Smoke Town — Restaurant in Pyeongtaek-si

With high hopes and an appetite for smoky flavors, I recently visited this establishment to explore their menu. While the chicken impressed with its signature smokiness, it was disappointing to find lackluster brisket and amateurishly made sausage.

Chicken: A Smoky Delight If there's one thing that Smoke Town excels at, it's their chicken. Bursting with a rich, smoky flavor, the chicken dish stood out as the highlight of my meal. Tender, juicy, and cooked to perfection, it proved to be a delicious treat that left me wanting more. The smokiness was evident in every bite, providing a delightful and satisfying experience.

Brisket: A Missed Opportunity As a fan of barbecue and a Texas native, I had high expectations for the brisket at Smoke Town. Regrettably, the reality fell short of my anticipation. The brisket lacked the char tips and flavor that I've come to expect from a quality BBQ joint. It felt lifeless and lacked the succulent smokiness that makes this dish truly exceptional. For those seeking a memorable brisket experience, Smoke Town may not be the ultimate destination. But not surprising since this is in ROK.

Sausage: An Amateur Mishap When it comes to sausage, Smoke Town left much to be desired. As someone who appreciates the craftsmanship that goes into a well-made sausage, I was disappointed by the crumbly and dry texture of Smoke Town's offering. It felt as though the sausage was made by an amateur, lacking the juiciness and robust flavors that define a truly great sausage. If you're a connoisseur of sausage, you may want to look elsewhere for a more satisfying experience.

Overall, you can’t call yourself “Smoke Town” if only one item on the menu. To the owners/chefs: consider adding more smoke to all the meats to stay true to the branding. I’m sure this place is fine to the Koreans who never been to southern USA for BBQ, but if you are American from the south, you won’t...

Others are giving this place shining reviews, which are contrary to my experience. The waitress only paid attention to us when we called her over for questions, then she scurried off at the first opportunity, seemingly wanting to be elsewhere. The food they serve, in terms of portions and preparation, doesn't look like nearly like it does on their menus.

I wouldn't be surprised if they used stock art photos to populate their menu. As for price, they charged us ₩18,900 for 4 strips of brisket, which held significant portions of fat, and it had too much pepper and salt on it. The brisket also seemed largely boiled. If it's actually smoked in the proper Texas fashion, I'll be very surprised. As it is, I highly doubt it given the quality of the other food we received there. The ribs, for example, were definitely not cooked on the same day we ate there. They were cooked at least 2 days before, then reheated. Additionally, some of the rib meat tasted like it was starting to turn.

The restaurant also charges nearly ₩5,000 for sides that are about 1/2 cup-sized portions. The baked beans, which also seemed to be cooked on previous days then reheated, were hard, and the sauce was too thick and sticky. They were not palatable at all.

Not only will I avoid the place in the future, but I've also recommended others I know not to visit it, and that they can spend far less money for fresher, tastier, and better-prepared food in larger portions at other restaurants in the area, and where they'll also get much better...

Pretty decent BBQ place. A good reminder of your favorite BBQ joint in the states, and certainly “scratches the BBQ itch”. Great presentation…we had the for 3 menu item (just two of us…yes!!!) to sample the brisket, chicken and pulled pork. It came with slightly larger than slider size rolls, which were buttered, lightly toasted, and just perfect to build a pulled pork or brisket sandwich. Meat: Pulled pork was sweet, like from sugar. I use sugar in my own rubs, but the distinct sweetness was a little much. Also, very slight, almost unnoticeable smokiness (we like ours with a little heartier smokiness). Brisket - moist and tender, same comment about the smoke. Chicken - good sized chicken quarters….definitely the smokiest of all. I’m thinking they don’t brine, or do it very briefly, as it was a little, not terrible, a little dry. Good smoke flavor on this, like I said. A word on the sauces: Spicy was ok, a little zip, but not bad. The Sweet was the best…very tasty. The Mustard-vinegar was just that: think North Carolina Vinegar and South Carolina Mustard having a baby…it was good, I’m just a mustard and vinegar sauce guy by exception.

Our sides: Didn’t care for the cumin flavor I picked up in the beans. Kind of a clash of cuisines with that. The slaw was good for the pulled pork sandwich. It was a “go”…pretty standard for flavor, aside from being pink. The fries were, well…fries. Bonus points for being hot

Bottom line…good BBQ experience far from BBQ universe. Good...