Smokin J's BBQ & Taphouse — Restaurant in San Diego

Cornucopia. Drinks: The rotation of draft and rarities on tap is phenomenal. One if the only places in Downtown San Diego you'll find a Mead. An orange blossom honey mead in the style of a traditional deep Mexico Tapache. Notes of cinnamon. There's also one other flavor profile but I'll let you figure it out! Credit to Lost Cause Meadery. First Cider I've actually enjoyed in my entire life. Raspberry and BlackBerry. Perfect for this hot summer. Also, not a fan of sours or sour Büchas, but this strawberry Kombucha had a very balanced profile. Not overly heavy, and didn't feel like it was a club soda either. A fine selection of draft beers from local breweries you can't go wrong with. Constantly rotated when tapped out! Did I mention they had a bottomless mimosa brunch before?!?! Gravy is downright Southern.

Food: Burnt Ends. If you've never tried 'em, order some! The brisket is fire 🔥 🔥 🔥 One of the best things on the menu. Everything on the menu is house made, Dry Rubs, Craft sauces, sides, and last but not least the baked items. Cornbread. Try a piece. Best cornbread you'll find in SoCal. You might wanna get an extra side of the whipped honey butter!! And if you're a bacon enthusiast....just take a gander at those cuts and try a piece. It's like a pork belly steak. Chimichurri, hands down best I've ever had. The Carne Asada is marinated perfectly, it's a bit different then traditional taco shops, but they hold their own against the local spots. For vegans and vegetarians. Ask for a sample of the Jackfruit. I know from my own dietary restrictions how difficult it can be to find options at some restaurants; it's so worth it to be able to go out with friends and have something even they're envious of!

Whether you're looking for a quick bite for the game, a dinner for two, or a family gathering you can't go wrong; just a sampling of their current tap rotation will have you coming back to check on Josh's selections!

And yes, the service.... Maya is a sweetheart and really gives that southern hospitality vibe. Will, as always, is a pleasure to be around. Where there's a Will there's a way. Chef has mastered his craft and loves putting out the best for you. Josh, one of the owners, loves his job. You can see the joy at having his own place and sharing the flavors and dishes they've mastered. Loves feedback and always had a smile on.

I know Southern food and Southern hospitality. My Godmom showed me the best of it. Definitely feels like home. Do yourself a service and stop by to have a drink.

Cheers...

We arrived closer to the end of the night, seated was quickly. Took our drink & meal order at the same time, which was pretty quick, due the waitress helping us with the menu. Lemonade was really good because it wasn’t too sweet & tasted like it was freshly squeezed. Had a few craft sodas from the San diego soda company, we tried the “ Diet cola-fornia “ lighter version of diet coke.. it was refreshing, it wasn’t as heavily carbonated as diet coke. The high light of the sodas was the pomegranate soda , it had great flavor and was refreshing. *We got the “Table feast bbq platter “.. unfortunately they were out of Hot links which were part of the platter. We got a $8 up charge for smoked wings due the outage of hot links. But the wings were Amazing. The platter consisted of: 1lb brisket, 1lb pulled pork, & the 12 smoked Cajun wings that we were upcharged for. Came with 2 sides of mac n cheese, 2 sides of bbq beans, 2 sides of collard greens. 6 slices of white bread. We added 2 orders of cornbread. Brisket was very tender perfect ratio between meat n fat. Pulled pork was juicy & flavorful, Smoked wings had a crispy exterior, juicy meat & a very good smoked flavor. *Cornbread was moist & very well complimented with the honey butter. The mac & cheese was lacking flavor (our personal taste) but still good. *Collard greens were decent would have used a lil more seasoning. *Bbq baked beans were yummy, not overpowered with bbq sauce. *Their Bbq sauce was delicious our favorite was the spicy bbq option. *We concluded our dinner with a warm cherry cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. The ice cream was super creamy and complimented the warm cobbler. The cherry flavorful & was perfectly balanced. wasn’t too sweet. We appreciated Zack coming over being so attentive and educating us about their food quality & their efforts to keep most of their products local. He was welcoming, so as the other staff. We will definitely be back! Super recommended! & happy with our choice that satisfied our party of 6. Family friendly, welcoming atmosphere, good , good vibes, clean establishment. Close to parking (not free). Bill Total with...

Love the Q, the service and the vibe here. Liked the brisket and pork belly sandwich (aka The Smok’n J) so much, I came back to try the pulled pork. The brisket is moist, tender and has a rich flavor. The pork belly was crunchy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside and had a great flavor. Also had a side of corn bread which has kernels of corn in it (I like the extra texture that brings) and is served w a side of honey-butter. They make their own ketchup and barbecue sauce which is available to take home. The sauce is a cross between a Kansas City style with a touch of Carolina. I love it. The homemade ketchup is a great on the fries. A heads up on those. They come with either the house seasoning which is a little too hot-peppery for me, or w simple salt fries. I’ll be back a 3rd time before I leave town. Gonna have some more brisket. All in all, a great Q spot founded by a couple of brothers from the east coast who fell in love with BBQ in St. Louis and started smoking meat for us. Came back a 3d time for the brisket. Got it w 2 sides, aka “the Tv Dinner, collard greens and baked bean crack. All were superb. The brisket is moist with a flavorful and crunchy crust. The flavor runs throughout the meat. I didn’t want to use any of the bbq sauce bc the flavor of the brisket is so good. The collard greens aré similarly flavorful with chunks of shredded pork and a smidge of a peppery kick. The baked beans are sweat and barbecue saucy with chunks of meat. All in all 3 for 3...