Food is not good, but might be a good place to drink. I went in to try the BBQ on a slow day and the staff was very friendly. They told me about how they smoke their own meat and make everything from scratch, but I they don't do a good job at it and I grossly overpaid. I even paid extra for Brisket which was a HUGE mistake. Google a picture of brisket, and then look at the pictures they have posted here. Theres no comparison. It was dry, chewy, and covered is a light sauce that I did not ask for or want. The rest of the food was unremarkable and I would highly recommend driving to Mission BBQ over this place if you want actual BBQ. That being said, friendly staff, okay bar atmosphere. Sounded like they have organized some game nights and its a nice quiet atmosphere. There's a lot of places around here that you can say that about, so that doesn't really bring the grade back up for me. read more

Great food -- and really nice staff. Great beer selection too (incl to-go)

I only went here because Money Muscle and Federalist Pig were closed on Mondays. Aggressively average. I had ribs and coleslaw, wife had pulled pork and collards ... if someone wants to buy it for me I won't tell them no but I don't think I'd pay for it again. read more

I ordered 2 meats with cornbread and it came with coleslaw. I also got a side of sweet potatoes fries. I did not like the food at all. I got smoked pork and brisket and either they didn't get me what I ordered or I have forgotten what smoked pork and brisket are supposed to look and taste like. There is spices on the non-pulled pork(I honestly don't know what they sent me) but the meat is hard -no fall off the bone here- and taste old. I hate pull pork so I don't know why they sent me pull pork but since I already know I don't like it doesn't seem fair to critique it. The cornbread was BAD. I have made better cornbread at 2 am while drunk. However I did LOVE the sweet potatoes fries! Loved it! I finished it at record speed so no pics of that. Overall I won't order from here again. I feel like I just threw $30 away read more

Smoke BBQ - Apparently this is Brisket and smoked pork - Barbeque Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

The potato salad comes with bacon even though it's not specified on the menu. Tasteless and chewy brisket. Dry cornbread. Nice people working there though. read more

I didn't even know this place was open yet. I have been walking by this place for a while wondering when I could chow on some sweet bbq. I heard through some local Bethesda folks that they thought it was open so my husband and I headed over. They must have been only open for a few days. The owners seemed to be milling about tweaking things here and there. We sat at the bar and took the place in. The environment is bright and warm with a clash of styles...kinda funky. There are a few simple chalk boards with the menus and some tv's for "watching the game" I assume. The staff is young and eager to please and really nice. The food. Grub! I was really hungry and finished off my pulled pork sandwich, hand cut fries and collards in no time flat. Excellent flavors and textures...and really, really simple. This place doesn't over complicate bbq. They simply do it justice. My husband go the brisket and their baked beans. The brisket was so tender and full of flavor and the beans were al dente and perfect. I also like that they serve Red Hook. A personal favorite. It was super cold so the place was pretty sparse. But the few other folks that were there seemed to enjoy it as well. Any thorns to go with all these roses? The bathrooms are super clean but kinda strange with green floors and white walls and they are oddly laid out. They serve Pepsi products... Minor critiques to an overall rad time. read more

Smoke BBQ - My first night at Smoke. So delicious... - Barbeque Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Catering Review: I am usually a creature of habit and order from places I know. Well, my supervisor suggested Smoke BBQ due to the proximity to his home. This restaurant did not disappoint. We ordered a variety of food due to my team's makeup. Our menu included: ribs, pulled chicken, brisket, mac n cheese, coleslaw, potato salad w/bacon, salmon tacos, mashed potatoes and deviled eggs. People on my team who are typically health conscious had two and three plates. After a full day of team training, this place offered the best comfort food. Oh, and did I mention the catering staff was totally accommodating to my last minute requests. They got to my location early, and had everything set up before guests arrived. After bragging about the food at this restaurant when I got home, now my husband wants to make a trip on Father's Day. read more

Food was great a year ago when I tried this for the first time. (August 2019) Today, (November 2020) was very disappointing! After reading the previous reviews, it seems like everyone within the last month has said something negative about this place. I'm not sure if it's due to the pandemic or if they are under new management but the food sucked tonight. The gravy looked and tasted like it had sat out for days. I ordered turkey and gravy over fries with a side of Texas toast. The "Texas toast" was untoasted white bread that was soggy. The gravy was lumpy, oddly colored and smelled weird. The fries were overcooked and cold. The salmon sandwich was smelly and not edible. Left a nasty after-taste. It was truly a waste of money. I am highly upset at the audacity to serve something like this to paying customers. Do not eat here. I thought maybe they were just having a bad night until I saw the reviews from this month. A year ago, they earned 5 stars. Today, they only got one star because leaving 0 stars was not an option. read more

Small friendly place to get a beer or a bite to eat in a more relaxed atmosphere than most places in the area. Everything is smoked in house, and there is also a large selection of house made alcohols from cherry bourbon to blueberry vodka to some habenero if you're feeling adventurous. Sometimes they also have homemade desserts in the drink cooler, otherwise they always have peach cobbler and funnel cakes if you're in the mood for dessert. Menu is huge and ranges from your standard pulled pork and ribs to unique items like a chicken tender ceaser wrap or pulled pork burritos that you wouldn't find at most bbq places. There are specials Monday- Thursday all day, as well as lunch specials Monday thru Friday. Decent happy hour as well. read more

I would say one of the good bbq around the area. You really do get to taste the smoke especially on the Hickory Roasted Lamb. My most favorite though is the Smoked Chicken wings! (Next time I'll opt out of the bbq sauce) I love smoked foods and by the way these chicken wings are the bomb! I love that it maintained the tug, there's a pull as you bite into the skin, the meat itself was juicy and the texture felt like silk, it was that soft. I got the smoked sausage Platter, not gonna lie I wanted more. I think the veggie to meat ratio was a bit off. I also got 1/2 a rack of pork ribs, it was good. The meat itself could be a little more tender, although! There was a ton of meat on each bone (love it!), once again the smoked flavor really does come thru! The flavor is on point with the ribs. On one of the platters I had, I think it was the Hickory Smoked Lamb, it didn't give me an option to pick one side (just fyi). This will be one of my go to bbq/smoked place! Try it out and enjoy it! read more

We've eaten here before and thoroughly enjoyed it but this time was unbelievably bad. We did order from Uber Eats so I'll put some blame on them but we did pay for priority so we should have been first. By time it got to us 1.5 hours after ordering it was sadly near inedible. The brisket and sausage super grey. Dried out and just completely unappetizing. The cornbread was way over baked. Everything but the hot dog for my son was disappointing. read more

Chill spot with good bbq. What else could you ask for. Just beware that it is very small inside with a few tables and a bar area.

The food was great. We tried the smoked wings as an appetizer and they were so good! Sticky BBQ sauce coated the outside, and they were crispy and full of flavor. Slightly spicy too. I had the brisket as my main course and it was really great, not dry at all. The cornbread was slightly on the dry side but still pretty good. My only complaint was that upon entering the restaurant, we didn't get a sense of if we should seat ourselves or wait for someone to tell us where to sit. Also, it was completely empty on a Friday night, which is a little strange. We ate at the bar, but you are supposed to place your order with the girl behind the bar and they will bring out the food to your table once it's ready. Also, the main bartender/lady taking food orders was having a conversation with her friend who was sitting at the bar for nearly the entire time we were there, which I thought was a bit unprofessional, but since the place was really empty she was probably just bored. Overall we'll probably be back again! read more

Smoke BBQ - Smoked Wings. So good! - Barbeque Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Literally the best Mac and Cheese I have ever had. No joke. Their sandwiches and wraps are pretty legit too. Highly recommend.

This Place was amazing! As soon as we walked in we fell in love with the ambiance of the restaurant. It's so laid back and welcoming. They have a large choice of food. I went with the brisket sandwich and a side of baked beans. The baked beans were amazing and the brisket was so tender. They have spicy bbq and regular bbq on the tables, and the regular stuff hit the spot. I didn't like the Mac n cheese, but my husband seemed to enjoy it. It was a tad bit pricey, but I'm not an expert on prices of bbq joints in the area. It was nice and quiet when we went in. They have indoor and outdoor seating. You order your food, pay, sit down, and they bring your food to you a bit later. Overall a really great experience! read more

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We ordered the brisket and ribs with mashed potatoes, the pulled pork sandwich and fries. Positives- the ribs were ok and I heard that the fries were good. The food arrived extremely fast. Negatives- The meal generally tasted like school cafeteria food and the brisket was not great- it tasted like someone had taken roast beef slices from the deli and put BBQ sauce on it. I think this was the first delivery meal I've ever ordered from postmates where I didn't want to actually eat it and had to order food from another spot. That said, with COVID maybe this isn't their usual quality of food so i'm giving them two stars for good fries and ok ribs. read more

I have walked past Smoke BBQ for the past four years and thought I would finally give it a try. I ordered the Pulled Pork Platter which is served with cornbread, coleslaw and a choice of side. I selected Mac and Cheese and this was the best part of the meal. The bbq was decent but the coleslaw didn't have much flavor and the cornbread was very dry. Service was quick and woman at the counter was friendly. read more

This was our first visit to Smoke BBQ. Service: Friendly and attentive wait staff. Atmosphere: Spartan. Felt more like a take out joint than a place where you would want to hang out (though they do have a bar where regulars seemed to congregate). Food: The Mac-N-Cheese was a gooey cheesy bowl of awesomeness. The sweet potato chips were crisp and fried to perfection. The pulled pork sandwich (with vinegar) had a few issues. While the meat was tender, the meat to bun ratio was off. Either lose the Kaiser roll or add more meat. The other two sauces offered were tasty, but spice lovers should note that the spicy sauce is not that spicy at all! The coleslaw had an odd taste (it wasn't bad but try before you add it to your sandwich). Price: Just to give you an idea, it cost about $35 for a sandwich, two sides, and two beers. read more

Smoke BBQ - Pulled Pork Sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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We were so excited for some BBQ. Unfortunately our big takeout order didn't hit the spot. Everything was dry and tasted a day old. Brisket was lean but lacked flavor outside of a smoky tinge. Chicken was dry and didn't have much taste. The second star was earned by: The BBQ sauce -- thick and sweet -- so you can smother all your food in it. Ask for the spicy sauce too. Mac and cheese was excellent as well. read more

Absolutely, without a doubt, THE worst bbq I have ever eaten. In my entire life. $45 worth of brisket, chicken and pork in the trash. Photo below. Upon opening the box you are greeted with cornbread (must have been out so they threw in a roll), slaw (that looks like it was made a week ago. Perhaps that's why they were so stingy with the portion?), and the very unappetizing "brisket." To be fair, the pork looked normal. The brisket seemed like the bottom of a container, all different thicknesses, lengths, etc. I was expecting a couple of slabs of brisket. The pork, unlike the look, tasted bland and almost chewy. The first thought was it came out of the microwave despite their claim "always made fresh!" Next was my side of "scalloped potatoes." They came in a little plastic tub with cheese melted on the top. Interestingly, the only way that happens is if you put the cheese on then put it in the microwave. The scalloped potatoes looked like containerized potato salad with melted cheese. A horribly sad excuse and does not qualify for bbq. I only wish there was a zero-star option. Buyer be ware! read more

Smoke BBQ - Sad excuse for bbq - Barbeque Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Ordered salmon tacos via uber eats and they were sooo good. They came packed with smoked salmon, avocado, and the dressing was omg. Definitely worth trying. read more

Smoke BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Had a thoroughly mediocre experience ordering delivery from here on a weeknight. When they tell you that delivery is going to be 90-120 minutes, that's not a mistake. I can't fault them for the long wait since they were up front about it, but if you're going to charge $7 to deliver the food, 2 hours seems a little extreme, doesn't it? Food was decent. I accidentally selected the pulled chicken sandwich, meaning to get the pulled pork. Sandwich was meh, but the onion rings were great. They packaged in a few different sauces, which was thoughtful (and appreciated). Not a bad experience but if you're starving, make sure you pick it up instead of opting for delivery. read more

The food was extremely good and the service was prompt! Especially when it's your lunch hour. The pulled pork platter was filling and will be back to this restaurant! Cheers! read more

Let's just say that the BBQ is just ok. The baked beans are not baked beans they are pinto beans. Being a BBQ guy, I strongly would say go somewhere else. The prices are a Little on the expensive side for the portion that you get. Oh and the coleslaw is horrible. read more

Smoke BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

I got the pulled pork platter with fries. The pulled pork lacks flavor.. needs more seasoning. The BBQ sauce doesn't even have enough flavor. read more

This place wasn't anything special. It's not bad but not with raving about. Brisket were okay. Ribs were cooked just right, not chewy and the bbq sauce was good. Fries were good, but the scalloped potatoes were probably the best thing there! Kinda pricey for what it is. read more

Smoke BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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I am literally obsessed with smokes wing sauce. When I first heard they had a "house" sauce I was wary - BUT their buffalo sauce is out of this world. I get wings every time I come here and I have no shame at how much I praise these wings to my friends. In a twisted way I hope the five star reviews don't make this joint yet another packed Bethesda restaurant but they deserve it so - I wouldn't be upset. read more

I thought the food was delicious! Meat was cooked just the way I like it. Platter was plentiful and everything was seasoned very well. I ordered the beef brisket platter which came with slaw, cornbread, and one side (I got fries). Also got a side of collard greens. Only thing that would have made it even better was the amount of BBQ sauce I was given with my to-go order. I love lots of sauce and you are only given a small amount. But other than that, everything else was really good, from the customer service to the meal! Will definitely be going back. Maybe to dine in to see the difference... read more

Smoke BBQ - Seasoned Fries... yummy! - Barbeque Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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I wish this was better. Or that urban BBQ would move closer to Bethesda. The meat was just so-so, the sides were not much and it was very expensive. I know bbq--I love wet, dry and all kinds of sauces and bbq that has no sauce. I am up for ANY kind, ANY where and ANY time. This was just not that good. It is a lot like the BCS (bethesda Community store) stand up the road: they just don't completely know how to create good BBQ. Making BBQ is hard--really hard. Especially difficult in a downtown area where you can't openly smoke meat. I see some positive reviews, and I respect others opinions. But I've eaten BBQ in North and South Carolina, I've been in dives in Georgia, and driven 3 hours each way to eat at Dreamland in Alabama. I've had it in Memphis, Texas and Kansas City. I go out to La Plata Maryland on my birthday to eat at Johnny Boy (the only really fantastic BBQ in Maryland) This was eatable, but not very good. Plus, it is Bethesda expensive. read more

With the warmer weather upon us we all look forward to outdoor cooking mainly the smell of the smoker churning out the smell of charcoal and scented hardwoods. Unfortunately you won't be getting that here at Smoke BBQ. I ordered at full rack of baby backs, a poud of brisket, and cole slaw and cornbread. The rack of ribs were nothing to write home about, it was oversauced and there was char on the outside lacquer of the sauce on the ribs. I was hungry and ate it but was unimpressed with the lost style of BBQ. For a BBQ place there was no smoke ring to be found on any of the smoked meats that I ordered. Brisket was god awful the smaller ends which were exactly the same width made me feel like it was sliced before cooking. There was no pink ring around from the smoke penetrating the meat, and also there were really, really dry parts to the slab. I hate it when I get brisket that is tough. It was also drowning in a vinegar pepper and liquid smoke concoction on the bottom because it definitely was not from the meat. The cornbread was like corn pound cake just too sweet and no real texture. The only thing I enjoyed was the cole slaw. The slaw had cilantro and a really light dressing almost like a wisp of mayo. All in all I would not go back there to see if they can get there smoke to puff a little better. The customer service was great but unfortunately I wouldn't go back to a sub par BBQ place to pay good money to be the guinea pig. Cheers and happy eats! How this place has 4 stars is beyond me....did everyone's tastes buds die in the last few months? read more

Good things first: The place itself is cool. They have a big jenga set made out of wood planks, a dart board, and some other lawn games outside in the patio area. Very courteous staff. The end. The bad: The food was palatable only because it would've been an absolute waste of money to throw away. This was during Saturday lunch time. I'm not sure if this is an off time for them, but the food was atrocious. Even with our $5 coupon, it was not worth it. $15 for a 2-meat combo with laughable portions. We felt ripped off it was so ungodly gross. Firstly, out of the pulled pork, chicken, and turkey, none of it had any indication of smoking - ironic considering the name of the establishment. The turkey reminded me of the slices you get on open-face hot turkey sandwiches from grade school. Second, everything was unbelievably dry and flavorless. The sides (cole slaw, mac&cheese) were dull and even the cornbread was bland. The ice in the drink machine was frozen completely which I guess was nice. If I owned a restaurant, I'd be ashamed serving food like this. They must never taste the food they serve and/or they reheat leftovers from the week. Other reviews giving this place 4/5 stars must've mistaken this place for a different bbq joint, or been bribed. Steve C.'s previous review had an interesting point which I noticed as well: there is zero bbq/smoke smell when you walk into the place. Red flag. read more

How this is rated 4 stars .. beyond me. Have any of you had legit BBQ before, probably not. If so, you'd realize they serve shoe leather brisket here. I work so close I can literally touch the wall from my office. Being that fact, I decided to try another Cordell legacy. Pretty unassuming from outside .. it actually looks like that grease trap pizza place down the street. Reluctantly I walked in. The decor is lackluster, even though they are trying to go for an H-Street hipster vibe inside. The food ... well .. if you are hungy, be prepared to spend an hours worth of your paycheck. Sure, they have 7.99 sandwhiches, but it comes with basically nothing. I ordered the brisket platter. The employee ensured me of its epicness. 20 minutes later my plate comes out with cornbread (was a bit dry), slaw (they filled a thimble .. I wish I was exagerating ...) and beans. Smelt delicious. Alas, the disentegrating melt in your mouth brisket .. I struggled to chew. I'm 180 and nearly 6' .. and I struggled to eat this. I haphazardly ate the food and left a bit over for the manager to inspect how poor his meats were. Seriously, I was embarrased for them .. that bad. The guy looks back at me after I tell him "You may want to talk with your cook/chefs to figure this out" .. and says "We'll try better next time .. have a good one. Hopefully we'll see you again". Not that I'm looking for a free hand out .. but extending some sort of gratitude or offer would have sufficed to bring me in again. I should also mention, the beans were undercooked. They toated these things as "AMAZING" .. not the case. The cole slaw, very little flavor. I have a suspicion they don't make it on site. I saw the happy hour specials as well .. nothing to write home about. $4 drafts? Cmon guys ... you can walk down the street to Maggies or any other quasi bar and get a $2-$3 draft. All in all, a lackluster experience for Cordell areas only BBQ place. What a shame. One star up vote for location. Scratching my head at the long term viability of this business. read more

The single worst BBQ restaurant I've ever been to. The only time you smell BBQ is right before the food comes out which leads me to believe the microwave is involved. Bethesda is a great music town so why on earth would management subject the community to the worst musical uh talent that they could find? Overall: yikes! read more

Great little hole in the wall BBQ joint. First time here. Love their pulled pork sandwich on a Kaiser roll. Fries are perfect, I always know the fries are great when I don't need any ketchup! Cool spot with an outdoor patio perfect for this great weather. Fast and friendly service. Would definitely come back and recommend to others. read more

Smoke BBQ - Great little outdoor patio! - Barbeque Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Not worth spending my money here even with the spotluck discount. The 1/4 ribs platter that I ordered was so tough that it was probably a leftover and then microwaved. The coleslaw was dry and old tasting. The only saving grace was the mac n cheese. I mean, if you mess up mac n cheese, you should be ashamed of yourself. There are better bbq places in the area such as urban bbq. I should've taken a picture of it, but I just wanted to leave. read more

I am recently here from Texas and I take for granted just how good BBQ is there. Besides learning that when someone says Wawa, the are referring to a convenient store and not just making baby sounds, I have also found that the north lacks good BBQ establishments. However, I found a gem in Bethesda with Smoke BBQ! I tried their two meat platter with pulled chicken and brisket, which comes with one-side, I got bbq beans and added mac-n-cheese and collard greens. Meat: The brisket was the weakest link on the plate. It is has a good smokey flavor, but was a bit dried out, thin, and didn't have the right pull apart texture it should, but it was good nonetheless. The pulled chicken however was incredible. It was mostly white meat, tender, juicy, and was tossed in a spicy (by request) bbq sauce. Sides: The mac-n-cheese was simple but amazing. It was creamy, thick, and everything you would expect from a top notch mac-n-cheese. The bbq beans were great as well, sweet and tangy. The collard greens were also really good. They get 3 stars for their food and another star for just being in MD to begin with! Definitely worth a visit if you love BBQ. read more

Another delicious choice for those going into Bethesda and looking for some BBQ. It was pretty empty when we went, but I'll chalk that up to the fact that it just opened and word hasn't really gotten around. I had the pulled pork platter (with bbq sauce), with mac & cheese, and I tried their mashed potatoes as well. The meat was very tender and juicy and it wasn't too salty. The only problem was there was a piece of plastic in the mashed potatoes -- when we alerted the server, they gave us a new batch, but it makes me wonder why there was plastic in there to begin with. I would go back again to try the other items on their chalkboard menu. read more

I love hanging at Smoke BBQ. My pals and I go in the evenings to wind down and hear music. Food: The food is amazing. Their wings are smokes then grilled, just fall off the bone so darn yummy. Their salads sandwiches are also delicious. Drink of choice: the Watermelon Wonder which is a watermelon spin on a mojito. Absolutely delicious with the minty flavor. Servers: were both female and very nice Restrooms: were clean, in the back, one stall but I felt safe Outdoor Area: off the street and quaint I'm definitely returning, this Friday read more

3.5 stars If you want BBQ and don't have time to slow roast a pork shoulder to make your own pulled pork, this place will do. Convenient location in Bethesda, with plenty of street parking. Best pulled pork I've ever had? No, not really but on Memorial it satisfied my craving for celebrating BBQ style. Few tips: Happy hour M-F $4 drafts & ritas They have funnel cake for dessert (I'll try this next time) Order ahead- many people came in to pick up their orders as I was sitting there waiting for mine. read more

Starting with the positives. The server was friendly and the sweet potato fries were good. Everything else was terrible. I had the brisket and I hate to say it but it was the worst brisket I've ever had.... by a lot! It was also very overpriced. I really don't like being negative but it was really bad. read more