The Smokey Pokey

Stopped here on a road trip and it was a great meeting spot to eat and rest a while. The food wasn't anything amazing, but our groups' favorites were the fries (10/10!) and mocha cheesecake (tasted like a rolo). I was disappointed in the Mac being pretty bland. The sandwich was good since they had several great tasting barbecue sauces to add.Plenty to do here including an arcade room, gift/souvenir shop, pirate ship to climb on, and plenty of interesting metal statues.I would definitely come back here for the entertainment, not sure the meal would be my choice again but it did the job and takeout orders took just about 10 minutes.

OH FER CUTEThis is an adorable truck stop/amusement center/restaurant/petting zoo in the middle of nowhere! It is sooo cute!However, it is extremely OLD. Which means it has character, but needs a deep deep cleaning. Lotta dust in there. Did I mention the cute gift shop? The sign outside said PORK BUTT SALAD. So I went into the restaurant to try it out. The sweet blond server was the only one working, and she was doing a heck of a job! She was polite, personable , articulate , efficient and cute all at the same time. Then BAMM, the restaurant filled up, and to go orders piled in. So I ordered a brisket sandwich instead, so I could eat it on the road, with ORs. Yummy rings! She had everything under control with a little food running from the gift shop gal. When I paid her, I told her if she was in Minnesota she would make a ton of money. She laughed and said So your saying I need to move? With a sly smile. Just a doll!Unfortunately, the brisket was a little old and dry. I didn't put a ton of sauce on it, that would have helped.The outside animals were looking good & healthy. Big fun for everyone. Really worth the stop! Just do it!Q U A I N T Q U A I N T Q U A I N T

Im giving this place a one star because even though the food smelled great and the atmosphere was different and intriguing, the service was crap. My boyfriend who is a truck driver and I were trying to find their selection of meats and were walked past twice by two separate employees and were not acknowledged at all. So, we chose to take our business elsewhere.

Impressively extensive space. A pastiche of old Americana with some disappointing pieces of modern culture: Kit Carson and Will Rogers meet 25 year old jokes from Austin Powers 2 and barbecue puns about rubbing meats. Anyway, for a highway rest stop this is quite surprising, in a mostly good way. Someone has a vision and drive, and it's refreshing to see something different. Highlights include- An actual petting zoo- An arcade upstairs with an array of games- A pirate ship for kids to exploreIf you're on a road trip and need a place for your kids to run feral for a bit, this seems about as great a place you could possibly hope for. It is the embodiment of extra. I'm left wondering how and why this all came to be, and how it's sustainable. There's a story here. Anyway, the barbecue. We went on a Sunday and ordered takeout. The ribs were tough. The brisket was on the dry side.And it was there we arrived at the crossroads of expectations: as a standalone restaurant, our meal was objectively not great. The staff seemed nice enough, so I'm wondering/hoping if it's just Sunday afternoon inattention or something. So there's really two reactions to have.Option One:In this location, with the size of the kitchen and surrounding facilities, it seems like exactly the sort of hidden niche that you stumble into and end up having some of the best barbecue in your life. It could be symphonic, to the point of tragedy: It ends up so good that when you get home you have the overwhelming need to tell all your friends, but when you try to describe the experience no one quite believes you because it all sounds like a hallucinogenic fugue state: "We waited by the pirate ship that had landed inside, you could see the basketball games from the crow's nest and also there were llamas, maybe alpacas. I couldn't tell, it was from a distance, I didn't go to the zoo. Anyway, the cheesy corn was so good you have to try it."I mean, come on, would you believe you?"I don't know where this was, somewhere in Oklahoma. We turned off the interstate and it just appeared. Guanacos. They could have been guanacos."Your friends listen and smile politely each time, but you can tell they're indulging you. They eventually drift away. Years go by. Every subsequent meal you have for the rest of your life tries but doesn't recapture the euphoric delight from that one day long ago off a mysterious stretch of highway. You yourself begin to question whether it happened at all. Doesn't that sound amazing? So when we try the food and it doesn't result in long-term social isolation and the questioning of our own sanity, how can you help but be disappointed.Option Two:The food isn't the point, the overall atmosphere is. Complaining about the quality of barbecue here is as insightful as criticizing the pizza at Chuck E Cheese. There's a pirate ship and a goat pen, and a section with tee shirts that contain wry observations about marriage and bad drivers, how good could it realistically be? As with long road trips, it's never going to be great, but best to just find ways to enjoy the ride. So all this to say, it depends on your expectations. Good to keep them low, but I also think it's completely fair to want better from the kitchen. They appear to have the resources to make something amazing. It's just going to come down to execution on a given day. I hope they're able to tighten it up.In the meantime, enjoy the ride as best you can.

Terrible BBG! Ribs and brisket were like jerky! Cooks didn't care. Other customers were telling me how bad their experience was as well. One had rotten Cole slaw, another said they got food poisoning the night before. A/C wasn't working and one employee said it's been broke all summer. That should tell you the owner doesn't care about his business. This is located at the Cowboy fuel stop on I-35 and the Stillwater, OK turn off. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

On 7/19/2024 or around that time (it was a Friday evening), we went to try out Smokey Pokey BBQ at the Cowboy Travel Plaza. We both ordered 2 rib dinners and the ribs were HORRIBLE and high-priced. The reason why the ribs were horrible, was because they were DAYS-OLD, at least 2 days and probably older. I couldn't believe they served food that was that old. You CAN'T HIDE the taste of several days-old ribs with rub or bbq sauce or anything for that matter, let alone 1 day-old, but this was absolutely the worst I've ever had. The barbeque beans and french fries were fine, the waitress was very helpful, the dining area was nice, but the meat was a disaster. I am not a bbq restaurant competitor or any kind of restaurant competitor trying to harm Smokey Pokey BBQ at the Cowboy Travel Plaza, I'm not somebody who got paid to write this review, I am a legitimate bbq customer who enjoys good bbq...but when you serve old meat like that, You Show Disrespect Towards Your Customers. We Will Never Come Back.UNTIL ownership and/or management gets serious or changes to new ownership/management, I would highly recommend that you avoid eating there.

Stopped here on a Wednesday evening and thought we'd try some food. I ordered a simple burger 1/2# burger. Daughter a 2 bbq meat plate. Burger was a bit over cooked. Charred and dry. Looks like they poked the middle of burger and let the juices out. The 2 meat plate of smoked turkey and pulled pork tasted okay but the portions were very small. Not a positive experience food-wise and thought the price was a bit on the high side for the quantity and quality of the food. Wish I would have taken a picture don't want bash a place if they had an off day. The waitress was nice. In the past we stopped for just snacks. We will do it again but just for the snacks. Lots of novelty items and kind of neat place to stop get gas and use the restroom.

Came here to eat after the OSU wrestling Dual on Sunday.There was 20+ in our group.We had one waitress to our table,so getting drinks and orders took a bit.Our server was super friendly and did make sure to fill our drinks and get all our orders right. The food was average. The portions were pretty big. The smokehouse salad was a little on the light side with the meat ( pulled pork) but overall it was a great meal. Nobody complained about their food or the service,so that is always a plus when dealing with big parties. The kids really enjoyed playing inside the boat and running around. The decor is pretty fun .The place was clean and pretty slow for a weekend which worked in our favor. I would recommend it and be back.

Great service! Came in at 5:30, place filled up as we ate.I got the fish tacos. Tasty with lime, coleslaw, bbq and ranch. Hubby got two meat dinner with fries and Mac and cheese.Prices scared me but after we ate, it was worth it. For a two meat dinner $20, the fish tacos $14, two extra sides $3 each, and a kids meal $7, it was $55.13 after tax, before tip. (We always get waters.)I'd come here again! Quiet enough to talk but bar-ish feel and music playing. Pirate ship was cool! Kids had fun!THANK YOU!

10/3/23 My husband and I were driving from MN to MO then onto Texas, for business... We were pleasantly surprised at this "gas station restaurant"! The staff was super friendly and attentive. There is an adorable play area for kiddos, and the food is great! We like the pickle bar and the canned goodies for purchase. I'm honestly shocked at the bar reviews of Smokey Pokey.