Smoking Al's

Anyone who has something bad to say about this place, will never be fully satisfied with any place they go to. I have been going to Smokin Al's for years and it is the one place I can say I am head over heels for through all of New York. I'm from Queens, live in Bay Shore, have lived in Brooklyn and spent a whole lot of time in Downtown Manhattan. Though there are a great deal of places I do enjoy going to, this one is definitely my favorite. The service is not bad at all. I've never experienced any rude-tude from any of the staff. The most I've ever seen is someone forgetting to bring something right away due to the crazy crowd that flows in. Not only is the music really great to listen to, (jazz/blues-type music) but it helps set the mood. The interior gives off a very relaxed atmosphere. Now that I've mentioned that, let me explain about the food. The food tastes amazing and the portions are huge. The amount I spend on a meal (drinks not included) is about $20. You may think that can be pricey, but not for a nice sit-down place like this. (I always end up bringing half home-this becomes another meal). Recently, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy played the Boulton Center and my boyfriend and I stopped there first...The two went perfectly together and made a wonderful time! more

I've been coming to Smokin Al?s for years and recently, I brought a few friends to your establishment. Long story short, we ordered your bbq nachos and then afterwards, proceeded to order our main course. I had no idea about your rediculas share charge. So we argued with the waitress and then the ""manager at the time"" about this. He told me that if all the food came out at the same time, there would be no share charge. So I told him to take the nachos back and bring me a new nachos with our meals. He gave me a dirty look. I told our waitress that if the establishment won't back you up, then you should rethink your employment here. If we get charged a share charge, it's coming out of your tip. PLAIN AND SIMPLE. If I may offer a suggestion. Add half plates to your menu. You serve a rediculas / non human sized portions. OFFER HALF PLATES FOR US HUMANS!!!! Don't you think this what's wrong with our society today. The need to be gluttonous and gorge ourselves with food. Right now I have dinner for 2 extra people sitting in my refrigerator that will probably not be touched and will be throw out tomorrow. Another waste of food and money. OFFER HUMAN SIZED PORTIONS. After this experience, I truly feel that I would rather support other local establishments other than Smokin Al's. The food is decent no doubt, but management and policies need to change. I will post this on all your review pages online to tell this story. I'll blog about it, I will shout from the tops of buildings about what happened. Being the owner of a large marketing company here on Long Island, I know that word of mouth is very powerful and there are 4 displeased customers that will complain and continue to complain for the foreseeable future. Ever hear the the customer is always right??? Guess not. By the way, your collard greens are disgusting. They taste like sour kraut. Just 4 people?s opinions, does that matter to you?? more

I'm not even sure how good the food is. I never got a chance to eat it! The hostess was so nasty we turned around and walked out and went elsewhere! Absolutely RUDE! My family and I drove all the way from Medford to try Smokin Als. My dad took his own car. When we got there my dad wasnt there yet. There was NO wait. There were at least FOUR open tables and we were the only ones standing and waiting. There were 3 of us and a hungry baby. We asked them if we could please sit down. They told us no - our policy is you must wait for all members of your party. There was nobody else waiting.. there were open tables.. there was no place to sit and wait so we were standing waiting in the way of the service staff... We wanted to sit down and get started. We would take the smallest table and just add a chair when my dad got there. The hostess told us no, we needed to wait. She was VERY very rude and was talking back in a very unprofessional manner. I will NEVER even ATTEMPT to go back there again! We ended up at Boulder Creek 2 minutes away and were seated immediately! Its really too bad. The food may have been great, but like I said I never even got to eat it!! 2 thumbs down for rudeness more

unless you feel like heading up to syracuse to experience the dinosaur, smokin' al's is the way to go...huge portions, great food, not overly expensive...just about the best pulled pork i've ever tasted...be prepared for a wait if it's a peak time, but you will not be disappointed Pros: great food, huge portions Cons: crowded, small dining room more

I travel a lot and always seek out the best barbecue and I have found a great place in Al's. I had the St. Louis Ribs and they were absolutely perfect. The portions were large and the sides were good. The only problem I had is that the beer was not available on draft, only in bottles. Small detail with food this good. more