Mahoney's Smokehouse

I've got a couple of more posts from the good ol' hudson valley before i hit you with scranton. wa bammmm.

yeah yeah yeah, these events happened almost a month ago (oh man, i've been living in scranton for almost a month! when did that happen), but grad school is hard and time consuming so clearly i just don't have time to post that often. sad day. however, with a small lull, i am trying to get caught up as much as possible.

back to the food. for the birthday of one of BOOF's aunts, some of the fam bam headed to Mahoney's Smokehouse in Wappingers Falls. The intention of heading to Mahoney's was that we had heard word that they boast some of the best bbq in the hudson valley and although this is no memphis, who does not want some good bbq to wrap up the summer? I was fully aware that I was going to be hard pressed to find something on the menu for me to eat, but at least I knew I would be able to get some fries...or something.


Mahoney's Smokehouse (not to be confused with its sister restaurant, Mahoney's Irish Pub in Poughkeepsie) is really nothing to look at from the outside or the inside. Frankly, if we would have not heard through the grapevine about Mahoney's SH, I am sure that we would have never found our way to it. It sits in a mini strip mall on Route 9 in Wappingers Falls. When you walk in, there is nothing really to mention besides the fact that it appears to be pretty much a hole in the wall with some food. So let's get to the food.

There are various bbq options on the menu from chicken to pulled pork to st louis ribs to baby back ribs and a few others. Mom and Auntie ordered the St. Louis and Baby Back Ribs respectively and luckily, they had some fish and chips on the bar menu because if that had not been the case, i would have been eating sweet potato fries for dinner. I ordered the fish and chips but substituted the chips for the sweet potato fries. Both types of ribs came with a two sides so everyone essentially ordered the corn on the cob and sweet potato fries on the side. Looking back, mom wish she would have tried the Baked Beans, and I had actually asked about these but found out that they do cook them with their meat...sad face.

The reason why Mahoney's SH is very good and well known is because they literally have a smoke house out back where they cook and cure their meat throughout the day. The St. Louis came with a dry rub and the Baby Back Ribs were slathered in barbecue sauce. The Fish n Chips was just a standard cod. The fish and Chips were fine but the Sweet Potato fries were really quite delicious. I mean, the fish was really just standard and nothing special at all. From what I gathered, both types of Ribs were really really tasty and worth the hoopla. Because the St. Louis was a dry rub, depending on your taste, you may have wanted to add some additional barbecue sauce (as did my mom), but the smokiness and tenderness of the ribs were stellar. The seasoning was good and the flavors were there. Additionally, the corn on the cob was cooked on the grill and that IS the best way to eat corn on the cob. Really fresh and sweet.

Despite its appearance and lack of vegetarian items, Mahoney's did not disappoint in the cuisine that is its staple. Nevertheless, I do believe that if Mahoney's wants to become a mainstay of the area, it definitely needs to up its decor and service because it's food, definitely backs it up.

Grade: B- (A- for the ribs; C for everything else)