Smoke Shack

I ordered the 2 meat combo plate with brisket and pork, the pork & brisket were both extremely dry with no dry rub taste from any seasoning, it taste like the meat had been sitting under heat lamps all day with no moisture to keep it moist. The brisket egg rolls I ordered were phenomenal. & the customer service was very good.

Food was pretty good, and the location is alright. The outdoor seating is a pulse. To start off the do not get the sauce on the burnt ends. Only a couple of the meat pieces,I would consider real burnt ends. Chips that come with it are good. The cornbread tasted like pound and it was good but not cornbread. The wings needed so much more seasoning. The ribs were tender but the sides were not good.

Came to Smoke Shack during Halal Week and was absolutely blown away! I ordered the 1/2 pound platter of beef brisket with sweet potato fries and cornbread, and everything was stunning. The brisket was melt-in-your-mouth tender, perfectly smoked, and packed with flavor. The sides were just as good—crispy sweet potato fries and moist, flavorful cornbread that tied everything together. The atmosphere was great and the service was friendly. If they host another Halal Week, it’s a must try! Only wish there were more halal options on the menu because the quality here is next level. I’ll definitely be back!

First place I found to eat on my way to the American Family Insurance Amphitheater. What a happy surprise! The food was so good! I had Shack Daddy which was all the meats combined into a sandwich. Great sauces that hit the spot just right. Service was fast and friendly. Definitely coming back to this place. Dog friendly, too!!!

The atmosphere is perfect, the music couldn’t be better! Everyone is super friendly, the food is to die for, and our server Emily was lovely! She greeted us with a smile and took our order, happily recommending all the good stuff. Highly recommend this place! I can’t believe they don’t have FIVE STARS! Even their bathroom has a ton of character and the whole place is spotless. Love it! 😍

From Texas here. Smoked brisket was amazing! Very tender and delicious. We absolutely loved the Texas barbecue sauce. Tangy and not sweet. Lucas was a fun server as well. Jackpot!

Cool restaurant in a great location. The food was very good. Our group had a little of everything. The brisket was my personal favourite while my wife loved the pulled pork. All of the available sides were tasty, but the sweet potato fries were a group favourite. The variety of sauces was impressive. The down side was the service. It was super slow. Based upon my observations, this was rooted in a lot of chaos in the kitchen and insufficient staffing. Beverage service was delayed as well. We also had issues with several of the side dishes not being available, even after the entree's arrived (weird). Strangely, it took quite a while to get eating utensils for everyone in our group after the food arrived. This place missed the mark on a lot of the basics. Prices were a bit higher than I would expect, but this is a high rent area. I might try this place again if they are not busy. Unfortunately, it would not be on the top of my list.

First time coming in. Absolutely great, BBQ. I picked up the egg rolls that blew me away. The salad in the middle had amazing dressing that complimented the egg rolls nicely. I then got the Brisket plate with Mac&Cheese and cream corn. First off, the brisket was cooked to perfection. My fork cut it with ease. The Mac&cheese was delicious. The noodles were cooked nicely with the cheese having a great viscosity. And finally, the cream corn. Quite possibly the best cream corn I've had me my life. I just wanted to keep on eating it. Will definitely come back to check out the rest of the menu.

I don't care if my final destination is Boscobel, Wisconsin, I'm flying into MKE so I can hot Smoke Shack before driving west. Headed to Madison? Fly into MKE. Going to Green Bay? Flying into MKE. I think you hear my point. But you'll understand my point if you stop by Smoke Shack on your way to Anywhere, Wisconsin. Excellent meat, fabulous sides, great bottle selections in the bar. Indoor/outdoor seating options, and a very convenient (pay) parking lot right across the street.

Date of visit: April 18, 2025 This has been a favorite in the past that I had neglected to review and wanted to waste no time with this visit letting fellow Yelpers know the score! We were here to celebrate our birthdays with a friend a bit past the actual days (because...well, life!) and I appreciated being able to make a reservation through OpenTable, though disappointed that even when you select "Birthday" that message doesn't always get through to the staff. Lucas was our server and while we had some longer waits and pauses in the meal, he was quite affable and was more than happy to answer any questions our friend had, this being her first time to the 'Shack. We started with the Burnt Ends appetizer, which had a healthy amount of meat on it, helping justify the higher price for the item. Loved the white barbecue sauce that it came with, just wish that there had been a little more of it for dipping as the drizzle wasn't the most generous. For the main event, I went with the Two-Meat platter and selected the burnt ends sausage with brisket, and sides of cornbread and mac + cheese. The mac and cornbread were very good, though the bread did have a hint of an aftertaste that I didn't love and was glad that the piece wasn't any bigger than it was. The meats were good though I don't know that I would have necessarily classified the sausage as "burnt ends." All in all, a good meal and I would definitely return yet again in the future!

This has been a long time bookmark and being a bbq hound if anyone follows me you know that I get bbq all over the country for many years over the course of my travels. The place is small with a small bar and looks like a shack from one of those pictures of a single property that didn't sell out and each side has a huge building towering over it. Once again a single person is directed to have a bar seat which I instantly told my hostess noooooo, I'm not paying a premium price for bbq ribs with a 50% tip to eat at the bar and yes I'm a good tipper $10 and change for a $19 and change lunch. Service was good on my visit and the place is really small and cozy with a woody charm. I ordered the 1/2 rack of St. Louis ribs as the menu states because St. Louis ribs are twice as meaty as baby back ribs with two sides Coleslaw and pickles. My two sides being baked beans and Mac and cheese. Complete fail when my St. Louis rib plate hit my table because first off no coleslaw like the menu states and the St. Louis ribs were not traditional meaty ribs but flat like baby back ribs like a MDs M rib sandwich WTF. The St. Louis ribs were the most meatless St. Louis I have had in my bbq travels and any cooking with grocery store St. Louis ribs I have bought. Ok after the menu miss leading me let's talk about the food and a good thing that pictures don't lye because the ribs were flat as board for St. Louis style and not meaty but they were moist/smokey fall off the bone. The baked beans were super loose like a soup and sweet with next to no bbq meat in it like lots of bbq restaurants do. The Mac and cheese was bland/creamy and cooked to mush and like I always say a salty/sharp cheese should be used in Mac and cheese for depth and body. As a bbq hound who travels the country eating BBQ the menu and the food was a miss leading fail.

Wow, excellent bbq and signature cocktails. Super cool inside. Great service at the bar. I highly recommend.

Went before a comedy show and they were slammed. We sat on the outside patio, and it was really nice out there. Even though it was busy, the servers where happy, and were hussling. Food was awesome. Had a platter and every was great.

So good! You might miss it walking by - the pulled pork was delicious but the winner was the cornbread. Try all of the sauces - not a bad one in the bunch. Highly recommend the prohibition sweet tea and sit on the deck! Staff super courteous. Will be back next time in Milwaukee

Stopped here during a conference on a Saturday night in 2024. The wait staff were incredible! Caleb was awesome and was very attentive to us. First, their bourbon menu is extensive and reasonably priced so make sure to order something you wouldn't normally try. Drinks: I had the pecan old fashioned. It was really good! Not too heavy on the pecan flavoring and it didn't overpower or get overpowered by the bourbon. Starters: the CORNBREAD was a 11/10! The honey butter was the perfect topping as its sweet flavor oozed when you bit into the warm, moist bread. You need to get this. The PIG MAC was good. Typical Mac n cheese flavor (not super rich) and the meat was tender enough. It comes out without sauce so you have the option of which sauce you want to use on the table. 10/10 would recommend.

ribs were very crusty, and slightly burned. odd cut with pieces of cartilage through out. would not eat here again.

This has become a favorite place to have dinner when visiting Milwaukee, especially when we can enjoy the patio. Our experience, yesterday, was great. The food was delicious as always and the service was excellent. Our nice waitress, Kaia, did a wonderful job. And, she was from Madison, too! We enjoyed the St. Louis Ribs and 1/2 lb. platter of the beef brisket, along with sides of coleslaw, baked beans and sweet potato fries. All very good. If you enjoy barbeque, it's a great place to check out. I look forward to a return visit.

Finally cross this place off the bucket list and it's a mixed bag for me. Ordered pick up. Walked in, place really is decorated like a shack. Pretty cute. Hostess was very friendly. Now on to the food. I had the 2 plate meal. I had the Texas pork and brisket and chose Mac and cheese and baked beans as my sides. I also ordered 1 side of cornbread. The Mac and cheese was bland and not creamy and the beans were more on the spicy than sweet side. The saving grace was the meat and corn bread. The Texas pulled pork had a great flavor and the brisket was very lean, with only minimal fat. And the cornbread is the best tasting cornbread I've had in Milwaukee. It's cake like, just the way we make it down South. Puts soul food places in Milwaukee to shame. I just wish I would have gotten 2 pieces for $6 instead of just one. I would give it another try to see what the other sides are about.

Critic Rating: 3.7 Scores: - Food: 3.0 * 40% = 1.2 - Service: 5.0 * 20% = 1.0 - Ambiance: 5.0 * 15% = 0.75 - Value for Money: 3.0 * 15% = 0.45 - Uniqueness: 3.0 * 10% = 0.30 Here's a formula that expresses the quality of a restaurant on a 1-5 scale, considering key factors. Each factor is rated from 1-5, and then weighted according to its importance. Formula: Q = wf*F + ws*S + wa*A + wv*V + wu*U wf + ws + wa + wv + wu Where: - Q = Overall Restaurant Quality - F = Food Quality - S = Service - A = Ambiance - V = Value for Money - U = Uniqueness Factor Weights (w): - wf = Weight of Food Quality (40%) - ws = Weight of Service (20%) - wa = Weight of Ambiance (15%) - wv = Weight of Value for Money (15%) - wu = Weight of Uniqueness (10%) ___________________________________________________ Comments: Cool location, nice patio area for watching the game.

Was looking forward to this place and was underwhelmed. Ribs and brisket were dry and tough. Sides were good. Meat was meh.

Food was great! We got the 1/2lb pulled chicken and full rack of ribs. Service was so-so but would eat there again.

If you have to try BBQ in Milwaukee, you have to come here!! They have a great selection of meats, sides and never I have seen so many bourbon selection!! And my biggest thing about any smoke house is the music - if they playing the Blues you know your food is gonna be great! And the staff was simply amazing! Friendly and engaging! Not bad for a Monday night!

Heard good reviews about smoked meats at Smoke Shack. The menu seemed to brag more about the bourbons in the cozy little shack. At 1:00 p.m., the lunch crowd had cleared out on a Wednesday, but the music blasted so loud conversation was difficult. Four of us chose very different lunches. The brussels sprouts were burned beyond recognition. My house salad with honey mustard was interesting. Pieces of brisket were interesting as well. Nothing comparable to Heaven's Table on North. Finding good smoked meats in Milwaukee is still a challenge.

Smoke Shack is definitely the place to come to, if you want to finish off that long work week. Even on nights that you just want to chill out, and have a beer or cocktail then you have to come here. As for the food, even though the main thing here is smoked meats. There's still other of options, for people that prefer a meatless meal. The platter/combo meal we ordered was enough to feed 3 people. Everything was good, but my only complaint would be. I wish the ribs were a little more tender.

As others have said, unassuming spot tucked in downtown MKE. We tried the blackberry bramble, poppop's soda, Smokey ol fashioned and toasted pecan ol' fashioned and all 4 were fantastic in their own right. The brisket was tender, but not very Smoky tasting, the 5 bbq sauce options helped in that arena. The sausage was amazing. For side, we did the 4 cheese Mac which was heavenly. I'm not a huge mac & cheese fan, but I was blown away by the creamy gooey goodness. The pasta wasn't over cooked and the cheese was divine. Don't sleep on the creamed corn either!! Bbq corn with some green pepper flavor on the end, seasoned to perfection. The combo also came with sweet & spicy pickles and creamy coleslaw. Opted to do the Campfire pie for dessert and it didn't disappoint. The bruleed marshmallow, decadent brownie with chocolate chips and graham crust hit the spot The brisket didn't really stand out to me, but everything else, including the service, leave me eager to come back on my next visit to Milwaukee The food and drinks were too good to take time to get pics ‍

My husband and I travel a lot and have gone to Texas quite a few times in the last five years. Our first visit there, we ate barbecue for a week for "brunch" and dinner, so we've tried a lot of Texas barbecue. Our favorite is in San Antonio and it's called the Smoke Shack. It was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives a few years after our first visit. In Dallas Pecan Lodge and Terry Black's are our favorite. With Cooper's Old Time Barbecue from New Braunsfels, Austin, and Fort Worth following behind. My husband found this Smoke Shack listed in a Food Network post. So, we decided to try it. I wish I'd had looked at the rating before I did. All the food needs seasoning. Everything was bland, bland, bland!!! We ordered Fried Green Tomatoes...zero seasoning. And they come drizzled with a Chipotle Aioli with zero Chipotle taste or heat! We had to drench the tomatoes in Carolina Gold sauce from the table to give them an enjoyable flavor. Mac and Cheese, bland and soupy. Definitely disappointed since Wisconsin is known for cheese. Potato Salad needed salt & pepper. The beans were good. The brisket was super moist and super tender but again, and I write this with such disappointment, as bland as bland can be. Hospital food bland. Now their sausage was tasty all around. Third best food item I had here. The second best item was the salad. I ordered the Harvest Salad with their Sherry Maple Vinaigrette which was very good. The only item I would come back for is their Pecan Pie because it is AMAZING from the crust to filling, simply perfection. But even MORE AMAZING than that pie is they top it off with a Purple Door Whiskey Ice Cream scoop! OMG that ice cream! Pie comes with one scoop but order an extra scoop! You'll thank me later!

Everything of service went well..Water was/is pure of the freshest order of professional proficiency with full respect for the garnishes*lemon slices given,earned and the smell of the food was mouth watering yet the atmosphere around was most pleasant as patrons and members devoured their meals with heavy satisfaction. $.$.H

Definitely give Smoke Shack a visit if you are looking for some solid barbecue in Milwaukee. I got the nachos as my meal and they were loaded with meat, cheese and other toppings. No chip was plain which is exactly how I like my nachos. David got (but not pictured) the Pig Mac sandwich which had pulled pork and Mac and cheese. I would get this next time, or I would at least get a side of their Mac and cheese. They used cavatappi noodles which is the superior noodle to use for Mac and cheese. I really liked his sandwich and also their home fries were so good without any ketchup (and that's saying something as I smother all fries in ketchup). As an appetizer we tried the Kansas City eggrolls which I would definitely get again. Overall smoke shack was a fun place to check out. We enjoyed trying all their different homemade barbecue sauces as well. My personal fav was the Kansas City.

My fiancé and I planned on going to Fresh Fin for dinner and stumbled in here instead, we were pleasantly surprised with our last minute decision. The service was wonderful . The waitstaff was super kind and quick. We got seated right away on the patio, which it was cold out so we were a tad worried but we were seated at a fire pit surrounded by a table. It kept us warm throughout dinner and provided a cozy ambiance. We got the Kansas City egg rolls and they were filled with tender brisket! Highly recommended. I always enjoyed my smoked chicken sandwich.

Very small portions for $$$. Wish I would of weighed it before eating , def didn't look like 1/2 pound of chicken The chicken was bland didn't taste smoked and the pork was tough , we didn't even want to feed it to our in dog . Very disappointed

Always dog friendly, with great food and great service. We event drive from the Chicago suburbs to visit!

Friendly staff and fast service. Love the theme. But disappointed with the cornbread, the bbq sauces, and the wax paper they put the food on tears easily when trying to eat.

First time coming here, wanted to try something new in Milwaukee since I don't come here as much as I used too. This place was absolutely cozy and I felt right at home here. I tried their 1/2 of jackfruit plate which I was told tasted like pulled pork was such a great option. Thankfully I didn't feel tired afterwards. I also had a side of beans and their cornbread as well. Absolutely delicious as well. This place was really quiet for a week day, staff was professional and entertaining. Great liquor options I wish I could have tried. Overall, left very satisfied.

Came with a reservation. The vibe of the place is overall chill. I got the two meat plate plus added ribs. For whatever reason ribs don't count as part of one of the platters and need to be added on separately for an extra $6 for two ribs. Although they say 2, I'm pretty sure they gave way more than that. The brisket falls apart it's so juicy. The sausage is very flavorful! The ribs nearly fall off the bone. All the bbq sauces are on the table and taste great/add so much! The meat is so good it doesn't even need the sauce. The Cole slaw was fresh and not too saucy which was nice. The Mac and cheese was made perfectly- very cheesy which is my preference! I wouldn't get the broccoli slaw again cause it was too saucy and it had the broccoli stalks and not the heads. Overall great and would come back!

Stopped by this place during a day trip to Milwaukee and it did not disappoint. I don't always crave bbq, but this place truly hit the spot. We ordered the Smoke Shack Sampler because we wanted to try a little bit of everything, and will say it's definitely worth the $60! All meats are served dry, and sauces are provided at your table for you to choose (my favorite sauce was the House BBQ). Their sweet potato fries and Mac and cheese were also stellar. I will say the Mac and cheese had the most drooling cheese pull and as someone who's lactose intolerant, it was very much worth it. Our waitress was very helpful in providing recommendations and service was quick. They offer indoor and outdoor seating, which was perfect since we had our doggie with us. Overall, the ambience is laid back and food was great.

Wisconsin BBQ? Yeah! Smoke Shack is a fun and unassuming spot tucked into downtown Milwaukee. Great ambiance inside, though my party was seated on the covered patio - which is fine by comparison, but I'd have MUCH preferred to sit inside due to the ambiance. Service is great! Attentive and personable, our server knew their way around the menu to offer suggestions. Great selection of bourbons and whiskeys, good beers on the menu. As it's a BBQ spot, expect a solid selection of meats. From ribs to pulled chicken, brisket... Its a great menu with enough variety to satisfy your picky friends. Prices are bit high for the portion size, but I suppose that's just the way of things these days as it's happening everywhere.

Great barbecue sandwich. Really good cocktails too. Great attentive service. A great staple in downtown Milwaukee

Their is not too many good BBQ places in the area but this is one of the good ones. It's situated downtown in between two tall buildings and this is just a little shack but it's a nice shack. The place is small but we went on a night they weren't busy. On the weekends I definitely would recommend making a reservation especially whenever the weather is nice as they do have a patio. They had a specialty cocktail list and I didn't end up getting one but they looked great so I'll be back for that. Now the food here was amazing. We had cornbread for a starter. It was moist and tasted how cornbread should it was fantastic. Then for the entree I got the Pig Mac with fries and both were incredible flavorful. The waiter was nice and I think it was one of the managers was really nice as well when I at the doggy photo wall she was pointing out her favorites. This will now be my go to place for bbq.

This review is for CATERING. Earlier this year, I had a Derby party. Of course, I had to find a good BBQ place. Out of all the places I sampled, this was the best! I ordered several trays of the brisket, plus sauces, rolls, and of course, the Mac and Cheese. I was even able to order the warming trays sets from them which saved me from hunting around for some. The catering person was very helpful. It was as easy as pulling up the morning of my party and loading up my car. I highly recommend Smoke Shack when planning an event. They were the hit of the party!

I tried smoke shack for the first time and I ordered a brisket entree the cost was $19.50 with 2 sides. So I asked for mac and cheese and Cole not knowing it included a small Cole slaw as well. Which that's not my concern. I asked for Tex's and house bbq sauce which was missing in addition the child size portion of brisket. For the cost versus the amount of meat it's highly lopsided. The Cole slaw was tasteless and the cream corn was like paste, it was edible though. The ribs were meh. I believe the cooks here really do not know barbecue. I won't revisit this place.

Really great service and food. Visiting from California and was really impressed with the barbecue. They were great at telling me what didn't have pork as well

Cute little place with BBQ. The sauces were awesome, but our ribs were on the dry side. The baked beans had salsa in them (I think).

Can't believe I've lived in Milwaukee for years, and somehow missed this spot! Stopped by for Taste and Toast, and could not be more impressed. Great ambiance with the outdoor patio fire tables. Bummed they were out of the Brisket Pesto Flatbread special, since that's what we came for, but the rest of the food made up for it! Fried Green Tomatoes are top notch. And the Sweet Heat cocktail needs to be added to the regular menu! Wait staff was quick and friendly! Will be back soon!

Although I was hesitant because have not enjoyed this type of food in most similar restaurants. Well, what a great surprise. Cozy space, great service, great drinks and delicious food. The brisket is outstanding, the corn bread (separate item on the menu) are delicious. The bean side dish is also excellent. Looking forward to returning.

Food was excellent. We were nearly weeping it was so delicious. Got a large platter and it was still too much for 4 of us to finish!

Liked the food but was very disappointed to find out 2 sandwiches we looked at were 3-4$ more simply because it was the weekend/ brunch time. Not sure how that would be the plan decided on.

Great ambiance throughout. Pork was very good. I wanted bbq and this place hit the spot. Fast service and Helen knew all about the menu.

The server was not trained at all. Messed up 3 of 5 orders even after repeating them to use. Portions are small, and food was cold when they brought it out.

Great spot for barbecue, the cornbread with honey butter starter was incredible and a must have when you visit.

Found this place walking around while waiting for our hotel room to be ready. Glad we found because the food was delicious. Started with the KC egg rolls and then the burnt ends which was the special of the day. Both were amazing. Wish we had more time so we could visit this place again but definitely worth a stop.

That was one of the most disappointing meals I've had in some time. The outdoor patio was nice, and they seated us even though the reservation was for the wrong day. The bar made me a virgin cocktail for $5, so I was happy about that. I think the other people at the table enjoyed what they ordered, but my husband and I ordered a 2 meat plate and wow- paltry. There were 3 small slices of brisket and 2 slices of smoked pork belly. That pork belly. Tough, baby. We asked if the mac and cheese was made with eggs, and I have a very strong feeling it wasn't asked of the kitchen and they just made an assumption. The greens were good. The sweet potato fries and meat were all lukewarm. I think this is the 3rd or 4th time that I've tried Smoke Shack, and for sure needs to be my last.

We stopped by smoke shack and shared the platter and nachos. The platter was the perfect size to share and a great deal for $59. The Mac, cornbread, and meats we're great! As we're the nachos! They were out of brisket so replaced it with extra pulled pork which was good. The sauces are delicious as well.

Brisket had very good flavor. The pulled pork and chicken were just ok. The ribs had a very nice flavor but were way too dry. The brussel sprouts were a hit though.

I visited Milwaukee 10 years ago and remembered loving this place. I finally came back and had a chance to try it again--it did not disappoint! The barbecue was fantastic, and the service was good. Most of all, that cornbread was amazing! The ambiance is cute and rustic, with a cozy, warm vibe that adds to the overall experience. Highly recommend!

Ordered takeout last week, they didn't put meat in the bag. Calls to them just went to voicemail and they don't respond to emails. Never returned my money. Unreliable service.

Highly recommend all of the meats! We tried the pulled pork sandwich, brisket sandwich, and ribs. All had a perfect smokiness and tenderness in each bite.

I went in when it was not busy, the server took my order right away and the food was ready fast. I ordered take out and when I got back and ate it was still warm because of the packaging which was good. They had a selection of barbecue sauces with a nice range of sweet to heat. Overall very nice establishment.