Smokey Gringo - Barbecue restaurant in Winder - 49 N Jackson St, USA

This place is amazing. It’s like the perfect BBQ sandwich and perfect/tacos and burritos combined and they’ll make it any way you want with anything. All the smoked meats are great. They really know their craft. The owner is very helpful and friendly. There is a full bar too with lots of premium tequilas. You have to eat here.

This was our first time trying Smokey Gringo. We were in the mood for tacos and wanted something different than our usual spot. I of coursed check Google Reviews before I try any restaurant and most of them were raves. It was a slow day for them given it's a Tuesday afternoon and rainy outside. The guy behind the counter was very nice and offered to explain the menu for us and offer his personal suggestions, which is something I always ask for anyway lol. Their menu was different the ones posted on Google. The server said that the menu on their website is always accurate. We decided to try a little bit of everything. We got every signature taco (carna asada, the cue, the clucker, and the staple), the empanads (1 chicken and 1 brisket), and the Gringo burger. We had 3 sides of chips that came with the main courses and we added a small queso. All the food was FANTASTIC! The flavors were bold and delicious. And those house made chips have a seasoning on them that is INCREDIBLE! Nothing was under seasoned or bland by any means! The owner actually brought out our burger when it was ready and asked how we were liking everything. We told him the food was INCREDIBLE and the seasoning on the chips was INSANELY DELICIOUS! Apparently, it's the same rub they use to smoke their meat (who would of thought!). Highly highly recommend!!! We will DEFINITELY be back....my husband can't shut up about how amazing those chips are lol.

Loved the bartender, Olivia. I ordered a drink off the menu and it was great, then she was so accommodating to make an oldie for me that wasn’t on the menu. She was super welcoming and friendly. Kitchen staff were also kind, and food was good. I ordered a Staple bowl and it was fantastic. The playlist was good too. Only complaint is that it wasn’t the most comfortable atmosphere and it was pretty cold haha (especially in the bathroom) but that might just be me🤷🏻‍♀️ PS Loved the plants<3

The line was super long, but once you get your food you understand why! We had a party of 14 which was no problem because the patio seating was huge. There are fans and TVs so even though it's hot we were comfortable. We had nachos, tacos, jowls and burritos. Everyone was stuffed and happy! The big fans were shrimp, fried chicken and brisket. We'll definitely be back and highly recommend checking them out

Grew up in Winder, and I wish this place was open when I went to high school. Amazing food, amazing ambiance/music, and amazing service. Owner was here, explained the menu thoroughly and hand made our orders. You can tell this is his passion and I’ll make sure to stop in every time I visit town.

Very cool atmosphere, but that is where anything “good” about this place ended. We went on a Friday night, they weren’t very busy, but they had a birthday party in the patio, so no seating was available out there. All tables inside that were empty were dirty. I cleaned one off so we could sit down. We went to order and they only had 2 choices of meat, lettuce and no cheese available. They then wanted to charge us extra for what few toppings they did have for the nachos we ordered, because those were considered “add ons”. We told them no thanks, had basically chips with dried out steak for almost $25. Then the bar- my goodness, it took almost 15 minutes to get a beer made, with 3 people sitting at the bar and an almost empty restaurant at this time. I’m sure it would be good for a quick lunch, but for a dinner on Friday evening- don’t waste your time.

Absolutely love this place! We discovered them when Winder had the walk through Christmas parade this year. We have been back 5 or 6 times since. I went tonight and got a few tacos and empanadas. When I got home I noticed my empanadas were missing. My fault for not checking the bag. So I drove back and apologized for not checking my bag and ordered a few more tacos and some Churros since I was there. They apologized and said we will remake them for you. I told them that I appreciated it and that they have become one of our favorite places. The customer service, food, atmosphere are all amazing!!

Update: We made it back to give it a try on 9/5/2020. I stand by my comment that the anesthetics are great. I personally think they did a great job inside. Food: Let me be clear. The food was good. However everything we ordered was room temperature which gives me some concerns. The Elote was barely warm. The brisket was room temp. The pulled pork was room temp. The queso was room temp. I feel like the corn, meats, and queso should have been hot. Cleanliness : We visited around 3:30 pm in an effort to visit during a slower time of the day. It was pretty slow. A couple sitting outside and a couple sitting on the inside. The tables look great in the place but are completely nasty. They have grooves in the table top that collect all the food that falls on the table. So it gets caked in the grooves and is gross to say the least. Just wiping these tables are not going to clean the groves. During the time we ate we did not see one employee make rounds in the dining room area to clean tables after people left. For those interested. Since our 1st visit they have taped off tables to allow for distancing. People preparing food were wearing mask. Bartender was not wearing a mask and was walking around the restaurant talking with a couple of the customers. Overall I feel like this place could be great but so far and am disappointed to say the least. It will probably be some time before we come back. So far 2 strikes. I hope 3rd time it will be an improved experience. I would love to try your food. It's a beautiful new place. However, there is about zero evidence of distancing anywhere in the restaurant. I saw 2 out maybe 10 employees wearing mask. Basically the restaurant looked like it was operating like it would have pre-covid. Not expecting everything to be perfect but expecting to see effort made for employee and customer safety. Waited in line for about 5 mins before we left because everyone in line was stuffed together almost elbow to elbow. Please let us know what CDC guideline are being followed?