UN C LE E LD ER’S FAMILY RESTAURANT BBQ

Uncle Elder’s Family Restaurant

BBQ has been a popular name downtown for almost a decade. Locally owned and operated by Elder Fuentes for nine years and counting, this down-to-Earth barbecue spot gets so busy on the weekends that reservations are required for faster seating.

For its outstanding quality and service, it also just won Culpeper Times’s Best of the Best Barbecue for the ninth time in a row.

Uncle Elder’s has a lot of regular customers, with some dining up to five times per week. Such a devout following and overwhelming support from the community proves that this family-friendly restaurant is the place to get barbecue downtown.

“We specialize in barbecue. It is our passion,” Fuentes said. “We cook our barbecue long and slow, between 17-18 hours per day. That’s why we have a great reputation in this town. We offer unique flavors that nobody really does anymore because it requires long hours of work. That’s what makes it different from other places.”

All the sauces at Uncle Elder’s are homemade too. They are so delicious that guests buy extra sauces in a container to take home. The most popular flavor is the Original Uncle homemade sauce. It has a little bit of sweet, spicy and salty all blended together. There is also a sweet and tangy mustard sauce and a North Carolina vinegar sauce that you can mix and match with different types of smoked meats.

“Compared to opening day, we have gone from making four gallons of sauce per week to almost 25 gallons, and from 200-300 lbs of meat to now 2,000 lbs per week. Each year, the demand grows,” Fuentes said.

If you have a special event that requires catering, Uncle Elder’s can bring you all the meat and fixin’s. The restaurant also has a food truck that can deliver food on the go with catering services for festivals, birthday parties, weddings and other hallmark celebrations. Catering is available for gatherings of up to 500 people.

Uncle Elder’s side dishes are also completely homemade and delicious. Classic southern comfort food like fried okra, cornbread, collard greens, hush puppies, simmered apples and mac and cheese are all here — and they’ll remind you of going to your grandma’s house.

There are many different combos and people can build their own platter with choices of meat: brisket, ribs, pork, chicken or ribs. If you don’t eat meat, you can still find something to eat on the menu and definitely won’t leave hungry.

“We are very consistent,” Fuentes said. “Our food is the same quality and that’s why it is recommended so much. We also have something different every week on our weekly specials. These little surprises are here so even our regulars can try something different.”

If you want something different from smoked meats, there are also burgers, crab cakes, salmon and homemade banana pudding from scratch on the menu, ensuring that your entire southern culinary dream will come true.

“We appreciate the support these past nine years from the wonderful people in this town, and we appreciate all the trust people have put in us,” Fuentes said. “It makes us happy.”

Reservations are strongly recommended for parties of more than 10 people and for parties of any size on the weekends.

Fuentes invites everyone to stop by and try out the barbecue and delicious sides for yourself.

“You come in once, you’ll come back for more,” he said with a confident smile.

Uncle Elder’s Family Restaurant BBQ is located at 129 E Culpeper St, Culpeper, VA 22701.