The Birmingham Lunch Club returned with a bang as we visited our worst rated restaurant ever! We visited Demetri’s BBQ in Homewood AL, which is a longtime favorite of many Birmingham residents. The BLC did not feel the same way.

Greg: At long last, the BLC has come back to Birmingham. A day I have looked forward to for 8 months or so finally happened. This turned out to be the highlight of the meal, the bros getting together.ALABAMA BBQ

I chose Demetri’s because I had heard some decent things about it and it was fairly close to Joey’s new job. Also, I love BBQ. We were seated immediately and introduced to our waiter. Maybe he was having a bad day, but he was terrible. I ordered a BBQ Chicken Sandwich, baked beans, and fries. I would usually get the pork, but was told the chicken was the specialty. The food took awhile to arrive, but it gave us ample time to catch up. Once the food got to our tables, I did a quick double take to see if there were more plates coming out because the portions were so small. The sandwich was the smallest Winn Dixie sized bun you have ever seen. The meat was cooked very well and the sauce was different, but good. The sauce had a very vinegar based taste, smoky and strong. The beans were straight from a can and a small portion. The fries were decent but the portion was less than you get on a kids meal at Full Moon. All in all, the meal left me very unsatisfied. I thought a slice of pie might help. I ordered coconut pie, luckily this was one of the few they had in stock. The pie was almost as bad as the food as it had a overwhelming salty taste. Worst pie I have had in Birmingham, a city with lots of terrific pie choices. After settling up, I was out the door at $15. The service was adequate, but nothing to write home about.

I was looking forward to this meal because I love BBQ. The takeaway from this meal was that the BLC is back. I won’t return to Demetri’s and give it the title of Worst BBQ in Birmingham, AL. Overall Rating: 1 Bro

Joey: A new job gave me the opportunity to return to the Birmingham Lunch Club. Greg’s choice of a previously unvisited BBQ place close to my new office gave me even more excitement for my return visit.  Unfortunately, Demitri’s provided a disappointing return to my return to the BLC. I will be sure not to return to Demetri’s BBQ in Homewood, AL. Greg at Demetri's BBQ

I wanted a light lunch because I had planned on getting a pie. Taking advantage of the abnormally cool May weather, I ordered the chili and grilled cheese sandwich combo from our dopey waiter. He let me know they were out of the red chili, but the white chicken chili was fine with me. Our waiter was the only male in the sketchiest crew of waitresses this side of a Louisiana truck stop. My cup of chili returned, clearly fresh from a microwave. I knew this because of the skin on top of the chili and the cold beans I bit into. So my chili order was a total bust. It tasted like Dinty Moore on a good day.The pie wasn’t much better. I might as well put a bunch of cool whip on top of a Hershey’s bar. There are plenty of BBQ options in Birmingham. Demetri’s should not be one of them. OVERALL RATING: 1.5 BROS

BLAKE: As we left Birmingham Lunch Club with the “Lost Review of Full Moon BBQ,” which was intended to begin “BBQ Month,” it’s fitting that we pick up there and visit Demetri’s BBQ in Homewood. Parking was no major issue at noon on Friday, though the lot was full. Nor was seating. Nor was relatively quick service. We could have been in and out in just over half an hour.

I ordered a pork sandwich with potato salad and fried okra. Problem was: there was no potato salad. Now, I have been to a lot of BBQ joints in the great state of Alabama and I’ll tell you things you can expect on the menu, after pork, in order: baked beans, potato salad. But here, there was no potato salad. The online menu said there was potato salad, but alas, no potato salad. Not a, “We ran out” or anything like that, simply a “We don’t have potato salad.”

That’s off-putting. But welp. The vegetable of the day was fried okra. Now, this wasn’t just any fried okra. The okra wasn’t sliced – it was breaded and fried whole and served with a side of ranch. I’m not sure how long you have been following Birmingham Lunch Club, but I like ranch. A whole, whole bunch. I make no apologies for it, and I will dip almost anything into it. Because it is delicious. And frankly, I’d never thought to dip fried okra in it. It was spectacular. This fried okra, which I believe to be the vegetable of the day on Monday and Friday, is probably the best I have ever had. It likely added a full point to the final score.

The sandwich was good. The slaw and the hot sauce on the table, which I believe to be made in house, were a terrific complement to a “good” pork sandwich. This pork sandwich was perfectly fine. It was just FINE. There was nothing wrong with this pork sandwich. Now, I may have been able to go somewhere else and spend $2 more and I could have had a spectacular pork sandwich. But this one was just fine. I left satisfied.

I ordered the lemon pie, as lemon pie is one of my two favorite pies (see also: peanut butter). They were out of lemon pie. So I settled for the chocolate, and it was one of the top three or four chocolate pies I’ve ever had. It was a LITTLE salty, but not overly so, and I thought that added a very unique taste.

Demetri’s BBQ is the best BBQ place in Homewood if you exclude Edgewood and West Homewood. I got out at $15, which included nearly a 20% tip and a $4 slice of pie, so relatively speaking, it’s probably more affordable that other BBQ joints. This was my second experience at the place, and my sustained opinion is that it is a place that will wow you with sides and complement you with the main course. I’ve also heard the breakfast is top shelf. I’m sure I will go back, but I couldn’t tell you when. OVERALL RATING: 3 bros.

COMPOSITE BRO SCORE: 1.83 BROS out of 5 possible BROS