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.
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.
I'm not a fan of many chain restaurants, but this place was pretty good. I ordered the turkey burger that came topped w/a pinch of mayo, avocado, lettuce, and tomato. The burger was splendid for a chain establishment. I also has a side order of sweet potato fries...don't think you can ever go wrong w/those. The waitress was super sweet and checked in often. The only issue I had was there wasn't a greeter at the door = waited a while to be seated. The prices are reasonable for the amount of food served.
Review Source:Stopped in on my first night in Newport News. Its not quite the Commissary in Memphis but the 3-meat combo wasnt bad. The pulled pork was tender and came dry so I could figure out which flavored sauce I wanted. The brisket was tender and came coated in some sauce but I enjoyed adding the Carolina and Chipotle sauces to kick it up a notch. My third meat was the spicy sausage which was ok, a bit dry and the ends were crunchy but the overall flavor was good. My side dishes were french fries (definitely not fresh cut) and broccoli (very tender and tasty). The quantity was about right and for under $20, it was a pretty good deal compared to what I've paid for 5-star BBQ in other cities.
For a Monday night and the buildup to football, the place was pretty quiet. I had two waitresses - one was being trained so I cant complain about my service. Hopefully its a positive sign for other visits! Â There were numerous TVs all over so I could see the game and they also had videos on one screen and football highlights on another so I could see it being jammed on Sat/Sun football days.
Only reason I am giving this place two stars instead of one is because of the BBQ sauce at the tables. Â
The service sucked. Â We waited over 15 minutes to get drinks. Â After our order was placed, it took over an hour for it to arrive.
I ordered the smokes turkey with roasted corn and baked beans. Â The turkey was dry. Â The beans were undercooked and a bit too sweet. Â The corn was bland. Â The only fun part of the meal was trying the different BBQ sauces. Â They were pretty good and I liked that I had the control of how much sauce to put on. Â
I wouldn't go back. Â If you want BBQ, you can probably get better stuff at Applebee's.
Recently had our third visit to this location, and while the first two were acceptable the most recent left much to be desired. In our first two visits the food was okay, but nothing to write home about - average BBQ chain restaurant. On our third visit I cannot comment on the food because after sitting literally in the dark waiting 49 minutes part of the meal was placed on the table with the baked potato missing. They explained that the rest of the food would be brought shortly. But, we had already noticed a similar problem with the table next to us where 15 minutes earlier they brought the main course items missing the sides. Needless to say I prefer to eat my main course and sides together and explained to the waiter that we were leaving. She asked that we wait for the manager, so we did.
The manager arrived 5 minutes later asking about the problem, I first asked why we were sitting in the dark and then why our sides were not served with the meal. And I pointed out the table next to us where they still had not been served their side dishes. He apologized and asked that give them just a few more minutes. Looking at my steak sitting there getting cold I said no, that we'd prefer to find somewhere else to eat. For a moment there I thought he was going to insist that we pay a bill, but I stood up and explained that we had already been there for an hour and that we were out of time and that we were leaving. It was sad to leave the steak sitting because it looked good, but the quality of service left a bad taste in my mouth so we bailed out. Did notice as we were leaving that they finally turned the lights on in the section where we were seated.
Overall the place is nice, and the food is okay. But, our last visit will likely end up being just that. My take on the matter is that there is a Management issue here. The lights not being turned on where customers are being seated, and the food not coming together in a timely manner is a sign of poor Management oversight. Too bad, they're close to home and I love BBQ.
As a treat to award the manpower that assisted me in moving to Newport News, we stopped at Smokey Bones to relax and refuel. Â Little did we know that the excitement we had in the parking lot was going to be the peak of our experience. Â
The four of us walk-in and are seated in booth, that apparently no server was assigned to. Â After waiting about 10 minutes we flagged someone down to take our order. Â This helpful young lady was 17 years old, so she wasn't very helpful in our desire to enjoy the last 20 minutes of happy hour. Â She thought my order or Johnny Walker and diet coke was a gin and coke. Â After we finally get a server to take care of us, we still have to ask the young lady to take our food orders after waiting another 10 minutes without anyone checking on us. Â We assume that this has all been a mix up, and try to stay lighthearted about the whole experience. Â Then our food came out.
Not a single order was correct. Â Loaded mashed potatoes did not have toppings, a small order or ribs came out as the full rack (which is what also showed up on the bill), and worst of all, there was a hair on my chicken wings!!! Â Now, I don't get grossed out easily, and to be honest, if it resembled my own hair, I probably would have assumed it was mine and moved on. Â This hair was short and jet black. Â The server takes it back and puts in a new order. Â The manager comes over and offers me a complimentary dessert (which, again, ended up on the bill).
I understand that things happen, I really do. Â But this was literally the worst experience I've ever had at a restaurant. Â Not a single thing went as expected (unless you count the fact that the bathroom was equipped with TP and hand soap). Â I will NEVER go back. Â I'm going to have to find another place to eat BBQ in my area. Â Pierce's isn't too far away.
Ok it's not a huge secret that being from NC, I am very picky about my BBQ. I don't expect to find a good eastern-NC joint outside of (well) Eastern NC, but when I'm already relenting and partaking of sauced BBQ, I at least expect it to be done well.
This place was NOT impressive for me. My husband had a burger. It was big. It was sloppy. It was cooked more well-done than he requested. He said it was "ok". I put the blame for that on him because I feel like ordering a burger is a cop-out in most restaurants.
BUT. My pulled pork was both dry AND fatty (ew), and my fries were cold. It made for a pretty unappetizing meal. I was tempted to ask my server for fresh fries, but she was too busy loudly complaining with another waitress about the size of a tip she got from another table (Gee, I wonder why). I was getting full anyways (the portions are huge, I'll give them that) so we opted to just get the check, and get the heck outta dodge.
Sorry to say but I would not recommend this place..
Ate there today and will definitely not go back. Â The wait staff is only interested in socializing amongst themselves; it got so bad that one of us had to get up and walk over to them to ask for service. Â One person did not get what he thought he ordered, which was partly his fault, and the deceptive set up of the menus. Â From the waitress' reaction, this seemed common, and if this was the case she should have warned the customer. Â No refills on water were provided, and we had to specifically ask for more water. Â The chicken tasted like vomit and the French fries were cold. Â This was a very unpleasant experience. Â Finally, the turkey burger we ordered was dry and there was hardly any avocado.
Review Source:A step up from Applebee's; the appetizers and entrees are a little bit more tastier but are exactly the same. Â They advertise a 1.5lb burger which they are so happy about, but I sat and thought to myself is this a restaurant for people or are they trying to feed a bunch of pigs?! As I looked around and noticed that most of the clientele are clinically morbidly obese, I realized that some people don't care about taste, just how high they stack their burger patties.
The server was really nice and recommended their favorites on the menu. Â However, i'm unsure about how much they enjoy their job because as soon as she walked away, she was complaining to another server about how she can't wait to go home, and how she can't stand being here. Â I never had this happen to me but as we were eating one server just had to get her side work done so she busted out the vacuum and started to vacuum the carpet around our feet and around our table. Its just really inconsiderate for the people paying to eat at this establishment. Â
I have such high standards when it comes to BBQ, and this place certainly does not meet my standards. I'd rather eat a tv dinner than come back to this place.
Went in after work, Â around 3:30pm, and sat at a booth in the bar area. The place was not busy at all.... Started looking at the bar specials they had on the flyers on the table. Wound up sitting there ~10-15 minutes and not a soul came by to see if I wanted anything... like, maybe a menu, glass of water, a cool,refreshing adult beverage??? Got up and walk out, without employee contact whatsoever... Thus, this whiney review....
Review Source:This is a decent barbecue chain, but not special overall. Â I find the quality of the food to be uneven -- the pulled pork and the BBQ beans are excellent, the burgers (especially the entertaining and ridiculously big "Smoke Stack") are very good, and the ribs are decent; however, the brisket is fatty and unimpressive, and many of the sides fall flat.
The restaurant is pretty dark -- with dim lighting and dark wood and dark red as the predominant colors -- but it's comfortable. Â And the staff is very friendly and efficient; they were patient and a lot of fun to talk to during the afternoon while we first looked over the take-out menu, and again (with different employees) in the evening when we returned to pick up the order we called in.
Great cornbread app! Generally good service & food. Their burgers beat Fridays, Applebees, Chili's, Cheddar's & others in my book. 3 seperate dining experiences I've had amazing burgers. After being a grill cook at Ruby Tuesday's in college for 2 years I'm pretty hard to please when it comes to cooking a good burger. They get my vote. Thick, juicy, flavorful & cooked to requested "doneness", you can't ask for more than that.
Review Source:The side dishes were mediocre but those aren't why you come here. The pretzel apoetizer is ok but not a something i would get again. We got the st Louis in both brown sugar and original. The full rack was overcooked but the half wasn't. Â The saving grace was the waitress who, was great. I don't remember her name just look for the dark hair blue eyed girl from jersey.
Review Source:If you like barbeque, Smokey Bones in Newport News is not a bad place to check out. The service is friendly and nice, and the atmosphere is woodsy and cool. There are plenty of TV screens all around the bar, making it a good option for watching sports without going to a sports bar. In fact, quite a few people come to the bar only late at night, but it never seems crowded in this place, and I mean that in a good way.
Again, the staff is really pretty cool. The bartenders are helpful, and the service is quite good--the right amount of being attentive without being annoying. There are a lot of places to sit--an area close to the door, a large U-shaped bar, and two areas to the right of, and behind the bar (facing from the entrance). This makes the place expansive, but it's laid out in a way to separate the various areas and still make it feel comfy. There is definitely an at-home, cabin-like feel to the place.
The food is okay. The barbecue is good, but not exactly great. At each table there are several different kinds of BBQ sauce, and I think the barbeque is intentionally left a bit dry so that patrons can choose which BBQ sauce they prefer. I ordered the Cuban Sandwich, but was disappointed. I LOVE Cuban Sandwiches and am a bit of a purist, but I was still willing to look past the deviation from the original recipe--Smokey Bone's Cubano is made with barbeque. However, it was still bland, and I really did not enjoy the inclusion of BBQ sauce, which I felt disrupted the sacred trifecta of pork, pickles, swiss, and mustard. Fine, maybe it's a quadfecta then, but you get my meaning...
Went here over the weekend for lunch (although it was about 3pm). There were only a few families inside having food, but the service was still pretty slow overall. I got the BBQ sandwich which was good, but a little bit dry, also tried out the sweet potato sticks which were alright. My friend got the cuban sandwich which I thought was really tasty - lots of flavor (I think I'll get it next time). They had a good beer special going on for Saturdays, I think it changes monthly, but it was $3 bud light.
Review Source:They've won me back over the last few months with good coupons and deals. I tried Smokey Bones a few years ago and, despite their pretty wide amount of selections, I just never found the food to be as good as some local barbeque joints.
The food is pretty good, their waiting staff can either be very nice and enjoyable or irritable and uninterested, I guess it depends on the person you get. I love their new bar food options, like the pretzel sticks with three very different, very bold sauces. The sliders are pretty good if you don't want a full meal too.
Unfortunately I've never been able to get a steak cooked how I want it. I usually get the red wine steak if I get one, but despite asking for anything from medium to well done, the steak is either undercooked (to the point of being very bloody) or over cooked. Granted, I don't have expensive taste, nor am I particularly picky, but I've never been completely satisfied with the steak's wellness. The taste is great, it's just the preparation that is my only problem.
Overall the place is good. I've had some great meals and I've had some okay meals here, I think it's generally hit-or-miss.
This place holds a special spot in my book. Â My parents live in Hampton and own a store in Jefferson Commons and they go to Smokey Bones all the time for their ribs and chicken dinners to go.
My dad has celiac disease and can't ingest gluten in any amount, and the people here are very good with his orders. Â The managers all know him and all keep an eye on the food to make sure it doesn't come in contact with any of their bread.
The one time we did eat-in together was quite enjoyable. Â It's the people that make the restaurant, and the server was very friendly. Â Oh yea, and the food is tasty! Â I love the coleslaw!
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