I ate 11 desserts at Country’s in Columbus. Here’s what you must try.

Pulled pork, ribs and maybe a little bit of chicken. That’s probably what comes to mind when you think of the iconic Country’s Barbecue restaurants in Columbus.

But what if you came just for those sweet, sweet desserts? What if you ate a lot of them? What if you ate almost all of them? Now, there’s a genius idea.

One afternoon, I sampled 11 desserts at their downtown location to see what would catch my attention. In an effort to not overwork my stomach and stave off an almost certain sugar rush, I took only one — or maybe two or three bites — of each dish to get a good taste.

I don’t even want to think about the caloric intake, but here’s the full list of what I ate:

▪ Apple Pie

▪ Banana Pudding

▪ Banana Split

▪ Buttermilk Pie

▪ Chocolate Chess Pie

▪ Coconut Cream Pie

▪ Goober Pie

▪ Goober Sundae

▪ Lemon Meringue Pie

▪ Pecan Pie

▪ Sweet Potato Pie

And folks, here’s what I learned on that sweet journey.

The banana pudding reigns supreme

I don’t think this is a surprise to a lot of people. Country’s banana pudding ($4.25) just hits you in the right spot. There’s an immediate, pleasant calming that comes with the first bite.

It comes to the table in a short, stubby mason jar and is topped high with meringue. It’s my go-to dessert when I eat at Country’s and part of what I like most about the restaurant. Make sure that spoon goes to the bottom of that jar so you get a little bit of everything on your first taste.

It’s chilled, thick pudding that isn’t too mushy like inferior counterparts. It’s just the right amount of sweet, too.

Don’t let the name fool you

The buttermilk pie ($3.99) surprised me. I’ll be honest: I’ve seen this on the menu and wondered who’d eat this. I mean I like buttermilk biscuits and buttermilk waffles. But buttermilk pie? That seems too far for me.

It’s got a similar texture to cheesecake, but it’s lighter. Some say it’s like crème brûlée. It’s a unique flavor that builds as you taste. It’s sweet, a little creamy, a little tangy and you’ll get hints of vanilla. It’s subtle and pairs incredibly well with dark roast coffee. It gives the banana pudding a run for its money as my go-to, for sure.

All of the pies are good. The chocolate chess has that thick, sweet filling. It’s like if a frosted brownie became a pie. The goober pie is creamy and peanut buttery with some crunch. The meringues stand astonishingly tall on the lemon and coconut cream. The pecan, apple and sweet potato pies are classic

The buttermilk, chocolate chess and goober are my favorites. The lemon was named to “Georgia’s 100 Plates for 2019,” and is high up on my list, too.

What’s the best sharing dessert?

It’s the huge banana split ($5.99).

I’m ashamed to admit I’d never had a banana split before. The single, hearty scoops of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream are topped with chocolate sauce, pineapple topping, strawberry topping, whipped cream, nuts and a cherry. And bananas, obviously.

Three or four people could eat off it, and this was the dessert I “sampled” the most.

I left the restaurant with plenty of leftovers to share with my Ledger-Enquirer colleagues, thankful that Country’s gave me a little space and time to do this.

Unlike almost all of our other Foodie Fridays, I had to set up our visit with Country’s ownership ahead of time. They were more than accommodating and flexible with my odd request. They set me up in the big ol’ bus and let me do my thing.

If you feel tempted, all of those desserts I ordered will cost you about $56. I won’t stop you.

This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 6:00 AM.

Nick Wooten

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Nick Wooten is the Accountability/Investigative reporter for the Ledger-Enquirer where he is responsible for covering several topics, including Georgia politics. His work may also appear in the Macon Telegraph. Nick was given the Georgia Press Association’s 2021 Emerging Journalist award for his coverage of elections, COVID-19 and Columbus’ LGBTQ+ community. Before joining McClatchy, he worked for The (Shreveport La.) Times covering city government and investigations. He is a graduate of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.