Smokey Bandit Barbecue — Restaurant in Upper Moreland Township

I feel a little bad because I was recently reminiscing on the food I had from Smokey Bandit to some family members, and when I checked Google Maps, I came to realize I've never given this place a public written review. Let me tell you something, I stumbled upon this place with my Mom in April of 2024, and despite me not getting over there for a while, I STILL rave about it. I did take pictures and always meant to write this, so I figured better late than never.

Smokey Bandit is your definition of hole-in-the-wall. It shares the building with American Legion, and did offer seating inside there, but we chose to sit at the cute picnic table area! The owner was one of the nicest people I've ever met. He was telling us about his small business journey and it was so inspiring to see, especially as I'm someone who grew up in the south and find myself missing the true southern charm in barbecue; it's too hard to find in the north, but here, this is the place for it! The barbecue was tender and juicy and the sauce was smoky and sweet and just well-rounded. The mac and cheese was incredible and the beans were rich and saucy. The cornbread, though, oh my gosh. It was soft and buttery and balanced. The coleslaw was fresh, crunchy and creamy. And the PECAN PIE- sweet caramelly, gooey goodness. I gotta plan my visit back here, of course. And I can't reccomend MORE that you do the same! You just...

2023- just wanted to update this review. We moved a few towns over but just recently ordered catering from smokey bandit for a party of 10. Listen. The food was just as fantastic, and it was soooo plentiful! We definitely had leftovers. Next time I have to remember to order the candied Carrots. So don't forget about this place for your catering needs!

We live within walking distance and occasionally walk past the American Legion and Smokey Bandit BBQ sign. Tonight, my husband said, "let's eat bbq tonight", and sent me the number to call in. Called in to order and was immediately greeted by Diane who was in process of putting the sweet potatoes in the oven. I hadn't even looked at a menu, but Diane was kind enough to walk me through all the delicious entrees for the night, even recommending a sampler. (We did decline on the sampler, though, since we just had chicken last night and didn't want it again today.) We committed to the bbq rib entree and the pulled pork entree that comes with 2 side each. We of course got the sweet potatoes and collard greens, and mac &cheese, baked beans, cole slaw, and the most delicious corn bread. Everything was so incredibly delicious. If you're craving bbq, no need to go down south- Just go here! Support small business!! See attached for pics. Pardon messy plate, I...

We ordered the ribs and catfish mains and coleslaw, green beans, tots, and collard greens. Cornbread and sauces were included.

I was really looking forward to trying this place because the reviews were amazing, and it is close to home.

While the service was excellent, the food missed the mark, and by a wide margin.

The ribs were extremely dry and mostly inedible. The sauce was actually the best part of the meal, and it helped me choke some of the desert-level dry meat down. Overall, I would say about 25% of the meat was edible, which is a huge disappointment given what they charge for a half rack of ribs.

The catfish was seasoned weirdly, and just wasn’t a good dish.

I can’t review the coleslaw because we didn’t receive it despite ordering it. I can say that the green beans were off, the collards were weirdly sweet and inedible as well, the tots were overseasoned, and the cornbread… it was just bad. I took one bite of it and had to spit it out. It reminded me of the homemade play-dough I stupidly ate as a young child.

I hope I just caught on them on a bad day. The other reviews make me think that may be the case. But for $75 including tip, it was a F- experience and I will...