The Tavern Smokehouse

Absolutely some of the best BBQ I've ever had. My wife and I try to find a good BBQ joint wherever we travel. We both had Burnt ends. EXCELLENT. Kids had ribs. EXCELLENT. Tater salad. EXCELLENT. Beans. EXCELLENT. Was most surprised by the fries. They were the best fries I've ever had. This is our Ozark BBQ place now. Better than anyplace in KC, including Q35.

We stopped by here over the weekend. We had a party of eight and they were able to seat us immediately. You order at the counter and then take your seat, they will then call your number and you have to go pick up your food. We had a pretty good variety. We had the brisket, pulled pool and turkey. It was all very good and we would stop by here again if we are in the area.

Wow.... We drove 100 miles round trip to try this place because we heard how good it was. Let me say, we weren't disappointed! From the time we walked in the door we felt very comfortable as the highly competent staff guided us through their refreshingly different choice of sides and meats. Chris carved the meat and plated it right in front of us, making us hungry as we watched! The portions were more than enough, and we did not leave hungry! The ribs were superb, and the cheese corn and the baked beans were really good. We will definitely be back again in the future. 👍

The food and sauces are out of this world amazing. We split the brisket sandwich and had cheesy corn and cornbread as sides. We had fun trying the different sauces, one at a time and all at once! There were new staff working the day we arrived, and things seemed a bit disjointed, but with a little patience, all was great. I would caution anyone with food allergies to discuss it prior to ordering. My husband is allergic to pork, and we didn't pay attention to the fact that the same cutting board and knife is used for all meats. We will definitely go back but will have a chat with the meat slicer prior to ordering so we don't have issues. A good selection of beer and sodas are available. No wine-as a non beer drinker, I would have preferred a nice, full bodied Cab with my brisket. The seating area is rustic and fun. Lots of seating - both indoors and out. Looking forward to our return!

The vibe here is nice. It's outdoorsy and cowboy-ish. You order at the front counter, you get your drinks, they call your number and you clear your own plates. It's 'fast food' in that regard, but the prices are higher. The food wasn't horrible. I got a salad and the ranch dressing was weak, and the pork was really fatty - but the greens and vegetables were fresh and delicious. My husband got brisket and it was also really fatty but had excellent flavor. The green beans tasted like fish and the baked beans tasted like beer. I suppose some people might like that so I'm mentioning it, but my husband was not a fan. We are accustomed to Bandanas and Palasota's Place where all the meat is well trimmed, the salad dressing is flavorful and rich, and the sidings are piping hot and freshly made, so this experience left us disappointed. It was actually our 'second chance' for this place. The first experience was actually 2/5 stars for us so this time was an improvement, but not enough for us to return to test out if "third time is a charm". There were a lot of customers who seemed to enjoy the place and from the other reviews, it sounds like lots of other people have had really good experiences.

The food was good. My husband had burnt end and fries. Burnt ends were tender. Said they were great. I had turkey/ sausage sandwich with fries. It was great Sausage little spicy with a great flavor.

This place was so freaking yummy. We got a little taste of some burnt ends before we ordered and that drove my husband to get them- they were soo good. My kids got fries and Mac and cheese, both were so good. You can tell The fries are hand cut, seasoning is super yummy. I got a plate, with brisket and sausage then two sides; cheesy corn and coleslaw. Everything on my plate was 10/10! But to me the shinning star was the sausage, I could live off that the rest of my life. Then my husband got burnt ends sandwich and fries, which he devoured. He also tried all the sauces at the table and loved them all! Lastly they had some really good sodas to choose from; root beer, strawberry, and orange. I chugged my root beer so fast and got more to go- it’s so creamy and addictive!

Every aspect of this place was amazing. If you are in the area it’s a must.

Always consistent ribs are always perfect need to add more fries on a double order though keeps getting smaller but that's piddley stuff what counts is the ribs and it's perfection The bathroom didn't have paper towels. We like the sweet sauce but ribs don't need sauces . Our big like about the ribs no fake liquid smoke flavor or over powering smoke smell or flavor absolutely can't stand that no issues here !

Food very flavorful. Dishes were pretty unique for a BBQ restaurant. The building itself is pretty ordinary but good food and good service.

M'eh. The building was cool inside but the employees were cold. I asked the cook to explain what was in the sauce and he acted like I was asking for a state secret. I just wanted to know if I'ld like it, as in was it spicy or sweet. Since he wouldn't say I asked for it on the side but they drizzled it all over the pork. I asked if they would bring us the food or if we needed to get it ourselves, having never been there before, and was told with scorn by the girl at the front counter that of course I should get it myself. The soda machine had a bunch of stuff I've never heard of, and where you place your tray at the end of the meal was overflowing with garbage. The bathroom didn't have soap and was dirty. Definitely not a place I would stop by again.

I had the pulled pork sandwich and it was very good. My wife however did not like her brisket- said it was too dry. They were very nice, and they have a good selection of different BBQ sauces- the Carolina one went well with the pork. BBQ beans and Coleslaw also good. The combo meal however, can't be had with the ribs- I thought that was weird as I wanted a sampler with some ribs- I feel like they should rethink their menu on that one.

Great bbq and good atmosphere and good service the brisket and burnt ends are really good.

We were looking for a patio that we could take our dog too and Tavern Smokehouse filled the bill ! They have a nice big covered patio with plenty of fans ! They even brought out fresh water for our dog ! The food was delicious and the portions are large .I ordered the Happy Hog and got 2 good meals out of it . I will definitely go back there when I in the area !

OK, so we are really trying to like this place but it is not going to make it unless there are some drastic changes made. We have tried them 2 times in the last 3 weeks and we were very disappointed. The 1st time we ordered the Family Meal to go, it had a full rack of Ribs, Pulled Pork and Turkey along with Cheesey Corn, Potato salad, Baked beans and Corn Bread. The only 2 things that were alright was the Ribs and Pork. All of the sides were horrible and had to be thrown away. I spent $100 and my family was still hungry after we could not eat the rest. So today we gave another try for the special Sunday menu which included the Fried Chicken, now a few years back the chicken was very good. But not today, 1st off it was so salty it choked me, then the breading was so thick it wasn't cooked all the way through when I got to the bone, it was still raw. Husband had the Brisket sandwich and it was full of fat which he had to pull off and it filled half his plate. Now the sides, there was only a choice of Green Beans, Corn and Fries, so overly salted it couldn't be eaten. Sorry but if you want to save this restaurant you better make some serious changes quickly or you won't be around soon. Such a shame!

Great Ribs, Brisket and Turkey. Terrible sauces, runny and hot. All sides are terrible except Green Beans and Corn Bread. They were excellent. The Tavern could be a great BBQ restaurant if they fine tune the sides, sauces and throw away the Cheesy Corn recipe.

Been to The Tavern a few times. Last time was as good as the others. If you leave hungry -it's your fault! Service and food is good. Everything tastes fresh. Laid back atmosphere. Seriously give this joint a try! .

Best brisket and Burnt ends the flavors are wonderful. The service is amazing and very friendly people

Great food. Cut right in front of you. Big portions. Come hungry! Baked beans were a meal all by themselves

Delicious & very tender Brisket. Loved the mac & cheese. Cornbread was a little dry, but tasty. Ambiance was rustic and very casual. Service was efficient at the order counter, meaning it's a self-serve restaurant. Large area to eat outside if the weather cooperates. Overall, a great place for BBQ!

The brisket is awesome and the spicy bbq sauce was delicious! Will definitely come back again!

This was a very good bbq place. Clean and fast service. I had the smoked turkey sandwich with slaw. Huge sliced smoked turkey with wonderful homemade pickles on a pillow soft bun. My friend had the brisket platter with slaw and cornbread which was delicious. The staff were friendly. I would have given 5 stars but when I ordered a salad they were out of lettuce. That should never happen in a business. Go to the store or order some. Overall a very good experience and I would go again.

Ok, this place was absolutely fantastic! Small, unassuming but the food was off the chain. Service is amazing. Food was almost immediately ready, but the bbq had obviously slaved over for hours. I had the Ozark bowl.... I was craving cornbread.... Sorry no pics, but it was enough for at least 2 folks. Highly recommend.

Had the combo with burnt ends and brisket. Family had Mac and meat and happy hog. All the food was good and got to try all of the sides thanks to the manager. I went cheesy corn and coleslaw. Both great, but the baked beans were outstanding as well.

If you like smoked meats, you'll love Smokin Jones in Camdenton. The people are extremely friendly, and the food is pretty good. The meat is amazing. Like most places, you can order meat with one or two sides. Hubby had half-rack ribs, coleslaw, and potato salad. Coleslaw was mayo based, tasty. Potato salad was good, flavored with dill if you like dill. Ribs had a dry rub so good no sauce was needed. Half rack was more than enough but too delicious to stop eating, according to Hubby. I had turkey that was so moist and savory without sauce, it put all other naked turkeys to shame. The green beans were cooked fresh with bits of country ham. My only complaint was that the beans were a little greasy, defeating the purpose of choosing a healthier option. Still, the beans were not slimy soggy canned beans, a huge plus. I did try the sauces, because not to would just be wrong. Sauces: * Sweet - mildly sweet, bit of spice * Bitin' Sow - spicy, with some heat and afterburn * Ozark Gold - mustard based, great for mustard lovers * Ketchup - probably not the 57 variety kind Soda Fountain: Sodas are off brand. Excel made with pure cane sugar. R-Pep (Pepsi?) tastes good. Lucky Club diet cola is not good, very artificial. Probably the full sugar flavors are all good. All in all, another good restaurant to visit when you are in the Camdenton area.

Where to begin? The amazing food here? Maybe the amazing service? Well first off we got a few of the different plates and a sandwich the pulled pork and brisket plates and a turkey sandwich. Absolutely fantastic! Everything was perfectly cooked and served with excellent portions of sides. The service was insanely fast, and everyone in the restaurant was very friendly, had one of the managers come up and make sure everything was going well. It has an old country restaurant like Texas Roadhouse feel to it. All around an amazing experience! We were just in town for a hockey tournament, and now I feel I might have to venture back down here just to eat here!

Meats were tasty, moist, and tender! Our kids loved the turkey, and the adults had brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and sausage. The sides were also great! I'm picky about coleslaw and beans and both were so good. The pickles were sweet and just a tad bit of spicy and complimented all the other food. Portions were also large. Staff was very friendly and enthusiastic about the products. Place was clean. Don't usually like mustard based bbq sauces, but their Ozark Gold was so good!

Really fantastic food. Everything is fresh, locally sourced and really flavorful. Eat in or take out! It's a very relaxed and cool atmosphere

Came from hanging at the Ozarks and needed a solid meal. Ordered a Smokehouse Chicken with a side of green beans. The chicken was good, but the portion size was really disappointingly small. Other friends ordered other meals and good a decent amount, so maybe I just got unlucky for the day, but I was left super hungry. The have some good BBQ sauces. If you like spicy, they keep their 911 sauce behind the counter so a "child won't accidentally grab it and put it in their meal and start crying." I had some and it was really good - just the right about of sweet and spicy. They have fun "healthier" soft drinks and the manager came by and asked how we were doing which was really nice and is exactly how you should treat customers. The only thing keeping this from being a 5 Star is the really small portion size. Everything else was great. Thank you!

My sister and I ran across this place on accident the other day and decided to stop! All I can say is wow! All of the meats were incredible but the star here is the Turkey! Hands down the best I've had! The portions were ridiculous! Ive never had a place give you so much meat for your dollar and its all excellent! Wonderful Sauces and a really friendly staff! Also their hose made pickles are to die for! ORDER THE GARLIC POTATOES! Come hungry leave happy and with leftovers!

We are in town for a hockey tournament at Kinderhook. Looked up the great reviews and this place is amazing!!! We got a family meal so we could try a bunch of meats with ribs and this place was a 10/10. Service is A+++. The manager checked on us multiple times to make sure everyone enjoyed themselves. Highly recommended!!!

Looking for a restaurant for lunch traveling through the area with my wife and daughter. My daughter finds The Tavern Smokehouse on Yelp. We decide to give it a try. The parking lot is busy. Always a good sign. We step in and start reading the menu... and then we see the food coming out! Looks delicious. We all order different meats and sides. We are enjoying it so much and manager stops by and asks if everything is amazing? YES. IT IS! I won't spoil it but everything we had was so much better than good. Highly recommend you stop in and eat their food. So good!!

Some of the best bbq I've ever had and I've had the best of the best from Kansas City to Austin Texas. Very friendly staff too. Everything made in house. If you are in the mood for bbq definitely stop on by!

Hands down 10/10. If you are looking for real smokehouse BBQ I fully recommend The Tavern. I was greeted with a warm welcome by the Buchanan's themselves, John was more then happy to share what they had going on down there at the Tavern and even gave me an amazing sample of the beautiful sweet love they spend all day smoking up before I could even order. If you love smoked meats then you need to stop in at The Tavern SmokeHouse I promise you won't be disappointed.

You must stop and get the Ozark. It was the best of everything! We will be back!Ozark Bowl was the right way to go.

the food and service were amazing I loved the restaurant it was the best place Ive been to the pulled pork sandwich was amazing it was smocked to perfection.

Had an excellent time here with friends. The portion sizes are massive. Highly recommend.

I have all Great things about this restaurant and it's manager Darin. We are in a RV park in a Big RV with no extra car. I called to see if they delivered because I couldn't find any place that did out here. He fixed us a order then brought it to us. The food was awesome and we are very thankful

Amazing. Everything we have had is super. Bowls - platters. Yum. I like the bowls over corn bread best. My husband who traditionally does not like his food to touch is all in. Brisket, pulled pork, ribs. Go early, they will sell out of your favorites.

Visited this place today after spending the whole day touring the nearby state park and bridal cave!! Amazing food and service! I defintely recommend the place!

My friends and I stumbled upon this smokehouse after a hike and we're blown away by the amazing food and the equally amazing service. We each had turkey plates which consisted of hand-carved turkey and two sides. The turkey so flavorful and perfectly cooked and the Mac and cheese and cornbread were amazing too. My friend was overhead saying she loved the pickles so the owner came out with free pickles to go! We are so happy we were able to try this smokehouse's food and if we weren't from out of town, we'd frequent this establishment.

Been driving by few times and it never looked like it was open, but it was Sunday and we gave it a shot. One star lost right off the bat for the two unfriendly, almost surly young men working the front counter. You place your order at the counter and the food's all there on the steaming table. Meat is held behind in a warming box. My wife walked up, smiled and asked the young kid. "How you doing?" He just stared at her for a minute and then very grudgingly whispered a "I'm good." And never said another word. Yikes! The kid next to him grabbed two silver trays and added my wife's burnt ends and two sides. (15.99) Then took another tray and added my sandwich which I was charged the same price for a full basket even though I only wanted a sandwich.(12.99) My sausage was very good although the bun was cold, straight from the bag. My wife commented that her ends were good but that they were neither burnt nor ends. These was just chunks of beef which were delicious and plentiful. The Mac and cheese was sadly pretty bland and the fries were just okay, mostly leftover pieces and lukewarm. The joint is clean and there's lots of tables inside and out. They're a bit off the beaten path so I don't imagine there's a lot of drive by traffic. Bbq is also traditionally expensive in these parts, so why not put someone friendly and welcoming as the first face your customers see when they walk in? We'll be back to try the other meats, fingers crossed those two dudes are back in school.

Oh gosh, where to begin! This place is so legit. I got the 3 meat combo. Smoked turkey stole the show. So damn tender and juicy! Brisket portion was huge and so flavorful. Pulled pork was okay. The Mac and cheese was just right. Baked beans were perfect. Prices and service was also .

How do they call this a tavern no mix drinks 7 kinds of beer looks like soda bottles paper towels on the table if you like salt well you will get enough for 30 meals no service, ambiance Ha seen better in a dive bar took two bites got a go box for my dog but decided I wasn't going to feed him that chit sad place

Food and service was great! They get bonus points for having Excel soda products! Kids loved it!

Picked up bbq for a girls trip. All of us enjoyed our food and man was there a lot of it! Would definitely eat here again!

food is soooo good! has a home cooked taste. Large portions. great soda. service is great!

Pretty dang good BBQ! Even if you can't eat it all get the 3 meat platter to sample all the goodies! The potato salad is unbelievable!

Absolutely the best BBQ turkey I have ever had! The cheesy corn is delicious as well. Super friendly owner & employees as well. Highly recommend!

We were visiting from Kansas City which is known for its variety of BBQ. Everything we ordered was exceptional. We got the brisket plate and burnt ends plates. All the sides were delicious and the homemade pickles were dang good. Highly recommend stopping in. The host was super friendly too!! A+

Great BBQ! Picked this place based on reviews. We had ribs and brisket with sides of baked beans, cheesy corn and green beans. Sides are generous portions.

The food was phenomenal! I would probably rank this as the best bbq i've ever had, and I'm from Texas!! Excellent service and even better food!

Best brisket sandwich ever food is plenty for the price you won't leave hungry!!! If you do it is your fault

Quick and friendly service and the brisket was delicious!! Thank you for a great meal!

Randomly walked in here bc it was recommended while sightseeing in the area. The manager and staff were super friendly! My group of 3 women shared the meat platter. It was more than plenty to fill us. All the meats were delicious. The brisket, pork, chicken, sausage, brisket all of it! The chicken & dumplings was also incredible.

If you like cloying sweet, go here. There were three sauces, two of them insanely sweet and one sweet hot. The meat was the driest meat I have ever had, I make pulled pork and it is moist, This meat was so dry. I couldn't use the sauce because it was sickening sweet. The mac and cheese was indescribable. There was a soupy liquid in the bottom topped with pasta. It was the worst excuse for mac and cheese ever. It needs to be baked with lots of cheeses. I was told she was making it when I ordered it, it takes over an hour to make Mac and cheese. Heavy meats need a juxtaposition of vinegar. Everything was sweet including the pickles. We left and ate lunch at Baxter's Lakeside Grill. The owner was very nice, but needs to learn how to cook bbq and offer sweet and tangy sauces.

Amazing food, friendly service and more food than you can stuff in your belly. Come prepared to feast and take home the remaining feast for later. We tried the brisket plate and the Meaty Mac. Both very satisfying and more than we could possibly eat. Next time we're here we are coming back. Stop in and get your fill of smoked meats and tasty sides.