Pig Feathers BBQ

300 South Main Street, Toledo, OR - (541) 336-1833

Overview Reviews(1) Rate Restaurant Upload Photos Bookmark Email

Posted By Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle on 8/29/2012 1:56:00 PM

No regional qualification necessary: Pig Feathers makes damn good barbecue. We admit to being surprised by this fact. Coastal Oregon is not considered a hotbed of great Q, and we've come to expect smoke parlors with goofy names like Pig Feathers, and goofy mottos like their trademarked "Everyone loves a great rack!", to churn out the kind of ordinary barbecue found in shopping malls across the country. Beware of hasty judgments.

Pig Feathers is owned by Stu and Becky Miller. Stu is a former state barbecue champion, and it shows on the plate. The selection here is relatively focused for an out-of-region barbecue house: there are baby backs and pulled pork, supplemented by smoked prime rib on the weekends. Not only are the meats expertly smoked but the sauces have genuinely interesting flavor. We especially recommend the Ouch! on those ribs.

The pecan-hued French fries are hand-cut and served in copious mounds; the fresh coleslaw, so much more than the usual throwaway, is a cool and crunchy palate-refresher between bites of smoked and sauced meat. Every detail, from the pitcher of Arnold Palmers forward, seems to have been given thoughtful attention. Most of the rest of the menu features burgers and wings, and a host of sides. For you microbrew fans, know that Pig Feathers is connected to the co-owned Twisted Snout brewpub next door, and you can enjoy their good brews with your barbecue if you wish.

The town of Toledo, named after the Ohio city, is only seven miles inland from the coastal town of Newport, along the Yaquina River, but there is not a whiff of the ocean in this hilly town built on the lumbering industry. Today, you can see the huge Georgia Pacific operation, the last remaining mill in town, from Pig Feathers' front door.

Scorecard

Overall: One of the Best - Worth a Trip

Arnold Palmer	Large Rib Meal
Pulled Pork Sandwich with Coleslaw	Ouch! Sauce

Rate this place

Reviewers Photos [Upload Your Photos]

"The menu says they serve babybacks. These don't look like any babybacks that we've ever seen (we are babyback frowners, by the way), nor do they look like spares. We'll leave it to the Q experts to explain exactly where on the pig these bones come from. Suffice it to say that Stu turns out some really first-rate barbecue. These are glazed with Ouch! sauce, which is not incendiary but is hot enough to grab your tastebuds' attention. And, at $13.50, a full rack with superlative homemade fries and terrific fresh slaw is a bargain."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"In a recent trip report, buffetbuster noted that the care with which he was served ice water at the start of the meal was an indication of the care put into the food, and restaurant, as a whole. We understand, and agree, completely. We asked for an Arnold Palmer and this is what we received."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"We asked for our pulled pork sandwich with their thick and rich Smokey Sweet sauce. The pulled pork is as good as the ribs."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"Pig Feathers is in the wood-processing town of Toledo, only seven miles upriver from Newport, yet worlds away in terms of spirit."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle