Fantastic bbq.. I haven't the foggiest idea why they call Killian's 'Bone's Brew', but it's always cold so whatever.. I've been here in multiple occasions. The smoked wings are a must try. Anything bbq is amazing and I quite like the mustard bbq sauce..
(4)
Mike T.
Customer service is paramount in businesses like restaurants. And this place does not know what customer service is. First of all we had a very snotty waitress, I think that she should have a little attitude check and perhaps leave her problems at home. She clearly did not want to be there. I came in and wanted to order the buffalo chicken dip, with one slight request, grilled chicken instead of fried. Before she even asked the chef, she said " no I don't think they can do that, especially today because there is a table full of prom kids". Really? I'm a paying customer also! I don't care if there's a prom there! I would have thrown a fit, & I normally would have, except I wasn't in the mood. (How long does it take to grill chicken? ) Well, she went and asked the chef, and the chef said no. I wonder what the manager would think about this? It wasn't about the dip, it was the principle. The waitress was extremely rude, and should have said, " I will go check and see what we can do for you, even if it takes a little longer". There was no such offer on the table, literally lol. The service was horrible, but I have to admit that the food was very good. Don't expect humongous portions, you get a normal portion, which is good depending on who you are. I don't recommend their service, but I would definitely give it another try. But I would never rush there. I hope the manager sees this. I don't want to put names on here, but if they want to know they can always message me.
(2)
Al W.
I ordered the beef brisket & the girls ordered ribs. I m a very big snob when it comes to BBQ & brisket because I've had real Texas brisket & not much can compare to it. But this place came through. Food was excellent! Bella, our beautiful, friendly server who I absolutely adored and love, was so thoughtful and just great! Food was served fast ans she checked on us often. I highly recommend this place and will definitely go back again
(5)
Dave V.
The food is pretty good here, especially the stuffed burgers. Prices are average depending on what you're used to maybe even a little high. The customer service is TERRIBLE. After making a reservation here 3 weeks ago and calling today to confirm, we were informed by the manager that they do not make reservations for the weekend and that it is impossible that we did so and she went on to essentially read us the policy and repeat herself several times when we would try to explain to her that we understand but we did make the reservation. Lady, you are a freaking manager dealing with customers! No one gives a crap to hear your policy over and over. instead of telling us that we are wrong why don't you just apologize and try to find a solution. or at least say there is nothing you can do but you are sorry for the incompetence of whoever it was that made the reservation which since only a manager can do, might have been you! You just lost a lot of business from us and anyone we can stop from MSU. In the future, learn when to suck it up and do your job as a manager in the customer service industry
Food was good, service was good. Manager was a @&$#%. The music was so loud I couldn't hear the person I was with. So I went to find her. When I ask her to turn down the music she just look at me. Didn't speak, so okay or anything. And she didn't turn it down. I ask the waiter, he said she mood a lot of the time. Don't go if you want to be able to hear the person your with.
(3)
Kathy T.
Great baby back ribs that fall off the bone they are so tender and delicious! I love the dry rub they offer and the Cornbread topped off my meal it was so tasty! Smokey Bones Bar and Fire Grill surely knows how to impress a woman with friendly service and a delightful, home-style meal you cannot find anywhere else!
(5)
Thom B.
Great food, friendly service. Baby back ribs were fall off the bone delicious, I had mine Memphis style with a dry rub. Awesome! Cornbread with pecan butter was awesome. Odd paring but mashed potatoes and gravy were also very good.
(4)
Jamie P.
Food inconsistencies are pretty consistent. Today I got served the worst nachos. My guacamole came out brown. It made it past the cook and the server that way. So this is obviously a pretty standard example of their method of cooking and quality control which actually appears to be non existent. I won't get into detail of the rest of the nachos but I was disappointed and sent half back. My son's apples were extremely hot and some were very cold. His macaroni and cheese came unstirred. We could have gotten the same or more quality food from the freezer section at meijer for $1 and reheated it ourselves in a microwave like they apparently did. I rate on the value, quality to price.
(1)
Megan B.
Smokey Bones is essentially a sports bar / restaurant that focuses on BBQ food. I've eaten here a couple of times. This location was kind of trashy. Our table had crumbs on it and the condiment bottles were greasy. Bathroom was run down. The food was mediocre. My sister and I both ordered the loaded BBQ burger. It's a burger that comes with not only that hamburger, but pulled pork and onion rings on the actual burger. It sounds like a great concept. Which is why we were very disappointed that the burger itself was incredibly bland tasting. Now, each table comes with a set of barbecue sauces, but none of them are very memorable. Also, both of our burgers were dry, even though we did not order them cooked the same way. My plate came out with someone else's greasy fingerprints all over it, which is pretty gross. My sister's burger came with only a small handful of fries. I ordered the cooked cinnamon apples as my side, and they were delicious. The service was not that friendly, and for a Friday night at 8 p.m., the place was pretty dead. Pass. I wish I did.
(2)
Karly C.
It was alright. Great drinks, good service, decent food. I'd rather it be in a different order and combination of words, but it wasn't terrible. We went for a weekday dinner and it wasn't busy at all. Upon walking in, there was no host/hostess standing at the table so it was me just wandering around. Then someone came up to say that someone would be with me in a second, which was even more awkward. But once seated, there was a good 5-6 minute wait until someone came to our table. Our waitress was friendly and very helpful with both the drinks, appetizers, and food selections. She was accommodating towards what we said we were hungry and thirsty for, which was nice. It took a pretty average amount of time for our food to come. I had a Cuban sandwich with a side salad. The sandwich was alright, the pork was a little dry and unpleasantly chewy in some spots. The bread didn't seem fresh and I only ended up eating half of the sandwich. The side salad was pitiful, perhaps only 10-15 small sprigs of romaine lettuce with a few onions, a tomato, and slices of cucumber and a WHOPPING amount of dressing on the side. I was very underwhelmed. So the biggest part I was looking forward to was the doughnuts, and it was the biggest disappointment. They were skinny, overfried, incredibly crunchy to the point it came to us in endless pieces in the bag, like they were running out of batter and didn't want to make more. The taste was there, but the quality control was just terrible. The usual highlight and peak of coming here turned out to be the reason I probably won't come back - not the product itself, but the lack of pride by serving something like that.
(2)
Another M.
Brisket sandwich- fatty, salty, skimping on the beef. Pulled pork was good. Liked the coleslaw and baked beans. Many beers on tap.
(3)
Gary L.
GREAT WINGS!, Burger was excellent, as was the "Sammie" of pulled pork. Waitstaff was excellent. Here for lunch, Lot looked packed but plenty of room inside. No wait, was seated right away, Adreian Payne was present with the family of Lacey Holsworth. They are all very nice people.
(5)
Thomas B.
Decided to introduce the in-laws to this chain. This is a first visit for my wife and I to THIS particular location, however we have eaten at a couple other locations in the past which were excellent. The service was mediocre.. The fish I ordered was not cooked properly. Even IF the fish were awesome, the portions were very small for the price.. Cole Slaw was good and the fries were cold... Just NOT a good item to order. No one else was very impressed with their food. Oh well!!
(2)
Mike-Val V.
Okay so this restaurant is pretty cool. The staff is super nice. The atmosphere is up beat and sporty. The music was a little load but it is in a collage town. We were seated right away. There was a television in everyone view at our table. The waitstaff explained the new table that was sitting on our table. You can order food, drinks and play games on it. The food did take a little longer then expected but it gave our group time to reminisce about our day. When the food arrived it was a surprise to see how huge the burgers were. My sister order the chicken and it was literally half a chicken. All in all this restaurant was pretty good.
(4)
Abigail L.
I will admit, I've never really explored the food scene in the Lansing area too much. Honestly, I just started looking into it seriously this year. But I do like BBQ and I do like pork. This place has it. They also make decent cole slaw and I like coming here to watch sports rather than the Buffalo Wild Wings in East Lansing. There's not too much to say about this place though, I mean, it's just a run-of-the-mill, chain BBQ place that happens to have some great cocktails AND mocktails. They have Bubbleade now that comes with your choice of popping boba! It was really strange to see that on the menu, but I got it and it was pretty good. Again, this isn't INCREDIBLE OMG SO GOOD BBQ, but it's decent. Also, the servers are nice! There has never been a time I've come in here and gotten poor service.
(3)
Chelsea S.
Great place to grab a quick dinner. Very friendly staff that provide a speedy, but efficient service. I usually split a combo meat dinner with someone because you can't go wrong with any of the meats! My favorite is the pulled pork and smoked turkey. They have four different bbq sauces, but the green bottle is my favorite. The mac and cheese and sweet potato are the best side options. Their drinks are delicious, especially the strawberry sangria! I definitely think it's worth it to sign up for the emailing list because they frequently send coupons.
(3)
Michael H.
I took the previous reviews with a grain of salt as they were all pretty old but knowing knowing Smokey Bones is a franchise, I got pretty much what I expected. Here are a few thoughts. 1. The one thing I found consistent across time (from previous reviews) is management does not manage space/seating very well. There are booths and high top tables all around the bar but are controlled by the hostess. We were told there would be an hour wait but there were at least six tables open in the bar area. I think, because they were separated from the hostess station, the visibility and control was lost. We were able to elbow our way to the bar so all was good with us. 2. The very crowded bar had two bartenders, and neither were very fast. This was a bit painful, but we persevered. 3. We finally got seated (yep, in a booth right behind us - crazy), and out waitress was fantastic. She was attentive and engaging, so Kudos. She kept our drinks replenished as requested and got our food to us in a very timely fashion. This was different than at least one of the reviews. 4. Our food was very good. I am a BBQ aficionado and I found their dry rubbed baby-back ribs hot, very tasty, tender, and just spicy enough. The full rack was exactly that - a FULL rack. If you like ribs and have an appetite, it is the right way to go (I love to eat and can do it well, so you can trust me on the quantity). 5. We had two appetizers, kettle chips and corn bread. The kettle chips were mushy, undercooked and unflavored slips of potatoes. The cornbread was thick, moist, warm and came with mouthwatering pecan butter. Guess which one was the better appetizer (and I am a potato man from way back). 6. They had a pretty good selection of draft beers, but were very expensive. I would recommend this place over most of the franchises like Applebees, Fridays, Round Round, etc.
(4)
Anne A.
Tried this place again. $4.50 Sauza margarita was spot-on, well-made. Server was friendly and efficient. They turned up the music when we sat down, but it was too loud and speakers were whacked out. We asked if they could turn it down, but the server said the manager said it was already at the lowest level (which I found hard to believe since they just turned up when we sat down!). To the server's credit, she did offer to seat us elsewhere. Food was better than then first time I stopped here.
(3)
Jan M.
Not a bad place to grab a quick bite. Called in my order and it was ready as stated. Customer service good. Food hot and as requested. Had BBQ burger which was good but not great. I heeded the warning and stayed away from the fish & chips which I would have preferred. Convenient location. Plenty of parking. Open until 2am which is good for late nighters.
(3)
Stacey B.
Really good food but the service is extremely slow. I've gone for lunch twice and it took at least 1.5 hours, and the restaurant wasn't that busy. The Mac and Cheese is delicious, as is the pulled pork. My friends love the pretzel sticks as an appetizer.
(3)
Robert K.
Previous Yelp reviews are spot on. The service here is excellent. The food, however, is garbage...I mean WTF is going on here?! Dry, overcooked, flavorless.
(1)
Lorna W.
They changed their menu and some recipes lately. Stick to the smoked meats--the ones with the SB icon on the menu. We used to go here every couple weeks for the smoked wings, but they suddenly got very salty with the menu change and we had to stop ordering them after several desperate tries. Now we love the baby back ribs and the nutty chicken salad. They also changed the ambiance, removing the drive-in movie style audio tuners at each booth and wallpapering the place with annoying marketing. We rarely go there now.
(3)
Lorraine H.
I like this place. Really enjoy the ribs. The french fries are bland, but the cole slaw is surprisingly good. I only eat here about twice a year, because it's pricey for me. I like the large menu, there's a lot to choose from. I had good service from a pleasant young woman, she did an excellent job. Only one thing, the wait time between when I finished my meal and waited for the check was too long. She sort of disappeared for about 10 minutes. There are too many TVs and the music's kind of loud.
(4)
Caitlin T.
This is the second time we have ever been to a Smokey Bones. Our first visit was quite enjoyable so when my husband had a craving for ribs, we came here to satisfy him. I decided I wanted to eat somewhat healthier so I opted for the cold turkey cob salad. I ordered it without the blue cheese dressing and used balsamic vinaigrette only. The way this salad comes originally is tossed in the balsamic with blue cheese dressing on top, which seems to be too much to me. Anyways, the salad was quite good. With all of the protein in it, it satisfied my craving for a good salad. Husband had the ribs (of course) done 2 ways; one set with dry rub the other with BBQ sauce. This is a lot of meat. Luckily it was all very good so he didn't even eat much of his vegetable sides. I am a big fan of their one BBQ sauce that comes in the red squeeze bottle, perfect amount of spice with not too much sweetness. I'm not a big fan of sweet BBQ sauce. I would probably buy it if I could. So for around $37 we got a big plate of ribs, tasty salad, and a giant beer. Not bad. We will be back.
(4)
Chad C.
Ribs were simply not good - the meat dry and the sauces watery and not anything special. The pulled pork sandwich was likewise dry. You also expect a ribs place to have some good local brews, but Michigan ales were sorely lacking. The sayings plastered all around the restaurant were chauvinistic. The waiter was a smart ass. Rarely do I give a 1-star, but this gets it on all 3 counts - food, ambiance, and service.
(1)
Voodoo D.
Great service good burger, and the Brunswick stew awesome, good atmosphere, don't treat it as BBQ joint its just a good place to eat.
(4)
Jon S.
Fantastic BBQ restaurant all-around. I spent some time in the South and I would put Smokey Bones up against any of my favorites down South. Great atmosphere and great service. These guys have always gone above and beyond expectations I've never had a poor meal at SB.....and I keep trying!
(4)
Ruben L.
In general I have beef with most chain restaurants, but I will give them their props so long as they're doing their food right. Smokey Bones misses the mark. When I got into grad school, I went out with my now wife and my mom to celebrate. Not knowing anything about this place other than they serve bbq, I was happy to check it out. They actually let you choose which style of ribs you would like to go with (which I thought was pretty cool). I've had almost every style (Texas, Memphis, etc...) except for St. Louis, so I thought I'd try out the St. Louis style ribs. Disappointing. Perhaps it was my fault for getting hyped about this place, but eating my food, and trying the memphis style my wife ordered, I just wasn't feeling it. I know there is a limited number of bbq places in the EL area, but any true bbq fan should not bother wasting their time. The only reason why there are two stars is because the service was pretty spot on. Kudos to your waitstaff.
(2)
Jason C.
GReat food, easy to find coupons
(5)
chris n.
This place is great for mostly a late night drink since they close at 2AM. The food is decent, nothing really special. The ribs, steak and pulled pork were fine, not amazing by any means. I find Smokey Bones to be a better burger place than anything else ironically. The other menu items just seem sub par to some of the other BBQ Smoke Houses in the area.
(3)
Teresa K.
Had never heard of it before. Though it seems to be a chain. Good food. Great ribs and pulled pork.
(4)
Heather Anna W.
I have been to Smokey Bones about 10 times and unlike some other reviewers, I am not well versed in BBQ so I cannot compare this to other BBQ places. I am reviewing them based on consistency and service. I have recieved wonderful customer service each and every time I have visited no matter how busy and the food always comes out the same. I usually just get the shaved turkey platter and I love it. Everyone I have brought there likes it too.
(4)
Jenny C.
I've eaten here several times due to meetings. First, the service here is great! I've never had a bad experience! Now for the food. Sigh. I wanted to like this place. I love BBQ. I'm from TN and I've eaten BBQ all across the country and moving to Lansing has meant a search for good BBQ. The BBQ here is awful. The pulled pork is greasy (though at least they don't drown it in sauce). The brisket was just horrible - over cooked and drowned in sauce (who serves brisket already tossed in sauce?). The baby back ribs taste steamed not smoked. The St. Louis style ribs are the closest to OK, but even they need some sort of sauce and I really prefer dry ribs to wet. Also, I don't think they understand the point of dry rub. You don't cook the ribs, put on sauce and then sprinkle dry rub on top of the sauce. You rub the ribs and then cook them. Sigh. This place is just not good BBQ. The sweet potato fries are great as are the cooked apples. The cute little doughnuts were also quite tasty. Really, if you stick to the salads, grilled chicken, etc., this place is great, but then what really is the point of going to a BBQ restaurant if you are going to do that?
(2)
Jessica T.
It was ok but not the best I've every had.
(2)
Derek B.
So Smokey Bones has probably the 2nd best chain restaurant pulled pork next to Bubba Gump's. The bad thing about theirs is that it comes kinda plain. The good thing is that they have like 6 different kinds of barbecue sauce at every table for you to lather your pulled pork (or whatever else you may have ordered) up with. Go here if you like corn bread, barbeque and lathering things up.
(4)
Jason F.
Over-seasoned meat with extra sauces on the table.. After eating here, you can use your blood as motor oil. It's a great place to go to once or twice, but the single-dimensionality of this resturant prevents me from giving it a very high review score.
(2)
April J.
Smokey Bones is my FAVORITE place for wings. I eat a LOT of wings. I've had them almost everywhere I've been that sells them and this is the place. If you like buffalo wings, look no farther. I've never had wings that were this wonderful. Fantastic sauce. Not super greasy or over breaded or fried, but the skin isn't soggy either. Big pieces, not like some places that seem to have miniature chickens or something. Also, the prices are fantastic. Particularly if you sign up to get their coupons via e-mail. There have also been raves about it because they have $3 house chardonnay. I'm not a wine drinker but I particularly enjoy the company of an avid chardonnay drinker, and I therefore know that $3 a glass is practically a steal at a restaurant. All around - fantastic. Highly recommend.
(5)
Lawrence S.
Smokey Bones isn't all that bad ..Just don't compare it to anything on Beale Street in Memphis ....Have ate there 4 times service has always been fast and the bartenders great . Have tried the chicken and the ribs nothing to write home about but the sides were good . Good selection of domestic drafts.....
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Drive-Thru : No Caters : Yes
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Mike R.
Fantastic bbq.. I haven't the foggiest idea why they call Killian's 'Bone's Brew', but it's always cold so whatever.. I've been here in multiple occasions. The smoked wings are a must try. Anything bbq is amazing and I quite like the mustard bbq sauce..
(4)Mike T.
Customer service is paramount in businesses like restaurants. And this place does not know what customer service is. First of all we had a very snotty waitress, I think that she should have a little attitude check and perhaps leave her problems at home. She clearly did not want to be there. I came in and wanted to order the buffalo chicken dip, with one slight request, grilled chicken instead of fried. Before she even asked the chef, she said " no I don't think they can do that, especially today because there is a table full of prom kids". Really? I'm a paying customer also! I don't care if there's a prom there! I would have thrown a fit, & I normally would have, except I wasn't in the mood. (How long does it take to grill chicken? ) Well, she went and asked the chef, and the chef said no. I wonder what the manager would think about this? It wasn't about the dip, it was the principle. The waitress was extremely rude, and should have said, " I will go check and see what we can do for you, even if it takes a little longer". There was no such offer on the table, literally lol. The service was horrible, but I have to admit that the food was very good. Don't expect humongous portions, you get a normal portion, which is good depending on who you are. I don't recommend their service, but I would definitely give it another try. But I would never rush there. I hope the manager sees this. I don't want to put names on here, but if they want to know they can always message me.
(2)Al W.
I ordered the beef brisket & the girls ordered ribs. I m a very big snob when it comes to BBQ & brisket because I've had real Texas brisket & not much can compare to it. But this place came through. Food was excellent! Bella, our beautiful, friendly server who I absolutely adored and love, was so thoughtful and just great! Food was served fast ans she checked on us often. I highly recommend this place and will definitely go back again
(5)Dave V.
The food is pretty good here, especially the stuffed burgers. Prices are average depending on what you're used to maybe even a little high. The customer service is TERRIBLE. After making a reservation here 3 weeks ago and calling today to confirm, we were informed by the manager that they do not make reservations for the weekend and that it is impossible that we did so and she went on to essentially read us the policy and repeat herself several times when we would try to explain to her that we understand but we did make the reservation. Lady, you are a freaking manager dealing with customers! No one gives a crap to hear your policy over and over. instead of telling us that we are wrong why don't you just apologize and try to find a solution. or at least say there is nothing you can do but you are sorry for the incompetence of whoever it was that made the reservation which since only a manager can do, might have been you! You just lost a lot of business from us and anyone we can stop from MSU. In the future, learn when to suck it up and do your job as a manager in the customer service industry
(1)shara A.
WARNING: I'm not being persnickety, & I'm not "one of THOSE" types, (you know, the ones who can spot a spot three tables over), I'm just telling my experience (singing: don't take it personal). On a mission to try a new restaurant my family of 4 headed to Smokey Bones. The wait was about 10 minutes, not bad. The waitress was very attentive, knowledgeable and answered all our questions patiently. I'll give it to the woman, she kept our drinks refilled. I was barely 1/2 way done with my first Coke when she magically appeared with a second one. The atmosphere is nice, table was clean. However it was annoying not being able to view the TVs from our table due to the blah hanging boards, especially when you know it's a big game on and you can hear the crowd in the bar area cheering their jubilees for all jubilation to hear. It was also irritating to get asked to close & adjust the shades at our booth and the others around us because other peoples retinas were being burnt by the setting sun's glare (can we say custom cut blinds? Ooh! Or better yet tint the windows or something...please). And now if you would... drum roll please... The food was freaking....TERRIBLE!! Let's start with the sauce, sitting in squeeze bottles with no seals or caps, not only seemed very unsanitary, but it tasted like it was going bad/sour/rancid (don't ask how I know that unforgettable taste, the story gets locked away in the "1st apartment horrors" file). Our appetizer was the four bread sticks, almost $9 for this?! It was good but not that dang good! I ordered the brisket, which tasted and looked like pre-cooked, pre-sliced, supposedly honey baked, grocery store variety, RE-COOKED ham. There was nothing briskety about it at all. I also ordered the pulled pork - which wasn't too bad, but not something I'd expect from a place boasting about their Q. Dairy Queen's pulled pork is better. My husband had the pulled pork & spicy garlic chicken fingers which were over cooked. He definitely wasn't happy about the taste. My daughter had the spicy buffalo hot wings THEY WERE UNDER-COOKED! Pink chicken is pink chicken! "Oh, people say this all the time, the chicken was smoked then cooked" say the waitress. Well I say you can smoke it, fry it, boil it, grill it and flambé it and if it's still pink then there's a problem, and if you know about it and you say people are still thinking the chicken is undercooked then there's a serious un-addressed problem. "No baby you don't have to eat that." My son had the steak, which made him the only person at the table who didn't complain about the taste of their meal, thus the two stars; however I had to cut it for him which meant I got to have a taste - toughest piece of rubber this side of the gum tree. Mr. "I just loss two molars" (he's still growing) also complained about his lacking ability to chew the steak, however because of the recent missing teeth, it's hard to say if for him it was the meat or his tender gums. I say it was the meat. (Where's Chef Ramsey when you need him?) Coupon not included, it was a $60 meal... guess what? This family won't be going back. $60 gone straight to the dog - literaly.. :{ Glad we tried some place new, but that's about it.
(2)Stan D.
Food was good, service was good. Manager was a @&$#%. The music was so loud I couldn't hear the person I was with. So I went to find her. When I ask her to turn down the music she just look at me. Didn't speak, so okay or anything. And she didn't turn it down. I ask the waiter, he said she mood a lot of the time. Don't go if you want to be able to hear the person your with.
(3)Kathy T.
Great baby back ribs that fall off the bone they are so tender and delicious! I love the dry rub they offer and the Cornbread topped off my meal it was so tasty! Smokey Bones Bar and Fire Grill surely knows how to impress a woman with friendly service and a delightful, home-style meal you cannot find anywhere else!
(5)Thom B.
Great food, friendly service. Baby back ribs were fall off the bone delicious, I had mine Memphis style with a dry rub. Awesome! Cornbread with pecan butter was awesome. Odd paring but mashed potatoes and gravy were also very good.
(4)Jamie P.
Food inconsistencies are pretty consistent. Today I got served the worst nachos. My guacamole came out brown. It made it past the cook and the server that way. So this is obviously a pretty standard example of their method of cooking and quality control which actually appears to be non existent. I won't get into detail of the rest of the nachos but I was disappointed and sent half back. My son's apples were extremely hot and some were very cold. His macaroni and cheese came unstirred. We could have gotten the same or more quality food from the freezer section at meijer for $1 and reheated it ourselves in a microwave like they apparently did. I rate on the value, quality to price.
(1)Megan B.
Smokey Bones is essentially a sports bar / restaurant that focuses on BBQ food. I've eaten here a couple of times. This location was kind of trashy. Our table had crumbs on it and the condiment bottles were greasy. Bathroom was run down. The food was mediocre. My sister and I both ordered the loaded BBQ burger. It's a burger that comes with not only that hamburger, but pulled pork and onion rings on the actual burger. It sounds like a great concept. Which is why we were very disappointed that the burger itself was incredibly bland tasting. Now, each table comes with a set of barbecue sauces, but none of them are very memorable. Also, both of our burgers were dry, even though we did not order them cooked the same way. My plate came out with someone else's greasy fingerprints all over it, which is pretty gross. My sister's burger came with only a small handful of fries. I ordered the cooked cinnamon apples as my side, and they were delicious. The service was not that friendly, and for a Friday night at 8 p.m., the place was pretty dead. Pass. I wish I did.
(2)Karly C.
It was alright. Great drinks, good service, decent food. I'd rather it be in a different order and combination of words, but it wasn't terrible. We went for a weekday dinner and it wasn't busy at all. Upon walking in, there was no host/hostess standing at the table so it was me just wandering around. Then someone came up to say that someone would be with me in a second, which was even more awkward. But once seated, there was a good 5-6 minute wait until someone came to our table. Our waitress was friendly and very helpful with both the drinks, appetizers, and food selections. She was accommodating towards what we said we were hungry and thirsty for, which was nice. It took a pretty average amount of time for our food to come. I had a Cuban sandwich with a side salad. The sandwich was alright, the pork was a little dry and unpleasantly chewy in some spots. The bread didn't seem fresh and I only ended up eating half of the sandwich. The side salad was pitiful, perhaps only 10-15 small sprigs of romaine lettuce with a few onions, a tomato, and slices of cucumber and a WHOPPING amount of dressing on the side. I was very underwhelmed. So the biggest part I was looking forward to was the doughnuts, and it was the biggest disappointment. They were skinny, overfried, incredibly crunchy to the point it came to us in endless pieces in the bag, like they were running out of batter and didn't want to make more. The taste was there, but the quality control was just terrible. The usual highlight and peak of coming here turned out to be the reason I probably won't come back - not the product itself, but the lack of pride by serving something like that.
(2)Another M.
Brisket sandwich- fatty, salty, skimping on the beef. Pulled pork was good. Liked the coleslaw and baked beans. Many beers on tap.
(3)Gary L.
GREAT WINGS!, Burger was excellent, as was the "Sammie" of pulled pork. Waitstaff was excellent. Here for lunch, Lot looked packed but plenty of room inside. No wait, was seated right away, Adreian Payne was present with the family of Lacey Holsworth. They are all very nice people.
(5)Thomas B.
Decided to introduce the in-laws to this chain. This is a first visit for my wife and I to THIS particular location, however we have eaten at a couple other locations in the past which were excellent. The service was mediocre.. The fish I ordered was not cooked properly. Even IF the fish were awesome, the portions were very small for the price.. Cole Slaw was good and the fries were cold... Just NOT a good item to order. No one else was very impressed with their food. Oh well!!
(2)Mike-Val V.
Okay so this restaurant is pretty cool. The staff is super nice. The atmosphere is up beat and sporty. The music was a little load but it is in a collage town. We were seated right away. There was a television in everyone view at our table. The waitstaff explained the new table that was sitting on our table. You can order food, drinks and play games on it. The food did take a little longer then expected but it gave our group time to reminisce about our day. When the food arrived it was a surprise to see how huge the burgers were. My sister order the chicken and it was literally half a chicken. All in all this restaurant was pretty good.
(4)Abigail L.
I will admit, I've never really explored the food scene in the Lansing area too much. Honestly, I just started looking into it seriously this year. But I do like BBQ and I do like pork. This place has it. They also make decent cole slaw and I like coming here to watch sports rather than the Buffalo Wild Wings in East Lansing. There's not too much to say about this place though, I mean, it's just a run-of-the-mill, chain BBQ place that happens to have some great cocktails AND mocktails. They have Bubbleade now that comes with your choice of popping boba! It was really strange to see that on the menu, but I got it and it was pretty good. Again, this isn't INCREDIBLE OMG SO GOOD BBQ, but it's decent. Also, the servers are nice! There has never been a time I've come in here and gotten poor service.
(3)Chelsea S.
Great place to grab a quick dinner. Very friendly staff that provide a speedy, but efficient service. I usually split a combo meat dinner with someone because you can't go wrong with any of the meats! My favorite is the pulled pork and smoked turkey. They have four different bbq sauces, but the green bottle is my favorite. The mac and cheese and sweet potato are the best side options. Their drinks are delicious, especially the strawberry sangria! I definitely think it's worth it to sign up for the emailing list because they frequently send coupons.
(3)Michael H.
I took the previous reviews with a grain of salt as they were all pretty old but knowing knowing Smokey Bones is a franchise, I got pretty much what I expected. Here are a few thoughts. 1. The one thing I found consistent across time (from previous reviews) is management does not manage space/seating very well. There are booths and high top tables all around the bar but are controlled by the hostess. We were told there would be an hour wait but there were at least six tables open in the bar area. I think, because they were separated from the hostess station, the visibility and control was lost. We were able to elbow our way to the bar so all was good with us. 2. The very crowded bar had two bartenders, and neither were very fast. This was a bit painful, but we persevered. 3. We finally got seated (yep, in a booth right behind us - crazy), and out waitress was fantastic. She was attentive and engaging, so Kudos. She kept our drinks replenished as requested and got our food to us in a very timely fashion. This was different than at least one of the reviews. 4. Our food was very good. I am a BBQ aficionado and I found their dry rubbed baby-back ribs hot, very tasty, tender, and just spicy enough. The full rack was exactly that - a FULL rack. If you like ribs and have an appetite, it is the right way to go (I love to eat and can do it well, so you can trust me on the quantity). 5. We had two appetizers, kettle chips and corn bread. The kettle chips were mushy, undercooked and unflavored slips of potatoes. The cornbread was thick, moist, warm and came with mouthwatering pecan butter. Guess which one was the better appetizer (and I am a potato man from way back). 6. They had a pretty good selection of draft beers, but were very expensive. I would recommend this place over most of the franchises like Applebees, Fridays, Round Round, etc.
(4)Anne A.
Tried this place again. $4.50 Sauza margarita was spot-on, well-made. Server was friendly and efficient. They turned up the music when we sat down, but it was too loud and speakers were whacked out. We asked if they could turn it down, but the server said the manager said it was already at the lowest level (which I found hard to believe since they just turned up when we sat down!). To the server's credit, she did offer to seat us elsewhere. Food was better than then first time I stopped here.
(3)Jan M.
Not a bad place to grab a quick bite. Called in my order and it was ready as stated. Customer service good. Food hot and as requested. Had BBQ burger which was good but not great. I heeded the warning and stayed away from the fish & chips which I would have preferred. Convenient location. Plenty of parking. Open until 2am which is good for late nighters.
(3)Stacey B.
Really good food but the service is extremely slow. I've gone for lunch twice and it took at least 1.5 hours, and the restaurant wasn't that busy. The Mac and Cheese is delicious, as is the pulled pork. My friends love the pretzel sticks as an appetizer.
(3)Robert K.
Previous Yelp reviews are spot on. The service here is excellent. The food, however, is garbage...I mean WTF is going on here?! Dry, overcooked, flavorless.
(1)Lorna W.
They changed their menu and some recipes lately. Stick to the smoked meats--the ones with the SB icon on the menu. We used to go here every couple weeks for the smoked wings, but they suddenly got very salty with the menu change and we had to stop ordering them after several desperate tries. Now we love the baby back ribs and the nutty chicken salad. They also changed the ambiance, removing the drive-in movie style audio tuners at each booth and wallpapering the place with annoying marketing. We rarely go there now.
(3)Lorraine H.
I like this place. Really enjoy the ribs. The french fries are bland, but the cole slaw is surprisingly good. I only eat here about twice a year, because it's pricey for me. I like the large menu, there's a lot to choose from. I had good service from a pleasant young woman, she did an excellent job. Only one thing, the wait time between when I finished my meal and waited for the check was too long. She sort of disappeared for about 10 minutes. There are too many TVs and the music's kind of loud.
(4)Caitlin T.
This is the second time we have ever been to a Smokey Bones. Our first visit was quite enjoyable so when my husband had a craving for ribs, we came here to satisfy him. I decided I wanted to eat somewhat healthier so I opted for the cold turkey cob salad. I ordered it without the blue cheese dressing and used balsamic vinaigrette only. The way this salad comes originally is tossed in the balsamic with blue cheese dressing on top, which seems to be too much to me. Anyways, the salad was quite good. With all of the protein in it, it satisfied my craving for a good salad. Husband had the ribs (of course) done 2 ways; one set with dry rub the other with BBQ sauce. This is a lot of meat. Luckily it was all very good so he didn't even eat much of his vegetable sides. I am a big fan of their one BBQ sauce that comes in the red squeeze bottle, perfect amount of spice with not too much sweetness. I'm not a big fan of sweet BBQ sauce. I would probably buy it if I could. So for around $37 we got a big plate of ribs, tasty salad, and a giant beer. Not bad. We will be back.
(4)Chad C.
Ribs were simply not good - the meat dry and the sauces watery and not anything special. The pulled pork sandwich was likewise dry. You also expect a ribs place to have some good local brews, but Michigan ales were sorely lacking. The sayings plastered all around the restaurant were chauvinistic. The waiter was a smart ass. Rarely do I give a 1-star, but this gets it on all 3 counts - food, ambiance, and service.
(1)Voodoo D.
Great service good burger, and the Brunswick stew awesome, good atmosphere, don't treat it as BBQ joint its just a good place to eat.
(4)Jon S.
Fantastic BBQ restaurant all-around. I spent some time in the South and I would put Smokey Bones up against any of my favorites down South. Great atmosphere and great service. These guys have always gone above and beyond expectations I've never had a poor meal at SB.....and I keep trying!
(4)Ruben L.
In general I have beef with most chain restaurants, but I will give them their props so long as they're doing their food right. Smokey Bones misses the mark. When I got into grad school, I went out with my now wife and my mom to celebrate. Not knowing anything about this place other than they serve bbq, I was happy to check it out. They actually let you choose which style of ribs you would like to go with (which I thought was pretty cool). I've had almost every style (Texas, Memphis, etc...) except for St. Louis, so I thought I'd try out the St. Louis style ribs. Disappointing. Perhaps it was my fault for getting hyped about this place, but eating my food, and trying the memphis style my wife ordered, I just wasn't feeling it. I know there is a limited number of bbq places in the EL area, but any true bbq fan should not bother wasting their time. The only reason why there are two stars is because the service was pretty spot on. Kudos to your waitstaff.
(2)Jason C.
GReat food, easy to find coupons
(5)chris n.
This place is great for mostly a late night drink since they close at 2AM. The food is decent, nothing really special. The ribs, steak and pulled pork were fine, not amazing by any means. I find Smokey Bones to be a better burger place than anything else ironically. The other menu items just seem sub par to some of the other BBQ Smoke Houses in the area.
(3)Teresa K.
Had never heard of it before. Though it seems to be a chain. Good food. Great ribs and pulled pork.
(4)Heather Anna W.
I have been to Smokey Bones about 10 times and unlike some other reviewers, I am not well versed in BBQ so I cannot compare this to other BBQ places. I am reviewing them based on consistency and service. I have recieved wonderful customer service each and every time I have visited no matter how busy and the food always comes out the same. I usually just get the shaved turkey platter and I love it. Everyone I have brought there likes it too.
(4)Jenny C.
I've eaten here several times due to meetings. First, the service here is great! I've never had a bad experience! Now for the food. Sigh. I wanted to like this place. I love BBQ. I'm from TN and I've eaten BBQ all across the country and moving to Lansing has meant a search for good BBQ. The BBQ here is awful. The pulled pork is greasy (though at least they don't drown it in sauce). The brisket was just horrible - over cooked and drowned in sauce (who serves brisket already tossed in sauce?). The baby back ribs taste steamed not smoked. The St. Louis style ribs are the closest to OK, but even they need some sort of sauce and I really prefer dry ribs to wet. Also, I don't think they understand the point of dry rub. You don't cook the ribs, put on sauce and then sprinkle dry rub on top of the sauce. You rub the ribs and then cook them. Sigh. This place is just not good BBQ. The sweet potato fries are great as are the cooked apples. The cute little doughnuts were also quite tasty. Really, if you stick to the salads, grilled chicken, etc., this place is great, but then what really is the point of going to a BBQ restaurant if you are going to do that?
(2)Jessica T.
It was ok but not the best I've every had.
(2)Derek B.
So Smokey Bones has probably the 2nd best chain restaurant pulled pork next to Bubba Gump's. The bad thing about theirs is that it comes kinda plain. The good thing is that they have like 6 different kinds of barbecue sauce at every table for you to lather your pulled pork (or whatever else you may have ordered) up with. Go here if you like corn bread, barbeque and lathering things up.
(4)Jason F.
Over-seasoned meat with extra sauces on the table.. After eating here, you can use your blood as motor oil. It's a great place to go to once or twice, but the single-dimensionality of this resturant prevents me from giving it a very high review score.
(2)April J.
Smokey Bones is my FAVORITE place for wings. I eat a LOT of wings. I've had them almost everywhere I've been that sells them and this is the place. If you like buffalo wings, look no farther. I've never had wings that were this wonderful. Fantastic sauce. Not super greasy or over breaded or fried, but the skin isn't soggy either. Big pieces, not like some places that seem to have miniature chickens or something. Also, the prices are fantastic. Particularly if you sign up to get their coupons via e-mail. There have also been raves about it because they have $3 house chardonnay. I'm not a wine drinker but I particularly enjoy the company of an avid chardonnay drinker, and I therefore know that $3 a glass is practically a steal at a restaurant. All around - fantastic. Highly recommend.
(5)Lawrence S.
Smokey Bones isn't all that bad ..Just don't compare it to anything on Beale Street in Memphis ....Have ate there 4 times service has always been fast and the bartenders great . Have tried the chicken and the ribs nothing to write home about but the sides were good . Good selection of domestic drafts.....
(3)