Smoke BBQ Taqueria Review

Went here for takeout yesterday and was extremely disappointed to find out they rebranded themselves into a BBQ sandwich shop, though I decided to try it anyway. Had the chicken apple sandwich with fries. The sandwich was pretty sloppily thrown together and messy, but decent. Chicken was kinda dry. Fries were probably some of the best I ve had. Good and crispy.

The prices are a little much for the food as it is now. I didn t mind paying a little more for when they made tacos.

I don t know why ownership decided to go in a different direction. I thought they had one of the most unique food offerings in Pittsburgh and the bbq taqueria was probably my favorite go to spot. The sandwich shop does not compare and I don t think I ll be coming back. At least not as often as I used to.

First off, the meat is absolutely incredible some of the best tacos that I have ever had. My favorite is the chicken and apple. We also ordered the Mac and cheese which was SO good. The cocktails were perfect too he got their specialty old fashioned and it was delicious and well balanced.

A-freaking-mazing*** Gringo Salad-Staff-Ambience-Everything! Cant wait to come back, it was worth the 2 1/2 hour drive :)

Food was amazing, but we put our name in at 7PM, and didn t get seated until 9:30PM. I think the hostess really screwed up. We provided our name and phone number, expecting a text when our table was ready. We left and had a beer near by. We walked back after an hour and a half, the estimated wait time, and asked for an update. We were told that there were three parties ahead of us, a party of 2, 4 and 5, so we went for another beer. Returned 40 minutes later, no text, and the hostess was seating a party of 6 . I asked if our name was even in the system. She said there had been a lot of Matt s today; Matt is not my name. She showed me her screen, and I did not see my name or phone number in the list. We proceeded to wait another 20 minutes in front of the hostess s desk. We were then seated, still no text notification, and no one really apologized. We asked them to comp an appetizer, but they just added it to our bill. I know it wasn t the waiter s fault, but he did not receive a full tip; that was our only way to show our dissatisfaction.

This place has the best queso ever. There last time I went there they started accepting credit cards. The cocktails are well made and tacos are good.

I cannot put into words how much my husband and I love this place!!! Everything is so fresh and the recipes they come up with blow my mind! The brisket is my favorite, I always order it without the hot peppers, I don't have a very high tolerance for hot things, however my husband loves the Brisket as is, as have a few other people I know that have ordered it. My husbands favorite is the Migas, with brisket and pinto beans.
The staff are always great, and always seem to know exactly what they're talking about when it comes to the product. We love to go there to eat, as it is a very cool trendy place, however the pick up option for food on the go is an awesome bonus for those nights when we're looking to stay in. Their Queso is actually making my mouth water thinking about it, it's that good, and the "chips" they serve it with is the best part.
We always order more tacos than we need to because it makes awesome leftovers for the next day. Just pop them in the microwave! YUM!
If you're not sure about trying a new place and pass Smoke up, you're crazy!

I am less than impressed. This place smelled great from outside, which made me want to come in. It had a really cute atmosphere, which I was excited about. Our server was nice. That is where the good ended. We waited 30 minutes for 3 tacos...granted, it was a little busy. With tax and tip, we paid $40 for some 3 okay tacos and a disgusting house made " Coke" soda. I was glad we tried something new, but I don't need to come back. This place is a big no for anyone with dairy restrictions. If you are looking for hipster tacos, this is your place. If you are hungry, go somewhere else.

From all the great things I had heard about smoke I was expecting way more out if it's tacos. Waited over an hour and was unimpressed by the vegetarian tacos

Absolutely fantastic. The aroma when you walk in is breathtaking. The menu is simple and delicious. A taco or two will fill you up and I'd recommend a side to share. It's a little pricey but it sure is good. They have a nice bar but the definite perk is the smokiness of everything on the menu. They should get into Islay Scotches to pair with their foods... Is there such a thing as too much smoke?

The food is amazing, but still overpriced. I'm not sure how meat that is already smoked takes about an hour to come out. I've been here at least 30 times and have always had a long wait for food to arrive. And they charge you to use a credit card. In this day and age, many people no longer carry cash. Otherwise, I would have given it 5 stars!

The food was excellent! Get the queso dip and chips as an appetizer, it's out of this world delicious. Chips made from scratch daily, as is everything else. You can taste the love for sure!

Visited SMOKE while on a trip to Pittsburgh, Hipster Taco shop with a relax feel. I tried the Chicken Apple Taco, which was very unique to sample. However, my chicken was cold and felt the apples added unneeded moisture to the taco, not a unique taste. However, I did have a BBQ pork taco and that was much more flavorful then the Chicken. And finally, I topped my meal with a Margarita. It was small in stature and lacked the tequila punch needed.

Great place for upscale tacos. Great smoked meats.

Great experience!!! Service and food were both awesome. Handcrafted cocktails and food at a reasonable price. All the meat is responsibly sourced and smoked on site. Get the Pork tacos! Sad they didn't have burnt ends when we were there but we will be back. Cash Preferred(they take cards but there is a 3.5% charge)

My opinion is that is an overrated place. The tacos are good but nothing too impressive. The melted cheese appetisers are really good but they are so big that for 2 people is a waste. Then you need to walk there to put your name on the list and we were told is 1 1/2h wait. Half an hour later the table was ready which makes it hard to plan anything around it. And they do use open table but they don't allow call or online reservation

Incredible Salad, add the BBQ meats and sauteed onion, huge portion for one person

Excellent tacos. Chicken apple taco was tasty as was the queso dip and chips. Decent service. Was told 15-20 minute wait for a table. Had 35-40 minute wait.

We went for a late lunch, so there was no wait. The place is relatively small with a strong hipster vibe even in the middle of the day with multigenerational family groups occupying many of the tables. The wings were insanely good, meaty with a spicy-smoky-sweet sauce. Tacos run around $6, but they're huge and flavorful. Standouts were the brisket and the Yinzer special: smoked pork with fries and slaw. The food was delicious and service was friendly, low-key, and helpful. This place is worth seeking out.

We've followed Smoke from their origins in Homewood to their current super-trendy location in Lawrenceville. Be sure to try the Mac and cheese or the chips and queso. It's frustrating that they often run out of menu items, like my favorite, burnt ends.

Very good. Portion size is large. A 3 bone rib is plenty for one person. Service is very good. Be care when ordering "hot" sauce......it's hot.

Great service and even better food. Relaxed atmosphere and so much flavor

Would be 5* if they didn't include 20% Service Charge! I hate that. Food was so good, Mac And Cheese enough for two, but you will fight for the crispy top!!! Very fair price.

The best combination of bbq and tacos. Burnt ends taco is out of this world.

Lots of delicious vegetarian options! Food is flavorful and rich and the atmosphere is trendy. Don't go on a weekend night unless you're OK with waiting hour+.

Tacos are amazing. Aqua fresca is very good also. When it is crowded it can get pretty loud. Very nice exposed brick atmosphere. One of my favorite joints. The chicken apple taco and the chorizo taco are must haves, but all are great. Good chips and queso.

Amazing tacos!!! I am not from here so I asked some locals where to go and kept being told to try smoke. I am so happy I listened. The queso and chips was enough but then the tacos came out and were amazing. The beer they had on tap was also really good and I bought a bottle of the Hot AF sauce to go. I highly recommend.

Amazing food and great service!!!
The tacos and macaroni and cheese were so good!!! We had great service as well!!! I can't wait to come back!!!

Burnt ends and Queso is a great way to start. Smoked meats are all tasty. The wide variety of tacos are creative and delicious. Note cash only

We've been here several times for dinner and brunch. Very creative entrees very good service with a funky atmosphere. Menu varies every trip.

Authentic bbq with a modern feel. You must absolutely try the pulled pork, pig queso dip and mac n' cheese. I would eat here every day of the week if it wouldnt make me 1000 lbs

Delicious! Not inexpensive but worth it. Cash only so be ready!

Phenomenal brunch. Been there twice and had great experiences both times. Great coffee. Great donuts. Great brunch tacos. Friendly staff. Plan on going here many more times!!

Each and every time we go here, we have amazing food and drink.

My skinny 9yo daughter eats a HALF POUND of brisket. The chicken and apple tacos were off-the-chart today; the mustard BBQ sauce wonderfully zippy. Apple Cole slaw had a nice bite, and the mac-n-cheese satisfied.

This is our go-to place.

Rich and heavy, but incredible tex-mex and barbecue

This is the least respectful restaurant I've ever been to. They called us an hour before our reservation and told us they wouldn't be able to seat us for an hour later than our reservation. We were already in the area and had friends in from 4 hours out of town. We finally got sat an hour later than our reservation. Apparently they didn't like us and decided not to serve us so we had to leave. They were really just waiting for us to leave so that they could seat their friends who walked in waiting for a table last minute. To top it all off, when we tried to voice our opinion to the manager, he had to hold back from laughing in our face (along with the other employees). It must be nice for business to be so well that they can pick and choose their clients. Not to mention there were ten of us. Extremely disappointed in what this place has to offer.

Smoke is definitely the best place to eat in Lawrenceville. Situated right next to Row House Cinema it's a great place to get a drink and some tacos. The food is phenomenal and anyone can find something they like on the menu. They offer brunch on Sundays and on Tuesdays they have burgers instead of tacos(which are also amazing). I have always had an excellent experience here with food, atmosphere, and customer service. One of my top favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh!

Delicious food! It does take a long time for the food to come out, so be prepared!

I really enjoyed this place. I'm from the south and really love smoked meats and I also love tacos. I wasn't to sure about both together but they have mastered it. Everything is fresh and home made. I could also tell this is a place that the locals frequent. it's a bit hard to spot, they need a bigger sign out front.

The tacos here are delicious! They cook the meat very well, service was very good (it was not very busy), and all of the food was tremendously delicious!

It was our 1st time. Everything was delicious. Will definitely be back!

Hidden gem! Phenomenal bbq. Must try their homemade margaritas

As a native Texan, I'm always looking for something that's reminiscent of home. Smoke comes fairly close. Now if only they could bring their prices down to match.

Food was unreal... So were the wait times and prices. Wednesday at 7pm had a 90 minute wait for a table of four. Some of the most expensive tacos I've seen and I live in D.C. Get the Mac and Cheese.

Food was delicious. Pork taco with apricot habenaro BBQ was amazing.

Everything is great here, but the queso and chips are out of this world. $5 cocktail specials are also a steal.

Such a good lunch spot tucked away in Lawrenceville. Steak tacos are excellent.

Each taco was 7-8 USD which may be acceptable in Williamsburg, Brookyln. or Manhattan but not any part of Pittsburgh, PA. The pork tacos were dry the beef ones were decent. For a better price and better product hit Doce Taqueria on Carson Street in the Southside.

The best queso I've ever had .. and the burnt end taco is almost as delicious

You are going to wait to get in here, and overall the restaurant is pretty small, but the food was great. I didn't get as much meat as I expected but combined with the sides I was pretty full at the end of my meal. Drink options are pretty numerous too

Always excellent food and wonderful service. Some people complain about wait times, but they are making everything fresh for you, so it's worth it.

Beware when ordering chips, you get a lot! Very good food and cocktails

Best BBQ in Pittsburgh! Smoked meat has incredible flavor and cooked perfectly. Friendly service, Live DJ on Saturday night. Outdoor space is awesome. Great place to watch college football. Will be coming back again soon! Ps the smoked meat is gluten free for my fellow Celiac friends!

Good food and smiling service people. A bit expensive, but worth it.

SMOKE has some serious flavor. I had the brisket, pork, and chicken apple. Chicken was good, pork and brisket....delicious. I will be back.

Great food and service. drinks are fantastic. highly recommend.

It took almost an hour for us to get our tacos. It shouldn t take this long for tacos...

Been coming here since it opened. I love the environment and having rowhouse and bierport next doors is great. Parking is usually pretty tight around Lawrenceville but u can find a spot.

Food here is excellent. Highly recommend the queso (in what ever variety you choose) because the chips are so good it's worth making a trip just for them! Tacos all around are fantastic. Sauces run a lil spicy but have great flavor.

I would (and have) recommend smoke to anyone looking for a good bite and brew in Pittsburgh. Will come back over and over as long as I can!

They sold out homestead just when it was thriving again. What a shame.

Food was fantastic, make sure to get something that has their bacon in it, although it was a bit expensive at 6.25-8.75 for just one taco.

Combines two of my favorite things - bbq and tacos.

Favorite restaurant in Pittsburgh. In the era of the taco, Smoke finds a way to be unique. Their nachos or dip to start are a must. Favorite taco is the mushroom add burnt ends. If they ever bring it back, their puff pastry is a show stopper.

Atmosphere: Tavern-style setup with tavern lighting and tavern seating (can't remember the music playing)

Cost: Each taco was $6 +change prior to tax (almost the size of a Taco Bell burrito but with much tastier filling)

Service: Timely, competent waitress who refilled our waters before we even needed to ask

Experience:
Tacos were surprisingly filling considering the size, but very tasty and after two I felt like I had eaten a satisfying light lunch (and I'm the type to whine about my tacos being too tiny or costly at other establishments). Even so, I recommend three for the hungrier as today I wanted a lighter meal.

I wanted to ask it it was possible to purchase a bottle of the house hot sauce but I ended up forgetting while chatting with coworkers (it felt like a guacamole/jalapeno mix or something and left a positive impression on me).

We had to wait for 2 hours and another hour on the table to get our food. The tacos were decent but not that good to justify the wait.

Always good. Great happy hour, daily $5 cocktail, and some of my favorite food in town.

Also, one of the VERY few bars/restaurants in Pgh that doesn't have television screens blaring at you.

Consistently busy during prime hours, for a good reason.

I found this place to be really expensive, way too cool and the food wasn't that great. They're obviously filling a market need, since they're packed all the time, but it's not for me.

I've never been to a Taqueria that serves flour tortillas @ $6 for one taco... and charges for hot sauce?... I'll stick with Las Palmas

Unbelievable smoked meats in taco form with innovative sauces and toppings. One of our favorite places to go for dinner.

Note that they don't really have traditional mexican tacos, so don't go expecting that. But what they do have is totally awesome.

It was well worth the wait! So delicious and the mac and cheese was exceptional! I am happier person because of smoked

Enjoyed the food and music and vibe in here. Service was decent and love that you can check the waitlist on the app (and don t need to stand around). Apparently it s too hipster for heating - it was really uncomfortably cold inside and people wearing down coats while eating dinner kind of ruins the atmosphere. The queso (we got the standard one) and the tacos were delicious, as were the drinks. Note it s cash only.

Really good food and drinks. Service can be a tad slow even when they are not packed and the menu is a little pricey for what you get. An enjoyable meal, but not an everyday thing.

The chicken Apple taco is one of the best things ever created. Also- the happy hour is outstanding. Love trying mystery tacos, great beer selection and the queso is to die for.

Favorite Lawrenceville eatery. The brisket taco, sausage taco, and Mac and cheese are to die for. Fun dinners. Bring cash.

Tasty food. Worth visiting first every time we're in town. The ends taco and ribs are delicious. Winters can be a bit drafty in the dining room so wear layers! Or order a cocktail! Nice decor. Had to pay extra for a small bbq sauce which was surprising and disappointing but overall great experience. Welcoming and efficient staff!

One of my favorite places to dine out in Pittsburgh! Food is always amazing.

I love this place when I come to town it s a must visit

With their vibrant crowd and lovely environment I anticipated such a wonderful experience from service to food to libations. The food, drinks, and our waitress was great, but don't let that fool you. The hostesses had a poor attitude throughout the evening, along with management allowing waiting customers to bager customers that were already seated. I was appalled by the actions of waiting customers and the demeanor of management allowing such inappropriate behavior in their establishment. They were borderline instigating an altercation. It was something I've never seen before in my 17 years restaurant experience.