SmokeWorks Bloomington

Moved our daughter into her dorm and we all was starving. Came here because the reviews were good but was very disappointed. Hamburgers were over cooked. Like they are frozen patties that were just thrown on the grill. The sprite tasted like water. The pulled pork tasted like pulled chicken. Definitely did not have a smoked flavor. Brisket was dry and over cooked. Mac and cheese tasted like they threw a packet of kraft powdered cheese over it. The BBQ sauce is different and most tasted like ketchup or vinegar. Definitely got disappointed on this place. I'm giving the service a 4 because even though the waitress was new and didnt know much she was friendly. Our party was 8. I will say the greens were great and cooked perfect though. For being a downtown BBQ they sure need to step up their game because this just is not yet.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 4

the brisket was absolutely delicious—tender and full of flavor. The BBQ overall was really good, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the green beans, they were seasoned just right and stood out as one of the best sides I’ve had anywhere. Great spot for BBQ in Bloomington!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Tons of problems with both service and food.

I ordered a plate with brisket and pork belly. The restaurant was empty, even on Friday night. Despite this, I had to hail an unfriendly waiter for every minimal service, like utensils, napkins, and a cup of water. This was startling for a place that had like 4 service people standing around.

The brisket was dry and had minimal smoke flavor, even though I asked a waiter for an extra fat piece. The pork belly was good, but the fries were cold and obviously old. I had to ask for them to re-make them.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 1

If your in Bloomington this is worth stopping by. The brisket was so good.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

One of the coolest places in Bloomington! The sampler I enough food for two and some to take home! All the BBQ is excellent and the huge selection of unique sides are great as well. Service is always great here. Nice place right on the square in downtown Bloomington.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Ordered via doordash. Food was hot & fresh. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich with fries. Good seasoning on fries. Unfortunately the sandwich didn’t come with any bbq sauce like stated so it was dry. Also tried the appetizer plate with mac n cheese, cornbread casserole, baked beans, & coleslaw. All these were really good! The peanut butter pie dessert is amazing too. Overall, the food is really good here(i’m not a bbq expert, i’m from florida). Surprised by the lack of bbq sauce, napkins, cutlery, etc for a to go order but still happy I tried this place.

Food: 4

Service: 4

This little place is a gem for Bloomington. We visited after lunch time and before dinner time on a Monday so the place was fairly empty which was actually really nice. Our server was attentive and super upbeat and since it was our first time here he gave us his recommendations. My meat was smoked perfectly, hot, juicy and tender and I appreciated the variety of sauces I had to choose from for the meat. The Mac and cheese was great, loved the warm cornbread and buttery spread and the spicy sweet pickle appetizer was a hit! You’ve gotta check this place out if you haven’t already.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The ribs melted in my mouth, and the bar b q sauce was awesome. I won't eat ribs anywhere else, Smoke works, I'm a fan for life.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food was mostly very bland. I had to add a bunch of salt and bbq sauce to the brisket and sides. My wife's turkey was decent, and the kids liked their ribs. My brisket was tender. The portion size is good for the price.

The meat was really dry and the macaroni and cheese were cold and the baked beans were cold and runny. Also the bill already had 20% gratuity added on. I have no problem with that, but it was not communicated. Until we received our individual checks. And only one person out of our party noticed they had already added the tip to the bill.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Cornbread

Great service and great portions andgreat drinks. Very accommodating to our large group. Highly recommend.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

sydney was very helpful with menu recommendations

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Sydney field provided great support and menu recommendations. Will for sure come back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I stopped in for lunch, I was the only person in. The bartender was attentive and professional. I had a two meat plate, the meat came out relatively cool/cold, the BBQ sauces were just OK.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 4

Absolutely terrible barbeque -I've tried this place 3 times now hoping it would get better or I'd find something I liked...the first time I tried the pulled pork and a bunch of sides, the second time their smoked wings and the most recent time I tried the rib so I would say I've given this place a fair shot and it's just SO disappointing every time. Most recently, the ribs were so tough to eat, I only got through two bones before just giving up -like, I had to literally rip them apart to eat them. The sauces are just odd -too much vinegar on one, too sweet with another, they're just straight up bad. I ordered mac and cheese and the potato salad as sides -not the worst but far from great. Mac noodles were overcooked but had decent seasoning, the potato salad had excellent texture but no seasoning. So frustrating, I wanna root for this place but it's booty. Do not waste your money here -accept, like me, that Bloomington doesn't do bbq well and there isn't enough bbq sauce in the world to cover how bad it is.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 4