First, I am pretty sure they are understaffed so I want to give a huge shout out to our waitress, Maddie, who was so great with us while also taking care of so many others. That in mind, I wanted to give them more but the food itself wasn't as great as I had anticipated. I am confused as to why they say they are a bourbon place, but don't have a bourbon menu. They do make some great cocktails tho! I got the peach mint julep one, and gosh was it delicious. I would gladly have had a second and third one, but my friend and I had another place to be afterwards. Not let's talk about the food. I got the single meat combo with the brisket, with Mac and cheese, fries, and the cornbread. The cornbread was my favorite of the three. The Mac and cheese was good, but I love when they broil the top to give it a crunch and this one didn't have that. The brisket, which was the thing I was really hoping for, was not as tender as I expected. I wanted the meat to be cut by a fork, as that is the only utensil that was provided, but it was a bit tough. The meat itself had flavor, but the texture wasn't there. The sauces, too, did add excellent flavor. Overall, good cocktail, not tender enough meat, doing their best with the staff available. Definitely try them out, and give them grace. read more

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Extremely disappointed in the food. Wings were huge and tasteless. I guess I could blame myself for getting there when they were about to close, but still heard good things about this place and wanted to try it. Service was poor. Never coming back, and to top it off there were feathers on the chicken read more

The whiskey selection is great. But I thought the food was just meh. My friend did say his wings were great but the rest of us thought our food was just OK. read more

Service was great and our server was on top of our drinks! However, the food was not very good. Unfortunately the fries were mediocre at best, the mac & cheese was not good, my burger was overcooked. This is a nice location with a good atmosphere, but the food is not for everyone. read more

Tonight was our first time having Smoke Justis. We got it to go and it was ABSOLUTELY incredible!! The chicken and turkey is SUPERIOR to any I've had anywhere else! All the staff was very friendly and helpful. We can't wait to go back! read more

We had a really good dinner here tonight. The portions were large and service was good. The atmosphere is a little louder than we care for but it is a sports bar and we were there on a Friday evening. We would definitely go back - on a weeknight. read more

Smoke Justis - Brisket and Ribs - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

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The beer was cold, the people were friendly but the bbq was meh!! Sorry, that's the best I can do at this point. read more

The Good: Ambiance, Vibe, Bourbon selection. Cool place with plenty of space, and the bourbon bar is big and cool. The Not-So-Good: the Food, Service. We started w brisket nachos, and the ended up being the best thing we had. The brisket itself was pretty good for a restaurant that is obviously not a real BBQ. The brisket chili was way too salty, almost inedible. The pork in the sliders was mushy and over-cooked, and the sliders were soggy. The freezer fries were below average. It was not really crowded, and we got very little attention. It was hard to get water refilled, even though a couple of us got whiskey flights -- it is nice to sip some water in between bourbons. All in all, really not bad, but my thought would be a little disappointing. That said, I would be pleased to go back and sit at bourbon bar for an evening. read more

Buffalo chicken dip was fantastic. Brisket and sides were also great. Lots of TV's to watch sports. Great spot.

I will always love this place until I die!!! Everything is so good from chicken wings to brisket to burgers. All of their sides are the best you could think of. I could eat everything on the menu if I tried!!! Their sauces are especially to die for!! read more

Smoke Justis - Smoked Meat Plate Single with Fresh Cut Fries, Mac & Cheese, and corn bread - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

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Out with my mom and I wanted her to try this place! This was my second time...it's okay! We had a high top table because it was not other ones and it was VERY out for outdoor sitting. When it's a game on it will be very packed! The fries & straws was very very salty but the sandwiches melted in our mouths! read more

Smoke Justis - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

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We ate outside on a beautiful spring night. That's where the good really ends. Our server was grumpy, and confirmed that she didn't want to be there when a friend of hers passed by and she said it aloud. Maybe it's just me, but when I go out to eat after a crappy day at work, the last thing I want to hear is how my server hates her job. My second mistake was ordering a salad with chicken. For $15 my salad was the size of a small cereal bowl. I actually thought it was a mistake, it was so small. I guess lesson learned, at a barbeque place, get the barbeque. I've been here a few times before for apps and drinks, I think that's probably what this place does best. read more

Friday night was hopping. We sat at the bar which was a perfect place to see tv, answer the questions for trivia night, and be well taken care of. The amount of bourbon options is amazing. The food was fantastic. The meat and Mac and cheese was great. The comfortable seating was great too! read more

My mom and I went here for lunch the other day and we really enjoyed our meal! We walked inside to get a table on their patio and it smelled amazing. The service was great and our waiter was able to answer all the questions we had about the menu. My mom got the nachos and I got the bbq fry box and both were delicious. Their bbq sauce was sweet and tangy, and complimented the meat and other toppings so well! Definitely would be back to this spot! read more

Smoke Justis - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

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Barbecue is what they're known for and they do an excellent job of it. Service was excellent great outside eating area.

The celery was amazing, great texture, color, aroma, crunch and a beautiful parabolic shape!

Wings are amazing. HOWEVER..... They price their wings at $16 a pound and I got 7 wings. That is a load of bullsh*t. In no world is a wing worth over $2 a wing. Do not order the wings unless you are willing to sell a kidney on the black market. Brewdogs does all you can eat wings for $15 on Wednesdays. Go there instead. Way better price. Service was amazing. They need to adjust their prices or I will not return. read more

Since I was visiting, the Husbeastie wanted to take me to some place different. We decided to go explore Covington. There's a neat little square that has about a dozen eating options, and we chose Smoke Justis, named after the baseball player. We showed up on a Thursday evening and had to park out in the municipal public parking lot. There was plenty of out door seating and on the inside there is a LOT of inside seats too. The service was friendly and fast, our drinks were cold and tasty. The husbeastie indulging in a local sour brew. He got a burger, I got a 2 meat combo platter with brisket and pulled pork, the sides were a caeser salad and fries. Everything was Delicious. I loved their mustard based sauce, even if it was a bit spicy for usual liking. If we lived here, I'd make this a go to for BBQ. read more

The buffalo chicken flatbread is the best thing here! I could eat two of them by myself! I had catfish another time here which was excellent as well, but don't skip on the flatbread! Great atmosphere with tons of TVs, walking distance to the banks, overall just a great spot for food or watching sports! read more

Smoke Justis - Buffalo Chicken Flatbread - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

The tacos here are giant and stacked full. The whole combination is a bomb of flavor for the mouth. They're a bit spicy though. It took us awhile to look at the menu it's pretty big plus all the televisions with all the sports are a little distracting. There are many and they are large, each playing something different. They've got plenty of drink specials, but you've got to know the right times to visit. I chose different tacos just in case I hated one of them. The brisket it's very flavorful. I found out it's cooked for fifteen hours. Tuesday is Taco Tuesday. Too bad I missed it. This is a great place to hang out with friends, especially if they're sports fanatics. read more

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From the second you walk in the restaurant smells like BBQ. The menu is unique but plentiful and portions are large. There was a pretty good wait for our food even late after dinner hour, but in this day that is to be expected so order drinks and apps while you wait. The food was worth the wait and the server was friendly. I ordered the chicken tacos. Delicious and filling! They have a kick to them too. Other hits at the table were the brisket grilled cheese and the Buffalo chicken french fry box. Come hungry! read more

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Wasn't terrible but left a lot to be desired. It was better than what you would get at Chili's or Applebees, but not by much. The pork isn't even tender enough to shred without tearing the paper on the tray... Cornbread is crazy bland, ribs were barely smoked and not at all what I expected. The drinks were fair. The pickles were the best dish. Doubt I'd come back for anything besides the pickles and maybe to try the wings. Service was good. Overall the value was lacking and they definitely do not know how to season or smoke meat. read more

We stopped here after shopping up in Fairfield Ohio at Jungle Jim's. Looking for a place to get a good drink and some decent bar food. There were four in our party. We walked in and they told us we could sit anywhere we like and we sat near the door at a high top table. The drink menu and beer menus were a little bit confusing and they all seem to be a little different from one another and they were many pages long. We were able to finally choose and get something ordered. The waitress was very nice and brought us all water while we were deciding on what we wanted to drink. We ended up with three beers and a cocktail. They were out of one of the beers that one of the people in our party requested. She brought our drinks back in a good amount of time and took our food order. I ordered the Indianapolis Hoosiers box. The Box had hand-cut fries with barbecue sauce, brisket, red onion, and shredded cheese. It could have been hotter when I received it but the flavor was good. Out of the other three people at the table the person who ordered the burger had the best things to say about their meal. I would really say this is more like 3.5 Stars but I will give it another try on a different day and revise my review if I feel it is necessary. read more

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We were in town for a wedding and the rehearsal dinner was here. A group of us not in the party are in the restaurant and then joined the group upstairs afterwards. We had a reservation but with all of us coming from different locations there were some arrival snafus but they accommodated us graciously. They were patient taking orders and when the food came in varying shifts it was delicious. Definitely order the wings. I had the Kentucky hot brown. Really yummy. Others had the rib basket that was also good per the comments. So for food, service and reasonable pricing I highly recommend. read more

The food was average. I had a hamburger topped with brisket. I hamburger patty was very firm. the brisket thick and and the sandwich difficult to eat. Took it apart, but the brisket was dry and flavorless The service was cordial. The chicken wings were unremarkable. I give it to stars reading. read more

A cool place to hang. Whether it's a weekend day/night or weekday. I like sitting at the bar. Great draft selection. Great wings! Great Bloody Mary. The staff are friendly and attentive. read more

I was really excited to check this place out. I had heard good things and the reviews were pretty solid. My fiancé and I came to check this place out on Saturday evening. It was moderately crowded. Our hostess took us directly to a table as soon as we walked in. The menu looked amazing lots of different options, probably a better place for appetizers and good bourbon. Our waiter came up and gave us kind of the rundown of what the specials were and what was good. She took our drink & appetizer order and came back because we just couldn't make a decision! About 20 minutes later she came back to take our order but we still had yet to receive our drinks. Finally about 25-30 minutes later we got our drinks. Then maybe about 20 to 30 minutes after that we received our dinner. My fiancé was really hungry at the time and was getting very frustrated with how long it took them. Our waitress then told us that they were running about 45 minutes behind. That should've been something that she shared with us when we first sat down so that we could appropriately order our food. Once we finally got our food we were both unimpressed with how everything came out. My macaroni and cheese was extremely salty so I had to send it back for them to make it without the breadcrumbs and additional salt on top. I've never had salty mac & cheese before so this was very odd! Next the brisket that I had was pretty good but there were more fatty parts than there were edible meat, but the baked beans were actually pretty good. My fiancé just got smoked chicken wings and fries and he agreed it was nothing to write home about. We've had better chicken elsewhere. I will probably come back again but for this time I will get something simple like the fry box or just the nachos for an appetizer and skip over the meat for dinner read more

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Don't go within an hour of closing time. Kitchen likely to be closed. Customer service not a priority.

A real must the food and service are fantastic. Have eaten there many times and even hosted my husband's retirement party there.

Salad was the best thing we ate. The meat was over powered with the taste of chili powder and was dried out. Fries were cold. The BBQ sauce tasted like heated up ketchup with lots of chili powder and garlic. Don't recommend and wouldn't go back. read more

Had a business lunch here . Felt like BBQ one day, figured we try. Food was extremely good ! Also for lunch it was quick. I had the packer plate , brisket basket with fries and bbq beans. Comes with cornbread and they have a variety of sauces on the table. They serve a variety of beer and liquor, since this was a business lunch , and once I start drinking the day is over , I abstained. When I go back here during my down town I will belly up to the bar. The prices are reasonable, it's not Wendy's cheap , but Wendy's doesn't smell like smoked meat heaven either ! Go enjoy a bite. Eat local. read more

Smoke Justis - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

Stopped by here the other day and was pleasantly surprised. I'd heard mixed reviews but turned out being really great. Wings and their sauces were so good. Also did the nachos and they were on point. My only issue was that they didn't make their own ranch or blue cheese. I'm a stickler for that at wing spots. Good for drinks too. read more

Smoke Justis - Nachos - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

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I loved the wings and chicken buffalo ranch fries. The atmosphere was great and it has two bars with speciality drinks

The two bartenders that were working around 4pm on 9/11 were awesome. It was the blonde male before the shift change, and then a female bartender with black hair and great lashes..The male bartender was super sweet and on point with service and took care of my boyfriend, his dad and I from start to finish. He had to switch the drawer for shift change and didn't seem like he was trying to rush our check once, even after we forgot to sign and put the tip so he could get out of here. After he left, the female bartender took his place and made my boyfriend and I one of the best whiskey sours he's had apparently. She told us about winning second place in a bartending comp which was super cool, and then she made the drink that made me happy, the tequila espresso martini LOL. The food was also amazing. I had the chicken sandwich and the flavor of the chicken was crazy. Overall great place with great service, great food and awesome drinks read more

Smoke Justis - Outlaw Chicken Sandwich - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

Three street tacos with smoked turkey, brisket and pulled pork. Topped with black beans, pico de gallo, and shredded cheese. Glad the tortillas were grilled! Beautiful presentation on the table. Meat was cold, which was bummer, but maybe it was meant to be that way. Over all, good experience. Place is crowded, maybe bourbon next time at the back bar. #spicemeister approved read more

Smoke Justis - Street tacos. - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

Great customer service! Great food! Great drinks! Only drawback is no elevator to upper level. However there is a bathroom on the upper level so you do not have to go up and down the steps :-) read more

Smoke Justis - 21st bday dinner - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

Great atmosphere and service! Food was great and really appreciated the service provided by Dawson!

Went here tonight for Wing Week. They were busy but we didn't have a wait hardly at all. The customers are required to wear masks till you get to your table. The tables are as far apart as they can be. It didn't really seem like they had any tables closed they may just be relying on people to keep apart on their own. The staff wear masks throughout. There is an arcade downstairs but I do not know how they are handling that during COVID. I ordered Smoked Wings with Gold sauce. You can get the sauce on the side or have the wings tossed in it. I wanted it tossed but ended up with it on the side. No biggie. The Gold is delicious. I am a big fan of mustard based barbecue sauce. The Smoked Wings are so good and full of flavor. They have a crispy outside super tender inside. I also ordered a Fry Box as well and got the BBQ Fry Box. OMG so good!!! It is shoestring french topped with brisket, shredded cheese, and crunchy fried onions. All their Fry Boxes sound amazing and I cannot wait to go back and try some of the others. I also ordered a Makers Mark Manhattan (a drink special they were running for Wing Week). It was good, strong but really good. read more

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The food was good and service was friendly but both of the dishes I came for - catfish and onion strings were out of stock. Disappointing. read more

Smoke Justis - Cauliflower wings, potato salad. - Bars Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

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Omg. Had some "birria" brisket tacos on special. Culinary train wreck. Not even close to a birria taco. In LA we don't make chili with spaghetti, I would appreciate it if you'de at least watch a you tube video of how to do it before throwing it on the menu. Corn tortillas were like paper, no red grease, their brisket was good, you should try making suadero tacos with that brisket. What you are advertising as birria is nothing like birria. Sorry to be this way with you guys but I'm kinda pissed off you served that weak "birria" And I paid for it. read more