Smokin’ Sam’s BBQ & Seafood — Restaurant in Ocean Pines

I live local not that that matters however I have been seeing some post about Smokin Sam’s on a Facebook group and decided to make the 20 minute drive each way. I should have been suspicious when I pulled up to a mostly empty strip shopping center But decided to support this business . I was there at lunchtime during Bike week, no one was in there, except for the bartender. That should’ve been another clue. I placed my order for a crabcake platter. It came out without too much of a wait, , which was good. I got home and was sadly disappointed that their kitchen let this crabcake go out burnt. Did they throw it on the barbecue? It was also terribly salty, and the tartar sauce was basically ketchup and mayo and more salt . I would have called and asked them to replace my crabcake, but I didn’t feel like doing the 40 minute round-trip again. Too bad…

Dear local Sam Thank you for the response, that’s admirable. Thank you for correcting me about the friendly lady that’s not a bartender and your tartar sauce. Oh and about the shopping plaza. Now that I understand it’s only carry out, yes I sure was confused. I am in the customer service field and when someone has a compliant I do my best to make things better and be understanding not throw the situation back in their face. You keep the money I paid you as crab meat is expensive. By the reviews it seems your kitchen just needs some attention to detail to be the great place...

I feel bad leaving a bad review. I know this place is brand new. Only reason I'm reviewing is in hopes they'll make some adjustments so they can be successful. Then again maybe we just got unlucky and other people have a different experience. I'll start with the good.. the pulled pork tasted very good and the portion was extremely generous. The coleslaw tasted good. The bad..first of all, everything was cold. It was clearly sitting there a while even though we picked up exactly when it said to. The fries...soggiest fries we've ever had. Down right wet and floppy. The collard greens....what is this (see picture). It was just the liquid. I stuck my fork in thinking the broth was just sitting on top. Nope..just liquid the whole way through with a few tiny shreds of greens floating around. The pit beef sandwiches were ok but inconsistent amounts of meat..a lot on one, not so much on the other. It wasn't dry but a little over cooked and sliced too thick. The buns were too small for the sandwich too. Based on this experience, we probably wouldn't go back but since they are new, maybe we'll give it some time and try again. It had potential, but definitely...

I’m relatively new to the area and have not found what I call good BBQ, so when I saw Smokin’ Sam’s, I decided to give it a try. I walked in to a young lady working the counter and started asking questions. She was very helpful and I decided on the three-meat combo with two sides and cornbread. I got pulled pork, brisket and baby back ribs with coleslaw and BBQ beans. The pulled pork was plentiful, cooked to perfection and enjoyed. The brisket was tender, flavorful and enjoyed. The baby back ribs were between fall-off-the-bone and competition tender, good flavor, leaned towards the dry side and enjoyed. The coleslaw was very good, but a small portion. The BBQ beans looked like canned beans, but had a very nice flavor and texture. Add a little brisket trimmings to them and they’ll be top-notched. The cornbread was moist and sweet. This is the third BBQ restaurant I have tried in the area and by far the best. So, Smokin’ Sam’s is #1 on the Eastern Shore per my midwestern palate. I look forward to my next...