Mac's Speed Shop

Located at 1218 Battleground Avenue in Greensboro, Mac’s Speed Shop specializes in barbeque and offers platters, sandwiches, salads, and more. There is a full bar with daily drink specials, and catering and occasional live music are available.

This motorcycle-themed regional chain opened its garage doors back in August, giving the likes of Stamey’s, Smokey Bones, and Shane’s Rib Shack another competitor. While the more established presences needn’t start quaking in their boots, Mac’s has demonstrated popularity and staying power despite some flaws in its execution.

Housed in a former repair shop, Mac’s picked a good location for its biker bar motif. There is a surprising amount of space here, but be forewarned: it does get quite loud. If the constant stream of chatter and 80s hard rock doesn’t faze you, then it is still possible to enjoy your time here, but be prepared to speak up if you want to be heard.

For such a boisterous, bustling operation, Mac’s service is much better than expected. We showed up on a Saturday night to a nearly packed house yet still had no trouble getting a table. Our order was placed correctly – sans noise-related miscues – and our food arrived surprisingly quickly. The staff appear to be well-trained to handle the volume.

The food itself is a decidedly mixed bag. We started with an order of tabasco fried pickles, and the peppery kick elevated this above comparable offerings elsewhere. With an eye toward leftovers, we moved on to a four-meat combo platter: brisket, sausage, pulled pork, and ribs. All of the meats were cooked well, and none were dried out. The brisket, ribs, and sausage were nicely flavored. The pork was a bit on the bland side, but that was nothing an application of sauce (choose from among red, Carolina, mustard, or vinegar) couldn’t fix. The sides, on the other hand, fared worse. The green bean casserole tasted OK, but the texture was unpleasantly mushy. A homestyle mac and cheese was buttery but not particularly cheesy. Sweet potato fries and coleslaw left no room for complaint, but unlike the app, they weren’t standouts either.

While the pricing here doesn’t scream value, the portion sizes are actually quite generous. For $4, we got a very full basket of pickles. The $28 combo platter miraculously fit on one dish but still yielded plenty of leftovers.

With the right set of expectations, Mac’s appeal isn’t difficult to fathom. Come here expecting a quiet meal of top-notch barbeque, and you’ll hate this place. Show up willing to abide the noise for the sake of decent food, and you’ll motor away satisfied.

7.5/10