I really am a fan of Smokey Bones - even though the barbecue isn't amazing. It's basically an Ale House environment (but darker) with Sonny's food and a hint of edgy-ness, while still being corporate. At it's core, Smokey Bones serves decent BBQ. They have a large menu (and recently reinvented) with lots of options - some BBQ-centered and others more of the bar & grill variety. It's a really solid sports bar option with areas geared for more bar-friendly patrons and another dining area with less TV's and away from the potentially rowdy bar crowd. Smokey Bones also has REALLY good beer selection for a chain restaurant - and have always been fairly progressive in the craft beer scene (they were years ahead of the other big chains). I'm a big fan of the Half Cuban sandwich & New Brunswick stew combination, or sharing a platter of smoked wings (seriously crispy with a nice rub) and a BBQ combo platter (brisket and sausage probably being my preference). The roasted corn side with it's roasted corn and little bit of spice is a good choice - fries and coleslaw are average, but baked beans are BBQ-ey and another good side choice. The brisket and pulled pork aren't the best (and I don't know about the ribs - cause why?) but they are decent, and go well with their spicy sauce. They have a really good Carolina mustard-based sauce, too. The service is usually decent - but if you don't mind, I'd definitely recommend sitting at the bar (it's pretty spacious, too) - as they have a really good crew of bartenders. There isn't anything wrong with the table service - I've had above-average service, and below-average service - but this is the kind of place if you have a problem, you can talk to a manager who will resolve the problem immediately. I give it a thumbs-up, just not two... read more

Smokey Bones was a great restaurant chain from Darden Restaurants. I used to love going there regularly. THEN - Darden sold the chain, and the chain went downhill. They used to have a great salad "Lodge Salad" on the menu - which was taken off when Darden sold the chain. It was something I had for lunch 3-4x a week. Now, it's just mediocre food. I don't honestly think the chain will be around for long. They already closed the location by the Florida Mall. I bet the other locations will slowly fade away as well, unfortunately. read more

I couldn't give 5 stars because the window areas were very dusty (dad literally wiped our table down with a napkin to show how dirty it was), my lemonade (not fresh squeezed) was more like water and a slice of lemon in it and my parents thought their wings 16 piece) would have been grilled and not deep fried. We sat in a booth and boy was the AC going. My dad ordered a miller light and my mom had pineapple juice. The waitress was sweet and very genuine. My parents didn't specify grill or fried to the waitress and I wished she pressed them a bit more because Floridians (not my parents) are serious about their wings. The choices of sayce afnd sprices are great and as long as you know what you want...they can do wings the way you like. Mom ordered a salad as well. The food came out in 5 minutes. The wings were not steaming hot which most people like to see. The fries (nice and hot) were very good and everyone enjoyed them including my 5 year old son. So yes, they do have a kids menu. I went Friday around 2pm and it was not crowded. I had the fish and chips (satisfied) but THE COLESLAW IS AMAZINGLY TASTY. Easily in my top 5 of places to get yummy coleslaw. My parents said they would have enjoyed the wings if they were not deep fried but the sauce was very good. I will be back on my own to give them another chance because there is potential here. read more

Smokey Bones - My fish and chips! - Barbeque Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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We went out to eat dinner. We decided to sit at the bar and the bartender Zoe was amazing. We asked her about the food and she was very knowledgeable. The food was amazing as well. We will definitely come back. read more

I wish that one of these "Bones" could move downtown, close to lake Eola or Thornton Park. Food is consistently of high quality and our servers are upbeat and entertaining. You know that they have fun at work and want everyone to have a great time. read more

Smokey Bones - TNF: college and professional. - Barbeque Near Me - Orlando, Florida

We stopped in for Father's Day and couldn't be happier! We ordered a few apps for the table and couldn't believe how good the pretzels and fried pickles were! My husband and I both had combo platters, everything was amazing. My dad said it was the best burger he ever ate, and mom was all smiles with her shrimp. My daughter almost finished her kids meal, which was grilled chicken and fries... it was huge! The drinks were spot on and the selection was great! The best part was our server, Devon! He truly elevated this from a great meal and made this a wonderful experience. He has us all laughing and joined our conversations so casually, you would think he was part of the family. We will definitely be going back and hope he is there when we do! read more

Luis is an amazing bartender! He really makes the entire experience 10x better! I actually have a Smokey Bones down the street from my home but it's absolutely worth it to go out of the way to have Luis serve me. He is so attentive and has a wonderful personality! I'm honestly shocked he's not a manager, he is so knowledgeable about the company he works for and is a great leader! read more

Say what you will about chains, I love Smokey Bones. The turkey avocado burger was great. Checking in on Yelp or Foursquare earns you a free order of Kettle Chips, so a BIG plus there. They had a pretty good beer list, and the drinks were screaming "pick me pick me". The margarita was the winner and........it was good.......$4 good......hmmm.....I am not sure. I will say that its not the kind of frozen margarita you get in the mexican restaurants which are a frozen alcoholic slurpee from heaven. But hey, won't stop me from going back, I believe in "keep trying til you get it right". This place is good. read more

Smokey Bones is a fair size chain that we've eaten at throughout the east with mixed results. Some of them offer solid BBQ and others are just average. This location is slightly better than average with good service. There's few better places in the area to come watch sporting events. With TVs scattered throughout the restaurant it makes for a better than average chain experience. As for the food, some is very good and others are ok. Meanwhile, if you're comparing this chain to others like Friday's, Applebees, etc, expect more here. The quality, service and price is better at Smokey Bones and there's a large menu to choose from, guaranteeing there will be something for everyone. There's two locations in Orlando, both comparable and great places to take the family for dinner, for a celebration or even a date (if she eats meat). On our recent visit the turkey was extremely dry, but the pulled pork passed the test as did the smoked wings. Fortunately, the side salads come with a choice of better than you'd expect dressing and the mash potatoes and gravy are tasty, too. Your best bet here is trying a combo, you can choose one on up to several meats and two to as many as you want sides (you'll pay extra for more than two). Keep in mind, soup or salad is considered a side. There's many meats to choose from allowing you to mix and match your favorite or try something new. Take this route and you'll enjoy the experience here. read more

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Wings are always good, but the cooks can NEVER get the steaks right... always over cooked, to the point they're dry, chewy and tasteless. Normally eat st the bar to watch sports on TV's. The bar servers are friendly, but one of them always has a loud, "screeching" voice, who always seems to direct her voice right in your ear every time... so annoying and rude! read more

The colonial location has THE BEST draft beer selection by far. I wish all their locations had these draft options. Actually, they have more selections than a lot of places near by. I am particular to Magic Hat #9 and Victory Golden Monkey, which are always on Tap when I go. Please never change. read more

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My waiter Luis was awesome. He helped point out the special to me which got me more food for less money. The food itself was very tasty. Loved the ribs! I was a little disappointed there was a black woman who was grabbing food out of the window and she was not wearing her mask properly. I am very disappointed a manager did not address that with her saying she was one of the employees closest to everyone's food. I am hoping when I return there is much better discipline by the employees across the board. read more

I feel like Smokey Bones just doesn't get enough credit. They are so much better since the Darden days. We were seated right away and our server came over to us. There were two in our party and we both ordered beer for our drinks. Once those were brought to us we ordered our dinner. I ordered the create your own, with the pulled pork and beef brisket, along with a side of broccoli and baked beans. The brisket had a nice bark on it and the pulled pork had a nice smokey taste to it. The broccoli was cooked just right, not mushy, a nice buttery taste. The baked beans were a little on the sweet side. Love their selection of sauces. Their menu offers a lot. Drink menu is pretty good too. Prices are very good. Ample parking. Stop in and give it a try. We were not disappointed. read more

Not sure where to start. Poor service, dirty bathrooms, wrong orders, empty drinks, inattentive, below average food. Not the first time I've been here with same results. But this is definitely the last. read more

Delicious!!! Our party was very satisfied with the staff, the food, and the dessert! The Baby back Ribs were so tender and flavorful! The Giant Hawaiian Ribeye was cooked to perfection and very tender! The Triple Burger was huge, topped with onion rings!!!! Our server Jon was very attentive, and was able to make our dining experience exceptional. He was very knowledgeable about the menu and really enjoyed being part of our family night. The Manager Michael came by to check on us and was an absolute delight to talk too, you could really tell how genuine he was and how interested he was in making our visit memorable. This is my favorite place to visit when I come into town because the experience is truly remarkable! Oh the homemade Warm Donuts with toppings to dip was the icing on the cake!!!! read more

Smokey Bones - Barbeque Near Me - Orlando, Florida

loved the wings, the donuts are to die for!!!!! we enjoyed every bite. we definitely will return on another vacation!

This was a bad Idea to start with. We entered and there was hardly anyone there at 6:30 dinner time ?? We should have left. Instead we stayed and found out why it was so empty. To start with the bartender was also our waitress. Even though it was quite empty she had to serve the other couple tables and after a while a few more with some new arrivals so Our table service went from bad to worse and we could tell she was overwhelmed. My wife ordered a 12.95 simple cheeseburger and I the 24.95 babyback/st. louis rib combo. Our other 4 friends got some other stuff as well so we ended up waiting like a 3/4 hour or more to get our food. I had a vantage point looking down the front of the kitchen where the food was being put up to be served. I watched the bartender/waitress performing all kinds of duties including handling everyones menu's etc. and I never saw her wash her hands once. As she walked down to our food I saw here fluffing her hair with her hands and then go up to our plates and start rearranging the food with her fingers and unwrapping baked potatoes etc. without ever washing her hands. My wifes hamburger was gross. The shredded fake cheese was not even melted and the bun was some cheap hamburger bun and was not toasted and no mayo...... nothing. We sent it back and they sent it back to us 5 min later like a hockey puck with the fake unmelted cheese that would never melt anyway! It was a joke so we had it removed from the bill. My ribs were a joke as well. I did not even get babyback....they sent me 2 racks of st louis that were way over seasoned and so charred they were almost not even edible. I received two sides with my meal. I got the baked potato and mac n cheese. It was worse than cafeteria food. When the bill came I was charged for both sides Also since I had sour cream and chives on my potato I got charged a extra dollar as well. I asked the waitress why I was charged for my sides and she said it was because I got the Loaded potato. She could not comprehend that I was asking why I was being charged for my sides and she Blurted out that if I didn't want to pay the extra dollar for the sour cream and chives then I was forcing her to pay it out of here pocket !! Can you believe that ?? I was flabbergasted she did not see she was overcharging us over 4.00 for the sides that were INCLUDED with my way over priced 24.95 dinner. Our friends/family were flabbergasted as well by how she was acting when we had to ask for our orders to be corrected etc.. Out of the 6 dinners we ordered only my brother in law who got a chicken salad was happy with his meal. The rest of us left very unhappy. It was a Horror being treated like the way we were. PLEASE CHOOSE SOMEWHERE ELSE TO GO. DONT MAKE THE MISTAKE WE DID. THE COOKS DO NOT HAVE A CLUE AND THE SERVERS ARE A JOKE AND DONT CARE ABOUT THE CUSTOMERS WHATSOEVER. THE MENU IS WAY OVER PRICED.......GO SOMEWHERE ELSE !! read more

Can't speak for the food. Waited at the front stand for 15 minutes without anyone saying a word to us. Both waitresses working saw us but not a word from them. Only had 2 tables seated in the restaurant at the time so wasn't really busy. read more

Our wings and pork belly were great!! We asked for all flats and they made sure to give us all flats. We sat at the bar and the service was quick and great. Zoey, our bartender, made great drinks and ensured we had everything we needed. She was the perfect amount of chatty while giving us enough time to enjoy our meal. If we eat there again I hope she's there. read more

I just want to say that the staff here don't get enough credit. They always do an amazing job! Thank you to our server Jessica and the whole staff that made our experience a great one tonight! We look forward to coming here again soon for the great service! read more

I wish that I had discovered this place way before a couple weeks ago...the pulled pork is amazing! It tastes like roast and isn't fatty like a lot of places. If you're at Waterford z lakes, I highly recommend that you stop by. You won't regret it...ask for Blaze! read more

This is one of my favorite places for everything on the grill. Chicken with broccoli- steak- nachos oh plus I used to go here once a month with my mom. . I miss getting coupons. read more

I used to love Smokey Bones!! I don't know what happened. I think the management might have changed? The food got so much worse... I will not be returning. read more

Zoe is a great server. Haven't come to Smokey Bones in a awhile, but we will be back. Food was delicious and perfectly cooked.

Worst restaurant experience I've had in years. Terrible, terrible, service. Extremely rude. The entire interior feels damp, and smells like a wet rag. Also, the food all came out cold, and even the re-ordered correct meal was mediocre in taste. AVOID AT ALL COSTS read more

Great service from our server Joannette she Made our lunch a great experience. Food was cooked to order and pretty tasty

Been going there for over 10 years, but I think my visit yesterday will be the last one. We stoped for an early dinner, my wife had a bourbon mix drink, I had a beer. My wife's drink was $9.75 and she was shocked about how diluted the drink was. Fast forward to food, we both got the sirloin steak, it was with no doubt the worst steak I had ever had, the meat was chewy, full of gristles, I spit out half of my steak as it was simply unedited. I am shocked at how the quality standards have been going down, the best thing on my plate was broccoli, which is impossible to mess up. We got the bill, it was $50. I handed them a $10 off coupon that I got through e mail, the waitress said the coupon was not valid as the required purchase now is $40 and not $20 like it used to be. I said fine, I handed her my reward card and I was again shocked that my points were wiped off.... Bottom line, food quality went down, changes to reward program, expensive read more

The beef brisket is great here or I was lucky enough to get a perfect batch. We went for lunch. It wasn't busy, it was chill. We sat in a booth. I order a morning glory burger and brisket. Both were delicious considering this is a semi bar food. My friend ordered a burger, she thought it was average. The drinks are great here and servers are friendly and attentive. I can only speak on my experience during lunch time. I only been to Smokey Bones franchises only three times. I always had a great experience. I think SB deserves a 4 in my book. read more

Good food & fast service as always! Ladies are very friendly at the door to greet us. Thank you

Food was amazing and Karissa was a great waitress . Every Wednesday they have a buy one get one pulled pork platter recommended. The loaded fries as well were amazing! Definitely coming back read more

We went to smoky bones on E. Colonial Dr. in Orlando on July 16, 2022. We parked next to the to go sign that was in a 5 gallon bucket and I assumed with concrete holding it in place. While inside the restaurant having dinner (spending $120) a bad storm came up. When we went to leave we discovered the sign had fallen over and hit the hood of my car t& traveling down the front right fender of my car. Chipping the paint on my 2021 car all the way to the metal. I immediately went back inside to get the manager Eric to fill a report. He was very kind and helpful, after that everything went downhill. The insurance company did contact me but demanded that I sign the release on the estimate prior to my car being fixed (I was told by the adjuster that was the procedure) which I was not going to do. I called back and spoke with the general manager Gail & she said she would check things out and get back with me & she did not. I also spoke with the adjusters supervisor and he said oh well that's procedure go to your insurance company. I still do not have my car fixed so now I have had to file a claim with my insurance company pay a $500 deductible which I make it back in two or three months after my insurance company goes after their insurance company. I went to dinner and it's cost me this much stress and money.. I will never go back! read more

I have always gone to this place to eat every two to three months. But on my last visit on April 17, 2022, we were billed $83.29 which was fine, no problem. I left a $10.00 cash tip on the table for the waiter and paid with a debit card. Then when I go online to check my bank account I noticed they charged me $93.83, I am guessing the waiter added on that extra $10.00 for the tip to which I had already left a cash tip for him. He had no right nor permission to add in a $10.00 tip. I was going to dispute with the bank especially since I kept the receipt, but is not worth it. I never added a $10.00 cash tip. It just shows you how you can't even trust restaurants anymore. Very disappointed with this place, The next time I do go back, I will pay cash no card. Don't want to get ripped off again. I am flabbergasted at this, wow! Shame on that waiter. Someone did reach out to me that they were going to investigate the matter but never did. #100072 Table 22/1 Guess (2) Server; Reese read more

We like the Waterford lakes better, mainly because the service is better. This location the waiter wasnt friendly, and when we asked about the late night menu his face look annoyed. read more

The only reason why this place doesn't get a rare fifth star from me, is that this is a chain restaurant, and it takes a lot for a large chain to get a fifth star from me. All my personal nonsense aside, this is probably the best of the chain here. As often as I go, the food is consistently well prepared, served hot (to the point of the plate burning my hands!!), and flavourful. It might be slightly sacrilegious to say so, but the BBQ here is as good as any small family run place you're going to find. I certainly have not had it as good at other locations, but for some reason, this one gets things right. The bar is what you're going to expect from a chain, chock full of everything you might want, but the beer selection is actually pretty good, with a few micros on tap. TVs are plentiful, and have whatever games you want. A nice addition is the comedy channel which broadcasts funny videos. My only complaint there is that there is a danger of snorting bbq sauce up your nose when you see a guy get smashed in the nuts. (It stings, trust me) I've yet to have a bad server here, but normally confine myself to the bar area away from the families. I can say the bar staff is seriously awesome. My personal favorite being Erika, who seems to always be there when I go. If you want some good BBQ and a good drink, and something where you know what to expect, come to this location. read more

Food was great and our server, Jessica, was the best. Jessica takes care of you like family.

Amazing food, amazing service from our waiter Reese, and great drinks!

Although Thursday night trivia has been moved later to 9pm, it's still a great time. Also Smokey Bones has recently added Build-Your-Own-Burger to the menu. Various options to choose from such as different buns, grilled jalapenos, and even added meat such as pulled pork and brisket. Imagine that on your burger...OMG! New beers are rotated in regularly and the manager will even consider requests on new beers to get although Fat Tire didn't fly with him. Not his fault though, they don't sell the stuff in Florida. read more

Service was terrible. We waited over 30 minutes and didn't even receive glasses of water while waiting for the slow servers. This restaurant does not appear to be short staffed just inefficient workers. We came on a Sunday when they had a bottomless mimosas brunch event and the place wasn't even busy enough to excuse the lack of service. We ended up walking out and opted not to eat here. Never coming back to this Smokey Bones location!!! I would love to speak to the general manager of this location. This is extremely unacceptable. read more

Unfortunately I can only rate on service, as I was informed over the phone they could not take a to-go order an hour before close. When I expressed my surprise, I was put on hold to "double check with the kitchen" only to confirm they were unable to take an order due to the kitchen closing in 30 minutes. Still confused, I asked if I could walk in and order and the response was "uh... I don't know the answer to that." It felt clear the staff was ready to go home and not concerned to uphold customer service. read more

We decided to stop into Smokey Bones after shopping at the Fashion Square Mall. There was no wait...Hostesses were kinda just standing around and they did take a minute to acknowledge and sit us. Once seated our waiter was very attentive...gave us suggestions and recommended the corn bread skillet as an appetizer. We ordered the pull pork platter and garlic parmesian wings. Everything was good and the special bbq sauses that were on the table were a great added addition. Restaurant was clean and food was fresh and hot. read more

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