To kick off season 3 of CT Snapshot, we decided to review Taíno Smokehouse in Middletown. While several smokehouses exist in Connecticut, Taíno Smokehouse stood out to us because of the history behind its name. According to the description on the restaurant’s website, barbecue originated with indigenous peoples of the Caribbean such as the Taíno. Today, barbecue is very much part of American culture, but many Americans don’t know where the cooking method started. By simply visiting the restaurant’s website, we knew that the owners want to remind people of barbecue’s Taíno roots and serve delicious cuisine to customers from all over. We couldn’t wait to check the place out and chow down.
Taino Smokehouse
Grade: B+
Location: 482 South Main Street, Middletown, CT
Atmosphere: 9/10-When you enter Taíno Smokehouse, you’ll likely notice the design of a Taíno chief on the floor. The design reminds people of the restaurant’s logo and barbecue’s Taíno origins. Even if customers did not know about the history behind the restaurant’s name, the design and logo create a sense of wonder and intrigue. Likewise, the logo, name and design differentiate Taíno Smokehouse from other barbecue restaurants in the state. With a few more Taíno-related decorations, the restaurant could really stand out.
Service: 10/10-Taíno Smokehouse is not spacious, but seating indoors and outside fills quickly. The waiters, waitresses, cashiers and cooks can handle the demands of their customers. They also treat customers with a friendly attitude and constantly check up on them. These qualities speak volumes about Taíno Smokehouse in terms of their care for quality, customer service. We also didn’t have too long for a check.
Price/Selection 8/10-Taíno Smokehouse offers a wide selection for their menu in terms of their appetizers, wings/chicken pops/shrimp, BBQ sandwiches and BBQ dinners. We expected a bigger portion size for the amount we paid for our dinners, but we found the portion size for our appetizers to be more than suitable.
Taste: 8/10-We had mixed feelings on the taste of our entrees. Make no mistake; we enjoyed our entrees, but some proved more savory than others. We found the BBQ pulled pork dinner to be fantastic along with the sweet potato fries. The BBQ chicken dinner proved satisfying as well, but not quite on the same level. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our entrees and left zero scraps behind.
In a nutshell: 35/40-In a nutshell, we enjoyed the history, service and entrees of Taíno smokehouse and encourage our readers to visit. We plan to stop by Taíno Smokehouse in the future, but we must venture on to other restaurants in the state before doing so.
CT Snapshot 