Hands down Best BBQ in California!! I've been searching for a good bbq place for years NOW I've found one!! Smoke Queen!! Best Brisket

Service was great. Drinks and refills came fast. Order was also taken fast. Very chill atmosphere. The restaurant is on the smaller side. We went around 2pm on a Thursday and it was quiet. BBQ was not heavy on the smoke flavor. The brisket tasted more like it was roasted or braised. It was super tender though. The chicken was interesting. It may have been smoked first and then fried. The skin was delicious; crisp and salty. It was fall off the bone tender too but a little on the dry side. The coleslaw is mayo based but does have vinegar. It is not creamy and definitely more on the lighter side, which is a fresh take on this BBQ side. Jalapeño sausage was really good. My son devoured it. Avocado fries were great! Fresh and crisp with a Santa Fe ranch style dipping sauce that was FIRE! Taterquiles were pretty good too. Overall, nice place to have a few beers or wine to wind down after a long day and munch on some grub. read more

Smoqued California BBQ - 3 meat plate. Brisket. Chicken. Jalapeño sausage. - Barbeque Near Me - Orange, California

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If you're ever in the little town of Orange and want a true local dining experience, you have to visit Smoqued. They recently catered an event for me, and I can't say enough about how incredible they were. The team went above and beyond in every possible way! Helpful, attentive, and genuinely committed to making everything perfect. This is the kind of restaurant where you can relax, meet the locals, enjoy amazing food, and feel completely at home. What makes it even better is knowing you're supporting a place that truly gives back to the community. You can taste the care in every bite, and you can feel the pride they have for the city they live in. Don't miss next door 1886 Brewing Co. another wonderful spot that offers great food and a warm, welcoming atmosphere. If you ever have questions about where to go in Orange, these two places should be at the top of your list. Authentic, friendly, delicious, and community-minded! You won't regret a visit to either one Highly recommend! read more

Great people and food! Never a bad time Great environment and scene Better barbecue than TN read more

The food here is delicious and portions are generous so there's always leftovers. Ordered ribs and brisket with fries, tater tots, and mac and cheese. The meat was juicy and tender and they have a variety of sauces to go with it. Fries and tots were crisp and nicely seasoned and mac was cheesy with a crispy panko crust. Servers are really nice and will give recommendations when asked. read more

Smoqued California BBQ - Half rack ribs with fries and a generous side of mac and cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Orange, California

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The food here is amazing! The pulled pork, the Mac and cheese and the fried avocado? Yes, please! I have never ate there and had a bad waiter/waitress. Everyone there is on the ball and super quick to get drinks and food out to everybody. read more

Smoqued California BBQ - Pulled pork sandwich! - Barbeque Near Me - Orange, California

Amazing date night or family feast spot in Orange! Came on a Saturday night and was surprised to be seated right away! Great service, food is made fresh on the spot! The Mac n cheese is really amazing and super delicious!! My hubby & I shared the 4 meat platter for $38 with 2 sides and added an extra salad too! So much meat !! Steak and brisket are juicy & tasty & delicious! Will come back with the family for some good American bbq! read more

Smoqued California BBQ - 4 meat platter $38 - Barbeque Near Me - Orange, California

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The steak was just amazing; just the taste of the seasoning itself was irresistible; will be coming back to this fine establishment with fine ambiance all around. Also, shout out to Laura for excellent service! Again, the steak was good ‍ read more

Great food and great service. I love bbq and this is a top choice. You cannot go wrong with the brisket and tator tots .

Delicious and savory BBQ, including the sides and sauces. Service was fast and quick. Ambiance is casual as if I was in Texas bar eating BBQ. Highly recommended. read more

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So worth it! The ribs fall right off the bone and the rub they use is delicious! Rachel was great and so nice. Definitely going back!

Came for dinner on Saturday. Margot was our server and she did a good job of making us enjoy our experience. The interior is not as big as I expect looking from the outside, but it was well arranged and I loved the feel. It went very well with the food. The burnt ends, were great! 10/10 in flavor, juiciness, and tenderness. Made from their brisket. The corn bread, was delicious. Probably one of the best corn bread I have ever enjoyed. 10/10 The brisket...strangely, I did not enjoy as much as the burnt ends. They were tender and juicy. I just felt too salty and it had a strange after taste to me. 7/10. I'll probably try another entree next time. read more

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Had candied bacon as appetizer and it was dynamite. Also had smoked sausage and a brisket sandwich and they were also terrific.

First of all the food was fairly good. However the service could use some improvement. Ordered a soft drink with my food and it was never delivered. Had to have the bill updated to remove the drink. No apologies for the mistake. I think there might be a reason why there was only a hand full of patrons there. Hopefully this place does well during the evening shift. read more

Smoqued California BBQ - Brisket cheese steak sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Orange, California

Came here for dinner. Nice ambiance and good service. Ordered a smoked brisket bites and a salad. Both were very good. Got the 2 meat meal with 1/2 chicken, St. Louis ribs. Sides were tater tots and corn muffins. Check Ken was well seasoned. Ribs very good tater tots excellent and the muffins were good. Prices moderate. read more

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Our server was excellent. I needed a shot of pickle juice and she obliged right away and knew what I needed it for. (Leg cramp) We started with a plate of Burnt Ends and they were fantastic. I had the brisket plate with mac and cheese and corn bread for sides. The brisket literally fell apart and melted in my mouth. I wish it was a little more pink but I still recommend it. My son had the chicken plate with green beans and deviled eggs. He absolutely loved the deviled eggs. And I decided I'm getting the green beans next time. They were crisp and very flavorful. Plus there were fried onions with them. We both thoroughly enjoyed our dinners. The vibe is cool and very laid back. read more

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4/5 Stars The food and atmosphere at Smoqued were great -- definitely lived up to the hype. Their burnt ends are to die for, and the mac n' cheese was rich, cheesy, and delicious. We also tried a couple of their craft beers -- the blonde and one of their hazy IPAs -- both were super refreshing and paired perfectly with the meal. It was a pretty slow Friday night, likely due to Coachella weekend, so the restaurant was quieter than expected. We're not sure who our server was since she never introduced herself, which made things feel a bit impersonal. She was incredibly sweet, but didn't seem very familiar with the menu, seemed to forget parts of our order, and didn't check in with us much throughout the meal. Possibly just an off night, but it's the little things that really make a difference in the service experience. All that said, we'd still come back -- the food and drinks alone are more than enough reason for a return visit. read more

Mediocre customer service. No refills on water or soda even with more than 6+ people in our party. The person who brought this out brought us this plate with fries and ranch. We asked her to bring us a new ranch because all she had to do was place this on the table and never brought our ranch out nor cleaned the mess she made. Uhhhmazzzzinngg. No extra plates was brought out so we used our appetizer plate. It was hot inside too. Seemed like the AC was broken or something. While my family was eating we're all sweating. Disgusting. So angry because we came here for my father's birthday. The BBQ was mid. None of the fries was even hot. I do not recommend this place to anybody. Terrible experience. read more

Smoqued California BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Orange, California

We had a good time and the food was delicious. We had a reservation and were sat immediately. The service started great but slowed a bit as the meal went on, probably because the restaurant filled up and they were having a challenge keeping it up. They also started running out of some meats. That is always a possibility when going to a good BBQ joint and we were fortunate to get everything we ordered. The brisket was awesome. The Mac n cheese and fried pickles were also table favorites. The price has gone up, but it is on par with most BBQ places. Definitely worth checking out. read more

Smoqued California BBQ - Brisket sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Orange, California

I came here last Friday night with friends for dinner and a drink and it was ok. To start we had the fried pickles and cornbread. For my main I ordered their Mac - shepherd pie. The good - Those fired pickles were delicious! I loved their crispy crunchi-ness! I also enjoyed their hazy beer and selection of BBQ sauce at the table. The okayish - The Mac -shepherd pie was not as good as I'd hoped. It was thick and heavy but left me wanting more flavor. The not so great - The cornbread was dry and something about it tasted off. read more

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I went for lunch for the first time on a Friday around noon. We were able to be seated right away and our waitress was very helpful. My friend and I split the brisket grilled cheese with a side of tater tots (which the waitress said were better than the fries, and we would have to agree!) My boyfriend ordered a plate with ribs and brisket and ordered the Mac and cheese and fries on the side. Everything was great! Only downside was that they couldn't serve iced tea because their machine was down... we happened to notice that the machine in the kitchen was as a Lipton one... no BBQ restaurant should be serving Lipton iced tea. read more

Smoqued California BBQ - Brisket grilled cheese and the Mac and cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Orange, California

We ordered the full rack of ribs with sides of cornbread and their "amazing mac n cheese." This truly was amazing! The ribs were perfectly tender, falling off the bone, and their diverse flavor is out of this world. Their cornbread is classic! So delicious. Their mac n cheese... is heaven in a skillet. Seasoned to perfection and definitely will be ordering again. We also got their brisket loaded baked potato and it was the BEST baked potato I've ever had. It was insanely buttery with beautiful cheese pulls before each bite. The brisket was so flavorful and firm but tender. This meal was UNFORGETTABLE and topped off with warm and welcoming service, it's safe to say that this place made me very happy and I will be returning soon. read more

First time visiting this place and wow!! 10/10!! One of the best bbq places I've been too. We got the burnt ends which were perfect, just melted in your mouth. We then got a half rack ribs with Mac n cheese and mashed potatoes. The meat fell right off the bone...mac n cheese was AMAZING, nice crisp on top and cheesy.....mashed potatoes were more of a purée, they were ok....was my least favorite thing we had. While my boyfriend and I were mid way through our meal the manager Chuck came by to checked up on us to see what we ended up getting (mind you when you first came in he had greeted us and asked if we ever been here before....we have not) he then said he be right back and wanted us to try something. Chuck came back shortly with some bacon, but not just any bacon...this was brown sugar and black pepper bacon! This was soooo freakin good! Definitely my favorite part of the meal. Aside from the meal I couldn't have asked for better hospitality from everyone working there, especially Chuck. Thank you again Chuck! Only downside is I didn't get any pics of our food :( read more

You can't help notice Smoqued sumptuous allure of smoke waffling through the air, even reaching the other side of Glassell street, hypnotizing patrons into its dark wood industrial yet modern interior. The feel is barn but hip. Tables are remarkably clean given the finger food menu. St Louis rib half rack - amaaaaaazing! Why? Yes the pork falls off the bone almost right when you touch it with your fork. But here's the rub: even the NEXT DAY, the meat remained super tender and fresh. The wood doesn't overwhelm either - it's rather subtle while noticeable. There are two sauces available - the sweet bbq and "habanero raz", as some have commented, is really not spicy at all so have at it. The half rack comes with two choices for sides: Cole slaw - nice and chilled, great flavor and yummy Tater tots - perfect crunchy, cafeteria size, although there was a noticeable absence of ketchup... Fried chicken - so good. Batter is less flavorful than you would expect, but also isolates and highlights the meat flavor. Brisket - so good. The driest of our choices, nevertheless packed plenty to write home about. That's all - can't wait to revisit - the ribs are an instant every time-order read more

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I was in the neighborhood and suggested Smoqued to my wife and friend. We drank the remaining 5 shiner bocks as we love em. Started off with the deviled eggs and pickles and never disappoint! The sausage and brisket were awesome! The chili Mac, coleslaw, Mac n cheese were and are always a go to! Make sure you try their chili Mac, it's like reliving my past. read more

Food was amazing! Service was horrible! 1 waitress during lunch time and she was in no rush not too mention very cold and not welcoming. Don't get the corn bread... it's a slice of white bread , no corn involved! read more

We got used to great BBQ when we had some reason to repeatedly travel to Memphis a few years ago. We don't go there much anymore so were happy when we discovered Smoqued. This is our favorite bbq place in So Cal. This guy does meat right. This place measures up well against all its competition; e.g., sauced. Interior is a low-light bar/bbq joint (kid friendly) and the atmosphere is much more comfortable because it's more relaxed than sauced which is trying to be a loud too brightly lit sports bar with bbq. Smoqued has a bar and tvs too but not the focus. Smoqued focuses on the food rather than being distracted by cocktails and weird truck catering style sides and axe throwing. This focus shows in every entree we have tried. The brisket sandwich is killer. Definitely get it for lunch. The ribs are great. Always get the mac & cheese, it's stupid good. Do it. Now. sauce served on the table, rather than smothering the food. Food is attractively presented and that's not typical for bbq. We really like the servers in there too. Friendly and prompt. Loving us some smoqued. It's a cool location in old town orange near the old record store. Parking is a thing; you can often snag a place in the back or down the street. hey it's old town so it's busy. read more

My girlfriend used to tell me about going to Smoqued all the time when she was at Chapman, so naturally I had to check it out for myself! We decided to stop by Thursday afternoon after work on our way back to LA. There was no wait and were seated immediately, around 5ish or so. We started off with the Mac-n-cheese Shepards Pie. It was amazing and I had to make sure we got that for our 2nd visit! We also tried the ribs, burnt ends, and brisket. All of the meats were tender and so flavorful. We enjoyed everything we had. Be warned that sometimes they do run out of ribs and chicken (this happened on our most recent trip). Also, we were quoted a 2 hour wait on Saturday night but it turned out to be a 45 minute wait only. read more

Stumbled across this place by accident. We were craving bbq and decided to go for a drive. After stopping by 2 places that were closed (it's the Friday after Thanksgiving) we just happened to find this place. Best part..... it was happy hour! We ordered 2 house beers, avocado fries and bbq fries. Everything was very tasty and SUPER hot! The avocado fries were excellent, especially with the chipotle ranch they serve it with. The bbq fries were to die for! And everything that we ordered was on the happy hour menu. $6 per item! We will definitely go back here. Orange circle has so many places to shop and eat at but this place is a gem! Service was excellent and the sports games were playing above the bar. read more

Smoqued California BBQ - Smoqued bbq fries - Barbeque Near Me - Orange, California

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I received terrible service. Will not come here again. When I told the server why I was frustrated he talked back to me like I'm supposed to accept why he helped two other tables before us. when I don't respond to him he says " you're not gonna acknowledge what I just said? ". read more

I was craving some BBQ but me & my bf were tired of going to Lucille's and wanted to try something new. Saw this place on yelp with a lot of good reviews and I have to say ..... VERY WELL DESERVED!! We ordered the : * Burnt Ends ----- 5/5 stars ----- So flavorful and tender. Can really taste the "smokiness" of it. A MUST TRY! * St. Louis Ribs (sides: toast & mashed potatoes & coleslaw) ---- 5/5 stars ---- Literally falling off the bone. Cut it w/ a knife and it went through smooth as butter. Right amount of sauce too. Sides were a little disappointing. I feel like the portions could be bigger. Also kinda sad the "toast" was just a piece of white bread not toasted whatsoever lol. Still good nonetheless. Will definitely be coming back here. Service was great & attentive. Side note: parking can be hard to find in this area though, but you can park in the back behind the restaurant and walk all the way around to it (not far + a nice stroll of downtown orange) read more

Smoqued California BBQ - Burnt ends - VERY GOOD!! - Barbeque Near Me - Orange, California

the food is good but service is really slow, seems a bit understaffed.. went on a friday noon but there were only 2 servers

It's pretty dark in here, which isn't my vibe, but I'm sure some people would like it! Their two signature sauces on the table were good, but didn't really impress me. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich, and the bun was soft/fluffy, and the pork was flavorful and tender. It didn't need any extra sauce either. The service was awesome, and their ranch is really good (especially herby)! The side of mac and cheese was amazing, a large portion! I expected more people in here on a Friday evening, but I think people might have just been out and about instead. read more

Their Customer service matches the quality of food they serve. The beer selection is just as good adding to the meal giving a touch of the Smoqued experience! Thank you for a great experience and tasty BBQ! read more

I would say this place is good! I definitely would come back for the mac-n-cheese! That was so delicious! I also really liked the deviled eggs. The meats were average, the sausage was dry and the green bean side was okay. My husband liked the pulled pork and I liked the brisket. I didn't really like the cole slaw as it was more on the sour side as I prefer creamy cole slaw (but this is just my personal preference). The BBQ sauce is also on the sour side and I definitely enjoyed the Smoqued BBQ sauce. The service was good too! We had a large group tonight (9 adults and one toddler) and ordered the 10 person feast. This was plenty of food for us plus we had lots of left overs to take home. Most of us got either a soda or beer and my toddler had a kids meal and our bill with tax and gratuity was a little under $500. It is pretty average for a bbq place. There's parking down the street by Philz coffee and it is a short walk from the restaurant. I recommend if you want bbq. It's not the best but not the worst. I would rate it better than any chain BBQ restaurant but it's not the best BBQ I have had. read more

Horrible!!!! Walked in waited over 10 minutes for service. Place was empty and bartender was too busy talking to people outside of bar. Very disappointed! read more

Greeted by a friendly hostess, seated at a nice table. Ordered the burnt ends appetizer. Somewhere like pork belly, somewhere very chewy and. Good flavor. We ordered three entrées And they came out at different times. While waiting for the third entrée, we noticed the table next to us must have gotten our third entrée, a brisket burrito. Heard the server come to their table and say you can have that one and don't worry yours is still coming, you were given the wrong order. Then she came to our table and said sorry your burrito was delivered to the wrong table, It will be out shortly. So we waited another almost 10 minutes as our entrées got cold. The burrito was significantly smaller than the one delivered to the wrong table, and the side of chips and salsa was 4 1/2 chips. The server walked by and I said, is that really considered a side of chips and salsa because it's 4 1/2 chips? She said they ran out. Didn't offer another side, didn't comp a beer, eventually brought more chips. Annoyed that our third entrée was 10 minutes late and subpar while the table next to us was given a two for one burrito that they didn't even eat. read more

Smoqued California BBQ - Side chips and salsa, 4 1/2 chips total. - Barbeque Near Me - Orange, California

shared a 3 combo meat with 2 sides, a salad and the amazing mac n cheese, and fried chicken among 3 people and it was the perfect amount of food. the pork in the combo was so tender, so easy to cut, we were surprised how little pressure was needed! my favorite was the fried chicken, it was seasoned the right amount and sooo crispy! although a bit on the pricey side, i can't wait to come back again :) read more

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I wanted to find a different BBQ place to eat, I found Smoqued BBQ in Orange, right on Glassel. It was a Saturday around 5:30 pm, and it wasn't difficult to find street parking. After leaving the car, I could smell the hickory or applewood smoke! The restaurant is housed in an old brick bldg, and the brick wall give it a cool vibe. We had to wait ten minutes for our table and it gave us the oppurtunity to look at a few of the neighboring shops. I liked the vintage record store. I asked my son if he had every used a record player, he said No...I ordered a St. Louis Rib plate with Mac & cheese and coleslaw. My so got a 3 Meat Combo - brisket, pulled pork, and hot link with a side of chili mac and candied bacon. The food came out quickly and now it was time to enjoy. We love BBQ and have been to many Que joints. The service was quick and the staff friendly. My half rack of ribs were tender and moist, meaty, I especially liked the habanero Razz sauce, it has a peppery flavor, without the heat. I really enjoyed the macaroni and cheese which is served in a small cast iron skillet. My son is more finicky, he said he liked the hot link and candied bacon the most. The total was $72.19 for us. It was enjoyable, and a good time! read more

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Great barbecue restaurant in Orange! Smoqued offers a variety of barbecued meats (pulled pork, burnt ends, brisket, etc.), along with a number of delicious sides and appetizers. All the meats I tried were great and my favorite sides were the Mac & cheese and deviled eggs. The restaurant has a nice ambiance, with the feel of a traditional barbecue restaurant and is located in Old Towne Orange; the location is convenient if you're in the area but parking can be a challenge during prime times. The service was both friendly and prompt, from the host to the wait staff. read more

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