Had to come here after horns bbq was sold out(think they're closed down now, I've had this in my draft for a while). Bbq ribs were not completely fall off the bone and melt in your mouth. It wasn't seasoned too well and needed the bbq sauce. Still overall a delicious rib. Brisket was also delicious. Can still see the juices glistening the meat along with the fat but also needed bbq sauce as well. Overall a really good bbq joint but just unfortunate I had horns bbq which was on a bbq tier of its own for the Bay Area. Now that horns closed, I need to find a new top spot for bbq! read more

Smokin Woods BBQ Catering - Brisket - Caterers Near Me

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Rhino plumbing service Ventura , Ca. The plumber was professional, quick and efficient . Cleaned up after himself in the house looked exactly the same before he came in.. It was a great job. I'll call them all the time. . read more

We hired this catering company for our wedding, and while the food was great, the overall experience was disappointing due to poor communication and planning. We reached out to the vendor a week ago to address these concerns but have yet to hear back from them. Firstly, we hired this company in April for an event in August so there was plenty of time for preparation and planning. We were not informed that chafing dishes were not included in our package until 3 weeks before the wedding. At that point, we were presented with an unexpected invoice to add them to the catering. Additionally, the venue required an updated Certificate of Insurance (COI) with specific language, which we never received from the vendor. The vendor agreed to provide the updated COI and never communicated to us that they were not going to provide it. This forced us to purchase a one-day insurance policy for $182 out of pocket. On the day of the wedding, our coordinator was told at 3:30 p.m. by one of the staff members that the smoker trailer would not be provided due to a flat tire. We had paid an extra $450 for this trailer, and we have yet to receive any information about a refund for this amount. Worse still, although we were told the trailer would not be available, we were not informed that the catering team would also be delayed. The team was contracted to arrive by 5:00 p.m., but after making multiple calls at 5:30 p.m. to check their ETA, we found out they would be late and did not arrive until almost 6:00 p.m., which significantly impacted our event schedule. They never reached out to us to share they were going to be late. We literally made dozens of texts and calls before getting a response. While we were pleased with the food quality the lack of communication and planning caused unnecessary stress on our special day. It is also unfortunate that they did not respond to my emails and phone calls regarding the refund for the smoker. I had to reach out to my credit card company and ask them to do a charge back for that amount! read more

Large portions, tender and tasty brisket. Medium sauce was perfect for me! Collard greens were tender and yummy! Green beans were well seasoned. The links were off the hook! The staff were friendly and restaurant was clean. My new favorite BBQ place. read more

Smokin Woods BBQ Catering - Double or nothing (brisket and links) with green beans and collard greens. - Caterers Near Me

By far theeeeeee best BBQ. So good we get it at work practically monthly and I'll drive 40 mins back out to the O, to get it for our household. Like you can not go wrong with anything on the menu. And what ever you order, DO NOT forget to get the peach cobbler. And the berry lemonade. Seriously the best around. read more

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I ordered door dash and the which was brisket I've been coming here for years when they were a pop up restaurant and the food use to be so tasty and fresh cooked right but Sunday the brisket wasn't cooked all the way had to put it back in the oven barely any Mac n cheese which was tasty but a super small portion and the green beans weren't good either not sure if you need another chef but it wasn't good makes me not wanna eat there anymore and I love to support black businesses please help manager or owner read more

Second time here, first time we left out of frustration after ten minutes of watching everyone ignore us to even be seated. Today, we were there at open and ordered food, and a half pound of pulled pork was impossible to fill at open? The food was mid to good, but not worth the silliness of the ordering system and the lack of product so early in the afternoon read more

Food is good portions aren't make sure you call to see if there are ribs left and make sure you read from the right menu - I ASKED were there yams and the lady said no and when I said something about it I was told I read from the wrong menu when I didn't even read the menu I asked. (Second entry review first got deleted because the manager responded and I responded back and got I deleted) read more

On 09/14/24 my husband ordered from these people online paid with credit card. Only to find out they were closed for business. However he was not the only one robbed and disappointed there was other customers outside livid ! I'm disgusted as well as disappointed. I've watched this restaurant closely for years going down. Customer service is horrible but this was the worst service I've ever seen. You guys should be ashamed of yourselves You SUCK PERIOD read more

I ordered online from Smokin Woods BBQ, as commenters say, no one answers the phone. However, online ordering is pretty easy. I ordered 3 plates that all had 2 meats, and the total was $71 and some change. Each 2 meat plate is $21.50 (super cheap for bbq). My plate was pork ribs and links, collard greens and mac and cheese: pork ribs were very good, links were not edible they were absolutely terrible, Mac and cheese was very good with a very slight "kick" to it, collard greens were decent but bland, ld get a different side next time. I tried some of the brisket from one of the other plates and it was delicious. Very juicy. However the brussel sprouts definitely needed salt. Overall absolutely worth trying. And bbq was delicious, and the cheapest I've seen. One of the hidden gems I've come across. read more

Smokin Woods BBQ Catering - Brisket, tri tip, brussel sprouts and mac and cheese. Skip the brussel sprouts. - Caterers Near Me

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I ordered 5 meats and 4 sides with those tasty sweet bread.. everything was just so tender ..flavorful and it all just melts in your mouth.. the bake beans was the best..the macaroni and cheese was just like home .. I even got my skne a kids meal and I tell you I could have Just eaten that.. the portion.was a nice size!!!the place had a very nice atmosphere with televisions all over and so clean.. the bartender was nice and made our drinks nice and very strong.. very great customer service.I will return for more read more

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Smoking Woods is like a movie that's starts off good but then the plot starts to fade. I've been there 2xs, and the first time the food was good, and the order was correct. It seemed like they had their act together. Normally the 2nd or third time reveals what a restaurant is or will be. The 2nd time was nothing like the first. To be sure, I ordered the same dish, but this time the chicken was dry, and they forgot two items from my order. Based on the coinvent location I will give Smoking Woods one more try before I stop going all together. There are too many good BBQ places around to spend money on a maybe. read more

Tried them at a pop up in SF at Tastebuds SF. The whole plate was bomb! Picked up during SIP. The honey roll was a pleasant surprise. read more

Smokin Woods BBQ Catering - Caterers Near Me

I ordered the 2 way combo, smoked chicken and brisket, everything was good in flavor but the quality was poor... the brisket was majority fat smh. I also ordered the banana pudding, the quality was poor..seems like it was made 4 days ago and still was served. Cmon y'all get it together. I ain't ever had a issue in all my years. read more

Smokin Woods BBQ Catering - Banana pudding - Caterers Near Me

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I hired them for our company picnic. I spent 6K. My contract included was chaffing dishes so the food could be served. This was an all day event at Knowland Zoo. Servers were also part of the agreement. There were no chaffing dishes the food was delivered and served cold. The one and only server sat on a rock in the sun and didn't serve at all. The BBQ had a slight taste of lighter fluid. I would not recommend for parties of a 100 or more. The food was not the same quality as the sampling in the tasting. It was disappointing as I want to patronize small businesses. I hoped they would take this opportunity and treat it with better care. The event was ATU 1555. Do you remember now? James you apologized for the sever's behavior. It was brought to you the day of the event. And if servers weren't part of the deal, why would someone be there the entire (approximately 6 or 7 hours) event. If the agreement was only for delivery. Also, when we spoke prior to the event it was made clear that chafing dishes were expected. I didn't make a big deal afterwards as the money was already spent and what would the remedy have been. However this is my understanding and experience. Again, I wish the care that was take initially would have been taken through the entire process. I wish you well and hopefully this critique will be valuable feedback for your dealings in the future. read more

Catered my parents 70th birthday party on 08/26/23. Service was great, food was amazing, 100% would recommend. People fought over who was taking home the leftovers. Excellent experience and I will definitely use Smokin Woods BBQ for future events! read more

We got catering from Smoking Woods for a birthday party and it was EXCELLENT. First, we were able to get pick up early and John was super helpful getting everything ready and even helped load up the car. Second, the portion sizes were just right! We had ordered enough for 15 adults and everyone was able to try a bit of everything (ribs, chicken, tri tip). Third, the Mac and Cheese and Garlic Bread were devoured by the kids! Fourth, and not least, everything was delicious! Would totally recommend and order again! read more

Okay I don't know where to start we're going to start with the tri-tip. it's tender and falls apart before it can even put it in your mouth ... and the brisket ..the flavor... it's so tender...it breaks down easy. I love the baked beans very good.. macaroni and cheese ... just lovely ... I strongly suggest you come down here. this is my first pick for any barbecue restaurant in Oakland this is my first pick..... read more

Smokin Woods BBQ Catering - The gumbo is on point - Caterers Near Me

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Good BBQ, I also really like the smoked veggies and the baked beans are always good. The ribs are always good. They have beef and pork ribs. Compared to other BBQ spots their prices are reasonable. read more

I tried this place for the first time today. I ordered takeout online. The desk designated to pickup online orders was the same for placing walk-in to go orders. The person at the desk while friendly, she needed help. There should be two people at the desk - - one to take new orders and the other to distribute bags for online/call-in orders. On top of the wait, my order was listed correctly on the receipt but it was not exactly as I ordered. As for the food, the meats are good (especially the pulled pork) but the sides are so-so. I ordered baked beans and coleslaw but received collard greens and coleslaw. The greens weren't bad but the coleslaw left a lot to be desired. I'm willing to give them another try but I will definitely check my container for accuracy in the future. read more

We ordered a variety of meats and they were all succulent and delicious. The pork rib meat was tender enough to slide off the bone, the smokiness of the chicken made it delightful to eat, both with and without the BBQ sauce. The brisket was on the dry side, but damn, they smoke their meats so well that I didn't even mind! I just dipped the slices into the BBQ sauce and it tasted amazing. I dinged one star for the undercooked brussel sprouts and for placing the honey roll on top of the potato salad where it got so soggy, it fell apart when I picked it up to give it a bite. I'm not into wet, mushy bread products, so I didn't even taste it, darn it. I guess I should specify that we had this delivered; packing bread in the same box as the main and side dishes isn't the best idea. My experience was definitely positive enough to warrant another visit! If you like your meats smoked, you should give this place a go. read more

I ordered the smoked salmon via DoorDash because I am trying to help out local businesses, especially restaurants. (The fact that a non-fried fish dish is offered at all is already reason to exult.) It was absolutely fantastic: the salmon tasted fresh, with just a hint of smoke, and had the flaky, moist texture you only get when you cook fish perfectly. The portions were also a nice surprise: plenty of fish, plenty of collard greens. I will absolutely be ordering from them again. This business is pretty new, and I wish them the best. Hopefully, I'll be able to visit them in person before long. read more

I can't express how amazing the catering was. James was the first and only caterer we considered for our wedding. James was easy to communicate with, offered great suggestions, and gave us a great impression from our first tasting. James catered my wedding of about 100 people this past Saturday and it was a huge success! The food was so delicious! We did St. Louis style ribs, tri-tip and smoked chicken with sides. Our guests raved about how good everything was, especially the smoked chicken and Mac & cheese! The catering staff was efficient, friendly and professional. I couldn't of asked for a better caterer to work with! Can't wait to check out your restaurant and see if there's any smoked turkeys around Thanksgiving time! read more

Smokin Woods BBQ Catering - One of our guests' plates - Caterers Near Me

Smoking Woods BBQ wasn't smoking at Eat Real Fest .'17. during the 3 days the grills and fryers were never operational, just show. the food was premade and catered to Eat Real location. locale: Eat Real Fest '17 (9.23) offerings:mac & cheese balls, pulled pork, chicken and waffles with sriracha honey sauce, bbq ribs. eats: bbq ribs, ($10, 3 pieces) -warm, lots of meat on the bones, smoky taste, not too juicy, on the dry side. Q; -mostly inactivity, nothing to sell. waiting for food delivery -quick service when they have food. read more

This place is the bomb! My son hired James to cater a huge baby shower recently and it couldn't have been better! He arrived on time, his set-up was professional, and he's a pleasure to deal with. Best of all, the food was fabulous. Rave reviews from all who attended! read more

Don't usually do reviews. But felt compelled to for this one. Saw the coverage on Eater and made a note to check it out when I was in the area next. Today was that day. And honestly, one of the best BBQs I've had. After hitting up rib fest, I've had a chance to try many different styles. Dry. Smoked. Saucey. All of it good. But my preference leans towards dry/smoked so I can taste the meat and the cook technique vs. drowning in sauce. And usually, it's one or the other that's better. Somehow, James figured out how to do both. The meat was fantastic on its own. Super flavorful and you can really taste the smoke. When paired with sauce, fantastically amazing. There are two sauces: - original - spicy Both are really good. For me, the right combo of sweet, spicy, vinegary and drip. Ordered the following: - short rib/dino rib: the highlight. SO good. - brisket: tasty, but a lil on the lean side for my taste. Not their fault. I could've asked for a fattier cut. - pork ribs: really good as well. Would definitely come back. Again. And again. I think you would too! read more

Ordered catering (pick up) for my partners milestone birthday. We got the ribs, brisket, chicken, Mac n cheese, collards, and a couple portions of the salmon. Everything was excellent -- and the mac n cheese and chicken in particular got rave reviews. I personally thought the salmon was incredible. Portions were pretty big and we ended up with a decent amount of leftovers, which wasn't an issue since folks were happy to take food home . Ordering and pickup was easy. Highly recommend if you're looking to get delicious food for a crowd. read more

I was coordinating a wedding in May, and the couple hired Smokin Woods BBQ. Not only was the food spectacular, but James' team stayed behind to restock the chafing dishes and ensure the buffet line went smoothly. Before his team's arrival, James texted and called to update me on the food's delivery time. The timeline was pushed up, so we had to get food delivered an hour before it was originally scheduled. James was so helpful to make this happen. The mac & cheese is out of this world, and it was gone at the end of the wedding! Thanks Smoking Woods BBQ! read more

I had Smokin Woods cater a BBQ I was hosting and I would NOT recommend them at all as I found them to be very slow/inefficient, not on top of things, and they generally seemed like they did not care about getting things right nor making things right when they were unable to deliver the service they agreed upon. I worked with Jocelyn Alexander, who in my opinion is really bad. Here are all of the reasons why: 1. Jocelyn and I kept emailing back and forth for about 2-3 weeks about the invoice, which they said they sent and that they would re-send. However, each time I would not receive it. Not until about 10-15 emails and waiting 2-3 weeks did I finally receive the invoice. This is just for me to get the invoice. At one point I even asked, "can you just attach the invoice to this email or try another method because the current one is not working" in which the response was still the same, that they will try sending it again. Not sure how these people operate, but my belief is that a business should value the time of its customers and if something is not working then you try a different method. You don't keep trying the same thing over and over while it continues to not work, waste your customer's time, and be unapologetic about it. 2. I asked to change our sides (originally grilled corn, asparagus, and dinner rolls), Jocelyn confirms the change (updated to potato salad, baked beans, and asparagus). Then, on the day of, I see that we get the original sides that I ordered. Nice job here guys. 3. I asked to change the start time from 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm, Jocelyn confirms the change, then we get on the phone and she is under the impression that our start time is 12:30 pm. When I tell her we changed it to 1:00 pm and she confirmed, she just responds "oh so you want 1:00 pm now, are you sure?" I'm thinking we already went over this and you confirmed it. 4. This is the worst one: the catering was supposed to be done in-person with the food cooked from their trailer so that the food is hot when it is served. On the day of, Jocelyn tells me their trailer is not working and they will have to deliver the food instead. Great. Now the food will be cold after about 30-40 minutes. I get that stuff happens, but did the team not test the trailer a few days beforehand to make sure it works? It is possible the trailer malfunctioned on the day of, however, I find it unlikely. But let's assume that is the case, even then, Jocelyn was mildly apologetic and did not seem to make much of an effort to make the situation better. I asked what can be done to prevent the food from getting cold and asked if they have burners that can be provided underneath the serving trays. Jocelyn's response was specifically this: "The food comes in aluminum pans and it keeps the food cold for 2 hours. Please let me know if you have any other questions." Did you not read my question? I asked about keeping the food HOT, not about keeping it COLD. For anyone considering Smokin' Woods for catering, I would suggest avoiding them unless you want to waste time, have them get your order wrong, have a potentially incorrect start time, and have essentially food delivery when you ordered on-site cooking. I've worked with many different caterers over the years for different events, which have all been pretty positive. However, Jocelyn and Smokin Woods were just plain bad and they win the award of all time worst. read more

Best bbq in the West! I've tried a little bit of everything & it's all delicious! Never disappoints. They have a full bar there as well. Everything is homemade & you can taste it in every bite. Smokin Woods is my go to bbq spot. I could eat it weekly if I had the chance. It's a must try! And best believe you'll be back! read more

I wanted to try something unique for our business' Open House and when I stumbled upon Smokin Woods BBQ on Yelp, I was intrigued. They don't have a ton of reviews yet, so I was concerned it could easily go south, but this truly was the easiest and best catering experience I have had. My initial inquiry about date and pricing was replied to in less than an hour. James contacted me and gave very clear options. It's difficult for me to come up with a final number since we do advertising for our events up until the day of, but James worked with me and made me feel like he was "in it" with me and willing to do whatever it took to make the event successful. All communication prior to the event was responded to immediately and concisely. His invoicing method was extremely easy to use unlike the previous caterer I used. It allowed me to pay the bill and tip on my credit card [seems like a no-brainer, but not all caterers do that]. The day of they arrived early the day of to start prepping the food and cooking the meat. His team worked with me and my vague direction. The place smelled AMAZING, nothing beats that smokehouse BBQ smell. They set up the entire area and freed up my time so I didn't have to think twice about the food. We had at least a couple dozen people asking about Smokin Woods BBQ and how they could find him. But the food was a major part of our event, and had non-stop feedback on the quality and flavor. The team even left the utensils and trays for all the leftovers we had. Because of the quality, diligence of James, and the phenomenal feedback from our clients, we will ABSOLUTELY be using Smokin Woods BBQ again. Thank you guys for a fantastic job, I will be in contact soon for our next event! read more

Smokin Woods BBQ Catering - Having the food cooked onsite added to the overall experience, not to mention the fantastic smell. - Caterers Near Me

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Yes....the brisket is absolutely amazing!!! The pork ribs...divine!! Can someone please talk about the sides too??? OMG!!! Ok, macaroni and cheese...THE BEST IVE EVER HAD!!!! Just, wow! The green beans were cooked perfectly. The beans? Omg superb!!! The collard greens were perfectly cooked too!!! I am just so pleased with this place. I can't wait to order more!!! read more

Great food and get the beef rib. You'll thank me always. Just been ordering pick up and delivery due to COVID but it looks like the world is opening up now. read more

Top of the line catering service. The staff is very professional, friendly, and kept my guest very happy. We were truly pleased and grateful to have amazing people service our group. We will be reaching out soon for an upcoming catering event. Thank you, again! read more

We had Smoking Woods cater our retirement party this past weekend and the food was soooo delicious! We catered for 75 and their was ample food for everyone. I highly recommend Smoking Woods, I will definitely use them again. Thanks to the Smoking Woods team for helping to my our party a great success! read more

I love coming here to grab some delicious BBQ especially during these Quarantine times the staff made me feel so welcomed plus w the warm hospitality the vibe felt like I was at a family cookout. The food is soooo good I highly recommend you check them out if you haven't been! read more

Smokin Woods BBQ Catering - Chicken w ribs Potato salad Soft roll bread Collard greens - Caterers Near Me

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Nothing but good vibes in this place! I sat at the bar and the bartender was extremely nice and helpful! My food was on point! The music was bomb! Overall! This was an A++ experience! I'll be back!!!! read more

Amazing food like the best bbq I've had in a long time and it's responsibly priced and everything was like omg .. lol I said I was gonna leave a review on Yelp ha ! But all and all amazing food and nice service. read more

Smokin Woods BBQ Catering - Ribs links , Mac and cheese w/ baked beans and a dinner roll. ( hot sauce) - Caterers Near Me

Heard about this place from a friend and was skeptical at first, however, after tasting the food here and smelling it from outside I was impressed. The sides I got, Collard Greens, Marcaroni and Cheese, were cooked just like I am used to my family cooking it. Not in some weird way that so many Bay Area places cook stuff with weird non-traditional flavors. The BBQ was cooked well and decently flavored. The spicy sauce, (there is also a sweet sauce), was very good. Top that off with good customer service and I am sold. The only thing that I wished is that they gave more meat in the meal. The ribs are small, and the sliced beef was probably only a quarter of a pound in the meal. Which left me hungry within 2 hours. Outside of that, I HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone that is used to food cooked by your own family that comes from the south and moved to the Oakland, or the Bay Area in the 1940s. read more

I came in as the 1st customer of the day today. I've never tried this place before so I decided to try something new. It was one of the best decisions I've made yet far. The meat (pork ribs, links, briskets and chicken) was fall off the bone good and the sides (asparagus and green beans) where fresh. I will definitely be referring people to them and for surely be visiting more often. read more