I’ve been looking forward to trying out Casey’s Bar-B-Q for a few weeks now. I didn’t live in Little Rock for the previous rendition (on Reservoir Road), and the thought of our food scene adding a quality BBQ spot was potentially exciting.

Unfortunately, the food on my first visit left me quite underwhelmed.

We ordered a variety of items, including a cheeseburger, rib plate, turkey sandwich, and chili dog. The ribs, which were overcooked and drenched in sauce, completely lacked a smoky flavor. And as much as I enjoyed the thin, vinegary sauce, I’m just not a fan of dousing ribs in any sauce. Ribs, not the sauce, are supposed to do the talking and these were silent.

Props on my side of cole slaw, a simple, fresh concoction of pulverized cabbage that mixed well with the baked beans and some of the BBQ sauce. I’m a sucker for toasted, buttery white bread, but unfortunately, only one side of my accompanying piece was toasted.

As for the cheeseburger and chili dog?

They both absolutely looked the part, but generally lacked in flavor. The cheeseburger, which was a touch overcooked, needed some salt and pepper. The plentiful toppings on the burger did impress, but the overall product was not something I’d be inspired to order again.

Chili Dog

Cheeseburger

I did enjoy my bite of the turkey sandwich, mainly because I favored the cole slaw and there was no shortage of it under the bun.

Turkey Sandwich

Here’s what I loved about Casey’s. They’ve done a wonderful job of cleaning up the space, making it a nice atmosphere to enjoy lunch. The food is affordable and the service is both fast and super friendly. Those are certainly important qualities of a successful restaurant.

But the food should be better.

Casey’s also needs to exude that classic BBQ joint aroma. There’s almost nothing better than that smoky BBQ smell in the parking lot and in the restaurant. I didn’t detect much of it.

Here’s hoping for improvement across the board.

Casey’s Bar-B-Q
7410 Cantrell Road