"Tapping into a retro aesthetic, Smokey’s decor — featuring a vintage 1960s Dodge A100 van-turned-bar — reflects its core value of embracing tradition and taking pride in cooking barbecue dishes the old-fashioned way using its in-house smoker. San Diego restaurateur Alberto Morreale’s La Mesa restaurant slings barbecue classics along with a mix of sandwiches, flatbreads, Tex-Mex variations, and chicken dinners. Menu highlights include the Big Tex Meatloaf with ground chuck, smoked prime brisket, and pork belly served on a bed of potatoes with Texas sausage gravy." - Paolo Bicchieri