I can't believe I waited so long to come here. I tried the tri-tip, potatoes, coleslaw, and beans. Everything was good. It was just Woody there, cooking, and we talked a little. Nice guy. I will stop in again to try some other things. read more

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This place is absolutely insane. If you're hungry and you're up for an adventure, go for it. It's on the side of a highway just down the way from the middle of nowhere. I was hungry and passing through, saw smoke coming out of the building and decided to take a chance. Upon entering I was a little confused as to where to go or what to do, and I heard a voice call out that the menu is over there and to just yell at him when I was ready to order. I took a look at the menu and did not understand it at all. Still, I decided to go with it. I approached the man who I assume is the owner and who was running the place by himself and asked, "Pork or beef?" A lot of chaos ensued and again I was a bit confused and so I just said ok...beef. I got the beef. The to-go box was about 4lbs in total weight. A pile of mac and cheese, something like more than a half lb of some kind of beef cooked in the typical fashion that you would expect if ordering brisket, (he made it clear that it was not brisket but instead some other beef which he assured me was better), a whole potato roasted and cut in half, a large toasted bun, all smothered in a copious amount of brown bbq sauce. Cup of slaw on the side. Look, we can go back and fourth about individual taste with regard to bbq related things. But that being said, the man told me that everyone says the food sucks, and so with those expectations I found it to be at least serviceable and in a quantity large enough to do the job. Not great, not bad, but it did the job. Long story short, you should go into this place just to experience the whole thing. It was completely wild. A one man restaurant, him cooking furiously and providing the kind of customer interaction that you'd expect from a toll booth operator working in the rain on Christmas. Incredible. Give it a shot. You'll never forget it. read more

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This place is amazing I wasn't going to eat inside but i felt at home and the owner woody was so nice, come to find out he's been everywhere, the bbq sandwiches are amazing and the other sides and food are great as well, can't wait to go back again!. read more

The worst bbq I've ever had.. So unbelievably dry, it tasted old, the sauce was so bad, definitely not fresh. Maybe he was having a bad day, he didn't look well. Maybe that's why it was such a sloppy presentation, I don't know. It was such a disappointment. read more

Decent bbq, wasn't blown away. great baked beans - very interesting service.... Read the rest of the more detailed reviews here! Entertaining? read more

All sauce to cover up the bad bbq, unfortunately the sauce isn't good, very pricy. Wouldn't recommend

Worst brisket sandwich I've ever had. Tough as a boot and cooked medium rare. Ended up finding a steak knife so I could cut into pieces I could gnaw on until I could swallow it. Potato of the day was a baked potato, which I suspect was the potato every day. Served with butter. that's it. Had to hunt down salt and pepper which i grabbed from another table. Another patron asked to borrow when we were done, so I suspect it was the only set in the building. Cole slaw wasn't bad. Won't be back. Really disappointed since I prefer to support local places. read more

The BBQ chicken is as bold as the owners personality! He will most likely converse during your meal and tell the best stories along with asking very interesting questions! read more

If youre lookin to spend the day on the beach, then chow down on your way back to town, grab a seat on Woody's porch and let the bbq flow. BBQ'd beef, pork, ribs, chicken....yum.Most of the time he's got tater tots - but always a potato of the day. If the tomatoes arent perfect, he wont even buy them at the market. As far as Southwest Michigan goes, this is "the spot" to be treated like family in a fun and inviting - sometimes crass - manner, dont be offended just tell Woody to f-off just the same. ;) read more

The food was great! If you are sensitive and expect a 5 starts service, don't come. If you only care about good food, that's your place. I recommend! read more

We ordered barbecue for 25 people with a couple hours notice for one night at our family reunion and it was great. Delicious! Huge buns and potato salad were provided too. And very reasonable. We will definitely order again. read more

I will never forget this place. The food is amazing and Woody is a great guy. If I ever go back to Michigan, I will be going back. I recommend this to everyone. read more

Wanted some BBQ on the 4th of July & never thought I'd have such a disturbing experience. Food? It was ok... I like the tater tots but my sandwich was super fatty (BBQ pork). Ambiance? Cute decor for a BBQ hut. Owner? What a piece of work! There are many words I could use to describe this man but I'll keep it brief. He was LOUD. Obnoxious. Rude. Racist. He was the only one working and barked orders at us: "Get your own drinks!" "What do you want?" "Lady. It's hot. The coleslaw is on the side. You don't have to eat it." (Which we then told him it's because of an allergy- epi-pen level allergy) He made our lunch experience so horrible that we basically ate in silence. Honestly- we should have got up and left and let him eat his own sandwiches. This is a warning: If you like to feel scolded, belittled, and listen to racist remarks, then this is the place for you. But if you'd like an enjoyable lunch with your family- you should go anywhere but here! Horrible horrible service. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE MAN. read more

Not bad for lunch. Ordered a combo and bf ordered a beef brisket sandwich. BF said it was ok. The sauce was very tasty. The chicken was dry. The potato was crispy. The coleslaw was store bought. Not my favorite. The beans were good. The menu was limited and not very professionally displayed. We sat outside which was nice. I would love to give 4 stars the second time around. read more

Great BBQ, tender beef. awesome service best homemade apple pie. Great out of the way place read more

The perfect stop for lunch or dinner after a day at the beach. I ordered the smoke sirloin beef and they were just right- flavorful, juicy and not overcooked. My husband loved his BBQ pork and he is a smoked BBQ snob! Definitely recommend. Love the cool patio seating. Worth it just for ambiance alone and Woody (the owner) is so friendly!!! read more

Smokin' Woody's - The patio. - Barbeque Near Me - Sawyer, Michigan

Quite possibly the worst/ most disturbing place I've ever eaten. The place seems like a start to a horror movie. Owner is rude and the place seems like a messy house! Owner has you get your own drinks out of old dingy cups and put some dirty silverware on the table for us to eat with. I've never experienced anything like it, food was bad and very overpriced. Owner was cooking and touching everything with dirty hands. Save yourself and eat somewhere else! read more

When you look at Smokin' Woody's from the outside, it doesn't look like a 5 star review. However you should never judge a book by its cover as it has amazing food and is much more than it appears if you are driving by. I highly recommend the barbecue pork sandwich and if you like cheese, the Mac and Cheese. The owner was very friendly and is a great cook. The food was ready in minutes and was outstanding for its price. If you are looking for a great place to eat, Smokin' Woody's is a crazy good place to go. Also, if you have time the owner is a great person to carry a conversation on and asks great questions as well as giving very good advice. This is one of the best meals and conversations I've had in a while, so I truly hope you stop by. Will read more

Stopped in thinking this long standing establishment must be doing something right. The first step in and there was an immediate sketchy vibe. The place looked like someone was living there. It looked like it could have been a cool hot spot at some point in the past. Today, it looks like the owner no longer cares. But we're adventurous and have ordered food from many dives before - so we went for it. Ordered the combo, rib tips and chicken, for carry out. First opened the salad. Yuck! Looked like someone's forgotten left overs. Two rolls put in with the salad were soggy on the bottom and hard (old) on top. The meat was smothered in barbeque sauce. We gave it a try. The chicken was dry and not very flavorful. The tips were a mixed bag. Some were burned and dried out other pieces were more palatable. The baked potato was hard and unappetizing. Overall, I recommend a hard pass on this place. Maybe it's time for the owner to retire. read more

My friends and I came here on the way back from the Michigan Dunes. As I was snap chatting, my geofilter said "smokin' woody's". We all took it as a joke, but on the way back, there it was. We took a stop in, and lord. Sure enough, the owner used to live where we do now, and his food was amazing. He's a great guy to talk to, and his meats are genius. I got the ribs, and I was blown away. Go here. Now. read more

Great taste a lot of waste bones in my rib tips. The extra tips made up for it. My second visit in two years. Definitely will stop back. I want the other menu selections to try. Baked beans are great. read more

I'm not one to give poor reviews, but this place.... is the worst. It's such a tourist trap, I went here during my stay at Warren Dunes and I hated it so much. Not only is it cash only, but it's burnt BBQ only. I ordered the ribs and they were charred and hard to eat. The service was poor and the prices were horrendous. My burnt BBQ along with my boyfriend's burnt BBQ came out to a total of over $30 only for us to be unsatisfied and swearing we will never return. Please don't let this location being close to the beach fool you into trying it out. It's the worst. read more

If this is Smokin Woody's where's the smoke? And why do you need to drown your meat in bbq sauce before you serve it to me.... What are you trying to hide with all that sauce sneaky Woody? The answer is nothing. Because there's nothing underneath that sauce but dry under seasoned or oven/over cooked meat. I mean, the food was edible, it's not like I couldn't eat it, but c'mon Woody! There are bbq shows all over TV nowadays! People know what good bbq is supposed to be! And many people who come by your roadside shop are from Chi-town, where some really great bbq lives! Good bbq, even halway decent bbq, can be done without tons of effort, just a little thought. It seemed to me like the meats were done in the oven for a while and then finished in a smoker for a few minutes. Or, done at about 2pm in the afternoon and left sitting in a warmer for hours and hours. The meat was dry, bland, and lacked flavor. Maybe I should've read some reviews first, or maybe taken a queue from the fact that there was hardly anyone in this 'Que shop on a Friday night at 7pm. (Should be busy, right?) But, I left wishing I had stopped at Redamak's a few miles back. Weak 'que for me, Woody. Let down. read more

We stopped for a quick lunch and was not disappointed. You don't come here for the white table cloth service, it is all about the food. We had the BBQ pork sandwich and it was delicious. Sides were creamy coleslaw and tater tots. Will definitely come back. read more

I really enjoyed my dinner at Smokin Woody's. The whole chicken was very tender , and yielded a couple of meals over the next 24 hours. Usually chicken dries out reheated, but because it was so moist, it worked. The other main dish we ordered was the BBQ sirloin, which was perfectly cooked and generously sized. My son had a grilled hotdog that he really liked. As for sides, the baked beans were perfect, as was the creamy cole slaw and French fries. The fries were very much in the spirit of the South Side Chicago BBQ joints lke Leon's, Harold's, or DD and S; thick, large and thankfully not batter coated reconstituted crap that all restaurants seem to serve these days. The house BBQ sauce was very delicious and traditional, much like the sweet sauce that Leon's serves. Let the fries soak in it, and enjoy a real treat. The owner is a character and part of the fun. I will be back. read more

All the restaurants around had over an hour wait and this place had zero customers and now we know why. Nothing was special in here. Just greasy grilled burgers, chicken patty, deep fried tots, and Walmart brand coleslaw. Should have just waited at a better restaurant. Last resort for dinner was regretful. read more

You will either love this place or don't go there. The bbq is exceptional. One of the best I've been to for sure. The service you take half heartedly and join in on the experience. I completely admire the owner/cook/waiter/entertainer. If you lack a sense of humor or opt for a private quiet meal, choose McDonald's (if you can find one). If you want delicious bbq, this is it! read more

The BBQ pork was very good! It doesn't look like much on the outside, but the owner is very personable and friendly! We sat on the back porch area! It was a great start to our girls' weekend! If you are in the area and are hungry, you need to stop! read more

Smokin' Woody's - car parked in front of a restaurant - Barbeque Near Me - Sawyer, Michigan

Amazing BBQ! The owner does everything himself and has a great time in the process. Very casual and delicious.

I have mixed feelings about this place. I love the atmosphere. It is a real throw-back to a different time and it just looks cool. Woody, in my opinion, just likes people and he likes the sound of his own voice. He talks to the patrons non-stop. It's okay. I get it. He's a little obnoxious. I don't mind it. I find him mildly amusing, but my husband can't stand being interrupted while he's eating. If you don't mind listening to him tease people and ask them where they're from, then you won't be bothered. He's friendly and I'll give him that... What bothered us was the food. We ordered two pork sandwiches, which were about 10 bucks apiece and it's just some tough pork slices on a cheap bun, smothered in sauce, which is nothing special. They each came with 3 boiled red potatoes and a scoop of coleslaw (which was obviously pre-made and not good). So, at the end of the meal, the "waiter" brings a check, but there's no total on it, so we don't know what we owe. We walk up to the place where it looks like he's ringing stuff up and ask what we owe. Woody is yelling from behind him to some patrons out back, so we are all distracted and I'm handing the guy two 20's, figuring that the bill is maybe around 23 bucks (hubby had an iced tea). Well, the guy hands me back $7.75. I'm so distracted, that I don't even realize that he's just shorted me $10. Hubby hands him a tip and we leave, still hearing Woody's crazy-loud voice yelling to the patrons. By the time we got into the car and drove off, I realized that I've been shorted. Hubby says, "Too late now." That's my story about this place. We won't be back. It's more of a tourist trap than anything else. I can't leave him one star, because he didn't insult us or anything and the food was edible. It just wasn't good BBQ for the money and I'm a little spoiled by other places that are so much better. read more

Sad! Sad! Sad! It really is true what other folks have said about Woody's bad food and bad and obnoxious service. The Rib Tips were tough, dried out and overcooked. The Chicken was overcooked and dry. It tasted stale like it was from the day before or maybe longer. The Baked Beans were from a #10 can and the Cole Slaw was cheap and commercially made. I agree with the guy that suggested that Woody watch some Food Network and learn about cooking. He might also pick up a cook book or two from the librarry and learn about BBQ. We have some bad BBQ in Chicago but Woody's is the worst. I wish that I had checked with YELP before I stopped at Woody's. read more

I don't often make low reviews but this restaurant is something else. There's only one man running the place and he got mad at my father after asking to make another burger after he placed coleslaw on my first burger (i'm allergic to eggs) and that he had to make a new burger. He also gave my grandmother a hard time by saying to her "I thought Jews don't eat pork". Overall, I do not recommend this place. read more

Anyone who rates this establishment at more than 2 stars has never tasted good or even mediocre BBQ. Perhaps I am biased because I am from NC where BBQ is tender, moist and flavorful. There is no excuse for overcooked, dry pork that is slathered in so much commercial sauce that you can't see or taste the meat, along with cole slaw that tastes like it was purchased at the Harding's grocery store. Despite not being good, the food was extremely overpriced. It's not like this is downtown Chicago. Also, unbelievable in today's world, they do NOT take credit cards. With all of this said, the worst part of all... the loud, overbearing, rude and obnoxious owner. I worked many years in NYC, and have experienced lots of "attitude" in delis and coffee shops. This owner is very reminiscent of the "Soup Nazi" character in the old Seinfeld TV series. I totally agree with previous reviewers suggesting that the owner watch some Food Network cooking shows and read some cookbooks on BBQ. How can someone run a business that seems to cares nothing about the customer or return business traffic. I may have upped my review to 2 stars if I had been extended even a smidgen of common courtesy. Even though I regularly return to this area to visit, I will never return to this place. But if you like inferior food, high prices (for what is served) and rude employees... this is your place! read more

The modest exterior hides great food on the inside. The kids groaned when we pulled into the parking lot, but they were all smiles as they dug into the BBQ along with *real* milk shakes. Amazingly, one BBQ mixed platter fed 2 adults and 2 kids - a real deal. They take only cash and there is only 1 bathroom and no booze. Their potatoes were great. The Caesar salad had a tangy dressing but had Chinese crunchy noodles on top instead of croutons. I liked it but it is unconventional. A great meal after a day at the Warren dunes beach! (This is my first yelp review, inspired by this place!) read more

I guess you can call this Yankee bbq, essentially it tasted like baked meat drowned in a commercial bbq sauce. Nothing special...

Living somewhat locally, my family wanted to try something new and we visited based on the strong recommendations found here. Unfortunately, we wish we hadn't. The low rating is based primarily on food that is unexceptional and overpriced. There are far better BBQ places up-and-down the SW Michigan coast (if visiting Benton Harbor, there are two fantastic options there). You would likely find cheaper, more authentic, and tastier BBQ at any roadside stand. I ordered the Pork BBQ sandwich. For $8.50, it came with a small container of coleslaw and three small potatoes. I asked if it was going to be like a pulled-pork sandwich and was told, "something like that." Well, it was nothing like that. It was just slabs of pork on a flimsy bun. Adding insult to injury, the BBQ sauced poured over-top had a very distinctive store-bought flavor. It was nothing like a good homemade sauce found at so many other places. I asked to swap the coleslaw with corn-on-the-cob and pay for the difference but was told that "he doesn't do substitutes." Given the fact that I was willing to pay $2 dollars extra for an ear, this seems like poor business sense. My wife's salad looked even less appetizing. Please also note the following: - If you look at their web-site, the menu is from their Chicago location. Unfortunately, this fact was not very obvious before our visit, because this location had a rather anemic menu. - There are no really good kid's options other than a hot dog which comes with the previously-mentioned potatoes. Not great. - If you are visiting on a hot day looking for relief from the heat, there is no air-conditioning, but you can sit on a back patio. - As mentioned elsewhere, no credit-cards are accepted. Overall, I don't mind spending a little extra to help a local business, but they have to earn the business with great food and service. Smokin Woody's may be at a convenient location and in a nice setting, but that alone is not worth the visit. Skip it. read more

This was the worst service that I have ever had at a restaurant. My family and I were coming home from a great day at the beach and were looking for a place to eat dinner. We saw this cute little restaurant on the side of the road so we thought we would try it out. We went inside and sat down and looked at the menu. It sounded good so we ordered 2 platters to share. We were waiting for our food and we could hear Woody screaming & yelling abusively to the waitress who was visibly shaken. When we got our food we just wanted to eat! But Woody came into the room and started yelling at everyone. My family and I felt awful about how he was treating that waitress and everyone else. Woody is a bully and this experience nearly ruined our vacation. He kept bringing us food we hadn't ordered and overcharged us for it. We overpaid and left as soon as we could. We will never go back and highly recommend avoiding this restaurant at all costs. I would have given this 0 stars if I could! DO NOT GO TO THIS MESSED UP RESTAURANT! read more

This place sucks! Its unfortunate that Yelp only allows me to go as low as one star. I'm usually not one to write reviews but after eating here I was compelled to sign up. We walked in to Smokin Woody's at 12:30 on a beautiful Sunday in August during FIP season and the place was empty. That should have been our first warning. Anyway, we ordered "pulled pork" sandwiches which actually consisted of dry, slices of roasted pork drowning in BBQ sauce. I saw no evidence that anything at Smokin Woody's was actually smoked. So the food was terrible but that didn't really matter because I completely lost my appetite when I say how dirty the cook's clothes and hands were when he brought our food out. If you're looking to eat in the area Fitzgerald's in Sawyer right down the road is fantastic. For good BBQ in Southwest Michigan both Larks and Piggin & Grinnin in Benton Harbor are great and Wheatberry Tavern in Buchanan is a really good new restaurant read more

Great little gem! Food is great, sauce is finger licking good and host/owner/chef makes you feel right at home.

I love this place for it's personal touches. The owner is the cook and sometimes server, he's loud and very funny. Some of the Chicago area snobs who vacation here are put off by this, but it's a throw back to the old time diners and roadhouses. The food is good and it's very family friendly. read more