Bear's Smokehouse Barbecue — Restaurant in Windsor

This is not a going to be a review from someone who doesn’t know any better. I’m a bonafide Southern who was born and raised in Texas and then spent over two God blessed decades living in the Deep South of Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi. I hope I know a little something about good BBQ and I certainly have the belly fat to prove it.

First off, the good.

The service. All the employees were friendly with lots of smiling faces and good attitudes. I was able to place my order quickly and efficiently. Y’all got that down pat.

The potato salad. This was my favorite part of the meal. It was by all accounts delicious. The potatoes were cooked just right. It’s wasn’t to mayonnaisey or mustardy. Spot on good.

Also, after reviewing the Bear’s BBQ Smokehouse website, it seems like the company is involved in the community and makes an effort to effect change in a positive way. This sets a good example for how businesses should conduct themselves.

Second, the just okay.

The atmosphere. Being coaxed inside by the aromatherapy of the pit smokers was certainly pleasant and I was able to find a table quickly after paying for my meal. Not all the tables appeared clean but I also understand that I visited during the dinner rush. My own dining room table is not always clean during dinner so I believe it’s a reasonable consideration and I’m sure if you asked politely, the staff would gladly clean a table to your liking. This is not a $100+ per plate exotic dining experience, it’s a local, moderately priced chain of BBQ restaurants and it’s just okay if it’s not spotless all the time.

The brisket. Like I mentioned earlier, I was born, raised, and graduated high school in Texas. This means basically four things; one, I can read and understand most traffic signs, two, I can write my name in cursive, three, I can usually add and subtract numbers that do not exceed the total number of fingers and toes I have and most importantly four, I know where to find and sometimes make the best BBQ brisket you’ve ever had in your life. I did not find it at Bear’s BBQ Smokehouse. It was just okay.

The “Texas” sausage. Again, being from Texas I know the best sausage comes from the Texas Hill Country. What I found at Bear’s BBQ Smokehouse tasted like pork fat and Easy Cheese stuffed in a collagen casing with some smoke flavoring. I took two bites, placed the rest in a to-go container and used it as a treat treat for when my dog goes potty outside like a good boy. It was just okay for that purpose.

The sweet iced tea. Considering how hard it is to find places that serve sweet iced tea in the New England area, I’ll take what I can get. It was just ok.

The cornbread. It was made using corn meal. That’s all I can really say about it.

Third, the bad.

The collard greens. I realize you can find numerous recipes that call for using pickled banana peppers in collard greens. And yes, vinegar is one of the key ingredients of making collard greens. But putting banana peppers in collard greens is like not returning your shopping cart to the clearly marked and designated collection areas after you unload your groceries. Some people do it but that doesn’t make it okay. It’s disrespectful and quite frankly, rude.

Conclusion.

If you’re looking for the best BBQ in the area, Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ may not be it. If you’re looking for a moderately priced BBQ meal with a pleasant and friendly atmosphere for you, your friends or your family, this is...

Utterly Disappointing. I love BBQ and was really excited to try this place out after I've heard some great things about this place...

Came in shortly after 5, it was busy, there was a line... could this be a close to me BBQ joint I could come back to on a regular basis? A hard NO for me.

The atmosphere is clean is bbq joint casual. They have a full bar, nice digital menu boards, but some paper printed menus would be helpful.... after this it's all down hill.

The staff... only one, the cashier was pleasant at the end of the cafeteria-style line. No hi, how are you pleasantries, no welcome to Bear's from the rest of the staff. The first employee at the meat station barely muttered "what do you want?"

The meat... my wife chose 2 meat and I chose 3 meat, that way we could get a variety and try a little bit of each other's selections. It was all cold.... not even warm, nevermind coming out hot...

First, no restaurant should bear the name Smokehouse if none of the meat has any smoke flavor at all...I mean NONE... not even a hint!

BRISKET - literally no seasoning, no crust, no smoke ring, it was completely flavorless. It tasted like it was cooked in a crockpot.

PULLED PORK - again like the brisket, no seasoning, no smoke ring in the shredded ends present, it was overcooked, and literally mush.

KIELBASA - a very lean kielbasa but agai, like the others... not great.

PULLED CHICKEN - hey this I've actually had a little seasoning... but that was about it,

MOINK BALLS - where's the bacon? I would have expected a nice piece of thick cut bacon wrapped around a meatball that was then smoked... nope... if there was bacon... it must have cooked off because it was nonexistent on all four meatballs... and again... no smoke flavor... it was just meatballs. Nothing special.

Sides - these were the only items that were actually warm.

My wife's Mac and Cheese was bland... just blah. She referenced another casy iron baked mac and cheese she had for dinner last week at another restaurant that was...ok, and she said this was worse.

The CORNBREAD - they had to bring out a full fresh sheet pan...so we got a little excited. Well that flopped. They're all individually wrapped in wax paper and obviously fresh out of the refrigerator.... solid blocks of cold corn bread..... would it kill you to have these warmed up before you put them out.....

The BBQ beans and COLLARD GREENS, suffered from the from bland dismal flavor, the only hope added were a bit of red pepper flakes to give it a little heat...

The SAUCES were ok..... but the ratings of heat were severely overrated. The one with the ghost pepper was medium heat at best... not spicy. Just a little heat. The srirarcha was just mild at best. These are the saving graces for the meat as they are the only items that gave the meat ANY flavor.

All in all, this was a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. I love BBQ and this was a waste. I...

Ive only ordered once in my life 5 years ago during a slow time so i came back today excited for the poutine. 5 years ago when i asked for extra cheese curds and gravy it was just added to it i didnt need a whole extra part to it just like throw on a smidge more ya know, so this time i asked they were confused if i could get it, so the employee shouted over to ask and another woman shouted what they do instead something about an appetizer is what i caught so i assumed okay its extra money thats fine, the guy looked at me and said "you caught that?" And i said just go for it. I assumed enough that it was extra money. It was busy and im not a usual customer i dont know how it all works at this location first time at this one and so i make my way down to the register and i asked the girl "do i wait here for it?" And she said "what did you get?" So i was confused on the appetizer portion since it was something shouted at an employee and i didnt know how i worked so i told her trying to explain that i dont know how to order it but that i asked for extra and something about the appetizer and she looked at me very confused i kept explaining i wasnt sure what it was called but i told her what i asked for and what i heard but she was still staring at me confused and bothered saying she doesnt know what im talking about. Then a manager came over asking what was wrong, at this point im just full of anxiety why was this so difficult. I explained to her what i knew and she said "yes you have to get it as an appetizer" and i said yea i understand that i wasnt arguing it i just didnt know what the whole thing was called to tell the cashier what i ordered. So whatever thats done. I then asked the cashier pointing to the end of the counter if i should wait over there and she says "thats fine". Like okay is that a yes or a no? I just didnt want to be in the way so i waited around it finally came but it wasnt in the to go bag like i asked so im struggling to close the containers and get out of the way so another cashier is helping me and the previous cashier girl asked whats wrong? And im just ready to cry at this point. I worked in customer service i make sure im extra polite and not being a bother to anyone but this experience made it so im never going back to this place again. The cashier was not helpful at all and unpleasant just annoyed with me and if you are new to Bear's Smoke house DONT COME HERE. If you get anxious to order where no one is really trying to assist you DONT COME i apologized to the second cashier that i was struggling and i went to my...