Smoke Shack Cafe — Restaurant in Londonderry

Forgettable.

Nice people working hard, so I’d like to be generous, but thIs first, and last, visit was disappointing.

First, the setting. I won’t be too critical, because it’s difficult to find the perfect place for a restaurant. The restaurant space is meticulously clean, but otherwise bland. Nothing interesting at all about either the space, or the building itself.

Second, the staff. There was a note on the door advertising for help. I arrived at 11:30 AM, and the place was empty. An older gentleman, I assume the proprietor, was behind the counter, and a very pleasant but obsequious woman served as the wait staff. I say obsequious because she came to my table no less than half a dozen times, four times too many. She was exceedingly nice, trying to be useful, but her ministrations were a bit much.

Third, the food. The place bills itself as providing Texas barbecue. I’m from Arkansas, kissin’ cousin to Texas when it comes to barbecue, have eaten my weight in Texas, Arkansas, Memphis, North Carolina barbecue 100 times over, and this was unlike any Texas, Arkansas, Memphis, North Carolina barbecue I’ve ever had. I chose the two meat platter, with two sides, brisket, pulled pork, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, topped off with “cornbread”.

In reverse order, the mac & cheese was, like the setting, bland. I’m a believer that there’s no such thing as bad mac & cheese, but this had the most unique nothingness to it in flavor, texture, overall experience.

The baked beans were better, but interesting, as in the old apocryphal Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.” I didn’t expect mustard flavor. Didn’t not like it, but they were unlike any baked beans I’ve ever heard. Glad I didn’t order a pint of them.

The cornbread… Don’t even speak to me of cornbread. The hard puck of gummy yellowness in a muffin cup does not qualify as cornbread. Where I come from corn bread is sacred. This was sacrilege.

Different barbecue cultures differ in many unique ways, but they all unite when it comes to pulled pork. The wood used to smoke the meat may be different, the sauce may be different, from Alabama’s white sauce, to North Carolina’s thin vinegar base, to the thick, sweet, tangy Texas tomato-based sauce, but at the very heart and soul of it pulled pork is essentially and primally slow roasted pig over a low, low fire. Patience and practice produce sweet, succulent meat that falls off the bone. The best never needs a sauce, but can be, when desired, culturally enhanced by the addition.

I’m not certain to which barbecue culture this pulled pork claims affinity. Neither sweet, nor succulent, it was well cooked, of that I’m sure. It was unclear from which part of the pig this particular portion was derived, but that’s often the case with pulled pork. Wherever it came from, there was a lot of membrane. I meant to ask what wood was used in the smoking, as I’ve never seen pulled pork with such a vibrant Mountain Dew hue to it before.

And the brisket? It was tender, I’ll say that for it. Probably the most tender brisket I’ve ever had in my life, at least the three forkfuls of this I had. As well it should be, oversalted as it was. The overwhelming bulk of the weight of the brisket order was fat. Thick, dripping, inedible, unappetizing fat. And that’s all I’ll say about that.

Two sauces were on offer, Hot and Mild. Nothing special, keeping with the overall theme of bland.

Finally, the price. No great sticker shock, but $20 for a mediocre meal of blandness was $20 I could have spent up the road at a much better barbecue joint, in...

Not a review based on one visit but based on many, going back to the OG Gabi's Smoke Shack days up to today. I call this my 'solid place' for lunch and also a place to bring a work visitor or new employee in the area where I know they are sure to enjoy. I've tried many dishes here since 2018 (OG Gabi's), meats, side dishes, sandwiches, sliders, meatloaf, coleslaw, beans, sauces I mean you get the drift... all of it, simply delicious! The preparation and packaging are impressive also which is nice for someone like me with organizational OCD, lol. This is a pricey place for sure but due to the quality of the food (juicy tender cuts of choice meats) and care in preparation, try not to look at it as a 'take out joint' but more like 'great restaurant food to go'. I think when you drop $10 - $30 on yourself for lunch you will understand when your teeth sink into the food and you sink into your chair. Thank you for being in this area Smoke Shack, I certainly value your existence and great lunch option in my daily life.

I forgot the tacos! I know I said 'everything' up there but the tacos deserve a special shout, the 'Pickled Pig' is my fav (x 3). So good, ohhh!

P.s. you can grab a frosty cold Beer here too. Sometimes it's nice to order food in person...

I debated 3 or 4 stars. I went with 4 because of the speed and quality. I stopped in around lunch time. Small group of people and one lone guy that was coughing up a lung. The counter girl was a bit off putting. She sort of stared at my friend and myself like she wished we would just leave. It took a few minutes for us to decide what to order due to price shock. They have a very strange BBQ menu with strange limits. No pulled pork slider? That's a BBQ standard and when my friend asked if it were possible the lady just blurted out a harsh "No!" then continued to stare of into space. He settled for a half pound of pulled pork and 2 brioche buns and made his own sliders for less than the cost of one of there sandwiches. I ordered a single chicken slider because I didn't want to spend $25 on a snack. It was incredible would recommend 100%. I tried some of my friends pulled pork and we were both very pleased. Tender with a good flavor, no gross gelatinous fatty climbs or gristle. So despite the wait staff making me feel unwanted and uncomfortable, the food was wonderful. The building is very clean and there is a neat little bar inside. I hope the bartenders are a bit more hospitable than the lady there today.

But again, the food...