Hey this place was a great experience. The staff was warm and welcoming. We had two dogs on a cold day in October and we were afraid we wouldn't have anywhere to eat, but luckily this place had a heated patio! My dad and I both got the whitefish, which was excellent, though pairing it with sub-par Mexican rice was a bit odd. The bourbon selection was good and affordable, and again the staff was amazing. This place saved our day.
J Hytken
BBQ brisket is smoky but a little dry. Corn was good although expensive for what you get. Sweet potato waffle fries and coleslaw we’re both good. Brussels sprouts were also tasty. sERVICE was the best part and was excellent.
Viktor P.
Pros: very friendly service, great location and patio right on the water. Super nice setting to enjoy Mackinac Island. Cons: none of the food was good, and we ordered a variety of things too. If you are only going for drinks, then good service and good vibe are all you need, and this is worth a stop. But if you're going for food, I'd choose somewhere else -- there's no shortage of options within spitting distance.
travelbeachfun
Unfortunately we did not enjoy our meal. My husband had smoked chicken and didn’t care for the BBQ Sauce or the seasoning. I had the burrito and it was dry and just ok. The waitress did offer to bring out salsa. She and the bartender were super friendly and the food came out quick. Only a few Mexican items on the menu.
Blake R.
My wife and I were on Mackinac Island for a conference and Smokey Jose's was recommended by several people. We decided to give it a try and it was hands down the worst meal we had on the island. We ordered an appetizer of queso and chips and shared the pulled pork burrito. The queso was $8 and the serving size was smaller than a side of queso at Moe's or Qdoba. It was watery, had zero flavor, and the chips were prepackaged. They tasted stale and bland. Waste of $8. The burrito was not much better. If you claim that you are a bbq restaurant (or at least bbq fusion in this case) you better have good bbq. The pulled pork was not smoked on the island, was super watery and rubbery, and you could tell it was prepackaged. The rice and beans in the burrito were okay, but the guacamole was brown and tasted like it was made days prior. The burrito was also served with a side of street corn, which was the only decent thing we ate. It was served in a paper dish, but was watery, so the paper quickly became saturated. The corn was mixed with peppers, topped with lime juice and a chili powder mix, and then cojita cheese on top. Finally, we ate on the balcony and there was a small mink (looked like a weasel) that kept running around the balcony. Our server told us that it comes around every afternoon looking for scraps. It was disgusting and my wife immediately wanted to leave. It was sad that the servers could care less and the health department would have immediately closed the restaurant if they found feral wildlife running about. Completely unacceptable. Ultimately, my suggestion is avoid this place at all costs. The food is not good, way overpriced, and I am seriously concerned about health violations after our visit. We will not be back.
Discover09226556387
My daughter and I had completed the ride around the island and turned our bikes in and just wanted a quick snack. It was not quite noon and there were few people in the restaurant. We were sat down and given menus. Our waiter, Austin, went through his spill of what they had. Once we explained we did not want a big meal but just chips/dips and something to drink, the service was not there even though our bill was still $40+.
Jacob S.
Don't go here if you ever want to get sat. We had 6 people and the hostess said she would sit us next. 2 of us sat at the bar and watched as she sat other people ahead of us. She said she forgot about us and no attempt was made to fix the situation. Terrible service!
614alexiaf
We had the brisket nachos. It was only average. There wasn't enough meat and the chips weren't the best. I probably wouldn't go back for the food.
Lauren B.
1. Skip it 2. Overpriced 3. Neither guac or salsa are fresh 4. Don't make my mistake: just because it's the first restaurant you see DOESN'T mean it's good. Please skip it. I don't understand the other reviews.
Ted Varkas
My daughter has a severe egg allergy. The head of kitchen staff assured us her hamburger bun did not have eggs. The bun had an egg shine, so we asked to see ingredients. The bun contained eggs.
Did not take my daughter's allergy seriously. It was only after insisting to see the ingredients that that they realized they made a mistake. We asked repeatedly and were assured there were no egg (she's highly allergic) in her hamburger bun. The yellow color made her suspicious.
Heather M.
My husband and I were excited to try Smokey Jose's and were sorely disappointed! I got the guacamole and tortilla chips. The guacamole was literally just mashed avocado. No spices, no lime juice, no salt- just avocado. I mentioned it to the server and he just shrugged and said someone was probably being lazy. I asked for salsa to mix in for some flavor. My husband got the brisket with waffle fries. Somehow the brisket was dry and tasteless. He used a ton of bbq sauce and usually doesn't use any. For the crazy price, the quality just wasn't there. Spoke to a couple locals and they said quality has gone way down hill with this restaurant in the last year. We spent $70 on dry brisket, tasteless guacamole, a Pepsi and a margarita. Super disappointed.
raquell conley
Our favorite place we visited on the island. We had the brisket tacos they were so good! Our server was Antonio. He was awesome. We will definitely be back to try more things here. They seated us within 10 mins and the food was fast as well!
rphsweet
We ate here twice during our stay on the island. We had great service both times and we loved our meals. The pork burnt ends were a favorite but we also had the pork bbq sandwich and the brisket sandwich which we both enjoyed. I also loved the chicken tacos the next day for something different.
Jenna H.
I'm surprised this place isn't listed on any of the "top" lists for Mackinac Island. The service was so friendly and prompt, there was live music on the patio, food was delicious and just the right amount. They have an impressive list of whiskeys and tequila, and vegetarian options, too. To top it off, this was the first and only place on the island to warn us verbally about the extra charge for using a credit card. We didn't realize that we'd been paying an upcharge at all the other bars/restaurants until our server at Smokey Jose's pointed it out. You can avoid the extra fee by paying cash, which is exactly what we did :)
Hey this place was a great experience. The staff was warm and welcoming. We had two dogs on a cold day in October and we were afraid we wouldn't have anywhere to eat, but luckily this place had a heated patio! My dad and I both got the whitefish, which was excellent, though pairing it with sub-par Mexican rice was a bit odd. The bourbon selection was good and affordable, and again the staff was amazing. This place saved our day.
BBQ brisket is smoky but a little dry. Corn was good although expensive for what you get. Sweet potato waffle fries and coleslaw we’re both good. Brussels sprouts were also tasty. sERVICE was the best part and was excellent.
Pros: very friendly service, great location and patio right on the water. Super nice setting to enjoy Mackinac Island. Cons: none of the food was good, and we ordered a variety of things too. If you are only going for drinks, then good service and good vibe are all you need, and this is worth a stop. But if you're going for food, I'd choose somewhere else -- there's no shortage of options within spitting distance.
Unfortunately we did not enjoy our meal. My husband had smoked chicken and didn’t care for the BBQ Sauce or the seasoning. I had the burrito and it was dry and just ok. The waitress did offer to bring out salsa. She and the bartender were super friendly and the food came out quick. Only a few Mexican items on the menu.
My wife and I were on Mackinac Island for a conference and Smokey Jose's was recommended by several people. We decided to give it a try and it was hands down the worst meal we had on the island. We ordered an appetizer of queso and chips and shared the pulled pork burrito. The queso was $8 and the serving size was smaller than a side of queso at Moe's or Qdoba. It was watery, had zero flavor, and the chips were prepackaged. They tasted stale and bland. Waste of $8. The burrito was not much better. If you claim that you are a bbq restaurant (or at least bbq fusion in this case) you better have good bbq. The pulled pork was not smoked on the island, was super watery and rubbery, and you could tell it was prepackaged. The rice and beans in the burrito were okay, but the guacamole was brown and tasted like it was made days prior. The burrito was also served with a side of street corn, which was the only decent thing we ate. It was served in a paper dish, but was watery, so the paper quickly became saturated. The corn was mixed with peppers, topped with lime juice and a chili powder mix, and then cojita cheese on top. Finally, we ate on the balcony and there was a small mink (looked like a weasel) that kept running around the balcony. Our server told us that it comes around every afternoon looking for scraps. It was disgusting and my wife immediately wanted to leave. It was sad that the servers could care less and the health department would have immediately closed the restaurant if they found feral wildlife running about. Completely unacceptable. Ultimately, my suggestion is avoid this place at all costs. The food is not good, way overpriced, and I am seriously concerned about health violations after our visit. We will not be back.
My daughter and I had completed the ride around the island and turned our bikes in and just wanted a quick snack. It was not quite noon and there were few people in the restaurant. We were sat down and given menus. Our waiter, Austin, went through his spill of what they had. Once we explained we did not want a big meal but just chips/dips and something to drink, the service was not there even though our bill was still $40+.
Don't go here if you ever want to get sat. We had 6 people and the hostess said she would sit us next. 2 of us sat at the bar and watched as she sat other people ahead of us. She said she forgot about us and no attempt was made to fix the situation. Terrible service!
We had the brisket nachos. It was only average. There wasn't enough meat and the chips weren't the best. I probably wouldn't go back for the food.
1. Skip it 2. Overpriced 3. Neither guac or salsa are fresh 4. Don't make my mistake: just because it's the first restaurant you see DOESN'T mean it's good. Please skip it. I don't understand the other reviews.
My daughter has a severe egg allergy. The head of kitchen staff assured us her hamburger bun did not have eggs. The bun had an egg shine, so we asked to see ingredients. The bun contained eggs.
Restaurantji Recommends
Did not take my daughter's allergy seriously. It was only after insisting to see the ingredients that that they realized they made a mistake. We asked repeatedly and were assured there were no egg (she's highly allergic) in her hamburger bun. The yellow color made her suspicious.
My husband and I were excited to try Smokey Jose's and were sorely disappointed! I got the guacamole and tortilla chips. The guacamole was literally just mashed avocado. No spices, no lime juice, no salt- just avocado. I mentioned it to the server and he just shrugged and said someone was probably being lazy. I asked for salsa to mix in for some flavor. My husband got the brisket with waffle fries. Somehow the brisket was dry and tasteless. He used a ton of bbq sauce and usually doesn't use any. For the crazy price, the quality just wasn't there. Spoke to a couple locals and they said quality has gone way down hill with this restaurant in the last year. We spent $70 on dry brisket, tasteless guacamole, a Pepsi and a margarita. Super disappointed.
Our favorite place we visited on the island. We had the brisket tacos they were so good! Our server was Antonio. He was awesome. We will definitely be back to try more things here. They seated us within 10 mins and the food was fast as well!
We ate here twice during our stay on the island. We had great service both times and we loved our meals. The pork burnt ends were a favorite but we also had the pork bbq sandwich and the brisket sandwich which we both enjoyed. I also loved the chicken tacos the next day for something different.
I'm surprised this place isn't listed on any of the "top" lists for Mackinac Island. The service was so friendly and prompt, there was live music on the patio, food was delicious and just the right amount. They have an impressive list of whiskeys and tequila, and vegetarian options, too. To top it off, this was the first and only place on the island to warn us verbally about the extra charge for using a credit card. We didn't realize that we'd been paying an upcharge at all the other bars/restaurants until our server at Smokey Jose's pointed it out. You can avoid the extra fee by paying cash, which is exactly what we did :)