Poogan's Smokehouse — Restaurant in Charleston

We came to Poogan’s Smokehouse for dinner after a long day of travel and it was exactly what we needed. We were surprised to see most of the city shut down by around 8 p.m. on a Monday, so we did a quick Google search and found Poogan’s, one of the few places still open that wasn’t just a bar. We showed up and were seated right away. The restaurant was fairly quiet since they were closing in about an hour, but our waitress was so kind, welcoming, and happy to give us recommendations. Since neither of us eat pork, we went with the 8oz burger with sweet potato fries and the pulled chicken sandwich with brussels sprouts. While waiting, our waitress told us the story of Poogan, the dog the restaurant is named after, and how his ghost is said to sneak food from guests! It was such a fun, local touch and really set the tone for the meal. When the food arrived, it did not disappoint. We sampled all three of their house BBQ sauces (sweet, spicy, and mustard), and the spicy was our favorite just the right amount of kick. The burger was perfectly seasoned, cooked medium well, and paired beautifully with the pimento cheese. The sweet potato fries were a fun surprise dusted with cinnamon and sugar, they were sweet enough to feel like dessert. The pulled chicken sandwich was tender and moist, and the coleslaw had just the right amount of creaminess without being too heavy. But the star for me was the brussel sprouts, roasted and packed with flavor. I just wish the portion had been as generous as the fries! The best part? Our entire meal came in under $40, which felt like an incredible value for the quality of food and service. After a long day of travel, this was the perfect meal to end the night and gave us high hopes for the rest of our food experiences on the trip. Highly recommend Poogan’s Smokehouse whether you’re visiting or a local,...

We were able to make a reservation which was nice. But we ran into some snags that made me give our experience 3 stars. When our waiter came, I asked him if they could do a margarita. He said they didnt have a blender, to which I responded that would be fine because I prefer mine on the rocks. He just said, Okaaaaay...and very unsurely looked at the bar. At that point I ordered one of the house specials, an East Bay Rum. The drink was good, but very sweet at the bottom and warm. I had to give it a good stir, but it was okay. We had the mac and cheese for appetizer. It was really good, probably the best thing we had. We ordered some pulled pork and chicken plates. They didnt give us the Hawaiian rolls until they finally checked on us as we were finishing our meal to which I asked for them and they provided, but they were not buns and they were not toasted like it said in the menu. The potato salad was delicious, little red potatoes and a nice seasoning. But my husband said he thought it had too much mustard. The BBQ itself was...different. It wasnt bad, but it wasnt traditional BBQ at all. It tasted like someone started to put BBQ together but spilled a can of refried beans and bland salsa in it by accident. Like I say, definitely not traditional BBQ. The slaw was unusual too. I dont know if they used miracle whip or what, but it had alot of spice without a lot of flavor. The main taste I got was pepper. And it was warm too, which I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be. Our server was so inattentive. I tipped him well because it is only right, but he only came back at the end of our meal to check on us. And thank goodness for the free water they provide as you sit down or we would not have had anything to drink with most of our meal. Overall, a...

TL;DR - Nothing special here. This is not the BBQ you are looking for.

Three stars only because the staff was very friendly. The overall dining experience was a 2 star disappointment. I had to read through the all the other google reviews which are mostly 4 or 5 stars to make sure I was not being overly critical, but I see there are many 2 star reviews that had the exact same experience as my wife and I had. Maybe there are just bad days/times to go? We were there on a Thursday evening 5:30 pm. We were served dry, overcooked meats (especially the turkey). No draft beer which is okay but had to ask for a glass. The glass did come chilled which was nice. The brisket sandwich was the highlight and only just okay. I love BBQ-joint collard greens but these were soaked in vinegar and I could not finish them. The sandwich meat to bread proportions are way off, too much bread for the portion of meat. You can add your own choice of house BBQ sauce and they have three to choose from - yay! Unfortunately these were all closer to Sweet Baby Rays in taste and consistency then I would expect from homemade house sauces. Lastly, and this is very odd and has never happen in the 1000s of restaurants I have been in, but the seating is almost like a fun house. The first table we were seated at was very high especially proportionate to the chairs. I am 6'3" and felt like I was a 6yo eating at the adults table. We moved to a booth and had the opposite, the benches were very high and the booth table rubbed against my knees. I felt like a giant but my wife's feet could not touch the floor. I looked around and noticed that most of the booths and tables were at varying heights. I am sure they do have excellent dishes we just did not get...