Carolina Smoke BBQ and Catering — Restaurant in Bothell

Food is OK. I purchased the Pulled Pork sandwich with a side. I chose the Bake Beans and added a side of Mac n Cheese with an ice tea to drink. It totaled around $28 plus tip. The sandwich was piled with with a good amount of pork served on a semi-toasted bun, which was also semi-stale. You have a choice of sauces on the table, you may or may not be able to read the labels. Both of my sides looked like something special, they were ok but not very special. You have a choice of sweetened or unsweetened tea I went for a combo of 7/8 unsweetened and an 1/8 sweetened. It was still very sweet so the sweet tea is on par with a true southern sweet tea. Service is sub-par. The gentleman that greeted me at the counter and took my order was very pleasant and represented the company well. The rest of the staff which seem to include owners or at the very least management couldn’t care less if I was there or down the street. One of the owners(?) was at the counter on my way out and looked at me like I was a bother. Not a thank you, no how was your meal, nothing. Now I know that can sound a bit needy but speaking as a former service industry owner, I’m interacting with my customers or soon I am not going to have very many. This may explain why there were more staff than customers at noon. Atmosphere is below average. Yes it is a BBQ joint so that does come with a little leeway, but I don’t think the dining room should be used as a storage room. The restaurant itself was not overly dirty and did seem to have some form of cleaning that is performed, but I’m never a fan of filthy entry door glass or for that matter a bathroom door that hasn’t been touched by a cleaning crew in a long while. Bottomline, will I return? No, there was nothing craveable or particularly friendly about Carolina Smoke. If you are in the area, which is a BBQ desert, give it a try, the food is ok. But, if you are just passing through, look for your...

I had a hankering for BBQ tonight and decided to try a new place out since Larry's wasn't answering their phone and I wasn't sure if they were open. I ordered the brisket sandwich, collard greens, cornbread, and Carolina sweet ice tea.

I used their online order ahead system which predicted 30-40 mins. I showed up at about 45 mins, and the sandwich was made but nothing else was ready. The service was pretty slow, with only one person working the counter. The guys in back weren't up to much and eventually one of them felt sorry for me waiting and came out and asked if I was picking up. When I said yes, they pulled the sandwich out, put it on a tray, pointed at the woman at the counter and said "this is for him." Mind you, this was all paid for in advance with a tip and all they needed to do was pull the other stuff out of the hot box and put it in a bag so I don't know why the guy didn't just finish the job. Took me about 17 mins to get my order. The collard greens were shoved in a paper bag then put in the plastic bag sideways so they leaked all over everything and I had to peel mushy paper off everything.

Food quality:

The cornbread was good, but I had to put it in the microwave as it was cold. The collard greens were ok, but also cold. The brisket had good flavor, but was very dry. I'm glad I got an extra sauce. The sandwich bun was just a regular hamburger bun, nothing special. The sweet apple butter BBQ sauce was ok, but again nothing special. The price for one sandwich, cornbread, greens, 1 extra sauce and a tea came to $37.69. I'm not sure I'll be back, maybe once covid passes I'll try a dine in and the ribs to see if that's any better but today's visit was a bit...

Stopped by Carolina Smoke on a whim while heading back up to Mill Creek from Bothell today. I had been there many times before, but not since the Country Village location.

Damn, I've been missing out!

It was noon and a few people were ahead of me in line. The owner himself was working the front counter. He clearly has his following, as he already knew the people in line and what they were going to order. That, coupled with tributes to our local firefighters and military on the walls made It a real community vibe and was so nice to see. It feels good support a small business, especially knowing that they care about and give back to their community.

I ordered two Beef Brisket Sandwiches to go. You never know what you're going to get when you order to go, especially something like a BBQ sandwich - Is it going to be a sloppy mess tossed all over the inside of the box? Nope. Not here! Everything was so thoughtfully packaged with the BBQ sauce on the side. Containers that actually snap closed instead of nasty styrofoam. What really surprised me was the amount of meat they piled on top, though! They did NOT skimp. It was high quality and smoked to perfection. The saucing (I chose Burning B) had wonderful flavor. It was nice and spicy (I like spicy) so go for a milder choice if that's not your thing. Very delicious. The slightly sweet bun that it is all served on is the perfect compliment to the smoke and the heat.

The potato salad and coleslaw were fresh and tasty, too. No complaints about anything whatsoever.

I'm so glad Carolina Smoke decided to reopen. My only regret is not going back sooner but I won't let that mistake...