Offers a variety of pub- style selections but typically well executed- if you're ok with the selection the food is good. The value is good by today's standards. The service is good but if you're in a hurry the kitchen is slow- in all fairness, this is due to most menu items being made-to-order. read more

Hostess wouldn't seat me until the rest of my party was present. It was for a table for 4, there was no wait and plenty of tables. I thought the food was ok, ribs didn't live up to the name, chicken was juicy, fries weren't fresh, right out of a bag. The worst part was paying $9.00 for a smoothie for my 10 year old, response was " it came from the bar".. Didn't say that on the menu.. Definitely not returning read more

This is the second time coming here and it is has been a great experience both times. The sampler platter is awesome and HUGE!! Great to share with at least 4 people. The ribs are juicy and doesn't have an exaggerated amount of sauce which I like. The bread basket they give in the beginning is yummy too!! Love the corn bread. Definitely a place to go to if you enjoy ribs and BBQ sauce!!! read more

The Spare Rib - Sampler Platter - Barbeque Near Me - Commack, New York

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First and last time ever going to this location. Came here with my wife recently. They brought us to the back room with the carpet that was extremely sticky so right away I knew it was only gonna go down hill. Service was horrible to say the least and the place was not even busy so there's no excuse. Food was okay. Nothing that would ever make us come back. Definitely over priced for the mediocre food and service. Definitely go elsewhere plenty of great locations in the area read more

Our waitress was awesome and deserves 5 stars, the house made root beer was worth ordering and also garners 5 stars, the meal itself was only about a stretch at 3 and the overall price and value was I am sad to say like a 2 and for those reasons I feel I can only rate 3 stars. For the root beer and wonderful waitress alone, I would go back, but would DEFINITELYneed to choose something different from the menu. I believe I ordered a steak medium rare and it seemed a bit fatty for the type of cut. The mashed potatoes were ok, the fried pickles were sort of blah and I was the only one trying to eat them with the breading for the rest of my fam was either vehemently shaking their head no they didn't want them or were removing all the breading to just eat...hot pickles? The dipping sauce was good though. The general consensus was the food was seasoned sub-optimally and the alcoholic drinks/spirits were not mixed well to taste better than ok or were kind of low on alcohol (margarita). read more

The ribs were delicious! Only one spot had the best ribs for me & that was the Fung Young House that closed years ago in Brentwood. Since then I've always searched for another spot that had a similar taste & I found them. You get a lot of food for your money and service was very friendly. read more

Not sure why everyone loves this place. I have traveled the country on a BBQ tour (Texas, Carolinas, Kansas City, etc.) and this place is not good. The only reason I gave it 2 stars was the friendly and attentive staff, but the ribs and chicken is far from quality BBQ. read more

Just had dinner with my family here . The food was great but I have to say our waitress is what's compelling me to write this review. Her name was Nicole (on our check it said Nicole N) . She was a young girl with a fantastic attitude, she was very attentive, friendly and polite ! Kudos to her parents! This was the Best dinner I've experienced out in a couple of years now. read more

Good place to go. Crab cake is must. I had lobster tail and ribs. Small sized ribs are good. Lobster are just ok. Not the best. read more

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Great food at great prices and has a nice old school restaurant fwwl, very cozy especially in winter. I was disappointed though that they no longer have the prime rib which was my main reason for driving a half hour out of the way to go there. Hopefully they will have it again post covid. read more

I was very excited to eat at The Spare Rib. Ive Been wanting to dine here for years now The service was excellent the atmosphere was very nice and the portions were nice and big Being a steak/Meat guy was going to order a New York Strip but I figured since name is The Spare Rib I should get the ribs. So we ordered the ribblets as an appetizer they were good a bit fatty for my liking but good I also ordered the baby back ribs for an entree. I was really disappointed with them i was waiting for fall off the bone juicy flavorful ribs but all i got was a rack of baby backs that looked really good but the meat was extremely tough and dry. I literally had trouble cutting them apart with a steak knife I was so disappointed and turned off that I couldn't even eat them. This being said if your a rib guy or gal do not get the baby back ribs at the Spare Rib. On the other hand everything else that we had was very good especially the service read more

Not bad place to eat ribs are grrreat prime rib is good also...baby back ribs are awesome read more

The Spare Rib - Special's - Barbeque Near Me - Commack, New York

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My go to favorite for many years. Great food reasonably priced. As far as I'm concerned, I haven't found a rib place I've liked better.

Came during Covid and got take out as well trying to help a local business. Last two times have been disappointing. Last time they said our points had been wiped out because of Covid but the manager created a new account and assured us there would be a $10 reward on account for next time. Not only wasn't it there but there were no points for our previous meal. More importantly my $19 hamburger was only fair. Service always good. Just not what it used to be. Don't know that we'll be headed back any time soon sorry to say. read more

So I placed an order for curbside pick-up and the lady on the phone proceeds to tell me that they want a cash tip of 20%. Are you kidding me? I get that times are tough with the pandemic and restaurants are struggling, but it's clear to me that the owner is leveraging anything they can to cheat people (who are also suffering) out of a tip for not even eating at their restaurant. Would they be asking this if the pandemic never happened and this was a standard to go order?? Shame on you! Terrible business and will not be ordering from them again, nor will I recommend this establishment to the Commack community. read more

I haven't been here since I was a kid growing up in smithtown / Commack area. My husband loves ribs and orders ribs at all bbq places. Today he said his new favorite ribs were today's meal at the spare rib. I did not order a full entree but I did order a side salad and calamari- which was just "ok" - however I did try a rib from my husbands meal and the chicken from my daughters meal and both was very good. Would come back again. read more

I come here for the creamy garlic dressing. Seriously it's that good. The food is always very good. The portion sizes are enormous. You usually get two sides and a salad with your entree and it's usually soooo much food. The sides are all delicious, but the BBQ potatoes are the best choice. The service is usually very good, friendly waiters and waitresses willing to answer any questions and refill your drink. Kids eat free Sunday to Thursday which is good for my little guy. He likes the Mac and cheese the best. It's homemade and not kraft which is a bonus. They lose a star for rationing the ketchup. Why can't I just have the bottle? I promise it will be ok. read more

The only thing that is good to eat here is the "riblets" the fish burnt, mac & cheese burnt. They had a beef stroganoff special that was about a pound of noodles with no gravy an a few pieces of meat with a blob of sour cream on top. They have the nerve to charge $4.25 for a "homemade" root beer soda with NO refills. It wasn't anything great. Tasted just like A&W don't know how they "make it" but that is ridiculous. There is always flies in the restaurant that you have to constantly keep shooing away while you try to eat. This place is on my list to not return to. read more

Best ribs on the East Coast...no joke. Good blue cheese dressing too! Been coming here for over 40 years. Hoping for 4 generations one day.

Great and consistent. Huge portions, great for families, drinks are good. Some of the best St. Louis ribs outside of the south. Their fries could be better though, maybe more options for sides. Meat A+, Sides B. read more

What has happened to The Spare Rib?? Although a favorite of mine for decades, my most recent meal was so awful that I am contemplating writing it off the list forever. It started the moment we walked into an almost empty restaurant and were greeted by a waiter who looked as though he had just woken up. Dirty and unshaven is not the most appealing way for a restaurant to welcome its guests. At least 6 other employees were gathered around the cashier's desk doing nothing, just talking among themselves. We were given menus and ordered. Drinks ok and a nice bread basket. And then my salad came. More dressing then salad - kind of like lettuce in Caesar soup. And then our wait began. About every 15 minutes our waiter would return to the table to say our meals would be right out. This must have happened 4 or 5 times. We waited more than an hour to get a Cobb salad and the famous steak tidbits. On the verge of walking out, our lunch was finally served - and with an apology... "We ran out of baked potatoes. What would you like instead?" Maybe the potato supplier knows something that we don't. Although my wife's salad was acceptable, my tidbits were terrible. Ordered medium rare they were obviously reheated and came to the table dark grey throughout. They tasted worse then they looked. Our waiter continued apologizing but did nothing for us. BTW - although probably not his fault for the long delay or the terrible meal, not once did he offer to refill our drinks or make our wait tolerable. read more

I'm sitting here tonight for my mom's birthday (it's one of her favorite restaurants). My sister made a reservation, because there are 12 of us. Kids eat free Sunday through Thursday, and my sister specifically asked if that was the case when she made the reservation. The person on the phone gave a simple, "Yes". Turns out that it's 2 kids per table- that's fair. However, we are a table with 7 paying adults. I'm sure there have been times when a couple has taken their two children here. We have almost 2 adults for every one child in our party. My parents come here ALL THE TIME. The manager and my father were haggling as if we were buying a used car. 3 free kids were his limit. My dad said, "We can easily be two separate tables. What if I sat over there?" The manager's reply was, "If you're willing to do that, be my guest." What a dick. I won't be coming back here any time soon. read more

I went to The Spare Rib today for lunch, I'm from Commack and I haven't been there for about 15 years, it was great I came in they sat me Quick. My waitress Jennifer was happy I was there, I ordered steak tib- bits on A garlic roll with melted mozzarella cheese and it came with a Choice of sides and a salad, large ice tea. $ 24.00 with tip! Great food, great place!! read more

The Spare Rib - Happy selfie - Barbeque Near Me - Commack, New York

hahahahahahhaha!!!!! Worst meal I've ever had at a restaurant. Was a work function. What can you do? Calamari was like deep fried gum. Have had better corn bread from a Jiffy box. Not even going to go into detail about the meal, let's just say for some reason I went with the Soft Shell Crab........... read more

I recommend call ahead seating so my husband and I used to come here all the time about 20 years ago and decided to give it a try on fathers day....BIG mistake...we were seated in 15 minutes or so in a booth in the back.. first they need better air conditioning I was sweating the whole time we started with baked clams (more like faked clams) a pet peeve of mine is clams served in tin foil clam shells if they r using real clams the would have real shells....just sayin...and fried pickles (gross) sauce was terrible and pickles soggy ....now lets move on to dinner couldn't get steak and ribs because they don't offer any steak and ribs so I opted for the chicken strips and ribs chicken strips were very bland but the ribs was just as good as I remember they do make great ribs......my daughter got the southwest chicken breast and it was very dry and something I would expect from a diner ..... my husband got the prime rib and I have to say it was cooked perfect and he loved it (I am personally not a fan of prime rib it reminds me of a cross between pot roast and a roast beef) the service was not good at all we had a non attentive waitress and it was way too crowded for my liking....all in all I don't care if my husband loved his prime rib I will not be returning any time soon.... read more

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I decided to try this place out as anytime I go grocery shopping I always pass by it. I just finished having dinner here decided to give it a chance despite the mixed reviews! Boy oh boy do I wish I would've listened to these reviews. Ribs were just okay but riblets just terrible! My boyfriend ordered the riblet meal he was only able to get through two pieces. The smell and taste was overwhelming for him. He ended up asking for a box to go instead just requesting the item be thrown out!! Very disappointing meal and night out. I ordered the half rack ribs nothing to brag about. Coleslaw,salad and corn bread was good as was the service. read more

I have seen this place a couple times when I was in the neighborhood, today was such a day and decided to stop and go inside. The wait on a Saturday night for a nice place is only to be expected. However, the food and service did not merit the wait. Appetizers were ok, but the salads were/are atrocious. I am all for a restaurant to earn a profit, but please, have some pride on what comes out of the kitchen. Just because it was part of a lettuce or pepper it does not mean it belongs on a salad. Worst of all, if the word Rib(s) is in the name of the restaurant, I would hope that they make done decent ribs. Portion size are great, but I would not mind half the size if they were delicious. Cold/lukewarm ribs with some sauce on top are not acceptable, maybe it was an off night, but I honestly don't care to give it another chance. read more

The Spare Rib - Riblets - Barbeque Near Me - Commack, New York

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Delicious! Large portions and friendly staff. Our party had the chicken salad in an avocado, fried chicken, ribs, burger, and French onion soup. The root beer is also homemade! read more

I've been to The spar rib several times and I really want to like this place. The atmosphere is great and the place is always busy, but my last trip this weekend was my last. It was that bad. Literally, everything served was wrong in some way. We ordered a rack of ribs, and they were dry and tasted like cardboard. And my entree was literally inedible. I told the waiter and he mostly didn't care. I paid the $100 Bill and walked out. I wasn't looking for a free meal, so I didn't argue, but they should have made some gesture. Don't recommend. read more

What I love about this place is the food. The consistency from all the times I've been here over 30 years is amazing. As long as this place is open, I'll be back. read more

This Commack staple has been around forever and was a restaurant my parents took me to regularly as a child. It has been far too long since I've visited and recently I've been on this kick of needing to return to places I used to frequent. Although the staff are now young, the place is old, familiar, comfortable... its like visiting Grandmas house. I loved my grandma, and I loved my dinner. My wife, who had never been here before was happy to tag along down memory lane with me. She ordered a special fish dish, Coconut Sea Bass with Mango Salsa which was baked. It was amazing! Just delicious. I went old school with a half a rack of baby back ribs and barbecue potatoes. It has not changed! Still great! Our friendly server told us that another table told her a similar story of returning after many years away. I'm not staying away any more. read more

Love love love The Spare Rib not only is the food fantastic but so are the staff ...they always make me feel like family when we come in ...if you looking for a fabulous meal with great people you should definitely check them out read more

Great family restaurant .... Service always fantastic and food is always fresh and good . It's a nice friendly and warm atmosphere . read more

The Spare Rib - Decorating for the holidays - Barbeque Near Me - Commack, New York

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The steak tidbits are enough reason to go to this place. I've had a few burgers medium rare can't go wrong with that either. If you're going for a big party of more than four on the weekend on a Friday or just or Saturday you could possibly spent a half an hour wait so be prepared. read more

Average pub and BBQ fare. Family atmosphere. Friendly staff. read more

The Spare Rib - Barbeque Near Me - Commack, New York

TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE! Came here Thursday evening at around 630pm it was pretty empty. We were sat immediately. We waited 15 minutes for a waitor to come over and acknowledge us! Anyway he came over with a basket of the bread (cold stale bread that was such a tiny proportion we actually laughed) and asked if he could take our order. We placed our. We sat around for another 12 minutes (27 mins of just sitting) We still hadn't recieved our drinks and as I stated before it was not busy in the least, in fact it was pretty dead. Our waiter finally came over (still did not have our drinks) and apologized for the wait. He then informed us that for the last 40 minutes their computer system has been down. Now I completely understand stuff happens but this should have been told to us before we were sat, we have now been in this restaurant for over a half an hour still have NO DRINKS and are JUST being informed a half an hour later that he hasn't put in our order bc the system is down. My husband said "ok I understand but why were we not told this and why couldn't you just tell our order to the kitchen and bring us our drinks while we sat here for 30 minutes" (mind you I had to fast all day for a medical procedure so I was hangry lol) there were only 3 other tables of people in the whole restaurant only one with food. The waiter didn't even apologize just said "yea you're right sorry,I'll get your drinks) we sat for another 10 mins (40mins total) before I had enough we got up and told the hostess we were just going to leave and why. She had the nerve to seem annoyed and had an attitude didn't even apologize just responded with "Well who's your waiter tell them" I just left! I don't Know how a restaurant with such incompetent staff can remain up and running!! OH AND THE BEST PART after sitting there hungry like idiots for 40 minutes waiting for our order to be put it, bc we felt bad leaving, we were told we close at 8!!!! In other words just get out read more

The wings appetizer, the salad dressing(yes the salad is good but that house dressing is crazy delicious), and the ribs are some of the best food on Long Island Absolutely worth the trip! I've never had a bad meal here, although occasionally there is a wait (because the food is so delicious and everyone wants in) read more

Absolutely Great Ribs & Great service. I'll be back often. It's been a long time since I felt good about a restaurant on long island. I'm usually going to Manhattan, but this is a real family place & I recommend it to everyone. read more

Decided to try this restaurant for the 1st time. Based on the advertisements my family and I were super excited. Staff at the counter were friendly and We were seated immediately. But our waitress was super rude . She kept reminding my husband that there were no refills. Even when we asked for water. Our whole order was wrong and then she would forget what we ordered. Coming back to our table as if we didn't place our order already. We felt sorry for her and that maybe she was a little overwhelmed, but she was just rude. She was a more mature women. Beside that the food was disgusting. Every time i drive by this place i want to vomit. read more

I love The Spare Rib. The old world feel of a family run business shines through from the moment you enter the restaurant. The menu is vast and the prices very reasonable. There are lots of lunch specials. You can tell people return again and again to enjoy the food and atmosphere. It's because whether you get signature ribs, or meatloaf, or burgers, or sides, or salad...it is all good! Go here to enjoy a great meal!! read more