Holy Smoke

Solid BBQ spot in Brussels, definitely worth a visit if you’re in town. The brisket was decent—fall-apart texture but could’ve used a bit more smoke and seasoning. The beef rib was very good, a touch dry, but with a great flavor profile. Pork ribs were a highlight—tender and well-seasoned—though I do wish they served full racks of spare ribs. Bone marrow was excellent and generously portioned. One of the real standouts is the whiskey selection—easily one of the best I’ve seen in a BBQ place. Pecan pie was also very good. Would love to see this place busier; BBQ always shines more when it’s fresh from the smoker rather than reheated. Still, a strong recommendation for meat lovers in Brussels.

A very fun BBQ style meat restaurant. A bit heavy on the stomach but good dishes. Reservation recommended. We had the: 1) pulled pork nachos: absolutely amazing (9.2/10) 2) bone marrow: 8.3/10 3) brisket burger: 8.5/10 4) pork ribs: (7.7/10) 5) Brisket: very delicious but very heavy (8.6/10) I will probably head back, but rather a yearly type or restaurant.

We had a great experience eating here, never had American bbq before. Service was pretty good too, kind of rare in Brussels Delicious

To be honest, Food was ok, there smoked ribs where the best of there "Holly Platter". For €93 I suspected more pieces of pulled pork, smoked ribs, sausage and brisket for 2 persons. Spicing of the meat was descent but not wow. Cozy space nonetheless, but felt still hungry when I left the place.

Easily the best restaurant I've been to in Brussels, no competition. Incredible food, generous portions, friendly and fast staff, excellent cocktails and an amazing collection of American whisky to choose from. You can't go wrong with this place. Unless you're a vegetarian of course, but maybe reconsider your life choices at that point.

The meat is… “meh.” The pulled pork is even worse. The brisket is okay, but it needs 2–3 more stars to be “amazing.” Same for the ribs. But enough about the nice parts—let’s talk about the really bad parts… THE SAUCES!!! How can you put two spoons of Carrefour mustard in a cup and call it “sauce”??? The other two sauces were even worse. Like Lidl, €0.99/liter quality. The whole flavour and fun is in the sauce. Everyone can throw a piece of meat in a big oven. Not everyone is capable of making it taste great with a special sauce. This is where “Holy Smoke” completely fails at American BBQ. If you look at the photos, you’ll understand why: ZERO EFFORT. Let’s put a bench on two concrete bricks and call it “design.” Let’s leave the walls like in a deserted house and call it “art.” No. That is not design. That is not art. That is laziness and cheap. Do I recommend the place? Only if it’s the only BBQ joint within a 50 km radius. Even then, I believe I’d choose an Italian, Greek, or Lebanese restaurant over a bad BBQ experience.

Disappointment. We went there hoping for a juicy meat just taken from a smoker but instead got cold and dry slices of brisket, pulled pork bathing in some ketchup mix, 3 ribs for 2 people and a sausage. The taste was okayish and could easily be better if the meat was hot and fresh. A platter for 2 people for 96 euros seems to be overpriced. Brussels has better places to go to for such money.

Great place for meat lovers. The pulled burger was good but I found it not that tasty as expected. The cold maison tea is good.

I had the best pastrami sandwich ever! Very cool place. Great food and drinks. Must try.

I've been abroad for 2 months now and was looking for a familiar taste. This place calls itself Texas bbq-- and it totally is!!! The owner told me he makes a brisket chili. I didn't try it but if you can get it I highly recommend it because the beans and meat were so bomb. There is outdoor patio seating in the back and the weather is def perfect for that now (May). The food has such big flavor and is truly the flavor of Texas. I would come here once a week at least if I lived closer. But if you find yourself in Brussels-- get here.

Good place for those who are into slow-cooked meat. The dishes are on the pricey side, but also are good of taste and you get a fine full plate in front of you. As the name implies, the taste of smoke is attached to pretty much anything you can order here. And this certainly is no place for vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians or any other non-carnivore types. Good ambiance, even if it is a bit noisy. I had the asian-style pulled pork as a starter and the brisket burger as a main. Both tasty and meaty dishes which will satisfy the greatest hunger even. Service is great. The girls are very friendly and helpful, and know a lot about what's on the menu, from food to drink. Speaking of drink: there is a wide selection of whiskeys, beers, wines and cocktails. Only thing that could be better on this is that all wines are French (where is the New World?), there is no pilsner on offer (but some brilliant proper beers) and despite the vast amount of whiskey on offer, there is no whisky (i.e. no Scotch or Irish). Which is a pity. Overall: great place to go if you like your meat and great service!

This place probably has as good BBQ as you'll get in Brussels. Their lunch menu was limited, but I enjoyed my drink (the sidecar), the brisket nachos, and the brisket sandwich. The potato and coleslaw sides were fine, nothing to write home about. Why don't they get a higher rating? Well, they keep advertising themselves as an authentic Texas-style BBQ joint. They proudly say that they got their smoker from Dallas, and the BBQ is indeed cooked in the Texas style. So why do they destroy it with their disgusting, sugary sauces that would never be found in Texas? As a native Texan, I found their North Carolina-style BBQ sauce to be personally offensive. Why would you call yourself a Texas BBQ joint and then openly serve sweet, North Carolina-style, vinegar-based sauce? Their other BBQ sauce was a honey-based sauce that was even sweeter and totally inedible, in my opinion. Why wouldn't they offer at least one Texas-style sauce? Both BBQ sauces were horrendous, and I ended up just using their "hot sauce" on my sandwich. I put "hot sauce" in quotes, because it wasn't very spicy, but the flavor wasn't bad, and it didn't taste like BBQ sauce. I'd be happy to upgrade the rating if they offered a Texas-style sauce, or any sauce that isn't disgustingly sweet. Otherwise, they need to stop claiming they're a Texas BBQ joint. With that rant over, I'll probably be back, and I'll bring my own hot sauce.

We were a bit disappointed. Food wasn't bad but it didn't taste like a real Texan BBQ. Meat was a bit dry and tasteless. The burger was good tho! Sides were nothing to call home about. It was expensive! Portions were huge tho. The nachos that we ordered as an entrée filled us up like crazy! Service was amazing. And call beforehand to book a table, the restaurant is always full!

My husband decided he wanted to try this new kid on the block for his birthday, so who was I to argue... The decor gives you the impression of being in a loft style hip resto in NYC - tables are well spaced out - even on a Tuesday, we had the last table and watched how the resto buzzed all evening. An all female cast on the floor and what awesome service we had! An impressive menu of American whisky, rye, burbon and cocktails. We decided at the last moment to share the nachos as a starter - enough for 4 persons! Delicious.... in every respect. But too much... We shared the Meat Lovers platter - alas, to our dismay, the smokiness of the meat was just too much for me, and even hubbie struggled with this particular taste.. The side dishes were delicious, everything was extremely fresh and obviously all hand created. Plenty of wine options available by the glass, not to mention the whisky by 2 or 5cl, all served in cute glasses (glassware caught my eye in general). Personal assistance was on hand all evening, and we were never given the feeling that the staff were rushed off their feet. Just a shame that there is no fish or veggie option on the menu, I would happily go back, but a bowl of nachos is not my idea of a fulfilling main course. Overall, 5* service and we love the concept in itself. Bravo les filles!

Holy smokes, what an awesome restaurant. Just pure love and enjoyment of the perfect smoked meat. Lovely place, very nice, light interior and friendly servers. We enjoyed the biggest sharing platters, and boy how good were they! We had brisket, pork ribs, sausages, and a beef rib, all of them smoked to perfection. I ate till I was more than full, so much that I couldn't order the brownie with banana ice cream that I would have loved. They have an enormous American whiskey selection, and they can advise you something to go with every kind of meat.

Pastrami was wonderful!! Can't wait to try other meats. Easy to order via Facebook.