Fort 88 Smokehouse

Okay, tonight was around my 8th Saturday Prime Rib night. Consistently phenomenal. The light smokiness and herb crust with 2 sides and a salad (or soup). Were spot on. Management has a tight crew and if you want a bartender with a little added levity to add to your night...this is your place. Plus the place has a great layout.

Pretty good BBQ for a small Midwest town. Actually, pretty decent BBQ even without the disclaimer. Fort 88 does some things very well. A few others, not so much. First, the good: Great atmosphere. Spacious, cozy, and inviting. The brisket is a standout; it's tender, smoky, and meaty. The pulled pork is also a cut above average. If you order the 2-Meat Combo Platter with these two choices, you can't go wrong...especially if coleslaw is one of your sides. Looking for something handheld? The Pudgy Pig Wrap is delicious and messy, as good BBQ should be. The Fort 88 Mac 'n Cheese with pulled pork is a winner, as are the cheese curds and fried pickles. Come on a Saturday for the prime rib special, and you might find yourself wanting to come back every Saturday for the prime rib special. It's a generous cut, cooked perfectly to order, and well-priced. All three house BBQ sauces are good, especially the Carolina. Now, the rest. The Burnt Ends were neither burnt nor ends. Real Southerners would storm the place in protest if served a plate of these. I'm not saying they were bad, but they are NOT what you would expect. The pulled chicken is way too dry and the St. Louis Spare Ribs are so-so. The Brussels Sprouts weren't tender enough or flavorful enough. Service is generally fast and friendly. There was an issue one time where my dad insisted they served him the wrong beer, and they insisted it was the right beer. I have no idea whether or not he got the correct beer ordered, but I feel they maybe could have been a little more accommodating and offered a replacement or removed it from the bill. The customer is always right, ya know? I was too busy enjoying my brandy Old Fashioned to weigh in. All in all, if you stick with the winners, you're guaranteed a pretty good meal here every time.

Brisket was perfect. Lots of options. Coworkers got pulled pork and brisket. They said it was delicious. Beer was cold

Ok, I had the ribs again and, though they are not very meaty, they are very tasty. Hard to believe that they can get them this black without having them be overly Smokey. My wife enjoyed her pulled pork and cheesy baked Brussel sprouts. Still a great beer and wine list, pleasant staff and nice atmosphere. Will be a regular stop when I'm in the area.

not great the ribs were rough. the corn wasn't soft it was hard to bite into overall i'm not sure what to think about this. Lackluster service. Would not recommend 6/10 sorry not sorry

Maybe my standards for bbq are just too high, or maybe this place just needs some guidance on how to improve their bbq. The atmosphere is actually pretty awesome and our server was great. The food.... Not so much. House Old Fashioned tasted more like a Shirley Temple, way too sweet. Burnt ends... were definitely not what I expect, very fatty, just looked like they cut pieces off the brisket, nothing was burnt about it. The brisket nachos were not appetizing at all, the brisket was cut into very small cubes, when they say you eat with your eyes, this is one of those moments. Fort 88 Mac was supposed to come in a creamy Alfredo sauce, there was hardly any sauce at all, unless you looked at the bottom of the pan where all the oil from whatever cheese was on there sat.I do think they have potential, with some expertise!

DO NOT GO HERE!Absolutely HORRIBLE service as well as management. I have never in my life had so many issues with one singular restaurant. As Fort doesn't have very many options, we ended up at Fort 88 and boy oh boy was it a mistake. The manager is some inconsiderate, extremely rude blonde that never made it out of her hometown, so instead likes to start drama at her workplace. I have had more issues with this woman than one can count on two hands, and am extremely surprised to see that she is even still working here. This place has turned into an absolute disgrace to Fort Atkinson.

the blonde manager was absolutely distasteful. we had a party of 10 they refused to split the bill when asking the manager when this came intoplave she giggled and smiled and just said no one ever complained before so not seeing your point. They would rather their customers sit and do math on bills then rotate more customers in and out. we were all so beyond upset. and we will not be returning....After my review I was reading some others. This owner is really really something.

The atmosphere is clean and inviting. Service was attentive without being intrusive. The wings were well smoked and juicy. The battered home made cheese curds were outstanding. The prime rib sandwiches looked delicious. The smoked, pulled chicken and pork were cooked to perfection. The habernero bbq sauce added just the right amount of heat. Proportions were ample. The only problem was I didn't have enough room for the brisket. We could not even attempt dessert.

The food is super fast. The BBQ Mac n Cheese is good (I added jalapeños for heat) and the cheese curds are big. I didn't get a picture of the full bowl, but you can see the size of them here.