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Smokestack Express

4.4 (46 reviews)
Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

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SMOKESTACK EXPRESS ATMOSPHERE

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Casual
Dogs allowed

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Beef brisket sandwich with Mac and cheese
Jas G.

Food was very good! We ordered take out for our company lunch. The food arrived on time and was personally deliver from the restaurant. They provided many sauces which the mild and spicy were soooo good! The spicy had an interesting but delicious taste.

Janay D.

I entered over to Smokestack Express today to check out their BBQ. Being a southern girl, in my spirit we just know BBQ, but I do give everyone a fair chance. The spot in nestled in strip on France Ave. The inside vibes give me homely feel. I am hanging out with the friends for BBQ, small and intimate but enough space to wait on the deliciousness . The team preparing the meals seems to be father and son, but very kind and accommodating. When I entered the place people were waiting so that was a good sign to me. I opted for the 4 bones with two sides. I did brisket on the menu but I wanted to work my way up to that point. I figured if the bones (Ribs) were good then we may be on to something. I will say I think they threw a couple more bones for waiting sake. I initially took my first bite in store but later went home to demolish the plate. My two sides where the Mac & Cheese and The Beans. Now, I know everybody doesn't put meat in their beans but the southern girl in me be looking for it. The beans were tasty, I like the little tang they had to them. The Mac & Cheese had a yummy sauce yo it, a tad but salty be mixed in with the other foods went really well. I found myself mixing their spicy sauce with he sweet sauce. It paired very well with the meat that seems to just slide off the bone. Overall 4 out of 5 for me! I will go back because I do want to try the brisket.

Ribs, Brisket, Mac and Cheese, Baked Beans
Andre H.

Decided to stop by since I was in the area and craving bbq. It's a smaller restaurant with maybe 4 or 5 tables to dine in. I ordered the ribs, brisket, Mac and cheese and baked beans. It was pretty good but not amazing. I wasn't a fan of the bbq sauces they have.

1/2 pound of brisket and pulled pork. Very tasty, doesn't need sauce. A spicy and smokey mustard dipping sauce might be amazing!
Jason K.

My wife and I were on our weekly Saturday new restaurant trip and we decided to try Smokestack, we saw an article about it in the Star Tribune. I ordered a 1/2 pound of brisket and pulled pork. They were nice and juicy and the fat was a good blend on the brisket. It really didn't need any sauce and the spicy sauce wasn't really any different than the regular sauce. I think it is better without the sauce, I think a hot mustard sauce would be really good with it though. I was not happy that I didn't get any utensils in my bag to take-away though. They had tip on their credit card machine. What!? I ordered from a counter and you filled my order. Why would I tip? If you want more money, put it into your price. This tipping thing is getting ridiculous for counter service. Over in Europe there is no tipping and it is so much more enjoyable. I worked at McDonald's for two years and never got a tip. Great food and we took it over to Nine Mile Brewing to have a beer with it. Great BBQ.

Smokestack Express is located in a non-descript shopping mall.
Ted R.

My interest was piqued by a short review in the Star Tribune. As suggested, I placed my order for pick-up and arrived just when they opened at 11 am. The outside of the restaurant is generic and it's in a generic shopping mall. However, the inside is clean, bright, and inviting. You can see inside the open kitchen, which is located just behind the counter. Be sure to use the pick-up line, if you are not placing a new order. There were six people ready to order when I arrived just as they opened. Smokestack Express is designed primarily for pick up and take out. However, there are four or five tables inside and you can order sandwiches (pork shoulder, or beef brisket on a bun with one side included. For take-out you can order the pork shoulder (in half-pound increments), beef brisket (in half-pound increments), or baby back ribs (1/2 or full rack). For sides they have mac and cheese, baked beans, coleslaw, or corn bread muffins. If you order the brisket, you can select "fatty" or lean brisket. Fatty is more moist and the lean is dryer. I ordered half and half. My wife preferred the lean and I preferred the fattier portion. The restaurant is about 25 minutes away from my house and I was tempted all the way home by the smell of the barbeque. Had it not been packaged so well, I would have been tempted to sample the brisket. It's good that I didn't because I might have "sampled" all of it before I arrived home! Both the brisket and beans were still warm enough to eat when I got home. I made a sandwich with the brisket and tried it with and without the barbeque sauce that is available for takeout (no charge). I found the sauce to be a bit sweet for me, so I enjoyed it more without the sauce. The brisket was perfectly done: falling apart, moist, smokey, and worthy of Texas brisket. I sampled the lean portion and it was dryer, but possibly smokier too. I think a little bit of barbeque sauce would work well with it. The baked beans tasted as if they had simmered for a very long time. The beans had a soft texture and pieces of pork for flavor. So if you are a vegetarian, take note. On the other hand, what the heck are you doing at a meat BBQ restaurant in the first place? The only vegetables are the onions simmered in the beans! The food here rates five stars, but it gets one star taken away because I wish they had a menu that also was designed more for eat-in. They do have those two sandwiches and you could split the 1/2 lb. portions, but eat-in is not a priority. If you are nearer to them than I am, they are definitely worth a try for a quick dinner or lunch. I hope they do well, expand, and open a place closer to me. They also do have bigger platters for parties and they do catering.

Superbly delicious ribs and fixings! ‍
David K.

Absolutely SOLID! Every single thing I ordered was extremely tasty and prepared fantastically! I had a six-piece rib dinner with baked beans and coleslaw and added a couple of cornbread muffins. With a tip it was about $34. Now - the food! The coleslaw was exactly the way I love it! Creamy, a snappy bite of vinegar, and made with celery seed. The baked beans were saucy and delicious - not too sweet but overall really very good. What I was surprised about was the portion size - too often you get a tiny 1/4-1/2 cup of these at most BBQ places - but there was a 1+ cup portion size here - very impressive! The cornbread muffin was also perfect too! Soft with a little crumble, but made with some coarse cornmeal and the resulting muffins are just perfect! Add their honey-butter and I'm in heaven!! And finally - the ribs! Some people like ribs that stay on the bones - others want them falling off the bone. I prefer closer to the latter and I don't know how they pulled it off, but these were thoroughly smoked and prepared, and took just a nudge of the teeth to pull them off the bone. I'd be thrilled if ribs that I smoked came out like this. I had the milder sauce - they have a spicier version too. These were excellent - and meaty - and delicious!! This was my first visit and it's just down the street and it's feeling a bit dangerous to have ribs this good so accessible. I could comfortably eat half of it - oh darn - leftover ribs!! Nice job Smokestack!!

Ribs with Mac and cheese and smoked beans
Joe F.

The service was great and I liked that the owner explained how the menu wasn't set up. I got the 4 rib plate with beans and Mac and cheese. The Mac was average. The beans however were really flavorful. The ribs had the perfect bite resistance. The smoke was awesome and the sauce on them was good. This used to be a UPS store so the inside was very clean and neat. There were a few articles on the wall about the place. Overall it is a good place.

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8 months ago

Excellent service and great tasting brisket one of the best I have had! Keeps me going back!

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2 years ago

Delicious brisket, heavy on the black pepper flavor and lots of smoke. Very tasty coleslaw.

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ZZQ Smokehouse

ZZQ Smokehouse

(343 reviews)

$$

I gotta stop believing yelp reviews. People want quantity over quality on this app and this place…read moreis a great example of that. There's nothing redeeming about this place. Yelp reviewers have no taste. They just want a slab of meat and they're all happy. I should've tried their sauces before I bought anything. The barbecue sauces were all ketchup based. They added in too much apple cider vinegar and the sauces were too viscous and runny. A good barbecue sauce has molasses, brown sugar, and tomato sauce not ketchup and white sugar which is what these were made from. I'd have been better off bringing in my own bottle of barbecue sauce from the grocery store. We ordered a half rack 6 ribs and two sides of coleslaw and potato salad. The coleslaw was runny and too liquidy. It had zero buttermilk in it. It was also made with apple cider vinegar which is a HUGE NO, NO. The potato salad was meh. No mustard. Just white potato salad. THEY HAD NO CORNBREAD! How much does a box of jiffy cornbread cost?!? Seriously, this business should NOT be in the rib business. The half rack of ribs: DRY, DRY, DRY. They were baked way too long. The ribs were flavor-less. I would not go back again. It's a huge shame for a rib joint to be this bad. The ribs were such a huge disappointment. Not even a smoked flavor was ever detected. I hope they don't go down the liquid smoke route either because that's just driving off a cliff at that point. I'm DONE listening to yelp reviews. Yall have no clue what you're talking about.

The prime brisket was delicious as was the pulled chicken and Mac and cheese. The potato salad…read morelacked flavor. The bbq sauce was a great complement to the smoked meats. This was a catered order so I can't speak on decor and ambience.

Gyu-Mai Japanese BBQ - THICKCUTBEEF TONGUE

Gyu-Mai Japanese BBQ

(39 reviews)

I went with a friend on a week night. We did have a reservation, but could have walked in without…read moreone. The parking lot has ample room to accommodate the large space of their restaurant. Food 5/5: we did AYCE. We got: Edemame, egg rolls, gyoza, corn cheese, Zuchinni, mushrooms, Miso soup, garlic shrimp, pork belly, ribeye, boneless short rib, skirt steak, and brisket. The marinated meats were my favorite along with the shrimp! I loved the pairing of the dry rub with both sauces, and the sauces definitely enhanced the flavor of the meats. Service 5/5: our server was very attentive and helpful. He asked if we wanted a demonstration which was helpful even though we knew what we were doing. They are quick to change your grill place when it gets covered, and I love the option of the avocado oil. Many other bbq places don't offer that. Ambiance 5/5: this place feels very fancy! Overall very spacious. The booth we were in was very comfortable. Overall a great option for AYCE BBQ! We loved our experience and will definitely be back.

Went there for lunch last Saturday, got seated quickly (the seats got greasy spots and dirty, had…read moreto ask them to clean them quick); sat down and saw the dry residue on both of our plates (had to ask them to replace them); this was at the time they just opened the restaurant. Food is good, decent quality of meat, and a few tasty side dishes. Service was good, friendly server (might be the owner). Would consider to go there again next time we are in town.

NorthStar Tavern - Nashville Hot Honey Fried Chicken Sandwich Delicious side of Crispy Brussels Sprouts added

NorthStar Tavern

(246 reviews)

$$

Wanted to grab dinner nearby for in-laws anniversary and this was did not have a wait for a…read moreSaturday night dinner. The ambiance is like a bar-restaurant. They have pull-tabs! We were seated right away. They have TV on for sports and it can be quite loud (as expected) We did not expect it to be as loud since we had a baby with us. Bring headphones if you have a baby. Service was fast. Our server checked on us many times to make sure we were taken care of. Great service. To the point that I just finished my plate and he instantly took the plate away as well. lol Food all tasted good. Zucchini fries is soft in the inside and a little crispy on the outside. I wish it was crispier. Brussels sprout was good but a little burnt. Fish is crispy and good. The burger was good as well. Price is reasonable. Definitely worth going but just mind the loud ambient

A little torn on NorthStar Tavern, the space is great and the menu/bar has a ton of options but…read moreafter that it fell a little flat. We saw the burger of the month in December was a tater-tot hotdish burger online and man did it look like a 10/10. We drove about 30 minutes and ordered two along with a past and red sauce kids meals. While we waited we ordered a flight to try several options: the peanut butter bear was amazing, the cider / seltzers were good (Sherbet was the best) but the sugar cookie was meh. Once our good arrived a was already bummed as it didn't look like the photo. The burgers weren't cooked to order and overall there wasn't a lot of flavor for a burger with so much going on. I felt like it needed more goop....that's the best part of a hotdish, the glue. The past with red sauce wasn't well received but kids are kids. It didn't look amazing, but I didn't except much. With the menu being as big as it is I wouldn't mind coming back and trying something else, but I'm not in a rush to return.

Southern Social - Jambalaya for the win!

Southern Social

(363 reviews)

$$

Came here to celebrate a birthday with family. A nice, big space...a little too loud the night we…read morecame but that's okay. My dinner was especially good....the chicken fried perfectly...all dark meat the way I like it. The potato salad was not what I expected but I was pleasantly surprised. I'm used to a mayo based potato salad but this was even better with lots of flavor! The corn was also delicious. Everyone was very happy with their dinners. The chicken and waffle dish was also good. Ratio of breading to chicken was perfect and perfectly seasoned. The honey butter that came with it was also delicious. The New Orleans shrimp bowl was great too. The ratio of shrimp, which was perfectly cooked, to rice was good. Lots of great flavor. I think that everyone in our party enjoyed what they ordered. The only "ding" would be the service. We had to ask for silverware so we could eat and had to wait for straws because she forgot. I'm still going to give it 5 stars even though the service was lacking a bit. She was very nice but seemed rushed.

What a disappointment today. Party of 4 to celebrate a birthday. I suggested the restaurant and was…read morequite surprised by how drastically different this visit was compared to the previous. I ordered the Social salad. It was good but the presentation was trash. I also got a cup of the She - Crab soup. It was also just okay and certainly overpriced. Husband got the Pork Belly Burnt Ends at my suggestion. He asked if they had sauce added to them and if so, to get it on the side. Our server said they are prepared and the sauce caramelizes so no, no sauce. He asked due to being a type 1 diabetic and needed to calculate his insulin. Well, they came out covered in fresh sauce and were too dry to swallow. There were six chewed up bits of pork left on his plate when it was cleaned away. The Texas toast was the only redemption. Lastly the two others shared the half bird entree. Presentation was haphazard and the chicken was visually dry looking. They ate most of it and said the biscuit and sweet potatoes were good. The food alone wasn't bad enough to keep me away; but combining it with the service was. Our server Laura (sp?) didn't make her debut well after we've been sitting 10 minutes. We were there at 5:30 on Sunday. It wasn't busy at all. She was very nice. Her second stop was to take our orders. Food runner came and asked if we needed anything else. I asked for water as my glass was bone dry (I even ate my ice) and others' were 1/4-1/3 full. She said she couldn't bring beverages. It's water...not vodka. Weird. So Laura eventually comes back and filled our drinks and left the bill. She did overhear the birthday happenings and was nice enough to offer a free dessert. She got her cash payment and we never saw her again. Maybe it was the end of her shift? It just felt off. The table next to us had quite a few complaints and had a different server, so maybe there was just a bad vibe with the staff today? Hopefully management can figure it out. Bathrooms were nice and decor was nice throughout the restaurant.

GoGi Korean BBQ

GoGi Korean BBQ

(54 reviews)

Good korean bbq option in the south metro. Parking lot is busy with multiple business in the area…read moreso be patient. Staff and service were excellent. Our server Dawson was very polite and attentive. The inside is very clean and has good vibes and decor. Order: combo 2 meat platter. Included LA kalbi, thin cut bulgogi and marinated pork. Both beef cuts were not the premier quality with a lot of chewy fatty pieces. Good marinate on the kalbi. The pork was the star of the platter. We chose the kimchi stew as the side dish. Great flavor and big chunks of pork that added great texture and taste. All the little side dishes were delicious. The highlights were the korean style potato salad, radish kimchi and marinated soy radishes. Yum. So delicious. All are refilled throughout the meal so enjoy as much as you want. The real hidden gem was the calamari stir fry. Great flavor, great textures. This is a must order. Overall: Is it LA or Chicago quality...no, but really good for Minnesota and very enjoyable. Great service, good food and clean decor make this a korean bbq must if you live in the twin cities.

I am already planning my second visit. This place was so good and beyond expectations. APPLAUSE…read more Banchan - I am picky with my kimchi, and this kimchi passed. It was more on the umami side and less sour. Pajeon green onion pancake - great shareable size. It was so good that phone did not eat first. I liked the ratio of the batter and green onion, and the sauce added a nice spicy element. Kimbap - ordered with beef. I like that I didn't feel sesame oil. It is also a great shareable. Soon dubu jjigae was tasty! It was more like chicken broth with a little spice (not overwhelming) really great intro into Korean stews for my unseasoned friends. For the grill, the beef bulgogi and chicken bulgogi were marinated well. The full plate felt plentiful - very big cuts. And she comes with allllll the fixings. I don't think we needed to ask our server for a thing. Bingsu was the perfect dessert. Refreshing, creamy, crunchy, chewy, and CUTE. Idk why we got the special bowl, presentation was out of this world. Everything was so fresh - lettuce, jalapeños, garlic, fruit, etc. And the table actually felt spacious with all this food?? SO easy to make and update reservations online. The staff was chill and so hard working.

Smokestack Express - bbq - Updated May 2026

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