2 Smoking Barrels Barbecue Joint & Food truck — Restaurant in Wollongong City Council

Slow and Low is the motto and the method of 2 Smoking Barrels. A barbecue join that sits tucked away between car yards on Flinders Street in Wollongong. The location is a little out of the way and set apart from the ever evolving Keira Street “foodie mile” but not so far that you would overlook a night of carnivorous decadence.

The venue is attempting to emulate the traditional American barbecue and when it comes to the meat they are delivering. All the meats on offer are cooked with texture and flavour refined to an optimum level. The brisket is the stand out being tender and juicy with a beautifully seasoned crisp skin.

With a couple of mates we ordered some burgers and the plate for one.

The burgers were packed with meat served between soft milk buns. They tasted great and serving sizes generous. The one criticism is where a lot of Aussie burger joints fall short of their U.S counterparts; for your 18 to 20 something bucks you just get a burger, no sides, no garnish. For this price how hard would it be to include a small side of fries and maybe a pickle or other quirky garnish to really make the experience memorable.

I had the plate for one and it was, well, it was ok. Again, the meat was amazing, but it was the accompaniments that were in parts lacklustre. The good… the burnt end beans were great! A mixture of brisket ends and beans in a hot tomato based sauce was tasty and packed a nice hot flavour punch. The pickles were really nice but maybe just lacking in quantity. The disappointment however was the Mac and cheese. I LOVE Mac and cheese and it should be creamy, sticky and full of gooey cheesy goodness. This Mac was dry, bland and not at all memorable.

We washed our meals down with some beers and a cider which were great. The web site doesn’t mention the venue is Licenced so if you were worried you wouldn’t be able to grab a cold one with your BBQ then fear not. There is a pretty good selection of drinks to choose from, both alcoholic and non alcoholic.

In summary 2 Smoking Barrels is worth checking out if you love slow and low cooked meat but there is room to make this joint even better with some small improvements.

Oh, and the staff were really really lovely. Friendly and attentive and happy to have a chat and a joke with customers. I can’t remember her name but she had a new tattoo of a bee on a gum leaf and she was really lovely. Thanks for a...

Extremely Disappointing Experience - Overhyped and Overpriced

I am absolutely baffled by the glowing reviews this place has received. My experience was the polar opposite. We went with high hopes to celebrate a special occasion, only to leave $100 poorer and thoroughly disappointed.

We ordered the share plate for one, the Double Barrel Burger, and the Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich. From start to finish, the meal was an utter disaster.

Let’s start with the “Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich.” It was dry beyond belief, with no sauce to salvage it, and the chicken wasn’t even slightly crispy—nothing remotely close to southern fried chicken. Eating it felt like chewing on cardboard. Strike one.

The Double Barrel Burger was painfully average. For over $20, you’d expect at least a side of chips or something to make it feel worth the price, but it came as just the burger. Honestly, the value is completely unjustifiable.

And then came the share plate, which was meant to be the highlight. The brisket was the driest I’ve ever had—two pieces of jerky masquerading as brisket, with zero moisture and zero effort in flavor. The pulled pork wasn’t any better—completely flavorless, with no seasoning or effort to make it stand out. The bread served with the plate added absolutely nothing to the meal—just a filler that did little to enhance the experience.

The sides didn’t save the meal, either. The fries were the only mildly edible part, and even that’s a stretch. The mac and cheese? Bland, unseasoned, and uninspired. It lacked even the most basic seasoning like salt and pepper. Together, the main plate was a sad, disjointed mess.

It’s beyond me how this place has earned a reputation for good food. It failed to meet even the most basic expectations. This was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had in years, and it completely ruined what was supposed to be a special occasion.

I will never return and would strongly recommend others avoid this place unless you want overpriced, flavorless food and a thoroughly disappointing experience. An absolute waste of...

A Father's Day treat that left the total experience, underwhelming! Arriving early for a lunch we were directed to our table virtually at the entrance to the restaurant. Other than the requirement to order our meals at the bar, there was no explanation of the menu. specials of the day or the drinks list. Drinks list consisted generally of adult alcoholic drinks with a choice of water or carbonated soft drinks for children. I get that this may be promoted as venue for primarily adults, milkshakes or similar or juices could have been an option for under 18 year olds. A basic menu was on offer for customers not choosing the $65p.p set menu, subsequently, smoked chicken wings were not available from the standard menu. Standard menu selections included Spit Smoked Beef Brisket Roll which was quite substantial, Southern Fried Chicken Sandwiches which were also substantial. I chose the Double Barrel Burger. The size of this burger form me was smaller than a McDonalds Quarter Pounder consisting of very small meat patty and lack of substantive filling. $4-5 more than the previous burgers. Add another $4 each for a handful of fries and that's a $112 family lunch. I made a bad choice here and confirmed my overall experience of disappointment. Alternatively I couldn't justify $260 for the set menu. First impressions count and if you never go, you'll never know. Service was OK and nothing special with a couple of reminders from staff about where we need to order. No explanation on menu and drink options were explained. The menu options were so limited that we were questioning whether to just leave! Seriously, give the...