Mockingbird Distillery & Smokehouse

Only use cash here. Our credit card info was stolen and fraudulent charges began after using it here. The food was good and I thought it was affordable considering the cost of airport food. Our server Mark took our card to pay our bill so it was out of our sight briefly. Great place to eat, just be sure to pay with cash or make sure your card is swiped where you can see.

Can't comment on the food since nobody was waiting tables. Saw the "we're open near gate A15" signs so made the walk to check it out. Indoor bar area was packed, so sat at one of the outdoor tables for more then 15 minutes without any sign of table service even though most tables had menus. Not obvious how to order food and I didn't feel like going into the busy bar area to ask. If you're going to have tables inside the liquor consumption border, let customer's know how they'll be served, or not.

Bar tender and bar services, excellent. 10/10. Kitchen…could use some work. The prices are insane for the food quality and quantity. The staff would not acknowledge me at the pick up window when I went to inquire about the order I placed 30 minutes prior. I ended up not getting my food, my husband threw his away, and we went to Jack in the Box. Great bar services but would not recommend eating here.

The food was terrible, even for airport food. I had the Double Beef Burger. The burger tasted like a mushy gas station burger that was heated in a plastic bag. The brisket on top of the burger was mushy and fatty. The only good thing I can say is that it had smoke flavor. I would not eat here again.

Waiting for my flight and having a beer at 10:00am ! I am loving it. I don’t drink this early, but scared of flying lol. Very nice place in Terminal A. And finally the bartender who actually talks to the guests and takes their order. I don’t have to wait for the online order go through like in Terminal D. Thank you! I hope my future flights will allow me to come by. Definitely coming back.

I read the previous reviews and almost went somewhere else, so glad I didn’t the drinks were great! The food was good as well the brisket and tater tots together 😋 and the wings. And the service was excellent. Expectations were exceeded. Sorry no photos unless you want to see empty plates

This was a good little spot by my gate that had respectable prices to be an airport bar/restaurant. The bartender was extremely nice, and even remembered me by name, and also remembered what drink I had ordered when asking if I wanted another one. The bar area itself is kind of small, but it certainly gets the job done.

Do not eat here, I felt like I wanted to apologize to my body after that burger. If there was a zero stars option, that would’ve been more accurate.

If you are looking for a mid school lunch vibe, this is for you. I have passed by this place a few times the last few months while traveling. It looked so appealing online and I felt I needed to give it a try. Now that the urge has been satisfied, it will never happen again. I rolled up and looked for a seat. The main part of restaurant is a bar. If you are looking for a bit more space or want something more chill, do not come here. It is designed to be chaos. I took a seat at a dirty table. Appears to be only two people working here: the cook in the kitchen and the bar tender. If you are wanting counter service or a server, that is a major naw. You need to pull out your phone and do your order via your phone. Many older patrons were so confused because no one told them how it works. They were just standing here looking confused. Once the order gets in you just kind of wait. There's no system to let you know if is ready or where to go. I went to the bar to pick up my drink and the bartender told me he did not have what he needed to make the specialty drink on the menu. He asked if it was okay if I got the regular version of the drink and I told him as long as the price was equal that was fine. The regular mule is not the same as the Houston mule and he still gave me the regular for the higher price. The cook called my name from the window to pick up my food. Many people were gathered there confused and trying to get the order was chaos. Got the food and was beyond disappointed. The epitome of mid. Look at the pics. This is embarrassing. For this price point they should be ashamed. You will do better by sticking to the places right when you walk into the terminal. the quality is a bit better. This place here you can barely call subpar. Avoid. Do not waste your time, hard earned money and patience here. IAH ya'll have got to do better with quality and selections in your Terminal A venues. Truly lacking.

Nice quick stop at Term A. Used the QR code to order- smooth. Got the brisket sandwich- which was good - average size. Cole slaw and T-fries were ok. Crowded bar so I passed on the drinks. Worth coming back.

Its airport food. Really nothing smoking on the short menu that its not found anywhere else. Its an airport lounge, and ambiance is whatever but cozy. Service is why they get a 3 and not a 2. The lady who served me was the most pleasant person you could find. Two people were working, 1 the kitchen and one the counter, and it was sorta quick for that. Not much to say, but dont expect much from the small and cozy airport lounge. Only 2 beers on tap and the others were canned major brand ones. Very disappointing

Coming off of a long international flight, this was the perfect place to have a drink during a layover. My boy Oscar was super helpful and even made me the most delicious, refreshing drink ever! I definitely recommend coming here Thur-Sun if you are flying out from Terminal A to get a beer, or even a good cocktail made to send you on your way!

I was so hungry that I didn't read the reviews!!! Horrible just horrible. I paid $20 for this lil bit of brisket!!!! On top of it, it was burnt and hard. The Cole slaw is just disgusting. If I wasn't boarding at last minute I wld go get my refund. This is unacceptable!!!!

5:46pm on 11/1122: Delta Flight was delayed at gate A15 so I thought I might get a bite to eat at Mockingbird distillery smokehouse. There were no seats available and my wheelchair attendant from Delta went up to the bar to ask if he could give me some service. The bartender looked up and said well I guess I can I can but I'll be with you in about two hours if you jump in the line and I'm serving the people down at this end of the bar everybody had a good laugh except for me. If I could've stood up the bartender and I might've had a discussion about his manners. Since everybody thought it was so funny I decided that I no longer had an appetite nor will I have an appetite for your food and service ever again when I visit Houston. Maybe I'm a little thin skinned but your bartender needs to lose the attitude

I didn't check reviews when I sat down. I was looking for a seat that had an outlet to charge my phone and get a bite to eat. This place was pretty bad. The "brisket" sandwich was a joke. It's not a Texas style brisket - bad flavor. The bun was rubbery like it had been microwaved. The cole slaw had no flavor and the pickles were terrible bread and butter flavor not dill. Two seater table was super unstable... had to use napkins to stabilize... Maybe it's a good place to grab a drink at the bar... (which I didn't have alcohol) but save your money on the food. For $22 (plus tip) it was very disappointing.... But hey at least I got to charge my phone.

The mimosas and bloody Mary's were good. The bartender was super friendly as well. They had adirondacks chairs, which were a good switch up tot he usual airport seating.

This place is the main hang out area for the end of Terminal A at the Houston Airport. What a dump. The tables are filled with dirty glasses from previous diners who ordered via a QR code. We have had along layover and the crowd is gone...there are 3 people at the bar and the dirty dishes remain. The place is filthy and probably only existing because there are few choices.

The value of each of the stars is much lower than 4 stars I would give to a restaurant outside the airport... I think we all set the bar quite low for an airport restaurant, haha. I got a Brisket Salad (iceberg, brisket, cheddar, onions, pickled cucumber, chipotle ranch) with a Side of Dirty Chips (tortilla chips, brisket trimmings, garlic aioli, BBQ sauce, jack cheese, and green onions). The Dirty Chips came in a huge portion, it was basically a full size serving of nachos so I just had that for dinner. I saved the salad for the next day! The salad was pretty good, but I didn't see any onions or pickled cucumber and instead had tomatoes. The chipotle ranch dressing tasted sour and pungent, don't know how that dressing would've went well with the brisket. I felt the brisket came with enough BBQ sauce that the salad didn't need any additional dressing. I have to note: both meats on the dishes were very, very salty. Unlike a lot of BBQ places that use smoke and the cooking method to cook the flavors into the meats, this place seems to rely solely on overly salty sauce. Needless to say, the brisket on the salad and the brisket trimmings on the chips comes nowhere near brisket you'd get at a local BBQ place in Texas, but again, low expectations for an airport inside the restaurant. This certainly beats chains (like Jack in the Box or Blaze Pizza in Terminal A) for me.

The pick up window is nice. It's average speed and average service. My the Chicken in my Cesar Salad was dry, but the Pulled Pork Sandwich was pretty good. The bun was nice and soft and the meat was juicy and nicely flavored. I was able to get my thermos filled with ice water before my flight.

What in the middle school cafeteria did I just eat? If you like breaded chicken patties- reconstituted chicken, not actual meat- that came frozen out of a bag this place is for you! If you wax nostalgic for the Sysco days of yore, this is your spot. Soggy tots. (Also frozen previously of course.) It's $18 for the privilege. But you do get a packet of Kraft Mayo for FlAvOr. Place is understaffed with lots of trash on tables. Place probably pays their employees horribly. The one poor guy working was so kind and he is too good for this place. Stay Far Away from food here. Safe for a beer only. Someone should feel bad about this place. Worst meal in memory. 2 stars for food that was edible and the one bro who is working too hard

A tiny place that is designed so well they even have bar/table service (not really tables but another bar along far wall. ! It was right across from my gate so i stopped in for a refreshment. Fast friendly and kind attentive service! There is a limited menu and not many small quick-bite options that are not fried. My flight was delayed a bit so i ordered the chicken bbq- a huge portion of chicken in my eyes, shareable especially if you have limited time and don't want to inhale a full-on meal. Yes you'll share a seat next to someone most likely on either side.

The customer service is awesome here, but unfortunately the food is nothing great. I ordered the smokehouse chicken sandwich with coslaw and the only thing I really enjoyed was the coslaw. Definitely a let down since it was my first meal on my vacation.

Sorry but their food is gross. I ordered smoked chicken plate BBQ. And it turned out to be chopped chicken with bbq sauce. It doesn't taste good at all. I had to throw it away even though it was expensive! I ended grabbing a sandwich somewhere else. Also it took them 15 minutes to prepare it. Really?! Don't go here.

This place was so disappointing. They were out of sausage and the one brownie dessert. The dirty nachos have chili on top, not brisket. Service was slow and couldn't understand the cashier. Very minimal seating. Wouldn't recommend.

The better choice in IAH Terminal 2 for a drink and a bite. While waiting for a flight, has a serviceable Manhattan and a local draft. I took the caesar salad with brisket to go for a mid-flight dinner, knowing pretzels or almonds were not going to make it on the 3.5 hour flight. While not exactly traditional style, the salad was fresh, enjoyable and satisfying. The brisket was chopped pretty finely, would have preferred larger pieces as they got lost in the greens.

It's... um... airport food. Kind of a smallish location, but they've got a decent enough bar with TV for sports, a few more chairs outside the bar area, and being Texas, even the salad is covered in enough meat to feed a family for a day.

Don't order the brisket. I am in Texas, right? So brisket seems like a safe bet. I order the brisket dinner. It is brought to me, and instead of slices of brisket, I get some sort of minced up meat and sauce thing. Not quite baby food, not quite cat food. But still. Brisket? I don't think so. Their excuse is that they serve you the same product with the dinner plate that they use for the sandwich. And for some reason, slabs of brisket just can't work on a sandwich? Forget this place. They should have their TEXAS CARD revoked.

Decent airport restaurant with nice selection of drinks. Not much food selection but very nice and friendly staff.

The brisket sandwich was so greasy I had a puddle on my plate once I was done. This normally isn't always a bad thing but this was accompanied by no flavor and other than grease and salt. Even the barbecue sauce was tasteless. Not sure how they did that! Also, when I went to ask for BBQ sauce, it took a bit to get the lady to stop playing on her phone to acknowledge me. When she did go to hand me sauce she WIPED HER NOSE and then handed me the sauce WITH HER SAME HAND. So so so very gross!

Horrible food but great, friendly service. Ordered the chicken Caesar salad. Lots of cold, very salty bbq chicken atop a pile of a-few-days-past-its-prime romaine. It just sucked frankly so maybe the pulled pork sammich (yes, it's a sammich for you grammar police) would've been a safer choice. Airport food continues to be horrible with very few exceptions. One Flew South - can't you please expand outside of ATL??

Ate here on a layover because it was the only restaurant in the concourse. Ordered the Smoked Chicken Nachos and was disappointed. Toppings were scarce compared to the amount of chips they serve, and the little chicken that was served did not taste good and had a hard, rubbery texture. Instead of stopping here for a bite to eat keep walking down to the mini-mart, buy yourself a snack and drink, and then wait it out until you can get to a place with better offerings.

Quesadilla was good, but service was lacking. I wasn't noticed at bar until I asked for a menu. Had to ask for water and for my bill. Very limited menu.

My husband and I had the Texas sausage plate. Fabulous!!! In fact we ordered another because it was so good. On top of that it was probably the best service we've had in a while from Oscar. He made our day and a clearly cares about what he does. Thanks Oscar!!!

Great food and and a great time! Some smoke, some chicken! I enjoyed a great meal while waiting for my flight!

Good stop while waiting for flight. Bartenders are fast and friendly. Have not had the food but they seem to bring it out fast for folks on the go

This place is horrendous. I ordered Barbecue Chicken for takeout because my grandma doesn't eat beef. My grandma and I ended up in different seating. To my dismay, my grandma told me she didn't eat dinner because they gave us Brisket Sandwich. The waiter who took my order was also an @$$.

Maybe I should have known better than to try to order vegetarian from a "smokehouse." But I had hoped that the "grilled veggie" sandwich would be, say, composed of grilled vegetables. Nope: it was a cascade of diced(?!) peppers and zucchini that had perhaps been briefly sauteed. There were traces of white fat--mayo? cheese?--but it was essentially inedible as a sandwich, and none too tasty when approached carefully with a fork. Plus, the tonic in my g&t was 100% flat. When your tonic needs a tonic, you know it's going to be a long flight. In sum: it's worth the time and effort to find another place with a liquor license, especially if you need to eat.