The only way to summarize our experience is that it sucked. The restaurant was a little under half full when we arrived, but the initial encounter with a team member was abrasive. Nonetheless, our server quickly arrived and took our drink orders. Afterwards we ordered one burger (cooked medium rare) and a grilled chicken sandwich (with no veggies). This is where our problems began.Not only was the burger *incredibly* well done, the chicken sandwich came out incorrectly. The fries, which had a good flavor, were also lukewarm. We asked for a replacement chicken sandwich and retrieved one that was dry and charred to a crisp about 25 minutes later, even though the restaurant still wasn't awfully busy. After we asked if the sandwich could be comped, we saw our server take the request to the manager, who we believe seemed displeased that he even asked to comp the meal. Contrast to what we would expect, no manager ever came to our table to apologize, request feedback, or do anything. We believe we saw the manager walk back and forth across the dining room -- even right beside our table -- but there was no expression of concern.Here are some other things of note from our experience. Our server seemed like he would have rather stayed in the kitchen to talk than check on his tables. In reality, none of the staff really appeared to want to be there. Lastly, there were no napkins on the table; and no one ever offered them. Altogether, we felt this was a wasted hour and a half of our time. I'm not a fan of McDonald's, but I'm sure we could have had a better experience there.
Selected by a family member who lived in Columbus, we decided to have a family birthday lunch. The pulled pork BBQ is possibly the best I have ever had. Topped with a perfectly balanced homemade slaw, I chose to add mustard BBQ sauce. Superb. The restaurant was bustling on a Saturday afternoon. Our waitress stated she was new. Could not tell from her excellent service. We never had to reminder her about anything or worry about having empty drink cups. The bar was very busy and, unfortunately, stock was low. When I was able to speak to the bartender (took more than 20 minutes) every bourbon I asked for was not available. Since "Bourbon" is part of the restaurant name, the bourbon selection could be much better. It was extremely limited and common the day I visited. Overall, I can sincerely recommend Smoke Bourbon and BBQ for a satisfying meal.
The reason for my low rating was the time it took to get food at this location. A couple of the dishes we got were super good but mine was nothing to write home about. I got a brisket sandwich with mac and cheese and the was not much flavor to the mac and cheese. No salt and pepper on the table to make it a little better and the wait staff seemed overwhelmed. I cant be mad at them but i was hoping for better tasting food and experience. We waited a full hour for food. It was hot in the restaurant and just not what i was hoping for. Very cute place but not sure i would recommend. The chicken sandwich was good so if your looking for a sandwich that was a good one.
This place is great. There was plenty of parking down town, but I'm sure it depends on the night.We were told we would have a 20 minute wait, but it was about 10 minutes until we were seated.The pimento cheese wontons were good and fresh. The bourbon salmon was so good and fresh. I also loved the corn and Mac and cheese. The fried okra and banana peppers was amazing and a must try. The smothered and covered was also very tasty.
Hoping for something a little different than traditional bbq and they delivered. Started with the pork skins and pimento cheese wontons - each unique and delicious. Finished with brisket and the potato patata - loved it!
After enjoying a great lunch the sky let loose and it down poured! My vehicle was a block away and my server , Aspen, offered to take me to my vehicle! Who does that nowadays!? As a senior citizen I was so grateful!! Great food and GREAT service!!!!! Thank you Mark for raising such a kind young man!!
The service and waitress was super friendly. The atmosphere was fun - garage like.However, the food was one of the WORST bbq I have ever had. It's sad to say even Shane's rib shack is better.The food was dry, stale, flavorless, and burnt.
My husband and I were in town for the weekend and decided to stop by on our way home (around noon) because we walked by a few times and it smelled so good! For the appetizer we chose the smoke wings (hot). Admittedly so the waiter told us they wouldn’t be smoked for whatever reason (I can’t remember) however they would be fried. What the waiter didn’t tell us was they would attempt to recreate the “smoke” flavor by charring them to the point upon which they were almost inedible. They must’ve left them under the broiler too long. Please don’t do this. Just fry them and let it be or better yet take them off the menu or say they aren’t available if they can’t be prepared properly. We had a few drinks while we waited on our entrees, which seemed to take a very long time. We noticed several guests who came in after us were eating while we were still waiting. The table next to us noticed the same thing and addressed it with their waiter. Right when I was about to say something our food arrived. I ordered the gnocchi & brisket with the sauce/gravy on the side while my husband ordered the rack with mac and cheese & okra and banana peppers. My food was not hot at all. More so room temp. The brisket was too fatty for my liking so I had to pick around to find actual meat. The gnocchi was good but cold. I’m glad I got the gravy sauce on the side because I didn’t like it either. Too bland. I added some bbq sauce to my brisket and gnocchi which made it taste better but again it was cold and I was only able to eat the non-fatty pieces of brisket. On the upside my husband enjoyed his rack. They were tender and he enjoyed the bbq sauces they were served with. He also enjoyed the okra/banana peppers and the mac was satisfying to him. Overall I hope this was an isolated incident however for the price we paid and the mediocre service coupled with my cold food I unfortunately cannot recommend this restaurant. Maybe I’ll try again but as we were leaving we saw kitchen staff eating off the plates (through the side door). This is very unsanitary and why I gave them 2 stars. Please do better.
I visited Smoke Bourbon and BBQ after checking reviews on various platforms. I really wanted to like the place -- the location right on Broadway in Uptown Columbus was great for people watching and convenient to shops and the Riverwalk. Plus, on nice days they have a patio and open up the entire side of the restaurant to the outdoors. The server was also friendly. Just the food wasn't that good! I will say I am spoiled because I live in a large city that serves great barbecue, so my standards are fairly high. Despite that, I still didn't care for any of their homemade BBQ sauces and the meats didn't seem that flavorful (brisket and chicken was what we tried). I had the brisket melt, which was an interesting sandwich, just a little bland. My friend got the pulled chicken plate and barely ate her chicken. Collards weren't bad. I just really hoped for a better meal.
Excellent house smoked meats! They consistently have original specials as well. All the scratch sides are absolutely delicious and you can't beat the location and atmosphere. The kitchen staff definitely take pride in their work.