Leland Smoke House — Restaurant in Leland

Writing this review is not fun for me, because I am a frequent Smoke House patron, esp in Southport since I live less than a mile away. I've been working in Leland for about 5 months now and the company I work for loves to get BBQ for clients, guests, work functions and when upper management arrives in town from Chicago. We usually order from Smithfield's. A couple weeks ago when a small group of upper management was in town BBQ was suggested again for lunch and to order from Smithfield's, but then I suggested Smoke House. No one in my company heard of Smoke House before and since I am the one who does the ordering, they trusted my suggestion. I ordered and setup the food and everyone loved it. They also loved having a beef option. My boss told me it was a great choice. Now it's a couple weeks later and when had a bigger group come in for two days. My boss definitely wanted Smoke House again. So, this time around I called a day ahead of time to say I needed to pick up at 11 AM and I ordered 10 pounds of BBQ, 10 extra-large sides, and 5 teas. I arrived 12 minutes early to go ahead and pay and load up items that doesn't require cooking, like the tea, sauces and buns. I had to call the restaurant and Lauren answered. I told her who I was and I was there for the big order. She came to the door and told me they didn't open until 11 AM and I would get everything after 11 AM. I asked her did she take my order yesterday and she said no. I replied to her, but then she began to speak over me. I told her she needed to let me finish. And then I said it would've been good to know, because I needed the order at 11 AM. I asked her could I pay and she said no we open at 11 AM. So, I proceeded to sit outside in the sun. Around 10:50 AM one of their contractors came out of the restaurant and left the door open and unlocked. The contractor entered back in and left the door open and unlocked. I just shook my head. 10:58 AM two men walked up, went inside and got in the line to order. At 10:59 AM Lauren opens the door and said I was all set and could come in, I responded, but it's 10:59 looking at my watch. I came inside and there was a bench I could've sat on without getting in the way, but Lauren said her manager said I couldn't come in and that she was just an employee. That was fair so I asked to speak to the manager since I was still waiting for the food to come out. He said that it was company policy not to let anyone in before 11 AM. The reason I write all of this is because I worked in restaurant for a long time. We opened at 11 AM as well, but if a customer came in with a big order we didn't tell them "oh you can't come in" and "oh you can't order now with it being 12 minutes away from opening". It was better for us to take care of those big orders and get them out as fast as possible before the rush started. We also wouldn't make the customer feel ashamed by trying to be proactive in getting their order in. And that's how I felt today. In my mind I thought showing up and taking care of small things will help before they opened for lunch, but instead I felt stupid and then to be let in before 11 AM made me feel lied to and the other guys that went in and the door being open. I don't want a nasty reply from management or anyone, because you had every opportunity to be understanding but you hid behind "policy" which is something you decided to implement. As always the food was good, but we only received 8 small ramekins of sauce, 3 vinegar, 3 sweet, and 2 Alabama, that's enough sauce for 8 people when I ordered enough food for 30 people. I am...

UPDATE OCTOBER 2023: My original review below (from April 2023) was a 5-star review. However, I ate here again on a Sunday evening in October, and our experience was much worse. We had told our houseguests how good it was and brought them there for a casual meal after a round of golf. It turned out to be a mistake.

The restaurant was almost deserted, which should have told us something. We had to look around to find a table that looked clean. Our food was just "meh" this time. My collard greens had an awful sour/vinegar stench - I couldn't eat them and had to move them off the table because the smell was offensive. The mac & cheese was not creamy at all, and it was basically room temperature. The hush puppies were good. The meats we had were OK, but not as smoky or tender as I had remembered them. Another thing I noticed this time was the religious music being played and the religious messages on the table tents. I realize most people wouldn't be bothered by this, but I think business owners should think twice about advertising their political and/or religious views, since they can be polarizing. It could alienate a portion of your customer base, so it's probably not worth it.

I re-read my previous review below, where I said I wished we had a Smoke House in Wilmington. Ironically, we are getting one in Wilmington soon, but I no longer care! My latest experience has soured me on this place, so I won't be visiting that one or the one in Leland again.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I ate here with my wife at about 3:30 on a Saturday, April 2023. We were just looking for a quick dinner on our way home to Wilmington, and this place fit the bill. It was our first trip here.

This is an "order at the counter" type of place. They have sandwiches, platters, sides, etc., like any typical BBQ place. No alcohol - soft drinks and tea are self-service. They give you a sign for your table and they bring your food out to you.

The inside is pretty big, with a good mix of booths and tables, and you can see into the kitchen or out the front windows, depending where you choose to sit. It was pretty empty when we visited, being a couple of hours before normal dinner time. It looked clean, and the restrooms were also spacious and clean.

Our food came out FAST. We each got a brisket platter with two sides (and - surprise - two free hush puppies!). The brisket (a full 1/2 lb each!) was excellent - really smoky, slightly fatty, and lots of burnt ends. There are about 6-8 sauces on the table to choose from, including some really interesting ones (try the "Eastern", which is thin and vinegar-y but very flavorful!). The mac and cheese was "meh", but I dressed mine up with a little chopped brisket and sauce, and that took it to another level. Collard greens and cole slaw were also good. I can't tell you how any of the other meats are, since we only tried the brisket. Our platters were about $15 each, plus $2.50 or so for a drink.

The waitstaff quickly bussed the table when we were finished. All in all, it was very quick and efficient! I'm sure it might have been different during busier hours, but I bet they keep things moving pretty well.

I have no reservations in recommending Leland Smoke House! I wish we had one...

We ordered a carry out order consisting of a pulled pork sandwich, 1/4 rack of ribs, a sausage plate and the following sides: baked beans, cole slaw, hushpuppies w/cinnamon butter and potato salad. I originally asked for a sausage sandwich (one link on a hot dog bun) but was informed they couldn't do a sausage sandwich for some unknown reason. Then, the order taker asked if I wanted the more expensive sausage plate (2 links and 2 sides) with a bun. This made no sense until I received the order and noticed it was a hamburger bun....not the advertised hot dog bun.

Also, my pulled pork sandwich and side were supposed to include a drink. There was no drink included.

Now, for the food itself. I received 3 very small ribs which measured about 4 inches long and . Is a 1/4 slab only 3 ribs? Well, regardless, those three small ribs cost me $13.99 ($4.66 each). See photos.

The two sausages, pulled pork sandwich, and the two hamburger buns were wrapped in three separate foil papers which were completely coated with grease from the meat and I mean lots of grease. By the time the food was unwrapped, our hands were excessively gooey which was gross. I've never experienced food wrapping being greasy before and hope I don't again.

The ribs were tender but so salty we couldn't eat them. The pulled pork was completely dry and did not have much smoke flavor. The sausages were dry and had very little flavor and had obviously been overcooked to the point where they were very dark brown. The baked beans were watery and the potato salad was also very salty. The hushpuppies were tasty, but were overcooked and the cinnamon butter was chunky with bits of butter unmixed in the cinnamon mixture. The cole slaw was mediocre, but it was the best of the sides. There were no utensils or napkins included with the order despite it being a carryout order. This meal cost me nearly $38.00. We threw about 85% of it away. It was truly just terrible and was actually some of the worst BBQ and sides that I've ever eaten and I've eaten at a lot of BBQ joints over the decades.

The place was very busy so I assumed it was good. ...