Pig Up & Go BBQ
1659 S. Elmwood Dr
Mexico, Mo
Last fall I was searching for BBQ restaurants and was surprised to find a listing for a restaurant in Mexico Missouri. You get these false listings sometimes, often because someone has a BBQ competition team and the internet bots think it is a regular restaurant.
Having found the listing, it meant I needed to take a road trip and I found the building above. Not exactly what most restaurants look like. It could have been a plumbing business, or any small service company. At the time there were a few cars in the parking lot, and a few people standing around but nothing that made me think restaurant. I decided I was on the wrong track, so I did not even stop. I went on by, and went on to the other BBQ in Mexico. When I got home and rechecked my source I was pretty sure that I had been in the right place, just not the right amount of gumption. That meant a return trip would be needed!
I got busy and another trip was not to occur until last week. I had a Thursday open, and I needed to renew a license on a trailer and 4-wheeler. It is so much easier to do this in Mexico rather than Columbia, so off I went. This time I stopped at the address listed. I found a very nice BBQ restaurant. It is not open on Sunday or Monday at all. It is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for lunch only 11:00-1:00. It is open on Friday and Saturday for lunch and dinner. This is a rather interesting schedule, if you try to find the restaurant I would check and even call ahead to make sure it is open.....
It is located in the industrial park of Mexico. Which sounds a lot seeder that it actually is. There are a number of mid size manufacturing companies. If it is any indication it is next to the Mexico School District Administrative office. I do not think there is another resturant around it. It certainly has not spent any money on signs, or advertising. They have spent money on a nice decor. The inside of the building follows the form of the exterior. It is clean, new, attractive and functional.
It does provide a good meal. I think they aim for carryout meals to workers from the surrounding businesses. While I was there several people stopped by and picked up larger orders. It also had a few other customers that intended to eat in.It sits a decent number of people, and with the quick service I would expect provides a nice dinning experience even for those "on the clock."
It was a rather basic BBQ menu, I suspect designed for fast service. Plates were available very quickly, by the time I got my drink it was ready. The meals were on disposable plates. They did not have fries, but did have a variety of side options. They provided only one sauce option, a sweet KC BBQ sauce that was OK. I had the brisket, and was pleased. My wife had the pulled pork. I suspect that the pork was smoked there. The brisket I think was cooked in an oven rather than smoked. It had a very nice flavor, but was moist, and cut thick the way you do when you are slow cooking a brisket in a pan rather than in a smoker. The potato salad and coleslaw were good, though the amount was a little less than I desired. I would say they targeted the working men, but their prices were a little more than other BBQ restaurants that target that group.
It was a very nice experience. It certainly was a nice meal. I would recommend it to anyone. It is certainly worth a trip if you, like me, enjoy finding and trying the different BBQ restaurants that are available. If you are a Mexico resident it would be a place that I would come to often.
