We drove right by BADLANDS in Finleyville for three years and never stopped in. It really didn't look like much from the front, but one night when we were really wishing for someplace new to have dinner, we decided to give it a shot. Boy am I glad that we did! We are very, very picky about food, and have really gotten tired of the boring restaurants in the Bethel Park area, so it was a great stroke of luck that we discovered BADLANDS. The menu was quite extensive, and had a LOT of of our favorite foods. My wife's first visit, she tried the crab cakes. They were among the very best we'd ever had, and I've been to Ocean City a lot. Nothing but lump crab meat and no fillers. The seasoning was perfect! I tried the daily special of ribs with fries and slaw, served with the spicy Badlands sauce for $9.99. The bones slipped right off of the meat, which had obviously been cooked a long, long time until they were at the peak of tenderness. The sauce was awesome. The fresh cut fries were crispy and slightly browned, just the way I like them. We also tried a cup of the homemade wedding soup. Outstanding! They make different homemade soups every day, and I'm excited about trying their spicy cheese soup. My son had a jumbo fish sandwich, and while good fish sandwiches in our area are quite common, the Badlands Fish sandwich was right up there in quality. The cole slaw served with the fish was unique. It was fresh-made slaw, and it had some citrusy taste that makes me think that they add lemon or orange peel. It was very good. We got a side of chicken wings with Cajun seasoning just to see what they were like, and we gobbled them down. They were nice and big, and cooked perfectly. I look forward to visiting Badlands on a Thursday night when the wings are only 25 cents. They seem to have a lot of daily specials, and entertainment on Thursdays and Saturdays. The place is HUGE, and live bands perform their on Saturday nights. There is a separate smoke-free ""family"" dining area with nice view windows in the back of the place. They had a few nice beers on tap, but nothing in the micro or import category. However, our very friendly waitress mentioned that they have a great selection of bottled beers. I'll be returning to Badlands soon. It will take me a long time to try out everything on the menu!
Pros: Extensive menu
Cons: Parking can be a challenge
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