Yesterday, May 28, 2026, it was announced that INTERNATIONAL Smoke officially shuttered as of…read moreWednesday, May 20, 2026. If you ask me, this comes as no surprise at all. Located on the ground floor of the infamous leaning Milennium Tower in San Francisco's Financial District, INTERNATIONAL Smoke was Michael Mina's fine dining barbecue restaurant collaboration with multi-hyphenate entrepreneur Ayesha Curry. I visited this place once, for a small dinner party hosted by Charles Schwab on Tuesday, October 14, 2024. We arrived shortly after 6:35 PM. The atmosphere was modern, but casual and hip, funky with exposed metal accents popping through concrete floors and columns. Evidently, the fully booked days were behind them - despite the place's popularity as a fun, lively eatery with the occasional celebrity spotting, the restaurant was fairly quiet that night and not a single person was at the bar. We were seated in the spacious Atrium with floor to ceiling windows. INTERNATIONAL Smoke was not your traditional barbecue restaurant. They presented a globally-inspired grill-centric carte inspired by the rich heritages of the co-founders. The globetrotting meat dishes highlighted diverse international flame-cooking and smoking traditions. The ambitiously broad menu intended to take diners on a culinary journey around the world, but, instead, delivered a disjointed and scattered passport. Similar to the food offerings, INTERNATIONAL Smoke's drink catalogue featured some rotating crafted cocktails that leaned into global flavours, such as KUNG FU PANDAN ($18) and MIDNIGHT IN OAXACA ($20). Boozy beverages like TICKLE ME PINK ($19), NEGRONI ($19), and the ESPRESSO MARTINI ($20) were enjoyed by some of my tablemates. A couple of us stuck to the ZERO PROOF potables like the BUZZ FREE BEE ($15) and RASPBERRY FIELDS ($12) of which the latter I found to be delightful. Cool ice cubes, too! Below are a few of the dishes that we ordered: DOUBLE DUCK WINGS ($28) - I don't eat duck, but my dining mates raved over the tender mango-habanero glazed meat that was falling off the bones. BLACK TRUFFLE CAESAR ($20) - This was a substantial serving, and the sweet onion crema, fried garlic, and truffle vinaigrette all worked well together. ROASTED CAULIFLOWER ($18) - Meh. Perhaps my prejudice against raisins and tehina got in the way of enjoying this STARTER. BLISTERED SHISHITO PEPPERS ($16) - There was not a single blister on any of the peppers, so, unfortunately, the expected smoky, charred flavour was completely absent. MISO YAKI BLACK COD ($48) - This order came with two considerable sized filets of the velvety soft and flaky fish served atop mild shishito peppers sitting in a light ginger dashi broth. It could have just been me, but one of the slices looked a bit undercooked. DUNGENESS CRAB GARLIC NOODLES ($45) - Joanna went with this rich, buttery dish of noodles tossed with wood ear mushrooms, generous portions of Dungeness crab, and heavily garlicked. It was hearty, but I didn't see any bok choy mixed in there, which would have disappointed me if I were Joanna. PERI PERI HALF CHICKEN ($39) - Dustin ordered this dish. The poultry appeared to be well marinated, so I can only assume that the deep, fiery acidic flavour with the pronounced smoky element came through in each bite. Surprisingly, no rants nor raves on this from Dustin...who is usually very opinionated. PORK BELLY FRIED RICE ($17) - Not the worst, but not the best. For the small bowl, this was a major rip off. FRIED BRUSSELS SPROUTS ($15) - Wow, for the price, this should have knocked our socks off, but was pretty lackluster. 8 OZ. CENTER CUT FILET MIGNON ($68) - I ordered this steak plate. The meat was cooked perfectly medium rare, but the taste of the red wine demi and the stuffed portobello mushroom were unremarkable. LEMON OLIVE OIL CAKE ($14) - This did not stray far from the standard olive oil cake, just a touch of lemon added to the cake's flavour + the pluot garnishes. Nothing standout about this, unintriguing. "SMOKED" CHOCOLATE S'MORES ($14) - Not your typical s'mores, more of an elevated take on the campfire classic with a valrhona molten cake sitting atop brûléed marshmallow fluff with a side of graham cracker crumble and a scoop of ice cream. CINNAMON CHURROS ($13) - The accompanying blueberry cheesecake and meyer lemon curd dips were the sole unique elements of this sugar-dusted fried pastry dessert. Without them, this plate would have been underwhelming. Mediocre food at high-end prices aside, table service was friendly. What was all the hype over INTERNATIONAL Smoke? My true guess is that the affiliation with Steph Curry and his basketball friends who would pop in were the big draw...because even with all of the smoking, this place had no fire.

If mediocrity had a flagship location, it might be International Smoke…read more The food tasted like someone was scared of seasoning and confident about charging you anyway. Overpriced, bland, and genuinely unpleasant. Thanks, but nah...

City Smoke House was recently catered to an event I attended, and it was a great food supplement…read more There were different menu items such as their pulled pork, which was tender and smoky, their beef, which had a nice heart flavor, and chicken, wich was juicy and had a good balance of seasoning and smoke. I also tried a smaller portion of their mac and cheese, which was creamy and comforting. Solid catering for a variety of smoked meats and classic barbecue comfort sides!

I cannot thank City Smoke House SF enough for catering my 40th birthday party. From start to…read morefinish, Brian and his team made the process seamless with lightning-fast communication and the kind of customer service you rarely see anymore. This was my first time planning a party for 60 people, and I wanted to get it right. I researched a ton of different cuisines, but ultimately came back to City Smoke House because of their flawless track record. Honestly, I wish I hadn't wasted so much time exploring other options because City exceeded even my highest expectations. The party was at a nightclub in the Castro, and the delivery was perfectly on time. The customer service 1000%. They even provided custom cards for each dish so guests knew exactly what they were eating, a small but thoughtful touch that people really appreciated. We ordered brisket, pulled pork, chicken, smoked portobello mushrooms, barbecue sauces, mac & cheese, potato salad, and tossed salad. With an open bar, I didn't expect the food to steal the show, but it did. Friends and family were raving all night, , "Where is this food from?" The next day, my phone was blowing up with texts about the brisket, the mac & cheese, the works. (For the record: I'm extremely picky about mac & cheese, and City nailed it.) My cousin from the Midwest said that the portobello mushrooms were his favorite. The portions were so generous we had enough to host a next-day gathering to enjoy the leftovers, though the mac & cheese disappeared the night of the party so order extra! In a city like San Francisco, where great BBQ is rare, I only wish City Smoke House had a brick-and-mortar location I could frequent. This is a family-owned business that delivers in every possible way, and I'm beyond grateful to them for making my milestone celebration unforgettable. I hope they stay booked and busy. THANK YOU BRIAN and team City Smoke House.

The cornbread tasted like aspirin was used in the ingredients, maybe too much baking powder was…read moreused. Had to through then away.

Super awesome experience here during the Norway v England world cup match!…read more Good: - Easy to get reservation - Not packed compared to other places and ample seating - Amazing apple pie ice cream dessert and also the mac n cheese skillet was so tasty! - The staff were so nice - and we even got a free shot when Norway scored! - Tons of TVs to watch the games - Loved the cocktails - the ube and lychee were my favorite ones, very sweet and yet also strong - Great ribeye - Fun ambiance and good vibes, it's dim lighting and very intimate Bad: - The cornbread we had was bitter, but they were nice and gave us a refund for it Overall enjoyed my experience here and would come again!

Really enjoyed the BBQ at Smokin D's! I ordered the OG Brisket Bao and the Brisket Grilled Cheese,…read moreand the brisket was definitely the highlight. The brisket was tender, juicy, smoky, and generously portioned. The grilled cheese was absolutely loaded with meat, with gooey melted cheese, pickles, and BBQ sauce bringing everything together. Rich, messy, and very satisfying. The OG Brisket Bao was also excellent, the soft, slightly sweet bao paired really well with the smoky brisket. Definitely come hungry. The portions are no joke, especially if you love brisket! Service was attentive and fast.

San Francisco proper is not really known for BBQ, so discovering Smokin D's BBQ was a pleasant…read moresurprise! I will say that when ordering, the process is super slow, and the service is slow as well. Once you taste the food, you'll be OK with the slower service. After all, this is not fast food. I ordered the grilled cheese brisket sando. You know what they say... Go big or go home! The portion is what I expected although it could've had more cheese ironically. It's also a $30 sandwich so my expectations were fairly high. The bread on the Sando tasted like basic white bread, and they definitely could take this up a notch to enhance the overall flavor profile, plus like I said, absolutely needed more cheese. The meat was tender, very flavorful, but I also found it to be on the sweet side, and I think I was expecting more of that tang that you get from West Coast/Texas, Southern BBQ. It was tasty! Originally my plan was to order a variety of different items on the menu, but I found out the hard way, that they sell out of food fairly quickly, and they may or may not make more. Case in Point, really wanted to try the mac & cheese, but it had been sold out an hour before I got there. I was told they were making more, but it would take an hour. This is definitely a place worth exploring, and I could tell by looking at some of the other diners plates, that other people were enjoying their food. I definitely plan on going back!

My fourth time ordering from here in a Month. Hands down best BBQ spot in Oakland. The consistency…read moreis key for me and the beautiful waitress Dominique was so helpful in fulfilling my order. Thank you and I will be back but I gotta give it sometime before I get burnt out lol.

I can't speak to the ambiance of the establishment as I had take out…read more There was a wait, but not extremely long. The brisket was delicious albeit a little fatty. The BBQ sauce was phenomenal. The baked beans were fine. The Mac and cheese was OK. I would go back and try something different like links and collards. Overall good.

Really good baked potato and barbecue! The service is really amazing and in the line went by really…read morequick

The food is good, no frills. But! They have been consistently good, for over twenty years. Good…read morerotisserie bar-b-que, chicken, pork ribs, sauce if you want sauce. Spaghetti, baked and/or mashed potatoes. Salad or coleslaw. The food service is good, nothing fancy. The ambiance is 'Mission Street' warm. A bunch of people servicing. Barely handicap accessible. Consistently good.

The food and ambience were stellar. They smoke the meat right on premises. Best pastrami I've ever…read morehad. Beautiful patio sanctuary with fresh flowers in back to dine in.

Seriously spectacular. The meats are made in-house, perfectly executed, and delicious. Do yourself…read morea favor and dine al fresco in the back garden patio haven complete with fresh flowers. If you're lucky, you'll get to meet Johnnie, who's delightful. Just go... you know you want to.

Updating my review from a few years ago to ensure that Mike and Sunset29 are the best. I've had the…read morepleasure to work professionally with him, work with him on a family event, and to attend an event Sunset29 was catering. In all ways, Mike and his crew are great faces to see, Mike is easy to work with, and the food is delicious! Most recently, we worked together on a graduation party for my sister. He is a clear communicator, was on time with drop off, and was a fun energy to have before the party started.

The food was awesome. The taste is very taste. They marinade the meats very well. The service is…read morevery good. They are very accommodating. The ambiance is good.

Glad the moron former owner is gone. Clueless to the vibe…read moreand smoke flavor. He drove it into the ground. I guess he thought he was going to create the French Laundry of bbq.

I went to Memphis Minnie's when I heard they reopened and had a solid experience…read more Overall, I really enjoyed the ribs and side that I had. I wouldn't say it's the best I ever had, but a solid option in San Francisco. The vibe of the restaurant is more casual and honey, which I was a fan of. The only bummer is that when I visited they didn't have their alcohol license yet. But besides that service was good.

Delicious burger, chicken and side dishes. Fast and quick service by staff. Clean and organized…read morepatio dining room with great music playing in the background.

4505 has a nice patio for outdoor seating and some shaded tables too…read more Got the one meat plate which was average tasting. My parker roll was hard and they didn't have any Mac and Cheese as it had just opened for the evening. The colors looked nice though. You order at the window and they bring you your meal. Not the best BBQ I have had but not the worse either. My friends really enjoyed the barbecue though