Caldwell County BBQ, a new fast-casual restaurant from the founder of popular Waldo’s BBQ, has opened on Power Road, about a quarter-mile north of the Loop 202, in southeast Gilbert.
The restaurant gets its name from owner Clay Caldwell, who launched Waldo’s in east Mesa in 1993. (Frank Estadt became a co-owner of Waldo’s in 2005 and bought out Caldwell’s share of the business in 2014.)
Caldwell’s newest venture takes over a former bungalow-style ranch house behind the Mattress Firm store on the northwest corner of Power and Nunneley.
Besides the dining room, where diners line up to order at a counter, there’s a small patio out back where the three smokers are located.
The menu offers five types of smoked meat by the pound: Brisket (lean or fatty, $20), pulled pork ($16.50), St. Louis pork ribs ($16.50), jalapeno sausage ($4.50 per link), or turkey breast ($16.50).
There are three sandwiches: El General Patton (brisket, pulled pork, and sausage topped with cole slaw, $10), the Dixie V (chopped brisket, $9), and the East Side Pig (pulled pork, $9).
Side options include lemon poppyseed cole slaw, Aunt Susan’s corn casserole, Lala’s pinto beans, country potato salad, and mac ’n’ cheese($2.50 each).
Pecan pie ($5) and housemade cookies ($2) are the desserts.
Caldwell County doesn’t have a liquor license, so drinks are limited to iced tea and sodas.
For its soft opening, Caldwell County opens at 11 a.m. daily and serves until the smoked meats run out (usually by 4 p.m.).
Once the restaurant gets a handle on its customer traffic, it will increase the amount of meat it smokes each day to cover the dinner hour.
