Smoke Bar BQ

Consistency needs to be there key. They don’t smoke every day apparently so the food is good sometimes and others not. For example on a Monday they serve last weekends brisket which was like shoe leather as the pork loin. Been twice, on a Monday and a Friday. It was totally different experiences. Bartender was sloppy and not great. Bummed. Heard it was really good. 2.5 stars

Recently went to Smoke on a Thursday around 6pm with two others. There was only two other people in the entire place. By 6:45 there was not an empty seat in the restaurant. There was a live band that started playing at 7pm and it was not too loud like most bars/​restaurants.
I asked about the Bourbon Trail and eventually decided to try it. The only thing I did not like was the fact that there are no prices on the sheet. But the waitress said she would be more than happy to check the prices before trying them. You can order the Bourbon «neat» or «on the rocks».
On Thursdays they have Ribs for $ 1 per bone. The ribs were very good and they had two sauces right on the table and a «hot» barbecue sauce upon request. The hot and regular BBQ sauce mixed together was very good. The cornbread was very good. We ordered the brisket, ribs, pulled pork sandwich with our sides being macaroni and cheese, tater tots, and French fries. The mac and cheese was not a traditional Mac and cheese but was more like a casserole but it was still very good.
Prices were average for a good Barbecue joint. The service was very good until it got very packed. Only suggestion would be hiring 1 more waitress to help with the big crowds.

Went last night and was Impressed with everything. I cant understand why they werent more busy. EXCELLENT service, Great Food… You wont be disappointed…

Don’t let the outside fool you! Go inside. The prime rib sandwich was awesome. Some unique eats. Bonus was the bourbon trail. Must try.

This place, without a doubt, makes the best smoked barbecue meat I’ve had in town. The smoked prime rib sandwich was amazing. And the pulled pork? Yes. They prepare all of their meats over actual wood chips– no heating of the meat in an oven. The sides left a little to be desired (we had the Mac and cheese and cole slaw). Still, the meats were so good that the less than amazing sides only dropped rating of the place by one star for me. Also, the staff was friendly and they had good beer on tap. Toledo– support this place.

So, I said previously that I would give Smoke Bar BQ a fifth star if they (1) started serving draught beer and (2) started producing some spicier BBQ sauces. Well, they’ve done both.
Additionally, the bartender was able whip up a couple of «sweet but not too sweet» drinks that were very much to my wife’s liking. Always impressed when that happens.
Smoke still has the same awesome dry-​rubbed ribs, great service, and inviting atmosphere. AND, the appetizers have improved, too.

I’ve had the pleasure of eating here a few times and it’s definitely better than your average fare.
The meats are smoked in house with a dry rub (the way bbq should be done).
I’ve had both the brisket and the ribs (8.5÷10)
Mac-​n-​cheese (⁸⁄₁₀)
I appreciate the fact that they’ve gone out on their own with the mac-​n-​cheese and not doing another velveeta shells like everyone else: yawn:. I doubly so appreciated it when we were reviewing side options and the waitress pointed out that it wasn’t the same old same old. I think the recipe could still use a little tweaking, but you’re on the right track.
Corn nuggets (7.5÷10)
I have a sneaking suspicion that these are straight from GFS, but they’re still delicious with the mustard or BBQ sauce.
I like that Smoke is trying new things like their Burbon trail. It’s not new conceptually, but not really common in the area.
I’d like to see draft beer, that would definitely give it a bump.
One or two more sauce options would be nice.
I think 4 total would be perfect: Sweet, Smoke, Spice and Mustard (alternative).
Also, I’ve had great experiences with the wait staff, they seem to be on their game. The slowness that I’ve experienced seems to be from the cooking staff which in my book is A-​OK when the food coming out of the kitchen is delish.
Tweak a few things and bring in that 5^th star, you guys are close!

Food was good, the environment was nice and the service was slow. I had the brisquet platter and really enjoyed it, but had long waits between drinks and it took a while for the food as well. This is based on one visit.

Stopped in again this past weekend. Brit Brit was on her game again and served us well. Had the Gold Nuggets and those are a delish appetizer of deep fried corn with dipping sauces. We split the brisket sandwich, good flavor — but pretty small. Coleslaw needs help. Still going to continue to visit because I think it will get better with time and they are adding a patio soon. So when Toledo finally gets warm (August maybe?) we can hang outside. Please get draft beer!

Good flavors in the BBQ, but slow service and other issues made our visit disappointing. I had the half rack of ribs with sweet potato fries and steamed broccoli. My wife and son shared the brisket with «mac n cheese» and fries.
First, our table wasn’t set with utensils. In the nearly empty restaurant, it took more than an hour for our table of 6 to get our food. So, after receiving our food, we had to wait for utensils. The steamed broccoli was served as one large floret in a dish, nowhere near bite-​sized. The «mac n cheese» was neither macaroni nor cheesy, not terrible, but not mac n cheese. One other person at our table ordered the sweet potato fries, but they didn’t have enough to fill all three orders, so they asked to mix in regular fries. Both kinds were from frozen, so nothing special. Both the brisket the ribs had good flavor, but the lack of a spicy bbq sauce was disappointing. The cornbread was tasty and moist.
Most disappointing was the slow service. Keeping our 3-​year-​old son occupied for more than an hour and half was challenging and somewhat baffling when a restaurant is nearly empty and our table only ordered 5 entrees.

This is a neat little gem located in the original Monnette’s building. All the meat is smoked in house. The owners have been successful in the restaurant business for many years and bring their knowledge and hospitality to Smoke. The décor and burning wood aroma takes you on a short journey to Memphis before realizing that you are still in NW Ohio. The dishes are flavorful and prepared with care. Stop in today!

The place smelled real good but I wouldn’t know what the food tasted like because the waitress wouldn’t take our order after patiently waiting for 25 minutes. The other woman working at the time literally stared at us and did nothing except get drinks for a separate table. We had to ask for them to take our drink order.
I’m only rating this on the service because we did not have a chance to eat there.

Smoke Bar BQ is a newly opened restaurant in west Toledo worth looking into. The inside is a nice atmosphere, boasting the traditional BBQ décor and some cool, caged industrial ceiling fans. I sat at the bar and was treated very well by staff. The ribs are a dry rub and grew on me. They provide a tomato based BBQ sauce that goes great with the ribs and brisket, as well as a mustard based sauce that I enjoyed with some of my girlfriends sweet potato fries. The mac and cheese wasn’t the greatest, cooked with spaghetti noodles, it may throw some people off. Overall it was buttery and lacking cheese, other than the oven crisped top cheese layer. The coleslaw was great, as well as their baked beans, a great original dish. I sampled some brisket and it was worth trying again. I think the ribs are the winner here. If you see this place on the west end of Toledo, I’d recommend trying it out. Local is always a plus, and there is some great potential.