Smoke N Bones BBQ — Restaurant in St. Louis

Smoke N Bones was like smoke n mirrors, unfortunately. We walked in and could “smell the smoke.” Unfortunately, it stopped there. We were prompted to visit Smoke N Bones after seeing a post on social media with someone asking if their pricing was keeping people away. We don’t mind paying more money if the meal matches the price. Unfortunately, it did not.

Started off ordering drinks and they were out of tea, which was a bummer, but nothing to take away from the whole experience. We ordered wings, asked first for fried, but they were out of that, too. We got smoked instead. They were just OK, a little tough. We sauced the wings ourselves with the BBQ sauces at the table (all of these were pretty tasty, though). The food came and everything was… underwhelming. The pork lacked flavor and didn’t even have a hint of smoke. The texture was also a bit odd, almost like if I make pulled pork at home in my Instant Pot… not what I’d expect from a BBQ joint. Mac and cheese and french fries were just alright. Fiancée says the ribs were lack luster and lacked seasoning. Everything was just “meh.” There is good BBQ in St. Louis, so you really have to exceed “meh” if a lunch for 2 is going to cost $50 before tip. We left feeling a bit disappointed and probably won’t be back. The leftover pulled pork didn’t even make it to the fridge because it just wasn’t worth keeping for leftovers.

There was only one person working the dining room, which was manageable with just 3-4 tables. He was very kind and attentive, so this is not a review of the service. They were quick and very efficient. They really did a good job with customer service, which is a kudos to them. Additionally, all our food was served hot which is also a bonus. Their garlic bread was SO good.

Other things to note:

1. the menu pricing is NOT what was charged on the receipt. We were charged an extra $1-3 on a couple items. I will urge the business to provide up to date menus with accurate pricing, or let the guests know that the menu pricing is inaccurate. Kinda felt like they pulled a fast one on us.
2. it was freezing in the dining room. The thermostat on the wall said 62°, which is just too cold to actually enjoy our lunch.
3. the edge of our table had grime and leftovers stuck to it. I actually had to pull a wet wipe out of my purse to clean off the gunk.
4. we received a box to take home leftovers and there was a hair in it. The box came with a wax paper sheet, which is where the hair was, so we just threw that part away and put the lefties...

I came in Monday around 3pm. Clean and pleasant atmosphere. This is hard but I must be honest. It took me a few days because I really wanted to think about what I was going to write. Customer service was decent. Being that this was a holiday. So not going to take points off for that. But let's get to the food. The presentation was very good for a to go order of BBQ. As for the food. The food itself was not the best. Was not the worst I have but definitely not the best I learned about this place via a Instagram Ad. So I ventured 50 mins to partake. I order brisket. Pull pork.. and sausage. Let's talk about the brisket. It was moist. Good job. But it tasted like nothing. No flavor. I didn't even taste salt or pepper. It didn't have bark. Ok smoke ring.. but no bark. Now the pull pork. I did find pieces that had beautiful smile rings.. but again it lacked flavor. See the theme. Also it was kind of dry for pull pork. Tough to the bite too. Probably drained too much of the fat. But the seasoning was nonexistent on the pull pork. And the sausage. Ok for sausage no real complaints. Just I didn't get a pound. Which I paid for. When I came home and weighed the other were very close like .97 but the sausage was like .88 is that a big deal . Not really I was charged for a pound I would like to get that or supremely close. I also ordered BBQ beans and green beans. And can you guess what about those.. you got it no flavor. The BBQ beans really were just pork and beans. Could have added some brown sugar some onions and some BBQ sauce to slice it up. Some Little brisket clippings and fat to add flavor would have been nice. And the green beans were just pop open can cook and serve. Added butter onions and a little back or fat from the pull pork would have done them green beans just right. Now maybe they cater to their customer base who likes to use the sauce to add flavor to the meat. But I'm not that person. I want to take the flavor of the meats. I could have caught them on a bad day. I always give a second shot before I do a video of a restaurant. so I can truly give a suggestion on a restaurant. Hope the owners don't take this as a dig at their business. It's just my honest opinion on what I tasted. So this first visit I give it 3/10 check this place out for yourself and...

Smoke N Bones (Oct 6, 2023)

There are several good BBQ places in the St. Louis area, but I decided to pick this one because it was not a chain like some of the others. No regrets in that decision whatsoever. This originally was meant as a lunch trip, but somehow arrived there after 3 p.m. on a Friday afternoon, so the place was pretty empty at that time.

The dining area is large and tables and chairs scattered all around. You have a roll of paper towels on the table, There are sauces too beside the paper towel roll. Decided to order a 3 item combo which cost around $23 to try out some of the meats. Ended up with the pulled pork, brisket and sausage. Of the 3 meats, the sausage stood out the most.It is extremely soft and tender, and packed full of smoky flavors. It is a little on the greasy side however. The other 2 were pretty good though the brisket was on the dry side; however, they did not stand out as the sausage did. This place also has a very respectable spicy bbq sauce. The server recommended two sides included Cheese Potatoes (YES!) and Green Beans, and these complimented the meal extremely well.

The meal was very good, and I ended up finishing everything on the plate. It was also good enough that I ordered a pound each of the brisket and sausage to go. I can attest that the food not only survived the trip back to Seattle, the freezer compartment of my refrigerator, and still tasted very, very good about 60 days later when I finally finished all of the meats.

Overall I rate the food from this place 4.5/5 for what I ate. It is worth making a trip there when you are in the...