The last stop on our day through downtown Winchester was Bonnie Blue Southern Market & Bakery. While not on the downtown Walking Mall, this spot has been a staple in the Winchester foodie scene for most of my life. There is so much history in this building, and they do everything the right way – all their meat is locally sourced from farmers, everything is made from scratch, and they believe in good ole fashioned Southern hospitality.
Price 💲💲out of 5
I appreciate that Bonnie Blue keeps their menu pretty simple and straightforward. Every dish fits on one page, but their offerings seem intentional and stick to their roots of downhome Southern cooking. For entrees, massive dishes of made-from-stratch options are available for between $12 and $20. In terms of overall value, you cannot beat Bonne Blue and what they are serving up. They also have coffee, desserts, and canned goodies that can be purchased as well.
Ambience 🧑🍳🧑🍳🧑🍳🧑🍳out of 5
This building holds so much history and so many memories for Winchester residents. Originally a car repair garage, the building is very unique. There is a quick service area where you can get coffee, desserts, and to-go food, and then there is an entire dining room and outdoor patio where you can enjoy your meal. Winchester in general does a great job of embracing their near 300 years of history by preserving original architecture and theming from back in the day.
Food 🥩🥩🥩🥩 out of 5
Let’s get down to what you came for. Here are the dishes we were lucky enough to sample:
Pulled pork platter – a heaping pile of sweet and smoky pulled pork served with macaroni and cheese, cornbread, and cole slaw. I loved the addition of the pickles with the meat. The pork was tender and juicy, and they serve BBQ sauce the way I like it – sweet and tangy. The mac and cheese was solid. I loved the cornbread muffins, and the cole slaw was just cole slaw.
Peppered beef brisket platter – the star of the show for most BBQ spots, the brisket at Bonnie Blue is no expectation. So tender, so juicy, and extremely rich. This was served with seasonal cucumber salad, Hill Country pinto beans, and cornbread. The cucumber salad was nice and refreshing on a hot summer day, and the mashed pinto beans were flavored so well.
Low Country shrimp and grits – this was actually my favorite dish of the day, which was especially unexpected since I am not usually a big fan of grits. My main complaint with grits is that they never taste like anything. Bonnie Blue’s grits are extremely flavorful, and the shrimp are huge and tender. I loved this dish!
Also need to mention their lemonade, which is some of the best I have ever had in my life. Lemonade is usually too sour or too sweet, but this was the perfect combination of flavors. It was so refreshing and went down so smoothly on a hot day.
Experience ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5
This wasn’t my first time at Bonnie Blue, but it was our first time meeting the new manager, and I’m really excited for the future of this restaurant. In terms of value, not sure there is a better combination of made-from-scratch food with a low price point in the Winchester area. If you are in the mood for some BBQ, or just some good ole fashioned Southern cuisine, I would highly recommend you stop by Bonnie Blue soon.