Had take out from here Saturday as part of a three stop "take-out crawl" of sorts my sister and I were doing. Got a variety of appetizer type foods here and really enjoyed it. We tried the brisket tacos, fried pickles and the chili fry box and bbq fry box. I think I could eat either fry boxes every day! That's how much I loved them both. Obviously the bbq is the main attraction here and it was excellent. Bonus, our order was ready to go right as we got there, a few minutes ahead of the predicted time even. You can opt for curbside service and they'll bring it right out to your car. I can't wait to go back, for either more take out or a normal dine in experience when things get better! read more

Food is great with ample servings. Try the brisket - best we have found anywhere. Not normally a fan but the baked beans were surprisingly delicious. We love the high energy atmosphere. Bourbon bar in the back room is a plus. read more

After seeing the reviews, I was excited to eat here while in town for business. I loved smoked meats and saw they had a smoked chicken bacon salad. To my surprise the salad came out almost immediately, however I was quickly disappointed when I realized it was just a small salad in a paper bowl and, instead of fresh, cooked, warm, smoked chicken, it was ice cold. I really think it was ready made and already sitting in the kitchen fridge. I would expect something like that at a fast food restaurant, but not at a sit-down barbecue restaurant. I will say the staff was attentive and friendly but, overall, the food was really disappointing. read more

Stopped by to grab dinner with two of my friends. We ordered the nachos and pretzels as appetizers and they were a SOLID 10/10. The pretzels were seasoned to perfection and the nachos were stacked with glorious toppings (I recommend getting them with chicken, it was delicious!). For my entree I ordered the "Mac & Meat Bowl" (pictured) and may I just say it had me on cloud 9!! The pasta was creamy and superb while the meat was stacked on top, covered in bbq sauce, for the most delicious mixture of flavor possible. The waitress was also super sweet and we had great service the whole time while sitting in the cute outdoor seating area!! read more

Smoke Justis - Mac & Meat bowl - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

Updated review July '22 - taking my rating down a notch. Last few trips the food has taken a step back. Might be inflationary impacts? Portions (especially wings) have seemingly decreased, as has food quality at one of my preferred local hangouts. Currently "just ok". read more

We've been to Smoke Justis numerous times, but not much in the last couple of years. Saw the burnt end taco special on social media and had to go. Sat at the bar and got the tacos, smoked wings( a must have) and street corn. All amazing! What stands out most for me is our bartender Jade. She has been there since the first time we ever went there. Now we haven't been there in a while. Before we even got to some seats she called out to us. Made sure we got a couple seats and unbelievably asked if we were having our usual beer order. I really was surprised she remembered us. But to remember what we normally order was awesome! Go for the food, but stay for the awesome experience! Jade is the best read more

I'm sorry to say our service and food were TERRIBLE. These reviews have to be fake, there is NO way this place deserves 4 stars! This is the type of place where you have to ask for the same thing many times with a few different people just to make sure it comes at all. Don't go! But if you do don't go upstairs, this was clearly too far from the kitchen or bar and the staff were stretched too thin. We came in for dinner at 7 and ordered drinks. The waiter seemed all over the place and after 15 mins waiting, came back to ask us which drinks we got again. Luckily we were waiting on some friends so we had something to occupy us, because it was at least another 30 mins before anyone came back to ask about food. We had to beg one of the table runners to take our food order. When the food came, a lot of the orders were wrong but we were just happy to get food at all. Our table got burgers, fries, some smoked meat plates. It was 'meh', meat was cold and lacking flavor. Wasn't worth our bill. When it was time for checks, of course they were wrong too. We told the waiter who didn't offer to fix it so we just paid to get out and end our collective suffering. We try to give people the benefit of the doubt with service industry as it is today, but lacking basic order recall for 1-2 drinks and not even attempting to make it right made it an epic fail for us! read more

We really like this place! The food is good and the space is large enough to not be too crowded or noisy even when it's busy. We enjoy it every time we go! read more

We recently had our rehearsal dinner here and I cannot say enough good things about the team, the food and the space! We rented the larger room upstairs and it was perfect for what we needed, everyone could sit comfortably without feeling too far away from the party. The food for large groups isn't always as good as when you order individually but not here - the smoked wings were delicious, the pulled chicken and brisket were tender and juicy! Would recommend for large groups or just for a causal meal with friends in their main area - also good for any bourbon lovers as they have a huge selection! read more

Ok the food here is incredible (if you don't get the nachos...what are you even doing) They also have the most incredible potato salad. I was just here, and their outdoor setup is so impressive. They have various tables with fire pits and heaters, as well as pods they have brought in, that you can sit safely inside away from other people dining! They are doing everything right to keep people eating delicious food this winter season! read more

Smoke Justis - Outdoor seating setup for COVID - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

This is a cool BBQ restaurant with a neat name. Smoke Justus does not only refer to the wood smoke in their BBQ, but also a baseball player (pitcher) of minor Covington fame. Read up on the history of "Smoke" on their menu. And the food is good too. Taco Tuesday served up some BBQ ta is that were delicious. On Reds home gamedays, the restaurant has a beer/food/ride deal. read more

I was very excited to try this place after so many of my friends recommended it. Went on a Sunday afternoon to enjoy some wings and football. The wings were good. My wife got the brisket quesadilla. Some of the pieces had chunks of fat in them. I realize some brisket cuts contain fat. But these pieces were pure cuts of fat. Ridiculous you would serve that. Stick with the wings! read more

I really liked the food and the atmosphere at the restaurant. The ribs were excellent as was the smoked chicken. When I'm back in Covington I will definitely go back to this restaurant again. The service was friendly and fast and I had a very enjoyable experience. read more

Enjoyed the outlaw chicken strips appetizer but not as much as the brisket grilled cheese. The brisket was tender, had amazing flavor & the au jus made the grilled cheese even more delicious. read more

Smoke Justis - Brisket Grilled Cheese Sandwich - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

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Happy hour is 3-7. $2 domestics, $3 well liquors, $4 crafts. All wells are premium liquors. YTuesday's are my fav bc $3 margs and $5 taco box. The downstairs has all the classic arcade games as well as a self pour draft system! This place was made to accommodate large groups for gameday or a night out. read more

We got the pleasure of having Tandy as our waitress during the browns/ bengals game. I'm a browns fan, so the crowd was not in my favor but Tandy respected the us and treated us so well!food was great, service was better. We were seated upstairs, which was great for us. Highly recommend the wings (pricey but so tasty). Overall, great experience and loved our waitress!! read more

Smoke Justis is a cool sports bar and a fun arcade, but I didn't think the food was that great, so I would stick to beer if I were you. I came here with a large group for dinner on Saturday night, so I would say this is a good place to go for groups. I ordered the Packer Plate with smoked chicken, baked beans, and mac n cheese ($11). The baked beans were really good, I loved that they put in the burnt ends of their beef brisket. The chicken though was dry and not very flavorful, and the mac n cheese was bland. If I don't finish mac n cheese....That's not really a good sign. My friends ordered the fries and said they were really good, so if I were going to come back I would get that. Service was excellent. Our waitress got all of our tickets right and our food came out fast. They have a pretty good beer selection, and I like the arcade downstairs. Check out the pour your own beer bar downstairs too! read more

Smoke Justis - Smoked chicken plate with Mac n cheese and beans and side salad - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

Pretty good food and really good service would definitely go again, also great selection of drinks!

This is my second time coming to SJ; first time was okay. Today I ordered the All American Skillet, which comes with Sunny Side Up eggs, sausage, potatoes. I requested the eggs scrambled, of which I was told no modifications. Yet, was then told I can actually have the skillet sans eggs. That in itself is a modification leaving a major ingredient off. Clearly makes no sense it all & the restaurant isn't even busy. ‍ read more

Welp, this was a major disappointment. Organized my trip around making a visit. Service. Poor. Food. Average. Cocktails. Mid. Won't return.

Went here once before a reds game got pulled pork sliders and got food poisoning from them. Will never eat here ever again. I made yelp just so I could leave this review. read more

Moving here from Dallas, I've struggled to find good brisket. It seems like many restaurants around the area feel like pot roast and brisket are the same thing. I digress. If you're looking for ELITE brisket in Cincy/NKY, look no further. The ribs and sides were also very, very good. Smoke Justis gets it right. read more

Smoke Justis was decent. I had them on my to-try list after someone mentioned them to me. I finally got around to trying them and it happened to work out perfectly. I happened to be in Covington at a near by store and after leaving myself and my family were hungry. We decided to just stop in Justis. There was not a wait and we were able to be seated immediately. The establishment is pretty spacious as well. Considering we enjoy BBQ it didn't take us long to figure out what we wanted. I ordered a 3 meat platter to share with my two small daughters and my husband ordered the catfish platter. We had ribs, chicken and pulled pork with Mac&Cheese and Greens. My husband got 2 pieces of catfish fillet with Mac&Cheese and Baked Beans. Everything had a decent flavor but wasn't the best we've had at a BBQ joint. It satisfied our hunger but didn't wow us. Some of the meats seemed older and just reheated. The Mac&Cheese was bland and the greens were ok. The catfish was decent and the baked beans were as well. Overall, it was nice to try Justis but it doesn't compare to some of the BBQ places in Cincy. read more

Smoke Justis - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

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I came here for a friends birthday with a group of about 10. Service was fast and the waitress was friendly. I didn't think the food was very good however. I ordered the brisket grilled cheese. I found the brisket tough and that the sandwich probably would have been better without it. The fries were ok, a little oily and overcooked though. This place is probably good for drinks with friends if you just want to watch a sports game. There are a bunch of tvs around. read more

Smoke Justis - Brisket grilled cheese - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

Did not eat - review is only for the bar. Bartenders were attentive and friendly. Cool vibe around the bar area only. Great bourbon/whiskey selection HOWEVER, they don't list prices anywhere so you have to ask your server each time whether you are getting an $8 or a $200 pour. It's annoying when there are 600 bottles to choose from and could be rectified by just loading the prices to the online menu the bartender directs you to order from. They used to do flights, couldn't keep up with the rarer bourbons and discontinued them. This is unfortunate as there are so many worth trying. read more

Smoke Justis - Many bottles but prices listed for none of them - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

My co-worker and had thought we would try lunch here today. We were pleasantly surprised!!! Everything from the smoked chicken on my to the bacon cheeseburger has a nice Smokey taste. I can wait to comeback and tryout the bourbon in their bourbon room they have just completed. read more

Smoke Justis - House salad with smoke chicken. - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

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Smoke Justis is right near my work, and a group of us came for Burger Week for their $5 Federal Burger. The staff was helpful and quick! Sides are a la carte here, and the fries side is HUGE so I recommend sharing. The burger was piled high with a lot of toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles! It was a great start to burger week. I have also been here and had their wings, which are to die for and on Wednesdays they have 1/2 priced wings!!! They also have a self pouring beer station downstairs with videos games and more! All in all this is a really cool place to hang out with friends, and it has something for everyone. The building is such a great structure and brings so much character to Smoke Justis. read more

Not great. I ordered the veggie flatbread and it was not great, keep in mind that I don't love goat cheese. The restaurant itself is clean and aesthetically pleasing but the food is sub par. The BBQ is dry and the BBQ sauce is grainy and definitely an acquired taste. The macaroni and cheese was equally as disappointing. My friends said their meals were all okay but not anything to write home about. The fries were the only thing that is saving this review from a one-star rating. I would NOT recommend this restaurant. read more

First, the restaurant is named after an early 1900s Major League Baseball player who spent one year in the Federal League (an MLB competitor) and played for the short lived Covington Blue Sox. I ordered the Federal Burger, along with most of the rest of the table, because it was the $5 Burger special. Mine arrived- and it was beyond well done.... maybe 'well dead'. The manager stopped by to drop off another meal, and asked how everything was. I motioned him over- I didn't want to yell over the crowd. Here's the conversation, Me: "Hi, is the Federal Burger supposed to be chargrilled." Manager: "What do you think?" Me: "I think it's a lot more chargrilled and well done than any of the other Federal burgers on this table." Manager: "What are you saying?" Me: What do you mean? Manager: "Are you asking me to do something?" Me: "Can you bring me another burger?" Manager: "Sure, it's going to be a long wait, though." Me: "Nevermind." Manager: "How about something else from the menu?" Me: "No thanks, I don't want to make my coworkers wait." Then, about 4 minutes later, a new burger arrived in front of me. BUT WAIT. The waiter apologized for the old burger, and wanted to make it right. Until, my coworker asked where his burger was- he hadn't received it yet. "OH, this is his burger," he said as he laid my burnt burger back down in front of me, and took the other burger from my place setting and delivered it to my coworker. So, anyway- I never send things back at a restaurant. I pretty much eat anything that's put in front of me. They did end up comping my meal- of course I left hungry also. read more

Smoke Justis - See my review for a transcript of my conversation with this manager. - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

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A bit overpriced but very cool, up and coming place. Absolutely awesome inside! Known for their smoked meat and craft beer. Large assortment of bourbons and whiskeys. read more

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Early visit on a Monday evening about 5 PM. We had the place to ourselves aside from two people at the bar. Ascetically the place looks good although I prefer more tables that are regular height. This place has mainly backless metal barstools for all of the tables. The beer selection is better than expected and the bar options were plenty. We had three waitresses and were greeted quickly. They didn't know the bar menu well but were willing to help us get answers. We asked for recommendations as well from the food menu. The service albeit good, was slow for no one being in this place at all. We ordered the pastrami fry box, brisket grilled cheese and the Monday burger special, sides were ala-carte with the burger. The brisket was tough and not smoked enough at all. The hand cut fries were very tasty (we asked for them crispy). Also the burger was cooked as requested. As for the pastrami fries the meat was much better on this dish. This place has charm and potential but is lacking in execution. I would come here again to give them one more try but really they need to focus on the food to get an improved rating. On a random side note, the women's bathroom, needs a door... had to be said. read more

Smoke Justis - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

Sooo good! I was very delighted to try their food at BourbonQ event! The barbecue sauce has bourbon in it(yummy) the cornbread was soo sweet & delicious! I will be visiting their location soon. Who is coming with me??!! read more

Smoke Justis - Beef Brisket, Cole Slaw & Corn Bread - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

Great tasting brisket, if sliced incorrectly, and great smoked wings. Service was great and great vibe. I will definitely be back.

I wanted to love this place so badly. My experience at Smoke Js was unfortunately not all that great. Took over an hour to get our food....and it was a Saturday at 1:00. My wings were good! The fry basket was just okay. I plan to try this place again. read more

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After arriving at the Marriott Riverfront hotel, I wanted to find a place close for a light snack/dinner and craft beer. I was told this venue was quite new and close by. A quick walk later and I was at the bar. Being an amateur pitmaster myself, I wanted to try their smoked wings to see if they stacked up against mine. For $11 a pound with around 8 wings included, they were close but still need to work on the coating. A bit heavy on whatever breading they use. It was a bit charred to taste. They asked if I wanted ranch or bleu cheese. I figured they would be providing carrots or celery. No--- just a cup of dressing which had no chunks of bleu cheese. With a charge of $.50 for a small cup. Really? Thinking about this now has inspired me to change my rating. The smoked flavor of the wings were very good. Tender with good flavor. They need to work on the coating/seasoning and stop charging for condiments. For $.50--- let me have some real bleu cheese. Drafts on tap were good. Started with the Rhinegeist Truth, but found the Victory At Sea to be my favorite. I can't blame the bartender. He did recommend the Dickmann's Wings over the smoked. It didn't do Smoke Justis any justice. read more

Smoke Justis - Smoked wings - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

Giving this a 3/5 because the service was great. The food was not. Food was 90% fat, 10% meat. Wouldn't recommend the food.

Stopped for a late Saturday lunch. Tried the brisket chili and cornbread. The chili was very filling, good size portion, we took half home so we had room for our meal. We both had the smoked wings and split the hand cut fries. The wings were nice and crispy, good seasoning. Different sauces on the table. Food came out quick. read more

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So a friend and I stopped at this sports bar for wing week and all I can say is those wings were BANGIN, SLAPPING, and outright DELICIOUS. We were so impressed that we didn't even hop over to the next wing place because we didn't want to lose that satisfying taste that was left in our mouths. Seriously, I wanted to go and find the cook/chef and tip him or her... no bs read more

Went here with my brother Monday Night. I had just finished a 7 mile run and I was FAMISHED. I remember they had a Monday night special with burgers so we chose this place. Now I've been to SJ a bunch, and I'm well aware of their menu. They have pretty good food, so I guess I'm always confused when I walk in at like 8:30 and there is literally no one in the building. There were about 3 other tables full so they had a few people there, but the empty space was deafening. NEVERTHELESS, we were starving so I sat down and got a drink. Water always tastes a little weird in Kentucky so got a coke and a Beer. Took a little bit to get our orders in due to ?? Not sure what happened there but eventually someone came over I ordered a burger no cheese, fries, and smoked wings. My brother got bacon cheese fries. So when we got our food, the fries were delicious as usual and the wings were smoky goodness, but the burger.... Not sure if it was my fault that I ordered it at 9 or if they were just getting rid of meat but it was gross. The meat tasted pretty old and not right at all. I've had a burger at Smoke Justis and I know how it tastes, and this was just not there. I couldn't eat the meat and had to take it out and just finish the bread and veggies. Thank God I had wings because that was just disappointing. My brother really enjoyed his fries so I'm guessing I just got the short end of the stick this time around. Like I said I've been there plenty of times before so I hope this was just a fluke. I'll def update on my next visit! read more

I'm not a rib guy. Too often I've found ribs to be "fat on a stick"........not here. All my dining companions ordered ribs and they were all raving about how good they were. They looked great. The sauces were excellent. I got a smoked turkey hot brown. It had a generous layer of smoked turkey breast and a good mornay sauce. Hot Browns by their nature usually require some aggressive knife work. This one was served on a piece of paper which was on a tin plate. This caused the HB to slip / slide all over the place when you cut it. Nevertheless, it was good. We'll be back and I'll probably try the ribs. read more