Willamette Valley Smokehouse is such a great find if you love BBQ and a cozy, casual atmosphere. The space has that welcoming Oregon vibe -- firepits glowing outside, live music setting the tone, and plenty of room to relax with friends or family. The BBQ is exactly what you want: flavorful, hearty, and clearly made with care. But the real standout is their Friday Seafood Fest. They serve whole Dungeness crab and BBQ oysters, and it's easily one of the best weekly specials in South Salem. Fresh, fun, and a perfect pairing with the smokehouse vibe. Whether you're stopping in for comfort food, live music, or a laid‑back night out, this spot consistently delivers great food and a great atmosphere. A solid local favorite. read more

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I've been here a couple of times and the food is always soooooo good! This time, I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with potato salad and baked beans. Since it was kind of rainy and chilly out, we sat under a heater in the covered seating area and ate our food. My friend ordered jalapeño poppers and I stole one - excellent! Service is nice and friendly, food came out quickly, we ate and then played some Crazy 8s using a deck of cards from the basket near the tables. I took half my meal home for breakfast the next day and it was just as good heated up as it was fresh the day before. Easy access from I-5, lots of parking and plenty of tables. Go get you some! read more

Willamette Valley Smokehouse - Chairs come with throws - perfect for a chilly rainy day - Barbeque Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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Pulled pork bun to meat ratio was mid. For $22 load that pork up bb. Pork was kinda dry lacked that southern flavor I'm used to. Street corn was okay I like it hot not cold. Baked beans were bomb. Mac and cheese was good could use more salt/flavor. I'm from the south so I'm picky but this place isn't bad. Love the vibes for sure. read more

Holy mambos.... we even drove further than our event just to go here. Bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers stuffed with cream cheese and brisket!!! Listen just trust me go there just for that if nothing else. The platter that is the large size is HUGE!!!! My parents and I enjoyed it for DAYS... I don't really count because I only eat a bit but my dad had it for 3 days. I liked the corn okay. I was not a fan of the cornbread actually strangely. The tri tip was amazing. The pulled pork was very very good. The brisket and others were a bit too smokey for my preference. The food was prepared fresh and on Fridays there is a seafood celebration with oysters and something else I think. The staff are all nice. It is a walk up with plenty of parking and then there is a separate restroom outhouse type area. There is seating covered but outside but we took it to go. The bar area is pretty much wine, beer and ciders I believe. VERY clean. Overall I will be back for the jalapeno poppers if nothing else. read more

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This place has amazing food, large quantities, decent prices and they are so fast!! Only downside is sometimes they run out of meat early so come earlier and you can get a lot still! read more

3 out of 5 stars Willamette Valley Smokehouse - Salem, OR Visited around 5:15 pm -- only a few people in line. By 5:30 pm, the Friday crab and oyster specials were available, and by 6 pm there were 30+ people waiting to order. Tip: come early! Good spot for casual people-watching -- about 50 guests of all ages, friendly atmosphere with a firepit, live guitar music, and a college football game playing outside. Clam Chowder: Creamy and flavorful, about 30-40% clam. My wife said it was the best she's had in a year. Nicely seasoned with black pepper, served piping hot. Potatoes, carrots, and celery are cut to just the right size for a plastic spoon. Coleslaw: Creamy, not vinegar-heavy -- better than Red Robin's version. Subtle flavor, smooth texture. Potato Salad: Disappointing. Dry, firm cubes of potato with little seasoning besides mayonnaise. Cornbread: Moist and delicious, especially with the honey butter -- definitely a win. Pulled BBQ Pork: Smoked with a light spicy bite. A bit dry, but stirring in the sauce from the bottom helps. Served with a sweet-spicy BBQ sauce that pairs well. Good portion size. We didn't try the seafood specials this time -- the grilled oysters ($2.50 each) and grilled Dungeness crab ($30) served Fridays at 5:30 pm looked popular. Overall: The clam chowder, pulled pork, and cornbread are worth the visit. Everything else fell a bit short for our taste and the price point -- but the atmosphere, live music, and friendly crowd make it a solid casual stop. Others on Google clearly love this place more, so it may come down to personal taste. read more

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We travel to Salem every other month and aside from seeing family, this is our very favorite place. Great vibes, great food, nice people, and fun. We're Harvest Host guests so we've stopped a number of times now. Highly recommend: Mac n Cheese for lunch (it's so good it's gone by dinner) Brisket!!! Trip tip with Chimichurri Baked Beans Corn Bread Street Corn Jalapeño Poppers They have more but these are my favorites... They also have a drive through coffee stand and I love a Misty Morning with oat milk. read more

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My husband and I went here last night at dinner time, before 6:30pm, and it was also my birthday and I was craving BBQ! Well, by the time the first few people ahead of us placed their orders, and we got to the window, we were told the brisket was all gone, how can brisket be gone AT dinner time? Makes absolutely no sense! On top of that, the cashier, a new gentleman, was super slow, not very friendly taking orders, and then complained himself that the brisket was gone and he didn't get to take any home for dinner! The sides were slacking, and cold as well! I don't think I'll be back to this location, not after yesterday, cold food, slow service, and food already sold out before dinner time was even over! No thanks! Also, that corn you sell COLD, yuck! Shouldn't even be on the menu! read more

This is an outdoor eating experience. They have a fire pit in one area plus picnic tables under some nice tented rooms. You order at a permanent food truck. The chili is fantastic. The chicken is moist and tender. The tri tip was tender but could have had more taste. The pulled pork was good. Overall some solid barbecue. The service was friendly and the people helpful in getting what we needed. read more

All the staff are very friendly and helpful. Easy access from Interstate 5 right at the end of the ramp! Everything is right here coffee trailer, food trailer, bar and plenty of seating indoor and outdoor. Now finally the food which is absolutely fantastic this is a smokehouse heaven! read more

Willamette Valley Smokehouse - Pulled Pork, chicken, Pork Belly, beans and corn salad. - Barbeque Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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We have been wanting to stop by this place for BBQ for several months, as we drive past a couple times a week. We went on a late Sunday afternoon. I took quite awhile to get our food. There were only two people working, and they were seriously understaffed for the number of people that showed up. Our order took about 25 minutes. All orders are to go, so all items are placed on a bag. One guy ahead of us got his order and the beans spilled all over inside his bag, so the order had to be redone. The poor lady taking the orders was running back and forth between taking orders and tending bar. That's the bad part. The good part is that the meats were all very good. We spilt the large "platter", which included all 6 meats. All were very flavorful. The brisket was a tad dry, but al were good. We split a side salad and sampled everything, bringing home enough meat for breakfast (pork belly and sausage) and lunch (everything else). The sides were okay. We didn't care for the potato salad or coleslaw, both of which we thought were uninspiring. read more

Willamette Valley Smokehouse - "Large Platter", all six meats available plus four sides - Barbeque Near Me - Salem, Oregon

We had the pulled pork sandwich $19.00 and the tri-tip sandwich $23.00. First I want to say this is bbq and I was given the tiniest napkin(glad I had extra in my glovebox). Good service otherwise. The pulled pork was overly fatty and I would not recommend. The tri-tip was good. I think the price is a bit steep, but the quality was good. I did appreciate the pickle, pickled onions and bbq sauce that accompany the meal. The coleslaw was flavorless, the corn bread was served cold, the potato salad is average but the street corn was fantastic. Friendly environment that was clean with plenty of parking. read more

Willamette Valley Smokehouse - Barbeque Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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What an awesome place! They allow people to spend the night in their super large parking lot. We had the opportunity to try most of their food. Boy! Was it delicious. The brisket was moist and flavorful, the chicken thighs were packed full of flavor and not at all dry, the pork belly was great and the pulled pork was superb. We enjoyed all of the sides. We will be back for another stay!!! read more

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Ive been here 2x now during my travels from Wisconsin and I wish I could visit more often. Had the brisket the first time and the pork belly the second. Sooooo good, both of them. Huge outdoor area with fire pits and heated tents. I know they've got live music sometimes, too. Food is reasonably priced and comes out fresh & quick. Lots of beers on tap as well! read more

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Show up early. Lines can be long. Ordered brisket, potato salad, baked beans. Friend ordered the brisket chili burger and same sides. I had to order my wife's to go tri-tip sandwich as I didn't want to wait in line. The brisket was great, perfectly seasoned, with a side of bbq. In my opinion no need for the bbq sauce. The brisket was flavorful, smoky, and perfectly cooked. Potato salad had a few diced potatoes undercooked. Baked beans were excellent. Friend raved about his chili burger and agreed with potato salad comments. Wife's to go meal. She liked it. Very flavorful sandwich l. I couldn't resist a bite. Overall excellent meals. read more

What a pleasant surprise. We visited Willamette Valley Smokehouse for a couple reasons. First, we've been looking at it when driving past on I-5 and thinking we should check it out one day. Then, we saw the announcement that they'd accept Rudy's gift cards (at 1/2 value). With the closing of Rudy's, and having an unused gift card, we decided to have dinner at the smokehouse. I didn't expect to find such a welcoming place, with wood fires burning in covered areas, with comfortable chairs around the fires. Live music was playing. We ordered our food (brisket, pork belly, and bacon jalapeño poppers, got drinks from the beer and wine counter, and took our seats around the fire. Loved the experience, and really loved the food. There was more than we could eat! In my experience, there are two types of BBQ joints. Those that serve dry, overcooked brisket, and those that serve perfectly cooked, juicy, brisket. Willamette Valley Smokehouse has perfect brisket. We'll return, for sure. read more

Willamette Valley Smokehouse. I love what they're doing for Rudy's employees and gift card holders. But I'm done. Three times now I've made the trip south to go here. Three times I'm told they're either out of everything or it'll take 45 minutes to get anything. I guess I'm glad it's popular, but I'm not going to fight for scraps. And I'm done coming out here three times for NOTHING. I don't have an hour to wait around for food and to eat. I just don't. This sucks. I really wanted to eat here but it's just not going to happen. My complaint here is that the planning is clearly not up to par, if it doesn't meet needs or demand. I get BBQ takes time and when it's out, it's out. But. A 45 minute wait for something that's 17 hours in a smoker? Okay. Good luck, I guess. Apparently it's successful, so F me, I suppose. Must be great food. I'll never know. read more

It's 3:30am and I'm hungry and remembering how delicious the smoked chicken thigh and pork belly sandwich was. If I could only describe heaven to you, it was that sandwich. I'm heading back to Salem from the Coast this weekend and plan to go right back and get another--maybe two, dang it! I can't wait. Oh yes, the service was great, the seating areas were cool, with a fire outside and a heated tent if you wanted-a great set up. And my guy said the bathroom was very clean lol. read more

Review for 8/2 This place has one of the best tri-tip steaks I've ever had. I got so lucky I stumbled upon this place. I only found out about Willamette Valley Smokehouse because I got tired of driving and needed a rest before heading back to Portland from Lebanon. They got some outdoor activities you can play and there's a bar and TV outside. You get to choose your choice of meat and 2 sides with the combo so I went with the corn and potato salad. The tri-tip was flavorful and juicy. I'm not a fan of bbq sauce, but it was hella good with the bbq sauce lol. I finished the whole plate in 12 minutes. The corn has some good spice to it and the potato salad was just perfect with the steak. I know at some point I forgot to breathe from all the chewing. When I come back to Oregon, I'm gonna stop by here again. It was actually hard to pick a spot to eat because not many people review food spots on Yelp in this side of town and I just decide on where I wanna eat based on popularity and reviews. This place is kind of a If you know, you know kinda spot. read more

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Went here as part of Harvest Host with our RV. Great BBQ!!! We got ribs, pulled pork, tri-tips and brisket. It was all very good and lasted a few days. Their sides were also very tasty. We would highly recommend them!!! read more

Great brisket and cornbread! Nice atmosphere on the patio. Bar, tvs, fire pits, lots of seating. read more

Willamette Valley Smokehouse - Patio area - Barbeque Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Perfect place to eat bbq! We came to Oregon on a road trip from LA. We found this place on the way and decided to stop and have dinner here. Overall food is great and the sides too . read more

Good Day My amazing Yelpies!!! Look you are craving some BBQ.... But then you remember the last time you ate it at the bbq.com joint... it just wasn't what you remembered it to be...(I really know how you feel) WELL this isn't that place.. this is really really real BBQ like TEXAS / Ol' western style wrapped up in an amazing mouth watering - smoke tasting- (not smoke flavor from that BBQ.com joint) GREAT FOOD. I'm serious! The service was on point and this place has a vibe that will make you call your family or fresh over to grab one of those adult colas... ( you know which ones I'm talking about) so get on over to this place and enjoy one of the only BBQ spots that will make you a fan again. This team of pit masters have perfected the craft for sure.. read more

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Meat was very good. Beer was kinda flat - minus one star. Atmosphere was very good. Friendly and quick service. read more

Willamette Valley Smokehouse - Small Platter: Smoked Brisket, Smoked Tri-Tip, Smoked Chicken Thighs, Coleslaw, Smoky Campfire Street Corn, Ppotato Salad - Barbeque Near Me - Salem, Oregon

What a fabulous stop this was!! We were traveling through in our motorhome but had seen this place on the web so figured we'd give it a try. This place is definitely a top notch stop. It's big, it's open and there's plenty of space to park. It has been "decorated" to a T. There's a big tent covering an eating area/bar. The furniture is so unique. We loved it. There are games everywhere for your entertainment and then, there's the food! We ordered the brisket plate with two sides. Amazing brisket was our feeling. We loved it here and know we will definitely be back. read more

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Have seen this place from I5 a few times and finally had the time to stop! Was expecting a few food trucks at the location but it appears to be the Smokehouse, bar and a coffee truck. But lots of covered seating with heaters and firepits! The staff were friendly and super quick! Sorry I didn't get pics of my food, we were eating a late lunch so once food was in hand, food was going down the hatch. We ordered brisket jalapeno poppers and frito pie, and the tri tip sandwich. YES, food trucks have been getting expensive. This is a reality. So be prepared no matter where you are. I thought the poppers were perfect, not too much cream cheese that you feel like that's all you're eating, you can really taste all the pieces that went into it. The chili was good, not the best ever and there were some massive meat chunks which made it harder to eat but still good. My husband said his sandwich was by far the best he's had. read more

Really good bbq and great portions. Good location and the drink options are rad. Need to fix cold street corn but its good. Definitely be back. read more

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Delicious! Right next to the 5, I stop here often on the way back from Portland. Jalapeño poppers are my go to fav, but everything is good here. 10/10 recommend read more

Willamette Valley Smokehouse - Jalapeño poppers - Barbeque Near Me - Salem, Oregon

What a find...sat around the fire with my son eating some outstanding BBQ while laughing and talking with guests. Brisket was outstanding...ribbon of fat that tasted like bacon fat and melted in your mouth, I believe they said a 17 hr smoke. But if you really want a treat, the cornbread and potato salad was unbelievable. Try it, you'll like it read more

This is our second visit, met Blue, and he's amazing! Food is outstanding, the best BBQ we've ever had. Such an amazing atmosphere

OMG! This was the worst BBQ ribs I've ever been served, and as a chef, I know what good BBQ smoked meats should be like. I can't say "eaten", because after trying to chew off what would have been meat, I really couldn't get anything into my mouth other than shoe leather! I'm serious, this looked and ate like what I imagine dinosaur skin to be. Way over cooked and smoked, to the point there was no moisture left, just bone. Like a desiccated Pterodactyl they dug up. Almost as if the rack of ribs caught on fire like a charred skeleton pulled from a burning car wreck. Just look at the attached photo and you'll see I'm not joking. Then to think I paid $30+ for this dried out crumbly mess. I wish I had looked at them on sight so I could have brought them back, but this place is a freeway off-ramp food trailer and I had driven too far away to do that. Maybe this is why they are still in business, no one ever comes back? What's strange is they have quite a few great reviews? But for me it was horrible and I tossed my lunch at the next gas station stop. Service wasn't great either as they gave me tasteless coleslaw instead of corn bread. Ambiance I can't speak of as I drove away. It looked like a tent set up in a parking lot if that's your thing. Trust... read more

Willamette Valley Smokehouse - Over-charred, dried out, burned pork ribs. Worst I've ever tried to eat. Sad. - Barbeque Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Amazing barbecue! All the meat was super tender and flavorful. Brisket and the tri-tip were definitely a hit. Everyone loved the baked beans, bacon wrapped jalapenos, and corn bread with honey butter. Highly recommend this spot. Outdoor seating is covered and there are heaters for cooler days. A casual spot, but clean and well maintained. There is a bathroom with running water too. The outdoor bar with a number of local beers on tap was a welcome surprise. Outdoor games were great too. Quick and friendly service, and they were happy to answer all our questions. read more

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Passing through on my way to Washington and stopping for some BBQ. The Q'masters were as nice as could be and the prices were great. I had the Brisket along with beans and slaw. $21 and it was awesome. Big piece of Brisket was excellent and the sides were on point. Fast service and a very nice setup for ordering. This place has got to be popular place with all the tables, games. This is the kind of place you'll tell your friends about. read more

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Stopped here today for some lunch after work. I'm glad I did. I'll start off by saying best brisket for sure in Salem. Nice thick slices. Tender and flavorful. Ok so this place has a pretty cool location and great place to eat when it's cold out. Nice firepit area and a large seating area inside a tent with heaters and tvs. I was here Tuesday afternoon and it was not busy at all. But I could see it being a cool little meet up spot. The two guys working there were great. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich which comes with two sides. I thought that was great. For the price I think it was very reasonable for what you're getting. With that said I have to be honest. My sandwich was good and I would get it again. I just felt like my the pulled pork was a little dried out. Idk I'll have to just try it again. The beans I got were served hot and great. And the potatoe salad wasn't some store bought stuff. Had good crunch to it and flavor. I did need to add salt and pepper but who cares. They offer one bbq sauce at the moment. It was good but I believe it's not made in house. I could be wrong though. They did offer me one there were working on. And I thought it was good. They were concerned about the heat. If you guys are reading this don't change the heat. It's great. The only thing maybe is thin it out a little. This is just my opinion of course. Anyways. Go check them out! And try the brisket! read more

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Food was good but they kinda skimped on putting brisket on the smoked cheeseburger. Only 2 pieces of brisket and 1 was really small. Sauce was on the side so you can add it yourself. The BBQ beans were really good, cornbread was good but kinda small portion. I will stop again and probably try the pulled pork. read more

Willamette Valley Smokehouse - Cheeseburger with brisket. - Barbeque Near Me - Salem, Oregon

The Ribs were the best I ever had! The food came out very fast and I like the sampler platter with the variety of smoked meets.

Located basically in the middle of nowhere but only a minute off I-5. Decided to stop here on my way to PDX. Glad I did. As good a brisket I've had. read more

Willamette Valley Smokehouse - Barbeque Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Best Mac and cheese with pulled pork and Frito pie with brisket chili. Right off the highway. Excellent staff! So friendly!!! Great beer. So glad we stopped on the way to the Oregon Coast. read more

My husband and I shared a full rack of pork ribs. They were fabulous! The smoky flavor was so good and each rib was had so much meat on it. The baked beans were very good and the coleslaw was good but could have been more flavorful. The venue is very rustic but it works! Service was great. The food arrived very quickly. read more

Really great spot off the freeway with delicious barbecue! We loved the jalapeño poppers, brisket, and pulled pork sandwiches! Must try.