Bailey's Smokehouse — Restaurant in Town of Orangetown

This place used to be the bee's knees, but now sadly, so much. I went there at midday on a Sunday. Seating and parking was not a problem at all. I live 2 hours away and this used to be the go-to BBQ restaurant for miles around. The bar area which sits in the middle of the upper area was packed with people watching what I think was a soccer ⚽️ game. My party sat up front but not far enough away from the raucousness. There was no shortage of men 50+ years old drinking, shouting, and cursing profusely. I'm no prude and have been known to utter a French word or two but this was loud and excessive in my opinion. No respect for the women and the elders present. We ordered the sought-after burnt ends, a full slab of baby back ribs, and the fried catfish. The sides were the corn souffle, which was EXCELLENT, collard greens, string beans, and mashed sweet potatoes. In retrospect all of the sides were delicious 😋. The catfish was generous and fried crispy to perfection. The meat is where the disappointment happened. The burnt ends were dry and perhaps overcooked or lacking fat and juice. They were tolerable because they were slathered with a sweet BBQ sauce. The ribs were plentiful but a big let down. Tough is the first word that comes to mind. Notice the picture. No meat pulling back on the bone at all! Undercooked is my suspicion. The pork refused to let go of the bone. The smoke ring was minimal at best. The membrane was on the back side of the ribs that did not help the situation. This is exactly what happens when you smoke to time and not internal temperature. Amateurish. Not good if you are paying nearly $90 for the aforementioned with no alcohol or soft drinks. On the bright side, the portions were large and there was a lot to take home. I might even cook the ribs some more. The service was not bad but nothing exceptional either. I may go back if I am in the area but I'm seeking out a replacement BBQ spot as I type. Try it if you dare. Your...

Poor hospitality. I was very disappointed with the level of service. I could look past one unhappy employee, but several staff members seemed disgruntled, leading me to believe this may just be the culture of Bailey’s Smokehouse. My husband’s aunt lives in the neighborhood so I chose Bailey’s based on the reviews. It was our first time here. We walked through the door and were never greeted by any of the employees standing around, no one even said “hold on, someone will be with you shortly to get you seated”. We ended up walking up to a staff member who asked us if we wanted to be seated inside or outside. We requested an inside seat but when we walked to the table, I realized most of the seating area was dimly lit. I totally understand the low light “bar” ambiance; however, my vision doesn’t fare well in low light. We never sat down and within seconds, explained “I’m really sorry, can we sit outside because of the low light”. The “hostess” seemed very annoyed. To put the scenario in perspective, it was a 5p.m. on a Tuesday, the restaurant was not busy, a few people at the bar for happy hour and another 2 or 3 people eating at tables inside and no one seated outside. Once we got outside our server was cold and unfriendly. I don’t think he smiled. The food was decent, it may have been an 8/10, but the staff’s negative energy would override this. The hospitality was lacking, and for that reason we cannot recommend. To paraphrase Maya Angelou, you may forget what people say, or what people do, but you will always remember how they made you feel. In this case, I may forget what exactly I ordered, or how the drink tasted, but I remember the staff’s energy. Employees properly trained in hospitality and who genuinely appear to like their jobs can transform an ordinary dining experience to something worth repeating. This was not...

I give it a 4.7 overall... plenty of parking all around. The place is not too big, had that family vibe to it. Share with friends/ family. Smokehouse food which i love. Excellent service, sat at the bar. It was late, and i was in the mood for a cheeseburger had not had one in a long time. I was craving the burger with onion rings. Before ordering the burger i tried a New England clam chowder soup. Listen, I'm spoiled because I've had the soup in Maine, Boston, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and I'm sad to say it was not close, too soupy, and that's all I'll say. Ordered a niceeeee tall margarita, very refreshing, not lemony, hit the spot. It was so good i had a second one. More importantly, service, considering the time of day, the bartender could've been tired, and he was completely the opposite. Attentive, caring, engaging, professional. At that point i ordered the burger he recommended it topped with mozzarella cheese. It was like the meat, and the cheese got married, awesome taste. The meat was tender, well done the way i requested it, juicy, had that fresh grilled to it, succulent, mouth watering, and to add to this deliciousness, crispy battered onion rings. They weren't mushy or runny where the onion and the battered fall apart after a bite. Bailey's, come, and visit they offer all kinds of Smokehouse delicacies such as pull pork, mac n cheese, fried chicken, ribs just to name a few..... and remember service...