Southern Moon Smokehouse

I’ve been meaning to check this place out for awhile. It’s tucked away next to a Winn Dixie, but don’t miss it. We tried the baby back ribs, pork belly, pulled pork and beef brisket. My favorite was the baby back ribs. The meat fell off the bone and the rub seasoning was fantastic. I like the fact that I can order the meat by itself so we could sample each. The pulled pork and brisket were incredible too. The server was very attentive and brought out our food quickly.

Just had a great dinner at Southern Moon Steakhouse. We live super close but had never been before tonight when we decided to try it out. It was almost completely empty, and I don’t know why.
The décor was pretty trendy, lots of chalkboard and metal siding. Our meals were delicious. They have a big selection of sandwiches. I had an avocado tomato sandwich which was delicious and very fresh. My fiancé got a mac n cheese sandwich! It sounds ridiculous but it was made with Gouda and was so gooda!
The brisket and BBQ sauce was also very pleasing!

This place is okay. While I enjoyed my BLFGT sandwich (made with pork belly and fried green tomatoes), the rest of the experience was a bit underwhelming. When the waitress delivered our drinks, my boyfriend spotted a big black dot drifting in the center of his cocktail… a fly. And his brisket was more than 50% fat… it should have been trimmed. Most of his food ended up in the trash since it was basically inedible.
I really wanted to love this place. I’d come back for a to-​go BLFGT, but that’s probably it.

My wife and I have been wanting to try this restaurant for a while now. We were headed to Clemons for produce and Southern Moon is almost across the street. Sadly, our experience was really just awful. I respect, and know personally, some of the Unilocal reviewers who gave four stars when the place first opened but things have apparently changed.
First off, our service was fine. The servers were courteous and efficient. However, it took quite a while between ordering and the food being delivered considering BBQ places usually just plate up the food since it is cooked already. Unfortunately, the service was the highlight of our visit.
I ordered the brisket. What came out were two large planks of roast beef, there is no way this came off of a brisket cut roast. There was a large fat and gristle layer running down the middle of each plank of beef. I’ve never seen a brisket that looked like this before, it is possible it was just sliced improperly, but I’ve cut brisket myself many times and I can’t imagine how one could be cut in such a way. Besides the fat and gristle, the color of the beef was grey, it was tough, and it didn’t taste very good. The beans were sort of ok but the slaw had either no dressing or very little dressing as it tasted like just some cabbage.
My wife’s pulled pork was too salty to eat and it had almost no smoked flavor. Her mac and cheese was ok.
Interestingly, we left our plates almost completely full and when we turned down to-​go boxes I expected the sever to ask why we didn’t eat our food, but nope.
Maybe we just caught them on an off day, but we won’t return to find out. Pity.

I hate to report this, but this was a waste of time and money. I ordered the pulled pork platter. I chose baked beans and mac and cheese for my sides.
The pork was so salty I couldn’t even eat it. I didn’t get much smoke flavor either. The beans and the mac and cheese were neither good nor bad. just sorta bland.
My husband got the brisket with beans and slaw. We’re pretty sure the cut of beef they used wasn’t right. It was larger than normal and had a large fat cap on the top. It was dry and tough. The slaw was terrible. I think they forgot to add the dressing.
Unfortunately we won’t be back.

Really enjoyed my experience. The menu looks great and the chef has some awesome creations I hope to try again. The others day special with lamb burger will bring me back.
The sauces are all home made and the selection of sides is really top notch. Definitely not a low end bbq place
Try it!

Just go,
We went for brunch, and we left wondering why on earth we had never stopped in before. I got grits with pork, and they were seriously among the creamiest and most delicious grits I have ever eaten. And I have eaten A LOT of grits. The pork, also fantastic, and I left with a full second meal. It was pretty empty when we were there, and I hope it is just because it was an off time. Admittedly, the strip mall location is a little odd, and it is kind of tucked away. Regardless, people should be lined up for this delicious BBQ. Seriously!
JUST GO!

Okay, I got take out from here tonight and was thoroughly disappointed by the food and even more so by the packaging.
So we ordered «boneless beef short ribs» (½ pound), a rack of baby back ribs, collard greens, cornbread and mac n’ cheese.
The supposed short ribs were simply smoked chuck roast, which was mostly tough and dry. It did have an okay bark and an okay smoke flavor but nothing great. The baby back ribs were very bland and very dry. The meat on the ribs was not tough, but not really tender either. The cornbread was bland kind of dry. The mac n’ cheese was extremely bland with little cheese or any other flavor to speak of. The greens were cooked okay but also rather bland.
As some other folks have pointed out, with Four Rivers, Bubbalou’s, Keller’s and even Sonny’s around I don’t know how this place could last long. I particularly don’t understand the number of good reviews on here.
Anyway, the worst thing was that they package their to go portion of the greens in a stupid plastic container that, even though I only live five minutes away, managed to leak collard green juice all over the floor of my car, and ultimately, in my driveway, stairs and the entryway to my house. Shame about this place, the people seem nice enough, but the food and to go packaging are pretty awful. I doubt we will go back here.

Had my first visit last night. The atmosphere and the staff where good. The owner personally greeted everyone. The food was awesome. Nice change if you’re a 4 Rivers fan. I will definitely go better again.
Enjoy.

Decided to give this local bbq place a try despite a few bad reviews. Needless to say, I was pretty letdown.
I ordered a ½ lb of brisket and 80% of it was inedible fat. The parts I could weren’t anything noteworthy so it was a pretty defeating process. The Mac n Cheese was pretty bland as well with no flavor, making my experience my last at this establishment.

My first time at this restuarant I was not significantly wowed… The food was mediocre… I ordered the brisket sandwhich with a side of mac and cheese and smoked corn on the cob. The brisket was a little fatty for me but I dont like fatty meat. The flavor was good… The mac and cheese was surprisingly ok… not nothing I would run back to go get but it got me full. As for the smoked corn on the cobb… it was cute because it is served in a mason jar but you get exactly what you order a smoky piece of corn… with a butter sauce that you couldnt really taste because it was at the bottom on the glass… I believe I went on a tuesday night and the place was dead… not sure what that means. The wait staff were super friendly and helpful when assisting with explaining the menu. i did get a chance to taste the brisket sandwich with fried mac and cheese… ummmm no! amazing concept but the fried mac and cheese patty didnt have any flavor. I am willing to take another stab at this place one day… and try something different but… not in a rush… HA…oh btw… I almost forgot about my bathroom review… the bathroom seemed as thought it was under construction for some reason… I went in and the stalls were not the cleanest… neither was the sink. The paper towel machine was broken… so …in other words bring your hand sanitizer.
*I check out the bathrooms often because I like to wash my hands before I eat… just in case someone was wondering if I had a crazy fetish or something… NO FETISH OR MENTAL Problems… I just like to eat with clean hands :)*******

Brunch was delightful! They serve brunch from open to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday. The restaurant is beautiful and of course has the most amazing bbq smell in the air!
I ordered an iced tea and the smokehouse hash. The smokehouse hash comes with crispy potatoes, onion, your choice of meat and topped with a fried egg. I went with the pulled pork which was really good. The potatoes were fried perfectly. They had a wonderful crispy exterior and the center was cooked perfectly. The egg was over done so I ordered a replacement since I love a gooey yoke! I didn’t specify how I wanted the egg fried and the server didn’t ask so I made the mistake of assuming it wouldn’t be over done.
My husband ordered a quarter pound of brisket, beef short ribs and pork belly. The pork belly was my favorite. Crispy and delicious. I also really liked the brisket but wasn’t a big fan of the short ribs. I found them dry. He also ordered a side of the braised greens which were also really good and have pork belly in the greens! I didn’t order any cocktails on this visit but they make their own sodas and the cocktail list sounds great! Service was attentive and friendly.

Don’t let the emptiness fool you. This place has great food!
The best part is that many of the items can be ordered by weight. So it’s perfect for someone like me who likes having lots of things at once. And for every item you order, you can try one of their signature sauces. Try them all on your first visit if you can. The chicken and pulled pork were very good. Standard, but good. The short rib was okay. It tasted like it may have been made the day before. The brisket, however, is amazing! It’s a must have for every time I visit from now on.
The side items may seem pricey, but know that they are large enough for two to share. SMS also has old fashioned sodas. They don’t have any carbonation (at least mine didn’t), but the flavors are interesting. I didn’t care for the root beer, but my wife thought it was good. Also, they don’t have Coke, Pepsi, etc, so be aware in case that’s important to you.
Overall we were very pleased, and we’ll be back!

My husband and I visited Southern Moon last night for dinner when he was craving ribs. We usually go to 4 Rivers and enjoy their BBQ quite a bit, but we thought we’d try something new for a change. Well, the idea of Southern Moon is good but the execution is just average; I don’t know that we’ll be back.
The drinks are really unique, I will give them that. There were quite a few that our server rattled off (I wish they were listed on the menu or on the wall, honestly) and we tried many over the course of the evening. If you order a soda, you get two free refills and you can switch it up. So, we ended up trying cream soda (the best, with actual vanilla bean flecks in it), ginger beer (very zippy), citrus (REALLY citrusy, like not messing around – this would be fantastic as a drink mixer), root beer (oddly flavored, not like any other handcrafted root beer I’ve ever tried), and cola (also a bit citrusy). I’d recommend the cream soda as the best and if you like citrus flavors, try that one. They’re served in small mason jars with handles and crushed ice.
We ordered buffalo wings to start: They were your average wings. The sauce wasn’t spicy and the dipping sauce was unusual, a dill-​based white sauce rather than blue cheese. Maybe their take on ranch? It wasn’t bad but it was unusual.
The barbecue? Well, I prefer wet/​sauced BBQ and this is dry-​rubbed with the sauce on the side. Not what I prefer, but ok. We both got a half-​rack of St. Louis style ribs and tried several sauces. All of them were all right. The mayo-​based one was unique but tasted like mayo and vinegar mixed. One was very thick and tomato-​paste based – and tasted more like pasta sauce than BBQ. The ribs were nicely seasoned and not overly fatty; they fell off the bone and were tender.
Sides: We each got beans (okay, but had many pieces of fatty meat in them) and mac and cheese (not cheesy at all, mostly just pasta and some greasiness). Texas toast on the side was hot, garlicky, and fresh.
We did dessert and were offered a series of «interesting» choices, from a chocolate-​and-​blueberry bread pudding to a pomegranate or mandarin orange whoopie pie. We went with the chocolate lava cake, said to be served with crème anglaise, and a Rocky Road cake, a special of the evening. Well, the crème anglaise – and maybe the lava cake itself – had an orange note in it that overwhelmed the cake. I don’t like orange and chocolate, and I would have appreciated knowing that it was infused or whatever so I could avoid it. The Rocky Road cake was pretty dense and heavy, with a solid amount of ganache. I don’t know that I’d say it tasted like Rocky Road – I’m not really sure what it tasted like really.
Overall, I feel like this is a place that’s trying to be inventive and «new» American barbecue, thus the unusual dessert flavors, sauces, and drinks. But honestly, when I want barbecue, I want straightforward, familiar flavors. I want homestyle. I want handmade but I don’t want unusual-​for-​the-​sake-​of-​being-​unusual. And for those reasons, I probably won’t visit here again. Not when I have two 4 Rivers locations nearby that have standout ribs, bread pudding, and sides. Are they as «inventive»? Maybe not, but for a local barbecue joint, I think that’s okay.

I want to go again. Soon. I came here for dinner and ordered a little bit of food since I wasn’t too hungry. That little bit of food came out to be a LOT of food because the portions were so huge!
They have sodas there. But not just Coke or Sprite or something regular. They don’t sell those. They have hand crafted sodas. Which was so delicious!
I ordered a side of corn… which came out as two ears of corn each of them served in a mason jar with their amazing butter. The butter is what makes it amazing. I wanted to drink it afterwards because it was so good! (No worries, I didn’t. That’d be very unhealthy lol)
My pulled pork was great and the sauces that came on the side was wonderful too.
Service was good. The server seemed stressed and hurried, but she got things done.

Pulled pork with their house slaw on top. HUGE side of beans with it. I had the Carolina sauce on the sandwich. Has some bite so if you don’t like it hot don’t order it. The beans had some bite to them also, you have been warned.
I went at lunch time today. Place was empty when I got there. People were starting to come in by the time I left.
Another warning, if you don’t like the smell of wood smoke don’t come in here!

Came here based on another source review and it was worth it. The moment we can in,
It was great. Kaylia server was awesome. She gave us good recommendations and helped us out on various food choice. Very nice and helpful gal. We also met tony the manager on present time, he was a very favorable and exceptional fellow. He walked us thru on the homemade soda process and food as well. BBQ here Food is delicious period. Overall very great place and they will my money for sure soon once again

4 Rivers. Cecil’s. Bubbalou’s. Porkies. Harry & Larry’s. Fat Boys.
These are the other BBQ joints in and around Orlando that offer so much more than Southern Moon.
I am always excited to try a new BBQ joint. The menu board at Southern Moon was packed with tasty options, and I particularly like the fact that you can order everything a la carte, like meat by the ¼ pound. Sadly, my excitement quickly turned into disappointment.
Out of the 6 meats we ordered, only 2 were decent. The pork belly was the highlight, and the sliced brisket was OK. The chicken, short ribs, and shoulder were dry and flavorless. No amount of so-​so BBQ sauce could save them.
You know how chefs sometime experiment, and offer up a creation off the beaten path? That’s what the jackfruit was. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work as BBQ at all. They try to pass it off as a meat alternative, but it’s just terrible.
The sides fared about the same: meh. The mac & cheese was cheesy but flavorless, as were the greens. The corn came served upright in a mason jar, and was OK, and the beans were good.
Overall, there were one or two things that were OK, but I don’t plan on returning. The food needs much more work before Southern Moon can expect to be a real player in the local BBQ scene.

Located at the corner of Curry Ford and Crystal Lake in the Winn Dixie plaza, which is just next door. The restaurant is very open, clean and southern contemporary feel with large booths, wood flooring and large chalkboards mounted on the walls, displaying the menu. It was my first visit and our server Rachel, was very nice and explained that it was the first week the restaurant was open and answered a lot of questions.
We enjoyed several of the house made sodas, so be sure to check those out. There are also several house infused liquors so if you enjoy a festive cocktail try the Southern Belle or the one with their house made cinnamon whisky. There will be a brewery soon, but no ETA, aside from sometime later this year.
I was told the meat is smoked over several different kinds of wood and when served it had a nice spice rub. (No sauce basting!) Sauces representing the Carolina’s, TX, KC, AL were present and I liked all of the sauces I tried. (AL isn’t my thing, didn’t try!) If you like spicy, go for the Carolina Spicy. Yum! I enjoyed the KC sauce and TX a lot for milder, sweeter options.
Our group ordered the biscuits and the corn bread, which was the better of the two options. The biscuits were fine, but without a jam or something they were a bit heavy. (The accompanying honey butter was not very sweet and made with unsalted butter) I understand there is jam in the future, so I’ll be happy to check that out on a future visit. The cornbread was moist and had a nice flavor, was especially tasty when enjoyed with the BBQ sauces during the meal.
Fried Green Tomatoes were tasty, hearty cornbread coating that didn’t overpower the tomatoes. The batch we had– the tomatoes were a great thickness and a bit mild in green tomato taste. The accompanying sauce was yummy.
I enjoyed the Fried green tomato sandwich, the toasted bread was a hearty multigrain and I enjoyed the Carolina BBQ sauce with the meal. It was a filling sandwich, filled with fried green tomatoes and avocado. I ordered potato salad as my included side, it had several different kinds of potatoes, including sweet, which was nice. The mayo dressing wasn’t too heavy and tasted like a traditional, southern potato salad. I had a bite of a friends Mac & Cheese, which had nice flavor in the cheese sauce and I’d try again in the future to form a more complete opinion. The side portion was definitely enough for a meal if you ate a starter, enough for kids to share or 3 adults could order a few sides «family style» to share.
Both the Baby back ribs and the St. Louis ribs were meaty and tender and the pulled pork was also a table favorite. A friend ordered the Brisket and said it was tender and moist, so I’m sure hubby will be enjoying that on a future visit. I ordered a ¼ of the jackfruit, which was the veggie option. You pick the sauce, so I went with the hot Carolina sauce, it was spicy and yummy. I would have liked that concoction on a sandwich with some cheese. Smoked fish is coming soon, as they add specials and such to their menu.
I have no idea about desserts, because I left very full. I’ll be back!

Southern Moon BBQ just opened This Past Sunday so I stopped off today to give them a try. They are located on Curry Ford and Crystal Lake next to Winn Dixie and Rogue Pub.
Kicked things off with a drink, Lemonade Tea with Moonshine and Peach Schnapps.
The large chalkboard menu is on a couple walls, no paper menu yet.
Started off with the buffalo wings, the ranch was buttermilk and unique, Wings were good but nothing I haven’t had before. Still good wings are hard to come by.
Ordered a variety of the BBQ’ed meats which you can order by the ¼ pound or more. wanted to try all the red meats, so got the St. Louis Ribs, Pork Shoulder and Brisket.
Side of Mac & Cheese, better than average. Kinda expensive at $ 5.99 but a very generous portion. Pretty good, better than average. Would like to see a version with some pork in it.
St. Louis ribs were my favorite thing, they had a nice seasoning and a light smoke flavor which was just right.
They give you a variety of sauces if you request them, they have Texas Q style which is Smokey with I believe a Chipotle pepper flavor. Kansas City sauce (my fav) it was thin and a little sweet, Alabama White sauce, Mustard sauce & a Spicy One. They are making the sauces themselves which is outstanding.
Interior was a bit desolate but still comfortable and cozy, can’t judge or expect much in their first week they are still getting things situated I’m sure. Our server was awesome, Booth was comfy, restroom was spotless.
There hasn’t been any good BBQ places in the Conway area for a long time so I think and hope they will do quite well. Menu has a lot more things that I didn’t try lots of interesting desserts too. If you order typically I’d say check will average $ 20-​$ 25 a person. Not counting alcohol.