Smokin’ Aces BBQ

The family and I wanted to try this place due to friends’ reviews on Unilocal.We were impressed. We were a party of 8 and had a great time. We did not make any reservations so the wait at the bar took about 5 minutes. not too bad. The bartender really hooked up my drink! So I was feeeeeeeling really really really nice before we sat at the table. I should have asked for the bartender’s name (I will do that next time). The food was pretty good. I was surprised that I didn’t hear about this place before. It did remind me of sports bars that I go to in Manhattan. Everyone with me really enjoyed the food and the staff was very friendly. Parking wasn’t too bad. Most of us had the beef brisket and BBQ chicken. Even my elderly pops enjoyed his baked chicken. Wifey and I would go back… even for the desserts.

I purchased a groupon for $ 40 to get $ 80 worth of food. I wanted to surprise my husband for his birthday with some good food. Unfortunately when we arrived we learned the place was closed down.

The place is out of business. I purchased a Groupon ticket earlier this afternoon, made a confirmed reservation on line via Open Table and when we got there a little after 5 PM the door was locked, the menu and other advertisements in their display holder on the exterior was no longer in the holder. Oh, and there was a sign on the glass doors — «We’re Closed.»
Not only did Daryl strikeout a few years ago, this place has gone down in smoke as well.

Bought a groupon for $ 40 take out. Food is pretty good. My boyfriend and I ordered their fried pickles and fish tacos as appetizers, I got the pulled pork sandwich and he got the ribs and chicken for his entrée.
their fried pickles were very tasty.
Fish tacos were tasty but there weren’t any veggies.
Pulled pork was a bit dry with no veggies just bread and pulled pork.
Boyfriends entrée was huge. Chicken and ribs were both were juicy. Not dry at all .
Both entrees came with 2 sides. I got their Mac and cheese and sweet potato fries. Super yummy and huge portions.
He got regular fries and corn bread. Corn bread wasn’t very tasty. Dry and bland… Fries were great.
Prices are a bit pricey but with the groupon it was good. Would go there again with the groupon !!

Oh dear. I suppose I should start at the beginning. We were there early, so we were the only ones there. We weren’t even fully seated yet, when the waitress asked what we wanted to drink. We told her we needed a minute, then opened the menu to see what was on tap, but not a word was written about anything at all to drink — no beers, no featured mixed drinks, not even what brand soda. Husband got up to ask for a drink menu since the waitress was gone, but she came over while he was up. She told me they had no drink menu, so I asked what was on tap… she didn’t know. So, she turned around to see what was on tap, and spoke with her back to me. I have no idea what she said, so we ordered Cokes. Then she came back to tell us she wrote down what beers they had. Too late.
The food came eventually, but since we were already annoyed by the terrible service to start with, we didn’t have much of an appetite anymore. The «sticky» baby backs were dry. The brisket could have used more bbq sauce, although it was nice and moist with a good smoke ring. There was no bbq sauce at all on the table like you usually see at bbq joints. The portions were extremely generous. There’s lots of potential in the food.
But the service… ugh. The waitress ignored us for the rest of the meal. No asking if everything was ok. No seeing if we needed refills. A waiter came over and seemed to be on the ball. He got us refills, then cleared most of our table and wrapped up our food. When he asked if we wanted dessert, we said no, we just wanted the check. It did take quite a while for the check to come, but to be fair to him, he wasn’t our waiter. Our original waitress delivered the check, but then I sat there and waited and waited and waited for her to come back to take payment. Then when she came back for me to sign she handed the folder to me and asked. if. I. had. a pen.
Oh no she di’int!
Oh yes, yes she did. We were already annoyed by her shitty service, but that was the icing on the shit cake. With her on staff this place is doomed.
The food gets 3 stars. The service gets none.

Decent food, but way way overpriced. Service was definitely slow; you have what two people working there on a busy weekend — that’s absurd.

My boyfriend was craving bbq and brisket and didnt want to go all the way to the city and we found this place in queens and despite some of the bad reviews we decided to give it a try.
We got here about 715 and was seated fairly quickly. We were seated near the bar because there was no seats in the dining area. No big deal. It took a while for the waitress to come by. She was super nice so we didnt say anything. We order a combo. Got ribs and brisket and we got a pulled pork entrée
We got our free at 830. We ate fairly quickly because we were super hungry and the wait for the food seemed forever. In my opinion the restaurant was pretty big and they seemed limited in staff. There was one waitress in the whole place and and the host was helping out and there was one bartender.
Overall service can be improved but food can be improved. Be sure to get their groupon if its still available!
Parking could be hard too

My family purchased a voucher from Amazon Local $ 60 voucher for $ 30. Parking was difficult. Went in and waited about 10 minutes before someone greeted us.
The place had several people eating at the tables as well as some drinking at the bar. Only 2 people handling the dining area but should have been at least three.
We order 2 plates of wings, brisket, half rack of bbq ribs and a kids bbq meal. 1 hour and 20 minutes our food arrives. No apologies from the waitress, no attempt to show concern about the long wait. Food was good, wings were good but a little pricy. Spare ribs were good. Brisket was ok.
Wish we had a better experience. Unfortunately we will not be going back.

This is my 4^th time coming here and every time I come for a pick up order, the sides they give become smaller and smaller. When I ask why it’s like this, the employee with an utmost attitude says «I don’t know dude» .
The restaurant is always dead empty from what I have seen and I can probably guess why. Over priced menu prices, small portions, and rude workers.
I don’t ever plan to come here anymore.

Came here on a Friday night and to our surprise the place was not packed. We were seated quickly maybe because it was still quite early. Luckily because my husband and I saw a few customers who came in after us, there were no Hostess to greet them and just stood there for a good amount of time. They had like one waiter, one busboy, one bartender and one person that walks back and forth to the front. Way under staffed. We ordered the 6 piece thai chilli wings and the burnt ends for appetizers. It actually took them a while for them to get to us. The wings were delicious but I can not say the same for the burnt ends. They were so dry. Not burnt ends at all. More like a dried up left over brisket. Large portion for $ 10 though but it was so disappointing. While waiting for our ribs to come, we noticed some displeased customers. Apparently this one lady’s order did not go through and she was waiting for over an hour. Another group wanted to pay their bill but no waiter approached them, After an hour our Memphis dried rub ribs finally came and by then we were both so full from the appetizers. The ribs were nothing special and it was kind of dry. If it wasn’t for the groupon deal we got, I don’t think this place is worth it. I would probably not come back again.

I’m currently sitting in the restaurant as I type this because I have nothing else to do. It’s been an hour since we ordered food. The place is not crowded at all yet they have run out of brisket. The waiter did not let us know that until 10 minutes after we ordered. He didn’t know? The appetizers were delicious but… that was the last time we ate.
The bartender was nice.

I dont know where to start with this place. I can say this place would be a prime candidate for one of those reality shows, restaurant makeover maybe ?
I was here on sunday at 6. I felt very sorry for the single waitress that was trying to wait all the tables in the place. Management you need to hire. No help from the barmaid she was hiding in the corner checking her phone and taking shots. The food. Why the hell is everything covered in BBQ sauce. The ribs tasted like the brisket which tasted just like the chicken. I am sure you do not need that much sauce. The food probably would of been just as good without the heavy sauce. I would love to give this place more stars but just could not…

Came here on a Saturday night, and it was kinda empty (around 9pm or so). So I thought that was a bad sign. We were asked if we had a reservation, which we thought was odd — again, the place wasn’t packed at all. But it’s got a classy vibe to it, while still being casual.
Scanning this place’s negative reviews, the one thing I concur with is the theme of «running out of certain food/​drinks». They were out of both our choices of beer, and one of my side preferences. That was kinda weird too. Our waiter was appropriately apologetic. He was actually very good — came by frequently to check on us, food came out right away, etc.
But the food is actually pretty good. The burnt ends app is delicious. The Memphis (dry rub) ribs were a bit too dry but overall pretty good. Got chicken as well and while the meat was good, there was also a little too much sauce for my taste. Their mac and cheese was excellent, the mushroom/​spinach side was subpar (just a tiny plate with some mushrooms and really small spinach leaves).
If I lived nearby, this could be my neighborhood joint to get a beer and watch a game.

I decided to come here with a groupon deal. The place has a nice ambiance. We started out with the burnt ends which was done well. I then ordered the combo meal with the Memphis ribs and brisket. The Memphis ribs were good but I enjoyed the brisket more. For sides I ordered the sweet potato fries and Mac and cheese. The Mac and cheese was nice and cheesy, but the sweet potato fries were bland — needs a nice Cajun spice. The service was excellent and food came out right away. Portions were large and definitely filling — actually took leftovers. Overall a nice place and will definitely come back.

Sunday afternoon at 5pm is when I decided to try out authentic BBQ in Queens. I’ve seen the team of smoking aces on different cooking shows so i was interested to see if this was of the same caliber. They did not disappoint. My girlfriend and i had the following:
Stuffed potato skins — crispy bacon and covered with cheese.
Fried pickle Spears — nice crunch with a good vinegar taste and a huge order.
Burnt ends — excellent taste! What a burnt end should be! And a huge portion.
Main course: (which we couldn’t eat because we were so full off of the apps)
Baby back rib combo with chicken, mac & cheese and spinach.
Memphis dry rub full rack of ribs, Corn bread and spinach.
I tried to eat but was so full we brought ¾ of the meal home!
I’ve seen some reviews of long waits but I guess it depends on when you go. We picked a perfect time. Our server was friendly and attentive and the people were friendly and the bartender was hilarious!
I will be back especially since groupon and amazon local have discounts posted.
Best bbq I’ve had in NYC to date. Much better than Dinosaur bbq in Manhattan.
They would have gotten 5 stars but parking is questionable.

Worst place ever. Ordered $ 70 of food. 2 hours later nothing. Called a circus nobody knew where food was and was told it was on way. Called back and was told they didnt have wings or ribs and they cancelled the order. Thanks for telling me btw.
Asked for a manager was told there isn’t one.
Southern place w no wings ribs or a manager. Gotcha.
This place will be out of business soon. Too bad bc I was looking forward to checking it out.
Do not order from this side show.

My experience here was interesting, to say the least. I came to this restaurant for the first time ever on a Friday night during Lent (Father forgive me) but the lure of a good Groupon can turn anyone into a sinner.
Our waitress was a very nice young lady but it looked like she was a little overwhelmed and forgot to put our appetizer order in. After getting our drinks we waited about 45 minutes for our apps to come out. Oh and my husband and Mother were very disappointed about getting their beers in warm glasses.
So moving on, we ordered the brisket pieces and Philly cheese steak egg rolls. The brisket was Luke warm but was insanely delicious, I didn’t like the Philly cheese steak but my husband devoured it.
For the main course my husband ordered the brisket sandwich, he said it was OK, not great just OK. I ordered the ribs, with mashed potato and sauteed spinach, which was delicious but nothing was hot, just room temperature. My daughter ordered the Mac and cheese, that funny enough was extremely hot and very tasty. My parents shared the combo special with the chicken and ribs. They weren’t that impressed.
My Step Father asked to speak to the manager about the Luke warm food. The bartender came over to the table and was very nice. We expressed our disappointment and he gave us all of our drinks on the house.
All in all, the food was decent but not what I expected. I live in Queens and don’t think I will be traveling out to them again.

Don’t get full by the bad reviews. We used a $ 40 for an $ 80 value meal from groupon.
This place was awesome. The nachos are delicious, as well as the ribs, mac and cheese and the sweet potato fries. We tried the apple pie in egg rolls, with ice cream, and it was to die for. I wouldn’t recommend the chicken or brisket. They also have a large variety of beer and drinks.
Overall a great experience and I’m definitely coming back. Beats paying $ 30 for a drink and a burger in the city.

It’s always a bit sad when a new restaurant has the «real» potential to excite and just falls short in every category.
Last night my daughter and I decided to try «Smokin Aces» quietly located in Douglaston, Queens just a few yards from the LIRR train station.
We arrived just at 6PM on Saturday, the place about a third at capacity — not a good sign even with the colder February temps.
We waited about five minutes before our cheerful but clearly overwhelmed server took us to a clean booth in the large but fairly undecorated restaurant. From my experience the room had no mood, style or feel with the exception of several big screen TV’s which gave it the same ordinary feel as a local pub /​tavern so many of us avoid.
We quickly ordered off of a fairly deep menu to avoid a wait… but we waited too long for two cups of chili… This appetizer was actually good… ground meat mixed with chunks of brisket with some corn chips on the side. It was a nice touch but too small of a portion of sour cream, onions and cheddar cheese served on the side witht he chili.
Our main courses came soon enough. My daughter’s cheeseburger was cooked correctly and was about six ounces in weight. Fresh roll with a good gob of condiments and veggies on top. Fries were OK but also fresh.
My barbeque sampler consisted of a slab of dry rub pork Memphis style ribs and five pieces of brisket. All the meat items were way too overcooked. Seasoning was nowhere to be found… Worst of all, no sauce container on the table — I had to ask for their sauce which was then brought to me in a small dixie cup (actually this very small bowl was made out of glass or porcelin) which tasted generic.
Yes, my mac and cheese was good and cornbread side too BUT that’s not what I’m paying for really.
Prices are a bit high and overall the experience was below average. Not sure I would go back…
I wish them luck and hope they read constructive reviews.

(First review for 2014)
This is a fun place! It’s big! It’s a Bar! And they make BBQ! Which doesn’t disappoint)
Good BBQ and Beer makes me a happy pappy. :D
And right across the street from the train station, all in this quite cove of Little Neck. I stopped by with my family for some ribs. Rib on baby!
I first started the order with an IPA they had on tap. My family likes sauced up ribs. I am so not a fan. I like the Memphis style ribs with a dry rub.
I loved the Smokin’ Aces BBQ rubbed ribs! Each of us had our own portions, It would be cool if this place had like a family style BBQ, Maybe we’d order a rack of ribs, whole chicken, big bowla’ slaw. Are you feelin’ me Smokin’ Aces? All of these individual plates aren’t fun.
My wife said her Brisket Sandwich was ok, it was too tough but kinda flavorless. But the Ribs? Three Kings is my final rating, very nice place. Its a bar upfront but I had no problem bringing my kids for some BBQ