Engine 23 Smokehouse BBQ

Ordered muscles for an appetizer and ribs with sides of fries and Mac and cheese. Ribs were great, they were tender and had great flavor. The fries and Mac and cheese were also great. As far as the muscles… Well just stick with the bbq and you will be good. Enjoyed sitting outside and the live music. Great spot. Looking forward to going back and trying some other bbq.

Imagine the smell of «just off the grill»…of anything… after a long day at work. As you begin to relax, your eyes glance to one of the large screen TV’s and a Phillies game is on… and they’re up by one run in the second inning. It didn’t take long for the most scrumptious brisket, pulled pork, ribs, corn bread, collard greens, and Mac & Cheese to be served by one of the hardest working waitress in Delaware County… I kid you not!
It might be at this very moment you just may think to yourself that you are the closest you are going to get to heaven without actually going towards a light! Just when I didn’t think it couldn’t get any better… it did. The Bloody Mary I ordered after Charles announced he made the best slid down my throat. Folks… Heaven exists on Earth… at Engine 23 Smokehouse BBQ and Charles DOES make the best Bloody Mary!

I had the chance to use Engine 23 to cater a party I recently threw. I spent about $ 220.00 on a whole pan of ribs, a half pan of collards, a half pan of mac and cheese, a quart of brisket, and a quart of pork. I felt that some items I got were very good, and others were extremely forgettable.
To start with the good… I was very, very pleased with the ribs that we got. They were huge, the meat fell right off the bone, and the flavor was excellent. We even had some left over and ended up reheating them in the microwave (gasp) but they were still delicious and tender, even after a trip through the microwave.
The mac and cheese was decent, but it didn’t appear to be seasoned at all and the flavor wasn’t really there. It was basically some elbow macaroni topped with cheese. It got the job done, but wasn’t anything special.
The pork was good. We got some rolls and made sandwiches, but it didn’t come anywhere near the flavor of the ribs.
The collard greens didn’t really impress me as they weren’t cut right (they were way, way too long) and the flavor was kind of bland. It doesn’t help that my husband and I make the best greens on the planet, so we’re very picky about the quality of our greens. I think if they threw a bit of crushed red pepper into the mix we might have gotten some of the kick we were missing.
The brisket was extremely chewy/​gummy/​fatty, and was definitely my least favorite part of everything. Normally I love brisket, but the container we got truly was so fatty you couldn’t get through a bite of your sandwich without having to pull some meat/​fat out of your mouth. I was greatly disappointed with the quality of that meat, and wished I had forgotten the brisket part of the order altogether.
Overall I am happy I used Engine 23 as I didn’t have to cook and it made the party easy for me. However, in the future I would only get their ribs and pulled pork. I’d make my own collards and macaroni and cheese, for sure.
I would probably end up giving this place 4 stars for a dine-​in experience, pending the service was good. If I could go in there and just get a heaping plate of ribs, I would be more than content.

We and our neighbors love to get take-​out barbecue from here whenever we have dinner together. It’s the best barbecue I’ve found since living in North Carolina over a decade ago. We are so happy to have this place nearby!

Service was great. Food was amazing!!! The ribs were falling off the bone. Loved the cornbread! The other person I was with got the pulled pork and couldn’t stop talking about it. Really good bbq, can’t wait to go back.

The food is not bad just not enough. Take out portion are way to small for the price.

This place almost lost me. The beer selection was rough. We had a Yards IPA, which was pretty good. Ordered another round, but we were told there was no more. We were given Yards Philly IPA, and were told it would be on the house. It was not.
We sat on the patio, and some guy named Charlie was singing. He sang «Carolina in my Mind» twice in about a 20 minute span.
But, then we had the wings. Amazing! Super crispy, great Cajun Dry Rub.
So, I’ll lower my expectations regarding service and make sure I am not there for the Sunday music. Half price wings just became my regular Sunday spot.

I’ve had great BBQ and this wasn’t it. Wait staff slow and the place was half empty couldn’t even get dink orders right and then didn’t return with the rest of them. Took for ever and a day for appetizers to come out it doesn’t take a half hour to fry up wings and pulled pork fries as the wings were the excuse for the delays. The main course comes and portions are small the brisket is slopped in sauce I think to hide the fact it was over cooked and dry. No pink no visible smoke ring as any brisket should show after being smoked and BBQ’ed. Baby back ribs were in fact regular pork ribs that even my 12 year old commented on that they were in fact tough. Little known fact is people his mistakes behind BBQ sauce in the hopes if you slop enough on it will hid all your sins and short comings. If the BBQ sauce was good maybe but this maple brown sugar had no depth or originality I think it could have even been craft BBQ sauce from a bottle. Sides baked beans were beans in a brown sugar water not that refined. Mac & Cheese dull dry not much to write home about or ever try again. Over all I don’t know what was worse the service or the food.

This place has gone downhill fast. I had a burger that I had to send back because it was burnt, and the next one was just well-​done, despite my requesting medium. In addition, the fries were overly seasoned and undercooked. Essentially, everything sucked.

Nice place! I had lunch there with my boyfriend, and we had a good time. Really nice barbecue!

This place acts more like a local bar than a BBQ place. Upon first walking in you have to go to the bar, instead of being greeted at the front. The upside is that the food is average to above average BBQ.
Customer Service: C
Customers: D
Food: B
Would i go back?, Not likely since other BBQ places like big daddyz out perform Engine 23.

I was so surprised at how great this place was. The interior is very unassuming and gives off your typical Philly sports bar vibe. The BBQ however was truly delicious.
We ordered three different types of wings (Habanero honey, some kind of old bay dry rub type and regular buffalo) all were tasty and fried well. For entrees we ordered the platter that had baby back ribs, pulled pork, brisket and pig wings. Everything was delicious especially the baby back ribs and pulled pork.
Their mac and cheese was heavenly (The best I’ve ever had). And their collard greens were also the best I’ve ever had in a restaurant (Not stringy or overly vinegary, they were perfect) Cornbread was also excellent (and I hate corn bread)
I will be going back to try their stuffed meatballs and to try out their Italian menu (Yes they have a page on their menu that has all the classic Italian dishes) So I guess you could call this place an Italo-​BBQ fusion experiment!

We were in the mood for barbecue so we thought we would give this place a whirl for takeout. We ordered a large rib platter and a large ½ smoked chicken platter. We were told twenty minutes for a pick up time and it was ready.
This place is more bar than restaurant and on a weekend night there weren’t too many folks in the place.
The ribs here were ok, tender enough but tasted like Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce. They did have a bit of bite to them which may have come from a spicy dry rub. We were pleasantly surprised by this.
I’m not sure why this was the large ½ chicken platter as the leg and thigh were minuscule. The breast was a good size but dried out somewhat, but still tasty.
Each platter comes with two sides and cornbread with maple butter. The fries were ok, baked beans were good, and the cole slaw, meh. The maple butter was already on the cornbread. I would have preferred it on the side. It seemed to have an off taste but I couldn’t place it since it was already melted into the muffin shaped piece of corn bread.
Parking can be a challenge as it is perpendicular to the front and you have to back out onto busy Route 420. There may be more parking around back.

Really decent bbq, i just wasn’t impressed. The waitstaff seemed bored and uncaring. The food was good but overpriced. The three meat combo, advertised as feeding 2 to 3 people, was barely enough for one person. The mac and cheese is good and the pulled pork was excellent. It was very overpriced for the amount of food they give you.

I like this place, really… I do. I was there the day it opened and have stopped by from time to time. Unfortunately, nothing here really pulls you back in.
They have a great beer selection for takeout as well as some intriguing drafts at the bar. The menu has your typical BBQ dishes and is presented straight forward. The menu is small but in my opinion that is a good thing.
First thing is first. The wings here are really amazing! They also have a decent selection of house made sauces and I hope to try each one at some point. When I usually order wings I almost ALWAYS ask for them well done. There is nothing worse than a soggy wing that has no crunch. At Engine 23, this is not required. Wings are crispy, meaty and tender.
The thing that really throws me off and the reason why I have to deduct two stars is the ribs. They aren’t doing something right with these. Dry, odd texture, not enough sauce/​rub to really bring out the flavor of the meat. They have a nice smokey flavor but nothing else to compliment that.
I would say give this place a try. Great wings, great side dishes like mac n’ cheese. Just don’t expect to be blown away by the ribs.

I tried a chili and pulled pork sandwich. My coworker tried the medium ribs with coleslaw. The place was not crowded. It’s kind of a pub atmosphere. They have a bar and beer case so pick your poison. More importantly, the meats were excellent. Great texture with a good flavor profile. Ribs had a nice smoke ring. Chili could use a little more heat but improved greatly with a little tobacco sauce. I would recommend this place over anything else we have tried in the area so far including Famous Daves which is right down the street.
My only knock on the place was the time it took to get our food even though we were the only patrons in the restaurant when we started.

I’m betting this is the only authentic smokehouse barbecue/​Italian restaurant in the tri-​state area. As I understand it, the owner of Tavanis had a passion for participating in barbecue competitions so he decided to open a place that offers both types of cuisine.
The restaurant is comfortable — a good number of tables and booths throughout, bar seating, well lit and inviting. Sat at the bar and was waited on by Maci — a great server. Ask for her.
Had BBQ on the mind so I ordered a sampler platter. It included some ribs, chicken and beef brisket. Sides were corn on the cob and Mac and cheese.
The ribs were delicious. Obviously spent hours in the smoker and had that pink ring you want that shows it was done right. They were tender and tasty.
The brisket was good. Not great but great brisket is hard to find.
The chicken was a thigh and leg. I’m a white meat guy but the leg tasted good.
The house made BBQ sauce was great.
The corn was fresh and I liked the Mac and cheese.
Had two ice cold Stella’s while I watched the TV or talked Game of Thrones with Macy. Huge beer selection and full bar!
Brought home a huge plate of leftovers for tomorrow. Met the owner who was a great guy. You can tell he loves what he’s doing and it comes through in the food.
Ironically, this is down the street from mediocre par boiled chain restaurant Famous Daves. If you want good BBQ do not go there! Come to the Engine — you’ll be glad you did. Next time I’ll try the Italian!

Much needed in this area!
So far, I have been here twice and I was definitely satisfied both times! The first time we tried Engine 23, we did takeout and got the brisket. The brisket was good, but not as good as Big Daddy’z in Ridley. The sauce on the brisket was tasty and not too overpowering the meat. The meat could have been a little more tender, but still good, especially for this area.
The second time we dined in and got the pulled pork; that was delicious! SO tender and cooked just right! Again, the sauce was just right Both times I got the Mac and cheese and fries as my sides and they are both very good and definitely above average! The Mac and cheese is very cheesy and even has a nice crunch on the top (cheez-it’s maybe), and the fries are seasoned perfectly with bbq spice.
The menu is loaded with so many options that I will definitely be going to back to make my way around! Also, they have a full bar, so that’s a plus for anyone that would go with me that wants a drink (I’m not really a drinker)!
Another refreshing aspect to Engine 23 is that their staff is very friendly and attentive! That is like almost unheard of around here!

If you’ve eaten at Barbacoa in Ardmore, it is pretty hard to top. So I have to give my rating based on comparison to how good Barbacoa is, and Engine 23 Smokehouse just isn’t in the same league.
What we ate in order of most pleasing to least pleasing:
CORNBREAD
This was our favorite of all we had at Engine 23. The cornbread is moist, flavorful, has a nice texture, and the maple butter is very good as well. The only place with better cornbread around here is French Quarter Café in Royersford, which has the best cornbread I have ever had (in addition to excellent Cajun/​Creole food).
MAC N CHEESE
Decent mac n cheese, MUCH better than the junk they serve at Jimmy’s BBQ in Malvern, but not as good as Barbacoa’s mac n cheese. This did seem like it was a baked mac n cheese, which is normally what people look for with good BBQ. But the flavors were not outrageously memorable, and Barbacoa uses better quality cheese.
RIBS
Little bit dry but still tender and not chewy. But they seem to rely too much on their very spiced sauce to get flavor. The smoke flavor was in the sauce, not the meat, and good BBQ does not need a super-​strong sauce because the meat should speak for itself.
BRISKET
Another reviewer said the brisket tasted like what is in crockpots across Delco, and that is not really saying good things about the quality of the meat cooking. I would have to agree with that. As with the ribs, it seems the over-​spicey strong sauce is trying to compensate for the lack of slow-​cooked good flavor and juicy tenderness that should be going on in the meats.
COLESLAW
Tangy-​er tasting than many coleslaws, not a heavy mayo taste. Cabbage was crisp.
FRENCH FRIES
Seasoned with mild spices (not everyone’s taste, probably better left alone). They weren’t cooked crispy or with any crunch to them, kind of soft.
COLLARD GREENS
They had bacon in them which is a nice idea, but they were really soft (like canned foods get when they sit in water in a can forever), and they tasted overcooked.
Overall the place was okay, but when I can opt for Barbacoa in Ardmore, I will make the trip there instead.

We stopped by on a Sunday around noon and the place was just beginning to get busy. A grill master was outside working his magic because whatever he had on the grill filled the air with this perfect aroma of meat, marinade and wood. I’m not a BBQ restaurant critic, but what we ate was quite impressive. The portions were just right and the choices for side dishes good. We got mac and cheese, collard greens, corn bread and coleslaw and all were very tasty. For the meat, we got ribs and beef brisket — both very tender and very flavorful. They have an excellent bar and offer plenty of take out choices.
Overall, service was quick and pleasant. The restaurant and restrooms were clean as well.
We’ll definitely be back.