Heard from a friend that the brisket here out beats Smoque n Bones by a far mile, and they were right! Holy Smoke has now become my go-to place for Southern BBQ.
Their website menu has fewer items than their in-store menu - I was looking for the $32 brisket and rib combo (1/2 pound brisket, 1/2 pound baby back ribs, 2 regular sides, 2 sauces, pickles, and white bread) which I saw mentioned frequently in reviews. Three of us shared that as well as the $60 combo for two platter (1/2 pound brisket, 1/2 pound smoked turkey, 2 jalapeno sausages, 2 large sides, 2 sauces, pickles, and white bread).
With the two platters we had a choice of four sides and four sauces:
- Mac n cheese (better than KD but can get a bit soggy/bland)
- Coleslaw (honestly so crunchy and refreshing #bless. better than any fast food chain for sure)
- Baked beans (decent, not overseasoned, good with the bread)
- Cornbread (perfect ratio of crumbly crust vs moist interiors. I was indifferent to the jalapeno part as it wasn't spicy at all)
- Tangy Gold (mustard-based)
- Nashville Hot sauce
- Holy Smoke (tangy BBQ sauce)
- Heavenly Espresso (coffee grounds added to the Holy Smoke sauce. It made it less acidic and more towards a Worcestershire flavour. I actually preferred this over the original BBQ one)
Now onto the MEATS. Oh btw the service was really fast. We got our food minutes after the order. In terms of most liked I'd rate it from brisket - ribs - sausages - smoked turkey. The brisket is melt-in-your-mouth for the fattier cuts, and lean cuts are tender enough to be shredded with minimum resistance. The flavour was balanced in terms of smokiness, savory-ness, and saltiness, and so juicy.
Ribs were well-seasoned and lean, a nice texture contrast to the brisket, requiring more hands on to get the meat off the bones. I was pleasantly surprised by the jalapeno cheddar sausage as it wasn't overly salty and was juicy and tender unlike literally most other places I've tried. I would for sure get it again. As for the turkey I would not get it again. It was too tender in that it felt like poached deli turkey, where the meat texture is more mushy than compact.
I also got a bottle of their Stewart's black cherry cream soda to wash down the greasy ness of the meats. Honestly an amazing combination, I really recommend it.
Price-wise, I think the prices here are really good value for what they have to offer. ~30$ a person to satisfy meat cravings with generous portions of mains and sides, with room for refreshing beverages. Really no complaints.
Ambience-wise, the place was fairly empty when we dined-in. There were a lot of take-out orders from couriers running in and out. That made sense as the place is surrounded by residential neighbourhoods - this would be a perfect meal to have while watching a game/movie. I really like the hand-washing station that was smack in the middle of the restaurant - very no-frills and in your face (which is what I understand to inherently be the Texan style: simple and welcoming). read more