys.
The food is good if you like barbecue. I usually get a barbequed chicken sandwich with fries and it is pretty good. And I applaud them for offering a veggie sandwich (which is my other go to) in a barbeque joint. The onion rings are kind of rough but my friends like them so maybe its me.
The patio is really nice to sit at during the summer. They did a really nice job at creating a desirable outside eating experience.
Why I do not give this place a five is two reasons. First is that on Friday nights they bring in musicians to perform and there is just not enough room in there for that so I stopped going on Fridays because of it. The other reason is because the waitresses are all girls in high school or just out of high school are not very good. But I have heard from one friend that use to work there that cowboy guys come in and get drunk and leave big tips so it is good to be a waitress there. Kind of like a red neck hooters without the spandex.
This is definitely one of my top places to recommend for people to eat in the city of Woodland.
People thought this was:
Ludy's has the best Ribs and Tri-Tip sandwiches! If you are hungry for Rib's or Tri-Tip I would deffinatley recommend going there! And have their Mud-Pie for desert! I love it! ... Their back patio is really relaxing too! It's all decorated and it has a man-made creek in it. It's really fun place to sit and relax while you eat!
:) Shanda
Even though this is a real meat and BBQ joint, I was pleased to see a veggie burger on the menu and tried it out. It came with good fixin's (including sprouts) and hit the spot. My dining partner had the grilled chicken sandwich, so I sampled his home fries, which were well seasoned.
If you are craving meat and savory bbq sauce, definitely give this place a try. Parking never seems to be an issue, service is always pretty good, and the menu selection is decent. I recommend the tri-tip sandwich or the pulled-pork sandwich. My friend had a hamburger that looked pretty good too.
The only downfall I can think of about this place would be the flies in the front dining room. Granted there were maybe only 2 or 3... but 1 is enough to annoy the average diner. So unless you enjoy flies, you might want to sit in a different area.
From the onion rings to the burgers to the hot links, chicken and ribs, to the music, there's not been anything here I don't like.
I take that back. I don't like Pepsi and there's no Coke to be found. The iced tea is pretty good, though, so I won't knock off a star.
People thought this was:
Woodland is not known for good food establishments. In fact, there are only a few places that are any good, and they're the few that aren't a franchise/chain.
Ludy's is good BBQ; we're talking burgers, ribs, and sausages, with some misc sandwiches and sides. It's a neat place to eat at 'cause of all the old time decorations and the service is pretty good. On a hot summer day, there's nothing better than a burger and a beer on the patio out back.
Compared to restaurants outside of Woodland, they're only a 4 star; but compared to other restaurants in Woodland, they'd be a 5 star place.
Prices are okay for a burger joint. Menu is a little simple, but they're good at what they do. Kids eat free on Monday's. Eat free (actually just $8 off) on your birthday.
People thought this was:
Here's their website URL:
http://www.ludys.com/
I went to this place once, and my wife has brought a few take out plates home since then. I've since talked to a few friends about the place, and they had been there too.
Its a nice establishment, lots of appropriate ambiance. Definately a western look; rustic with that old 1880's saloon feeling, lots of posters and farm/ranch/cow thingies on the walls The place seats about 100.
I didn't think it was THAT great, and its nothing to drive WAY outo the way for, although considering there's not much to choose from within 20 miles, its better than nothing if yer hankerin' for some Q.
The menu is plentiful, with yer typical western american items that the others have described here. The service was pretty good the time I went. No bar, but they do have a beer and wine license.
Three stars.
People thought this was:
It's great and is really the only choice for affordable BBQ in Yolo County. When I lived in the area (up until 2005) we ate here at least once every couple of months. The last time we were up and we ate there again. If it's on the menu I highly recommend the Cajun Catfish; it's delish. I don't do ribs so I can't comment, but usually someone in our party orders them and loves them! You also can't go wrong with the sandwiches.
Like any restauarant service has it's hits and misses as the food might also every once in a great while, but consistently Ludy's has been good since it opened over 13 years ago!
Also if you don't like loud music, and lots of school aged children or toddlers on a Friday night this isn't the place for you. Besides Steve's Pizza this is probably the most family friendly and care free restaurant in Yolo County.
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And to the person who drove 50 miles from Emeryville to try Ludy's I too would be a bit dissapointed if I had driven that far for BBQ, but if you ever happen to be in the area for something else then just stop on by and give it a try again.
People thought this was:
Ludy's is fine. It's just fine. Probably the best thing here is the fries. They are really good. Made in house, crisp good spices added. But really, you are here for BBQ, right?
The BBQ is fine. Nothing amazing, and not bad... just fine. The sauce? Just fine as well, though not great by any stretch. But if BBQ is awesome, I don't think it needs sauce. That said, so far in the Bay Area, I like Everett & Jones in Oakland for BBQ, and they have plenty of sauce, though much tastier (maybe everything but the fries is tastier).
Did like the links more than fine at Ludy's... get some! :)
People thought this was:
ARGH! I'm so torn on how many stars to give.
On the one hand, the food is fantastic. Ribs, tri-tip, pulled pork sandwiches, kids chicken strips, thick spiced french fries, beans, cole slaw - you name it, its all good.
On the other hand, the service is really lacking. Went last night with a group of 9. Had to wait at least 25 minutes in line to order, the one guy behind the counter who had to take the orders, prepare the drinks, take the money etc....they really could have used another hand there. I just wanted a cup of water, but it took 10 minutes to get someone's attention.
Once the food was delivered, as I mentioned before, it was delicious. And plenty enough for doggy bags for those who didn't order to share. (I'll not knock off a star for my step-mother's meal supposedly not being warm enough. She is way too picky and a pain in the a$$. Its just poetic justice that her meal was as cold as she is.)
We've been several times, and the service isn't always this bad. I've never been when they have live music, I can imagine the place gets pretty lively then. I do have to give them kudos for allowing my nephew's high school jazz band to perform one night later this month. Should be a great experience for him!
I guess I'll give 4 stars to reflect the great food and normally acceptable service. Wait, I forgot. They were completely out of crayons to keep the kids busy - have to knock off a star for that.
People thought this was:
Happened to be eating lunch in Yolo County, I've been to Ludy's twice and they've proven to be good experiences. Both occasions were on warm days when it was perfect to sit outside in their huge patio with a bridge/river and overhang.
Thought it was cool that you can pour your own extra BBQ sauce right next to the soda fountain. The pulled pork sandwich did a good job filling me up, and the grilled catfish sandwich is a good alternative when you don't feel like BBQ or a heavy meal.
Staff there is very nice and attentive, you order first and they'll bring you the food. Definitely a suburban sweetness you don't always get in the city. Prices are CA average for the amount of food. I wouldn't drive a long way to eat here, but would definitely stop by if in the area.
Food: 4/5
Decor: 4/5
Service: 4.5/5
Cost: 3/5
People thought this was:
I don't know what it is, but farming towns always seem to screw up something as simple as BBQ. I've been trying to figure it out for years, and have yet to come up with a good explaination. The nearest I can figure, is that they all try to compensate for not actually doing any BBQ-ing, by over-compensating in Liquid Smoke.
But I'm glad to report that Ludy's is the exception.
When a place tries to take shortcuts by grilling and just mixing in Liquid Smoke (Think Arby's BBQ sandwiches). But when a place actually takes the time to slo-cook the food BBQ style for real, you can tell. Ludy's definitly does, and you can smell it blocks away before your arrival. And once you get the food, it's delicious and the way BBQ should be.
It's a bit pricy, but considering that it's authentic BBQ (texas-style) and you get large portions, they're quite worth it. Almost too good for Woodland.
People thought this was:
OK, I can't bring myself to give this place a lone star. A short background: I grew up on the east coast, last 10 years I resided in FL and frequently traveling up the coast to PA where I grew up, facilitating me to pass through states like Georgia, South-North Carolina, and VA where southern cooking is second nature and Sweet Iced Tea is a staple.
My first time there was this past Weds. and we didn't eat in, so I can't comment on the dinning service and ambiance. As for the service, 10+ minutes for 2 meals, isn't that bad...once we got home I was so hungry I dug in, not even waiting for my wife!
Let me start off with the Iced Tea...it was Iced Tea, not Sweet Iced Tea, just tea. On the east coast, if you ask for Tea, you get the sweetest most delicious tea you will ever taste! From a real BBQ place, you will never have to ask for the Tea to be sweetened. Now for the meal, I had the Pork Rib & Chicken combo with the Baked Beans on the side, and my wife had the Pork, Beef Rib & Chicken combo. My meal was horrible, first bite into the chicken tasted almost raw and cold, like they were trying to smoke it in a refrigerator...mind you, we live 5 minutes from this place. The pork ribs were OK, but there was not much meat....FAT and grizzle mostly. My wife's portion did not look appetizing all that much either, which she didn't finish, BTW. The baked beans were just absolutely horrendous! I could reached over into the cupboard and opened a can of BUSH's BBQ baked beans and would have finished the whole can! On the east coast, BBQ baked beans are sweet and delicious...I swear they must put sugar in everything! One of the places I used to go to their BBQ baked beans were so good, you wanted to slurp the sauce with a straw at the end, cooked with thick chunks of bacon and onions...mmmmm, so good.
I know this is a bad review, but maybe I'll change my mind and re-review it if I ever go back there...I can't believe that place could be that bad after all these decent reviews. I'll have to experience the whole dining experience to get a better feel.
If you read this and say, that Duumas got the wrong items on the menu! Well, please let me know what there specialty is, because I didn't think I could, go wrong with the Pork ribs & chicken.
People thought this was:
I've eaten here three times. I've tried two rib platters, the tri tip sandwich, and the pulled pork sandwich. All were great, especially with the spicier sauce. I recommend the rib platters and the pulled pork sandwich as everyone else has said.
Service was phenomenal. Multiple waiters, and even the owner (I'm guessing, based on the pictures in the hallway) came around and asked if we wanted anything additionally and offered boxes. They offer to get you anything even when everything is reachable: refills, wet naps, bibs, to go boxes. When a friend and I switched plates to try each other's, one staffer saw, came over, and asked if anything was unsatisfactory. Of course not!
Free dum-dum lollipops, and it seems like extra servings near closing.
LUDY's. This is probably the first place to introduce me into BBQ. I thank my friends who lived in the Davis area at the time to bring me to such a great place. They had peanuts and what else everywhere? Wet-Naps. Reason? Oh for the enormus meal that you will have on your fingers SIR!!!
I don't really recall what I had ordered that day when I stepped into the doors of this wooden place. With workers dressed up to match the ambiance, I knew that what ever I was going to order, it had to be filled with meat meat meat. It was a texan feel of course like your Logans or Texas Roadhouse. But for some reason this place had it's own type of original feel.
Hey, I'd go here again, but it's just way too far for me. Now that I recall, I never ordered the RIBS. But I had a tri-tip sandwich... how lame. HAHAHA...
small town establishment..... SO cute and charming.
this is THE PLACE to go for bbq in woodland (not that you have TONS to choose from), but its also nice that there are coupons once in a while too that come in the mail.
came here quite a bit during my college years, i love this place for its small town charm. there are thousands of independent businesses in the bay area with great food, but you just can't FAKE that small town charm this place absolutely has. people are sweet, service is good, and i LOVE their jalepeno corn bread.
and as a hungry college kid, i def appreciated their reasonable prices. finger lickin good enough for me.
after walk it off by strolling the cute downtown street. its short, but i rarely see stuff like this. tons of antiques too!
but for more formal affairs theres also the prime rib joint a few doors down from ludy's.
if i ever came back to woodland.... ludy's is a must for me.
People thought this was:
Love this place, Main street needs more places like this!
Middle of the road BBQ in the middle of Main Street off Dead Cat Alley. I'm a sucker for historic charm of small town California, Woodland's got that and I'm guessing this is where the locals eat.. Country cute decor, live music on the weekends, small arcade for the kids and a lush back patio. This place has that something special potential if they'd just kick the grub up a notch. My kid really dug the corn bread cup cake and kids eat free on Mondays. A family fun experience just leave Mr. Whiskers at home.
People thought this was:
The best BBQ in Yolo County, and a great place to take a date!
I hesitated to visit Ludy's for a long time; I had experienced their catering at various events, and it wasn't anything spectacular. Driving by their place, I figured it wasn't really my idea of BBQ... with their location in the heart of Downtown Woodland, right on Main Street, with seating out front, it honestly seemed kinda haughty, too uppity for good BBQ. So eventually my girlfriend and I try it out, and boy was I impressed!! I was expecting something overpriced and completely forgettable, but I couldn't have been more wrong!
The food is ordered and served Carl's Jr.-style; you order at the counter and they give you a number. You sit anywhere and they bring your food out in a matter of minutes. The prices were very reasonable; about $20 for two, including sodas! (Plus, you can usually find coupons for free dessert/appetizer/$5off, etc.)
Far above and beyond all expectations was the back patio. Ambiance is fully five-star-worthy there!! It breaks my heart when I go there and some group has reserved it for their party, and I have to eat inside.
The employees are very nice, occasionally checking up on you to see if they can get you some BBQ sauce (served warm!) or to-go boxes, etc., although you can always grab those things yourself from the counter inside if you so desire. Often, as you finish your meal, they drop by with some mints and comment cards... fill 'em out, and they enter you in their latest drawing, and will send you a coupon every few months in their flyer.
And a word on their food: pretty damn good. I thought my NY steak sandwich was tasty, but then I tried my gf's tri-tip sandwich, and ZOMG, it was on a whole other level! French fries are also very tasty; a far cry from McD's processed junk.
They often have live music on Friday's and Saturday's, I believe... usually some old guys playing bluegrass/folk/oldies/country... not my favorite, but not unpleasant (and you don't really hear them if you choose to dine on the back patio).
Also, great place to go with groups, because I HATE having to deal with splittling checks, and trying to figure out why our group of 15 is twenty dollars short, etc. Don't have to worry about that at Ludy's!
You know what? FUCK CATTLEMAN'S! There...I said it. Cattleman's has nothing on Ludy's. When my bf and I went to Ludy's it was like I was in some old country western tavern. The decor was delightful and the music (lovely banjo strumming) just created that fun and happy setting. I ate a variety of animals that night and the BBQ sauces (it comes in spicy and regular) are self serve and kept in a heated soup pot. BRILLIANT. I strongly recommend the $17 sampler to get a little taste of everything. I'm giving it a negative one star because...well...I was the only Asian person at the restaurant and the fact that when it gets busy, service gets a little slow. If you're a foodie I strongly recommend coming to this place.
People thought this was:
Awesome, awesome barbeque place. Their combo platters especially the chicken and hot links one is top rate. I would rather a BBQ joint of this caliber was in Davis but you gotta take what you can get.
The place gets docked a star for their burger. One thing about me is that all I'll eat on my burger are the two core components the meat and the bread. The first time I came into Ludy's I ordered the burger this way but was in for an unpleaseant suprise of the bottom of the bun being lined with thousand island dressing.
With that exception of that instance, everything else has been top notch.
I'm sorry, but this place ruined BBQ for me....Yuck!
People thought this was:
i don't know if it's because we were expecting the worst or because people in woodland are just nice but ludy's was another place we stopped at after purchasing my sewing machine and woodland sew and vac.
the shop owner at the sew&vac shop reccomended ludy's to us. he told us that they were very nice and he had his wedding rehersal dinner there.
so we went there. it was pretty good food. the place was empty because we were there at 3PM but they took our order and we sat down. they brought us our food and check on us often. (it's a pay then sit down and they bring you your order place so they don't really have to check on you.) they also had the side bar where you could load up on extra bbq sauce.
the bbq sauce was good cause it had a good amount of sweet to tang.
People thought this was:
I absolutely love BBQ and I will drive a good distance for some excellent "Q".I drove about 50 miles from Berkeley to try this place and I gotta tell you it is not very good.The brisket is poor quality meat that is not smoked, or tender and is totally smothered in bad BBQ sauce-I think they try to mask the bad meat flavor.Ribs were below average a bit fatty.Nice atmosphere though...bottom line don't drive a long distance you will be quite disappointed.
People thought this was:
it was packed when we got there due to a party in the patio and one of the rooms. that being said the line to order was pretty long. but the in-house band was entertaining to hear and add to the atmosphere of the place. we were sitting outside which has a very nice view of main street and the weather was perfect on the first day of spring, but we moved inside to watch the NCAA tournament. we ordered a full rack of baby back and beef ribs with potato salad and coleslaw as sides. the sides were really sides and not a lot was given. the potato salad was alright but had a little to much mayo probably. the coleslaw was average. i was disappointed in the corn bread. it seemed like it sat around for a while and had to kick to it at all. so at ludys you can get regular sauce or spicy. both were good but i wish the spicy had more kick and spice to it. but it was my choice for the evening. the ribs came out very well cooked. they were all very tender and moist on the inside. the outside was prepared right with just the right amount of flavor and you added your own sauce. overall a good experience and had plenty of leftover meat to take home.
Woodland, CA
Category: Mexican
Woodland, CA
Category: Bakeries
Woodland, CA
Category: Restaurants
Woodland, CA
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
Woodland, CA
Category: Restaurants
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