Smoke Daddies — Restaurant in London

My friend and I decided to this smoked meats restaurant as we saw a TikTok food review make a video praising it heavily. We arrived there at 17:00 and there was no other customers in the restaurant (even though it opened at 12) which we thought was a little odd but decided to still try it as we were both very hungry. We ordered The FOODIE FEAST PLATTER which consisted of: dino bone, brisket, sticky bbq lamb ribs, brisket Mac n cheese, slaw pickles and fries. We also ordered a portion of sweet potato fries, prawns and hash huggets. Incidentally the Foodie Feast said it was £60 on the website but £65 on the menu in the restaurant - perhaps they need to update things.

To start with the hash nuggets were very nice, they were crunchy and fluffy on the inside and came with a sauce on them with crispy onions which made the dish very enjoyable. Unfortunately not the same can be said for the prawns which were frozen then battered so tasted very bad - if you like prawns don’t buy as they’re not fresh.

The large sharing platter then came…the lamb ribs were very tender however they should have been seasoned more as the sickly bbq sauce they put on it didn’t go well with it and added no real flavour. The large beef rib was also very tender but was very bland and had little or no flavour on it. They said it wa marinated in an African spice rub but I could not taste that at all just pure beef which was a shame as it was nicely smoked. The brisket strips were also tender but bland as anything and had no flavour. I’m not sure if this place uses a spice rub before they smoke the meat but I would suggest doing it as favour was seriously lacking. The mac and cheese was nice and creamy and the pasta was Al dente which was a nice surprise but the brisket cubes on top were nicely seasoned but rather tough and were probably not fresh and the rosemary fries that came were very well fried and seasoned with actually rosemary which was pleasant to eat. The sweet potato fries were really excellent too.

Overall I think the food was average and a little pricey for what you get. I’d give it a 5/10. The meat was well smoked but it was seriously lacking in flavour and was very bland. I’m huge fan of smoked meat restaurants and have been to many in London. This place wouldn’t crack the top 10 but it does fill you up and the meat is tender which account for my...

The food was incredible!!! As a veggie (going with a meat eater friend), I was naturally quite sceptical about what I'd be able to eat but left feeling full and satisfied!

The staff and especially the owner Shoaib were welcoming, helpful and checked in on us regularly.

I really wanted to try the spicy mac n cheese and was grateful to be able to have the non- meat version, which was bangin' !!! I don't think i've ever experienced a more divinely made macaroni cheese with its subtle spicy flavours and the perfect balance of cheese. I don't like the versions where the cheese outweighs the actual pasta and becomes a crusty layer on top. The chef got this right!!! Could not have made it any better or different and definitely the best i've ever come across! It was served hot and remained hot and creamy throughout. (I don't like cold food!)

My friend ordered the pulled lamb and kept on complementing the unique flavours and the tenderness of the meat. I don't think she's had better, she said!

I had the vegan burger- Fake it till you make it! It was packed with flavours with all its well complemented fillings and the hash brown in the burger between the soft brioche gave it that extra special crunch!

The owner bought the food in a platter style board with the homemade slaw, which was delightful and the mango and chilli salsa- equally delicious, along with a chimichurri sauce.

The owner also bought us some perfectly cooked, delicate but crunchy truffle fries, alongside the veggie version of the Dynamo Hash Nuggets- OMG!!! Yes an overload of potatoes, but who cares when you can't decide and it's cheat night!

We were devouring the flavas- highly recommend dipping these too both in the chimichurri sauce! Make sure you dip and scoop right to the bottom to experience the flavour of all the herbs in this sauce! I've never tasted anything like this before and even sneakily tried to get the recipe, it was that good!

My mouth was bursting with flavours at this restaurant! They are THEE real deal and know how to do it well!

Cannot highly recommend this place enough! The love and care that goes into ensuring their customers are happy and highly satisfied emanates throughout this restaurant!

Thank you to all the team at Smoked Daddies for providing a chilled and memorable dining experience!

I'll defo be back- the 1.5 hour journey...

So, I went to Smoke Daddies on the weekend and ordered a wide range of items, to share, from the enticing menu. For those who don't know, it is a halal American smokehouse in Balham.

For starters we had the calamari and Bang Bang prawns. Whilst the calamari was very good, crispy coating, tender calamari; the dynamite prawns were simply outstanding, banging! Perfectly crispy tempura batter, a really good paprika sprinkled coating of dynamite sauce and large succulent prawns. These are probably the best take on dynamite prawns I've eaten anywhere!

For mains, everything on the menu sounded very appealing but there were a few things I've been wanting to try for a while, so went for those

The Dino rib, something I've been wanting to try for ages, was very, very good! Juicy, fell off the bone effortlessly, and tasted really good. The smokiness was subtle, the sauce on it complimented it very well.

The Brisket burger was packed with beef, a huge amount of it, and really, that burger will fill the biggest of appetites. Again, like the Dino rib, very tender and effortless to eat. Perfectly smoked, not overpowering either.

The glazed lamb ribs were very different to ribs I've eaten elsewhere. Again, smoked very well so the meat was tender, fat rendered perfectly. The glaze was really good too. No complaints at all from any of the sauces on this, or on the Dino rib.

Personally, my favourite dish was the Steak Frites. Steak cooked to medium rare, perfectly seared and juicy to eat! It was hard to choose this over the others, but it's rare for me to find a Steak in Balham that I'd go back to eat. This is the one!

We upgraded some of the fries to loaded fries and glad we did, as like everything else, these were great and hit the spot.

Would I go back? Definitely! Not only was the food great, it was also very good value, and the service excellent too. You'd be hard pressed to find a better smokehouse than this in South London/Croydon if not further afield, especially a halal one! Oh and if you do go and the owners are in, they are a pleasure to speak to. Proper enthusiastic and passionate about what they are doing, and doing it very, very well.

The pics aren't that great. We were too eager to eat the food than take pics! I will definitely be going back, there's a lot more on the menu I...