BBQue’s Smoke Shack

I guess this place is now closed, so perhaps this review is a moot point…
I ate-​in once, the wings and fries (SO crispy — YES!) were pretty darn good, and they let me sample the sauces before I ordered. I didn’t find their «super spicy» sauce to be all that spicy, but it was tasty, nonetheless. The soda machine was out of ice, and there were a few other odd things, but it was a not-​too-​bad experience.
I ordered via Seamless a couple months later — a meat combo platter (pulled pork which was dry and overly sweet, sausage that reminded me of kielbasa, and ribs that were just okay — everything was sitting on creepy white bread [there went my juices] and I didn’t really like the sauce I picked — I found the online descriptions to be kind of non-​descriptive) with a separate container with the mac ‘n’ cheese (needed salt) and fries (delicious despite extreme sogginess), and a can of coke on the side. Cole Slaw was missing completely (I didn’t care too much ’cause I don’t like cole slaw, but it was still something I was supposed to get and didn’t), and they sent a diet coke instead of a coke, then tried to blame me (even though I pulled up the order and double checked before calling) when I called to get it fixed — it was more than 20 minutes later before I had the correct beverage, and the delivery guy refused to come up to my floor either time. *sigh*
I kind of figured the delivery was the problem, and I’d go here for wings and fries again sometime, but I guess I missed that chance.
So, overall, 2 – 3 stars were deserved… wonder what happened to the place.

Hit and miss.
This place isnt very consistent on the quality. I’ve had a great brisket cut, but also a dry bbq ribs. Sides are okay, mac and cheese especially mediocre which is a downfall for a good bbq place.
Also talks alot about their great wings but I haven’t tried a flavor sweet, hot, or mild that I would keep in my mind or recommend.

Looking for a good burger? Do yourself a favour and keep on walking!
I suppose the owner was trying to reach that seldom-​targeted market of people with money and a genuine taste for fast food when he designed a menu of burgers made with Macdonald’s quality ingredients – yet priced like they’re from a decent burger chain.
The patty looks like it was composed of recombinated «meat» shreds fused together, and the bacon… Imagine dried bacon bits that have been rehydrated. My favourite part of the meal was the fountain coke.
Seriously, if you’re going to spend $ 8 – 12 on a burger, you might as well go to New York Burger Company (just a block away with a much better blue cheese and bacon option), or even Five Guys.
Therein lies my main issue with BBQue’s Smoke Shack: if you’re going to serve something that wouldn’t be out of place at a Checkers, PRICE IT THAT WAY.

Six big ol’ wings… smothered in a ridiculously good Honey Sweet BBQ sauce… an ice cold 12 oz Sam Adams Octoberfest draft… all for under $ 10! Absolutely no complaints here.
The food was excellent. The beer was cold. Football on the big tv. Smiley service.
I’ll be back. :o)

When you walk in… there is this fast food restaurant feel, which I am okay with. No, the ambiance is not as trendy as many of the other upscale Manhattan BBQ places… but the food is comparable. and much more affordable. I would definitely return here again.

Poor environment, ghetto staff, and not worth another visit! Damn at least the waffle fries were good! After getting my friends and 2 other orders wrong and wiping my table down with a clearly dirty rag I decided I was done.
Ghee thanks :-(

Stopped by here for late lunch yesterday with friends after we found it on the AAdvantage Dining Program. The place was packed! I didn’t read any iDine or Unilocal reviews before I came here so I wasn’t swayed in my own personal review.
First, the place is quaint and small decorated with wooden walls and metal signs to give it a «rustic shack» feel. You approach the counter where you can see their menu up behind them on the wall. A variety of barbeque sauces are listed. I chose the puled pork sandwich ($ 7.95) and added the waffles fries and drink (additional $ 3.95). After you pay, you are given a white card with a number and you then proceed to fill your cup from the soda machine or iced tea machine (feeling that I should stick with the Southern theme, I chose to go with iced tea).
Now find yourself a table. Park your seat and admire the décor and signs that adorn the walls as you wait. I thought the cashier people were going to call your number when your order was up but was pleasantly surprised when they came over with my order on what looks like a mini baking tray. They did the same for my friends’ orders as well! The wait was not very long IMHO about as long as it takes to walk to the drink dispenser and back to your table twice (YES! Refills!)
There is a large flat screen TV for people to watch the game.
The pulled pork was warm and moist. The Tennessee Whiskey Sauce I chose to have it tossed in was tasty with depth of flavor and the bun that it was tucked into was soft and sweet. The pickle slices were a pleasant surprise as a flavor foil against the sweet and smoky. Reminiscent of a Cuban sandwich. My waffle cut fries were hot, crispy, and well seasoned. I don’t know why other Unilocalers had such poor experiences but perhaps they came in on an off day (EVERYONE has them including you!) or perhaps the price was too much for them (you can see the size of the items everyone is eating before you decide to order). Two bottles of extra sauces are available alongside the bottle of ketchup on your table: Honey BBQ and Mexican Spicy.
My friend ordered collard greens as a side which I sampled. Nothing extraordinary. Tasted like it might have come from a large can (especially since the collards were cut SO uniformly). As a foodie and someone who also cooks, you have to be REALLY obsessive compulsive to get each piece exactly ¼″ square. She ordered a bread pudding to go which I will have to try the next time I’m here.
Overall, a pleasant and filling experience.

I walked in to BBQue’s after work today, without Unilocaling it or doing prior research. (I know, I’m nuts!!) Just looked cool from the outside and they had a sign up saying they won NYC Wingfest and I looovvve wings so I had to try.
The cashier took my order of 12 Habanero wings for $ 9.99. This is their hottest sauce. She also told me about the 12 minute wing challenge. Eat 12 wings in 12 minutes and its free. I was tempted but I was by myself and thought that would be pretty lame. LOL
She brought over the 12 wings and 2 containers of Blue Cheese. The wings were decent but as other Unilocalers have stated, nothing to go out of your way for. I personally feel I could duplicate these wings at home. The wings were on the larger side and slathered with sauce. The temperature consistency was very strange. The outside piping hot and close to the bone was cold. I am still alive and not sick so I guess I lucked out. The habanero sauce had a good flavor to it, sweet yet spicy. Apparently they won the award for their mexican sauce. I unfortunately did not try it.
On a side note, I heard the manager or owner chastising his staff. It was pretty loud. Word of advice, if you are going to reprimand your staff, do it in a office.
Probably won’t be back…

Small portions, high prices.
This was pretty bad — I got lured in by the samples they were giving outside, which tasted good enough, although I got the last sample which happened to be the end of a pulled pork sandwich. Hungry and tired, I figured, how bad could it be?
Went inside, the cashier was friendly, and the décor/​prices convinced me that I could get a decent sandwich. The brisket sandwich was $ 8, which seemed high enough that it had to be legit (they gave me a coupon at the door for 2 off a combo deal, but I was going to be walking and didn’t want to carry a drink).
Anyway, the sandwich was tiny and unimpressive. A few thin strips of brisket, a couple pickles, on a pretty standard hamburger bun that you would get at the grocery store. Overpriced at $ 8, so I would not recommend. If you can get the $ 2 deal for the combo, it seems like it’s necessary if you want to leave at all satisfied.

Been here a few times for lunch and its not bad. Small place that’s perfect for a quick lunch. There’s a small amount of seats in if you wanna sit down and eat in, or you can get it to go in about 5 – 7 minutes.
I had the pulled chicken with a side of baked beans. Both were good, but nothing remotely special. And that’s a pretty accurate of this place in general. It’s convenient and decent BBQ in Manhattan, but nothing to go out of your way for.

Having been here several times — its hit or miss. This is fast food BBQ, reasonable price, friendly service, and clean seating area. Drinks are unlimited, dine-​in.
TRY: Biscuit and gravy. Chicken wings. Waffle fries. BBQ sauces.
PASS: Brisket beef sandwich. Pulled pork sandwich.

After my last trip I thought I’d never go back, but not longer after I posted I was contacted by BBQue’s management and they apologized for the bad meal and said they were working on improving things. They even offered me a free meal, which I never took them up on — in part because I wanted to be able to post an un-​biased followup review on Unilocal,and in part because I wasn’t really eager to go back.
After nearly a year I was surprised to see that the place was still in business, so I decided to give it another try.
My experience this time was a bit better, and I’ve upped my rating to a 2 star review. I appreciate the fact that this place is really trying — I think management really wants this to be a good place. But good intentions only go so far.
On the plus side, this place still looks great. The décor is a bit country-​western kitsch, but it’s fun and clean. The country-​western music on the radio is a nice touch. Service was better than on my last visit, but still didn’t seem on top of things. My order took quite a while to come out, but they do say that wings are made to order, and the batch I had tasted like it was just cooked.
The wings were OK, but not great. The wings were big and somewhat flavorful, but the sauce was overly sweet (I had the Hickory Smoked sauce this time) and not all that great.
Like I said in my last review this is strictly a fast food joint that serves «BBQ» in name only. If you like that sort of thing there’s nothing wrong with this place, it just that for not much more you can do so much better, espcially in this neighborhood. I don’t think I’ll be going back anytime soon.

First off, this place doesn’t suck. I don’t know what’s up with all the bad reviews, but I sat and ate there for the first time and it certainly wasn’t a terrible experience. The restaurant was SUPER clean and I could see the staff cleaning the kitchen and sweeping up around the dining area constantly. The tables were not sticky at all.
The service is 5-​stars all the way. I was greeted warmly as I came in, they answered my questions, guided me through the menu, and made some suggestions since it was my first time. I went with the pulled pork sandwich with Citrus Chipotle sauce with the waffle fries, drink, and a tiny cup of cole slaw.
Here is why I’m giving them 3-​stars. The food.
Again, it didn’t suck. I thought the pulled pork was a little dry and bland, and I was about to go back and tell them they forgot the sauce, but after the 3^rd bite I realized all the sauce was relegated to just one side of the sandwich. There are extra bottles of sauce on the table so I fixed it myself and was able to taste two different sauces other than the one I ordered. The food was good. Not the BEST southern bbq I’ve ever had, but this is fast food, and unlike other people– if the choice was between this pulled pork sandwich and a McRib, I’m sure as hell NOT ordering a McRib. Then again, that’s just me. The waffle fries would have been awesome– had they been crispy. The slaw was delicious, but that tiny cup just didn’t cut it.
If I could fix anything in this restaurant so I can bring it up to a 4 or 5-​star review, I’d suggest a little more attention to the execution. If they are going to spend a lot of time making tasty bbq it shouldn’t fall short when it comes time to serve it up to the customer. Equal distribution of one of the 12 sauces they’re very proud of should be standard; especially when it isn’t busy. Those waffle fries needed more time in the frier or the oven. Limp waffle fries won’t cut it in NY. And how about a little more slaw?
Overall, this place has a soft spot in my heart because their staff is so refreshingly friendly and the place was so clean– a real pleasure to eat in. I don’t know how long they’ve been around, but it looked new. I’m more than wiling to eat here again and give other items on their menu a try– like the wings or rib tips. Frankly, for the price, I thought it was pretty decent food. I didn’t get any beer on this trip, but they have a really good selection of draft beer.
Don’t judge a place just on negative reviews. Try it out yourself and make your own decision. I think they’re much better than the 2-​star reputation they’re sporting here.

I just finished eating my meal from here and felt compelled to immediately write a review to warn others not to come to BBQue’s Smoke Shack because it was honestly one of the worst meals I’ve had in the city.
I usually always check a restaurant’s rating on Unilocal before going in, but I was in a hurry and wanted something to go. I saw this bbq place and was craving a bbq pork sandwich so I thought how perfect!
While I was sitting down waiting for my meal to come out I checked in on Unilocal and was so disappointed because not only did I miss their 10% off deal that they had on Unilocal,but I also seemed to have entered a place with only 2 stars.
I thought, oh well, it can’t be THAT bad. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a place with such a low rating and thought that maybe the other customers were just harsh critics. Well, let me tell you, they were all right. This place produces absolutely repulsive food. I order a pulled pork sandwich and a side of waffle fries. The pork was very chewy and practically inedible. There was barely any sauce too. My fries were a joke. SO soggy and drenched in cheese for some reason… I didn’t even ask for cheese? I was so confused…
They also forgot my cole slaw. I hate this place for ruining my favorite meal of the day and giving me a belly ache. My meal also cost $ 13 which is kind of ridiculous for the quality of food that they put out. DO NOT COME HERE.

Came here cause I liked the cute décor from the outside
Staff was friendly; service was good.
Those are where the positives end.
Pulled pork sandwich
The bread was stale/​dry. The actual pork wasn’t very memorable-​plain; it wasn’t juicy.
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
Was plain lettuce, chopped cheese and grilled chicken. Was suprised how plain and boring it was when I first got it. This for $ 9.25? I immediately felt like I was ripped off.
They forgot the croutons. I asked them about it. They graciously added them, but it did little to make the meal any better and just added to the lacklusterness of the meal.
The grilled chicken was good though. :/​
Stick to Blue Smoke Dallas BBQ, Brother Jimmy’s. they all make better pulled pork, MUCH better.

One star? Ouch. I really just couldn’t find it in me to rate any higher than that though.
At no point during my meal did I once find something noteworthy to write about enjoying. I like food. I like to write positive comments to encourage people to go out and eat things that I liked eating. Safe to say, there are none of those things worth promoting at BBQue’s.
If you’re curious, I had the pulled chicken sandwich with waffle fries, and tried a handfull of their dozen bbq sauces as well as their «moppin’ sauce». Nothing interesting, well prepared, or enjoyable about any of it.
Take yourself on a walk just five blocks north and settle in to either the Hog Pit or Hill Country Market — you’ll get an infinitely better meal at either joint.

My barbecue sixth sense made think this wouldn’t be so great, but overall it’s worth a visit. It’s not comparable to the nearby Hill Country or RUB, but if you put it in the fast food bracket it scores well, and with low prices for the barbecue genre it’s a low-​risk excursion.
I got the $ 11.95 rib combo — maybe 4 ½ ribs, two sides, reddish cole slaw. I opted for mac-​and-​cheese and collard greens. Mac-​and-​cheese had nothing particularly good or bad about it, it just existed. Greens were decent — not as porky as usual if you’re into the health scene. The ribs didn’t have that backwoods Tennessee smoky vibe but they were juicy on the inside and nicely charred on the outside. Yes, there is better barbecue in Georgia and even in Manhattan, but BBQue’s works for a quick fix.

When I walked in here I just thought that it was empty because it was 4 pm and the lunch rush was over… or so I thought. But after tasting the pulled pork I knew I wasn’t coming back to this spot – it was a hickory-​smoked-​out mess of a meal that was overcompensating with sauciness in an attempt to overshadow all of it’s unwanted blandness. The only salvageable part of the meal was the waffle fries.
After this fiasco, I’m on a quest for some authentic southern comfort (and the drink is welcomed too) food!

Seems that people are seriously hot-​and-​cold on this place. I can’t honestly give it more than 2 stars, even though I would like to.
I’m from Texas, where BBQ rules, but I won’t grade this on a Texas place. I also can’t think of anywhere in NYC to compare it to — there’s not really any other fast foot BBQ around.
The employees were nice and the place was clean, but the food just isn’t good. Perhaps if you tried all of the sauces and found one you really like? The bread the serve the sandwiches in is tough and chewy — it doesn’t really facilitate eating BBQ. My friend ordered the pulled turkey sandwich, which turned out just be sliced turkey. Very odd. I was super excited for the waffle fries which tasted like they had been sitting under heat lamps for a while.
The Flatiron has a lot of great lunch time spots to try out. You have better options. This place isn’t even that cheap!

All the past Unilocalers are annoying me. Yeah, 1 star reviews and blasting the place? Its a fast food joint, Relax. here’s my honest review.
My 13 year old likes chicken wings. This place has chicken wings with about 10 different sauces. Its a fun place and you can crazy with your pick of the different sauces.
I ordered the wings, brought them home and he was happy. He said 5 stars, I thought they were ok so I give them 3 ½ stars.
But make no mistake, this is not a 1 star restaurant. The place was clean, the people were nice and let me taste their sauce (with a knife no less) These other idiot Unilocalers are misinformed. Its not a 1 star place.
If you like Chipotle or other fast foods for lunch then enjoy!