Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill

I ordered a combo of Smoked
St. Louise Ribs ~ ¹⁄₃ Rack for
$ 14.79 and it comes with two
regular sides and garlic bread.
I had the standard BBQ sauce
that was sweet and spicy and
a mustard sauce that
had an awesome tang which I
liked better than the standard.
SMOKED ST. LOUIS RIBS
I was glad I ordered the ¹⁄₃ rack
of ribs. It was enough meat and
it was slow cooked. It was
definitely fall off the bone ribs. I
liked the fat ratio of
the ribs. It had a smooth texture
and made them extra rich. I was
glad I got a ¹⁄₃ rack size. I
saved three for tomorrows lunch.
MASHED POTATOES
I loved the mashed potatoes and
gravy. The texture of the
potatoes was so smooth and soft.
Plus the gravy tasted house
made. I have never had that much
flavor going on in there. I think
they used beef stock to pull in all
those flavors. It came together as
whole for me. It was so satisfying.
These would definitely be good
to feed a crowd a la carte
in the bigger sides section. I can
see myself ordering these all
the time and changing it up
a bit with new sides I haven’t had.
FIRE-​ROASTED CORN
The corn had a heat factor that
was a little to hot for me but I
liked the firm bite the corn had
and I could taste a little
sweetness but I wanted more of
the sweetness and not so
much heat. I like sweet corn that
has a little char. I like
to cook mine in a cast iron skillet.
SEE YOU SOON!

Flew into Tampa and stayed at a nearby hotel. Found Smokey Bones and it was some incredible BBQ and burgers. Great deals at happy hour as well. Had a party of 6 and the service was very fast. Between the pulled pork Sammy, loaded BBQ burger, brisket, and appetizers we were all stuffed. Great portions, fair prices, and cold beer. Would highly recommend for anyone passing through.

Horrible service very disappointing. My father loves the baby back ribs at smokey bones and waited all week to go there. We went for lunch and the ribs were pure fat! For over $ 23!!! I don’t know what happened but after returning ribs twice my dad got pork sandwich. Very disappointing will go to Applebee’s next time he is craving ribs!!!

Smokey Bones have had, in the past, the very best baby back ribs. But today, for fathers’ day, they were the worst ever! They were so fatty and lacking the usual glaze, they were not edible. We returned them, but the new ones were no different.
If that was not disappointing enough the service was awful and slow.
It will be a long, long time before I would return.

So.
Searching for good BBQ here in Florida is like searching for an item that you have put away in a drawer somewhere so you won’t lose it when you’re ready to look for it, and now can’t find it ANYWHERE! Or at least from this parts it is. Here, where I live, in what I call a «food desert», also known as an area that doesn’t have many restaurant choices, other than fast food, which is a challenge for any foodie, you have that challenge.
Enter Smokey Bones, about a half-​hour drive away. Smokey Bones, when you walk in, smells like ‘something’ is really smoked, really well smoked! I am immediately stoked! It smells rather good!
For my dinner, I order a pulled pork sandwich on a shiny toasted brioche bun, which comes with 3 choices of BBQ sauces (I chose brown sugar honey glaze) and cole slaw as a side. Note: There is also teriyaki glaze and sweet BBQ sauce to choose from.
The BBQ pork was tender and juicy, lean and tasty and the brown sugar honey glaze balanced well and provided the sweetness I wanted in this sandwich. I would have this again. The cole slaw was good and crunchy, just as it should be.
The second dinner item chosen was chicken fingers and sweet BBQ baked beans! They also looked very good and presented well. I didn’t try the chicken fingers, so I can’t speak for the taste of them, but ‘heard’ from my daughter they were good, and as far as the baked beans, she told me they were as good as my own home made COWBOY BEANS! Now, I do believe (no bragging), my Cowboy Beans to be – THE BEST! So I’m going with that assessment. Good enough for me!
*blows on fingers & rubs them against collarbone — THE BEST!
Try this place! It’s «boneism» legit!

I have to say I have never went to a restaurant and watched everyone be served and not me, mind you my 13 year old daughter had to witness that, and then when my friends arrived still after sitting 20 minutes no server, I finally decided to get up and leave along with my daughter and friends and I told the host that no one came to serve us she says ok have a nice day, wow what class, that was my first and last time going to the Brandon location, just showed my young daughter that there are still places in Brandon trying to bring back the 1950s, never again and maybe this place doesn’t like to serve minoritys.

Wait was 40 minutes. People in after us were served.
Waitress doesn’t care much about us. Told me there was no brisket. But let my sister in law order it and find out when it finally showed up it was pulled pork.
Just bad. Manager tried but still promised a discount we didn’t see
Never again

I will start by saying this review will be a little biased as it was the second BBQ restaurant we went to that day. The first was so horrifically bad we decided to go here. We sat at the bar. The bartender was attentive and amendable. My husband got the wings which he gobbled up. I ordered the BBQ chicken which I couldn’t finish because there was so much of it. It made for great leftovers though. All in all very impressed. We will be back again.

Super fun trivia! Just stopped in for an appetizer and the atmosphere was outstanding. Having fun at Smokey Bones Brandon

This restaurant never disappoints. The staff is friendly and the restaurant is clean. The food is excellent and I always order more than I think I can eat. I love the brown sugar rub on the baby back ribs. The garlic bread is always fresh and tasty. If you go, ask to sit in Brandy’s section, she is awesome.

The pulled pork BBQ nachos make this place to die for. The service is hit or miss sometimes but it’s still worth it, plus I got a free desert when my waiter really sucked one time LOL. However the smoked wings and pulled pork and even the chicken wings make the service seem irrelevant! !

small portions

Great tip– my wife and I share a full rack of Memphis Dry rub which is the best you ever had in the area. We both end up with generous portions on a large plate and you will be full! You may have room for a bag of warm donuts to share at the conclusion, which is worth coming in for by itself.
I just came back from BBQ country in ATX and I must say, these succulent finger licking ribs are better and more meat on the bone. The broccoli are always prepared just right if you want a nice healthy option. It makes you feel like you are eating healthier…
The service staff are attendant and usually very cheery and work for their tip.
My only issue here is that they frequently forget to give us silverware. Why, I am not sure, but if this is the only issue, you will have a great dining experience.

Very quiet for Saturday lunch but the food was amazing! We had the pretzel sticks and they were great. Our server was very helpful and friendly. They also have these new tabletop tablets that had kid games to keep our little ones occupied while we ate.

Very solid experience all around. A great sparkling dining room and ambience is very comforting. Nice bar set up as well, with a good wrap around of tvs. Good place for lunch, dinner, or even a trip to the bar to watch some sports.
Our service was very excellent. The food was very tasty. And the smell invigorating the restaurant was tantalizing. Thoroughly enjoyed my in house brewed beer. And for 3.75 $ per 22oz you can’t beat that anywhere! Especially considering the taste!
Some good (but a little pricey) appetizers. We had the pretzel bones and they were very good. But the queso was not heated enough and was chunky instead of smooth. Didn’t want to get on the pretzel stick like it should of. My only knock on the quality for the day.
One great, and worth it, feature was the table top device. $ 1.99 gets you unlimited access to apps and games which gives parents unlimited peace when enjoying a family lunch/​dinner out. Of course it made it a little harder for her to leave. Also nice and convenient to be able to pay on machine. Even though it was a slow lunch time and our server was very attentive, this could come in very handy on a busier night rush.
I would say the Only thing keeping it from 5 stars is the price to portion ratio (yes I made that up, but it’s a good measurement trust me). But the quality of taste and product were there so no actual complaints.
The final say here, I wasn’t really rushing to go there the first time, but after our solid experience we will certainly be returning sooner then later.

I chose Smokey Bones for dinner because I was meeting a friend for a late night dinner. I love the smoked wings at Smokey Bones so this was perfect because they stay open late every night. We arrived a little before the late night happy hour so we ordered drinks and waited. We ordered the nachos, onion rings and smoked wings. The smoked wings and onion rings were good but the nachos came out burnt the first time. Our server acted like she did not see the black and brown edges on the chips and told us that the nachos were always that dark. I know otherwise because I have had the nachos before and they were not burnt. However when the manager had them remade, they still came out looking very dry and crisp. We did not eat them and we also did not bother to send them back .It is obvious that burnt has become the standard at this location. The chips were topped with cheddar cheese only (in addition to the toppings) and placed under the broiler. Although I remember the nachos being topped with queso, we were told that was not standard on the version presented on the happy hour menu. Now I know and I will not be ordering them again.
The restaurant wasn’t impressive overall during this visit. The dishes and glasses were not clean. The service was sporadic and the waits were long. I waited more than 15 minutes just to pay the final bill. Fortunately I had enough cash in my purse so I did not have to continue to wait. The lack of cleanliness, service and poor quality of food will keep me from being in a rush to return any time soon.

You know I am not a really big fan of chain restaurants but I ended up here because all the other mom-​and-​pop places were closed on Presidents’ Day. I was definitely surprised to find that I enjoyed everything and it actually tasted really good. The server was so nice and so attentive the place is a little bit more on the pricier end for a barbecue but I definitely think that it’s worth it

Food always reliable — tonight we had the pulled pork and the St. Louis ribs — both were tasty.
My complaint is the total lack of customer service offered: I dropped and spilled my margarita — OK, I’m a klutz, but I have a neurological tremor, the glass was wet, and it slipped out of my hand. Any other time something like this has happened, the restaurant has cordially replaced my drink. Well, not here — the manager said there was nothing they could do… :(
So, guess we will have to think about whether or not we want to return.

I’ve only eaten here twice, most recently today. It must have been good because I (we) came back. The location is a pain being just inside the Brandon Mall and absolutely the worst (camera) traffic light in the Tampa Bay area, but there is plenty of dedicated parking and the restaurant for the most part is clean. Today we were seated immediately (not very busy) at a table that had just been cleaned after something big and messy went down… the floor just below the table and immediately surrounding was slippery wet; the place wasn’t full so I’m not sure why this table couldn’t have been allowed to completely dry before seating someone there.
Today we had the fried (sliced) pickles and the cornbread appetizers, both of which went pretty quickly because they were good. The cornbread, with it’s pecan butter, is like eating dessert for an appetizer.
The other adults in my party ordered ribs for their main meals, and I will say that if you come here for something, it should probably be the ribs. The full rack was decent sized and came with two sides and garlic bread. They were pretty good, and so were the french fries.
I had the pulled pork burrito, which came with tortilla chips (you can upgrade to some extra side choices for an additional 99 cents, or more). I wish it had been more on the pulled pork side, but it was very much a burrito, stuffed mostly with rice and beans and a little pulled pork… hey, you get what you ask for, right? It was good, and filling (I could only eat half of it after those appetizers).
Our service (on both visits) was friendly, servers were attentive.

This review is based on food, value, service, cleanliness, and general atmosphere.
The food was average. We started with the apatizer sampler, I think it is called the crowd pleaser. It was good, but the nachos only had a little toppings on a few chips. The middle and bottom were just dry, stale tortillas. The fries, onion rings, and chicken strips were all good, but for $ 15 I wouldn’t call it a good value. Nothing was great. My chicken sandwich was okay. The bottom bun was really soggy. Not great, and again not a good value. I had a loaded baked potato for my side, and it was average.
The service was good, and the dining area was clean. The atmosphere was similar to other bar-​restaurants. Nothing here was great, and I would probably write an average review, but they tricked me into paying with the game on the table, then charged me for it. Something other similar restaurants offer as a free courtesy to their guests. There is nothing warning of a charge beforehand, so for being deceptive, they lose a star. Overall, not a great value.