Bad Betty's Barbecue in Helena

This place is fantastic! From the food to the friendly staff and exceptional service they provide. I always look forward to giving them a visit and leaving with the best BBQ in town IMO. RECOMMENDED! 👍👍🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Needs better hours. 11-3 is kind of a joke. Food is great, but those who work miss out cause most dont get home till 4 or 5

I love it! Excellent service. Food was delicious 😋 if you are in Helena you need to go!

Best BBQ Ive had and Ive been to many BBQ restaurants. Big portions for a great price and the meat is tender, smoky and tasty. Everything I expect from a smoked BBQ.

Just had a great experience! Great customer service! Great food! Comfortable atmosphere! Thank you!

Worst communication ever regarding food truck availability at an event. I reached out to John, general manager, countless times via email and in person at the restaurant to secure the food truck for an event. I started emailing him 2 months ago and also showed up visiting at the restaurant with John. He was always "too busy" to spend five minutes confirming reservations with me that he verbally agreed to. He rarely got back to me claiming he wasnt getting the emails. However, he randomly responded to two emails in the thread. He did state that the food truck would be at our event but did not respond to clarification questions and questions regarding us signing a contract to commit. Just one week before our event, John responded and just canceled claiming lack of staffing and he said the owner told him they had to cancel. I would love to visit with the owner who probably has no idea how many times another committee member and I have reached out to John without a response. Now we are stuck with no food truck as we were counting on Bad Bettys trying to give them the benefit of the doubt due to John claiming he wasnt getting the emails and the restaurant was busy! Such poor service! I thoroughly understand that all businesses struggle with staffing but he could have talked to the owner earlier and kept in constant communication with us. I welcome an email or call from the owner regarding this matter.

I have eaten a lot of barbecue on my life and this place is excellent. All of the meat is good. The sides are great, and the sauce is delectable.Highly recommend!

BBQ the old fashioned way. Great beans and coleslaw too

Great brisket platter and Mexican Street Corn, love the food!

Got the platter and bowl. The brisket was delicious.

First it’s concerning when I noticed that a restaurant does not reply to reviews. It gives an impression of “ lack of concern ! “Second, which directly relates to the first point… the hours of operation on Google say Bad Betty’s is open till 7:00 PM. When I arrived at 5:00 pm Bad Betty’s BBQ was closed. Bad Betty’s had a sign on the door saying closed because of staffing problems. It’s very simple and polite to update hours of operation on Google especially when your business revolves around customers and service.

Great meat! They do only a few things here, but they do them well. First impression was great. Perfectly seasoned meat with just the right amount of kick. Pickle and slaw a great addition as well. Premises are on the small side and limited hours, but clean, well kept, and well priced.

Excellent quality brisket. Great taste. Great service. Only flaw was Pepsi instead of Coke. But the brisket was so good, thats totally forgivable.

Flavorless BBQ from the day prior that has been reheated and covered in BBQ sauce that doesnt taste good. I havent ever had such dry food in my entire life.As a Texan whos used to BBQ joints on every corner, I was super looking forward to enjoying Bad Bettys as Id only heard good things about them. When I received my food (2 meat platethere wasnt a single thing on it that tasted good. Ordered right at opening so I could enjoy something fresh, but VISIBLY the items on my plate were DRY, and after tasting a little of everything I got my money back and gave the food to my dog who coughed like she was eating Popeyes biscuits while eating it.Will not go back.

Great prices great portions very yummy food. Id prefer a little spicier but thats not to say the flavor isnt excellent. Very happy we had a bad breakfast today and went looking for a quick lunch before a movie, what a great find. Well be back whenever were in town.

Drove through Helena and stopped for lunch. Was slightly concerned with the limited hours but I think that played into our favor.Wholly smokes was this good!

Disappointed. I had the brisket platter and my wife had the Mac Bowl. I have had BBQ in many different states and this was not good. I couldnt taste the brisket as it was smothered in BBQ sauce. Plus, the portion size was small. Also, it was hardly warm. I had the dirty rice with it and it was bland but even worse, it was barely warm. The Mac bowl was no better. We try hard to support local businesses but dont plan on going back.

Excellent. May be the best pork ribs Ive ever had in my mouth. Brisket is tender and flavorful. Price is right.

The atmosphere has a quaint feel to it with the multiple antiques and wood tables. The food is delicious and reasonably priced with todays food costs. Portions are plentiful. Always pleased eating here.I had the combo platter for $13.50 highly recommended.

Really good bbq and pretty reasonably priced. Always nice staff and super quick service.Highly recommend the mac n cheese bowl with brisket.

I ordered Doordash today, and I did not receive the sauce thats supposed to come with it, and my mac and cheese was dry and gross. The pork was dry as well, hmm well maybe for lack of sauce. Last time I ordered, everything was great and I got everything. Perhaps you need to pay your employees more? When there are issues with staff consistency, it usually stems from management. Just some "food" for thought. I would rather order from McDonalds because the quality is consistent.

Possibly the best barbecue in Helena. Everything tasted amazing, order was fast and atmosphere is very warm and inviting. If Im eating barbecue in Helena, Im coming back here.

Ordered via DD with high expectations because of the good reviews. Ordered sauce on the side because I want to taste the meat, not the sauce. Dasher had to wait for the order to be prepared and was less than a mile away from my hotel. Ordered a combo plate plus 2 ribs. Food showed up stone cold drenched in sauce. Brisket was dry, tough with an unchewable burnt edge, what little pulled pork there was was mostly fat and what meat there was was dry, ribs were what seemed fresh from the refrigerator and burnt. Bacon mac-n-cheese had no bacon and was dry. Threw the order away and got a refund from DD.

I ordered lunch on a Saturday. There were no customers in the store. The girls behind the counter were not busy. If it was busy I would have been more understanding. The food was cold. All of it. The brisket, pulled pork and Mac and cheese were all the same temperature as the pickles and onions. I expected it to be at least warm. Very disappointed

Ordered the Holy trinity on their recommendation. Its really good. Too big to eat unless you either have a gigantic mouth or eat some of the stuff on top first. They actually have really good coleslaw! Had the Wicked beans as a side and it was fantastic.Had a little bit of their house sauce on the side and it was great with a vinegar zip to it.

The best barbecue in helena. Wicked beans, nachos, sat brunch. Calvin knows how to smoke meat. A must try for anyone who lives here or anyone passing through. Once you try this stuff, youll keep going back.

The chicken platter was decent. I prefer my chicken slightly more done, but the rub they use is really good (the chicken wasnt undercooked or raw. I just prefer mine to be on the verge of fall-apart done, which is over-cooked to some.Their sauce is nice too - not too sweet and a slight spicy kick on the back end. The beans werent bad, either. Im definitely going to go back and give their ribs and brisket a try.

Really nice people so that earned them an extra star. I am from the South and looking for some good barbecue. I may have to just open a restaurant to get good food in Montana. The brisket taste store bought like from Costco or something. The mac & cheese taste like it is from the box. Overall, the food is bland and I will not be eating here again.

We stopped in after a long day on the road. After reading reviews we were looking forward to trying one of Helenas best. Sadly the experience did not live up to the hype. We found the staff to be disengaged and not very attentive. We waited for 45 mins for our food and it arrived Luke warm at best. The pulled pork lacked any flavor. The bbq sauce was ok but nothing to write home about. The pulled pork was served on store bought Texas toast. Not toasted, not buttered, Just slapped down on the plate. The Mac & Cheese was so salty it was not edible. I was hopeful but will not be returning

From the reviews I had high hopes for this place but was sadly let down. From the service to the food. It was all bad. We waited for 45 mins to be met with cold food. The pork was extremely bland and the beans were under cooked. The Mac and cheese was so salty it was inedible. The best part of the meal was store bought banana pudding and even that was a let down. We left hungry and disappointed. Wont be going back.

Our first visit and the food was absolutely amazing! Service was excellent as well. Highly recommend the sampler platter and add a meat OR two. If youve got a craving for some great BBQ and are the Helena area, Bad Bettys is a must stop!

Very good food, reasonable prices, very friendly staff. Not a fancy restaurant, a small place you go to get good food. The one thing that really stood out is the chicken so many people overcooked chicken their chicken is juicy.

Overall it was ok. Based on the other reviews I assumed this place would be great. I was most disappointed with the brisket which was very dry and tougher than it should be. Also the fact that no sauce was included was a bummer. The pork was ok but I found it lacking flavor. The sausage was ok, spicy but little flavor. I laughed at the coleslaw as it was just chopped cabbage with pepper dry no sauce. I found the dirty rice to be without seasoning and lacking any flavor. The best part of the meal was the beans, which where actually really good.

Ordered 3 lbs of brisket but received a bit more because they did not want to slice off a small piece. Same price so thanks. Staff attentive and brisket was nicely smoked and tender. Barbecue sauce too sweet and not spicy enough for us. Great place for smoked meats.

Great food and good prices. Also nice atmosphere inside the restaurant; dont let the unassuming curb appeal turn you off.

Really delicious! We came in an hour before closing so they were out of most items. What we did have was fabulous. (Kids found the pulled pork, brisket, and beans a bit too spicy.Since we couldn’t receive everything normally included in the meal it would have been nice to receive a small discount on our order.

Out of stater here on a quick and go. Passed the fast food places to try a BBQ place. The pulled pork tasted ok kinda dry here and there. The sweet pickle turned me off and the 2 white slices of bread seemed kinda week. Other than that ok.

Hands down the BEST bbq in town! Pictured here is their Thursday nacho special with burnt ends. Portion would easily feed 2 people for $12! Stopped in for pickup and they had all safety precautions for COVID-19. Cant wait to go back.

Nice little hole in the wall joint. Burnt ends were exactly what you expect, smoky with a touch of spice. The only thing holding back my 5th star is it needs more of the smoky smell. You should be able to smell a BBQ joint before you walk in.

Delicious KC-style BBQ, but not in Kansas City? You betcha!

Great service, awesome food. We went on a Wednesday and got the briket special. Was fairly busy for lunch but still got our food quick. Two meals was enough for two adults and two toddlers. We were given a couple of fidget spinners that made my toddlers day. Loved the Mac and cheese

Third time visiting Bad Bettys. Pretty tasty barbeque but its the slaw and tater salad I really enjoy. Only have two wishes... First, two to three types of BBQ sauce would be awesome. Their sauce is good, but looking for more of a sweet BBQ style (picky what can I say). The second would be tater tots. Being gluten free I cant do their sandwiches but putting BBQ on tots with slaw is an awesome alternative and a great side!However, good overall! A place that I recommend to eat at when in Helena.

We stopped by Bad Bettys BBQ on our way to the gates of the mountains tour and this places BBQ is amazing. Its hard to find quality BBQ but this place kills it. The pulled pork was delicious and the brisket was everything it should be. Great bark, juicy and very tasty. The sides were great as well. The guys working the counter were very friendly as well. Bad Bettys is a great reason to visit Helena. Thanks for the amazing BBQ.

So glad I found this place!!!Wish they were in Bozeman though.Soooo. TASTY!Sadly they were out of brisket, so I had the chicken(5 star), the smoked chili(5 star), and the pulled pork(10 star baby!!!!Also the BBQ sauce was off the scale good!Giving 5 stars overall, but I do have a couple small complaints.1 - Those napkins suck! Plastic napkins do not get the bbq off your fingers and face! And it WILL be all over your face as it is so damn good!2 - The cheddar corn bread was flavorful, but there was waaaay too much cheese. Made it hard to eat in my opinion. A lot less cheese, and a little more cornbread and it would be perfect!Not a fancy place in the fancy part of town. Maybe not a great first date place. Then again, if your date cant understand the level of BBQ being served up here, maybe you should keep looking..... For someone else to date I mean. ;0)

Woof! This place rocks. I had the combination platter with the ribs and there wasnt a scrap left on the plate by the end of the meal. The brisket and the ribs were incredible. I think I have a new favorite spot in Helena.

I was pretty excited to eat at the restaurant, Ive only eaten from their food truck. I had their ribs, great flavor but the meat was a little too dry for me. We had their street tacos with tri-tip as the meat. Werent very generous on the amount of meat. Flavor was good though. We also had pulled pork sandwich, which was good. Id go back again to try their brisket. I had it via the food truck and it was good. I dont think I will bring then people with me, it might be a hard sell.

Very delicious BBQ. Boyfriend and I got the three meat plate to share with 2 sides of mac. We loved all of it. My favorite was the brisket. The smoke was awesome, meat was tender, and sauce was tangy and good. Pulled pork was my boyfriends favorite. About $17 for the plate for both of us which isnt bad. Very large portions. Nice interior and atmosphere as well.My only complaint is that I wish instead of white bread, you could get corn bread with every meal.

We are on a road trip home to Calgary from Phoenix and decided to stop in Helena just for Bad Bettys Barbecue based on the Google reviews. We werent disappointed! The food was delicious, served up quickly, perfect portions. We had a brisket platter, pulled pork platter and a ribs platter with a variety of the sides. The wicked beans were delicious, the dirty rice was great and both jalapeno cheddar and plain cheddar cornbread were perfect. Highly recommend coming here for authentic barbecue!

This is the best BBQ Ive had since I lived in Texas. I walked in, was immediately greeted by staff and asked what was good today. Brisket was the answer and boy was that a great choice. The bark on that brisket was smoky, perfectly seasoned and moist. The side dish I chose was the Tater Salad and it was delicious and obviously not a bland, out of the carton salad. I was delighted when the owner and staff both came out during the lunch hour to ask how everything was. The building is a cool old railroad warehouse and the tables and decor are clean and modern. I also loved the nerdy nod to Star Wars. A great place to eat!

The pulled pork sandwich tasted great! No skimping on portions here. The cornbread muffin was satisfying to the last crumble. Oh, and they put things like onions and pickles on the side.The decor and theme is inviting and comfortable. The staff is extremely friendly, making sure to both greet you and wish you a good day when leaving. The service was fast. No long waits during lunch rush.