Savory Smoke — Restaurant in Morro Bay

I usually don't write restaurant reviews, the only exception is when they wildly under or over perform expectations, as I don't want to inflict harm on a business, but people deserve to be warned, especially when review fluffing has obviously taken place.

We went here based on the review scores, which are totally baffling. The ribs I got were the worst ribs I have ever gotten in a restaurant. They were tough and the seemed as thought they had been dipped in liquid smoke, they certainly weren't wet or dry smoked. The ribs weren't trimmed clean of the flaps of fat that exist on ribs. Total garbage.

My wife had a burger, and it was lousy, even in comparison to a casino burger she had the night before, which is weird. There was nothing smoked or particularly flavorful about it.

I won't comment on the accommodations, other than to say the table we sat at initially was dirty, so we moved to another, perhaps some enjoy this "atmosphere", I just found it subpar, which was the entire theme.

This was the most disappointing and unpalatable meal I have had in years, I only ate some of it as I hadn't eaten all day and we left.

One positive, the young lady that took our order was...

⭐ Google Review for Savory Smoke ⭐ 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 If you’re within 100 miles of Morro Bay and NOT eating at Savory Smoke, what are you even doing with your life?! 😱

Let’s talk about the Tri Tip Sandwich—8 inches of pure, smoky, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth heaven. It’s so moist and tender, I almost proposed to it. (No regrets. It said yes.) The flavor? Imagine if a cowboy rode a mesquite-scented unicorn through a cloud of hickory smoke and dropped a sandwich straight into your lap. Yeah. That good.

Now the onion rings… I need a moment. 😮‍💨 CRISP PERFECTION. These babies are golden halos of crunchy bliss. Guy Fieri would fist-bump the chef. Bobby Flay would retire. Gordon Ramsay would call them “bloody brilliant” and toss Carl’s Jr and Burger King’s sad excuses into the bin.

And it gets better: the vibes are immaculate. Chill downtown location, great staff, and the friendliest doggos this side of the dog park. I swear one winked at me like, “Yeah, human. You get it.” 🐶🎶

Bottom line: 🔥 Come for the Tri Tip. 🧅 Stay for the onion rings. 🐕 Leave with a full belly and a heart full of puppy love.

Savory Smoke = Smoke Show of a Meal. Don’t walk—briskly strut—to Main Street and...

So, normally I avoid BBQ spots like the plague! Reason being (I'm sure we know why) but most are not that good. Dry, overcooked, horribly seasoned & so on. But! Not the case here.

Let’s start by saying, very friendly owners. Was greeted with a big smile & a friendly “hi, how are you”. Very welcoming. Son (assuming) was working the front counter, who is also very friendly & accommodating. Reminds of the type people you would like to have as neighbors.

Alright, let’s get to the food! Going to keep this short & sweet (which I like doing, being that’s what most really want to know). The Pulled Chicken Sandwich is great! It’s juicy, not over seasoned, mix of thigh & breast, topped with their BBQ sauce & coleslaw! What more do you want? Exactly, nothing! Perfect just the way it is. Nothing over the top, nor gimmicky. I truly like this pulled chicken sandwich! The Fried Raviolis are also good, nice app to add. Looking forward to trying their Tri-Tip sandwich, hopefully it’s as good!

All in all: Very friendly service, great food, small menu, comfortable ambiance.

Will definitely become among my favorite places here...