They serve the best ribs and brisket ever. On Fridays I head for the catfish and other delicious foods in the buffet. The service is beyond excellent. I love Smoke Monkey!!! read more

Great food, service and atmosphere. The music makes for a fun time. During Crawfish-season Smoke Monkey is a weekly must have dinner. The 'Ring of Fire' potato is a favorite of ours too. read more

Stopped by on way back into Wylie and so glad we did. Beat BBQ we've had, hands down. Husband got 2 meat plate sliced BBQ and jalapeño sausage. I had the hidden menu item! Baked potato with pulled pork, brisket, sausage, ribs and bacon with cheese and sliced jalapeños. Have enough for leftover for 2 people. We will definitely be back! Beat BBQ we've ever had...... "Who Does That!" read more

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Love me some BBQ from here!! Easy online ordering and pickup.. the staff is every friendly and if you need to have a party they can handle the size of your group... win win! read more

So my husband and I just moved to Forney from Lower Greenville. We have driven past this place every time we go to Rockwall. We noticed a sign advertising a Mexican buffet..my hubby said we gotta try it. Glad we did. It's got some cool old signage and an old barn vibe. Very casual. Took us a few minutes to figure out how to actually get in the place, but we were not disappointed once we did. read more

Smoke Monkey - Barbeque Near Me - Rockwall, Texas

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When we come from California to visit my son, daughters and their families we make it a point to eat here at least once. The bbq is fantastic, staff is top notch! The grounds are well kept, and the grands love the playground! Fun for the whole family! Highly recommended!! read more

Best BBQ around without a doubt! We got the smoked chicken, brisket, sausage, and potato salad- everything was awesome! We've tried it all and we will definitely be back to this place soon! read more

My wife and I grabbed the BBQ class groupon and made the trek out to Rockwall for what I assumed would be a less than informative class. How lucky I was to be wrong. This four hour experience was so much more than BBQ... We walked in and were greeted by some of the friendliest staff. After asking around we finally got connected to Erica (maybe Erika), and her husband and, son of Eddie Deen, Brent. The class started out formally enough covering different cuts of ribs, how to season them, preparation, etc. we started here just because ribs take the longest to cook. After securing the ribs in a Southern Pride smoker we covered the history of Eddie Deen's and the credibility they've built over the last 20-30years of BBQ then moved on to other subjects such as brines, the anatomy of different cuts, different pit styles, and most importantly what to look for in quality of meats. Brent was very knowledgable and I almost felt bad not having a lot of BBQ and smoking experience to have in depth questions to ask. Regardless Brent was quite inquisitive on what setups I had access to or could rig up and made me realize I had tools I could leverage to BBQ. It is clear this man has passion for his craft and its channeled into his food and teaching. Just like fat rendering off St. Louis cut ribs our lessons melted away from subject to subject touching on some in depth Philosophical concepts, which just like the ghost pepper rub for the chicken gave a perfect blend of seasoning and spice and woke you up, (ask about the backwards tricycle.) I highly recommend this to any BBQ enthusiast as you will not find a more friendly operation, staff and crew. I read some of the negative reviews previously posted and whatever issues were pointed out have clearly been corrected (if they were anything other than isolated incidents) This is a family owned and operated institution and I can't wait to go back or even better yet hire them for our next event for catering. read more

Smoke Monkey - The fruit of our labor from the BBQ class. It's basically the kitchen sink. Ribs, brisket, pulled pork, chicken, and sausage. - Barbeque Near Me - Rockwall, Texas

More worried about having an event center than serving bbq and food. Terrible turn for the worse.

This place sits all by itself on a country road. Looks like a fun place to check out for lunch. Wednesday was Mexican buffet day. My wife was happy with the selections. I opted for the catfish lunch. good call, it was delicious. We didn't try any of the BBQ but we will check that out next time, From other reviews it looks like we will enjoy it. read more

Great atmosphere and great food. Been there a couple of years ago and has been remodeled and looks great. Fried Fish, Gumbo. Great service.

All in all good food especially the meats. Great people, love the activities for the kids or adults. Potato salad little to much mustard, crawfish are not purged. (Purged) put in salt water and poop everything out. Cheese on baked potato looks like slices of yellow cheese and rolls fall apart. read more

This place should never have less than a perfect score because that describes my experience there. I can't remember being this stuffed and satisfied, because I am usually not a big eater at buffets. The buffet was excellent. Everything was seasoned just right. You get your money's worth and much more. Everyone was so friendly and professional. My family and I will definitely add this place to our restaurant repertoire. read more

It was good I enjoy the food and I also enjoy the environment. I recommend this place a lot!

family wanted BBQ, and just so happen buffet was open with all you can eat catfish, shrimp and about million other things to eat! holy smoke what a buffet, it didnt stop and neither did I. Cant remember what it cost guessing less than $20 head, great price considering shrimp, fresh fries, tons of veggies and dessert. They had fresh cobbler, only bummer was ice cream machine was broken. lots of space bumped into several old friends. Grand kids played outside on the jump house and we sat around for several hours. Great Stop for whole family. sorry we don't have photo but we will be back! George read more

Food was great. Ribs have a nice spice. Really liked the pull pork. Rolls and sides are fantastic. Sauce is on point.

Just ate here for the first time amazing food you get what you pay for the food and service is amazing the brisket and ribs are delicious defiantly coming back for more read more

This review is for the new location outside of Tyler, in Flint. Since there's no current Yelp listing for that location this is as close as I can get. We have tried the take-out service several times. The ribs are amazing! Tender, juicy and no need for sauce. Smoked chicken is delicious and brisket is good-lean but could have more flavor. For sides the coleslaw is delicious -just a bite of horseradish to give a little kick. Seasoned fries are very good as well as the potato salad. Charro beans are so-so. Had the stuffed potato once and it wasn't worth repeating. Just a potato with cheese melted on top with (my choice) of chicken. No butter, sour cream etc. There are these cute little individual pies, made in Terrell, for dessert. Only $1 each and very tasty. Currently there is dine-in, limited seating. Since it's new I'll give a pass on ambience. There is such a brisk drive thru business right now that the inside customers are suffering from a lack of attention. But adding another employee if possible and some background music would help. read more

We visited Smoke Monkey this past Sunday for the first time and we were BLOWN away. The crawfish was to die for, the Sunday buffet kept us full all day. And if the food wasn't good enough the service was outstanding. We had two small kiddos with us and they received free cowboy hats, the littlest one ate free and they thoroughly enjoyed running through the big bounce house outside after we finished eating. We ate a TON of food, and took 3 pounds of crawfish home for under $50 for the four of us. It's a hidden gem and I'm almost tempted NOT to share all the greatness of it so we can keep it a secret gem! ;) I would highly recommend the Sunday buffet! This whole place is definitely worth it! read more

Tried to go tonight and it is closed for renovation. Will give another try in the future. While in the parking lot several people drove up and were surprised read more

When you think Texas, you think BBQ and Smoked foods. As a home smoker myself, when we're not in the mood to cook we typically find ourselves headed towards Smoke Monkey. Not just for the food...for the people. Everyone at Smoke Monkey is fantastic. I'm just waiting for all the Covid "stuff" to blow over so we can get back to truly enjoying all the friends we've made there over the years...and the buffets (YUM!) read more

Went back to Smoke Monkey last Friday June 25th with wife and friends. We had the Meal for 2 (4 meats and 4 sides) and a pound of crawfish. For the Meal for 2 we doubled up on the brisket (with burnt ends) and sausage. Just want to say the burnt ends were much better. It's not Hutchins or Smoke Sessions burnt ends, but it was still good enough for a local joint and I enjoyed it. The jalapeño sausage links were good also, but I'm a jalapeño sausage lover, so opinions may very. The sides always seem to be good at this place. We did the beans, coleslaw (for me), fried okra and I believe my wife had the mac&cheese. The piece de resistance that night, was the crawfish. The seasoned crawfish was delicious. I think I finally have a local spot, so I don't have to drive Shell Shack, to get properly cooked and properly seasoned crawfish (meaning slap it on, don't hold back). All in all, a great local spot for family and friends to get together. Good people, Good Service Good Food.... read more

Great location, nice decor and set up. Wonderful place to take your kids to play so you can enjoy a stress free lunch/dinner. BBQ is definitely not the best around, it's ok. The atmosphere is nice tho. read more

We absolutely love this place and have yet to be disappointed no matter what we order. The fried catfish is spot on! The kids love to run around and play in the outdoor space! The prices are really reasonable for BBQ as well! During crawfish season we always make the drive! read more

We were driving down 205 heading to Tyler for lunch and saw this place and ended up turning around to check it out for lunch. Cute decor inside and it smelled legit when we walked in. Shared sausage, brisket, ribs and pulled pork. Had a few sides including macaroni and cheese and the charro beans. For good measure, taking home a few of the mini pies in vanilla buttermilk, cherry and chocolate pecan. Great outdoor seating especially on a beautiful Texas evening. They also offer the different themed buffets. It was all tasty! read more

Friday night you would think they would have enough people to staff the restaurant. There are high school students running everything, which is straight chaos. He place is dirty and nasty. There are flies flying around everywhere which is disgusting. Children are playing all around the "buffet" food. Half of the condiments like onions and pickles are empty. Employees keep telling other employees to refill them, which hasn't been done in the 34 minutes I've been here. It's awful. Not to mention I ordered one thing, a baked potato and it's currently been 26 minutes for them to get it out. And this place is NOT busy right now. I do not recommend wasting your time or money here. UPDATE: I finally got all the way home to spilt my baked potato with my boyfriend and my part is half cooked and the kid cutting the brisket gave us the entire fatty end. It's inedible. Not a happy camper. read more

After a long day in the sun, and my wife's gruesome day at the school we decided to visit this place for a nice southern BBQ supper. My wife is very particular in what she wants and tries to be extremely clear when stating her request. She asked for LEAN, chopped brisket, and THINLY sliced sausage. The clerks seemed to be following her, so they rang us up, they made the order and we were on our way. Upon setting the supper table, to our surprise we discovered that we had not been given any bbq sauce. . But being the resourceful husband that I am I calmed my wife by saying "hun we have some Kraft slow-simmered original back in the pantry, it'll taste fine." She began to prepare the kids' and our plates and noticed that the chopped beef was in fact not lean in the slightest. It was as though they had taken all the fat and crushed it up and threw it into the take out box. My son has a texture disorder and he just absolutely cannot stomach fat of any sort. So the boy went hungry as that was the only thing he was looking forward to after lacrosse practice. The "thin" slices she asked for seemed like thick cuts. This was definitely not what we asked for and will not be revisiting this place again. -Mr Lean read more

Smoke Monkey - Barbeque Near Me - Rockwall, Texas

Friends recommended Smoke Monkey when I got a crawfish craving and it did now disappoint. Great prices on everything, everything was tasty, and the staff are very friendly. What I enjoyed most though is the atmosphere, enjoying the view of all the surrounding trees while the kids climb around the playground and Chris Stapleton playing on the speakers. Will definitely return. read more

What an unique place. Was passing through and just happened upon it. Best ambience I've ever seen. And food was delicious

We celebrated our sister's birthday here, and it was perfect for the family. The food was delicious. I had the beef ribs, which were flavorful and tender. It came with fresh and buttery rolls. My husband had the Mexican buffet, which was their Sunday special. There were a lot of options for sides and entrees. The service was super nice and friendly, and we are glad we had our dinner here! read more

This is hands down the very best bbq I've ever had. Best green beans and side beans as well. This place is just sooooo good. Great area outside for the kids to play also. Amazing food! read more

Great little hide away! The food is is delicious and always hot. We have not tried the buffet yet but it looks just as good. The employees are friendly and out going. We love stopping in and taking some food home as a treat!! It does get a little hot in the summer if you decide to eat in but hey it is Texas!! read more

Terrible experience. I definitely had higher expectations for this place. Dirty and terrible service. Won't be back. Food was mediocre at best. read more

This place is all about atmosphere! The scene is immediately set by what you would expect to see off the side of the road for a Texas BBQ joint. You drive in on a dirt road and park in a grass field. We arrived at night and were greeted by the lights strung across the outdoor seating area, backdropped with the play area for kids, and the sounds of live performers. My wife and I decided to try the AYCE fish fry buffet and got our kids a couple of BBQ plates. This allowed us to sample the BBQ as well as have the opportunity to try the fish. The atmosphere alone is almost worth it, but the food was an added bonus. The buffet had plenty of sides to choose from and get your fill on. When it came to the meat, the only challenge was trying to time it just right to get in and get some before it was gone. We were certainly there during a. If rush but the staff seemed to do their best to try to keep up and keep people fed. Everyone seemed to be extremely friendly. Prices were reasonable and about what you'd expect for BBQ. Smoke Monkey definitely didn't disappoint and is worth the try. We will definitely keep this in our rotation. read more

Visited a few weeks ago. It was worth the drive. The food was cold BUT the staff brought out fresh fish for the Catfish Bar and hot sides just for us. It was late and the kids were hungry. The staff could not have been more sweet and kind. My husband loved the BBQ. I liked the mac, potato salad, and cornbread. The catfish was not too thick and not too thin. My hubby wished the potato had chives, bacon bits, and sour cream on it. Some of the hot sides could be improved. Not a fan of most of them. We will be back. read more

This place is legit. I love the atmosphere. It can be crowded and slow sometimes which is fine but if you are not into that I get it. Brisket or bust straight up. Enjoy! read more

Brisket was extremely dry They were out of hot links at 6:30pm Beans were barely warm 35$ for two people for way under par BBQ Not cool Eddie Dean not cool You just screwed me out of 35$ read more

Smoke Monkey - Dry Brisket looked like it was cut this morning - Barbeque Near Me - Rockwall, Texas

A let down honestly. The buffet area is a weird hodge podge. Clientele was pretty rough. Massive grease usage and no ventilation.

Pretty disappointed in my last visit. Saw on Facebook there was $5.99/lb crawfish, I gather my friends and family to enjoy a nice dinner together on Wednesday night 4/13/2022. When we arrived around 6PM my friends had ordered their 6lbs of crawfish. When I got in line we were told they were already sold out since someone messed up and sold 50lbs to 1 customer. I was furious, how are you going to post online and then not update the post that you're sold out? I opted for the ribs in place of the crawfish and was horribly disappointed. They were super greasy, the Mac n cheese was old and crusty tasting, the rolls however were good. I was very upset I wasted $50 on ribs just to only eat the rolls. While waiting on my food to be prepared there was a line out the door of customers coming in wanting to order crawfish the little blonde girl working I guess was scared to let them know they were sold out and said " I can go ahead and ring you up for 10/lbs of crawfish but we might run out so I'll have to refund you."KNOWING that they were out. Honesty is key, lying infuriates everyone. read more

The bbq was ok, the bbq sauce was very meh. ‍ it was more vinegar flavored than anything. But, if you're looking for a place to catch up with family or friends, they have a great open atmosphere and a playground. read more