B3Q Smokehouse & Pub — Restaurant in West Pittston

I give restaurants a "3 times rule". Meaning, I will try a restaurant up to 3 times before I post about the food or anything to get a good idea of various menu items.

And being a veteran and from the South, I was excited to try the food. That excitement soon passed.

With that said, my wife and I have eaten here 3 times and I wish I could say we would be back, but we won't.

The first time we went here we ordered the ribs as they were a special that day. The ribs were over cooked/smoked (which made for a very dry rib, even soaking in the sauce didn't help). The ribs also had very little flavor. We gave the restaurant a pass on this experience and tried the ribs once more a few weeks later. Same exact experience.

We waited a few weeks and tried a different special, the smoke bombs. I so wanted to like this one because I love a good baked potato, but both of our potatoes - mine and my wife's - were hard as rocks like they hadn't been cooked at all. So we attempted to cook the potatoes more at home but it didn't work out well even after removing all the toppings.

So, 3 times and done. This however seems to be the running theme for almost every restaurant in the area right now. The food overall in the area is consistent at being boring and lack luster and they all want to blame it on 'the pandemic'. We're over 2 years into this 'pandemic', boring, over cooked, under cooked, flavorless food is no longer a result of the 'pandemic', you're not spending the time with your craft to stay on top of it.

Take notes restaurants of NEPA, your...

The B31 Smokehouse is a comfortable spot in West Pittston with a friendly staff and a welcoming environment.

We arrived on a Friday around 7 p.m. Although there was a family already dining there, there were only about two or three tables remaining, however we did have an option to eat outside (which we declined).

My girlfriend had the slow and low pulled pork sandwich, which was tender and pretty good. I had the brisket sandwich and smoked wings, which was also delicious. We also ordered a side of fries, which was more than enough for two people. The Nashville wing dipping sauce was tangy and packed just the appropriate heat.

The table was also filled with a variety of barbecue sauces, including peach, Alabama white (mayonnaise and horseradish) chipotle, the B3Q signature sauce, and many a few others, which I experimented with as I ate my meal.

Nick, the owner, made us feel right at home, and even stopped by for some pleasant conversation. An Air Force veteran who returned home to start the business, gave us the brief history of the establishment, and you can tell he puts his heart and soul into his restaurant.

Although the place is small, you can always order takeout, which won't disappoint. Give this place a try if you have a hankering for...

As a former chef, with my last gig at my very good friends bbq restaurant, i know good bbq...not knowing a sole here and being alone, my girlfriend looked this place up from back home and boy am i glad she did..as soon as i opened my car door that lovely smell i miss so much blasted me right in the face, so i knew i was in for a treat..very clean restaurant...set up the right way...and a simple, well planned menu...i ordered the Sweet caroline, which is a pulled pork sammy on a bed of coleslaw and topped with a sweet and tangy carolina mustard sauce, which im a huge fan of..i also ordered 1 pound of brisket to go and i was also extremely pleased..the brisket was very tender and juicy, but it still held its form and didnt just fall apart when you pick it up..it had that tiny bit of firmness that a good competition brisket has..i wont be in town for much longer, but i can promise im grabbing as much food as i can to take on the road with me! With this pandemic stuff going on, its important to go out and support the small businesses as much as possible and B3Q Smokehouse is doing it well! Do your tastebuds a favor and go grab some 'cue...you...