We ate lunch at the reopened Clearview BBQ in Columbus. Here’s our review

The long awaited return of Clearview BBQ is finally here, and the Columbus community has come out in droves to again taste their barbecue.

The restaurant reopened Friday, and when this reporter went there, the parking lot was almost full, and the customer line was nearly going out the door. I waited patiently to get a taste of the BBQ sandwich I’ve eaten since I was a child.

I typically get three chipped BBQ sandwiches with BBQ slaw and hot Clearview BBQ sauce. Having not had the sandwich for nearly a year and a half, I decided to be gluttonous and ordered four.

Now, I’ve been three times since they reopened.

My review: Clearview BBQ is the ex that broke up with you and left you pining for them for a year and a half to eventually come back into your life even more beautiful than ever before. Now, you’re left wondering what you’ve done in that time and whether you’ve improved.

The food tasted exactly the same — if not even better. The nostalgia of family meals eaten in one of the previous front-room booths and waiting in line to order a dozen or more sandwiches before heading to Pine Mountain cascaded back into my mind as I took my first bite.

As I stood in line Friday, I heard people talking and sharing memories they had of the restaurant. Strangers talked like friends over their shared love of the BBQ.

The BBQ sandwich still has a wonderful smoky flavor with some heat and a tangy flavor thrown in from the combination of the sauce, slaw and pickle.

The sweet tea is still some of the best in the city, though I did get a Diet Coke for the first time at the restaurant Tuesday using their new soda fountain. It felt sacrilegious, but I’ve been trying to cut back on my sugar consumption.

Now that the restaurant takes cards I’ll definitely be going more often, and I’ll be taking my family when they come to visit me.