Smoke Berkeley

As I walked in I he was cutting the brisket and I couldn’t resist. He gave me a mixture of the perfect smoked meat with a little fat for flavor and was amazing. Great experience/​customer service. Really friendly, made me feel like I was home. I’m definitely going to stop by when I come back to town.

Hospitality was clearly offered! We had a late lunch at Smoke & it was yum! Between the 3 of us, we tried the ribs, brisket, hot links, chicken, collard greens, baked beans, & the mac & cheese. The meats were a hit! My ribs were tender & yummy, the reports on the other meats were equally great! I asked for a sm. serving of the hot sauce on the side. My collards were a tad on the salty side & the Mac & cheese seemed to be missing the jalapeño, not sure about the beans, but the meats were good enough to make me want to return! We were served with a smile & made to feel appreciated. I would return! Not too expensive for what we got either!

Just went to smoke on Sunday for the first time. What a great restaurant. The staff is warm and friendly. They were a bit understaffed, but they made up for it in graciousness. Now the bbq, the brisket was tender and juicy. My husband’s ribs were meaty and tasty. I like less vinegary sauce but it was made well. We got medium and it had a good spice to it. The portions were good. Much better than most bbq places so a good value. The chocolate pecan pie was delicious. I will get back.

With the great review on Check Please, I was really looking forward to Smoke. I arrived 25 minutes before closing, and the staff person told me in a pretty unfriendly way that they were out of almost everything because «we’re getting ready to close.» I had the impression she wanted me to leave, as the people ahead of me had. But I persisted, and ordered what they still had– chicken, potato salad and chocolate pecan pie.
The chicken was so-​so — not bad, but nothing special. The potato salad was overly processed– there were some nice chunks of celery but no chunks of potato at all. I did really like the chocolate pecan pie.
I suppose I should try Smoke again earlier in the day when they have more available, but since the staff person didn’t even say «thank you», I doubt I’ll go back.

Great pulled pork and great service!

This place is legit. They have awesome BBQ, well seasoned interesting side dishes, fair portions, and a staff of positive folks proud of their product. I will continue to return, and have recommended this place to my friends.
Kinda pricey, but all BBQ is these days.

Sorry to report Smoke Berkeley has gone seriously down hill. Use to really enjoy the food from here. But this last time the ribs were burnt on the outside/​pinkish on the inside (that is not how you do ribs); both rice sides were totally dried out, as were the baked beans. Maybe it is lack of oversight in the cooking process, or maybe the food just sits around for far too long before it is sold. In any case, I will not be returning. Still missing Doug’s on San Pablo!

I usually smoke my own meats but with all the rain we have been getting I thought I would give this place a try. Bad idea. I wanted to take a slab of cut and sauced pork ribs home for dinner but they don’t sell slabs so opted for their 8 rib w/​sides option. First, the guy putting up the order must have been high as he started to cut brisket and when I tried to point it out to him it took three times before he got it. (this after screwing up the order before me which was the only other one in the place at 5pm.) So he goes in the back and comes out with a full slab of St. Louis cut ribs. My first clue and when I should have walked out was, the slab looked as firm and stiff as a corpse, but they take your money up front and I was really hungry. He cut them up, sauced them and plated the two sides into these flimsy cardboard containers, that I had a hell of a time getting to the truck. Lids won’t even stay closed. So I get home and fix a plate. My first bite of the ribs was disgusting, I mean really disgusting. The ribs were stone cold as mentioned but they were not even cooked. Ribs need a good 6 hours of slow and low cooking, these seemed to have been cooked in the oven for an hour at 450. They were hard as hell on the outside and none of the fat or connective tissue had been rendered and 0 smoke flavor. Just really, really tough meat layered in the fat and sinew. Honestly my 7 year old grandson already knows how to produce a better product. We ended up making some chicken tacos for dinner. The only way I could attempt to eat this $ 25 meal was to nuke them with a bit of water for like 12 mins, to render the fat and sinew so I could get at the meat. I then had to cut the meat cut off the bone with a sharp knife and into little bites and sauced the hell out of it. The sides were awful as well. Their potato salad is like they mistook mustard for mayo and the Mac and cheese, well I think they would do better with Kraft out of a box. I binned them both. He did give me a taste of the brisket while I was waiting, it was tough and flavorless. This is really sad because it’s a cute place and they have the set up for a really cool BBQ spot. I quit going to KC and Everett & Jones because they have just seem to have lost their souls and just mail it in. From this point on I’ll just wait out the weather and smoke my own. I honestly don’t understand the 5 star ratings for this place. Either they are paid or have no frigging clue what real BBQ is.

Awesome customer service! Great portions! And that’s why I gave two stars. The quality of the food wasnt very good though and that’s why I also only gave two stars. I ordered a combo of brisket and ribs with two sides. The brisket was so tough and hard to chew I literally couldn’t even swallow it. The meat as like a rubber texture. The ribs were good, but burnt on the ends and the sauce on top was too over powering. Collard greens tasted really weird and I love collard greens. the corn bread wasn’t very good either. I can probably say I just enjoyed the jalapeño macaroni. Probably won’t ever go back. Too over priced for pour quality.

Staff: Excellent really kind people
Restaurant: untidy, floors sticky and dirty as if they are not cleaned daily, flies flying around with uncovered food ie. pies, cornbread was almost scared to order after seeing how untidy it was but loved the story behind the start-​up of the company and wanted to support.
Food: Brisket: was really fatty but taste was good
Mac n cheese: pretty good
Cornbread: DRY unflavored

Unilocalers gave this place such good reviews that I just had to try it so I drove the 20 miles but sad to say because of un-​cleanliness I know I will not be back each bite I took I wondered what crawled on it before I ate it totally turned me off and could not enjoy my food so in the trash it went:(

Really good customer service. So I am having a somewhat difficult time writing this.
I learned that using EAT 24 does not help support this place and I won’t use it again for that reason.
I do not like BBQ sauce and rely on the brisket to stand alone. Therefore I wish the brisket here had more flavor. I also wish it was more tender.
The Mac and cheese was decent.

Honestly the food doesn’t look fancy BUT IT’S DELICIOUS. This jalapeño mac and cheese is amazing! It has like a vinegary taste with the jalapeño. YUUUM. The chocolate pecan pie slice looks small but it’s even chocolatey and sweet enough for me, which is difficult. The brisket sandwich is melting in my mouth. SO GOOD. These are the reasons I go here to treat myself. Thank you Smoke Berkeley

Did not realize there is such a great place in Berkeley! Came here for the first time and the food was amazing and the staff was awesome! We had the pull pork beef brisket and the ribs. They were so flavorful and the meat fell off the bone! If you are ever in Berkeley and want some good barbecue stop by Berkeley Smokes you will not be disappointed!

.God!!! I canNOT wait to go back to Smoke Berkeley. This place is literally AWESOME!!! Those side dishes… holy moly… those side dishes!!! I had the chicken with the hot and savory BBQ sauce, baked beans and mac and cheese. I thought I could «burn» in the kitchen with some BBQ but I can’t compete with the folks at Smoke Berkeley. The staff are sweet and make you feel like part of their family. I’m hungry now just thinking of that heavenly aroma. Awesome. Simply awesome.

Got the pulled pork plate with a side of the collard greens and since I couldn’t eat the cornbread they gave me a little extra greens.
First off, the staff here has got that southern hospitality charm all over the place. Everyone was super nice and seemed to know and care about their regulars, truly.
The pulled pork was pretty good. A little too much bbq sauce on it for me, but that’s a personal preference and I can ask for less next time.
Now. The collard greens.
I know my collards. My mom is a Kentucky woman and a phenomenal cook. Even she knows that when you make collard greens proper, you take your time, let the flavors meld together and it takes work. Within my first few bites it tasted exactly how I wanted… no…needed them to taste! My only reservation was «there’s no meat in here… maybe they modified it to be more vegetarian friendly? but the flavor is still there. ok». Next bite. Uncover HUGE chunk of pork. DING DING DING! We have a winner.
Just like Mom’s. I’ll be back. For the greens alone.

Amazing options across the board. Beans and mac and cheese are top shelf. Ribs and salmon are both great. CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE

Without even tasting the food, Five stars because the quality of people who own and run this local business. Among the nicest genuine people I’m going to ever meet in Berkeley, Their story is quite admirable in my book.
I had the hotlinks which seems to only be on their specials menu. I was craving bbq so it’s hard for me to judge effectively since i’d have eaten a leather boot if it had that sauce on it today.

If your looking for a place to fill that BBQ craving this is the spot. I look forward to coming back here again!
It’s small.
It’s old.
It’s a little cluttered.
It’s really great!
Start with the greens. These are done to perfection. I like my greens a little bit on the sweet side and although these aren’t I still really enjoyed them. Bitter is good I guess?
The Mac n Cheese is OK and I liked it enough to probably get it again but it didn’t blow my mind.
Get the brisket. Soft and tender with a slight smokey taste and just sweet enough. It wasn’t a disgustingly gelatinous mess as is sometimes confused for soft and tender. It was great!
The service is OK albeit a little disorganized. Give yourself (or them) a little extra time while they try to keep everything moving smoothly. I got the feeling that everything was on the verge of falling completely apart although it worked well for us. The ordering process was painfully slow.
There will be a line and we’ll be waiting in it with a smile.

Ehhh… definitely a bit overrated if you ask me.
This place came highly recommended by a few fellow work colleagues, as well as being featured on local bay area shows, as a noteworthy place to check out. We also work within walking distance to to this place, so after much built up anticipation of checking this place out, we all decided one afternoon to head on over and taste what all the hype was about.
The ambiance of this place, screams the south… almost makes you feel as if you walked into some little hole in the wall place, deep in the south of good o’l Louisiana or such. The place is also fairly small, and just offers a handful of seating both inside and out.
They offer quite the appealing menu that would greatly appeal to all you bbq fans. I have to say, I am not a big bbq, rib, sauce type a girl, but there were some tasty sounding options provided, such as: jalepeno mac n cheese, smoked salmon, and chocolate pecan pie… just to name a few. The prices are also fairly reasonable considering the portions you get. I ended up getting a plate of your choice of meat and a side. For meat, I chose the smoked chicken and for a side, I chose the Jalepeno mac n cheese. They offer a handful of delicious sounding bbq sauces to choose from that all sound quite spicy for the most, I ended up going with the mild sauce on the side. I also ordered an iced tea unsweetened. Everyone else went with the chicken and pulled pork — sides of cheesy rice and potato salad. The place was pretty hot inside, so we chose the outdoor seating which was perfect.
They then called our names, plate by plate. Took a reasonable amount of time to wait. All our our meals looked aesthetically pleasing for the most, however unfortunate fell short in the taste satisfaction part. My chicken was pretty dry for the most, and others agreed as well theirs. Mac n cheese was a far cry from anything spectacular, leaving less then worth the extra calories. It was just fairly bland in taste. Corn bread that comes accommodated with all meals, was sadly extremely dry, and quite flavorless. Everyone that ordered lemonade and «sweet tea» said that they couldn’t even taste any sweetness at all. I have to say, the only thing I really enjoyed about the meal was the «Mild Sauce» however, it certainly was a bit too spicy to be considered mild for me — and I like spicy. Oh, and the Chocolate Pecan pie they ordered and shared (I just had one little bite), looked and tasted as if a store bought brownie concoction mixed with settle pecans… it was decent, but nothing spectacular.
We later were greeted by the exceptionally friendly, owner — she was an absolute sweetheart! She just gave us a brief history of how she started the buisness, which was quite interesting. Definitely was the one plus to our experience here this day.
But, overall, as endearing and sweet the owner and staff all were, I can’t say I would be eager to come back here anytime soon.

Best BBQ I’ve ever had! I crave Sean’s cheesy rice! The lemonade is fresh squeezed lemonade is made to order and the pies are to die for! I don’t usually like pecans but the chocolate pecan pie is soooooooo good!

Pretty much your standard BBQ menu — ribs, chicken, pulled pork, brisket available as 4 or 8 ounce sandwich portions or plates with choice of 1 or 2 sides, or add on another if you are really hungry. Sale, mac and cheese, greens. potato salad and other sides. 3 –4 tables inside and outside, although outside is pretty much the parking lot next to the carwash. Love the slaw, mac and cheese good, brisket a bit dry to my liking, huge portion of ribs if you order the plate.
Staff are fun and friendly.

I feel bad for those that went to Smoke and did not like it. I have no idea what sort of BBQ they are used to. I, however just came back from Smoke and it was like being back in Texas. While I have read several reviews remarking on the dry tasteless, smoke ring lacking brisket that was not my experience in the least. I was handed a piece while it was being cut and it was moist and succulent and that was before it even touched sauce. I really have not seen any reviews mentioning the chicken, which is a shame because it was amazing.
My fiancé and I got the Longhorn special with brisket, chicken, salmon, greens, and mac & cheese. Like I said the brisket we had was so tender it was nearly falling apart when I tried to pick it up with my fork. The chicken was tender and juicy even without sauce. The salmon… ugh so good. I want to go back just for the salmon with or without that amazing green sauce. Speaking of sauce we got the medium, and it was pretty much like the sauce I remember in Texas. I want to go back and get the brisket with the hot sauce on it some day. Oh and we got brought a rib to try, and I feel bad for those that did not get a rib like ours when they went, because while it was not fall off the bone the mean was juicy and smokey and very much what I would expect from a Texas BBQ place.
As for the sides, and all other things. The jalapeño mac & cheese was cheesy and had just enough jalapeño to let me know it was there but not so much as to overwhelm the cheese. The collard greens were just that perfectly cooked tasty collards. The corn bread was a fairly typical cornbread with a hint of peppers, likely jalapenos, to it. The Texas sweet tea was like I remember from my college and post college time in Texas. As for dessert, we got there too late for peach dessert of the day but that was fine because my fiancé’s favorite is pecan pie, so we of course got that, and it was as good as my former grandmother-​in-​laws, and her pecan pie is the one I judge all pecan pies by. All in all I may be a California girl but my second home state will always be Texas and when I am looking for a taste of that home I will run to Smoke.

A neighborhood joint servin’ up some BBQ with the Foam N Wash as the backdrop? Who could say no?
Unfortunately, while our gang tried to love it, BBQ was sub-​par compared to all the other great options in the area. «A-​ok,» a friend said. «Dry and boring,» said another.
The biggest letdown was the cornbread. I mean, it’s difficult to enjoy BBQ when the cornbread tastes like it’s two days old.
Their saving grace may be their excellent hot BBQ sauce — that was definitely was on point. But even as we drenched our dried out brisket in the delicious chili-​powder-​based BBQ sauce, it couldn’t cover the fact that something was amiss with the food.
Just not our cup of tea or maybe they weren’t having their best day.

Craving some good Bbq and my go to spot «KC’s «is closed on Sunday’s. Decided to give Smoke a try… Bad mistake, to say the least.
I arrived around 4 this evening and there was a line just about out the door, 7 deep. I figured it had to be a good thing so I waited it out. It took about 20 minutes to get to the register to place my order. This took so long due to the gay gentleman serving the food was to busy giving extra attention and sweet talk to this group of ladies. So I placed my order with the very confused and preoccupied gal at the register, 8oz ribs, Mac n cheese, beans and hot and mild sauce on the side in a separate container. Simple right?!
I take a set out side and wait another 20 minutes. Meanwhile the owner shows up and she is now going table to table greeting everyone. Nice, Now the guy that is suppose to putting my order together has joined in on the table greetings and making sassy talk with the ladies regarding their hair cuts… As I get up to find out where my order is a couple walks in and were obviously friends with the owner. They order and receive their food in lightning time! Turns out the staff got to side tracked and forgot my order all together… An hour and 15 minutes and 30 bucks later I’m out the door with 4 extra ribs soaked in disgusting sauce. I ate one rib and almost puked! I would not feed my dog this dry Nasty meat! 1 star for the Mac n cheese and beans, they were good. The rest went right into the trash! I will not be giving them a second chance…

I don’t like getting to a restaurant when I am way too hungry and there are too many choices. After some discussion we picked ribs, chicken and brisket and our sides were baked beans, potato salad & cole slaw.
They asked what sauces we wanted and I asked how hot was the hot. They put a small container out and filled it up. I dipped my finger in and said that’s good. He said no I have to shoot it and wait 10 seconds. All was good and he rang the bell!
Quite often I order the brisket wondering why cause it’s never very good and I have been to a lot of BBQ places. This one is a winner! Everything we had was excellent! I had a nice little sweat going from the hot sauce too. The only disappointment here was that we were too early and the chocolate pecan pie was not done. :-(Tina and Shaun were there and all the employees were cool and friendly. Can’t wait to go back.