Smoke Dem Bones BBQ

Moving from back east I was hungry for bbq. This place is tucked back in the Esplanade and unless you know that it’s there, you’ll miss it. My husband had a pork shoulder. The meat was so tender it melted in your mouth. If your tired of chain foods and want something fresh and different, this is a 10 BUT make reservations because seating is limited.

Just had the catfish today. It was perfectly cooked, crispy and flaky! Mac and cheese and greens were on point, too!

That brisket and pulled pork is to die for… mac and cheese, bbq beans… and a peach cobbler… lay back and chill…

I wish there was an option for 0 stars. 2 hours after placing an order for delivery on grubhub, I hadn’t heard anything except the initial confirmation email. I called the restaurant to check the status and was fed a line about how traffic was crazy, their driver abandoned them, and they were the only one at the restaurant, so they weren’t able to deliver. I asked about a refund and they just referred me to grubhub.
Thankfully grubhub issued a refund and gave me a $ 5 credit. I have never had any issues with grubhub, I use them all the time. If anything does come up, I usually get a call from the restaurant right away to let me know they’re out of a type of food and that they’ll credit the amount from my order.
It’s incredibly unprofessional to wait 2 HOURS for your customer to call YOU; to not apologize for wasting someone’s time, $, and killing their dinner plans; and to be completely unwilling to make things right.
I will never eat here again, delivery or otherwise.

We went to lunch with high hopes of some good southern BBQ. Our hopes were dashed. The food was barely warm and the sweet tea tasted like it was instant with lemon and the sugar was an afterthought. And the fried okra tasted like it had vinegar in it. We will not be returning. It’s a shame though, I had heard that the previous owners made some fantastic BBQ.

I love small town, friendly, good eateries like this! Smoke Dem Bones BBQ is near my fiancées office, so we popped in one day for an early dinner, late lunch kind of thing. You order from the counter in the small, casual establishment and the food is brought to you rather promptly after. I had the brisket and pulled pork with cole slaw. My fiancée had the brisket and hot (sausage) links and macaroni and cheese. He is originally from North Carolina and knows his BBQ, and ‘southern sides’. I just like good food! I was impressed with the briskets flavor and juiciness, because that’s not always the case with a cut of meat, like brisket. The slaw is different with every barbeque place, it seems, but I really liked this one. The macaroni and cheese was homemade and creamy delicious. We liked the entire meal so much we got a three meat meal to go for dinner the next night! It’s topped with the fact that it’s super friendly and family run and they seem eager to please you with a great BBQ meal.

This review is for the BBQ only. We came here for lunch and ordered pulled pork and brisket dinner and a rib dinner. The meat was tender and delish and the sauce was amazing! Absolutely loved the BBQ meat.
As for the sides, we tried the fried pickles and they were way too salty to eat. The beans were out of a can and cold. The French fries were comparable to McDonalds fries. The coleslaw wasn’t bad. I did notice that the sides that did get good reviews, we didn’t have so maybe the other options are better in all fairness.
I would come back and try a sandwich next time as the dinner doesn’t come with any kind of bread and I need to have some bread with dinner. A piece of Texas Toast or a bun for the pulled pork and brisket would have been nice. If you do order the dinner and want bread you will need to request it. We should have and didn’t. It is hard to find really good BBQ and they have it here.
The service was great and friendly and we will come back and I would recommend it.

Worst delivery experience of my life tonight. Here’s a copy of what I wrote to the customer service people. Zero stars are not an option but if they were — zero stars.
I called to follow up on my missing delivery (almost 90 minutes after order) now and was told that the driver had a family emergency, and that my food was not coming. No I’m sorry, no I’ll make it up to you — Not even a «I was going to call you and tell you»! And when I asked about the order refund, he said to call EAT 24. Literally the worst experience I’ve had in my life with a delivery. Please credit my card immediately and cease doing business with this joker who calls themselves a place of business.

Cat fish and ribs are fabulous. I’m coming back.

So whoever is giving this place a low star rating, MUST have fell and bumped their head. The food was amazing! I had the rib dinner with Mac and cheese it blew my mind. The place is intimate but the food is explosive. Paul the owner was super friendly and made me feel like family. Thanks Paul I’ll see you again real soon

Best takeout ribs! Meaty and delicious beef ribs. Delicious mac & cheese. I wish I could review their peach cobbler, but it sells out so quickly that I’ve yet to try it. This is a once a week staple for my family. DELICIOUS!

As soon as I walked in the door I got excited for «Dem Bones» and I ordered Brisket and the Pulled Pork Plate with Fried Okra and Green Beans. OMG! I cleaned my plate and I could not eat my desert since the helpings were so big. Everything was delicious. The owner is from the South but has lived in PHX for years. Older Suns fans might recognize him playing for the PHX Suns. Very tall with a Bass voice. Enjoyed his hospitality and Loved his food!

Absolutely THE BEST BBQ and sides I’ve had in Phoenix since I’ve lived here (10 years)!!! These guys have southern roots and know how to season the food to perfection!!! Put on your bucket list!!!

I’ve had BBQ from all around the valley. I’m happy that we have a neighborhood smokehouse to enjoy. I’ve already been here twice within a week after my first visit. Thanks for the good grub!

I attempted to eat here today after purchasing a groupon for $ 30 worth of BBQ. I had never been here before and I was excited to try it out. My boyfriend and I walked in and were greeted by a woman who yelled at us from across the restaurant asking us if it was for «here or to-​go». We said it was «for here» and we planned on using our groupon. She immediately stopped us and said the groupon was not valid until Monday (after the Super Bowl) despite there not being any clause in the groupon stating this. I was completely put off by the servers attitude so I decided to tell her we would come back when the groupon was valid. At that moment, the owner pops up and said to us as we were leaving that we better bring cash next time and that «we don’t do no damn groupons».
Needless to say, I asked groupon for a refund (and I was given one) and I will never return. We ended up going to wild game grill and spending $ 45 there. Rude employees and an owner who mouths off to potential customers is never a good way to stay in business, which has been a problem for the owner Stacy before.

I’ve tried these guys a couple of times with the Brisket and Pulled Pork sandwiches. The Brisket is good and the pulled pork was rather pedestrian and on the skinny side. I ordered the Large Pulled Pork sandwich versus the Regular Pulled Pork Sandwich on a take out order.
When I opened the bag up to eat the sandwich I was asking myself «Where’s the Pork?». A small serving size doesn’t cut it in my book when you order the large version.
But this place gave me the inspiration to make my own Pulled Pork. So this is a lemon to lemonade type of story. Thanks Smoke Dem Bones BBQ.

I might change my review IF I EVER GET TO EAT HERE!
I have tried 3 times this month to try and eat at this establishment.
The first time I pulled in and found a note on the door stating they were closed do to a family emergency.
Okay. I understand that.
The second time they were open and had a pair of customers at a table inside.
I approached the counter to order a couple of pounds of brisket.
I was then informed that they were OUT OF BRISKET. Now this was lunch time. What restaurant runs out of brisket at lunch time with only a pair of customers?
So I left, deciding I’d give this place one last try.
Today, yes, New year’s eve day, I tried again. And once again, there was a note on the door stating that the restaurant was closed until Jan. 2^nd for vacation.
Now I realize that everyone deserves a vacation. But it seems this place is either closed for some random reason or out of food.
I guess i’ll stick with either Waldo’s for ribs or Texas bbq house for brisket.
I don’t know if i’ll even bother trying to try this place again..

No thanks. I ordered a brisket sandwich and I literally could not chew the «meat». I’m from the Midwest, Kansas to be specific and I’ve had some excellent BBQ. This wasn’t even edible! Don’t waste your money!

Hate to do it — I know how these reviews can hurt a small business — and i used to come here when it was «Stacey’s» … then it was Good!!! In fact i used to eat here often — it was that Good!!!
Came in the other day with a buddy who also used to eat here before and liked it.
BBQ was old and not even warm. Greens were seasoned horribly and even the mac n cheese was not fresh.
Iced tea tasted strange…
And to add injury to insult — prices were high.
I would have been ok with the price. if the food was the same quality as it used to be.
But that was definitely not the case. I was close to asking for a refund until…
Oddly enough we watched the «host» and cook get into some type of verbal altercation.
I or my buddy won’t be returning.

I really wanted to like this place. My child and I were in the neighborhood & she was jonesing for some pulled pork bbq, so I came to Unilocal.This place is right off the 51 near where we were and had high stars. It is very small & parking is in the back. Even my 9 year old was concerned since it wasn’t much to look at but hey Unilocal seemed to think it was ok. So in we went.
It is very very small. Two men were inside watching the game. They thought I wanted take out but we wanted to be served. They seemed to be scramble to make that happen. The tables didn’t seem very clean. We ordered lemonade & sweet tea, which were overly sweet.
My kid really wanted pulled pork BBQ so she ordered a sandwhich. It came with a side so she got coleslaw. I ordered a two meat platter with potato salad and mac & cheese. After 10 minutes the guy came back and said the pork wasn’t cooked yet. I was very confused since usually that meat slow cooks for a really long time. So my kid changed her order to brisket, which I also ordered. The brisket was really chewy and didn’t fall apart. My ribs were really good but a little too salty. My kid loved her sandwich, but they didn’t bring her coleslaw. She had to go ask for it from them. The potato salad was runny as if it were copped into a bowl with water. The mac & cheese was good, though.
I ordered some hot links to go. When I ate them later that evening they were thinly sliced instead of full links and were like you’d find at Circle K. Quality was just bad.
When I went to pay the credit card machine did not work. I was about ready to just tell them I had no cash but I’m not that kinda guy. I happened to have $ 40 in my wallet so I paid in cash & left. I won’t be back.