SMK - Southern Meat Kitchen - Taupo

Friendly staff, nice atmosphere. The garlic bread was amazing as was the steak, the pulled pork was a little dry but still very tasty. Good size portions but we couldn't resist finishing off sharing a waffle which was delicious. All in all a really lovely meal.

Nice place, tried on a whim, food and drinks came out quick. Staff were friendly. Only downside was the platter. A table for 4, it just doesn't fit. We had to move the condiment station to another table, and my plate was on my lap. None of us could move enough to eat comfortably and I just couldn't relax and enjoy the meal. The meat has rice underneath it which was dry and hard. The beer was good and the meat was good. I used my rib bone as a spoon just to lighten the tension as it all felt a bit stressed, like a proper Viking should 😜 lost a star for the bad size of table and it was wobbly to boot.

A delicious BBQ place in Taupo is very welcomed. We were really hungry after walking the Tongariro Crossing. You can definitely smell BBQ as you walk into the restaurant and that’s not a bad thing! We started with some wings and they were the right thing to wet the appetite. You can smell and taste that hickory that permeates throughout the wing. For our entries, we opted for the smoked pork chop and a side of St. Louis ribs. The smoked pork chop was cooked well and it was good thick cut too. The crackling and bone sauce just provided for flavour and texture while working your way through each bite of the pork chop. The ribs were super sauced and the meat was almost fall off the bone. It took a little pull to get the meat away from the bone but I liked it that way. They were pretty finger licking good. We had a good time trying all their different sauces with each bite of our food too. Overall, this is a good spot for some BBQ if you are in the mood.

Was so satisfied with the food and service. We ordered the platter and every element on the platter was so delicious. There chilli sauce was awesome too. A place to go for dinner in Taupo.

The decor was nice, the atmosphere could've been a little better and the service could've been a bit more friendly and welcoming. But the Classic Sharing Platter for 2 of us was excellent. Heaps of different meats, generous amount of coleslaw and very yummy flatbread which looked and tasted like flakey pastry on top of a pie. The platter could've fed 3 people. We couldn't finish it.

This was really quite a nice dinner. Kids meals were generous and well enjoyed, our fried chicken was huge and we were glad to split it with a side/“small plate” of extremely tasty burnt ends. Other meals we saw looked generous and worth the price tag, but do consider some kind of split unless you are really hungry!

I've had American bbq in the US and i can't in honesty say that this matched that. The reality is that this is southern bbq INSPIRED as opposed to trying replicate the genuine article. I had the Pork Belly Burnt Ends & the Tex Mex Chicken Burger. To begin, Burnt Ends refers to the small point of meat on a Brisket that burns when you smoke it. It has nothing to do with Pork. The Tex Mex Chicken Burger was ok but rates about the same as a KFC chicken burger. Disappointing given that it costs twice as much. That said, I did get a reasonable amount of food albeit at a premium price. It was certainly worthwhile as an experience... Although I likely wouldn't be in a rush to repeat it.

Was looking around the internet for somewhere to eat before arriving in Taupo an picked SMK and it did not disappoint! Excellent service and surroundings an the food was amazing! Highly recommend to all A+ 10/10