Really good food, but its kind of pricey. Â Still not enough for me to knock it down to three. Â My only hesitation in giving this place a four is the set up/music situation. Â If this place were larger, the live music all of the time would be a great idea....but it isn't...its actually really small, so basically you feel like you're in a quant concert during your entire meal. I went with my roommate when we first moved here and honestly it felt like we were on an insanely awkward first date because we felt awkward talking during the singer's incredible renditions of Beatles' slow jams. Â Still, again, great food, and quick service,
Review Source:I've been to Smoken Joes several times and have always enjoyed the food and service.
But today, a Saturday afternoon, the bar area was loaded with losers who had probably been thrown out of every tavern in town. One drunken a**hole was singing LOUDLY to the music and the hapless bartender didn't do anything but apologize to us as we left. Instead of our party dropping $$ there we went down the road to another BBQ joint that prefers paying customers to trash. I will think long and hard before returning to Smoken Joes even though I live and work only a few blocks away.
I stopped in with a lady friend on a Sunday night, looking for some tasty Southern food while chillin with some good live music. Sundays is Geoff Bartley playing some blue grass. Overall, had a really good time - music was perfect, not too loud but really fun when we'd stop and listen. And the band was cool, chattin as they played, very likeable. Good atmosphere. Also wasn't too busy in there, which is good b/c it's not a big space.
Drinks:
-citrus te kill ya: VERY sweet with vodka and pineapple. Fairly strong too, decent kick
-hard sweet tea: my friend is from Texas and likes her tea Sweet (capital S). She was happy
Food:
-side salad: typical, not terrible. Croutons were good, seemed to be homemade
-catfish niblers: good, well fried, tasty, not too strong/fishy as Catfish can be. Pretty good.
-3 meat sampler
--St Louis ribs: everyone has mentioned how lean they are, they weren't that fatty, but also weren't crazy lean. However, they were really good (fat wasn't hard to avoid). I tried all 3 sauces and enjoyed them all.
--brisket; wasn't a huge fan. Thin slices of lean brisket, not much flavor.
--burnt ends: really good. Smothered in sauce on Texas Toast. Really really good.
-sweet potato fries: thin, fairly crispy, good.
-carrot cake: tasted like it was out of a box, not homemade. Thick cream cheese frosting. It was good, sweet, and tasty, but not incredible.
Overall I really enjoyed Smoken Joes and will definitely be back to try out the other nights and music
Smoken Joe's BBQ! This place has great southern taste food. I enjoy the food, Pull pork sandwich, ribs, corn on cob, sweet potato fries, and macaroni n cheese. And on top of the food if you looking to listen to local bands they have that too front center stage. Smoken Joe's BBQ just got that atmosphere that makes you enjoy food and music, just another nice chill place to enjoy one company.
Review Source:This place is great! We went for lunch one day; started off with a unique, barrel-aged beer (forgive me, I totally forget the name) that was delicious, and fitting for the meal and atmosphere. The barbecue is very good, and you can choose your sauce and side. The one downside is their lack of an online menu, and you can't order online (not a big deal, except they have an option on the website to order online and it brings you in circles). I heard that their music entertainment is good at night too (from my dentist), so I'll have to check that out sometime.
Review Source:Monday night open mic at Smoken Joe's was incredible!
I been to Smoken Joe's a few times before and the pull pork sandwiches and local beer is the reason I keep coming back.
On Monday night I took my sister to Smoken Joe's, who surprise me by brining my three nices with her. I was a little worried because this place is more of a hang out for adults and I didn't think it would be kid appropriate. Â We were in for a treat... The Smoken Joe's band and staff was incredible. They insisted the girls joined the music and gave them tambourines and drums and we all sang along and listed to the open mic for over two hours. The food was good as usual. The environment was amazing. Young and old singing and playing. Strangers talking to each other and laughing. This was and incredible experience we had an azaming experience. And the music was unbelievable.
Thank you guys for making this such a special night. We'll remember it for ever!
Eating in the Brighton Center area can be a bit of a toss-up. Â There are only a handful of options and many of them are average (at best) or just better left to drinking-only. Â Smokin' Joes is a diamond in the rough. Â The food is great, the service is pleasant, and they have live music. Â The place is a bit small, so make a reservation if possible. I will say that both times I've gone have been without a reservation and after a brief wait at the bar I was able to get a table. Â
Food highlights:
--Smoked Half chicken
--The Ribs!
--CORNBREAD
Overall, great spot to enjoy some live music over a great meal and beers.
This place tries to do BBQ and Southern LA food. Â It does neither very good. Â Stay away from the "jumbo shrimp" appetizer as it is simply some pre-boiled shrimp with some sauce on it. Â Very white and lacking in much real taste.
The meat was ok... Â but lacked any flavor on its own that I would expect from someplace with "Smoken" in the name. Â No smoky flavor at all. Â it semed to be all sauce. Â I tried the "burnt ends" which was somehow beef. Â Some ribs which were pretty much naked axcept for some tastless rub. Â They were meaty, but not worth mentioning without some sauce on it. Â Then I had some slived brisket that was about 20% fat. Â A good helping though and very moist.
The music was good though.... a live blues band with a killer guitar player. Â Well done there.
I went here yesterday with boyfriend because we had some trade from where I work. I read some of the reviews and it made me a little nervous coming here because of the bad reviews.
We walked in and it was dead. There was only one other person in there, so that made me even more nervous. Our waitress was awesome though. She was so friendly and upbeat. We got some Memphis BBQ wings as appetizers. They were pretty good. The food came out in a reasonable time, so they weren't slow with the food. For an entree, I got the 1/3 rack of Memphis ribs with cornbread (which didn't break apart when I picked it up), baked beans, and french fries. My food was pretty good. The ribs were a little dry because they don't cook it with the sauce on it, they give you your choice of sauce on the side. Which is cool because you can try different sauces with it. The baked beans tasted like they came out of a can, but that's okay, I like the canned beans because that's what my mom would always make for supper when I was younger. My boyfriend got the pulled pork sandwich and he seemed to really enjoy it.
All-in-all, I think I would come back if I was in the area and craving some BBQ.
We moved to Boston from New York last year and have been exploring all of the different venues for great dining. Â Giacomo's for Italian, Golden Temple for Chinese and The No Name for seafood are three of our favorite specialty restaurants to date. Â We were dying to try a good barbecue joint and drove past Smoken Joes one day and made a mental note to go in some night and try the food.
We went in tonight and were immediately greeted by C.J., the bartender/manager. Â Since we didn't have a reservation we were seated at the bar, which actually had very comfortable seats and were not in a direct line with the front door, which could have been annoyingly drafty. Â C.J. is a whirling dervish who tends bar, manages the place, buses tables and serves customers in the dining room. Â She was welcoming and very entertaining, so we immediately liked the place.
For starters we ordered the crab cakes. Â They were delicious, with lots of crab and a tangy tarter sauce to accompany them. Â My girlfriend ordered half rack of ribs with sweet potato fries and cole slaw. Â The ribs had absolutely no fat on them, were delicious and perfectly cooked. Â The fries were hot, crispy and full of sweet potato flavor, but the cole slaw was rather ordinary. Â The corn bread was delicious and she usually doesn't eat it, but made an exception in this case.
I ordered the sliced brisket platter with baked beans and cole slaw. Â The brisket was lean, tender and flavorful and the baked beans were firm and smokey flavored with hints of brown sugar. Â C.J. suggested we try the bread pudding which had just come out of the oven and we did. Â It was not disappointing, probably the best bread pudding I ever ate.
We left before the entertainment started, but I've heard it's a lot of fun with some very talented musicians. Â This place will definitely be on our list of regular stops as we continue to look for the best possible eating experiences Boston has to offer.
Went here a couple of months ago after I had just moved from midwest and was craving some good ole BBQ.
Their mac n cheese was the worst I ever had. Â Worse than mac n cheese from the box. Â Not nearly cheesy enough, too dry and kinda floury. Â Fail.
Pulled pork sandwich was OK, not great, but not as bad as mac n cheese either. Wasn't too big of a fan of their house BBQ sauce.
Restaurant interior itself is pretty cool, though, and a big plus for having good live music.
All in all, it's good enough to satisfy a BBQ craving, but if you want good BBQ (especially if you've come from Midwest and are used to some really good BBQ), this place is nothing special. Â I might go again and try something else, but I won't have high expectations.
I've been here numerous times since 2007 each time with different results. As for now the food is tasteless and bland...soul food with no soul. The sides are unseasoned and unpresentable the fried chicken gravy is watery and also tasteless...the pulled pork also lacks flare and passion, the cornbread is dry and crumbles as soon as you pick it up. I could go on but won't...save yourself the trouble and money go somewhere else, I will not be returning unless big changes are made.
Review Source:I came here for "bacon week" (honestly, who doesn't love the sound of that?) and I was expecting a lot more hoopla about bacon than it got. Â They featured a few sandwiches with bacon in them, and mac & cheese with bacon (which was ok but nothing to write home about) but I guess in my own fantasy world I was hoping for just plates of different types of bacon to try. Â As soon as we walked in, we felt awkward. Â It was very quiet, very small, and if I had sneezed, someone on the other side of the room probably would have said "bless you" because you could hear everything going on. Â Just strange.
Anyway, I got the Pork Belly BLT, and it was awful. Â Seriously disgusting. Â And let me stress - it wasn't pork. Â It was fat. Â I would have taken a picture of it, but honestly it probably would have ruined their business because it looked so disgusting. Â There was not ONE shred of actual meat on the pork they served on the sandwich, it was legit all fat. Â I ended up just taking all of it off and eating it as a BLT. Â (Side note: I asked for extra bacon on it and the waitress looked at me like I was crazy. Â This is bacon week isn't it???) Â It came on marble rye, which is an interesting choice for a BLT, but it was pretty good after I removed the "pork". Â The saving grace of this meal were the fries - the fries were quite delicious. Â
My friend also got the Pork Belly BLT and made the mistake of actually eating the "pork", even though he kept commenting on how squishy and gross it was because, again, there was no real meat, just fat. Â He is currently laying in bed, had to call out of work sick because he felt so awful after that meal.
Other reviews that say the place is small but they've never had to wait for a table... there's a reason for that. Â It's because everyone else is at Village Smokehouse, the real BBQ joint that consistently delivers a tasty meal. Â
Also, there's only one teeny tiny tv in the corner, and the football game wasn't even on it.
This is a BBQ gem! They have live jazz music seven days a week (although can be a bit loud), and the food is amazing! My favorite thing about this place is all the sauces come on the side, which means that you can try just about everyone! The beer selection isn't the greatest, but still worth a trip for some good ribs!
Review Source:Went with a group of friends to try this place out for the first time. I am from the South and grew up smoking chicken and ribs and making homemade sauce, so I like to think I know BBQ.
I was immediately impressed with the variety of sauces. Memphis Sauce was pretty generic, but not bad. Good mixture of flavor. The hot version is equally acceptable, if you like the heat. I tried the North Carolina Mustard which was authentic and delicious. I was very pleased and would definitely get it again! Also tried the Alabama White with the jalepeno poppers and it was surprisingly fantastic. I would dip the hell out of that sauce at home.
My friends got the pulled pork sandwiches and had good things to say. I didn't try it but they had no complaints.
I had the ribs and they were fantastic!! Ribs are usually my yardstick for BBQ. Firstly, the rub was delicious. Not overpowering, retained a good smoke flavor and the flavor of the meat still shone through. The meat was very tender!! Pulled right off the bone with no problem. Cooked to perfection! My friend complained they were a bit dry but I disagreed.
Sides: I tried the green beans, collard greens, french fries, and smashed red potatoes. The green beans and french fries were great. No complaints. Potatoes were also delicious. Not a huge portion, just enough. And creamy, no lumps. Very nice. The collards!! I grew up on them and was prepared to have some heavy criticism. But I didn't. They added some vinegar (instead of having pepper sauce on the table) but it was exceptionally applied. They even served it in it's own pot liquor. My only complaint was that it was served with too many large onion pieces.
I also really loved their beer selection. I wanted to try two different kinds but ran out of time. Which is the reason I only gave 4/5 stars. The ambiance was great. Very nice little place. Wait staff was friendly and approachable. But they had the blues act that was supposed to be playing at 9 doing sound check for about an hour ahead of time, which was extremely annoying. Also, if we didn't leave by 9, we would have had to pay an extra $5 per person for cover charge. I felt rushed and conversation was constantly interrupted by strings of "2, check, check." "1,2, check, check" for a good 45 minutes to an hour.
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! Smoken Joe's BBQ is a stellar barbecue joint that I will go to again and again!
In the heart of Brighton Centre, Smoken Joe's is a must-visit restaurant if you want one simple thing: high-quality, tasty, affordable, and authentic barbecue. It is small, but I have yet to wait for a table. There is a stage in the back and every seat is a good one to see the bands that play there. The music is blues and it goes perfectly with the great food.
I've yet to eat something at Smoken Joe's that wasn't delicious. The portions are large, as I always bring home leftovers. There are a number of sauces to choose from to accompany your barbecue dish of choice (I recommend the spicy one!). The beer selection is fantastic, too, but you also have wine and mixed drinks to choose from.
Great food, great drinks, great prices, and great music... what more could you want?
"Tuesday is the new Saturday!" Â That's what they told us as we walked through the door of Smoken Joe's last night. Â I'd like to respond with "50 is the new 30", but that elicits curious stares in response.
Still, Tuesday night at Smoken Joe's is just downright awesome. Â Really great food and really great music. Â We had fried oysters (crispy & juicy), shrimp (tangy), fall-off-the-bone ribs that were fantastic, and fried catfish. Â All of it superb. Â Joe's sweet BBQ sauce is probably the best I have tasted.
The best part of Joe's is the atmosphere. Â Musicians were swapping drinks, stories, and throaty blues tunes all night long. Â It's a great comfy family and people are instantly open and friendly around such quality blues music. Â I like the close quarters. Â I like the funky stage lighting. Â And I love the people watching at Smoken Joe's.
I've lived in Brookline for years and have only recently found this place. Â Too bad it took so long to stumble upon, but it's a definite keeper. Â Enjoy!
PROS:
- great location, the window seat is awesome for people watching while drinking and eating
- relaxed low-key vibe
- they have Southern Tier Imperial Pumking available (holy crap yes!)
- supportive of local music and the blues scene
- decently priced
CONS:
- at first the waitress was upbeat when we first walked in, but after being seated she became very disinterested. She spent all of her time behind the bar texting and never once came out to ask us how our meal was until the check was to be delivered
- my boyfriend got the Angus burger and the waitress asked if he'd like bacon and cheddar with it. He said yes, and we ate. At the end of the meal when we got the tab we noticed the $1 charge for the slice of cheese and .75 for the bacon. Very sneaky- I don't appreciate going somewhere to eat and having to "read the fine print" so to speak
- 1/4 of his burger was charred. The rest however was amazing
- $6 for a bowl  of gumbo which was literally a cup's volume. This being said, I did find it very delicious.
My brother is staying at a local hospital in the area so we'll be back in the area many more times. Since the waitress (and possibly the not mentioning of the extra charges) and the burger were more situational, I will be willing to give it another shot.
As Steph P already stated, we (myself and the mister) dragged her from her home in order to eat some good food. BBQ was the topic of conversation, the food that would fill our bellies, the only thought on my mind - BBQ.
It was about a MILLION degrees over the 4th of July. When we arrived at the door to Smoken Joe's I wondered:
1) If I saw three AC's in the transoms, why the CHRIST is it sooooo hot in this place?
2) Why would they use an "e" instead of an "i" in "Smoken"?
I ordered the right side of the menu, while my better half ordered ribs with the memphis sauce (I think..?) the jalapeno poppers were great, and shrimp, very good, though we could've done with more of them, or, at that price not at all, cause it was like a tease more than anything else, and a bit overpriced for my taste.
If I had been able to think or eat without sweat literally dripping off my face, I would've been able to articulate what I liked and WHY, but I did like the greens, and the cornbread.
I will only visit again during the cold months. It's unbearably warm in that place. I have NEVER, I repeat, never had sweat drip from my nose before. It was disgusting and creepy and definitely distracted from the food.
Smoken Joe's used to be a go-to for BBQ in the city until tonight. The service was atrocious in that we had to track down the waitress for everything from refills to napkins and silverware when the food arrived to the check at the end of the meal. I left most of my food half eaten and not one question about how everything was.
As for the food, there was a disturbing drop-off from the last time I had eaten there. The Mac and cheese seemed like it was overloaded with milk and not enough cheese. There was hardly any flavor to them or the mashed that came with my meal. The ribs were alright but disappointingly lacking of that usually smokey flavor.
With blue ribbon, sweet cheeks and red bones so close by, this will be my list trip to Joe's. It's not worth taking the chance on BBQ.
You should know that the chef isn't southern. Â He's is from this area. That's probably why Joe thinks Memphis and New Orleans have the same kind of food.... Or why he thinks vegetables come in jambalaya.
We got pulled pork sammies. The slaw has absolutely no seasoning except mayo. Woof. Don't ask to sub it for fries unless you want to pay an extra dollar. Definitely don't ask to try more than one BBQ sauce unless you want to get charged for that as well. I ended up paying $12 for a completely mediocre sandwich. Sad times.
I spent my 4th of July sleeping until Julia F and her bf came over and made me get out of bed. Instead of grilling ourselves we decided to find some BBQ we didn't have to make. After a google search, we found Smoken Joe's to be open.
We started with a couple apps, the shrimp and jalapeño poppers. The shrimp was super tasty without being overly spicy, but over priced at $8.99 for 6 medium sized shrimp. The poppers were of the cream cheese variety, my fave, and the sauce that came with was awesome. Great start.
For my entree, I ordered the 1/2 rack of ribs with collards, baked beans and corn bread. A good value at $14.99. The ribs were covered in an awesome rub and the collards were a 7/10. I liked the cornbread a lot, and I am super picky about my cornbread (read my rant in my Redbones and Blue Ribbon reviews). They have a variety of sauces and I really enjoyed the Kansas City Sticky.
I think I would have enjoyed my food much more had this place been air conditioned. Let me rephrase that. I would have been able to EAT my food had this place been air conditioned. Beads of sweat were rolling down my face while I tried to eat my ribs. I asked to wrap them up and they were great at home, but when it is hotter inside than out in July, you've got issues. I'll come back in December.
I love having a good BBQ place right in my neighborhood. This place is very cool, with a great booze selection, and really great tasting food. I usually get take-out from these guys because its more convienent for me, but the food does translate well when its to go.
I got the catfish last week, which I got with potato salad and onion rings. The catfish was fried beautifully, with a great cornmeal crust and excellent tartar sauce. The onion rings were very greasy, and I'm not entirely sure they just threw that in with the catfish. Shame really. The potato salad was a bit heavy on the mayo, but the potato flavor shined through when it counted.
The Memphis ribs were smoky and fall-off-the-bone good, and they pair nicely with a hot BBQ sauce. The fries are very oily and a bit average, and the coleslaw was very watery. Its a mixed bag, the entrees are delicious, but once they bring the sides up to snuff, its truly a great place to eat.
Plates piles high with smothered BBQ, ice cold beer and a live Blues band ? ..... it was such an awesome experience !
TIP: MAKE A RESERVATION !!!!!!! (way in advance)
the BBQ was so good that even now when I think about it my mouth waters ...
I hate to write any thing bad but I must say ... the wait staff did several things in front of us that was just disgusting .... scratching hair/head behind the bar and re doing their pony tail several times .... then went right into the kitchen and grabbed our plates without washing hands .... god only knows how much hair was in the food and flying in the drinks ...
we will definitely go back and pray for better staff .... and management to be more on top of things ...
I don't always eat BBQ. But when I do, I make sure it's Smoken Joe's.
In all seriousness, I'm not barbecue's biggest fan. There are a lot of cuisines I'd rather indulge in if given the choice. However, I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch experience today with Smoken Joe's. They only serve St. Louis style ribs, so they come smoked, tender, and sauceless. Add your own addition of their sweet and tangy barbecue sauce as you prefer it. No need to worry about too much sauce, which I personally hate ( I know a handful of people who read this probably disagree with me that there is such thing as too much sauce). Their sides were also great. I tried the collard greens, smashed potatoes, and the cold slaw. All of them met or exceeded my expectations. I honestly feel that out of Soulfire, Blue Ribbon, Red Bones, and Smoken Joe's, Joe's takes the cake in food quality.
Finally, as a craft brew superfan, I was happy to see that they only offer 5 draft choices, but all micros. I saw Smuttynose IPA and Allagash White, both great choices!
I think I will definitely come back here for some of the live music, a beer or two, and a plate full of ribs and sides.
The food here is pretty good. Blue Ribbon BBQ in Arlington kills them as far as a real BBQ experience in the Boston area. However, Smoken has really good gumbo and and I second the other reviewer who said that their blackened catfish sandwich is awesome. They also have some nice draught beers.
I have two issues with this place: First is the noise level. No way this place gets an "average" rating for noise level. The few nights we've been there they've had open mic or a live band. You have to yell to have conversation with the people you're dining with. My boyfriend and I actually just stopped talking because it was too much yelling "WHAT?! WHAT?!" to each other. I appreciate what they're trying to do with the music experience, but in a space this small they need to make up their minds: are you a dining establishment or a club? I don't think they can do both (at the same time) really well in this space.
Second issue is the service. We've had some waitresses there who were great. But we've also had really slow service from spaced-out waiters. When we've been sitting there for 10 minutes waiting to have our order taken, and you're over at the bar laughing with people and meandering around making chit-chat... no good. This has happened on more than one occasion.
Like a couple other reviewers, I never got a chance to try the food here.
I called at around 5pm on a Friday night to see if they could accommodate a party of 8. Â They said no problem, but not until 8pm. Â Fine, worked for us. Â We show up at quarter till 8 and they said it would be about 20 minutes until our table was ready. Â At this time we see two parties of 7-8 people currently eating... so it was safe to assume that they'd finish up and leave within 20-30 minutes. Â They took my cell phone number and we went across the street for a drink, fully expecting a phone call shortly after 8.
By 8:30 we still had heard nothing, so we went back over to see what the hold up was. Â It was like we asked them to do finite mathematics the way they struggled to figure out what to do. Â They said it would be another half hour, or possibly more since the live music was getting ready to start and the people who had finished eating might stick around for the music. Â Oh, and one of the parties of 7+ that was eating when we first got there was already gone... but instead of giving us their table, they pulled the seats apart and sat two smaller parties instead.
Way to honor your reservations, ya jerks.
Holy Mother of all things amazing. I. Have. Arrived.
You know, I think we are always searching for that one thing/place/person that will make us eternally happy. Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, (Ladles and Jellyspoons) this place, is, the Bees Knees, the cats pajamas, the dogs you know what. I have found the holy grail of BBQ and nightlife.
First off, the live music here is amazing. Kwaaality acts indeed. The music is so good, that I keep thinking I should be buying a ticket from ticketmonster just to see these bands perform. The Blues band that played last night really blew me away. As a musician it was and is a pleasure to see SUCH talented people perform, for free, and while I eat!
Speaking of eating, try the 3 way platter thing. It's $20 and you have choices from brisket, chicken, ribs, and lots of other delicious BBQ-d delights! With a choice of two sides, why not go for the Mac & Cheese (d'Lish) and the skins-on mashed garlic potato (y'Ummo).
The beers are all around 5.25 or something but really I'd pay $10 a beer just to hear the music and eat the food. I ate here about 18 hours ago, and now writing this review I AM STILL FULL!!!!!!
The whole experience will be one you remember forever. I mean it is that good. Between the piano player last night, the brisket or beef ends, the Blond Beers or the Mac & Cheese, I've a hard time deciding what was my favorite so I'm going to say, everything. Everything about this place was awesome and it is clear that the staff love to work here.
For me, this is the best BBQ all round experience you will ever get in Boston.
Try Thursday nights here. I'll be at the bar so you can buy me a drink out of gratitude for telling you how perfect this place is!
PS: I may have been transcended by Smokin' Joe's BBQ joint.
As I sat and watched the band perform in a Mardi Gras themed Smoken Joe's Restaurant, I couldn't help but think that this was a perfect example of the saying "a band is only as good as its worst player". Â While the drummer pulled his weight by maintaining a strong, steady beat, the keyboard player exceeded his duty by laying down a smooth bass line over his right hand comping. Â The trumpet player followed the changes flawlessly, adding flare to the pre-composed melodies. Â And then there was the guitarist. Â While I wouldn't deem him unfit for the stage, there were times I could tell he was barely following along - his comping was bland and his solos one-dimensional.
It's when I simultaneously bit into my green beans that I realized how the same saying could be applied to a meal. Â I always appreciate a tasty slice of cornbread, and Smoken Joe's definitely had it down pat. Â But when combined with flavorless sides and a dry pulled brisket, dinner was pulled down a notch (or a star, in this case). Â The atmosphere was great and the service was friendly, but the lack of flavor brought this joint from MMMMM to mmmmmeh.
Had an awesome, laid-back night of ribs and blues here. The platters were generous, the place was clean, and the music was soulful. What more can I ask for? I got the half rack with mac n cheese and onion rings for $11.99, I believe, which came with a moist cube of cornbread...mmm. For the first time in a long time, the onion inside the onion ring did not fall out soggily when I bit into the ring. That in itself deserves one star.
My friend had the chicken fried steak, which was HUGE yet very mediocre tasting, but her fries were delicious...seasoned and crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. SO had the burnt brisket ends on texas toast with cole slaw and beans. It was good, but was relatively small. I will stick with the ribs in the future.
Shirley you can't be serious? Oh Shirley Lewis is serious about her music and so is Smoken' Joes BBQ is serious about their food and sauces.
I was thinkin' this might just be another BBQ joint and boy was I wrong. First off the portions were amazing. The other table was laughing at the fact that half a rotissierre chicken had landed in front of me. The sauces were otherwordly! The Kansas City Sticky sauce is sweet and melts in your mouth. There ain't nothing sticky 'bout it.
The ribs were rubbed the right way with special spices that made the pork a perfect compliment to either the Kansas City sauce or the Memphis BBQ sauce (which had a nice soft kick at the end).
The joint was jumpin' on a Saturday night and the live jazz/blues (no cover!) was the perfect compliment. It was a treat to be serenaded in the capable hands of Ms Shirley.
FYI. Â I've been back three times this week. Â Each time I've returned it's been just as wonderful, special, delightful as the others. Â They have excellent burgers. Â I gotta say their Memphis BBQ sauce is quite amazing. Â But, the best thing is their Collard Greens.
Yeah.
Collards.
Yeah.
Collards.
Get the collards!!
The food here is Smooooken.. I needed a place to take my best friend, in town from Ohio, and her husband too. They love Southern cooking so I chose Smoken Joes.
We arrived and it was slow on a Monday night. We were told to sit wherever we want and decided to start with some appetizers-the jalapeno bombs and the Memphis chicken wings. The bombs were great. The wings were even better. Very meaty and juicy. We asked for them prepared medium but they could of been a little hotter for our tastes.
For our entrees we each got one then ended up trying off each others plates:
I got the chicken fried steak with mac and cheese and a side salad. Salad was very fresh. The entree was very homey. The batter on the steak was great. It was the first time I had steak prepared like that. I did find it somewhat salty but maybe that's the nature of the recipe. Mac and cheese was creamy, cornbread on the side delicious! Make sure to use the honey butter they give you on it. I ate it like cake!
BF had pulled pork platter with onion rings. Onion rings are big and thick. A perfect crunchy then chewy bite. The pulled pork came out heaping on top of a slice of Texas toast. They give you a couple sauces on the side. Had a big taste..Excellent!
Best friend and husband had a rack or ribs with sides of baked beans, corn and a pulled pork platter. They raved about the ribs, their food, everyone elses food, and the place.
We enjoyed ourselves so much, when our waitress came over we asked who Joe was. She said I'll go get him, and a friendly guy comes out of the kitchen, shakes our hands, pulls up a chair, and tell us his BBQ story. Really cool!
Service was good. The waitress was quick to crack a joke here and there. We would go back in a heartbeat! They have music 6 nights a week!
I realize my reviews are getting more and more erratic but stay with me because I'm finally reviewing something I know a thing or two about and that's BBQ. See, I've been in Boston for 7 years now having moved from NC and I can tell you there were two cultural adjustments to be made.
First, the weather. I mean, guys, Hi. For serious. It gets cold here. I'm getting cold just thinking about how cold it gets here. That's cold folks. And when you're from the land of flip flops and basketball shorts, it takes a while to adjust to digging your car out of snow banks with a CVS shovel. Â
If you know what a bo-berry biscuit is, have eaten a Cajun fillet biscuit at Bojangles, or have visited Smithfield's BBQ in NC then there's a good chance you've experienced real BBQ straight from the belly of a hog while drinking bud light around an illegal chemical fire and watching your cousins make out. Throw your hands in the air and say NASCAR!
If you haven't then that's cool, too. I'm just saying that when I first moved here I was so hard up for real BBQ that I would have whored myself in 12-inch pumps and a hot pink mini for a decent southern style, saucy meal of soul food.
I was so desperate I even tried a pulled pork sandwich at Sunset Grill. My adventurous palette was rewarded with what tasted like a baby's diaper stuffed with camel dung and I cried a little inside and went home to model my overhauls in the mirror.
Then I found Smoken Joe's BBQ.
Tip: If a BBQ place misspells a word in the title of their name then it's almost a sure thing. The food here is amazing. Truly authentic and can save you a trip to Redbone's in Cambridge which is almost always crowded while Smoken Joe's rarely is. The atmosphere is nice if not a bit on the small side and the chairs are "unreasonably uncomfortable torture chairs." But But But, if your looking for amazing BBQ then this place wins. Wins Wins Wins. I just drooled on my keyboard.
I like the food here, that keeps me coming back despite the s  l  o  w service. And I hate slow service, so you know the food has to be good.
The pulled pork isn't bad, but the pulled brisket is fantastic. The homemade sausage is outstanding, and they need to have more of it everywhere. Nice array of sauces - the Kansas City Sticky is very very sweet. Try starting with the Memphis. They have a white horseradish sauce that is really fun, too. The music can get loud, but let's face it - if you've read these reviews and you're still there, you're not the sort of person who's easily ruffled.
The reviews are not wrong - service here is the slowest I've ever seen, but it's not for lack of trying. No one is standing around or even moving slowly. It is a small place, but with such small kitchen and wait staffs, it's a lot of tables to move. If you're dying of hunger or are feeling at all like you don't want to wait a long time for your food, go somewhere else and let me have your seat.
Decent BBQ, Decent sides, Charming Service, Good Music.
Hungry and in the mood for something low-key, my friend and I made our way to Brighton Center admist the slush and dirty snowpiles of the latest Boston snowfall. We entered Smoken Joes to find it completely barren.
The lead server leaned on his broom, looked around the empty room and shook his head. "I'm not sure we've got a table for you here." When he cracked a big smile, I thought the temperature actually warmed a little.
It was standard BBQ fare as I recall, and nothing too daring. Our server was a total character, very friendly--he even sat at the table next to us while taking our order and chatted about the snow storm. He definitely made the experience for me.
As for the food, I was well satisfied. We both got the pulled pork. My only complaint was that all the food was lukewarm--the sandwich, the mac n cheese, and the cornbread. My friend also noted that a "true" BBQ joint cooks the meat in the sauce instead of putting it on the side. Our server, however, was very knowledgable about which sauces went well with what meats.
That aside, I can't complain about the price. I paid $15 for a reasonably good sandwich, 2 sides, a beer and tip. In Boston terms, I consider that a steal. I've given up on $10 meals since leaving Kansas.
And, ladies, clean bathroom. That is itself deserving of a star.
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