TV Restaurants

Is Pa & Ma's Backyard BBQ Still Open? Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Update

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 40 Indianapolis, Indiana

Current status

Open

As of October 2026, Pa & Ma's Backyard BBQ is listed open on Yelp, reviewed by our team on October 18, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What the source shows: A Yelp listing updated in May 2026 shows Pa & Ma's Backyard BBQ operating at the Martin Luther King Jr. Street address, matching Google Places' operational status, while the business's Facebook-hosted website returned no readable content on 2026-09-08. How we decide a status →

What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives visited Pa & Ma's Backyard BBQ for its backyard-style barbecue, including ribs, catfish, and chicken and dumplings cooked from family recipes. Founder George Nelson began cooking those recipes in his own backyard in 1995 before opening the Indianapolis restaurant, according to Indianapolis Monthly. The magazine reported that Nelson moved the business in 2024 from a rented College Avenue storefront into a larger space on Martin Luther King Jr. Street, and that his daughter Brockelle Nelson now runs daily operations alongside her mother, Monica.

A Yelp listing updated in May 2026 shows the restaurant operating from that Martin Luther King Jr. Street address, matching a Google Places record for the business. The restaurant's Facebook page, listed as its website, returned no dated content when checked on September 8, 2026.

The episode Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 40

Episode 6
Aired
Title: Wide World of Chefs · What was featured: Backyard-style barbecue: ribs, catfish, chicken and dumplings
How Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

Also in Season 40 Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Season 40: 40 of 45 still open

All 15 Season 40 episodes →

Nearest restaurants By distance from 2621 Doctor M.L.K. Jr St

All 37 TV restaurants in Indiana →

Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources we checked 3 references

  1. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pamasbackyardbbq
  2. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/pa-and-mas-backyard-bbq-indianapolis-3
  3. indianapolismonthly.com https://www.indianapolismonthly.com/food-and-drinks/bbq-restaurant-in-indianapolis/
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Record ddd-1493 · checked by Cal Marchetti.