I’ve been pretty excited about this place since my friend Cody told me about it’s impending opening a few months ago. The launch of Frontier as well as the rise of Fatty Smokes and ZZQ are largely what inspired me to start this blog. I’m finding my suspicions to be confirmed – Richmond is actually a really great city for BBQ despite never really receiving national attention as such.

Frontier is sort of an extension of Alamo, which I’ve long considered one of the city’s elite BBQ destinations. Alamo itself is essentially a trailer and patio – there is is no indoor seating at all – so Frontier (which is fully indoors) is a welcome addition. They’ve got a well stocked and reasonably priced bar, plus a well stuffed and reasonably sized bear.

Reputation – 4.6/5

There are not a lot of reviews available yet as Frontier has only been open for a few months. So far they are largely positive, with the food being praised consistently but some people having issues with service. Every restaurant has hiccups when they first open and figure out what sort of volume and clientele they’ll be facing, and newly opened restaurants should be approached with patience.

As far as word of mouth goes, I haven’t really heard anything about this place aside from what Cody has told me. The place is pretty far downtown so perhaps there’s more buzz in that area.

Experience – 4.9/5

No complaints here really. Cody and I visited fairly late on a Thursday evening and sat at the bar. The bartender informed us that he makes a great Manhattan but we stuck with beer – they have yet to install tap lines but do have a good bottle selection. There were a handful of other people there, and we chatted with the friendly bartender quite a bit. We both ordered pulled pork sandwiches, which were around $10 with one side included. Basically, it was what I had hoped it would be – a trendy but not pretentious bar with great (and familiar) food.

Presentation – 4.7/5

I found the plate to be very visually pleasing. The sandwich and side came on a metal tray lined with red and white checkered paper, with some multicolored tortilla chips. The sandwich comes pre-sauced and piled high with meat and slaw. I chose cornbread for my side which came adorned with an appetizingly melty slab of butter. My only complaint is the same one I had at Buz and Ned’s – they only offer one BBQ sauce. But it is pretty damn good, and apparently the recipe is a well-protected secret.

Quality and Taste – 8.8/10

The sandwich was fantastic. It was assembled beautifully, and everything tasted fresh despite our late evening visit. The sides were solid – I’d maybe describe the cornbread as a tad dry but still tasty and flavorful. Cody got the jalapeño mac and cheese, and said it was good but could have used some more kick. I liked the little stack of tortilla chips on the side which added some nice color to the plate and make for useful tools to collect any leftover pork scraps. This should go without saying for any good BBQ place, but we both left totally satisfied.

Final Score – 92

Prior to the market becoming more competitive in the last few years, Alamo was always the first BBQ place I’d recommend in the city. I’m glad to see that in the madness of opening a new restaurant, they haven’t lost a step as far as product quality goes. Frontier lived up to my hopes and expectations and I look forward to visiting again. I just wish it was closer.