Smokehouse Live

Reviews 9

AD

Adam Simmons

Ive only been here twice so far and definitely plan to go back. The food is amazing, especially the Texas short ribs. Its too bad they open at 3pm on weekdays as Im sure they could be big at lunch too. They have a market style setup meaning you get up and go to the counter to pick-out and get your food. I often find this place is packed. I didnt need reservations the first time I went but its so packed apparently they heavily encourage it now. The atmosphere is comfortable and many of the tables are similar to large picnic benches giving the establishment a unique look and feel. The second time I went I just went to their bar area had a few beers along with a small bar menu. I cant recall the exact item on the bar menu but they were tiny ribs of some sort. I didnt care for them much. I observed someone get the Nachos who looked amazing, I regret not trying those. If I can change the bar menu I would include more variety of BBQ plates and a wider selection of local beers. They have a descent amount on the menu but being in Ashburn we have a huge local brewery presence I like seeing support for by local establishments. Smokehouse Live has very little local representation there. In summary, this place is a little pricey but excellent food in the main restaurant area. The bar leaves some room for improvement but the establishment is a welcome addition as we have few BBQ places in the area to include Urban BBQ, Carolina Brothers and American Steakhouse.

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Louisa Mason

Not your mothers smokehouse! I was a newbie with a party who had visited before and liked the place. We all found it a poor experience this visit. Our server was a delight, but the food, once we got it, was poorly presented, the meat dry and not smoky tasting at all like traditional BBQ. I had the brisket and prime rib combo and was appalled to see the server behind the counter cut a large portion of the fatty side off the cut and chuck it in the trash. There was no au jus, just a variety of sauces at table. Sides were ordinary at best. A tiny corn muffin was cold. Portions are good but quality should be better, consistancy lacking. My biggest disappointment is what the manager, with whom I spoke at length,called their "concept". We just didnt get it. Why have a server to bring drinks and menus to the table, then serve up food cafeteria style which we were told we could get ourselves? One should not need to be instructed in how a restaurant works. The staff needs more informed management to get this "concept" thing communicated to patrons. I understand they do bring food to tables in the bars. There are two. The place is large, and with live music should be a good night out for the party crowd but as a barbecue joint, forget it. The owners need to check out the competition to get the meat right. I hope future patrons are happier than our party was. Smokehouse has a lot of tables to fill.

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Bruce Enger

Sorry to say it really wasnt the food experience I hoped for. Cool place, but the meats were not good at all. We visited Saturday afternoon about 4:00. All the meats seemed like they were leftover from last night. All were dry, lukewarm, and thickly crusted over like they had been reheated today from last night. Had Brisket, which was not tender or fall apart like it should be, beef ribs and pork ribs which really seemed like leftovers, and chicken that was dry as sawdust. Took one bite of the chicken and could hardly choke it down. Had to have been leftover. Sides of baked beans and mac and cheese were good. Cornbread was dry and old. Will not revisit. No way. This time of day everything should have been fresh and ready for the Sat night diners.

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Pete Aivars

A disappointment across the board. We ordered two of their combo meals and were barely able to finish either. The meat was all poorly seasoned either with WAY to many flavor combos or with nothing at all. It also was exceptionally dry (inedible unless you drenched it in some kind of sauce), and cold. The warmest thing on my plate was the mac and cheese, which was barely above room temperature (the grease was already solidifying by the time it reached our table). The staff was un-attentive, we had to ask multiple times for things and were brought the incorrect item on more than one occasion. We received things which we did not order and were over charged for that which we did order. Definitely will not be going back.

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SI

Sino Sino

Food was terrible. Nothing was fresh. $ down the drain. I ordered "moist" brisket and it was as dry as beef jerky and you could tell it was old because of the reflective rainbow effect, like old fish, right there in the pic. The sides were so unappealing, i didnt ever bother. Like.. just give regular corn or a baked potato already. I have no idea what state in this union those dishes came from. It is like some alien being looked at pictures of what BBQ was from a lost tv signal coming from earth and then decided to try and recreate it with their own ingredients. Hey, cook the meat slow for two days, not serve it for two days after it is cooked. I wont even mention the sausage... Im feeling sick again. Brb...

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Joe ONeal

It used to be very good when they first opened. But the quality of food has gone down. I am sorry to have to say this as the music venues have been good. In fact, sometimes the bands are very good. But the food is inconsistent and the wait staff are the same. Once we had a great server, and the next time, we had a young woman who should have chosen a different profession. The owners need to address these issues. A restaurant business is like a marriage; you have to be on point 24/7. This could be a very good restaurant, but as of now, poorly managed. We will try again, just one more time to find improvement.

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PE

Peter DeSarro

Food was excellent, service was a bit delayed, although it was very busy and there was live music at the time so the servers were dodging lots of people trying to take care of their customers. The band that played was excellent. Drinks were delicious. Very cool way to order food, too. The ribs were awesome, brisket was outstanding, and of course kept going back for mac and cheese! Prices were a bit high, but the quality of meat seemed to match the price, and youre paying for the atmosphere, too. Will definitely return in the future.

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Grace Be

First time there and was probably more confused than I should have been. Theres dining room vs bar area, bar has extra menu. Good sized place and service was nothing special. You actually go through line and get your own food, not sure I like the mix of sit down and serve yourself since I feel obligated to tip the full amount. The food was pretty good, brisket, ribs, chicken was forgettable in comparison. Pulled pork was the fave and also liked the many sauces available.

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Vanessa Wagner

Amazing Private Event Experience! Michele and the team at Smokehouse Live recently hosted a corporate event for our department. The planning was easy- I set a budget and a rough idea of layout and the team ran with it to create a menu and layout to suite the event. On the day of, each staff member was professional, friendly and willing to go the extra mile. I highly recommend Smokehouse Live for private events and hope to work with them again in the future

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