Slows Bar BQ Bringing Yardbird Sandwiches to Pontiac in Mid-April [Updated]

After more than two years of construction, Detroit landmark dining destination Slows Bar BQ is nearly ready to roll into Pontiac. The new location next to the Flagstar Strand Theatre at 8 Saginaw St. may open as soon as next week, according to the Oakland Press, though no specific date has been confirmed.

UPDATE: Slows Bar BQ announced on Instagram that the restaurant opened on Wednesday, April 12.

Slows Pontiac held several reservation-only soft opening previews over the weekend and has another scheduled for Tuesday evening from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. (call 248-409-5329), reports Crain’s.

The restaurant seats around 100 patrons and will also offer grab-and-go items like barbecued smoked nuts for concessions at the neighboring theatre. The design features a scoreboard and repurposed gym flooring for the bar and cabinets salvaged from the former Pontiac Central High School building. Chef Ryan Eskar is heading up the restaurant which will feature all the traditional Slows dishes including The Reason sandwich with smoked pork butt, North Carolina-style sauce, coleslaw, and dill pickles.

The restaurant which was announced in 2015 is part of a growing number of new developments in the Pontiac downtown area. Just across the street, Fillmore 13 Brewery opened its doors in March. The Pontiac will be the latest addition to Slows growing lineup of locations, which include a Slows To-Go in Detroit’s Cass Corridor neighborhood, a restaurant in Grand Rapids, and a satellite outpost at Ford Field. Scope out the Pontiac menu below:

• Slows Bar BQ Gets Ready for Pontiac Open [Oakland Press]

• Slows Bar BQ Gets Closer to Opening in Pontiac [Crain’s]

• All Slows Bar BQ Coverage [ED]