Those who live in the Springfield area are well aware of the spots that are hot on the local dining scene. One of these local gems is, of course, Theodore’s Blues, Booze & BBQ.

Located at 201 Worthington Street in the heart of Downtown Springfield, Theodore’s is a quick and simple drive away from the AIC campus.

This popular, award-winning restaurant is in its 18^th year as a barbeque joint. Those craving some good old-fashioned southern comfort food with a Cajun flare need to get down to Worthington Street to see what’s cooking.

When walking into Theodore’s, you are greeted by a dimly-lit interior that makes for a neat, watering hole-type atmosphere. The walls are filled with cool retro pictures and collectibles, and murals that pay homage to famous blues artists. The bar is expansive and fully stocked, and is truly a sight to see.

We ate here on a recent Tuesday night, and while it was quiet upon grabbing our table, things started to pick up as we settled in and as the night went on. Unfortunately, we were a little too early to enjoy any of the blues music that adds to the Theodore’s vibe, but their website and social media platforms always have the latest live performances posted.

One easy part about sitting down for dinner at Theodore’s? Figuring out what you want to drink.

The bar’s chalkboard is filled with a wide variety of beer on tap that won’t break the bank, ranging from your typical mainstream offerings to plenty of craft beers to satisfy the craft beer craze. The bottle and can selection is also extensive. The mixed drink menu is also reasonably priced and pretty much anything on there would go great with the down-home food on the menu.

A hard part about going out to Theodore’s? Deciding on what exactly you want to eat, and that’s a credit to them – their big menu is filled with lots of delicious options that it can be hard to settle on what you’ll be treating yourself to that night.

My companion and I obviously had to start with an appetizer (you could honestly just order a bunch of items off the appetizer menu and be satisfied for the night). After some fighting and disagreement over what it would be, we agreed on the spicy pepper corn fritters, and I can confirm this was a good choice. The jalapenos in the cornbread fritters provided some nice heat, and the chipotle sauce on the side was a good pairing.

As for deciding on dinner, it doesn’t feel right straying from the barbeque section of the menu, though Theodore’s does offer plenty of entrees (some with New Orleans influence), sandwiches, burgers and salads, if that’s what’s up your alley.

I went with a half rack of baby back ribs, because last time I had a pulled pork sandwich (which was awesome) and I wanted to change it up. The ribs came with a tangy honey slaw (which in my opinion is way better than those nasty Mayonnaise-based slaws out there), collard greens, corn bread with honey butter, and baked beans. You can make substitutions on the sides for a small charge, so I subbed in mac and cheese for the beans.

I ordered the ribs dry-rubbed so I could mix and match with Theodore’s three different BBQ sauces (Carolina Mustard, Bourbon BBQ, Chipotle BBQ). The ribs were great, they were very tender and fell right off the bone – the way they should be. The dry rub didn’t overpower everything and the sauces were excellent. The sides were also tasty, and filling! This whole order is definitely enough food, as I disappointingly couldn’t even finish all of the sides.

My companion went with something a little lighter, opting for the crawfish popper salad. There really was nothing light about it, considering how big of a portion it is, but it was very good. The citrusy cilantro lime vinaigrette paired well with the ample amount of lightly-fried crawfish. Even though the salad is big enough to satisfy, that didn’t stop her from stealing my leftover mac and cheese.

Overall, the food and service at Theodore’s was excellent as always, and I’m ready to go back again because now I’m craving some smoky barbeque goodness.

If you need to fill your barbeque craving, head Downtown to Theodore’s right now for a change of pace – you definitely will not be disappointed.