Smokey's Kitchen — Restaurant in Truckee

So I think it's important to start off this review stating two things: the first being that I hardly ever write reviews, so take that as you will; the second being that I think poor reviews often come from mismatched expectations, which in this case was definitely true.

My BBQ baseline is centered around what I knew as a child: Carolina and Texas BBQ. Those who have had experiences with both of those styles may or may not know that they are quite possibly the best in the world. With that expectation in mind, I built Smokey's up in my head all day long and was inevitably let down.

There were two things that resulted in this poor review, firstly was the food quality and second was the service, the latter of which could be easily remedied.

Food Quality: I ordered the Jumbo Plate to share with a friend (also from the South) having been told by the server that the servings were quite large. For our meats we ordered 2xBrisket and the Pulled Pork. The brisket was cut in tri-tip style, and was not very flavorful, nor was it a big portion (5 slices). The pulled pork was okay flavor-wise, and pretty small again as a portion. I think a first step to improving the brisket would be to let the customer cut it themselves, as that may keep the nice crust that may or may not be on the brisket (can't tell with thin slices). Our sides were garlic fries, which were fantastic, and mac n' cheese, which was again, just okay.

Service: It's important to mention that usually Smokey's is an order-at-the-counter deal, but when we sat down someone took our order and brought us drinks, etc. - so the assumption was set that we would be waited on. Once we ordered our food, we didn't see a server again - which was okay with me. Two main things came up as issues: 1. We couldn't find anyone to give us our check, and eventually went up to the counter to pay; 2. Smokey's is charging 10% on top of menu item prices because of COVID-19, without telling us, which feels sneaky and dishonest. That may not have been the intention, and they did have the sign at the register, but if a restaurant is going to set the expectation that you will be served, I find it utterly ridiculous that the server would not tell you that they are charging everyone 10% more.

I won't be going back to Smokey's, but I imagine if you like their food then the down-home atmosphere is enjoyable and a positive. For me, I didn't like their food and the indecisiveness of the restaurant in deciding whether to serve or do business as normal resulted in a poor...

First time at Smokey's.

Ordered the sampler platter with brisket (that was recommended) and pulled pork, sides were cowboy beans, southwest slaw and a cornbread muffin. My boyfriends daughter got the BBQ sliders.

For being so highly rated I was really expecting some good BBQ...... NOT!

When our food got to the table, at a first glance everything looked alright. Then I picked up a piece of brisket and it was simply a chunk of fat with almost no meat. -(All 3 pieces of brisket were like this) We waited and waited for our server to come back so we could let him know about the brisket but he never came so my boyfriend got up and took the whole plate to the bar counter and asked them to get us some different pieces.

Absolutely terrible, almost like it was smoked at the highest temp, then microwaved before it came to our table.

Their house BBQ sauces are "habanero and mild". I don't like spice but the mild BBQ sauce I was hoping to enhance my brisket only made it more bitter and bland tasting.

The pulled pork was a mixture of leftovers mixed with fresh pulled pork. It was very dry, bland and the texture was off.

All of the BBQ tastes like it was cooked a couple days before and reheated as needed and that caused stomach issues for all of us yesterday as we traveled from Truckee to the Bay area after spending the weekend in Tahoe.

Also as far as pricing goes, $34 for a two meat, sampler platter was absolutely outrageous. The BBQ sliders were $16 for two with no sides. No extras, nothing. This place is so overpriced. It might just break your bank if you want to take your family there.

I would recommend to stay away.

To wrap everything up, at the end of our service, a lady came and brought our check to us, not our server. We started up a conversation about the service and the food, and let her know that it was kind of a disappointment. She informed us that the owner/cook who was working in the back today was having a bad day and was overworked and tired which is why the food was the way it was. She Even mentioned that he overworks himself and gets grouchy with the staff.

My boyfriend owns his own company, and I can tell you that long days, and even longer hours are no excuse for terrible service, terrible food and altogether a disrespect to the patrons and community you serve. Your wait staff should not be justifying your terrible food.

Will not...

So I wish I didn’t have to post it here, but I felt that I need to help protect future patrons. Bad food and service can be forgotten and forgiven, but fraud cannot.

We stopped by here on our way back home leaving from Tahoe on Memorial Day.

Food was okay, but what struck to our surprise was when the server tried to steal from us. The server(Daniel) asked if we wanted to pay cash or card, we requested cash. Daniel told us the total was $56.02 without presenting a receipt. So we handed him a $100 bill.

He took the $100 bill and went back to the register.

He came back with only $32.78, and again with no receipt. So we requested the receipt.

He hesitated, but went to get the receipt. Took a little long to just get the receipt, but eventually came back with it and with $10 more dollars.

He said “oops, looks like it was $56.02 instead of $69.24. Here is the remaining $10, good thing we double checked.” and dashed away.

Very strange as we glimpsed at the receipt since it says it was charged on a card w a merchant service fee, and more alarmingly a 20% tip of $11.20. We didn’t want to make a scene, so we left.

Not only did he tried to give himself a 20% tip, he still shorted us the cash he tried to reimburse us with after getting caught.

I gave the kid the benefit of the doubt when we noticed his attitude when we arrived, working the larger traffic from memorial weekend. But this crossed the line.

What was worse was that he tried to target Asian patrons(us). Not a good look for the white people of Truckee. But I’m not surprised, it’s okay, racism is a freedom of choice, I don’t take it personal- to each their own.

Good luck Daniel,

and i hope Mr. Padilla knows who is using his card for these...