Smokems BBQ — Restaurant in Phenix City

We searched on Google maps for food along our route traveling through. It was about 230 and we hadn't eaten lunch yet. When we saw Smokems was in a gas station we hesitated, but we're hungry and decided to give it a try. The menu had good options, but I asked the register clerk what the favorite items were. She walked us through the most popular lunch sandwich meal, BBQ plate, and hamburger steak house special. Boy, I'm glad I let her sell that hamburger steak and curly fries to me! I do believe I could have eaten a whole bowl of the grilled onions and gravy. The quality of food would compete with Sonny's. One employee in particular left an impression on me. Kimberly not only walked us through our first visit order, but for the duration of our dine in experience I noticed she led the rest of the staff the way a solid manager or owner would. Between taking orders for the apparent mid afternoon local hot spot she cleaned up the dinning area, encouraged other staff, went out of her way to make sure the ice machine was completely full in case there was another rush of customers, all the while greeting each person with kindness and a smile! Employees like her that take ownership, are self motivated to do a great job, and radiate warm kindness are rare and special. I wanted to share what I noticed and give encouragement to others...go eat the BBQ at the...

I, and a friend of mine, visited this place on August 23, 2023. The employees were very very friendly and professional. The restaurant was very clean. Very nice atmosphere. Prices were very reasonable. The reason I visited this restaurant was because it is a local bbq restaurant, not a national chain. The one thing though, even though the taste of the food was excellent, the staff is obviously uneducated about the difference between what "chopped pork" and "cubed pork" is. I had ordered a chopped pork sandwich, and the pork was not chopped, but cubed into very small pieces. I am a senior citizen, and all my life, barbeque chopped pork has never been cubed. However, the stew I had was very very good. Another thing is the sandwich bread felled apart very easily because it was way overloaded with cubed meat. We were also served our meals on very very very small appetizer-sized plates, not a normal-sized plate. Even though there were a few issues with my food order, I will still be back to try out other food items. Just because of a few issues with the food, don't be discouraged from visiting this restaurant. We all need to support our local restaurants, even...

I have tried all the bbq in our local Columbus/Phenix City area and smokems is my go to. They are just more consistent. I am a little bit of a bbq snob because I lived in Texas before moving here so it has been a challenge to change my flavor profile. But smokems has what I like! Chopped pork has a nice bark and flavor! Giant pork sandwich is great! Puts me to sleep every time! Baked beans just the way I like them, bbq stew is awesome, homemade fries are a great touch! I love the hamburger steak meal it is my hands down favorite when I don't feel like cooking!

Deserts leave something to be desired. But, Memorial weekend they had a lady named Chris make some deserts. The banana pudding was excellent and the peanut butter pie was slamming! My 2 favorites please add these classics to the menu!

I recommend key lime, buttermilk, pecan, banana pudding, and peanut butter be on the menu at all times!

Mike Craig A man who loves good...