Sliced brisket was good, however the barbecue sauces were not good at all. The cornbread and mac and cheese was good. I think they may need better management as they were playing Star Wars music the entire time. Not Everyone likes Star Wars and wants to hear a theme song for an hour.
Excellent food and service. The portions are great--definitely enough to leave you with leftovers and a three meat combo will easily feed two people. Both eating in house and ordering take out are excellent, can't recommend this place enough!
Fantastic seating options inside, and outside.
The staff is very attentive to every detail. From the silverware, to the plating of the food, to the overall experience. The menu is simple and easy to understand, and has a lot of options to select from.
If you're coming here on a weekend, ask for reservations, or, join the wait list and be patient. They do sell out of certain menu items, so if you are looking for something specific, you will want to inquire, just in case. It's worth the wait!!
This place is a legend. Small presence but big impact on the Milwaukee food scene. The chicken and brisket are always amazing. My normal order is one to eat now and another to take home. Try the trio to get the best deal!
Wow! It's good. I'm a big fan of good BBQ and the shack delivers. Cool atmosphere as well. Only reason I didn't go 5 stars is the beer selection and the portion size was a bit smaller than I thought the price was at.
My husband and I have been to Smoke Shack several times and love, love, love the food so it was a simple decision when it came to choosing a wedding caterer. Ryan at Smoke Shack was so easy to work with and made everything perfect for our day. Our guests went up for multiple plates and could not stop talking about the food (especially the brisket sloppy joes!). Even our vegetarians loved everything (minus the meat). If you love BBQ and just great food, this is your place. Thank you Smoke Shack!
Visited on a Monday for quick dinner with my boyfriend, we were greeted with a smile and sat immediately on the outdoor patio. Both the hostess and our waiter, Andrew, were knowledgeable of the menu and gave menu favourites. We ordered the nachos as a starter which were delivered in decent time, good portion size, and we were able to ask for items on the side. We ordered the teriyaki rib special and pulled pork entree with mac n cheese, sweets, and brussel sprouts for sides. The meats were well smoked and the variety of sauces to try were a nice compliment. Per the mac n cheese lover, the mac was not the greatest but still a quality side. Overall, we'll visit again and try other options. This is a relax and feel good type of place to wind down after work.
I so wanted to like this restaurant. But I didn't. When we entered into the restaurant, we were treated as an inconvenience by the hostess. We walked in, she briefly looked up from her phone and said, "How many?" and then pointed to a table. The server was very welcoming which brought me some hope about the food. Here's the thing, the meat was good but scarce; the plate was very empty. When you go to similar restaurants, you are greeted with happy hour specials, corn bread and plenty of food. This restaurant had no happy hour specials and we left feeling hungry.
Price was high for the small amount of food given. The brisket had a nice smoke ring and tasted good but was dry. Also lacked an iption to choose the cut like most smoke shacks further south. Normally you have the choice between burnt ends, fatty cut, normal cut, or a mix. We didn't get the option here which any decent BBQ joint should give. The mac and cheese was very good however which is where my positive stars are for.
There’s nowhere to wait till you are seated. The seating is uncomfortable.
It was very cold in there (every customer had their coats and hats on). I’m a big guy. I usually don’t get cold.
The music is loud as if it were a bar. You can barely hold a conversation.
We had a “sampler” with several different meats and two sides and 2 extra orders of ribs.
The food had pretty good flavor but ALL of the food is cold. The waitress did bring us a new plate warm plate of chips and fries.
When the head waiter asked how was everything. I told him “cold”. He had no answer and moved on! No big deal to them.
I can get a cold McRib at McDonald’s for less than $100!!!
For the price we paid for the food I thought this place was just OK. The pulled pork was very good but nothing special. It was better than the brisket which was kind of dry. They give you multiple BBQ sauces on your table for you to try.
My husband and I order 2 meat combo to go, he order pull pork and pull chicken. Its a very very small amount that was mix together in a box. I order brisket and sausage, it was a very small order as well. Brisket was mostly fat, one of them was nothing but fat and my meat was full of grease. To say Milwaukee is known for cheese Mac n cheese was dry. $17.50 for each combo
This is my favorite restaurant in Milwaukee, and Smoke Shack is not without competition! The food is absolutely phenomenal. I love the ambiance and the menu is utter perfection. Hush puppies, mac and cheese, the egg rolls and the pulled pork nachos are all excellent appetizers and sides. But the chicken wings are really what puts smoke shack above and beyond for me.
The service is also exceptional. HIGHLY recommended.
This place is consistently OK, but never great. The space is cool, albeit tiny and the staff is helpful and friendly. The outdoor space is nice, and it is heated which helps when you are only warm for 35% of the year. Drinks are typical of any trendy spot in Milwaukee. The sides, sauces, and specialties are pretty good. The BBQ itself, however, is where this place losses stars. The meat is only slightly smoky and usually on the dry side. They do pork and chicken OK, but the brisket is disappointing enough to make me want to find a new place to eat. I'd definitely recommend skipping the dry, bland beef entirely. If you're looking for an interesting spot to grab a drink and a bite with a friend/date, give this spot a whirl. If you're looking for quality BBQ, this spot may not be for you.