Circle M Barbecue - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Circle M is our number 1 place to go to when we have a gathering. They are always willing and go out of their way to help us and their employees are awesome! Thank you!

This place is amazing! Not only great food with great customer service, they are the epitome of a family run business and show so much love to their community!

Some of the best local food you will find in sc is a must stop place to eat

Food was excellent. I will definitely be coming back

I came for a birthday party. We all tried each other's food. It was all delicious. The banana pudding was marvelous! They even made a German chocolate birthday cake with cream cheese icing that was wonderful. I had chicken, sausage and pulled pork. Really enjoyed it all. Will definitely go back.

We had Pork BBQ, collards, baked beans and slaw. Each dish was delicious! We will definitely return! Did not dine in.

Was Delicious My last Visit, the pulled pork was Delicious 😋

This is really good food, and they give a lot of it.

The bbq and chicken are awesome. Look at their website for scheduled burnt ends.

Fantastic food, fantastic and very friendly staff, and also a very comfortable atmosphere.. I will definitely be back here again...

Wife and I there today and loved the place. A family run restaurant with a family atmosphere. I had the smoked half chicken and wife had the Brisket Sandwich, both with fixings. The food was excellent as well as the service. We will definitely return when back in the area as we live 1 1/2 hour away. Thanks for the experience! The Clarks

Smoked chicken is the best around

I came in yesterday for the first time, and as we all know BBQ is expensive, "didn't mind that" ordered a pulled pork sandwich Cole slaw, rib plate, with potato salad and baked beans. Pulled pork was so spicy just the meat, never have I ever seen Cole slaw look like sour kraut and smell like it?" Baked beans were baby food mush. Granddaughter ate her chicken and green beans, oh and the ribs were okay after you pulled the bark off, to tuff. My experience I won't go back just didn't understand some of the meat and sides I purchased. Will say the Lady at the register was great with customer service I even complimented on how squeaky clean the restroom was.

A beloved family member just brought me barbecue, red vinegar sauce, and all the fixings. She drove 100 miles round-trip and it was worth every mile. I am sucking the flavor out of the meat. I am from Eastern North Carolina and I never thought I’d taste barbecue that good again. I hate to say it, but I think this is better!

Food was delicious, good old country cooking!

This was our first but not our last visit. It is one of the best BBQ restaurants I have been to. The sauces are good, but you don't have to use them. The pulled pork is already seasoned, and the smoked chicken was juicy and tender. The smoked sausages are great as well. The Mac and Cheese is just like grandma's. The collards and baked beans were also delicious.

After seeing the reviews on this place I decided to give it a try. Not to bad of a BBQ restaurant, it's definitely clean and everyone was warm and welcoming. I would come back again when in the area but I wouldn't necessarily put it on my list of road trip adventures of things I have to do. The prices to me were reasonable considering how high BBQ has gotten to be now days. 5/10/2024.

My favorite BBQ place , highly recommended. Server Morgan is the best!

We love Circle M!! Family to the core!! You know where the food is coming from and who is preparing it just for you!! Wonderful staff and service! A lot Of Bbq make me have heartburn but not Circle M! Lovely Smokey flavor with the best marinated slaw in the World!! Desserts are off the chain, pecan pie brownie alamode, coconut cake to die for and the Banana Pudding does The South Proud!! We drove all the way from Jacksonville, Florida! We were not disappointed!! Great family dinner spot or Date Night!!

Impressed not only with the flavor, but the addition of non-classic menu options- sausages, large chicken legs, and desserts!

Some side items very good, but BBQ is too spicy and waaay too salty.

My family loves going to eat at Circle M BBQ. The BBQ and sides are very good ! You are missing out if you haven’t tried this restaurant ! Love it being out in the country and the owners and staff are very nice and great people !

Never had BBQ that smelt and tasted like straight up kerosene, until just now! Disgusting!!

Excellent BBQ pulled pork and brisket! Their vinegar based slaw was AMAZING! Also had the 'pig pickin cake'! Excellent! Service was second to none and this was an all-around great dining experience! Came across this place by accident, as several other reviewers had said!

Food and service were fantastic! The pulled pork is excellent, even without extra sauces.

All I can say, is WOW!!! Great food, super clean place, great staff. Southern hospitality at its best. Best banana pudding ever. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

Always the best BBQ anywhere, great new sides and table service

Great little hidden gem. Brisket is always top notch. And one can't say enough about the banana pudding. Highly recommend

First time eating here, ended up here by accident but it was meant to be. Food was fantastic so was the staff. Had smoked 1/2 chicken, melted in your mouth, sides were excellent too. My wife had BBQ pork and it was moist and delicious!. Finished with nana pudding and was some of the best I ever had. This is going to our new go too place for us!! Have to give this experience an A+...

great bbq, great people! southern at its best!

Went for the first time today at lunch and was very pleased! The food was homemade and DELICOUS! we will definitely be back and tell everyone we know to eat here

As always excellent service and food. Generous portions. BBQ chicken is outstanding, along with the ribs and the pulled pork. Edited to say: it changed ownership 3 years ago and it's even better than before. Fabulous staff and delicious desserts. I eat here every weekend or more. Definitely give them a try!!

This place is so good! North Carolina style bbq. They do whole hog bbq. The sides are all really good, lots of flavor. Can’t go wrong with anything you pick. The staff is super friendly and attentive. definitely better than other local bbq joints

This is the dang best BBQ joint in the upstate! BY FAR. MUST go try them. Get baked beans, ribs, stew, and banana pudding.

Great food and great atmosphere! Everything is fresh and tastes fabulous! There's no place anywhere that treats you like family and that's what you feel like here! I totally recommend you give it a try

We had a large party and even though the restaurant was packed we were treated like family. Everyone was so nice, patient and helpful, and the food was delicious!! My son said the ribs were great but the banana pudding was the best he’s had in any restaurant. The ratio of pudding, bananas & nilla wafers was superb! We will be back!!

Great food, service, and family atmosphere! Dont miss the sweet potato casserole 😉

We come almost weekly. Best brisket you’ll find, I’d pick it over the brisket Ive had in Texas & Las Vegas anyday! My kids love the drummie and ice cream!

I cannot recommend this family friendly, welcoming restaurant enough! We come regularly and are always greeted as friends, the food is delicious and consistent, and the prices reasonable. We have small children and an elderly parent and they are so accommodating and kind to us, going above and beyond to serve us and make us feel welcome. We always leave full and happy! You won’t regret a visit to circle m!

First time eating here, we had a really nice experience. The fire place is beautiful (and cozy), it's a clean place, the service was good, and the food was different but good. They had one girl walking around filling drinks and the mawmaw walking around talking to everyone, seeing if we needed anything, and engaging our kids. They also had a little play area in the corner with toys which was nice for our toddlers. Kids meals come with a drink and dessert included and let me just say the banana pudding was YUM! We've never had a vinegar based cole slaw but we really liked it, the Mac n cheese & collards were also good, but we weren't that fond of the baked beans (they seemed blended and we didn't love the flavor). The meat was tender and juicy and overall we really enjoyed our experience.

We LOVE Circle M! They are the kindest staff and we love their food! They are always accommodating when we do takeout and catering orders.

The ribs had no flavor. Bland. The Brunswick stew, also, no flavor. I got a rack of ribs and a quart of stew to take home. I ended up giving away the ribs and stew to my neighbor, who said the same thing. No flavor. Now I understand that you can't please everyone and clearly, you've got 5 star reviews from your patrons/ friends. But this is not 5 star barbecue, I'm sorry.

The BBQ is not as good as it used to be before they sold it to new owners. The ribs were OK but not the same as before. The slaw was OK the beans are OK. The sauce was way too salty! Spent over fifty dollars for two people to take home and eat.

First time here... was different but delicious! Not your typical "Southern BBQ". The marinated Slaw was fabulous!

Our favorite BBQ around! We love the chicken and BBQ pulled pork with Sweet Potato Casserole, Green Beans, and Baked Beans. You really can’t go wrong with any of it. Finish with their Banana Pudding and it’s a perfect night. We appreciate the kids corner they have to keep your little ones occupied.

They serve a lean brisket, which I prefer. My husband wanted the more moist one, so they went and cut it especially for him. Their baked beans and macaroni & cheese are awesome. The bread is fresh. They are friendly and want customers happy.

Martian’s has an excellent, unique vinegar BBQ. All the food is excellent. The people are friendly and treat you like family.

This place has spectacular smoked chicken. The fixins are also delicious, worth the drive to try. Try the brisket.

The atmosphere is pleasant, the servers are attentive, and the food is excellent. The best BBQ chicken I have ever had. The ribs are terrific àlso.

Kind, hospitable place with phenomenal bbq. They went the extra mile for us and the sides and —of course— pork were all absolutely top notch.

Great food and friendly service.

I’m angry at myself because I should’ve went to this place a long time ago. Circle M BBQ - South Carolina in the outskirts of Liberty. Only open 2 nights a week—Friday and Saturday. When it’s open, it’s packed…and with good reason, their vinegar-based bbq is top-tier incredible!!! I ordered the Q & Brisket Plate. After tasting the pulled pork, I didn’t have the heart to put any sauce on it because there isn’t anything plain jane about it. Tangy, smoky, peppery, juicy pork. Doesn’t need any sauce. Burnt ends? Barbecue gold. I also thoroughly enjoyed the sides as well. It’s also worth noting that the cornbread is on the savory side, in case you’re curious. Circle M BBQ is definitely worth traveling for, especially if you really love bbq.

First time at Circle M. It’s in a location that is not really near anything else. It’s super clean and the service is very good. Everyone was super attentive and seemed genuinely curious if everything was ok. The menu is pretty straightforward. They cook while hogs and instead of calling it pulled pork, they call it BBQ. I had “BBQ” and Brisket, green beans, and slaw. The BBQ was exceptional Carolina style and they give you a ton of it. The brisket was pretty good but not great. The slaw was vinegar based and I’ve never had one that tasted like this. I have to say, it’s very good. The green beans seemed to be standard from the can but did have some different spices in them. I will be back to try some other meats with the “BBQ” to see how they stack up.

I have to say this place is awesome the food was wonderful the service was excellent the over all feel was cozy and inviting the staff were really friendly our cup's were never empty the sweet tea was perfect I think you should give it a try to me it is definitely worth trying we will be back very often thank you for a wonderful meal

Absolutely the best place for barbecue in the Upstate of SC.

Excellent food and excellent service and friendly staff

The staff is friendly and the food is fantastic. I have never had a bad experience.

This food is fabulous!! Best BBQ we've had in a while!! Definitely recommend! It is worth driving out of your way!!

I love Circle M !!! I think their BBQ is by far the best I've eaten , and all of the sides and deserts are homemade and delicious as well , but the pulled pork with no sauce is my favorite .

The food was really good. We got the sampler to share between two people and had enough to bring home leftovers. All of the sides we picked (greens, sweet potato souffle, mac and cheese) were flavorful and the meats tender and well seasoned. The staff were very sweet, the atmosphere cozy but a little cramped and loud (because they were busy). My only real complaint was the wait. We sat down immediately and drink orders were taken quickly, but it was roughly a twenty minute (give or take) wait for our meal order to be taken, and again to receive our food, then again to pay. So, almost an hour of just waiting. All in all, despite the wait, I'm sure we'll be back ☺️

The food was wonderful and the service by Morgan was very attentive. They have the best BBQ chicken in town!

I stopped in to get pulled pork bbq for 3. The bbq was fantastic as well as the Mac and cheese, sweet potato casserole, baked beans, and the bbq slaw. A very tasty sweet vinegar based slaw which was perfect. I finished it off with their banana pudding…just like grandma used to make. Very fair price and quick service with tons of hospitality. If you haven’t been….you should!!!

I highly recommend! A friend recommended we try it out. We really enjoyed the brisket. I also really liked the sweet potato casserole. It was more like a dessert. The owner was very nice. I found out they smoke the whole pig which allows you to get different parts of the pig so it's a better overall taste than the butt/shoulder roast alone. Most places don't do the whole pig. I only ate the brisket so I can't comment on the pork. Her sweet mom brought us an extra homemade dessert because we had a hard time picking which one we wanted. We all loved the banana pudding. Possibly the best I've had. My 9-year-old has been asking when we can go back. The owners purchased the restaurant within the last couple of years from a family friend. All the same recipes but they've added the brisket, a few more sides, and the homemade desserts. You'll have to look at the menu for prices. I can't remember how much we spent. I think the owner said that kids get a free dessert. I actually think we each got a dessert and she didn't charge us. We were so full but she wanted us to get to try them.

Everything is good and prices aren't bad either.

Great food at reasonable prices.

I just returned from eating Circle M whole hog BBQ. I have to say it was fantastic. A few months ago I ate at another whole hog award winning restaurant in Charleston and it was underwhelming at best. Go down to Liberty and give it a try. I had the pulled pork and brisket. The collards and Cole slaw are spot on as well. Good stuff. Food network should have come here instead.

This place has the best, bar none, ribs. The chicken is to die for and the pulled pork has my mouth watering just thinking about it. Their servings are good sized for the price, so don't let the price tag scare you - it's more expensive than other places but you will leave with extras. The staff is super friendly (they know you by name pretty quickly) and they get you exactly what you want.

Open Friday at 4 pm ....food is prepared ahead of time and sells out fast .... smoked briscuit and bbq.... chicken and ribs sell out fast....food is great ... very friendly staff .... desert is delicious lemon cake with blueberry.....yah...

ALWAYS friendly! Very tasty BBQ. The ribs and slaw are my favorite! 2022 update:. Better than ever. Be sure you try Circle M.

This is the best barbecue restaurant in the world, in my opinion. Having first been a hog farm, these folks figured out how to slow cook pork to a delicious finish decades ago. They are a little out of the way but we try to stop by for ribs and pulled pork anytime we are in the area.

Ribs, brisket, pork, and chicken are all great. Sides are awesome as well. We love Circle M!

Best brisket and bbq we have ever had. And there desserts are awesome too.

Real good whole hog smoked bbq. I would have liked to see some burnt bits in the pulled pork, but I did get some of everything. So I got that char I wanted in other things. Very quick to go service. Not used to chunks of brisket but it was good 1/2 chicken was a little dry in the breast but the dark meat was awesome. Ribs were perfect. Glad I got the extra 1/2 lb of pulled pork. Low country boy living in the upstate, took me four years to find this place. Pretty sure I’ll be a regular.

Great BBQ, great mac and cheese, great sweet tea! Owner was very generous to our group!

Great service and the food was unbelievable! We are grateful for this place!

Yummy small sandwich. Good ribs. Mac and cheese was good. Very nice people

First time visiting. Walked in and ordered take out. They walked me through the menu and offered samples of several sides. Ended up ordering a sampler platter to try all the meats. Everything was good, but the smoked chicken and ribs were phenomenal!

We love to eat here.. best BBQ around and friendly service!

Food is fall off the bone excellent. The coleslaw is fantastic. Can't say enough good things about Circle M BBQ!!!!

This evening was my first time back inside Circle M BBQ in a couple of years, I was very pleased with the changes made since my last visit. First of all they have you seated and take your order from the table and they have added several new items to their menu, I had a half bbq chicken with coleslaw and macaroni and cheese. They also offer desserts , I was also very pleased with the super friendly service, I will be back ASAP.

Food was good and staff / service was good. Prices were a little on the high side IMO. But it was a nice place and clean. So I'm not really disappointed.

I didn't Visit there yesterday although I have ate there before and their BBQ is 5🌟 BBQ

My Favorite BBQ Joint !! I always get the ribs and I am always satisfied.

My son and his co workers gave a guy who was retiring a big dinner and I have heard wonderful things and I intend to check it out ASAP

Great food and even better service.

Good food - absolutely great friendly service! Good family and friend gathering place.

Excellent bbq. The Cole slaw and beans are terrific. The best bbq in this area. Great menu. They now wait on you at the table.

Great food and the staff is awesome. Wish they were open more often

Best chicken I have ever had! Loved the sides too. Another family member said the barbecue was top notch as well. Very friendly family staff. This place is a must try!

NEW MANAGEMENT UPDATE: I love Circle M. Y’all... I LOVE Circle M. I knew I had to leave another review once I heard Marion retired. Rest assured, the quality is the same. Slow-smoked whole-hog barbecue, seasoned with that same delicious vinegar sauce. The marinated slaw is still tangy and delicious as ever, and the beans are fantastic as always. It pains me to suggest that they could improve on anything Marion was doing, but the new side dishes and *gasp* DESSERTS are a very welcome addition to the menu. I had their mac and cheese, which was perfect, and tried their cake and banana pudding for dessert, neither of which disappointed. I hear they’re going to add brisket soon, so it was fitting that they added a tasty sweet mild and sweet hot sauce for those that simply must have it. The interior has been upgraded. Music livens up what once had been a slightly awkward silent dining room. The fireplace was crackling, and the staff was wonderfully friendly. To the new management, well done! Take all my money! ORIGINAL REVIEW: You would have to drive at least 100 miles to get something similar to the whole-hog vinegar-based barbecue they sell here. My wife and I stopped on a whim last year and every Friday from then on my mouth started watering. Some say it's pricey. I say save your eating out money for this place once a week. You have to appreciate the product and the craft that you receive here. Whole-hog is the granddaddy, the oldest kind of barbecue in America. It ain't easy, and might not be your style if you prefer mixing your tomato, vinegar, and mustard sauces together at the International House of Barbecue (lookin' at you, Smokin' Pig). Go get the food, speak with the owner Mr. Martin, and ask him to show you his smoking setup out back. Friendly as can be, and gutsy as hell to open up a real whole-hog joint in the upstate. Bravo, Marion. Bravo.

Hands down the best bbq I have had in my life. The ribs were amazing and the pulled pork was as well. Both were extremely tender and full of incredible flavor.

Had bar b q bug so went see changes seen Marion isn't there.It was excellent.I love the slaw there and the Brunswick stew was really good.

As a lifelong resident of Anderson County, I grew up on several different styles of barbecue in the local area and experienced barbecue from different regions of the country such as Memphis Tennessee, Central Mississippi, and the Mississippi / Louisiana Gulf Coast areas as I got older. I’ve also been privileged to have taken part in barbecues from around the world while in the Navy. I credit Mr. Marion Martin for turning me onto true whole hog, pulled pork, vinegar based barbecue after attending an event he catered when I was a young boy and in my opinion, his way of cooking hogs has never been surpassed nor will it ever. I respect everyone’s opinion on whether his style tickles your fancy or not but having cooked hogs myself for years in the same manner, something that should be understood is that a tremendous amount of work goes into cooking whole hogs the way Mr. Martin does and it’s EXPENSIVE! Pulling meat off of a hog once it’s done is a monotonous, time consuming task which increases the amount of labor needed to reach the end result of getting food on your table henceforth the price of eating in such an establishment may be a little steeper than what most folks may be accustomed to but after factoring in everything that’s involved in such things as spices or all of the other ingredients that go into providing the quality of food that Circle M produces, the overall costs of a meal is fairly reasonable. Marion Martin, simply put, is keeping a time honored Southern tradition alive in his style of barbecue which dates back generations and is nearly extinct. As in everything else, you’re going to get what you pay for so the price of such a fine meal is definitely going to be a little higher. Very few people today have even seen barbecue cooked the way he cooks much less know HOW or are WILLING to put in the effort to cook hogs the way he does because it’s such a labor intensive task with really long hours involved that can only be accomplished by someone a tremendous amount of love and dedication for what they are doing in such a task. Yes, on the surface, it may be a little pricey but after looking at the big picture and considering what all goes into his business; the skills he possesses in doing what he’s been doing for what I suspect has been for well over 40 years is a work of art and he’s the master. I have never had the honor and privilege of knowing Marion on a personal level but I have been fortunate to have been able to enjoy the impeccable barbecue he produces at Circle M today for nearly all of my life and in my eyes, Marion Martin is indeed the Picasso of Pork. I admire, respect, and idolize the man and what he’s able to do in the world of TRUE barbecue. I know for a fact that he doesn’t cut the corners like so many other so called barbecue restaurants do and those of us who truly love barbecue are blessed to have the last of the real Pit Masters in our area. When you see him, shake his hand and simply tell him THANK YOU for the work he continues to put into keeping a barbecue style, tradition, and flavor unique to South Carolina that those of us who were born, raised, and value the heritage of this beautiful state can really appreciate.

Wow! Super great. Nice people. Fantastic food.

We recently moved from North Carolina where we enjoyed the BBQ at Lexington BBQ. We tried several of the recommended BBQ places in Seneca and Anderson and were disappointed in the BBQ. Our new dental hygienist, who had grown up in Seneca, recommended Circle M and we tried the chopped pork and ribs last night. The ribs were the best for flavor and the amount of meat on the ribs that I have experienced. The chopped pork was excellent and just as good, if not better, than Lexington BBQ. We have made this our go to place for BBQ. Looking forward to trying the chicken and Brunswick stew on our next visit. Thank you Circle M for providing delicious BBQ.

Consistency. The food is always amazing.

Circle M is without a doubt the best barbecue that exists anywhere. Any other barbecue I've ever had ranks a maximum of 6 compared to the 10 of Circle M. I used to live near there 20 years ago and would go there all the time. I now live 2 hours away and sometimes make the trip just to go there. The pulled pork and the ribs are so good you wouldn't even consider putting a sauce on it. The slaw also the best slaw I've ever had. (I actually don't even like slaw, but I love theirs.)

Great food and Marion know what real BBQ is about !

These are the best ribs I’ve eaten!!! Great slaw Well worth the money. You will NOT leave here hungry.

great place best food and service around!