Smokin’ John’s Barbeque

A very nice spot with a good pineapple moonshine and the brisket is very good., please add a good smoked collard green to one of your side choices!!!

So, nice looking place, ok beer selection, but the BBQ is, frankly, second rate. In all fairness, only tasted part of the menu, but what I did taste was at best, just ok. Brisket burnt ends were dry and not really burnt ends, rather were just cut up brisket and dry at that. Beef short ribs were dry and had only a small amount of smoke flavor. Whatever rub they use is not very noticeable. The bark was almost non existent. Brisket was much the same. Sides were, at best, average. Corn bead was dry and the piece they gave you was exceptionally small. Baked beans were sweet, but had little other flavor. The coleslaw was non descript.

The atmosphere was amazing as well as the service. My waitress was attentive but didn’t bother us while we were enjoying our bbq. I am a huge fan of the food! Everything was perfectly seasoned and the portions were huge. I can’t wait to go back!

Let me start this off by saying I moved to the area from Texas, so to me, barbecue is special. That being said, the food here at smokin Johns is good. Really good, even. The Mac and cheese was great, and the serving size was huge, the baked beans were excellent, and the cornbread was very tasty.
But let’s get to the meat — it’s good, but it’s not Texas barbecue. I can’t honestly say that the meat was smoked at all — no smoke ring, no smoke flavor. I get it, this is Philly, not Austin, so it makes sense, but there are plenty of ways to get smoke on meat without a huge backyard smoker.
Even with that, I enjoyed the meal and would come back again. The restaurant is nice, the bar has a good selection, and there is live music on the weekends. If you’re in the hunt for some good meat and southern style sides, this would be the place to go.

My overall experiences at Smokin’ John’s has it earning a top rating. I’m a fan of the food. I mean, their brisket won’t change your life, but let it try. Their spicy pickles are amazing, especially in one of their signature cocktails! The slaw, made with broccoli, doesn’t taste as healthy as it sounds — and believe me that is a compliment!
The prices and the price/​portion ratio are great, especially for Manayunk. You can either grab and seat yourself or «dine in». I’ll admit I come here more often for their drinks then their food — their bartenders are on point. I mentioned the pickle martini once, but feel once is not enough. Don’t be afraid to ask for more pickle juice!
Outside the food and drink, they have quizzo Monday and live music many nights. I like starting Friday evenings off at Smokin’ John’s as unfortunately they close earlier than the other bars in the area. Maybe I’ll see you around!

The food was mediocre. What’s a BBQ place with blah ribs? And the service person couldn’t answer basic questions about the menu or beer selection. I will not be coming back.

The service was great… But the food was cold and didn’t taste right. I’m not a picky eater… But the mac and cheese smelled and tasted funny.
To cut this short I had a stomach ache for 3 days wig the added inconvenience of running to a restroom every half hour.
Maybe the food is different on Monday. Maybe it’s better on he weekends. But it was fffffff terrible when ate there with my family his past Monday.
But like I said our waiter was great. «don’t shoot the waiter shoot the chief»
Julius Schram
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I’d would rather eaten at McDonald’s. It would have saved me 126 dollars

GARBAGE. The server was great. The food was garbage. It had no smokiness to it and it was served COLD, like illegally cold! I have been in gastrointestinal distress for 10 hours so far. Laugh if you must but by writing this I am saving you.
The only redeeming quality is that it is open on Monday where Deke’s is closed. And Deke’s has free parking!
A better choice for BBQ would be McDonald’s McRib (when in season) or the Burger King Rodeo Burger (on the dollar menu) which is available year round.

The staff and food were excellent. HOWEVER, the management was terrible and treated their staff with extreme disrespect. The manager (I didn’t get a name but she is a middle aged blonde woman) came out onto the floor yelling at her staff while every patron watched.
It’s a shame… great food and staff but mean angry managers so I won’t be back! Treat your people with respect!

First of all, I’ll say that the food and service was great. Almost everyone was very friendly and the pulled pork sliders were delicious. However, a middle aged, short blonde haired woman who seemed to be some kind of manager or possibly owner (?) came in the bar area and started yelling at her staff. She was complaining about salt/​pepper shakers in the wrong spot, and tables where she didn’t want them. It became so uncomfortable that we had to say something to her about it. When I did say «This restaurant is wonderful, but you are making us uncomfortable to the point where I don’t think that we will be back again.» Her response was «well, ok» and stormed off to continue yelling at people.
Once again, the staff was amazing otherwise and super understanding of this woman’s lack of respect for patrons/​her staff/​the atmosphere. I would recommend if you go there and this happens to you for you to speak up for the service staff and let her know that this kind of behavior is unprofessional.

Order up some short rib at the front! It is so good– as well as their French fries … Nice and thin I think they call them shoestrings but they’re not quite as thin as the ones at the Continental. Their brisket is decent … A bit dry when we had it though. Shoutout to Brandon for really helping us out. There were no seats inside so we set up outside and were taken care of as if we were dining-​in (we did the pay up front/​take out option). He went above and beyond what he needed to do and checked in regularly, making our night that much better. Also there was live music on the night we went !

The chicken bowl. That’s all I have to say. Layers of amazingness and deliciousness. Great atmosphere. Love the bat and great bartenders. If you order Togo there is a spot right out from to park and run in and grab your order. If you know Main st in Manayunk, this is kinda a big deal. Lol

I really love Smokin’ John’s Barbeque in Manayunk. My wife and I order from here one or twice a month. First of all the staff… The guys behind the counter are always very friendly and helpful. I’ve never felt rushed, and they’re quite accommodating of special requests.
Their brisket is the best I’ve had in Philly and their beef short ribs come with an awesome dry rub. All of their barbecue is cooked fresh daily and they have lots of great sides to go with their meats, like creamed spinach, garlic mashed potato, butternut squash, mac and cheese, beans, and salad. They also include dinner rolls with the meal, and their own BBQ Sauce, choice of spicy or mild.
For those of you who want to come by to have a drink, there’s a full bar at Smokin’ John’s, live music many nights of the week, several flat screen TV’s and American craft beers. The atmosphere is very laid back and fun. This would be a great place to watch a game or just relax with friends. Smokin’ John’s will continue to be my go-​to place for barbecue.

I was so excited to try the new BBQ place on Main St in Manayunk. I have to say that I was not impressed with the food here. I had a platter of ribs with squash and hot apples on the side. The food wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. The ribs were ok and the squash and hot apples were pretty mediocre as well. I didn’t like that it came on a paper plate either. The service was good. The bartender was very friendly and knew about the menu and drinks. It was a little awkward as we were the only people there for the 45 mins that we were there. No one else came in for happy hour at all.

I needed to do an update review, mostly because of the amazing staff! Popped in here last week on that rainy Friday when most people weren’t venturing into the great outdoors. Ordered from the counter this time and the guys working the counter were a real treat! We joshed each other quite a bit and it was highly entertaining. My friend and I grabbed a drink at the bar and then sat at a table to eat our meals. When we were done, we sat up at the bar for a few more drinks. The place was mostly empty and we spent the entirety of the rest of our stay there shooting the shit with Sam (I think that was his name?) the bartender. Dude with the Scooby Doo tattoo. He was awesome and I’m glad he provided us some good entertaining stories for the evening. AWESOME group of people you have working here!
Food is still great as well! I got a brisket platter with mac n chz, roasted butternut squash (ummm hello this was DELICIOUS), and cornbread. Friend had pulled pork with mac n chz, creamed spinach, and potato roll.

This is not a full service restaurant. The food sits behind a counter buffet style. You order from the counter and the food is put on a plate and handed to you on a tray. Once you pay for the food then you find your own table. There is a self service water jug and someone may, or may not, bring utensils to your table.
I was able to try the brisket, pulled pork, mashed sweet potatoes, mac & cheese, cornbread, creamed spinach, chocolate blondie, and chocolate chip cookie. You get two choices of BBQ sauce, sweet or spicy. I’ve never had bad BBQ at a restaurant, and the BBQ here is not bad, but the brisket and pulled pork were surprisingly bland. Not the quality I would expect at a restaurant. The mashed sweet potatoes were also bland. I couldn’t believe there was no cinnamon added to add some flavor. The cornbread was dry. The spinach was OK. The mac & cheese was very good and cheesy and ended up being the best dish. The blondie was disappointing and the cookie was just average.
The crowd was young, so this place might survive based on young people that don’t know any better when it comes to good BBQ.

I really like Smokin’ John’s on Main Street in Manayunk. It’s one of my favorite restaurants in Manayunk. The atmosphere is cool, the service is friendly, and the food is tasty. I recently had an awesome meal there at a high-​top table by an open window looking out on Main Street. The brisket was moist, flavorful, and tender. The sides of mac ‘n cheese and broccoli slaw hit the spot along with the accompanying corn bread. The appetizer of turkey chili was a revelation that turkey could substitute so well for beef in this dish. And desert was a white chocolate brownie with chocolate chips. The waitress was friendly, competent, and helpful. And each table had a fresh-​cut yellow flower. What’s not to like here?

While the ambiance was laid back, casual & cool the crowd was clearly young. This place seems to be a cool spot for college kids or a young 20 something crowd to hang out. I enjoyed the casual environment but was seeking more of a diverse crowd.
While the portion sizes are huge & you surely get enough to have leftovers the next day, the food isn’t that great. We tried this place for Manyunk ’ s restaurant week and was totally disappointed. This restaurant is supposed to be owned by the same company /​person that owns Winnie le bus, which got good reviews (by some of my friends).
The pulled pork was bland & had no flavor. It tasted as if it was cooked with absolutely no seasoning. Maybe they should try marinating the meat 1^st. I also had the mashed sweet potatoes which were beyond bland. The sweet potatoes were fresh, not canned, but had no flavor or spices added. Maybe they could try a pinch of cinnamon or butter next time. The creamed spinach was great. The cornbread was a little dry. Lastly, the blondie brownie tasted more like a chocolate chip cookie bar. Blondies usually have more of a white chocolate flavor (the ones I have had).
Overall, I was sorely let down. Not sure if I would try this place again, too many other bbq places with well seasoned food to go to.

I had a great time at Smokin’ John’s Barbeque. Me and a couple of friends came over on a Friday night and I was pleasantly surprise with the place and the fact that they sell beers. We ordered a sample of different bbq’ed meat with 5 people and it ended up costing us ~13 a person. The food was tasty and the staff was really pleasant and helpful. One friend wanted to buy some of the BBQ sauce that they had but they did not have it for sale so they offered him to put it in a go to container. I found that pretty pro of them to do.
The atmosphere is very relaxed and as I liked that we were not rushed and ended up chilling there for a bit. I will mostly likely go back again.

Hey how about knocking the pants off of Rubb please?!
Walked in on a cold Saturday night in January with Gia M. around 9 pm. The place was quiet. Mind you there are two entrances. Smokin’ John’s has a to go section as well as bar and seating area. The inside is spacious with ceilings quite high, and the place is immaculate and plain.
The menu is your standard bbq fair. The service is appropriate. And the food is decent.
The beer taps are verbose, quite crafty, along with their bottles list.
They have a lot of whisky options, however the whisky is way too overpriced.
We decided to sit at the bar and were appropriately served. The bar tender came over with a smile and was cordial upon greeting us. Just a note that John’s serves 12 and 16 once pours. You really don’t save any money going with the 12 once pour so just go for the 16.
Lets talk about the food. Protip — their pulled pork is probably the best meat they offer. It was scrumptious. I also tried the brisket which sucked. It was overcooked and as tough as leather. The final meat we tried was a sweet sausage which tasted like confetti cake. Can’t recommend the sausage either.
OMGGOZLE their sides so good. I can highly recommend the mashed sweets, potato salad, and mac and cheese. They are delightful!!! They also come in two sizes.
Food is served on cute lunch trays, also standard of BBQ.
In order to get that fifth star the chef needs to pick up on their meat delivery. I want some better quality meat in and around my mouth. Also, bar tenders need to be a little more friendly and chat the customers more rather than playing around on their phones. You know make it feel a little more homey.
Go get your butt to John’s and order a pound of pulled pork with all the sides. You will go home happy.