Another internet search takes the BBQ Trail to Lulu’s Smokehouse in Virginia Beach, VA. We had seen mixed reviews and comments on line. I also found where they had changed owners and were starting to change things some. With all that combined we waited for the new management to settle in and then give them a try.
Where is Lulu’s Smokehouse Located?
Lulu’s Smokehouse is located near Sandbridge in Virginia Beach, VA. Their actual address is on Upton Dr. We came in off of Princess Anne Road with the help of GPS. They are in Red Mill Commons Shopping Center. They have a nice corner location.
The Restaurant and Staff:
Lulu’s Smokehouse has a very large dining area. It’s divided up into 3 or 4 sections. It also doubles as a pretty good sized bar. The dining room we sat in was clean and pretty comfortable. I believe this to be the main area since the bar is also located in this one. There were a few people sitting at the bar having drinks but no one was getting loud or unruly. We were greeted at the door. In fact the young lady opened the door to let us in, greeted us and then seated us. We also had a very friendly waitress. She was very helpful and pleasant to us. She made sure to check on us frequently to be sure we were ok and see if we needed anything. Actually everyone we came in contact with was quite nice.
Our Choices at Lulu’s Smokehouse:
Sampler Platter at Lulu’s Smokehouse. Pork and Sliced Brisket shown.
This time I’m going to start with Tammy’s selections. They only have one sampler platter at Lulu’s Smokehouse and that was Tammy’s choice. It comes with Pork, Sliced Brisket, and Pulled Chicken. The platter also came with cornbread muffins. Tammy chose Slaw and Mac & Cheese for her sides. Starting with her sides, the slaw was good. It was mayo based and had a pretty good taste. The mac & cheese tasted pretty good but the noodles were under cooked. She didn’t care for the crunch. The muffins were also a little under cooked.
The pork had a different taste to it. It had very little smoke flavor and almost tasted like beef. Something just didn’t add up with this one. Neither of us really cared much for it.
Moving on to the brisket things didn’t improve much. We didn’t taste any smoke flavor with the brisket and there was no sign of a smoke ring. My thought is that the brisket was cooked in an oven and cooked too fast taking away the tenderness of the meat. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
The chicken didn’t have any smoke flavor either. It just tasted like it was cooked and pulled. It did improve a little by adding sauce to it. Not being a huge chicken fan to start with, this didn’t endear me to eat more of it.
Ribs and Pork at Lulu’s Smokehouse.
My selection was a Half Rack of Ribs. I added Pork for an extra $3. This platter also came with Cornbread Muffins. I chose Fries and Baked Beans as sides. The fries were good. The baked beans were very good. They were cooked in a good BBQ sauce with meat in them.
My ribs were pretty good but the sauce was too heavy on them. My half rack only had four bones. Usually half racks consist of 5 or 6 bones. I’d prefer less sauce so it doesn’t overpower the taste of the ribs.
Final Thoughts:
While there are some good points to Lulu’s Smokehouse, based on this visit I just can’t recommend them for BBQ. We may have hit them up on a bad day. It is possible we just had bad timing on this one. Or, they may be a pretty good bar that serves some food which keeps their reviews up a little. Hopefully the new management will make more changes and the food quality will get better.
Again, in closing I want to say that everyone we came in contact with was extremely nice. They do have a wonderful staff at Lulu’s Smokehouse.
Your Thoughts:
Now it is your turn. Have you been to Lulu’s Smokehouse? How did your visit go? Please feel free to leave comments and I’ll get them posted to the page. We’d love to hear from others out there that have been here.
What do you regulars think?
I would think that there are regulars at Lulu’s Smokehouse. Let us know what keeps you going back. I know that there are some really good people working there, but what else makes you one of their regular patrons? You can send me your comments and I’ll be happy to get them posted.
I look forward to hearing from all of you.
I’d like to encourage you to share this post for others to see.
I couldn’t locate a website for Lulu’s Smokehouse and Tavern.
They are on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/LulusSmokehouse
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