Having been to the main location in Windsor Locks many times I know Bears does great, authentic BBQ. Real barbeque where they serve the meat(s) with the sauce on the side, in most cases it's not even needed IMO, THAT'S what true Q is. Tucked away on a quiet corner on Ellington Road you might even miss it but its the "Express" location so it's not very large. They have a small area where you order and a kitchen though I don't think they actually cook most or any of the food here. That being said they may run out of popular items like burnt ends so if you're really craving something in particular you may want to call and confirm they still have it, otherwise you'll have to drive to the Windsor Lock location. They have some picnic tables outside if you'd like to 'dine in' but this location does mostly takeout. From the Texas sausage to the pulled pork, brisket, burnt ends and chicken I've never had a bad meal here. The sides are equally good and they even have baked potatoes in addition to the usual mac and cheese, cole slaw and beans you'd expect. Friendly and quick service, tasty meats and sides, what's not to love? Five Stars! read more

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Great place. Great food, and they were slammed with people, having a mostly full bar, and still great. Leslie, the Manager who was on today, also our server, and Darlene who was our server, were great. Leslie, was great manager, and loved the food. The place is nice, lots of seating areas and a great area to eat and get food. Extremely recommend this place to anybody who likes Barbecues. read more

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We ordered brisket, babyback ribs and wings for my mother's 80th birthday party, and they were a huge hit -- particularly the ribs and the brisket. Everyone returned for second and third helpings. We had ordered from the catering menu, so everything was packaged really neatly, to stay fresh and hot -- in large foil containers, that were placed in clean cardboard boxes that were labeled. The presentation was excellent. read more

We just picked up our food from bears express and we were sadly disappointed. We love bears in Hartford but the south Windsor location served us cold food, forgot to put our sauces in our order, and tasted a little off from what we are use to. Needless to say we will not be picking up food from this location again in the near future. read more

Stopped in while driving through - wasn't expecting much and was amazed at how good the food was. If was take out only but there's tables outside you can sit at. Highly recommend the pulled pork and pulled chicken. I've had a lot of bbq in my life and this is easily one of the best I've ever had. Hope to return soon. read more

They delivered on time and their food was delicious! All of my guests were very happy! Thank you Bears!!

We got this food as takeout. The burnt ends were the superstar!! If you go, you must get them. Our favorite sides were the Mac & cheese, collards, and beans. We also tried the potato salad (vinegar base) and coleslaw (creamy & sweet) which were solid but nothing special. We hear from family that the broccoli salad is amazing but we haven't tried it ourselves since they were out. Pulled pork and the 2 bbq sauces were also tasty. Make sure you order early because if they are out of a meat, it takes a while. read more

Brisket was dry as hell, was saved by their sweet bbq sauce. Sausages were okay, cornbread and mac and cheese were okay as well.

Picked up an online order today for my wife at South Windsor Express location. She handed my order to me right over the tip jar and as I'm walking out screamed I appreciate you and mumbled some other rude comment. So first of all I'm picking up a prepaid order for someone and I don't have cash on me for the tip jar, and second I don't have to leave you a tip for online pick up, it's optional! If you want a tip go get a job as a waitress and if you're a good server you might get 20% tip but with that attitude I doubt it. read more

This branch of Bear's is just take-out..but you should stop by! I had the Macho Nachos which was sooooo much food, but they were sooooo good. I added the pulled chicken, which was such a good choice. Their Mac & cheese is creamy and delightful. read more

The food is good, no complaints there. The service is always fast--they recommend ordering ahead, but it is often faster to just walk in and order on the spot. The to-go sauce cups are sometimes a bit sticky--it would be nice if they were a little more careful when filling them. Oh well. There is no indoor seating, just a few picnic tables outside. read more

At Xfinity theater for a concert and excited to see Bear's truck for dinner. Well excitement turned to disgust quickly. Combo meals they hand you two separate plates and no tray so juggling that with a drink (which you can't get with any sort of top here) and rental chairs was a feat in its own. Them go to bite into the brisket (within 2 minutes of receiving it) and it was cold. Had to go back to the truck and ask them to heat it - at least they replaced it with a hot serving. However, the brisket was 90% fat - the entire serving. After attempting to find actual meat to eat and being disappointed I finally just threw it out. The coke slaw was ok but like soup in the paper plate and slipping all over everything since they give no way to carry all this stuff. Two combo meals plus tip (which I regret now) was $46!!! Total waste of that money. Now I know why people are tailgating in the parking lot. The food here sucks, is cold when it should be hot, and is way overpriced. Shame on Bear's and shame on Xfinity Theater. read more

The food was fantastic and the staff was very friendly and efficient. The four of us loved our lunch choices - ribs, pulled pork, brisket, potato salad, corn bread,baked beans, etc. Lots of people picked up takeout when we were there. There were clean, covered picnic tables outside which suited us just fine. We left full and happy. I will be back! read more

Bears is my Wednesday to go place only coz I eat their wings and they are 1/2 price! Even though it is an express I love their staff, quick and friendly . Never disappointed over two years to this day. It's my most favorite wings place after I gave them a try with hesitation. Perfect packaging. Perfect patio for summers and perfect price. And perfect parking! read more

Bear's Smokehouse Express - Barbeque Near Me - South Windsor, Connecticut

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Excellent food ! Best BBQ around . The baby back and beef ribs were both delicious. Many yummy sides, corn bread, baked beans. read more

I live in Texas but always stop at Bears when visiting family in Windsor .Broccoli salad is my favorites.

Delicious meatloaf and sides. Great place for a quick lunch that will have you coming back for more. The Beans are amazing.

3 stars because the food isn't "bad". It's just very very overpriced. It is also very overrated. I promise you will find many better smaller BBQ places around for cheaper. Once bears opened multiple locations it has all been downhill....at least you used to get a lot for the over price...now you get less for more. read more

Ordered on Uber eats for pickup as there was a deal on the app! I ordered the 3 meat combo with brisket, ribs, and sausage with coleslaw and Mac and cheese. I got the peach cobbler, a side of cornbread, and a kids meal as well. The kids meal was pretty worth it, you get a pulled pork sandwich, a cookie, and a side of Mac and cheese for around $5. The cornbread was a bit dry but everything else tasted great especially the peach cobbler! read more

Nick served my group with the utmost enthusiasm and pride in the food. Per his recommendation, we got the burnt ends, which were very moist. My favorite though was the Texas sausage, which had great heat and flavor. The mac and cheese had no frills, but was creamy and tasty - the kids loved it. read more

Bear's Smokehouse Express - Broccoli salad, Mac and cheese - Barbeque Near Me - South Windsor, Connecticut

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I almost never give bad reviews. But I have to with this restaurant! I ordered with UberEats burnt ends and brisket. 20 Mins after I placed my order I received a phone call telling me that they did not have any burnt ends. This was not indicated on their website prior to ordering my meal! I am EXTREMELY disappointed because I had to substitute my order for another meat which is really frustrating! Do not order from here, or if you do call prior because you will end up on my situation read more

The food and the service was above and beyond. The friendly staff was very helpful with explaining the menu, quick and extremely welcoming. The food was outstanding. We tried the burnt ends, brisket, corn bread with honey butter (yum!), a sweet and sweet/spicy bbq sauce, collard greens and mac n' cheese. Everything was perfection. But the collard green were suprisingly off the chart delicious. Best I ever tasted and I am a southern girl. It is a must visit if you are a BBQ lover. read more

I ordered the bear attack. Used to be really good. The server chopped up a good portion of brisket but I hard any. Not worth it anymore.

Very good product and service. It's very expensive but if you like quality smoke house this is the place. We visit once a month .

Been told my own bbq is better and I have to agree. The brisket dry. Had it couple of times. Wasn't very good wouldn't go back

I have gone to this location several times. Kind of out of the way spot but not bad. On Tuesday I went and ordered the pulled pork and got bad food poisoning. I could tell it was the food since the only food I had that day was fruit. Within hours my stomach was in pain and spent the better part of the day throwing up. I almost had to go to the hospital and I'm just now feeling I can eat real food. I've had food poisoning one other time and this was just like that. I normally love the food and bbq but I'll be avoiding this franchise going forward. read more

Walked in to order dinner and was greeted less than enthusiastically by the girl at the counter with the pink hair. Actually felt like I was inconveniencing her by placing an order. She barely looked at me during the order and seemed upset when I asked to clarify what was included with the options I was ordering. I was placing an order for my family and my son. At the register I asked her for extra sweet BBQ sauce for myself and my son. I clearly stated "2 extra sauces please." She didn't acknowledge. Paid my bill. Thought it was a bit high. Got home to find that there were 2 sandwiches in my order. When I checked my receipt, yep - charged me for 2 sandwiches and an extra side. I had only ordered one BUT, my mistake, did ask if there was anything included with the sandwich and then ordered the extra sides, as there wasn't. Guess that meant I had to have an extra sandwich too? If it wasn't for the poor service I wouldn't even have minded but the fact that she barely looked or acknowledged me as I was ordering made this all the more frustrating. I will not go back. Will not recommend it. Learned my lesson. read more

This location was so DISAPPOINTING! I don't even want to give it a star. I decided to come here for some "smoked wings". I ordered my wings and I was leaving. I decided to check my order. Good thing I did, it was DEEP FRIED! So I decided to go back to see if I can get them not fried. I asked them not to get them fried, they had to call a manager to see if I can get them without additional frying. What I learned from this: the wings are not smoked. They are fried, stored in the fridge and fried again to bring them up to temperature and sold to the customer. This is false advertisement. The quality was terrible the taste was subpar. So if you gotta get food don't go to this location. read more

Bear's Smokehouse Express - Fake smoked wings - Barbeque Near Me - South Windsor, Connecticut

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I'm as patient as the next guy, but when my order comes out completely screwed up... man! I ordered the "Macho Nachos" and specifically asked there be no meat, and of course it was filled with meat! Not to mention it was supposed to have jalapenos, black olives, other stuff that you'd find in nachos, none of it in there at all. However, the guy at his desk did put in the effort to help me understand the menu, so at least the service is great. The tables outside the service area could have been better kept, but they weren't the worst thing in the world. If you're ordering here, make sure you get what you order. read more

Skin is NOT in! After eating here several times and writing a review or two, this time around after eating here I HAD to share my experience . First of all the reason why I ate here tonight is because it is close to my house and my husband somewhat likes it here, so I picked up dinner I ordered the naked Pulled pork . Please make sure to look at the pictures I posted. There is nothing like having a large quantity of PORK SKIN to make you lose your appetite. Seriously, a huge amount of skin! What is wrong with these people? Clearly the workers don't care and I am assuming the management/ owner feels the same . As I said in a prior review, Bears is always a disappointment and I will no never go back. Nay Hayden's has better quality meat and bigger portions. Do yourself a favor and just drive by.... read more

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Decided to give this place a 2nd try. Went with the 2 meat selection mac and cheese and collard greens, Final cost 21.30. It was ok, nothing to make me want to go again. And for 22 bucks I could have bought 2 pizzas somewhere and fed a bunch of people. I love bbq and want to like it here but even the mac and cheese was average. read more

I like the smoke flavor on the chicken and despite the dry look it was surprisingly juicy! I'm a skin person on occasion so the fact that the skin is tough an unbreakable was a negative for me. You literally need scissors for the skin I promise! In addition to that the sauce was like they took a good sauce and just wrecked it with vinegar and pepper. The collard greens were not good in a Caribbean way. Islanders don't really nail collard greens in my opinion. My 2nd side was a side salad and it was superb! So go here because you don't want the fast food choices in the area don't go because you think it's southern barbecue. read more

Bear's Smokehouse Express - The skin on the chicken is not ediable whatsoever!! - Barbeque Near Me - South Windsor, Connecticut

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Place was clean, comfortable, and staff was great... good BBQ and plenty of food on this plate for 2 people read more

Bear's Smokehouse Express - A lot of food and not bad for the price - Barbeque Near Me - South Windsor, Connecticut

This express BBQ always hits the spot when I am in the area. The quality is always great, and the pulled pork sandwich is ample in size

YUM, salivating just thinking about this place. It's on my top 5 list of places to get BBQ. Favorites: Burnt Ends, Pork Ribs, Brisket. The menu was overwhelming and I didn't know what to get because I felt like ordering EVERYTHING! Have usually gotten their food to go and eat it at home. Plenty of parking space and pretty quick to get in and out of there! read more

Bear's Smokehouse Express - Barbeque Near Me - South Windsor, Connecticut

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Wanted to update based on a more recent trip to their location. Food was excellent, unfortunately this time our order was missing multiple items, and we were provided a smaller sized Mac and cheese than we ordered. Having young kids it was a major inconvenience to have to drive back to the store and was already later on a Friday evening. I tried to call but no answer, I submitted an email as per their website they reply with 24-48 hours, 72 hours later and still no response so I followed up on the initial email and have received nothing in response. Very frustrated, was just looking for a refund for the items paid for but not received. read more

We frequent this location because it's close to where we live. Love the food but every time we come they are out of the meat we want.

The meal was delicious. Usually when i go the service is amazing, but this time, I had a horrible experience. In my 65 years of being alive, I've never experiences such disrespect from these teenagers. I caught the young ladies name when her coworkers were talking to her. Her name was MJ. Her tone and attitude was extremely disrespectful and when I confronted her about it, she called me profanities and told me to go back to the nursing home. I have never felt more disgusted and disrespected in my life. read more

20 for mostly and inedible fatty pork, a small square of dry corn bread, smashed sweet potatoes that smell and taste like play dough. On top of dismissive staff and a hard to order phone tree. Don't waste your time. This is not a BBQ joint it's just some suburban trash. read more

High bear paw five for BBQ on the run with this "express" location of Connecticut's most well-known comfort food. Where can you go wrong with delicious BBQ on the go? You can't. This location of Bear's is pretty small inside, with just the counter to order and register along with a utensil bar and an upright refreshment cooler. There is no seating on the inside, but a handful of picnic tables lines the sidewalk outside. All you really need, though, is that BBQ, and this location has the yummiest BBQ that all of the Bear's locations have. My favorite still is the sweet mashed potatoes. Yes, I know, it's a side, but order a few of them like I do and hey, it's a meal!! The pulled pork, the pulled chicken, beans, mac & cheese, and so forth--all that goodness, in individual portions and in combos, are here. Each meal is served in to-go containers which is absolutely perfect when you order a lot and can't finish--close the box and take it home for more deliciousness later. So easy, so convenient, like the location of this Bear's. It's a quick zig and zag off 84, so you can order ahead, pick it up, then zoom home to enjoy it there. When my brother and I visited today, the servers were outstanding. They had a massive to-go order ahead of us and assembled everything efficiently, telling us promptly they would be with us in a moment when we walked in. They were both very kind and really hardworking. Bear paw thumbs up--way up--for the service here!! The traffic in and out of here was pretty high even at an off time, and they handled it quite well. The service will definitely have me coming back (in addition to the food) many times to this location. The only downside about this location of Bear's is that it has no indoor seating. If it isn't nice out, then it's hard to sit down and enjoy everything fresh out of the bar. By all means, you can sit in your car and eat--there's plenty of parking--but I'm not a huge fan of doing that, though it isn't the worst thing to have your car smell like the inside of Bear's. But if it's nice outside, like it was today when my brother and I visited, definitely snag a spot on a picnic table and enjoy the beautiful weather while munching of deliciousness. An easy and quick stop for yummy BBQ, on the go or for there (when the weather's nice). Bear has it down in knowing how to get food out of to the Bear lovers!! read more

Bear's Smokehouse Express - Barbeque Near Me - South Windsor, Connecticut

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