Smokey Jo’s Real Pit Bbq & Old Town Tap

A friend took me here today for lunch. I thought it was just a bar but he said they had great ribs, pulled pork, and beef sandwiches so I said let’s do this. I had just eaten BBQ yesterday at a place in Hinckley, Illinois that was fantastic so I decided to have the beef. It came with cheese, green peppers, onions, red sauce, and peppers. The beef was very tasty, tender, and juicy. The fries were very good as was the slaw. Our waitress was very nice and very attentive. We sat outside to enjoy the outdoor seating. I am told they have a great breakfast especially on the weekends. Definitely going to come back and try the BBQ and breakfast. Bathrooms are a little outdated as is one of the bars but the restaurant seems very new and quite nice!

Smokey Joes has been around for years. The recent improvements to the dining areas and all around restaurant is incredible. I ordered to go from Smokey Joes last night and it was great. It’s my family’s favorite place for bbq carry out and we’ve had consistent good food here. The ribs are always cooked well, beans are great and they always include the right utensils, condiments, and wipes.

Looks promising. Looks can be deceiving. We walked in from bar area and asked if we were to seat ourselves. Waitress said sure. We sat there for over ten minutes without even getting a menu. I went to the bar to get a drink and waitress looked right at me and started going through her Facebook. At that point I thought it shouldn’t be this hard to give them my money. I will not be going back.

I have lived a 5 minute walk from this place for ten years and have never gone here until this weekend. Food was great, waitress was really nice, and the atmosphere was fantastic. The remodeling looks great. The workers really made sure everyone was content. I’m assuming the man we spoke to was the manager, but he was very attentive and made sure everyone was comfortable. He turned on the heaters when it was getting chilly and let us know how to control them if it it got too hot. I thought this was a very nice spot. I will continue to go here.

This is my favorite spot to order ribs in the South Suburbs. The bbq sauce is really delicious, and the employees are always very nice, and even got to know who I am due to ordering take out for so many years. Their potato salad is the best potato salad I have had yet, and I will always be willing to pay a little extra to have a bigger side of it. Some of their other choices such as their burgers, or other sandwiches can be hit or miss at times, however not every dish at a restaurant can please everyone. The new renovation they did was well needed, and they did a good job. I love how you can eat outdoors now, and it definitely makes me want to eat in more often.

I LOVE this bar! The pizza is fantastic. The barbecue is great. The burgers are cooked to perfection. There have been some glitches with the help but every place has them. Vince and his staff make you feel welcome and comfortable. Also, the beer is cold cold

We came here for my sisters birthday and to watch some of the Super Bowl game. The bar area was full of people but the restaurant part was almost empty. Lots of big screen tv’s everywhere so there’s not a problem watching the game.
There was six of us. Most ordered the Alaskan cod meal. They all loved their food. I ordered a chicken philly sandwich. It was good. Fries are homemade and there’s at least five different homemade bbq sauces on the table to choose from. Some were better then others. The coleslaw was bland and didn’t have much flavor. Service was good. The manager even stopped by to check on us. Nice.
There’s a good selection of craft beers to choose from. They have Revolution Anti Hero so that’s a good thing.
We had a good time here. There’s bands playing here on the weekends too. We’d gladly return.

Love there bbq. They give you a very good serving. They also have angry orchard on tap

Gave a few more try’s and still no good, breakfasts undercooked old town burger overlooked, wife had nachos, burnt. We are done

I love this place! It’s great to have an awesome restaurant/​bar so close to home! There is a nice selection of craft beer on tap, great outdoor seating, live music, and friendly waitstaff. I’ve never had a bad experience here. My only advice would be if you order pizza, remember this isn’t a pizza place.

We love having Smokey Joe’s in the area and the improvements that have been made just make it more appealing. The ribs and cole slaw are definitely standouts!
Al fresco dining feels a little like being on vacation even though we are close to home. I didn’t find it at all pricey, you can easily find lunch options for under $ 10. We have found the wait staff to be friendly and efficient.

I’ve never had a bad meal here. These other reviews trashing this place are really harsh. I have tried everything from the burgers to nacho platter. The bbq pork and beef is amazing. The fries are meh but seem homemade. Cole slaw is delish. It’s a little pricy for the area but they offer daily specials and don’t quote me but taco tuesday I believe. I think all Mexican food is like half off from the nachos to taco dinner etc. I’m a frequent flyer here and I love it. Support your local businesses. Dont trash it people. Would you rather it be another boarded up building on main street?

The improvement at Smokey Joe’s is AMAZING!!!
I thought the quality was good in the past, but after tonights meal? To say they nailed it would be an understatement. The food was unbelievable, I’m loving the new slaw recipe. You had 14 very happy coustomers tonight. Knocked it out of the park! The jam night was good too.

Wow! After reading other reviews I feel I would just be piling on at this point… so here goes. lol
The brunette bartender/​waitress this afternoon was as terrible as the food and prices! I’ve never stiffed a waitress before on her tip, but I sure did consider it here (but didn’t).
You know, some of the best food can be found in bars, but such isn’t the case here! When I go to a new restaurant I have some dishes that I measure restaurants by. For instance, if I’m going to try out a Mexican restaurant for the first time I will order the taco dinner. Why? Because that’s a ‘basic’ Mexican dish! And if one of their basic dishes is going to be bad, why would I trust them preparing anything beyond the basics?!
That being said, in a bar with ‘corned beef sandwich’ on the menu, that is the dish I test with. And here it was an utter FAILURE! Let’s forget about how loooong it took for a basic sandwich
When the corned beef sandwich DID come, while flavorful, it was hard to chew and fatty. I thought I was eating some dog’s rawhide! Hell, maybe I WAS!
The accompanying fries were terrible with the grease needing to have been changed. And price to portion comparison was bad.
I have eaten here a few other times with different food items but always with the same result… bad service and bad food!
The owners have remodeled the place with an outdoor area as well. Looks great! But what difference does it make how nice the place is when the food and service atrocious?! It’s like putting lace on a bowling ball! Maybe more time should’ve been spent on the food basics instead of the cosmetics of the building.
Now if you want a bar that’s doing it right on all levels, head on down the street for about 1 minute and check out ‘Throw Back Bar & Grill’. Excellent food AND service with a newly expanded menu! I kid you not, try it and compare. It’s the difference between night and day!
Lastly, here’s another red flag to pass this place by. First name was known as ‘Old Town Tap. It was an established name in the area. Next, apparently ego became a factor and it was called ‘Jim’s Old Town Tap’ (which is what it STILL says on the receipt) and NOW it’s called ‘Smokey Jo’s Real Pit Bbq & Old Town Tap’ HUH?! Yeah, that just rolls off your tongue, don’t it?! More like somebody was rollin’ a big fatty!
Peace

Keep driving… 2 cheese burger and fries… almost$ 20…FUCK YOU SMOKEY, go to burger king, the meat tastes fresher, and idiot waitress ASKED if we wanted coleslaw, and NEVER gave it, then y did you ask… to not write it down? Understandable if you were busy, but it was slow like YOU

Smokey Joes is the perfect dive bar! It’s usually pretty chill, which is why I love it! Bob, the bartender, makes THE perfect dirty martini. The food never disappoints. I’ve had sandwiches, soup, chicken fingers, cheesecake, apps, etc., and it was all amazing! Also, it’s newly renovated with outdoor seating. If you’re coming for dinner or drinks, the quality of both will meet your expectations.

In a word… disappointing. I like to spend local when I can, but there’s not a whole lot of options around here (Crete). I didn’t want to drive all the way to Indiana or the Heights. My peril was my own laziness.
We had takeout from there before the remodel and it was ‘meh’. After the remodel, people were complaining about things, but I attributed that to just being reopened.
If only I had checked Unilocal before deciding on this place. You can count the number of close places to eat on one hand, and I had wanted to give them a chance.
I had to go to the restaurant just to get a menu because there is no web presence whatsoever. I think in this day and age, a website with a menu isn’t too much to ask. At least have a facebook page with a menu.
I had a bacon cheeseburger that was over done, but passable and not overly expensive. The coleslaw was hot and unappetizing.
For $ 6 I expected some hand made Leona’s style cheese sticks. What I got was standard freezer aisle fare.
We also had steak fajitas. I know you can only expect so much from Mexican food from a bbq place, but come on, flavorless, fatty meat, big lump of dried up beans, crunchy rice with no trace of seasoning.
The outdoor patio looks very nice, but I’m not one for bars so I wouldn’t know.

Love the bar, restaurant area. Large and spacious. Outdoor seating looks awesome. Love the wrought iron look. The food, not so much. The ribs arent meaty or pull apart done. The sauce isnt anything special. I got the fish-​cod. Had to send it back because it was inedible. I substituted with the shrimp which was bland and mediocre. The service was ernest but forgettfull as we had to ask for extra napkins four times. You would think they would provide extra napkins (and wet naps) with a rib dinner. I realise the restaurant portion hasnt been open that long, but they have a lot of improving to do. I may go back again to give it another try, but not too soon.

Tried this place for the first time. We arrived about 6 pm on a Friday, and it was already pretty busy. The main dining room occupies a former car wash and the owners have made creative use of the old overhead doors. We were seated promptly by a friendly hostess, after which a young lady took our order. I ordered the fried perch my wife tried the shrimp. Both come with garlic bread, choice of potato or fries, and coleslaw.
The Perch was good, with the right amount of breading. The shrimp were huge and covered in a slightly spicy breading. My wife returned her soft drink, which was a generic cola. I went with Sam Adams, as the draft selection is limited.
Service was slow. The owner apologized to guests for the long wait times. Staff were nice but obviously overworked. The main attraction for this restaurant is the patio area, which was crowded.
Overall typical bar fair, not the restaurant experience we were expecting.

Smokey Joes just got better! After just getting remodeled there is a brand new extension! There is a big menu with a variety of things mainly known for their ribs. The feeling inside the restaurant is just fun! There is a bar in the back that stayed the same but everything else is brand new! I recommend this restaurant for families or just those going out for a drink!