Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill

Came here because it was close to the hotel I was staying at. Mainstream American food- burger, ribs, steak, salad...etc. Ordered a medium rare sirloin withe blue cheese bacon sauce. I was expecting a creamy texture sauce but out came crumble  blue cheese mixes with bacon bits baked onto surface of sirloin. Interesting.

I did what any steak eater would do, cut through the center of the steak. However, instead of medium rear, I discovered a well done steak with no pink in the middle. I was so hungry that I wanted to just eat it, but after two bites, I had to sent it back. I just could not do it. Talked to the waitress and manager, they took it back and apologized, promised a medium rare on the way. 20 minutes later, while my entire party is almost done with their meal, I was still waiting. The restaurant got noticeably busier, so they most likely had forgotten about me...

Manager saw me sitting there staring at my well-done sirloin, probably realize I was still waiting. He came over and said it is almost ready. Soon enough, second steak came, I cut through the center in front of the manager and my party, and I really really wanted to just let it go, but it was definately way too under cook. We are talking rare, the level where there is a tiny river of blood on my plate. Freaked out abit.

At this point, my party is done with their meal. And I was ready to scrape the left over off other plates. But the manager was very kind and offered free desserts for everybody and free sirloin for me. Yay! So long story short, the third steak came out perfect. And since the manager offered my party free desserts, I did not have to eat my meal with everyone staring at me.

Overall, other than the two poorly cooked sirloin, I thought the manager handle the situation quite generously.

Service is horrible. 4 out of 5 visits we would have rather left no tip probably would get better service if I was a drunk buying most of the bar or hitting on the bartender. The bell to announce a tip over 20% is rude and with poor service should really never be rung.

Let's be blunt. This is a chain restaurant, but living in Newport News is a curse to a certain you don't have many bars that stay open till 2:00 A.M, let alone a place with a decent price for domestic drinks. Smokey Bones is an Oasis in this situation. The food is decent, however I would stay away from the burgers. They're not disgusting, but they are bland, bland, bland. My biggest problem with the burgers is the general no attempt at making them proper temperature. Regardless of your choice, it will be Well done. For a place "specializing" in cook-out fare, they are pretty shoddy at temperature control.
The biggest selling point I can imagine is the cheap beer prices on domestics and some of the cocktails. The selection is generic, but forgiving. And a Friday night Karaoke party makes the overall visit that much more inviting. It's the every-mans bar, safe, clean, comfortable and not too unfamiliar.
Asides generic food I can say my only overall problem is the inconsistent service. I get it, if you're a dude, you don't want to serve a bunch of other dudes, but I shouldn't have to wait twenty minutes to say my order. Most of the time however I have plenty of excellent waitresses and the tip is well earned.
Overall Smokey Bones is a nice place to go late night, but if you're looking for a unique bar scene with excellent food, you need not apply. Special tip! If you are going for drinks and some pub fare, I suggest the Kettle Chips. Obviously not peeled in kitchen, but they are prepared there, very tasty.