Kiss of Smoke BBQ — Restaurant in Tucson

We were looking for a great BBQ place to go on our short visit to Tucson and checked the Yelp and Google reviews to find the best BBQ in town. Hands down it was KOS. This unassuming small hole-in-the-wall sit-down restaurant is in the heart of an industrial business district.

We went in a little after noon on a Friday and it was packed. We had to wait in line for about 10 minutes but it gave us time to look at the menus on the walls and decide what we wanted to order. We ended up getting the brisket, pulled pork, mac & cheese, green beans, chipotle bacon slaw, and the western beans. We only got the mild standard BBQ sauce and had their lemonade (which was a hot seller) and the grape Kool-Aid (which was the flavor of this week). How homey is that?

So, after ordering, we had to wait again for the order to be prepared and brought to the front. It wasn't long though and we had our food quickly. During rush hour, you may have to wait for a table as lots of the local workers make their way to this place for lunch, especially during the lunch rush hour.

We enjoyed the tender brisket and pulled pork, which were both stars of the show. I'm used to more smoke on my smoked meats but these 2 meats were done well with a good smoke ring on the brisket and nice juice from the pulled pork. The green beans were canned but OK, and the mac n' cheese was decent. But the chipotle bacon slaw was very good and the western beans were excellent. The beans had a mix of beans and chopped veggies in a very favorable sauce with nice bacon bits. Incredible flavors and just the right amount of salt.

Some things to note for this fine establishment... Get there before the lunch rush as they run out of different meats prepared for the day (Just like Aaron Franklin's place in Austin) The prices are very reasonable considering equivalent BBQ restaurants They are open for breakfast and lunch until maybe 2pm or when the meats run out They don't have smoked turkey breast as it is too hard to keep moist for hours They serve Jack Fruit as part of their line-up which is very unusual They have specials on 3 days only: Wednesday - Loaded Nachos Thursday - Loaded Baked Potato Friday - St. Louis Ribs They have only 2 different BBQ sauces. Mild and Spicy. Both were pretty bland to me, so we just ended up eating the meats without the sauces. Their meats are not smoke-heavy because they use pellet smokers instead of stick smokers The owners and employees are very friendly and can handle daily lunch rushes with grace and finesse It is a family owned and operated establishment and the owners have been there for over 5 years

So, I can see why this place has a near-five star rating. Now-a-days, you can't find a restaurant with a 5 star rating and over 50 reviews, and this place shows you how it is done. Very humble owners and appreciative of their patrons. Always say Hi to those who enter and a big Thank You to those who...

OMG OMG OMG The best BBQ in Tucson. We work nearby and kept saying we needed to try it. Now we are hooked. It's in our weekly rotation. We've tried ribs, pork and beef. All are great, tender and have an amazing flavor even without the sauce. Now the sauce - its is really really good. Not too spicy, not too peppery, not too sweet. Just perfect. I have not tried the spicy version. There are lots and lots of sides. We have so far tried the chipotle slaw, which we love. It's creamy with a little bite. The cabbage is tender. The cheesy mashed potatoes are to die for. They have a hair too much pepper for me since I don't eat pepper but it adds a bite to them. It won't stop me from eating them. The green beans are also very good. Again, too much pepper for me but they tasted really good. This is one I would probably skip and have the pots instead if I'm going to have pepper. The baked beans are so far the best. They are a combination of different kinds of beans - pinto, kidney and black - with tender onions and a light sauce. Absolutely wonderful. We bought an extra large bucket last week and it lasted all week for our lunches and dinners. Next I hope to try the loaded baked potato. It is available only on Thursdays. That's today so I'm hoping I can get by! Oh, and ribs are only on Fridays until they are gone so get them early. The place is always packed. Looks like a hole in the wall from the street. It is very clean and has a great BBQ ambiance. The staff/ownership is very welcoming. I can't...

While Kiss of Smoke clearly lacks remotely impressive snazzy curb appeal, it's made up for by the quality of the food and perhaps some of the best post pandemic customer service in town. I found the prices to be reasonable considering today's monetary meltdown of economic insanity. While I found the mild sauce to be unimpressive, almost a bit bland , l found the spicy sauce to be highly flavorful and delish, almost addictive. Sadly numerous selfish people had already beaten me to the brisket on the day of my visit so it was sold out and l was forced to choke down the last plate of the day of pulled pork. I found the pulled pork to be juicy, well smoked and packed full of flavor. I was truly grateful to have enjoyed such a treat. Outside of a certain KFC pretend wantabe chicken joint, it's hard to find fried okra. It's even harder to find good fried okra, thankfully Kiss of Smoke solves this dilemma with perhaps some of the best fried okra this side of my mom's kitchen. The okra breading was simply fantastic. While the food is fantastic and well worth your time to visit for, the true star here is the level of genuine friendly good old fashioned customer service. There is an obvious sense of pride on full display from everyone working here. The dining room was spotlessly clean. I'd definitely highly recommend a visit here, but come early to avoid the sold out...