Sandy Ridge Smokehouse

Great experience and enjoyed talking with the owner. Service and food were excellent. Beautifully designed bar!

Amazing setup. Old grain mill/ bin turned into a restaurant and bar. The feel is comforting and welcoming. The owner, staff and chef are down to earth. Menu? You will not be disappointed. I repeat, you will not be disappointed. Our starter, Pork Butt Burnt Ends and it was a meal in itself. For dinner I had the cold smoked Ribeye, Brussel sprouts and garlic cheese grits. And let me say, this dinner was unbelievable. Very filling and delicious. If your in the area for business or vacation, stop in for dinner because it's the best little place in town.

If you are ever in the area, you need to go here. The food is excellent and there is much more than just barbecue. The setting and the restaurant are very cool, particularly the bar area located in an excellently repurposed grain bin. The service (we sat at the bar) was perfect. My wife and I were traveling through on I-57 when she found this place on Yelp and wanted to go. It is eight miles off the interstate, so I was skeptical. She was right and I was wrong (music to her ears!)We had just been in Austin eating a lot of barbecue. We both ordered pulled pork and it was better than any we had in Austin!. They have sauces made in house and a couple I think they buy, and all were very tasty. The sides didn't sound really special looking at them on the menu, but when we asked about how they were prepared, we were more interested. The slaw was excellent. A perfect cross between a creamy slaw and a vinegar slaw, very lightly sprinkled with chipotle pepper. Grits were suggested as something that is very popular. My wife hates grits. She loved these. Cooked and served in a small cast iron skillet, they had some crust and a tighter consistency than most grits. The best thing was the garlic blended into them. We could eat these every day.The green beans were haricot verts (skinny green beans) with garlic, perfectly cooked. Kettle chips, also perfectly cooked in-house, were also great. We went after the lunch rush and were lucky enough to spend time with the owner, who is a great guy. We told him how much we loved the food, the attention to detail, and the recipes. Soon, we learned more. He brought the chef out to meet us. It turns out that the chef (again, another great guy) is a highly trained chef who has worked in many of the best restaurants around the country, including some with more than one Michelin star. He was working in New Orleans when COVID hit. Had no income and an expensive apartment so he ended up in a house his parents own in East Prairie and needed something to do. So glad he went to Sandy Ridge.When we go back, and we will, I'm getting that Peach Cobbler everyone said I need to eat!

The food and service was excellent. I had the sampler, portion of meat was good but not an abundance. The ribs had great flavor, tender, small for baby backs. The pulled pork might be the best I've eaten! The brisket was tender, flavorful and juicy. My wife had the chicken strips, they were good and not over done nor to much batter, great job. The tea was excellent, good tea flavor and not to sweet. We enjoyed fried potatoes, brussel spouts, French fries and the only side dish we had that was not a knock out were the baked beans, they was good but a simple can style beans; I don't know but they seem like a Bush's can bean... suggestion, add a little pepper blend used in the fried potatoes and some chopped pork! Wasn't a fan of the BBQ sauce but honestly the meat flavor were so good, you don't need the sauce!! Peach cobbler and ice cream, very good and a great quality of ice cream!!Over all the meal and service was excellent! We will return.

Found this remarkable restaurant on google maps, though it looks like it's in the middle of nowhere (which it kind of is), it's one of the best places to eat I've been to in a while. The staff is friendly and helpful, and the food is fantastic. My wife had the fillet, which was melt in your mouth tender and I had the combination plate, so I got to try the pulled pork, ribs and brisket. Everything was cooked perfectly and the sauces they gave us were and added delight. A definite stop if your in the area.

Excellent place and service. Since I am a local, we make it out here about once a month and never leave dissatisfied. My favorites are the loaded kettle chips, bacon chicken sandwich, and pork steak.

We came down here after my mother in law suggested it. We were not disappointed! The food was fabulous and the fried fish was the best! Wait staff was fantastic and the decor and surroundings were spectacular. Definitely worth the trip!

This place is off the charts! Excellent food, fantastic service and ambience! I had the filet and it was absolutely one of the best I have tasted! We sat outside and listened to an excellent band while we had our dinner, the entire experience was fantastic! The structure of the building itself is very unusual and really cool! Beautiful bar area as well! If you live in the area make an effort to dine here, if your traveling on I55 and would like a top notch dining experience do yourself a favor and stop in! I live over an hour away from here and would make that drive back here just for dinner! The owners are super people and the staff exceptionally friendly and efficient!Great job, Sandy Ridge!

We went to the tour de corn today and wanted to support this towns restaurant for all their hospitality. I'm so glad we chose this restaurant. Everybody from the front greeter to our waitress was super friendly and the food was AMAZING!! We all had something different to try a sample of a lot of dishes and it did NOT disappoint. We will be back when in the area again.