Smoke & Barrels - Evans, GA

Second visit to Smoke & Barrels. Husband had the Brisket Philly, which was tasty but over salted (7/10). After a disappointing experience with the tri-tip, I opted for the loaded chips. Overall, it was pretty good (8/10). I like the way they layered everything but the pico. It needed to be across the whole plate. If you aren’t sharing the chips, it gets to be a bit heavy & some of the chips were on the deep side of the fryer and got bitter. I’d love for them to offer loaded sweet potato tots as an alternative. I think it would work wonderfully & not feel so heavy with oil. It’d also make it easier to eat with the shredded beef. A chopped brisket option would also be welcome. The Nanner Puddin was both tasty and a solid serving size for sharing. I think they have a few things that could use some refinement but I’m down to go again & try a couple more things before deciding if it’s worth a spot in my regular dine in rotation.

I want to love this place so badly and I think it has a lot of potential. I’m hoping they’re still ironing out some wrinkles with being so new. I’d definitely come back and try them again. When you walk in, there is a counter to order on your left. The girl there was very friendly and mentioned you could order at the counter or sit and someone would take your order, which wasn’t totally clear but that’s fine. We ordered an app + mains at the counter and sat down. It took a while for someone to come over to us, and we ordered a cocktail. The app came out at the same time as mains, which isn’t the biggest deal, but defeats the purpose of an app. Cocktails didn’t come out until halfway through our mains. No one ever really came to check on us after that and we sat there for a while, so we had to get up and go to the counter several times (to order dessert, ask for our check, etc). This isn’t a massive deal but I was surprised to see 18/20/22% as the tip options when I got my bill when it wasn’t really a full sit down service type of place. Now for the food… - Fried pickles were amazing, 10/10 - white bbq sauce also amazing, 10/10 - Cocktails were incredibly weak, and I’m usually a lightweight, and overly sweet. I probably wouldn’t bother with a cocktail again, especially when they’re priced at $10-$14 each - Me and my husband both got the brisket Philly with Mac and cheese. Sandwich could’ve had more meat on it for what you’re paying. The meat to bread ratio wasn’t quite right (more bread than meat). Queso on it was Smokey which was really nice. Brisket was just okay. - Mac and cheese wasn’t super creamy and was pretty basic, but good, flavor wise. Noodles were very mushy/overcooked and it just didn’t taste fresh. Definitely not good enough for them to be charging an extra $1 for it. I probably wouldn’t get this again. - Pickles and pickled onions they give you on the side were really good - Dessert we got banana pudding + Mississippi mud pie. Both were really rea...

Meats are tasty. Marbled vs lean brisket is still a discussion at the table about which one is better. Marbled is fat throughout while lean has the fat strip down the side. Needs more smoked flavor. Greens are mushy. Liked the broccoli casserole. Sides of pickles, coleslaw and the onions were a delicious surprise. Not keen on the cost of the plates and the extra charge for the sauce. Only one little cup (1-2 oz?)of sauce comes with the plate. Wasn’t told about the other sauce added. It was our first visit so we wanted to try different sauces, boy! Got charged for each one. I think there were 6-7 sauces to pick from so pick wisely. Not spicy enough on the sauce. Vinegary sauce was very runny. Sweet was too sweet. Still delicious though.

I wasn't impressed. Nothing here made me feel like I really need to go back. The service system is weird and very hands off but they still want a tip. My meat was cold when it came out. The sides were honestly the best part.

The loaded nachos were decent, the bbq sauce is mainly vinegar based and the meat was ok. The staff was friendly and the place was clean, but other than that I don't have much to say. It's an ok place.