Brewers Branding Iron Barbecue

Because Womack’s was closed, Mom, Sister, and I decided to try this place out. What a mistake. The service was bad, the ice tea was bitter, and the pulled pork sandwich was totally bleh. The fries were fresh, at least. That, and the fact that the hostess (owner?) was SO friendly, is the only reason I’m giving this place 2 stars instead of 1. Plus, it smelled bad like industrial cleaner – possibly an unfortunate side effect of being part of a motel.

We are locals and my wife and I went there on Memorial Day for dinner. We wanted some good BBQ, had been there before in 2007, and had enjoyed the meal. Too bad for us. I had the combo plate and she had the chopped beef brisket. The combo plate wasn’t all bad. The sausage was quite good, as was the chicken. Where they fail is with the beef. The spare ribs were tough and the chopped brisket was very fatty with a lot of gristle.
As for the sides, the beans were ok, the slaw was mediocre, and the potato salad was tasteless. How can you screw up potato salad? We ordered a side of the corn bread as well. It was dry, and overcooked, and inedible. Our dog enjoyed it however. it was an expensive dog treat at $ 3.99. I give it two stars for the Sausage, Chicken, Beer, and waitress. It was Memorial Day at 5PM and we were one of two couples eating. I know why.

This place is part of a Super 8 motel, which normally might be a bad sign but I think it’s completely appropriate for a BBQ joint, and even adds to the experience. It’s a bigger place than you’d expect from the outside; they actually have a full dinner menu (though no collard greens), two dining rooms (wood interior), and their own meat smoker (not just a grill). I ordered the baby pork ribs, while my friend ordered the «signature» beef rib. I have to say, the beef rib was WAY better than my pork ribs, which were a bit dry — though my ribs had plenty of smoke flavor without any sauce (a sign of good ‘cue). Our waiter was pretty friendly as well, so extra points for that.

Ideally a 3.5 star joint. Not the best BBQ I’ve ever had, but also not the worst. I tried the chopped beef brisket plate, which was drowning in sauce and didn’t do the meat any justice. The sauce was good, but it was all you could taste. For a place that advertises its smoke ring and slow smoking process, I was hoping for more. My dining companion had the beef rib, which was a monstrous piece of meat. It was one giant rib with what must have been close to a pound of beef on it. It was so large that other patrons, as the passed us on the way in, would stop and gape at it. I tried a bit and it was pretty good. Fatty and chewy, but flavorful.
The staff were very friendly and great, even though they were slammed on a Saturday night. The bartender was especially chatty (we sat at the bar while waiting to be seated) and recommended the pork ribs to us, which I kind of wish I had heeded, but I am always a brisket man first. The inside of this place is large and decked in western themed décor. A good spot for groups and will probably suit most meat eaters just fine, but might disappoint the seasoned BBQ veteran.

Get the Combo, which is some smoked pork ribs, chicken, sausage, and something from the beef group (I think), plus potato salad, cole slaw, and beans for $ 17.99 — it’s enough for two hungry snowboarders, and a perfect after a hard day on the slopes.
Their BBQ isn’t outstanding, and their service is friendly but not always the most efficient, but they’re fast, hearty, and well-​priced.

Beware: Pork Ribs are not the baby back ribs that you are expecting. They are the size of beef ribs and are like eating tough Christmas ham on a stick. Yuck.
Other than my disappointing meal, the side salad was very good, and the Mount Tallac beer selection was excellent. (and pitchers are only $ 12)

I’ve been here twice. The first time I came, I was definitely wary given that this place is attached to the Super 8. My gf and I ordered the pulled pork sandwich. The pulled pork was decent and the fries I remember being good. Therefore, I recommended it again when a big group of us went up to Tahoe not too long ago. We just wanted to order a pound of each meat + some sides. Unfortunately, you can’t do that here (what kind of bbq place is this? oh yeah, one that’s part of Super 8). We ended up having to order dinner plates. Anyway, here was the rundown:
Beef Rib — pretty good, lots of meat
Tri-​tip — not bad, have had better
Pulled pork — not bad, the sauce was a little runny and made it mushy
Pork ribs — ok, not too tender
Brisket — never before have i had brisket so tough, definitely cooked in the oven
potato salad — pretty damn bland
Cole slaw — not bad
cornbread — needs help
Anyway, I like brisket, and I’ll usually finish anything even if I don’t like it. OK, so I finished it anyway, but it was not easy.

We had booked Brewer’s Branding Iron for our wedding reception over a year before our wedding date. All through the planning the reception coordinator was difficult to get a hold of an usually took several days to respond to emails and was almost never available by phone. We selected our reception menu from the restaurant’s website which stated that «the traditional buffet menu is served with freshly baked dinner rolls and soft drinks, coffee or tea». Within three weeks of our wedding date Brewer’s Branding Iron informed us that the soft drinks would no longer be included and that we would be required to pay an additional charge for canned beverages. This was only when I emailed to confirm all of the details for our event. They also informed us that the rolls would no longer be offered. We asked for a compromise in the situation, however, they were not willing to compromise to attempt to honor their agreement with us. They then referred us to other restaurants area and all but told us to take our business elsewhere. We were treated very rudely by the owners of Brewer’s Branding Iron who were handling the coordination of our event. Apparently, they do not need the business. With only three weeks until our wedding we were very lucky to find a great venue for our reception right down the street. Perhaps what happened with Brewer’s was a blessing because we ended up having a wonderful reception at Rockwater Restaurant where we were served by a very friendly staff and where the soft drinks were included! Beware — Brewer’s Branding Iron’s website is apparently outdated and has been for over a year… at least that was the excuse they gave us when they claimed that they no longer offer soft drinks with their reception menus. Unfortunately, I verified the menu items when we booked our reception over one year before the event date so I feel they were lying and were just trying to save a buck.

The food here is fine, not remarkable but fine. I am taking a star off purely because it is attached to the Super 8 motel. I also found it odd the other business attached to the hotel is a day spa. Only in Tahoe would a day spa be sandwiched between a motel and a barbecue joint.
This place is on at least its second theme. It was an Irish themed pub at one point and they still have the murals on the wall. It is kind of odd to be eating barbeque in a place with paintings of castles on the wall.

We ended up at the Branding Iron after getting aced out of seating at the brew pub farther down highway 50. Like other reviewers, we were slightly skeptical of «Super 8 Motel Brisket,» but we ended up being delightfully surprised. There’s loads of seating inside, so even when the rest of South Tahoe is mobbed, you can be pretty sure of scoring a table at the Branding Iron. We were seated right in front of the fireplace which was a treat on a chilly night. Our waiter was very friendly and steered us toward a couple of beers (one of which is the Branding Iron’s own pale ale) which proved quite tasty.
The food itself is more along the lines of pub grub than what I would describe as standard barbecue fare. VERY large portions, though (seems to be a theme in Lake Tahoe!), so you’ll definitely get bang for your buck here. We especially enjoyed the «roasties»: roasted new potatoes with a generous coating of salt. And if you like grease (which I do!), you can’t go wrong with a big basket of fried zucchini.
In summary, don’t go here looking for an Undiscovered Gem of a Restaurant, but DO go here if you want a filling, pub-​style meal with a hint of barbecue goodness.

After my first snowboard day of the season, my buddies and I searched for a hearty, scrumptious meal to knock us into food coma heaven. We noticed a handful of bbq places along Lake Tahoe Blvd, but decided on Brewers… why, couldn’t tell you. It looks a little shady on the outside (also because it’s attached to a Super 8), but don’t let that fool you. Inside, it’s cute in a mountain/​cabin/​remote-​place décor kind of way (you’ll see when you go inside). It looks much nicer in the restaurant part than in the front «bar» bit. Mind you, it’s a casual resto.
Our waiter was a complete sweetheart and provided excellent service. The chili is hearty & very tasty. For 4 people, we shared 2 full dinner plates (bbq pork ribs, beef ribs, chicken, cornbread, coleslaw) and 2 bowls of chili. We were all SO full when we left, but we were pleased with the meal.
For S. Tahoe, this is a nice after-​slopes meal. 4 stars for value!