I am so bummed at my experience here. I absolutely love it's sister restaurants Social Cantina and The Tap, but this one did not live up to those standards. First off, the service was good!! The food though was not very good. I was too excited to try the brisket chili, but they were out. We ordered a platter of brisket, fries, and a side salad instead. Fries were cold and were bland :( food was nothing special. I am sad to say I don't think I'd come back here read more

Have only been to this restaurant once when it first opened. Disappointing lunch today. Brisket sandwich was very dry and tough. Meat should have been juicing and tender. My daughter had the catfish sandwich. Generous portion of fish, but it was fried too brown and very salty. I rarely do not take my leftovers home, but today my daughter and I decided we could not eat another bite. It was a very disappointing lunch :( read more

Pretty good. The meat had quite a bit of fat and the Mac n cheese was just okay. Cornbread was great!

Great spot to grab a beer and some bbq. I thought the brisket was very good as well as the wings.

Finally had the chance to visit Smokeworks after seeing and hearing great things about it and it surpassed my expectations. The Buffalo chicken dip was one of the best I've had! The half wacker tasted delicious but you could still definitely taste the alcohol. The brisket sandwich was a little disappointing, the brisket was on the drier side. The mac n cheese and loaded mashed potatoes were AMAZING, the two best sides for sure. The sauces were well-balanced and the selection that they had was impressive. Overall this seems like it filled a need for good BBQ in Bloomington and I'd definitely return and recommend it. read more

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Note: My review is based upon a "to go" order only. I didn't dine in, so I'll refrain from commenting on that. I had wanted to stop by SmokeWorks, but because I had already eaten just a couple hours earlier, I decided to see if I could get something to go and have it for dinner. Now understand I live 45 minutes from Bloomington, so I wasn't putting the restaurant in an ideal situation for a review: What if the food was cold and I overcooked it when reheating? Well, I am glad to say that I tasted everything first and was generally pleased with the food quality. The restaurant has put together a convenient "to go" menu that gives you some packages of food with set pricing. I went with a family pack which included 1# of barbecue (ribs are available for an upcharge), 2 sides, and 4 buns. I also got to pick one of their four sauces. Since they gave me two small cups of sauce (about a half cup total), I'm not sure if I could have got a couple choices or not, but settled for just the sweet sauce. Here's what I thought: The barbecue, without the sauce, had a definite smoky quality. Mine was moist and tender with a few bigger chunks with the bark still on just to satisfy that char flavor need. The sweet sauce was definitely sweet but also had enough acidity to balance out the flavor. The coleslaw was the crunchy crisp kind with a light dressing, not the creamy kind you find elsewhere. Nice flavor with fresh ingredients. The cheese is hard to rate because I waited so long to try it. I can't fault the texture because of the time lapse, but I will say that the flavor was a little "one note" and could use some depth. It was fine with the BBQ, but on its own, was a bit bland. As far as the restaurant, it looks very cool and spacious. The limited interaction I had with the staff was very positive. They seemed very helpful and made sure to check the "to go" bags right in front of me so that I didn't walk out the door missing anything. Nice touch there! I hope that they can figure out a way to offer more sauce flavors for their guests (I like the idea of bottles on the tables) or using small spoons like an ice cream shop for guests to taste the sauces when ordering. You hate to see an entire meal wasted because you don't like the sauce choice. I would gladly come back when in the mood for barbecue or ribs. Review #2422 read more

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The service was great. The food was absolutely amazing. Even the cornbread was exceptional!! Try the whiskey sauce!

Had been a patron many times. Staff pretty good. Food great. Had an issue to bring to the manager. He never came to the table. I stopped by during slow period in the daytime. Few people in the place. He had me waiting to the point I was going to barge through the back and find his office. When I talked with him he couldn't care less. Take business meetings anywhere but there. Never will return. read more

good food; good drinks; nice industrial atmosphere; good service - hard to complain. Only complaint is that it's owned by the same group that runs Social Cantina and Yogis so food is very similar in all three places read more

Fried pickles. Sooooo yum. They're perfectly crispy and the sauce they come w is so good read more

SmokeWorks - Fried Pickles - Barbeque Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Review first, stars after, as I relive tonight's meal. Service: A little slow. People were spread out, but staff disappeared behind the doors for long stretches at a time. With only a few people in the restaurant, that seemed unnecessary. Staff could have been on the floor for most of the time, only ducking back to pick up orders. I received everything I asked for, but sometimes had to wait a bit. Not sure how much COVID messed this up. 3.5 stars. Ambience: Also affected by COVID, maybe. The place seemed open and empty for its size. The bar area was empty but the few tables remaining had people. I bet in normal times it's a lot fuller and more interesting inside. In my limited experience, it's somewhere around 4 stars ish. Location: Love the old courthouse. Nice downtown. Worth getting off the highway. 5 stars. Value: A bit expensive, especially considering this is a college town and the whole staff is college students. But I guess they're not aiming for the college crowd. The idea of BBQ and whiskey is a bit hipster, and the prices seem to match that. Portions a bit on the small side. 3.5 stars. Food: I know, I know, I saved this for last. * Sweet tea: 5 stars. I had half sweet/unsweet and it was perfect, which tells me the fresh brewed sweet tea is the exact right sweetness. * Potato salad: Very good taste. Bits of egg, mustard, something sweet in there too. 4.75 stars. * Baked beans: It wasn't that deep smoky flavor I love, but I did soak my cornbread in the juice after I ate the beans, so it was clearly enjoyable. 4.25 stars. * Cornbread: 4.5 stars. Half star deduction for being so small. But man, it's got the whole kernels and all that goodness. I'd eat an entire loaf of this instead of just the little muffin. * Pork: 4 stars. Tender, but slightly overcooked and lacked some smokiness in the flavor. Needed to be sauced. * Brisket: 4.5 stars. It was on point, very close to the right amount of tender, though I've had tenderererer. So I can't award a full 5. * Ribs: 4 stars. There were fat deposits in there. I've had ribs without the fat deposits, which I would have preferred. Otherwise, would definitely recommend these to a visitor. * Sauces: Wasn't really a sauce I loved among them. The red and hot are both too sweet and ketchupy even, and the hot wasn't that hot. The sweet sauce was good but you have to like sweet to use that much of it. The Alabama white was definitely better than what you'd get in Alabama, but it's still not really what I think of as BBQ (and that's Alabama's fault, but I can partially blame SmokeWorks for offering it - how about a mustard BBQ?). 3.5 stars. * Cobbler: Peach was today. I was hoping it had crumbly bits on top, but it had mushy bits inside. But it was really tasty. But it was really small. But it wasn't terribly expensive. 4 stars I guess. So overall, I'mma have to give 4 stars. I can say that this is good BBQ and would hold its own in the South, but I can't say I'd drool over it or drive down from Indy just to have it. But if I'm in Bloomington, I'd come back here or suggest it to other people as a dining option. read more

I ordered takeout and all I have to say is the food I had sucked. The mac & cheese was just macaroni noodles with melted shredded cheese on top and a small amount cheese sauce. The cornbread with so moist it was almost mushy. The chicken was dry with a lot of the white meat but some of the dark meat was okay and for being a barbecue place they didn't put any barbecue sauce on it or offer any options in the online. The green beans were just plain green beans like unseasoned with a crumb or two bacon bits and it was just bad. Like I am baffled by how bad it is. read more

SmokeWorks - The Pulled Chicken Tray - Barbeque Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Tried this place for the first time today. Sat at the bar.Ordered the triple threat sandwich- it was missing the 3rd meat jalapeño sausage- asked the waitress to get some for me - still on the smoker- so I got it later as a side. Kettle chips sucked- stale . I thought the tap beer wasn't cold enough. Waitress/bartender was awesome, not her fault. Music was lame also. Not on my return list. read more

SmokeWorks - Triple threat & side of catfish,beer - Barbeque Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Initially came in with ribs in mind to find out they were 86. Switched to the wings and a salad...Best smoked wings ..... scratch that... BEST wings I've ever had.... and I love wings. Great staff, food and whiskey selection.. read more

SmokeWorks - Barbeque Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

It's pretty good, a nice place for a chill Saturday night . Every meet was pretty good, me and my friend were both happy read more

SmokeWorks - Dixie Two Step SIDE Green Beans SIDE Coleslaw SIDE Potato Salad SIDE French Fries Wings & Ribs Tennessee weekend - Barbeque Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Food was heavily unseasoned, would not be edible without the sauce. the mashed potatoes were ok and fries were soggy & undercooked at the same time. Staff was friendly & very accommodating. read more

Really good people, nice and friendly! I was a one sitter looking for alone time to enjoy myself and they were able to find a huge table for me, all alone ! Until I recommended a smaller table because it's just me. Loved the gesture though haha The food was good and tasty. The issues I have are the prices. Small portions for an expensive price. Especially the sides, they're almost a spoonful for 3+ dollars. The chicken was dry but I do love the variety of their menu and their sauces ! read more

Drinks: Their old fashioned is on point. Get the house or the reserve and you won't be disappointed! Food: Brisket for sure. No sauces needed or wanted. Mac n Cheese has a slight peppery kick. It was worth it (served in a tiny skillet too!) and the coleslaw was perfect. Creamy but not soupy, crunchy with a slight tang. Cornbread was ok but didn't come out hot, so my butter wouldn't melt :-( Overall good food, great drinks, cool bar area. If you want a break from beer, give this a try! read more

Love this place! Me and my boyfriend stopped and ate here one day while we were in Bloomington. Great service and great food if you love barbecue! Strongly recommend! read more

Even during these COVID times SmokeWorks was still open! I followed SmokeWorks on Instagram after Yelp Indy gave them a shoutout. I was so excited to bring my wife here until I looked them up and found out they were in Bloomington. After a weekend of camping near Lake Monroe we ate here and I was so excited! To have some BBQ and adult milkshakes! First off the inside looks great even while social distanced! Secondly before we get to the food it would be a straight SIN if I didn't mention the fantastic service! We sat in the bar area so the bartender came to our table to serve us and wow. I honestly can say I don't think I've ever had service this great. Our server was attentive, had great suggestions, and was accommodating with our questions/requests since it was our first time there. Our servers name listed on the receipt was Buczek so I'm assuming it's the last name but he gave us the best service and we made sure to tip him well! I wish I had that kind of service everywhere I ate!! Now that I've gushed over the service you probably want to know about the food right?! Well look at the pics!!! I can't say enough about how great it was!! I did not have a single thing I didn't like!! We also got a whisky flight in addition to the food and it was all excellent. The pork nachos are a solid appetizer that could be a meal just by itself. We really wanted to get the adult milkshake but everything else was so filling that we didn't have room! Since we could not get everything we wanted we decided we just have to go back and save room for a milkshake! Find a reason to come back and support this business...it's not difficult to find a reason between the excellent food and the fantastic service! We will definitely be back! Thank you Buczek and SmokeWorks for making our experience memorable and great! read more

My first meal in Bloomington and it was amazing, the staff was very attentive and made sure we were having a great time. The bartender was able to pair a great whiskey with my meal. The Pitmaster Specaial was amazing all the flavor made my mouth water with every smell and bite. A definite winner I and going to make sure I get back for a round two. read more

Salad was sad. Hardly any bacon. The sampler platter the meat was dry, particularly the brisket. The corn muffins were cold. As were the potato wedges. Maybe bc we got there at 8:30 on a Friday night? We still had to wait and there were people waiting behind us too. So, no excuses for luke warm food. The waitress was luke warm too. Kind of forgot my soda and when reminded, did not apologize. Was like, yeah, it's coming. The hostess was nice though. read more

I really, really hope this place makes it through the pandemic. I am super picky with smoked meat (blame my Southern roots), and this brisket is seriously good. We genuinely loved the bbq nachos and the whiskey flights. The peach bourbon tea was a hair sweet for my taste but was quite good. The atmosphere is well done, especially for a college town bbq spot. The service needs some training, but I won't knock anyone on that during the pandemic. read more

brisket was half fat, wings hard, but I half to say well done, baked beans nasty, cornbread old and cold, tea not sweet enough. first time there. maybe I should have gotten fish, shrimp. read more

My husband and I are currently on a 5 state road trip and stopped in Bloomington tonight for dinner. This place did not disappoint!! We ended up ordering way too much food because the prices were really good so I assumed the portions were small. I suggest sharing the sampler platter between two people if you want a variety (this would have been plenty for us but we ordered a smaller second plate and had a lot of leftovers). Everything was delicious! The standouts were the brisket, the pulled pork, the macaroni and cheese, the mashed potatoes, and the cornbread. The pulled chicken, baked beans, coleslaw, ribs, and sausage we're all good too, however. On top of excellent food we also had amazing service from a very friendly and attentive server named Blake. He was very helpful and a pleasure to talk to. read more

Food was okay. Service was okay. Nothing special about our visit and nothing to really want to make us comeback.

Horrible. Took me on waitlist then come to find out you have a private party. What about ensuring your up to date on service.

The food, service and ambiance was beyond amazing! I got the brisket with a side of green beans and loaded mashed potatoes. If you're in the area this place is a Must. I live an hour away but I'm making it a point to go every time I visit Bloomington read more

First, the food is great. This is my favorite bbq place. The selection of whiskeys is also a treat. And the staff are nice and helpful. But.... I hate to be "that guy", but I have to complain about the music. We visited on a Sunday evening, and the music was so loud that we had a difficult time just carrying on a conversation. The loudness was distracting and did not make for a comfortable atmosphere. Note: I am not whining about the type of music, only the volume. If we were in a bar or club, the music volume would have been appropriate. But this place is not a bar or club. (To be fair, it has a bar area, but it was empty.) An app I downloaded while sitting in the booth being grumpy said that the music got up to 75 decibels, which is far higher than normal conversation (60 dB) - in fact, it's more than twice as loud. We asked to have the music turned down (yes, I really am "that guy"), and the manager kindly explained that they didn't have control over the sound level, along with the TV's and other related things. Also, they would normally expect a larger crowd, which might have helped? I'm not going to argue with the lack of control, except to say that as as a customer, we found the dining experience to be difficult to enjoy. So much so, that I attempted to cancel my order, but it was too late. By the time the food arrived, we had been here for a half hour, but a frustrating half hour. (The wait time is not a complaint.) So, if you enjoy loud country rock, come here and enjoy the great bbq. If you are like me, and would prefer to visit with out of town friends while breaking cornbread, you may want to seek a quieter place. Perhaps a picnic on the tarmac at IND? read more

The ambiance of this place is nice. The lighting is good and the seating is spacious. There also wasn't too much wait. SmokeWorks has a variety of whiskey drinks to choose from. I ordered the gold rush and the smokeworks sampler. The sampler has a small portion of almost every barbecue dish on the menu with some sides of cole slaw and mac and cheese. My favorite is the brisket and ribs. The brisket was tender and juicy. The rib came off the bone easily as well. The sauce was also really good with the sampler. You get to pick three sauce of your choice. In general, I like this place and would come again. The sampler is a good start for the first time at the restaurant to try out every dish. Though I think it is a little big for two people to share. When it was first served, I definitely underestimated how filling it could be. read more

This place is delicious! We even were able to accommodate about 20 of us in their separate area. The staff was super friendly! I will absolutely recommend this place to anyone in or visiting Bloomington. read more

Service was good. Warm atmosphere. Fine experience, but wouldn't come back because the food is terrible. Cold bbq, but to the point where they've scooped congealed pan bottom fat out with the pulled pork. Smoked jalapeño sausages, inedible. No texture and fatty instead of smoky or flavorful. Don't know if these are housmade sausages or if they simply tried to make a bad sausage good. They failed. Ribs, jerky. Rub on the ribs was actually pretty good. Brisket (my cut did come from the end), absolute jerky. Corn bread. Cold and so dry it crumbled in my hand before I could add butter. Spicy BBQ sauce tastes like ketchup with a little extra vinegar and cayenne. Didn't want to finish any of the meat selections. Bad food, but otherwise, pleasant place. Oh, and they forgot my second side, the Cole slaw. read more

It was late and we didn't want a heavy meal so we settled in 2 appetizers. Delicious! One was nachos with pulled pork: OMG melt in your mouth tender and a wonderful flavor even without any sauce. Would go back in a heartbeat and work our way through the menu! read more

I ordered half rack of ribs with 2 sides and cornbread..... the meat was awesome and tender... the Mac and cheese was full of flavor ... unfortunately the baked beans were not what I expected overall the experience was excellent and I've been bragging to anyone who will listen to check you guys out read more

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So. Good. We decided to try a few things--and we loved the smoked wings (dry) and bbq pork nachos. The mac & cheese was meh and we didn't get to the beans. The cornbread would be a 10 if it was served hot, but it was still good. read more

Very trendy vibe- outstanding liquor selection. Food was great and reasonably priced. Cool little downtown B-town spot!

The meat in the restaurant is very tasty and their sauces are amazing, however the sides and corn bread is average. The stuff is friendly but it took a while for us to receive the food. read more

SmokeWorks - Pulled pork, green beans - Barbeque Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Great ambiance. Ok bbq. Very much just ok. Did not live up to ambiance, much less the hype. Disappointing to me but I'm particular about my Q. Deviled Eggs - too much mustard masks the egg itself. Had the premium mixed platter, slaw, blacked eyed peas & mac/cheese. Sauces were average. I make better at home. Brisket was tender, tasty but a bit on the dry side. Ok a bit more than a bit - a real crime for brisket. Ribs were good, fall off the bone but a bit dry. Why? Chicken was very good. But sauces were boring. Sausage was good. Mac/cheese : very good Slaw: good Black Eyed peas: excellent read more

This evening we had pulled pork, brisket, and ribs. The order of brisket was the size of a hamburger. The half each of ribs was large, very tender, and tasty. The pulled pork was a healthy portion and was pretty good. I wish they had more side options. Such as a baked potato or fries. The Mac and cheese is weird and not very good. The atmosphere is cool. Kind of a modern take on a bar and Bbq joint. The bourbon, whiskey, and scotch selection is good. read more

Please forgive me, for I have no photos of the food here since I left my phone at home last night while the wife and I enjoyed date night. That being said, LET'S DIG IN. Now that all the fuss and bustle has died down about this new BBQ joint I finally decided to try it out myself. Now, if you've seen my reviews you'll know that I'm a BBQ JUNKIE, ladies and gentlemen. I have BBQ running through my veins! ...maybe that's why I'm pre-diabetic? Anyway, my wife and it walked into SmokeWorks on a Thursday evening right around 6PM. The first thing I noticed was that the place wasn't packed to the brim. The doors were open (and it was pretty warm) and there were plenty of tables open. I have to be honest, the scene in SmokeWorks didn't really do it for me. It's like the place wants to be a smokehouse, but at the same time they want to be the upscale bar where students can come spend their hard-earned trust money. Having been to several local smokehouses before, one thing they all have in common is that the really good ones care more about their food than scene presentation. "Here, find some stump to sit on and make sure it's a biggun' cause you're gonna pass out after eatin' some of this BBQ!" - probably a tag line from an amazing smokehouse somewhere in Tennessee SmokeWorks may not have "wowed" me with their scenery, but where they shined was the food. I ordered the Dixie Two-Step, which was two meats, two sides, one piece of cornbread and you choose your sauce. I went with the brisket, pulled pork, baked beans, and mac & cheese. I chose the sweet sauce for my dipping delight and added some turkey for good measure. Don't judge me - I like my meat. *cue a "That's what she said joke...* The pulled pork was cooked perfectly. It melted in my mouth and didn't need any sauce at all. In fact, this is a HUGE point about this place: all of the meat I had was good enough that it did not need the sauce. In SmokeWorks the sauce is truly an accompaniment. Each meat has a seasoned dry rub put on it to tenderize and flavor it. That's some Memphis style if there ever was any. Next up was the turkey and it nearly dropped me out of my seat. The turkey WAS NOT DRY, I repeat, WAS NOT DRY. The meat was moist and had a very nice smoked flavor that carried all the way through it. Finally, the brisket. Now I've heard some say the brisket here was like jerky, and I can tell you mine was far from it. The meat was moist and fell apart on the fork. My one complaint with it, though, was that it was EXTREMELY salty. Still, it had a very unique taste and the sauce helped cut some of the saltiness. On to the sides. The baked beans reminded me more of a chili than anything, mostly because they were thick and had jalapenos accompanying them. The mac & cheese was easily the star of the dish. It was served in a small cast-iron skillet, which meant that the portion size was a bit small, but I've never tasted anything like it. The pasta was soft and carried the cheese flavor very well. There was a bit of baked-on cheese covering the entire dish that was simply delicious. It was my favorite part of the meal. Finally, the cornbread was not extremely dry like others are saying. It paired nicely with the beans and I wish I had more than one piece, but at nearly $3 per slice I wasn't going to grab another. Overall I think the food was worth the stop. My wife enjoyed the coleslaw and it was another star side to the meal. Portion sizes are a bit small (compared to some other BBQ joints) but the meat is exactly as the place advertises. If you've the time and are downtown, this may be one stop you want to make while you have the chance, so long as the place isn't overrun. read more