You can't take a walk in Detroit without tripping over a review for over-hyped places like Slow's BBQ Fortunately, there are other smokey joints in town with high quality meats at better prices. I'm a man that likes his BBQ so trust me when I say Red Smoke is worth visiting. As I mentioned earlier, the prices are better than Slow's, it is easier to get into than Slow's and it is in a better neighborhood. Red Smoke is part of Detroit's historic Greektown and while the food isn't inherently Greek, there is nothing to say that Greek people don't like smoked meats. Besides, the restaurant, which sits at the former site of a bakery, is Greek owned. Because Red Smoke is on the edge of Greektown you can usually park for free at neghboring Greektown Casino. On gameday, parking is more of a challenge. If you don't mind walking, you can always park for free at MGM before making the mile or so walk. Best bet: Get the trio which comes with three meats, cornbread and a side. Add a side or two and split it with a friend. Get a local beer because, obviously. Also, the chips are delicious and are a solid starter. Also ask to sit on the top floor for a better view and fewer nearby tables. read more

If you do go here a word of warning: DON'T USE YOUR CREDIT CARD. I went with a group of 4 people. We were visiting from out of town and met here for dinner after a Tiger's game. The bill was split 3 ways, and low and behold each of us experienced fraudulent charges on our cards the next day. Though we weren't financially responsible for the charges this is at the very least annoying and completely criminal and unethical. I'd like to think that this is not something the owners/managers are involved in, and I did call to inform the owner. I was told I'd be called back after a lengthy conversation about the subject, but never was. The food's ok. read more

So good! I love a good Barbecue and this was def the place to go! I got the pulled pork and Mac and cheese and it was some of the best I've ever had. So happy I found this place read more

Holy crap, this place is awesome. We went there tonight after seeing Wicked at the Opera House, so 5 pm on a Sunday night with a party of six, no reservations. We were told it would be about 25 minutes, I think it was about 15. Super friendly wait staff. One member of our party was kind of sitting on the end of the table, and we had 2 servers plus a manager ask if this was ok. Service was fast, friendly and very accomadating. Now, I have read in several reviews that the portions are "tiny". I want to know what kind of portions you are used to, because not one person in our party of 6 could finish what they were served. I got the full slab of St. Louis ribs, which were charred on the outside and meaty and tender on the inside...perfection! I got a side of mac & cheese and also a side of green beans with fried leaks. I think I ate only 4 rib bones...couldn't even mess with it. Another person got the slab and did the same thing. Two people got the brisket (which was tender and melt in your mouth awesome), one person got a greek salad which could have fed 4 people easily. And the last member of our party got the combo with brisket and andouille sausage. Like I said, we ALL needed boxes. The jalepeno cheddar cornbread biscuits were yummy, the mac & cheese awesome. Everyone liked what they got...a lot! and we passed sides and mains around like crazy. We will definitely be back! read more

I can't recall the last time I was so utterly and completely disappointed with a meal. My husband and I went to Redsmoke last night for dinner, and, in a word, it was awful. We each ordered a different "combo" and paid four dollars a pop for extra side dishes, deciding on macaroni and cheese, greens, and coleslaw, so that we could get a good variety and try a little bit of everything. The ribs were dry and hard as a rock, definitely overcooked or over-kept. The pulled pork and brisket were ice cold, and neither were anything close to tender or moist; it seemed to me that they had either been smoked too quickly and at too high a temperature, or smoked for a short period of time and then finished in the oven.. The chicken was the only thing that arrived at the table warm, and while it was juicy and tender, it, like the rest of the meats, was very much lacking in the smokey, rich flavor and zip that one expects from good barbeque. The side dishes were acceptable, and at least the macaroni and greens were hot, but, as with the rest of the food, they were rather bland. The two redeeming features of our meal were the cornbread and the roasted pablano sauce; both were quite good, but not enough to make up for what was lacking, I'm afraid. Like its competitor, Slow's, this establishment is just too pretentious by half. If they put half the effort into the kitchen as they do in attempting to be "hip," it might be a halfway decent place to eat. As it stands, I'll not be wasting my time or money in the future. read more

I give this a 3 because the naked wings were good and the selection of sauces on the table were very inventive. I had very high hopes as this place came recommended and of course quite a few good comments on Yelp. Let me start with the good. The decor is great reminded me of Blue Smoke in NYC. From what I could tell a very good selection of beers both national and local. I could see in the kitchen and they have a smoker (Southern PrIde), A nice pile of Hickory and cherry wood...all good things. We had some Naked Wings and they were very good, I like that they use full wings not jsut the parts and they are huge. The Michigan Cherry sauce was very nice had some sour bite, the Poblano sauce was mildly spicy, and the Honey Mustard was a nice variation of a South Carolina sauce. The Memphis mudd was basically candy in a bottle and the RedSmoke sauce was OK more like a KC style sauce. The Mustard mixed with Poblano, and a shot of RedSmoke was a great concoction. One of my friends had the ribs and shred one with me and they were a classic Memphis style and had good flavour and tenderness, they complimented the of whichever sauce you might choose. The cole slaw was good not soft, it had very good flavour, I would recommend it. Ok on to the Bad... The fired pickles were greasy, the breading fell off, the spices were good but since they fell apart I have to thumbs down them. I ordered the combo of Pulled Pork and Brisket, with greens and cole slaw. I asked for burnt ends and some bark, the waitress said she would see what she could do...but you could tell that meant "I have no idea what he wants". The brisket had a nice smoke ring the tenderness was close but the flavour was like roast beef, no real penetration of spices and smoke which lead me to believe that they were smoked for a short time then finished in the oven or they were hold overs from previous days. There were no burnt ends, just an end piece of the flat which was dry...very dry. The pulled pork was definitely a hold over from early in the day or even yesterday, the meat was pork butt from the the dark side of the shoulder. It had that tenderness issues of being mushy, they gave me some bark but it was really just fat cap that was very mushy. The flavour profile was decent but not great. The greens had good texture but lacked depth of flavour, they needed a dose of sugar and some nice smoked meat in them... Overall, I don't need to go back, It was certainly not the worst the BBQ I have had but I hold Q to a high standard and this was not it. My suggestion is to stick to the Greek food in Greektown. Eat on, play with your food! read more

Menu has changed quite a bit over time. Disappointed that they no longer have beef ribs, and portion sizes have become much smaller. Also, the staff hasn't been very attentive my past two visits. While I'll likely choose them over Slows, I've found a couple of other options, including one that was so good I went back 4 days in a row read more

I see some folks have had less than stellar experiences, but I've been back a number of times and have not been disappointed in the least. Even the green beans are good-and the greens actually have greens in them unlike some other BBQ joint that have popped up lately. They also have some fun drinks - and every once in a while you need a fun drink. Still love it - stand by that original review :) read more

Amazing barbeque place! Even better than the food was the service we received by our waitress, Deanna. She explained all of the options that the menu had and answered all of our questions. read more

Being from the South I always enjoy going to barbeque places in other places around the USA. I know that Detroit isnt in the south but, we were not welcomed with the happiest hostess, (I think her name is Janay, heavy set African American yount lady, with a gap between her front 2 teeth and facial piercing) She is probably the rudest hostess I have encountered in a long time. Honestly if I werent with my husband and his friends from Detroit I would have left immediately! After Janay's rudeness and attitude, we were promptly greeted out waitress, Debora. She was nice, pleasant, and accomodating. Unfortunately the restaurant was out of a lot of items ceasar salad, steak fries, catfish, wings, etc. We know it wasnt Debora's fault that they were out of so many items, but with this being 4th of July weekend and everyone in America wanting barbeque, you would think management would have ordered more food. The food was just okay. The ribs were difficult to cut with the steak knife, so it took the excitement of the taste away because they were so much work. The mac and cheese was so soupy, not the worst ive had but certainly not the best. The greens were pretty good. The house salad isnt worth the $3.99 extra. By the time we were done with our first 2 bites, we heard a waitress say they were closong down early because they were out of so much food. I was shocked. Debora asked us to come again...but honestly we wont be back. She tried her best to accomodate her, but this night was beyond her control! She is the only reason I gave 3 stars.... read more

If I could give this place zero stars I would. The customer services was the worst I have ever experienced here in Detroit.

After a long day at Autorama, we decided to stop at Red Smoke Barbeque for dinner. I've been wanting to try this restaurant for awhile after seeing so many glowing reviews. Our friends were staying at the Greektown Casino Hotel, so I called from the room to check on the wait time. 25 minutes to an hour. I repeated what she said. That's a fairly long gap. We met up with friends, and hoped for the best. The hostess was very nice when we arrived. She said it would be about 40 minutes for a table of 6. We stepped over to the bar for a drink while we waited. The bar itself was not very busy. They only have about 6 chairs, so it's small. I think we were standing where they handle carry-out. I'm not really sure since there weren't any signs. We stood there....and stood there...staring at the bartender...waiting, trying to get her attention. It amazes me how people avoid eye contact when they know there are SIX people standing at the end of the bar, GLARING at you. She just didn't seem to care. 3 new people sat at the bar, and they waited. I really couldn't tell you what the bartender was doing except wasting time. She made a few drinks for the servers, but at turtle speed. It appears that she was the only bartender for the whole restaurant (at least the main floor). One of my friends went over to the hostess to ask her about the bartender & getting a drink. The hostess apologized and actually told her that the bartender *bleep*ing sucks. Whoa! ha ha! Then my friend sat in an empty stool in the center of the bar to get the bartender's attention. After about a minute, she was successful and told her that the 6 of us would like to order a drink. She told her that she'd be down in a minute. At this point, I think we waited about 15 minutes total to get a drink. Even the people who sat down after us, were served before us. I understand the area we were standing in might not be technically "the bar", but it's just poor customer service to blatantly ignore us for so long. The phone was right in front of me, which rang several times. Every time it was answered, no eye contact or any acknowledgement. As soon as the bartender got our drinks, our table was ready. So, it only took about 20 minutes to wait for a table, which is great! Our waitress was very nice, but struggled with handling 3 different bills and our orders. It seemed a little chaotic and disorganized in general. Funny story....a waiter (I think) was walking by with several plates. He must have bumped into a chair. A bowl of mac & cheese fell off a plate, and down the back of a patron. Fortunately, the bowl was facing the chair and not his back. However, there was mac & cheese on the back of his chair, so everyone yelled "DON'T MOVE!" So, even after they cleaned it up, he appeared to still be frozen with fear of the mac & cheese. He eventually got up and there was only a little bit on him. I think some mac & cheese did make it down his pants based on the fact that he stuck a napkin down his pants. ha ha Gross! Our meals were decent. I had the pulled pork platter with candied sweet potatoes and a side of baked beans (to split with my husband). The sweet potatoes were very good, and hot! The pulled pork was lukewarm and OK. I wasn't totally impressed with the sauces. The Cherry sauce and the mustard were really spicy. My mouth could NOT recover for some reason. I didn't bother trying either of the Poblano sauces and stuck with the Mudd sauce. The corn muffin was decent, but not awesome. The baked beans would have been amazing if they were fully cooked. The flavor was great. Everyone else really enjoyed their meals. The mac & cheese is not macaroni, but spiral pasta. No big deal to me, but what's the point of MAC & cheese if you're not going to use macaroni pasta? Whatever. 2 people ordered brisket, 1 pulled pork sandwich and a grilled chicken sandwich. Our friends really liked their fried pickles too. I've never seen them served as sliced pickles vs. spears. Unfortunately, Slow's has set the bar very high for me when it comes to pulled pork. This was good, but not great. The bartender needs to light a fire under her ass. I'm willing to give this place another shot though. read more

Food is good but be aware of the wait time if ordering to go. The bartender tends to forget you're there. Probably won't comeback for a while unfortunately. read more

When you hear Barbecue in Michigan all I can picture is over priced meals that in essence failed to meet my expectations. It must be noted that I've never tried Barbecue outside of Michigan so I cant gauge my expertise on the taste compared to "Real BBQ" from down south and what not. What I can bring to the table is my memories from previous BBQ joints in Michigan, ranging from Boneyard to Slows and everything in between. A couple of friends and I opted to try Red Smoke out since we sure do like our meat. We walk in and find the place pretty empty (8:30pm on a Friday Night) and as always you begin to question your decision (especially since I pushed for this restaurant). We settle down and have time to admire the interior and embrace the menu. The selection of food is ample, however when my eyes saw Bedrock Beef Ribs I folded up the menu and sat patiently. Sure they cost 17.99 which isnt cheap but boy oh boy was I in for a surprise. Fried pickles were a hit, and for 3.99 its not overkill. I cant talk too much about friend pickles, because its hard to mess them up. They were lightly breaded which I think was a smart call, and the Cajun rémoulade used accompanied the pickles to perfection. While waiting for the meal we all began to try the sauces. They have a great selection of sauces. Out of the 5, I fell in love with Memphis Mudd, Red Smoke, and the roasted poblano. Moving on swiftly. After waiting 20 minutes the FEAST ARRIVED. I say FEAST because the amount of meat I received was ridiki donkey! I was blown away! I quickly ignored everyone in my surroundings, drenched my meat with the sauces and went at it hard! Hands down, the best cooked ribs my delicate mouth has ever met. The burn on the meat makes one assume that the meat has been over cooked, but once you tear in you realize that the D sure has some damn good pitt masters working in the back. Admiring the layers of the meat, and the change of color from the deep black to the hemoglobin red meat attached to the bone was simply ART. Not much was said during the dinner. I've never been that impressed with a restaurant. The mac n cheese was "MEH" but the cornbread was pretty impressive. All in All I think I've found my new Greektown place. Great atmosphere in there, nicely decorated, good service, fantastic food, decently priced, and great tunes. Slows better move over because Red Smoke is on Fire! read more

Awesome food. Friendly, helpful, attentive service. Good location. Nice ambiance. Appropriate pricing. Sauces are phenomenal. Pulled pork was very good. Jalapeño cornbread was great. Mac and cheese was delicious. Beer/drink selection was above average. Not one complaint. read more

Redsmoke Barbeque - Pulled pork platter. Jalapeno cornbread. Mac and cheese. - Bars Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

This place is pretty freaking awesome. I have only been to Slow's in Detroit, so that is all I have to compare this to. Red Smoke blows their mac and cheese out of the water. I think the added garlic really added the kick. I had the brisket and my sister had the chicken. I think brisket was much better. I can't wait to go back and try more. Now, I think their sauces are not quite as good as Slows but their cherry molasses sauce is one of my favorite bbq sauces I've ever had. There was definitely more than enough food. My sister and I both got sandwiches and shared the mac n cheese and fries and we had more than enough to take home. I would definitely recommend this and when you are done - go over to Astoria bakery and get a delicious dessert! read more

Great food and tons of it for the price. We were meeting a friend and my girlfriend and he had both been here before, so we went before a game and were really happy we did. We ordered one of the bigger plates and shared it. We had more food than we could eat. If you like BBQ, you have to try this place. read more

Brisket really good and tender. Chicken juicy. Best sauce Redsmoke Worst sauce Cherry Molasses. Sides good I had wedges coleslaw green bean/leaks. Lemonade was weak. Overall good read more

This place is ROCKS!!!! The food, staff and drinks are AMAZING!!!! I've been there a few times and I've never been disappointed. I would HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone who loves good BBQ. read more

Decided on Redbone tonight since it was close to the hotel and had good reviews. The ribs did not disappoint but the brisket was average. The service was very good and made sure I had the low-down on the 5 sauces. My favorite was "Redbone" had some heat without being too hot. All in all a good experience. read more

Just average bbq. Great sauces but brisket had no smoke ring, looked more like roast beef in color. Sausage was good. Cornbread muffin was great. read more

We had a fabulous dinner last night at Red Smoke with the best waitress - her name was Deanna. Thank you for your friendliness and attentiveness! She also suggested we get the platter to share (there were 4 of us) so we could try all the meats and we were so happy we did! The ribs, chicken, pulled pork and brisket were all fabulous. They have 4 different sauces to enjoy was well. For sides, we chose the mac and cheese, collard greens and beans with rice. We added on the sweet yams as well. There was plenty of food for all of us with leftovers! We will make it a point to go back. Thanks again from your Canadian visitors! read more

Red Smoke is phenomenal. I think I like the sauces at Slow's better (not that Red Smoke's are bad, by any means) but the meat itself - the brisket particularly - I thought was better, and the mac n cheese. OMG the mac n cheese. Corn bread was amazing too. Also - fun tip - if there isn't a game the day you go, you can park at the Greektown Casino for free (like level 7 & up) and Red Smoke is just across the street! read more

This is the first time that I'd been to Detroit. I went here with a friend after reading reviews. As someone who'd left Texas a couple of years ago, I've been on a never ending search for quality BBQ. Well, I found it at Red Smoke! I had baby back ribs combo with andouille sausage. It was recommended by our waitress, Nyota, who was really nice and helpful. Both were smoked to perfection! They use applewood, which was really flavorful. I also had a side of sweet potato fries. The best part is that the BBQ was NOT drenched in a sauce. There are five different sauces at the table. I couldn't say I liked one sauce over another. The meal also comes with Texas Toast and corn bread. When next I come to Detroit, I will definitely come again. read more

Good food. Not super memorable, but there really aren't any other BBQ places downtown.

The food was good but some of the prices seemed a bit much. Every table has a great selection of BBQ sauces and I would like to return next year when I'm in town. read more

I love this place. Way more than Slows (oh hush you Slows lovers!) This place can do all the meats equally fantastic. If you don't usually get chicken at bbq places, try it here. It is magical, and usually enough for 2 meals for me (and I can eat a horse). When you order a platter you get a meat, side, and cornbread biscuit. The biscuit is on the sweeter side and moist and delicious. You don't even need butter for it. The sides are pretty great too. Since I try to get my greens in I alternate between the Green beans and fried leeks, or the collard greens. Sometimes I get the candied sweet potatoes. I've tried their mac n cheese and it's pretty sublime as well. Seating isn't usually too bad (2 floors) but I can imagine on a game day or crazy weekend it might be hard to get in. They also cater and do a fine job of that as well. read more

Had our company Christmas party here and it was great. The upstairs room is perfect for a party of 20. The food was great although gets a little bit less warm on its way upstairs. The platter of ribs, brisket, chicken and pulled pork was awesome and the choice of sauces had us all trying them out to pick our favorite. Excellent service, fair pricing and great atmosphere led to a great night. Oh, and almost forgot, get the fried pickle chips as an app. You won't regret it. read more

We got to the restaurant at about 9:30pm on a Saturday night and the place was virtually empty. I think that that may be the nature of greektown because they have prices that feel about 25% higher because of the business model of casino comps. (just my opinion). We had a split a full rack $27 and greens. Everything was very good, beer selection , 5 or six sauces, service, ect. but the ribs. The ribs were not meaty , they were tough and not seasoned well. We didn't try anything else so perhaps the ribs are their only weak spot. We paid in comps. Smoke house blues in Ypsilanti ......BEST RIBS EVER! read more

Outstanding Service - Awesome Food and Great Vibe! ...We were craving some dry rubbed ribs - and after learning that SLOWS was on a 3 hour wait (honestly) we headed here last night....We were greated by three friendly hosts and led upstairs....This place had an above average microbrew selection with quite a few local brewers featured - a perfect and comprehensive wine list and plenty of specialty coctails...Without being asked our server brought us some tap beers to sample so my fiance could make his selection - she was completely knowledgable of EVERYTHING on the menu... While we dined on the babyback ribs (perfect) mac and cheese (we fought over the last bites of this outstanding version) and potatoe wedges - we listened to BOB MARLEY and could even watch the tigers on a strategically placed flatscreen upstairs...We were visited twice by managers to check on us (and not intrusively at all) and the numerous food runners assured that no dirty plates sat on our table and our food arrived smoking hot... This place runs like a five star dining establishment , feels like its in your neighborhood and tempts your tastebuds like your on vacation in the South....I am typically very critical of restaurants - and with REDSMOKE - I could not have been more pleased - we even bought some of their Sauce to take home! read more

Good selection of southern foods. Staff was extremely friendly. Pulled pork sandwich was great.

My husband and I love this place! We eat here at least once a week! The selection of sides and meat combos are way better than slows in my opinion. read more

After wanting to this place for a while I had dinner here one Friday evening and I can't say that the food was as great as expected. The sides were amazing but the ribs and brisket I was served were very subpar . Not a fan read more

I came here with my beau since we were craving bbq and Slow's was too packed to try. I definitely didn't regret my decision. The brisket was so tender and delicious! The jalapeno cornbread is so good too! The only disappointing thing was the margarita that I got. It was advertised as a "grand margarita", but it definitely was no where near being grand. The saltiness just ruined the whole drink. All in all, it was a good experience and I would come back for the food. read more

Stopped in here to eat before Monday Night Raw ordered the Fried Pickles,Mac and Cheese,Beef Brisket and the Ribs.... It was all really really good not kick you in the dick good but definitely slap your Mama good! Absolutely loved the Red Smoke BBQ sauce I will be coming back even though I do feel portions a little small for the price.... read more

Back in Detroit and tried another local bbq joint. I was impressed again. Great staff and food for a unbeatable price

The food was great both times I've been here and the service was speedy . Lots of great sauce choices and reasonably priced .

Best Ribs ever! The sauces are all good! I recommend the cherry mixed with red smoke for a sweet and spicy mix! I will be back!

I really want to give this place 5 stars! The food is amazing, the atmosphere is clean and inviting.... However, the service was not great. There was long stretches of time where we couldn't find our waitress. Our food took forever to come out even though all the tables around us (who were set down after us) received their food. Several drink orders had to be repeated because the waitress forgot to put it in. Overall we had a good time. I just wish the wait staff was more attentive. read more

We came here for lunch. The food took a little long, but when it came, it was good. It is interesting being able to try the different types of barbecue sauces. read more