Best Pulled Pork Sandwich AND Potato Salad I've had in a LONG time…read more The owner was also very nice when I talked to him! And the person at the register was very good with recommendations!!

Ordered the party pack through Uber Eats. The ribs were a bit tough and had no seasoning. The…read morechicken and pulled pork, as well as the mac and cheese, were somewhat dried out like they'd been sitting on a buffet table for too long. Will definitely not be ordering from here again

What I support for this establishment is less about its food but more about its message and the way…read moreit serves communities. Ever since 2020, the climate surrounding the George Floyd Square has changed dramatically, and this establishment has become an even stronger integral part of the community as the square itself had represented how the community thrives with its people. A lot of respect for the establishment from that perspective. In terms of food, I would say the soul food, which contained mostly sides, were the main highlight for me. The mac & cheese was salty enough. The fries were solid in a "you can't really go wrong with it" type of way. The candied yams had enough sweetness. The collard greens could taste better but standards must be lower when they're not homemade. I also enjoyed the catfish fillets as they were fried to preserve enough hotness and softness. A lot of what they served, they made on the spot, which was what may be causing longer wait for some. Meat-wise, a lot of items could use further improvement because they were too dry, such as the smoked wings and the beef brisket. The wings were dry to the point that they condensed and got extremely salty. The brisket relied a lot on the sauce and the existing fat on the meat for juiciness while the meat itself didn't have a lot of flavor or juice. As for the ribs, they had some seasoning, and tasted just fine, and weren't as dry. But I have had ribs in Texan barbeque places before and knew what "seasoned" ribs were like and therefore concluded that the ribs here were not spectacular. With all that said, however, I still will return here as often as I can because I love supporting this business. The person serving me was very hospitable and patient. I still got some pretty solid barbeque even if it's not Texas. Besides, outside just the barbeque food, the soul food was solid, like I had mentioned above.

Wanted to love this place for real, but the food for me was just average. Ribs and wings have the…read moresmokey flavor, the mac n cheese and the spaggetti was susprisingly spicy. The Brisket was a lil too tough for my liking, their bbq sauce was good, that saved my brisket.

I love their ribs tips soooo bad. They always have fast…read moreservice and the food is fresh

I haven't eaten here since??? I can't even remember it's been so long and now I know why…read more I didn't catch a whiff of some smoking BBQ when I walked in. There were zero customers, red flag.The lady behind the counter wasn't welcoming. I had to order a pound of rib tips for just one person, no half orders. My order was ready in 10 seconds flat which let me know the ho jo's weren't fried fresh to order. I took one bite off a tip and put it back. The sauce is bland and watered down and the meat tasted like day old meat. However the restaurant was clean, so I give one star.

Heard nothing but amazing things from friends and social media about this place, so we had to check…read moreit out! Street parking available, but it fills up quickly on busy nights! Very large indoor and outdoor dining space, complete with a kids play area and a live music stage! We had a short wait for a table of four during the Saturday dinner rush! Service is QR code with runners to deliver your order, which keeps things moving! The BBQ was phenomenal...as both the Pork Plate and the Beef Ribs were absolutely delicious! The tangy white vinegar sauce served alongside was delectable! I will say the Green Spaghetti was a miss for me...not enough salt and kinda bland. The Coleslaw was by far my favorite side dish...so tasty! Make sure you come for dinner, as the star BBQ is not served during lunch! Don't forget to finish with the Banana Pudding, which was wonderful as well!

Wow. I really thought I was going to love this place. They have consistently received rave…read morereviews from magazine and newspaper food critics. I know that they had a food truck, but had never tried them before. So I went in with a very positive mindset. I was actually shocked by how many things I didn't like. The place is very large, but their parking lot is tiny. Which means parking on the street. I can see that to be a challenge considering we were there early at about 4:45, but it still looked like the parking at the State Fair. We were lucky and snagged a spot right when someone pulled out. Bullet dodged. We were seated right away (bullet #2 dodged, because I've heard of multi-hour waits), and were sat at a large communal table. The person who sat us explained that we could use the QR code to order, or a waitress would be by. After a few minutes, a waitress appeared and we were ready to order. She advised us to use the QR code, or "she would come back in a few minutes." I'm not a fan of QR codes, but used it anyway. I dislike that the screen is not in menu order, so there is a lot of searching. The text gets cut off when you view it on a phone, so there is a lot of clicking and guessing. Strike One. While waiting, you can't help but notice all the signs (including one on the table) hyping that "Animales does not accept tips on our food & beverage" except that they automatically charge 20 percent on every item. And, oh, we really want you to order using QR codes, so that we don' have to do it. (Strike 2). By the way, in order to get refills of pop, I had to go up to the bar and have them do it, so again, serve yourself, but give us 20 percent as a service charge (Strike 2.5). OK, but I bet the food, is GREAT! Not so much. In fact, I might have cut them some slack if the food was good. To me, the stars of any barbeque place should be the beef brisket and the pork ribs. I can't comment on the beef brisket because they don't even make beef brisket (they weren't out of it, they don't carry it). That's a solid Strike 3. OK, well, certainly the ribs are going to be fantastic, right? They LOOK great. Wonderful dark bark. They were on the skimpy for a $18 half rack with no sides, except for some shavings on onion and jalapenos. The good news: they were very tender. The bad news is that they were HIGHLY over salted and there was hardly any meat on the bones. I asked the person next to me (at the communal table) how he liked his ribs and he said, "Eh. Very salty and skimpy." We live in an Instragramable world, looks great, so the taste doesn't matter very much. They offer two sauces (which taste very similar) (and ketchup) and they helped cover the salty taste, but that's not the point of good barbeque. This strike was an automatic game lost move. (Did I mention that I had to ask the bar to refill my $3 pop each time?). If you are a BBQ place and don't have fantastic ribs, you ain't a good BBQ place. Period. Full stop. My wife had the cheese steak sandwich she said was "OK" but I tasted it and it just seemed (again) salty and mushy. (No strikes this time, but no more than a single.) Lastly we ordered "Memphis Fries" which are not explained on the menu and google didn't seem to think "Memphis" Fries ($10.46 with tax) are a thing, so a little menu help would be nice, since you can't ask the non-existent wait staff. They are battered, seasoned fries that come with a white dipping sauce and are cooked in tallow fat. My wife rated the fries as 5 out of 5, so I won't take off any points for the fries (I would have rated them lower, but they were OK to good and I'm trying to be fair). For a happy hour sandwich, the "half rack" of ribs, the fries, a beer, and a glass of pop, our bill came to $64.24, which I think is pretty expensive for mediocre food, and difficult parking and a mandatory service charge for no service. My recommendation: Go to Famous Dave's. Pay less, get more, and have a much better food experience (and you can get brisket too). Sigh.....

I'm so glad we were in the area to try this gem of a BBQ joint! When I mentioned to a friend I was…read moregoing to visit the bookstore across the street, they immediately recommended grabbing lunch at Northbound. I loved the cheese curds, mac and cheese and the hushpuppies were also standouts. I opted for the brisket bowl, which I enjoyed...the pickles were also delicious. All my friends opted for the pulled chicken sandwich, and they all said it was good. Quick service and great outdoor patio for a nice day!

I wanted to like this place. Their ambiance was very cute, especially their patio. Their menu has…read morelots that I love (big BBQ fan) and prices were very reasonable for BBQ especially noting how generous the portions were. However, we waited about an hour for our food and the appetizers we ordered came out at the same time as the food. No apologies for the delays. All of this could have been tolerated had the food been stellar, but unfortunately it was below average. The brisket and chicken were dry. The BBQ sauce was vinegar based (which many like but I don't) and there weren't KC sweet style alternatives offerred. The ribs were good but not great. The porketta was phenomenal as were the fries.

Enjoyed a rib meal today. Preordered for pick up. Greeted and order was put together fresh during…read morea short wait. Delicious !! I should have shared a picture but eating was my priority. What remained was a pile of bare bones. Definitely recommend Smokestack Express.

Myself and two friends enjoyed us some Smokestack Express today, and I have to say we were…read moreimpressed. I stopped in and picked up lunch for all of us, and everything was perfect. The brisket sandwich, ribs, chicken sandwich, mac and cheese, and baked beans were all perfectly seasoned and full of flavor. What really stood out, though, was the customer service. Justine helped me over the phone while I was trying to figure out lunch plans. I was actually headed to another restaurant when I found out halfway there that they were closed on Mondays. I had to switch gears quickly, and that's when I found Smokestack Express. Justine was extremely helpful, friendly, and patient. She made the ordering process easy and was genuinely pleasant to talk to. The food would have been enough to bring me back, but her attitude and professionalism made the experience even better. I can see why this business is successful. Great food combined with great people is a winning combination. Thanks, Smokestack Express, for saving my butt today. You've definitely gained a new customer.

I absolutely love Scott Ja-Mamas. I've been going here for over 10 years and every time I go I get…read moretheir pulled sandwiches with their twice baked potato. The amount of pulled pork they give you is enough for 2 sandwiches. Don't even get me started on their twice baked potato. I dream of them sometimes. Given that I live over 30 minutes away they go out of the way to separate everything so once I'm home I don't have a soggy mess. The staff is incredibly nice. Every time I go they accommodate my request for buns on the side. I'm always offered a soda while I wait for my food. Their spicy bbq sauce is delicious and has a bit of heat to it.

Good ribs, great beans, ok twice baked potatoes and forgettable Cole slaw. As in next time, forget…read moreto order it. And don't start me on the roll Easy to order ahead, which you are going to want to do for ribs or chicken, at a fair price. These are not smoked ribs, but they are prepared well and are tasty. The sauces are Kansas City style, and good. The beans are delightfully spicy, and great. The twice baked potato half is fine, if a little dry by 730. Unfortunately, the slaw is really quite terrible, and the roll needs butter to be at all edible. You can get soda to go, but for beer you will have to make a second stop

Yum-o! I've been wanting to go here for years and saddened I've missed out on this deliciousness…read morethe whole time - the whole time! I tried the Firebox Fries with extra meat. Somehow the fries weren't mushy. This isn't something I'd normally get, but I was surprised at how good it was. I went with a group and was also able to try the coleslaw, sticky rice, and pulled pork. The meat was juicy and amazing. I love the coleslaw and even compared it to other coveted coleslaw - this is my favorite. I'm picky with bbq sauce, but their bbq sauce hit hard. They have a small parking lot - maybe 3 or 4 spots, but there is plenty of street parking. Also worth mentioning you order up front and get a number. They will bring out your food, but you will need to grab your beverage, plates/napkins, and utensils. Hands down better than any other famous and/or Dave you may know.

Sensational ribs! We…read morehave been customers of St. Paul's location of Firebox BBQ for several years. Last night we placed a take out order as usual. I love walking into the restaurant as the bbq aromas just waft over you in the entrance and get the taste buds and salivary glands woken up and raring to get to work. We both ordered Rib plates. The menu list that as 4-5 ribs, Texas toast and 2 sides of your choice. We both received 5 ribs. I went with Mac n Cheese and Collard Greens. Let me focus on the star of the show - the RIBS! We've always enjoyed them but these were truly outstanding! Tender, meaty and a perfect kiss of smoke. Everything you hope a rib would deliver! The FireBox sauce was perfect as always and only boosted the experience. The sides were great as always. I ended up calling back to the restaurant and spoke to a staff member and share our feedback on how fantastic the ribs were tonight! I encourage everyone to give Firebox a first try and or a revisit.

Kind of an odd but cute food court that houses a couple fast casual restaurants and a bar…read more The staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful! The vibes of the place made it a great place to relax. We enjoyed our crunchwraps. They were filling and tasty. The food is a tad expensive, but it's not a bad option if you're looking for a slightly elevated version of a fast-food crunchwrap.

Stopped here for lunch on a snowy Saturday. I've always heard good things about them. First I have…read moreto say parking in this area especially in the winter is the WORST. Very nostalgic vibes when you walk in with the different phones displayed on the wall as well as the colors and patterns on the walls. The art was interesting too. They have 2 kiosk to place your order. The place is super small with 4 tables and some bar seating. I did dine in. It wasn't too busy but they had consistent customers come in for takeout. I ordered the chicken bacon pocket (w/out bacon), waffle fries, fountain drink & 2 sauces (seasoned sour cream & the special sauce). The pocket was good. I just kind of wish it had some kind of crunch. Next time I'll definitely order it with chips vs fries. The wrap was very filling! I couldn't even finish it with the fries. The seasoned sour cream was pretty basic and didn't taste very seasoned but the other sauce was really good. I accidentally ordered 2 seasoned sour creams. They give you a generous serving of sauce. I didn't have much interaction with staff as they just drop off the food. I for sure want to come back and check out some of the other options.

First of all, the brisket was outstanding! Value was also very good. My only complaint was that the…read morebrisket grilled cheese used low quality cheese (Ex Kraft singles). Up the cheese and this is easily five stars!

Best flavors!!! My favorite potato salad ever. Not your…read morestandard mustard, but delightful dill instead! The coleslaw is tangy and crisp! The pulled pork is delicious! Everything they make is amazing.... Follow this food truck!!!