Smoke BBQ
| Address: | 487 King St, Charleston, SC 29403, USA |
| Phone: | +1 843-805-5050 |
| Site: | smokebbq.kitchen |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–2AM 11AM–2AM 11AM–2AM 11AM–2AM 11AM–11PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
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Jeri Simpson
The food took way too long to come out. As with the other reviewer who waited almost an hour for food, this was unacceptable. The place was not packed and there was no line. The guy behind us that ordered just moments before us got his food right alway. The party of 6 that came in 30 minutes after us got their food within minutes after ordering. We were left to twiddle our thumbs. Im not sure if there was a lack of communication between the server and the kitchen, but most of the food is already pre-made, so Im not sure what warranted the wait. I gave them a couple more stars because the food was quite tasty. And if I didnt wait so long for it, it probably would have made the experience fantastic. They do a great job on their food, so if you go and get a good server that can get your food out in a decent amount of time, this place has yummy BBQ. No question about it. We tried the meat sampler, added ribs, and wings. As the sides, we ordered the mac n cheese and chili-cheese grits. Every meat item was good enough to eat on its own. No sauce needed. Thats good bbq! Hubby liked the mac and cheese, I thought it didnt have enough of a cheesy flavor. To me, it was like pasta coated with white stuff. A bit bland. I did enjoy the Grits, but my hubby thought it was just ok. He grew up in the south and doesnt like the chili-type red sauce they used on the Grits. Overall, I could take or leave this place. I know there is a lot of good BBQ here, so Im not partial to this place.
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Mike Joslyn
How do you stand out in a city with literally thousands of restaurants? You do something better than anyone else. Smoke BBQ has been in business less than a month after a previous life as a food truck, but its unique— BBQ with finesse. We didnt get there in time to sample chef and pitmaster Roland Feldmans brisket (it was all gone after a local paper cited it as a "must try") but no tears, because Smokes pastrami is beyond excellent. I was lucky enough to try a pile of it on its own, without bread or garnishes, and if I could order it in vats that way, Id be happy. This is not to say that the smoked chicken and pulled pork are any less astonishing. I normally steer clear of BBQ chicken because the process can leave it dry and unpalatable, but theres no danger of that here. Its just that I cant eat EVERYTHING in one go (although I did give it a try). The pulled pork doesnt disappoint (particularly with chef Rolands terrific in-house mustard BBQ sauce). Its in the attention to the sides that shows how good the Feldmans really are: theyre not just afer thoughts. Theyre special slaw is a case in point: red cabbage, green apple, carrot and candied walnut combination is perfectly combined and dressed without anything in the mix overwhelming anything else. Its a mastery of balance that shows through in everything that the Smoke crew turns out. My visit has turned me into a confirmed "Smoke" eater for life.
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Jack George
Went here At 7pm on Friday night. Not packed. They were already out of ribs and I was told I got the last Mac and cheese they had. Well I thought. We waited over an hour for our food (you would think BBQ would be quick as its mostly pre cooked). We questioned our order several times to see if it was coming. Then at the one hour mark, the waitress told us we had a miscommunication and that our food was just being prepared but they had run out of Mac and cheese so what else did I want. At that point I was over it. They brought us our pulled pork which was just a pile of meat on a tray and a side of beans which was about 3 bites worth. The BBQ had a really strong vinegar taste. Wasnt all that good. I was disappointed since we were hoping for some amazing Carolina BBQ. There are many other BBQ places down by the city market. Looking forward to trying them. Wont be back to this place. Bad service. Bad food.
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Emmy Murney
I am incredibly picky when it comes to BBQ and I could eat Smoke every week, their food is just that good. Their brisket is so tender and flavorful you dont even need sauce, and their chicken wings are so tender they literally fall off the bone when you eat them. The tangy sauce that comes along with the wings is fantastic too. We love Smoke BBQ so much we had them cater our wedding. Roland and his brother were wonderful to work with. They were very responsive, worked within our budget, and were prompt and on time and incredibly professional at the wedding. They were also incredibly affordable. Our guests could not stop raving about the food and their Mac and Cheese made it into the wedding toast it was just that good. Roland and his team were so kind to wrap up and leave us leftovers from the wedding too. I could not recommend them enough to anyone looking for a great BBQ joint or caterer.
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DianaCaro Restrepo
Food is ok. Service is terrible. We went there for dinner with my friends in Charleston SC last night, 5/28. The server looked terribly tired, which is absolutely understandable since its Memorial Day weekend...we tried hard to be patient. Poor girl. She then transferred our table to another server who was nice, but he was also busy as hell. It took us a while for him to take our orders and to us to get our food. Servers never came back to refill drinks (we were having only water!) And they never asked if they should separate checks so they brought just one check and when I asked to separate bills, this girl only splited the whole check into equal parts!!! My friends that ordered less, ended up paying more... Terrible, terrible. Not.coming back on our next visit to Charleston.
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Renee Joslyn
Apparently the local paper did a story on them today, highly recommending the brisket, so they sold out of brisket long before we ever got there! Despite that disappointment, we loved our meal. Husband had pastrami and pulled pork, and I had the smoked chicken sandwich. All were very, very delicious, but dont overlook the supporting players! I fell in love with all of the house-made vegetable pickles (pickled green tomatoes are outstanding!) and my husband thought the unusual coleslaw was genius - subtle flavors and not what youd expect. Id say that their transition from food truck to brick and mortar is a success. Keep em going, Charleston!
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M Engler
The food was good but the reason for such a low rating is the service. There was a male server when my family went to the restaurant that was yelling through the entire establishment about how he is from the North and therefore is not friendly, being flat out rude to customers when they did not want to stay and eat after the shop had run out of their ribs, and even used profanity at one point. Multiple couples around our family were visibly annoyed with this server and with it being such a small restaurant, every diner was unfortunately subjected to listening to the server ramble. Ruined the atmosphere of good food and good drinks.
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Kevin Smith
Weve been here twice. The first visit was forgettable, nothing good or bad. Second visit was all bad. Their "famous wings" that everyone raves about are dry, tiny, and have no flavor. Sure, the sauces are good but I can make food that has to have sauce at my house. Prices arent horrible for downtown but theyre higher than the food is worth. All the staff were very distracted, lazy, and unfriendly. Overall, were not going to try again and honestly we havent had great luck downtown at all. Go elsewhere for dinner either before or after your trip downtown.
