Golden Ranch Bar-B-Q & Grill

In a land of very few options, I was forced to give this place a shot. Upon arrival, I cringed to find out it is in an old Shoneys (I loath Shoneys for numerous reasons).
However, once inside I was pleasantly surprised. The wait staff was good and the food was great. I do need to disclaim that I only had a Greek salad with chicken and a couple Stella’s. But it was well done nonetheless.
Not that I think I’ll ever be in Selma again, but if I am I would go back.

This place is a little dodgy. Mr. Clean and Restaurant Impossible would have a field day here. If you don’t mind your feet sticking to the floor, you’ll enjoy some down home BBQ.
They serve heaping portions. My friend and I shared the BBQ pork and the ribs. We couldn’t even finish it. The meat was seasoned well and fall off the bone tender.

This place was fantastic. I’ve spent two weeks in Selma, and all I wanted was a great steak. I went to another place that was recommended, but it was pricey and not very good.
I mentioned this to someone at my hotel and they told me to go to Golden Ranch.
I arrived about 20 minutes before closing, and they were very nice, assuring me that my late arrival was ok and escorting me to a seat. I looked around and realized I would be the only diner they were waiting on, so I decided to get takeout so I wouldn’t cause them to have to stay late. The staff was very friendly, and I got my food in about 10 minutes. Not bad!
I ordered the ribeye, and let me tell you, this was a seriously good steak. Even though I had to eat my meal at my hotel instead of the restaurant, I didn’t care. I was skeptical about using plastic cutlery for steak (I didn’t have real silverware at the hotel), but it was fine. In fact, since it was just me and my dog dining in private, I just tore pieces of steak off with my fingers and ate them. That’s how tender this steak was. These people know how to cut meat, and they know the meaning of medium rare, too. You’d be surprised how, um, rare that is, no pun intended.
The little roll was good, too. Sort of powdery with a bit of a salty taste. I wished I had had another one.
The potato was good, the potato salad wasn’t particularly memorable. I’ve become a fan of sour cream in potato salad, and this didn’t have that creaminess I like. It wasn’t bad, but I’ll try something else next time.
The buttermilk pie was also excellent. Sweet, slightly crunchy on top, crispy crust … I wished I had ordered two pieces of this also.
How good was the food? Good enough that I decided to stay over one more night so I could eat there again. Seriously.

Everyone I was working with was raving about the BBQ here.
From the outside there are no indications of the lack of atmosphere that is awaiting you inside. There is a large abandoned structure in the middle of the restaurant that must have been fresh carving stations once upon a time, now all food is prepared behind a small wall in what was once an open kitchen. The floors were sticky and the tables were covered in ads.
I got the chicken meal with baked beans and coleslaw. The chicken was the only good portion of the meal, it was prepared with a dry rub and then smoked/​roasted in a rotisserie. It was moist, but I couldn’t taste the seasoning. The BBQ sauce was a Carolina vinegary style sauce and was not poured on the chicken. The beans tasted and looked like they were from a can, the coke slaw was chopped and pretty bland.

I was in town speaking at an event and I was craving a steak! I heard that GR had the best ribeye in town. I whirled in and ordered the ribeye and smoked potato. Honestly this ribeye ranks in my top 4. The cut of meat was perfect and cooked to perfection. The servers were true southern belles and hospitality came natural. Be sure to try the homemade cakes and pies! As a lover of fine steak, I highly recommend this restaurant.

The service was par and the fish I order tasted a little rubbery. I should have gone with some BBQ or a steak.

Finding ourselves once again in Selma, we asked the hotel desk clerk where to get a good dinner in town — he suggested this place. Good call!
We ordered some ribs and a combo platter (chicken, ribs and pork), with a few sides. The ribs were outstanding, as was the pork. The chicken was just OK. Good slaw and mashed potatoes! The sauce is served on the side, and it is a nice smokey/​sweet addition to the meats.
We got a slice of buttermilk pie to go, and it was damn fine as well. If you should find yourself in Selma, Golden Ranch is an excellent choice.

Best steakhouse in Selma. The steaks are pretty big and I haven’t had any issues with the way they were cooked. The staff is great and the owner is always nice to us. They keep the place pretty clean.