Barbecue is one of the easier cuisines to navigate with a dietary restriction, because the core product is meat, smoke and salt. At Full Moon Bar-B-Que the complications sit in three specific places: the bread, the fryer, and the vegetables that are not as meat-free as they look.
Gluten
The smoked meat itself is the safe part of this menu. Hickory-smoked pork, the quarter and half Bar-B-Que Chicken and the Hickory-Smoked Turkey ($16.99) are meat, rub and smoke. The bread is where wheat enters, and Full Moon puts bread in more places than most chains — the rib sandwiches are literally ribs on bread, and the Open-Face Pork on Texas Toast ($11.49) is built on it.
| Item | Contains gluten? |
|---|---|
| Smoked pork, chicken, turkey, ribs (plain) | Usually no |
| Sandwich bun / Texas toast | Yes |
| Rib Sandwich (any size) | Yes — it is served on bread |
| Southern Fried Catfish | Likely — breaded and fried |
| Fried Green Tomatoes | Likely — breaded and fried |
| Half Moon Cookie | Yes — wheat flour |
| Chow chow | Usually no — ask about the recipe |
Ordering gluten-free: take a plate rather than a sandwich. The quarter dark Bar-B-Que Chicken plate at $10.99 or the Bar-B-Que Pork plate at $14.99, with Trimmings you have asked about, and decline the cookie. Anything from the fryer carries shared-oil risk regardless of its own recipe.
Dairy
Dairy is concentrated in a short list, and it is easy to avoid if you know it: the Pork Links & Pimento Cheese Plate ($9.99), the Loaded Baked Potato ($6.99), the Grilled Cheese ($2.99), the cheeseburgers — Kickin' Cheeseburger, $7.49 for a quarter pound and $8.79 for a half — and the Half Moon Cookie. The smoked meats, the house tomato sauce and the chow chow are not dairy items.
Egg
Deviled eggs are on the Trimmings board, which is obvious. Less obvious: any mayonnaise-based sauce contains egg, which matters if your location happens to carry Alabama white sauce — it is mayonnaise, vinegar and black pepper. The Full Moon sauce guide explains why white sauce is available at some restaurants and not others. The cookie contains egg as well.
Fish and shellfish
There is no shellfish on this menu, which removes a whole category of worry. There is fish: Southern Fried Catfish, sold as a plate at $13.99 for one piece and $19.99 for two, and as an Open-Face Catfish Sandwich at $4.89 regular and $5.99 large. Catfish is fried, and it is fried in a kitchen that also fries other things, so if you have a fish allergy the fryer is the item to ask about — not just the dish.
Vegetarian, and the two questions to ask
Full Moon does better than almost any chain here: a genuine Vegetable Plate at $8.99 for three vegetables or $9.99 for four, listed in the plates section rather than improvised from sides. But two things are true of every Southern barbecue kitchen and they are true here:
- Greens and green beans are frequently cooked with pork. Ask which of the day's vegetables are meat-free. Do not assume a vegetable is vegetarian.
- The vegetable of the day rotates, so an answer that was right last week may not be right today.
Reliable non-meat items beyond the vegetable plate: Potato Chips ($1.49), Grilled Cheese ($2.99) for lacto-vegetarians, and the House, Greek or Caesar Salad ($8.89) ordered without meat. Full vegan eating is difficult here and honesty is more useful than optimism about that.
Keto and low-carb
This part is easy. Order any plate and leave the bread. The quarter dark chicken ($10.99), the Smoked Pork Links ($14.99) and the Classic Rib Plate ($16.99) are all low-carb before sauce. The sauce is where sugar lives — the house sauce is sweet-and-tangy tomato, so ask for it on the side. Chow chow is pickled and carries some sugar, but in relish quantities. Skip the cookie, and skip the Brunswick Stew ($3.89), which is built on corn and lima beans.
Calorie figures for the same items are on the Full Moon nutrition page, and every current price is on the Full Moon Bar-B-Que menu.