Poor Red's Bar-B-Q

 

6221 Pleasant Valley Road
El Dorado, CA 95623

(530) 622-2901  

Honestly, I can't say I've ever tried the food. As good as it's always smelled every time I've gone in, I've either had to keep an eye on my cash, or they've stopped serving. So, I'll keep my review to the bar.

Overall, the place is a flashback. The way you expect a bar to be. The service- was above & beyond the call of duty. The drinks are strong, the price is cheap, just the way they should be.

One word of warning:  Placerville's "finest" do not like any individuals on two wheels. So keep your intake under strict control, and do not give them any reason beyond their established dislike to pull you over.

Over all, if you're in the area, make it a stop. Be sure to tip your bartenders well!

 

What more could you want from a dive BBQ that has been around forever! I'd only like a few more Sq. Feet!
Beer connoisseurs beware, you have two choices... Bud and Bud Light, that latter of which was added a few years ago to appease the weight conscious bar goers.

The food is classic rib house; ribs, chicken, steak sandwiches and, I believe, burgers now, baked potato, salad and fry sides. Order at the bar from the menu on the wall and get a drink while you wait. The ambiance and character of the place is the absolute embodiment of the Mother Lode foothill lifestyle, some people love this (laid back salt of the earth type people) and some loathe it (yuppies and hoity toities).

The bartenders have all been working this place for decades and have character and personalities which only enhance and compliment the experience. No tweakers to short change you, just a couple of consummate pros that know the job inside and out.
The bar gets extremely crowded on Friday and Saturday nights especially during the warm months, not the kind of place you go to for dancing because it will be asses to elbows throughout.
If you're looking for fine dining and high class then stay away but if you want to let your hair down and experience a little bit of good time wild west culture then this place is absolute tops.

No trip here is complete without the signature "Golden Cadillac" or "Brown Cow" but watch the change, what you think is a quarter may in fact be a buck.

Edit 7/16/07
They now serve Sierra Nevada and maybe other beers. Other than that it's the same as usual

 

This place is on the way to my mom's.  They have a killer Cadillac margarita and pork sandwich.  In addition they give Susan B. Anthony dollar coins for change.  A must if you are in this area.

UPDATE:  They now give those new gold dollar coins for change.  I did notice that they only gave them the first time we bought drinks but they also gave out fifty-cent pieces as change on subsequent rounds.

Great local flavor!

 

This is the type of place I'd hope to find when I travel abroad. It's one of those culture soaked gems that I love so much! They have their own way of doing things and you're happy to oblige.

You enter to a bar full of red faced jolly drinkers sipping on the house specialty, Golden Cadillacs (Galliano herbal liqueur, white crme de cacao and light cream).

Poor Red's is configured in such a way that you're required to stop at the bar on your way into the dining room (my kind of place). After you've worked up an appetite from a couple of hours of drinking you let the bartender know that you're ready to order (six stars for the bartenders). The menu with its six or seven items is hanging just above the bar on the wall; a waitress comes out to take your order and then she calls you into the dinning room when your meal is ready.

I really enjoyed getting my fingers dirty while sucking down those BBQ ribs. um um um!
I personally love heat in my BBQ sauce, so they could have been a little spicier, but that's really just personal preference.

I can't wait to return... those ribs and Golden Cadillacs are calling my name.

Ribs, Chicken, Ham are the specilities of this house.  "atmosphere" is 1849 and any attire you want.  6 ribs with meat on the entire length of the bone of 1/2 inch thick this past week.  Extra sauce is required as it is great.  Salad is simple, service is good, seating is limited so you wait in the bar for your name to be called.  Great drinks and refills are a surprise and frequent.  Never met a bad "set" of ribs in the 40 years of my attendance there.  For the money you spend it is tasty, simple and memorable.  Had the ham-1/2 inch thick and tender.  Chicken was great too.  I heard that the steaks are very good but I have never been able to not eat the ribs.  Tain't a steak house.

 

I don't drink Cadillac margaritas and I thought the food was less than mediocre. The ribs didn't impress and the steak was a poor cut and overcooked. They stuck us in a table in the back with a few other people so seating is definitely 'family style'. I'd heard so much good stuff since i moved up here four years ago and was really disappointed. Maybe the food would have impressed me more if I'd had three or four of those margaritas beforehand.

 

Poor Reds Bar-B-Q is another favorite of mine. We've gone on the weekend when it's always packed. The bar is definately the best part of Poor Red's. Cheap Bud, Golden Cadillacs and Hank the dirty joke telling bartender. He's also known to put on the penis glasses for a laugh. Hank never disappoints. The best place to sit is the high part of the bar. You get to see all the action. The ribs and chicken are pretty tasty...get a bit liquored up first, though.

 

Boy, who woulda guessed that so many people have reviewed this place.  I had the pulled pork sandwich, trying to stay the safe course, and it was not good.  There was more fat in there than one would've liked.  I tried to saddle up and expect a greasy fatty dripping sandwich but this was out of line.  The atmosphere is very drab, I believe one 45 watt light bulb lights the entire dining room.  I wasn't expecting much more but again, let's be reasonable.

I tried the Golden Cadillac at the prodding of my coworker who told me he had had it and it was fantastic.  He lied, he had not had it and it was NOT fantastic.  If ever coerced into going here again....I am getting the chicken.  That's my BBQ insult.

 

Maybe it was because we ate there on a Tuesday night - but it just didn't happen for us.

The bar was busy...but the food was mediocre, to say the least. The steaks were OK, but the sides (a lettuce and tomato salad, and veg-all) were strictly out of the '50s. A major disappointment, given the word-of-mouth about this place. Admittedly, this place is known for it's "Golden Cadillac" cocktail - and they are good - but it doesn't offset the total mediocrity of the food.

If you're looking for a biker bar in an historic building - this is the place. If you are looking for a great dining experience - go elsewhere.

Update:

Tried this place again a couple of months ago. We had to wait for the dining room to open, so we would up getting semi-hammered on their raison d'etre: the Golden Cadillac. Not my normal style of libation (I'm more of a Wild Turkey kinda guy), but they were tasty - in a '50s sort of way.

I will say that the meals were better than the last time we were here - or maybe that's just the Cadillacs talking. But the dining room was still dingy, and I think Flo's (from 'Alice') mom was the waitress.

Since we were there last, they have changed hands, and the new owners have added a couple of items to their menu. Some one else will have to review it - twice is more than enough for us.

Besides, I learned how to make Golden Cadillacs for when the wife wants to watch 'Grease' yet -again-...

This is a great place to take out-of-towners for a bit of local flavor.  In all likelihood you, dear reader, are an out of towner - so put on yer boots and get ready for some lip smackin, ass wackin flavor!
Poor Reds is famous for their mesquite grilled ribs, chicken and steak.  They also use more Galliano liqueur than any other place in the world for their signature "Gold Cadillac" cocktail.  Lactose intolerants beware - this stuff is creamy!
Poor Reds is housed in an 1850s Wells Fargo stage stop...does it get any better than this?!  I love the foothills...you feel like Doc Holliday could swagger up to you at any moment.
Oh and don't be intimidated by the rows of HOGS outside, it's all part of the *charm*.