Sandy Ridge Smokehouse — Restaurant in Charleston

The food is excellent, the service splendid, and the atmosphere top-notch!

We were a party of 9 on our first trip with everyone having something different and ALL were great. The brisket was about the best I've had (and I've had plenty!). The catfish was the absolute best I've had since Reelfoot Lake 40 years ago. Wow!

What a selection of comfort-food sides & all of them good. When did you last have garlic cheese grits?

The service was just right: Speedy, correct, without dominating our conversation. The drink refills kept coming. Thanks, Gabe!

The atmosphere was the biggest surprise in this tiny town. Nice grounds & patio (which beckoned wedding venue to me), screened-in dining. It is even better on the inside. Each table is different. Ours was a 3" thick, 10-foot long slab of Burr Oak with the bark on the sides under a gloss finish. The wood walls frame a lovely fireplace. Lots of windows. There are a few single-table private dining rooms -- perfect for a romantic dinner or just a private, casual lunch with an old friend. The eye-catcher, though, is the round bar built into a grain silo with a beautiful wooden roof and another fireplace in its center.

The food & the place are convenient enough off the highway, but they are worth being their own...

Just cutting through town and ran into this restaurant decided to give it a shot. What a great hidden gem if you’re not from that area. I walked in, sat down at the bar for lunch. The bartender Abby was very professional, and polite. I decided to go with the chopped brisket sandwich and brussels sprouts. The sandwich came out with plenty of meat and had their competition barbecue sauce with melted cheddar cheese. I will tell you I had to take off the jalapeños as they were too hot for me, and I felt for me it would overpower the sandwich. The brisket was cooked perfectly you cannot go wrong with that sandwich, It was great. The brussels sprouts were amazing. They are served with some shaved Parmesan cheese on top, but the highlight was the seasoning and maybe balsamic vinegar? The establishment was extremely clean, plenty of open seating, so you don’t feel crowded and shoved in like a chain restaurant. The owner was super nice as he walked around checked on people and spoke to them individually. My only complaint is I do not live near this restaurant, so I will only be able to hit it while traveling. can’t...

Dinner service was excellent. The silo bar was the place to be and fills up quick after 6. As a non local it was nice seeing the rapport and friendliness the bartenders have with their customers. Added an extra layer to the atmosphere.

If you can catch the sunset view from their outside seating area, I highly recommend it. Some of the firepit chairs need replaced and there were a crazy amount of corn flies.

I ordered the Sandy Sampler and I gotta say, the 13hr smoked meats were divine. No sauce needed but if you are a sauce lover they had three varieties, all paired great.

Drink is a whiskey lemonade that I ordered twice cause it was that good. If you like whiskey sours, you'll like the lemonade.

Dessert Brown Butter Cake. The candied pecans, the cold creamy vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce - superb. Great way to end a delicious meal.

So much parking, they have an orchard for...