beale st. smokehouse bbq

music is way too loud. most people in the area know that you don't eat at this restaurant on friday and saturday evening unless you want to deal with poor music played at deafening volumes. but the food and service is generally good so you choose to go at other times. but really, thisplaceis way to small for live music. this sunday we wanted to do a birthday lunch with friends so thought beale street would be a good choice. we were surprised to see a band setting up when we walked in at about noon, which turned out to be an elderly duo singing awful christian music from the 60s. it was bad. the singer after them was very bad also but that didn't keep him from screaming into the sound system. two requests to the manager to turn downy the volume did no good. again, thisplaceis just way to small for live music. one more thing- the service was horrible. our lunch order took close to 45 minutes to come to the table even though the restaurant of 30%. probably won't go back back, which is a shame, since this use to be out favorite bbqplacein the county.

hmmmm - i'm puzzled.. i'm puzzled, pretty solid score and reviews, but they just didn't add up for me ... maybe with the holidays business was slow and food older or made with less care? reminded me of tx bbq (attached to a local gas station). the inside was nice though, prompt greeting from "host"/owner? our waiter disappeared a bit more than i'd have liked in terms of drink refills, but was friendly enough.

as for the food, we had the extreme sampler: 1/4 a chicken, some pulled pork, brisket and ribs. plus we added on a sausage link. for sides, coleslaw and red beans and rice.

the chicken was moist, but not particularly smokey (the skin was, but it was soggy and really chewy). same story for the pork - moist, but not much of a flavor and certainly no "crunchies". ribs were definitely the best part of the meal, a little fatty and on the small side but no big deal. the sausage was boring and really really greasy. the brisket, sad sad sad, so dry. it was more like jerky. i really do not understand why bbq places insist on pre slicing their brisket. slice to order, please. it takes 15 more seconds. i will happily, patiently wait. i promise.

so the dry brisket leads me to the sauces: house, sweet and heat. house and heat both had a weird taste to me and sweet was just that, cloyingly sweet. no salvaging the brisket and the mystery flavors continued with the cole slaw ... it had a red hue and i couldn't quiteplacethe flavor ... oddly tart. not for me. the hubby seemed to enjoy his red beans and rice though.

i've been around the bbq block a few times (just check out my other reviews) and love my green egg in the summer, so i might just be really picky, but i think there is better bbq fare to be had.

don't eat here. i agree with the below post. i love trying brisket at every bbq spot i go to, but this tasted like year old stale beef jerky that you would buy from a gas station. my jaw was sore from all of the chewing that i had to do! i have been to bbq joints every where from the east coast to the west coast so i fancy myself somewhat knowledgable on the subject. i wouldn't recommend thisplaceto anyone.

my go-to place!. you may have heard about thisplacefrom friends, like i did a few years back, and finding it without any specific directions can feel a bit like a treasure hunt... but i am so glad that i made the trip because this has been my wife and mine's "spot" since then!

true smoked meats, southern-style side dishes, raggedy decor and a good craft-beer selection make thisplacea dream for people like me! and the best part, you walk into this littleplaceand the sweet smell of smoked bbq just overwhelms you.

i have visited thisplacedozens of times, but not so much recently due to business travel. my most recent visit was two weeks ago on a friday night with my wife. we ordered our "usual" - the extreme sample - pulled pork, beef brisket, ribs and a chicken leg/thigh, all split between the two of us. the food has always been amazing, but this time, it tasted even better. never has it tasted so smoky and been so moist… i could not get over it. when our waiter came by and asked, i mentioned what i thought about the food… he told us that the new owners had been working hard at improving everything. we must have been out of the loop because we had no idea thisplacehad been sold! but our waiter assured us that the new owners are a group of employees of the former, and that everything is sure to stay the same but just improved on.

like i said the food was always the reason we had been returning, and now that they seemed to find a way to make it even better, we'll still be coming back! but, like another review mentioned, the service has never been great. nothing too serious has happened to us, just little irks… on this particular night for example, our drinks had been empty for a while, and our waiter had not been back to check up on us. with other waiters frantically running by us to tend to their table we assumed they were short staffed, and it was in fact busy. but then i glanced around the dining room and saw our waiter laughing and talking with two casually dressed employees (managers??) at the front desk. maybe i am picky but like i said, nothing too serious, just minor annoyances with the service.

with all that said, the food is absolutely too die for and if you love southern bbq like we do then you have to stop by this place!

service is horrific. not worth going back. gave me wrong take out order then then staff called me a liar and said "too bad". stay away. i have read other reviews about bad service from this toilet.placeis run by a bunch of clowns. never eat here

hidden gem!. the location is obscure but the food stands out. thisplaceis on the side of a gas station, and i guess there's also a trucking company in the same lot. anyway, once you find this place, you will be pleasantly surprised. they try with the atmosphere...there are horns hanging on the walls, etc., but it is kind of a plain dining area. the service is always very prompt and friendly. surprisingly, they have a really good selection of beer (local and otherwise) on tap. you don't really see that in fenton much (except at the french laundry), so my guess is that the proprietor has a passion for beer. they must also have a passion for food as well, as everything i've tried there is good. they usually have some interesting specials on the menu, but i can't really help but order ribs. the ribs are incredibly delicious...they're moist, tender, and plenty smokey. the side dishes are all pretty good too. their fries, onion rings, mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese are all exceptional. the only thing i wouldn't recommend on the menu is the smoked chicken. the chicken breast i had was dry and the smoke did not penetrate the meat as much as i had hoped. smoking chicken breast without drying it out is probably quite tricky. anyway, the chicken was not bad with some sauce, i just won't be ordering it again. seek thisplaceout if you want some good bbq!