Smokebox BBQ

I’ve been here several times, and always enjoyed my meals there. However, they are now closed. I contacted the management, and learned that the Church Rd location is now permanently closed. That’s a shame. This place was pretty good.

I had a take out of baby back ribs tonight. Really tasty, though smoked a little less than I would prefer. But the ribs were tender and meaty and slathered in a good sauce, with extra on the side. Unfortunately, they completely omitted my side (beans), so they owe me $ 2.49 plus tax, and I sure can’t review the quality of the beans. The staff seemed to be having a good time amongst themselves, so it is likely they weren’t paying too much attention to the orders. A little attention to staff discipline probably would have avoided my problem.

For BBQ in the Northland, SmokeBox is great for us. First, let me say that it can kindof be a crapshoot as to whether the place will be packed or empty. We’ve been there on a Saturday night and been only one of two couples in the place and been there on a Sunday at 2:00 and the place was packed. I don’t think the # of people in a restaurant at any given time really has anything to do with (in this case, at least) how good the food is.
Second, we are not «lunch meat» BBQ eaters. We don’t order sliced turkey and all that sissy stuff. We go straight for the ribs and burnt ends. Lots of sides.
The ribs are phenominal. The sauce is good, but I like it when it comes out on the plate rather than out of the bottle on the table. Not sure why, maybe because it’s warmer on the plate, but I digress.
Sides: I’ve actually sort of replicated their cheesy corn recipe. It’s phenominal. Corn, cheese and a bit of a kick. Perfect. Their fries are second to none. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Yum. Their baked beans leave a little to be desired. They’re thick and rich with chunks of meat, but like another reviewer said, it’s kindof like they’re a little *too* smokey.
Portion sizes are out of this world. We order from the dinner menu and there is plenty to go around and share. We’ve also ordered take out several times (my husband actually requested it after he had surgery once) and it’s just as good as in the restaurant.
Bottom line, if we want BBQ and don’t want to wait in a long line at the gas-​station place or drive forever, this is our place.
My one complaint: It wouldn’t be too much trouble to make some homemade mac n cheese. Ordering mac n cheese for your kid and getting a bowl of 60 cent/​box Kraft is not what you expect at a restaurant.

I really wanted to like this place… but the bbq is not that good, i had the burnt ends and brisket with slaw and beans. the sauce tasted like sweet baby rays from the grocery store…:(Good service and cold draft beer.
There are better places…

Good portion, not huge, but not tiny. Nice smoke ring on the brisket, friendly service as they even thanked you while you walked out. Even at 2:30pm there were about 15 – 20 people eating there.

It was a quick dining experience. The food was good (I recommend the cheesey-​corn).

The Best Food I’ve ever had! No Joke! My boyfriend and I agree and we loved it! We had Jalapeño Poppers to start, they were good! Then I had the bacon cheeseburger with fries, i wished they didnt put mustard and mayo on the burger, but no big deal i just took it off and it was great and the fries were amazing too. the meat on the burger and the bacon had amazing flavor and didnt need anything else added. My boyfriend had ribs, they were great too, i tried a bite and the coleslaw that came with it was good too. We also both drank sweet tea and that was really good too, i even got my 3^rd glass to go! It was all great and our server was really good too!

I love good barbeque… the key word is good and Smoke Box wasn’t good… it wasn’t even average. We walked in on a Saturday evening and there were only 2 other couples in the entire dining room… should have been a clue. I ordered burnt ends and my wife ordered pulled pork… absolutely no flavor in the meat. I’m pretty sure they boil their meat in water to cook it. The burnt ends had no carmelization… it was just some left over scrap meat that didn’t make it on someone else’s plate. I left over half my meal on the plate when we left. We needed to stop by ice cream just to get some flavor in our mouth. The service was the only redeeming factor here as the waitress was very good. I’ve never written a review before, but this was so lousy, I couldn’t stay silent. I even considered standing in the parking lot warning would be victims. Avoid this place unless your taste-​buds are dead.

Smokebox BBQ was pretty close to my place and I decided to try it out. There was only a couple of people when I came in around noon. My waitress was nice and I think I had two waitresses. lol I ordered large Pulled Pork Sandwich with Fries ($ 8.24) and a Root Beer ($ 1.99). You can choose 1 – 2 meats on the sandwich. A regular Pulled Pork Sandwich by itself was $ 4.89 (with fries was $ 6.98) and a large Pulled Pork Sandwich was $ 6.15 (with fries was $ 8.24).
I only waited a few minutes before my food came out. It was pretty fast but I was like the only person there at that point. lol The BBQ sauce was good and the spicy BBQ sauce was tasty. It was probably just me but there was only a tiny difference between the two. The pulled pork was good and the fries too.
I’m coming back to try their beef brisket and other things on the menu.

Love the bar area … lots of TV’s and good service. Coldest beer in town (that I’ve found)! Great place to go for beers.
BBQ is OK compared to other places in the area. I like a little more smoke/​bark on my BBQ than they usually have to offer. I’m not a huge fan of the sauce either. The meat is usually tender and pretty good.
In my opinion … the bread/​bun served with the meat can really give it a boost … and the bread they serve is pretty crappy. The slices they serve with the ribs/​platters are low-​grade, and if you get a sandwich the bun falls apart.
Most of their sides are good, the fries are great … best in the area IMO.
Service is great, and fast.

Staying across the street at the Holiday Inn I figured I’d give this place a shot. After reading the reviews I didn’t expect much but I was tired and just wanted some take out and go back to my room and watch «Chuck.» I got the two meat dinner with brisket and burnt ends. And while the burnt ends could have had more bark on them, everything was excellent. I’m generally not a fan of steak fries, but these had a very home-​made quality and were cooked very well. The meat was tender and not overly smokey. The beans were very good but actually a bit *too* smokey. The slaw was tasty but the «to go» portion was pretty small. I’m a big guy and I’m all about portion size. For the price however, ($ 10.49 I believe) there was a good amount of meat and sides overall.
One of the best BBQ places I’ve been to. I’d give it a 4.5 stars if it were an option, for the smoke levels in the beans and slaw portion size, but I give it a 5 because it deserves that over only 4.

This not a good pick for Barbeque. My friends ordered a pulled pork sandwich, and they got pulled pork in a takeout box, instead. There was no bread! We also ordered small end short ribs, instead we got dry over cooked large end. I ordered a chicken sandwich, and it was also very dry. If I hadn’t got mayonnaise on the side and a soft drink, would have choked!
These guys desperately need to find a cook.

I ate here once and that was enough for me. The meat tasted cooked rather then smoked. I won’t be returning to this place.

Not much to brag about this place. The brisket lacked any smoked flavor, and tasted like it was oven roasted. The babyback ribs were tough and not worth the effort and VERY BLAND. Cole slaw tasted like a general grocery store type. There’s only 2 sauce choices and neither of them had much flavor… they were like ketchup with liquid smoke. The food was served at room temperature on styrofoam. No one asked us why we didn’t eat the majority of our food as the owners apparently are quite cocky regarding their food. Disappointing.

The smokebox BBQ that was on N Oak is now a Mexican food joint… Haven’t tried it yet but I intend to…

I was just texting with a buddy who’s in KC for biz from LA. Told him there are two BBQ places to check out… Gates and Smokebox. And frankly, I think Smokebox is better. Nothin’ fancy, just good BBQ!
The fact that it’s right near the airport is huge. I’ll usually get a plate of ribs and Burnt Ends, and the beans are yummy too. Have only been for lunch, and you order at the counter before you sit down… they bring food to you. Great food at a good price.

This is some of the best BBQ around. They have amazing french fries, something I do not eat normally. I am VERY picky about my fries and Smokebox has some of the absolute best. They also serve fried mushrooms and beer battered onion rings.
I ordered the Burnt End and sausage sandwich, on white bread. You definitely want the white bread, you get MUCH more meat than on the bun. The sausage is sliced like thin meat shavings, as opposed the the normally chunky cuts you see at most BBQ places. The sandwiches and sides are priced ala carte, so you might split an order of fries and a side of beans if you are dining with a loved one.

Smokebox is a yummy lil BBQ joint that’s conveniently located off 70, an exit or two before the airport. When I come home to visit, I like to stop into Smokebox after my peeps pick me up at MCI. I’ll usually get a plate of ribs and turkey, with sides of slaw and potato salad. It’s all great!
Before 4pm, there’s no waitress, you order and pay at the counter before you sit down. Two people can usually eat for around 15 –25 $, depending on what you order.
The décor is simple, sparse but, it’s the food you’re going for anyway… :)
See ya there!