Smokestack Urban Barbecue

Reviews 4

RO

Robyn Zwicker

Worcester lacks any really good BBQ places. After read the reviews from yelp I admit I looked forward to a good down home BBQ joint. Upon entering we were pleasantly greeted the atmosphere of the place is wide open almost the same compared to the restaurant opened before Smokestack. The Smokestack has the photos of old time cowboy people like every other BBQ place, but does not have that BBQ feel. The seating seems to be arranged as though you were in a small pub with bench seating and your neighbors right beside you. But the place is so large it takes away from a friendly feel and gives a feeling of emptiness. You will not have privacy when eating or have a conversation. It looks as though any second they could easily push the tables to the wall and have an open dance floor, maybe which is their purpose? Everyone should know the South has the best BBQ and those that have never been there do not really know the great enjoyment of real BBQ. The brisket is the signature meat for any good BBQ establishment. As stated by others the brisket is lacking in many areas, the flavor, the servicing size, moistness or real BBQ feel. It was not awful but not what is supposed to be expected from a place claiming to be BBQ. The corn bread had a weird texture and flavor I could not put my finger on it, but is not something you would want to take home. The sides I ordered were mac and cheese and potatoes both were good. But Smokestack decided to place your sides in bowls then place these two bowls on top of your plate beside the brisket. It seems as though they are trying to fool the eye into thinking there is much more food on the plate then there is. The Kansas city sauce is good but very sweet there is a lot of corn syrup or sugar in this, its not a sauce to enhance the flavor of your meat it is used to overwhelmed the food and make it the sole flavor. The south Caroline sauce is just a mustard sauce. Please understand these sauces are named to fool people into thinking they are eating down south cooking. They are good but not southern BBQ sauces I have ever had. To put this best this is a restaurant themed BBQ eatery, NOT a cared for real BBQ joint. If you want to go out to eat and do not want to go to Chilies for ribs this is a great alternative. But if you looking for great BBQ do not come here you will be disappointed. P.S. Our servers did a great job :)

FO

Foodlover Girl

One spot every town/city needs (in my opinion) is a good barbecue restaurant. Not just any BBQ, but a "good" or preferably "great" BBQ restaurant. It can be a challenge to find a spot that offers finger lickin good BBQ, but I have successfully found one here. When we arrived, even though it was still early, they were already packed, and we were told it would be about 45 minutes wait time. The dining area was a good size room, but obviously not big enough to cover their popularity. We decided to wait, so we went over to the Bar area. A bartender, AJ, took a good care of us while we were sitting at the bar. We ordered beer and appetizer sampler. Once we finally got a booth, we were happy to see it happened to be right by the bar. We looked at all the good BBQ menu they offer, and since it was our first visit, we wanted to try everything. Our server, Valerie was very helpful and super nice, she explained the menu, and gave lots of suggestions. One of us was planning to order a Brisket Reuben sandwich, but she said that it might be too small of a portion for him. So, at the end, we all ordered BBQ platters. The platters were huge, it was so much more food than we expected. The one who was planning to order a sandwich regretted for ordering the platter...it was just too much food! It was really yummy though, we all took lots of food home with us. The drink Valerie made me was really great too. We had a really good time here, even though we were more than stuffed and had crazy amount of food to take home, but the ambiance was lively, the bartender and server both took care of us the entire time, so we were very happy. (Since our booth was next to the bar, AJ came to check on us few times to make sure we were well taken care of.) I would love to go back and try some other dishes, but something that is smaller portion, or just order one platter to share. Read my full review of the restaurant and food my food blog, foodlovergirl.

AS

Asa Bender

Great BBQ for the area, good beer selection. The service has been good each time I have been, which is just climbing out of the single digits. The atmosphere is that of a trendy new pub, which I do not consider very deeply when gauging a restaurant. The brisket reuben was excellent. The fried chicken is great. The ribs are very good. Im not a big fan of brisket myself, as it seems to be a stone soup from which you can judge skill level (meaning it would taste better if it was anything but a brisket cut), and so refrain from judging it. A simple word of warning: this is simply among the best BBQ places in the area. I would also note the other restaurant owned by that owner. Both are not trying to be "traditional BBQ of *whatever location*". The dishes are geared to locals. The actual chef makes wonderful traditional dishes including fried catfish and chicken, which can be requested if you have him cater for you. That being said, this is not meant to be compared to the best of greasy spoon BBQ joints in corners of the old south, and my 5 star rating reflects that. The owner also noted in conversation that BBQ differs massively across the geography, and that he has trained in various locations. I agree with this interpretation of BBQ. This means that anyone who says this is not "real/authentic southern BBQ", would probably be very confused when going from texas to mississippi to kentucky; and should be listened to with a grain of salt on the tongue.

DE

Dejay R

Probably one of the worst restaurants Ive ever been to, went during bacon night and we were served cold bacon covered in solid bacon oil, then we got our dinner and everything was cold, the only place Ive been to that serves completely cold food, the service was horrible, we waited for 30 mins for the waitress after she dropped our food off and she never came back, we had to ask get up and find someone who just happened to be the manager to get the check we where just so disgusted with the whole experience, then when my mother called during slower hours to tell the manager, they just lied to her and told her they were sorry and wanted her business and would send a gift card for us to go back and give them another chance, needless to say nothing ever showed up.. Even the onion strings where destroyed because they werent cooked all the way and where covered in so much salt I was choking , and Im the type to put salt on McDonalds fries and it was to much for me.. Dont waste ur money this Bbq is horrible , no flavor, undercooked, over priced for the quality , and cold served by bad service , save your money