Up In Smoke BBQ — Restaurant in Cedar Rapids

Update 4/19:

I stopped in here and grabbed a half rack of ribs with cheesy potatoes and an order of wings. This stop wasn't quite as good as the last time I was there. The cheesy potatoes were about the same, ok but leaving me wanting more seasoning and cheese. The ribs and wings were ok but some were over done. This made the chicken skin almost unchewable. The portions were good and the blueberry habanero bbq sauce was very good, not too spicy. They could even have made it a little more spicy and been ok. The guy at the counter was super nice and he was one of the few people that actually told me about the credit card fee before I paid.

We went on a Thursday afternoon around 430 pm. We ordered a full rack of ribs to split with cheesy potatoes, coleslaw, and cornbread. They have 3 sauces, chipotle, regular and Carolina mustard. All the sauces were good with the chipotle having a nice kick but not overly spicy. The mustard had a great flavor without being overly mustardy or vinegary. But the best thing is the meat is very tasty and flavorful without the sauces. The sauces add a nice flavor to the already good meat. It was smoky and tender, though the one downside was that they failed to remove at least some of the silver skin which made a few of the ribs a bit chewy. Overall, the meat was good and out of the places in town, it is the best flavor without sauces. The cheesy potatoes were decent though needed salt and pepper and more cheese, though that's personal preference. The coleslaw was really good. It was creamy and the flavor was exactly between not being sweet or vinegary. It is some of the best coleslaw I have had in a while. The cornbread was excellent and worth the cost. It was slightly sweet and moist without being gooey. I had unsweetened tea which was good. Their menu is pretty limited right due to having just opened but looks will be adding more soon. The decor was pretty cool and eclectic with good background music. The prices are in line with most other places in town. With my one visit, I would highly recommend this place as the 1st in my list of bbq places in town. I will visit again and update if...

Barbecue ribs are pretty much my favorite thing in the world, when it comes to food and I've said for some time this town needs a great barbecue restaurant. So, I was excited to give Up In Smoke a try. Sadly, we seem to have picked the wrong day to show up. When we came in, around five o'clock on a Saturday evening, the guy at the counter informed us they were out of ribs (he added they had two bones left, but... yeah, that won't do). They were out of several other items, too. Hence the low score I'm giving. It's highly disappointing to show up to a barbecue restaurant and hear they are out of ribs and brisket and mac & cheese, etc.

So, I got a pulled pork sandwich and while it was good, it wasn't really what I was hungry for. It came with a small portion of Cole slaw, which wasn't great. Mostly bland and a little salty. Not really what I expect in slaw. I tried two of their sauces on my sandwich. The blueberry habanero (I think that's what it was) was pretty good, but I was expecting a bit of a kick from the habanero. Didn't feel it. It was more like a blueberry sauce. Again, it was good, so that's fine. The original barbecue sauce is also good. I actually preferred the blueberry.

I got some cornbread, too. It was huge! I couldn't quite place why it was different than most cornbread I've had, other than it was nice and moist, instead of being dry and crumbly. It had a good flavor, almost like a cake. So, no, it's not much like most cornbread, but it was still quite tasty and I enjoyed it.

My wife had the chicken and apparently the last chicken they had for the night. She enjoyed it and also loved the cornbread.

While we were eating other groups came in and the gentleman at the counter was telling them that they were out of everything but hot dogs. Shortly before we left, he said he was closing up for the night as they were out of nearly everything.

So, yeah, the food we could have was good enough I'd like to go back. Just very disappointed that the menu options were so limited. Hopefully on our next visit they'll at least have some ribs in and, with any luck, I can come back and give them a...

Great BBQ!!! Why didn't I know about Up In Smoke sooner!! A must try and gluten free. I ordered takeout for my wife, 5yo son and I to try. Very friendly and accommodating on the phone and at pick up. Due to an allergy we needed gluten free and they were very helpful. When I got home with our prize we were not prepared. My son is a picky eater and he tried and liked it all and my wife and I agreed. The pulled pork was tender with just the right chew, seasoned perfectly to bring out the meats flavor while not overpowering it. The brisket was similar but left with just the right amount of fat to keep it moist and fill the mouth to overflowing with delectable umami. Then the ribs, oh Lord the ribs. Perfect tenderness so it just stays on the bone enough to still eat from the bone, seasoning was perfection, flavor overflowing. However, even on these devine cuts of perfectly cooked meat, that really needed nothing more, the house bbq sauce brings each to new near mind-blowing heights. Staying on a balance of slightly spicy, not too sweet, full flavor yet complimenting, not overpowering the meats, this sauce even captured my sauce ambivalent wife. The experience of those flavors awakens a primal need to devour it. We were...