Smokyboys Avis 

⭐ 1/10 – Unfortunately, a very disappointing experience

We visited Smoky Boys in Kingston, Milton Keynes, as a family, including a couple of young children. I’d been looking forward to trying somewhere new, but unfortunately, from start to finish, the experience was extremely poor.

Our table was booked for 6pm. After being seated, we waited around 10 minutes before anyone came to take our drinks order, and then another 15 minutes for the drinks to arrive.

We ordered our food at the same time.
45 minutes later, we still had no food and no meaningful update from the staff.

There appeared to be plenty of people around front of house, but the kitchen seemed seriously understaffed. At one point, we even saw a member of the waiting staff put on an apron and start helping in the kitchen. Meanwhile, nobody came over to explain the delay, apologise, or give us any indication of when our food might arrive.

What also surprised us was the lack of clear information before our visit. We only discovered after sitting down and reading the children's menu that the food was halal. Shortly before that, we'd asked for a glass of wine and were told that the restaurant doesn't serve alcohol.

To be absolutely clear, I have no issue whatsoever with halal food. In fact, I went to the Olive Tree only last week, where the food is halal and they also serve alcohol, and I've never had a bad meal there.

The difference between that experience and this one was night and day.
My issue with Smoky Boys is transparency and the overall customer experience. I would expect information such as the restaurant not serving alcohol to be made clear before booking, rather than discovering it once you're already sitting at the table.
Eventually, after waiting around 45 minutes with young children and still having received no food, we'd had enough. We paid for our drinks and left.
And we certainly didn't appear to be the only unhappy customers.

Several other people in the restaurant also appeared unhappy with the service, so this didn't feel like an isolated problem with our particular table.

Then there's the 12.5% optional operation charge. To be clear, this is not described as a tip — it is an additional optional operation charge. Given our experience, I found the idea of adding another 12.5% to the bill particularly difficult to understand. What exactly is an “operation charge” surprised that isn't already included in the prices customers are paying? Totally underhand tactics.

There also seemed to be a large number of people hovering around the front-of-house area, yet nobody appeared to be taking responsibility for the customer experience.

A friendly welcome, communication about the delay and somebody simply keeping us informed would have made a significant difference. Unfortunately, none of that happened.

Overall: 1/10.

We went there genuinely looking forward to an enjoyable family meal. Instead, after 45 minutes without receiving any food, we paid for our drinks and went elsewhere.
The contrast with other local restaurants we've visited couldn't have been greater. Based on our experience, we won't be returning.

Terrible experience from the moment we arrived. We turned up at 6pm and unfortunately didn’t feel particularly welcomed from the start.

The glasses on the table were dirty and clearly hadn’t come out of the dishwasher properly clean, which wasn’t a great first impression. We then had to chase someone just to take our drinks order. After ordering our food, we were still waiting over 45 minutes later with no food and no explanation or update about the delay.

Eventually, I asked to pay for our drinks as we had decided to leave. I was then told, with what felt like quite an attitude, that the food was “only going to be another 3 minutes”. By that point, after waiting over 45 minutes with no communication, we had simply had enough.

I will say there was one lovely lady working there who was very apologetic and genuinely tried to make us feel welcome. Unfortunately, she was the exception, as the majority of the service and overall experience felt very unprofessional.

Really disappointing from start to finish. Poor service, lack of communication and generally not the standard you would expect when going out for a meal. Sadly, we definitely wouldn’t return.

Milton Keynes

Terrible experience from the moment we arrived. We turned up at 6pm and unfortunately didn’t feel particularly welcomed from the start.

The glasses on the table were dirty and clearly hadn’t come out of the dishwasher properly clean, which wasn’t a great first impression. We then had to chase someone just to take our drinks order. After ordering our food, we were still waiting over 45 minutes later with no food and no explanation or update about the delay.

Eventually, I asked to pay for our drinks as we had decided to leave. I was then told, with what felt like quite an attitude, that the food was “only going to be another 3 minutes”. By that point, after waiting over 45 minutes with no communication, we had simply had enough.

I will say there was one lovely lady working there who was very apologetic and genuinely tried to make us feel welcome. Unfortunately, she was the exception, as the majority of the service and overall experience felt very unprofessional.

Really disappointing from start to finish. Poor service, lack of communication and generally not the standard you would expect when going out for a meal. Sadly, we definitely wouldn’t return.

Huge Mistake going to Smoky Boys in Queens Gardens, I MUST WARN PEOPLE PLANNING TO GO HERE.
We went there on Saturday the 8th August 2026.
I said I have allergy's, please no salt, pepper, garlic and especially chilli . . . The food came, please see my photos on Google review, well presented, but full of pepper and spicy chilli... after a few bites it hit me. I went dizzy and sweated profusely .... they offered me a glass of water, and I had already ordered water. I said the problem is the spices, I asked for none to be added. I narrowly missed calling an ambulance and going to hospital because I STOPPED EATING. All I got from them was sorry.... Why not say at the beginning they cannot serve food without salt, pepper, chilli ? TOTAL MISTAKE GOING HERE. Be warned and stay away, the waitress pays NO ATTENTION TO YOUR REQUESTS, no matter how life threatening, although they did turn down the music, it was so loud I could not hear what the waitress was saying.....

Very very rude staff , specially the guy working at night.

We was the only table, very quiet, nice place, we wait 15 min before i call someone to take my order, after a bit the food was ready but the drink no, wait 15 min before the food come on the table cold and the drink come after a minute, food was ok, unfortunately barbecue food cold is not the best, service oh well we didn’t get any and i did pay the charge for it, i will give an extra try becouse the food taste ok maybe hot will be better and maybe the service will be improved, is a shame a place just opened with that kind of none service, i feel bad to leave a bad review but like this you don’t go anywhere, need to improve

Appealing food, great service, friendly staff. Defo come back again.

Fabulous service at Smokey Boys! The food was absolutely mouth-watering, and the staff were incredibly helpful and very professional. I’ll definitely be calling in again soon. Highly recommend — I’ll 100% be returning!

From the moment you walk in, the smell of smoldering wood and smoked meat is absolutely intoxicating.

We ordered a few different dishes and it did not disappoint. The beef  was melt in your mouth tender with a perfect smoke ring .The star of the show for me, though, was the chicking wraps the cheese the sources.

Don't even get me started on the sides! The mac and cheese was creamy and baked to perfection.

The service was friendly and down to earth, and the atmosphere was exactly what you want in relaxed, rustic, and focused on the food. We will absolutely be back. Highly recommended!

CASTLEFORD - Burger took ages to come but was quite nice (not memorable). They didn’t bring the bbq sauce as requested and had to be reminded (they weren’t busy). Chips were rubbery - one of our party left them. That’s all you got: burger and chips (anything else was extra)
For 3 cheeseburgers and chips plus 2 small glasses of Diet Coke each (ie 6 in total) it cost £75! yes SEVENTY FIVE POUNDS FOR BURGER AND CHIPS!! The cokes cost £4 each that’s £24 - about £1 per inch. Then they had the audacity to charge £8 for service.
I can tell you that’s the first £75 they’ve had out of me and it will also be the LAST!! They didn’t even have the courtesy to wear a three cornered hat, ride a black horse and yell “Stand and deliver” when they brought the bill! Absolutely Ridiculous! 😡

Zara was really helpful and assisted me in connecting to the internet.
the Morrocan Lamb burger was excellent; not too spicy but just spicy enough.
The background music was at a level where it didn't interfere with our conversation.
Would definitely come back.

Just been to the one at xscape at Castleford and would definitely recommend.The service was excellent and the food was top notch.

I absolutely love this place it’s one of my go’s to because of the staff and the food I really love the food from there it’s soo good there was a chef called Safiullah I don’t know if he is still there or not but it’s soo the food I will recommend it to everyone

Incredibly overpriced for what you actually get, cheeseburger, fries, and a hot dog - with a milkshake and lemonade for £50?
Service was very poor also, none of the staff seemed willing to even pretend they were happy to be there.
Portion sizes were not great for the price charged, but borderline. Burger was very rare, which is not a US trend that should be catching on over here in the slightest, but at least the food tasted good.
Truffle parmesan fries seemed to have that kind of shaker bottle cheese on, rather than fresh-grated, but it tasted alright at least.
Hot dog was decent, but again, for the portion, very expensive.

Automatic "service charge" was hilariously added before the bill was brought, but by this point we just wanted to go.

Thanked the manager as we left to get a curt "Yeah," and he turned around again.

Doubt we'll be back.

Food was the worst food I have ever had, chicken burger not cooked and the chips tasted awful like they had been reheated from a week ago so didn’t eat.

The disabled toilet we were told to use was absolutely disgusting and had not been cleaned for a very long time.

Amazing service and food. Especially the peri wings!!

Went to their Watford location and it was a really nice experience. The waiter made nice conversation with us and suggested us different things from the menu. Food was prepared quite well.

Spent £35 and could have had better service and food at Wetherspoons. Starter tk be fair was nice beetroot humas Had half chicken no taste. Then ordered sticky toffee pudding. Waitress placed pudding in front of me and walked off, I was believing to get me a spoon however this was not to be. Once j got her attention she got me a spoon. All this time I was thinking why is my ice cream not melted. I soon found out it was cold and the ice cream felt it had been defrosted and re frozen. Then I waited and waited to pay my bill and gave up and paid at the bar where the waitress asked if I would like to give a tip. I Don’t think so! Just wish I had gone to spoons and saved money
Also asked me to contact them via email!! No reply week later

The stuff that comes from this company is hemp sprayed with D8 or HCC don't buy it's a rip off

Dear Smokey Boys Management,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express my deep dissatisfaction with the dining experience I recently had at your establishment. My visit was marred by several issues that, as a fully qualified chef, I find unacceptable.

Hygiene Issues: I discovered hair on the chips, and it was evident that the chips were frozen. This raised concerns about the overall hygiene standards in the kitchen.

Overcooked Hot Dog: The hot dog was overcooked, compromising its quality. This oversight indicates a lack of attention to detail in food preparation.

Inadequate Response to a Kids' Meal Issue: The children's meal arrived as a burger despite being ordered as chicken strips. The resolution provided—cutting the chicken into pieces—was both misleading and insufficient.

Delayed Service: It took over an hour to be served six main dishes. This prolonged delay negatively impacted the overall dining experience.

Lack of Menu Knowledge: Staff members appeared unfamiliar with the menu, leading to confusion and, subsequently, subpar service.

Ineffective Management: The on-site manager failed to address the situation appropriately and neglected to communicate with customers.

Concerns About Food Safety: I am concerned that the food may not have been temperature probed, raising potential health and safety issues.

The offered solution of a 50 percent discount on the bill is inadequate, considering the multiple issues encountered. As a professional in the culinary industry, I believe it is crucial to maintain high standards of food safety, quality, and service.

I request a detailed response outlining the specific actions being taken to address the identified problems. Additionally, I would appreciate insights into how Smokey Boys plans to prevent similar issues in the future.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I trust that you will take the necessary steps to rectify the situation and uphold the reputation of your establishment.

Sincerely,