SMOKE

I really quite enjoyed this place. They sell donuts on the weekends in addition to their regular Mexican offerings, and I am so glad I decided to come on a weekend. I tried out their glazed donut holes, glazed donut, and Mac n cheese. Very simple, but done so well. The Mac n cheese was very tasty. It has flavorful breadcrumbs on top with tons of cheesy, creamy sauce all inside. It might be a bit too rich and creamy for my taste, but it’s still very enjoyable. The only real down side is that it is quite expensive for Mac n cheese, even with the very nice portion. Both of the donuts were absolutely excellent. Again, so glad I went on the weekend. The glazed donut, although again a bit expensive, it was delicious. Definitely homemade. Soft on the inside and perfect glaze. The donut holes were equally delicious; a lovely bite sized treat, soft and flavorful. I thought it was very good overall. A bit pricey, but I still recommend this place for sure.

I've enjoyed takeout from Smoke for years and finally dined in, before they close. Not only is the food delicious, but the cocktails are too--and strong! The food is a little expensive, but high-quality and filling; I love the fried chicken taco, burnt ends brisket taco, and the mac & cheese. The restaurant has a casual but cool vibe. The staff were kind and attentive, even during the dinner rush. I'll miss having this place around.

Stopped in for a quick bite during the during the day so I had the place to myself lol. They were friendly and pretty quick. I happened to be there during happy hour and had their house margarita and steak tacos. It was all perfect full of flavor not lacking at all. Tacos were small but this was expected and explained prior to ordering. I will be returning forsure. My server did ask if I had any dietary restrictions was really nice.

Came here with a group of friends as a group of 5. The decor was really cute and created a nice atmosphere. The restaurant even conveniently lets you order through square and you pay when you order, including tip. That’s a great business model for a restaurant that doesn’t provide you food for 40 minutes. The restaurant was empty when we got here. There’s really no excuse for SMOKE to have taken so long with the food. Drinks were prompt and came minutes after our order. The food was extremely salty and the regular tacos looked like burritos and only had meat in them. The special tacos had other toppings in them which was more worth it. This restaurant definitely wasn’t worth the LONG wait or the price.

Food: I ordered the brisket special, the ultimate fried chicken taco and the chorizo taco. The tacos were too saucy with melted cheddar and mayo. There was not much flavor. There were no condiments or salsas Service: The tacos came 45 mins after I ordered with no apology from the staff for the poor service Price: 9.00$ a taco is way too expensive. You are better of going to Condados for a similar text mex taco with more customization, better condiments and better taste at a much friendlier price point. You have to pay upfront including the tip. Vibe/Ambience: The atmosphere is nice

Amazing food! If the Burnt Ends are available, they are A MUST! All of the tacos I had were very flavorful and had so much meat! The atmosphere is very casual and friendly! Local drinks and mixed drinks are fantastic. The Brisket is also darn near perfect (if not perfect)!! A great restaurant all around!

Smoke is my favorite place to eat. Smoked bbq meats on tacos. All food made in house from scratch with quality ingredients. Everything on the menu is excellent. If you stop on a Sunday make sure to try a donut, the best you’ll ever eat!

Attentive servers, good food and good vibes. We had the Mac and cheese and one of the tacos. ** SMOKE IS ALSO DOG FRIENDLY ** The taco was so good we didn't even get a picture of it since it was eaten too fast. Best Mac and cheese I've ever had

I absolutely love Smoke's decor, staffs friendliness, and some of the food that I can eat. For example the Queso. If Smoke were a bar with just apps, I'd be in love. Sadly they're leaving. And that's where I lose all hope. Because I don't feel comfortable just meeting friends for drinks and snacks at new trendy places that don't live up to anythingZ. I haven't found a place that clicks for me after many, many visits. I haven't found anything I just love in Lawrenceville like old skool place like this & hope this will return like a Pheonix and feel completely at home in doing so. I absolutely LOVE tacos & We can never have enough. I can't tell you how many times I've been here and Condado w my kids to get a boring taco for them. I have taco issues. Here is why Smoke and I haven't clicked. They need to be bigger. Much bigger. Nearby but more seating would be awesome. I absolutely love Smoke's decor, staffs friendliness, and hope something bigger is coming from the owners.

We stopped by Smoke on Saturday at 12:30pm since they were closing permanently. There was a wait which was to be expected and it wasn't that bad. We got the queso with chips which was incredible. The tacos are sold individually and huge and absolutely packed with filling. The mac and cheese was amazing. I'm so sad that we're losing such a great little spot!

I'm going to keep this review short and simple. If you like good, quality tacos, this is a must go. I recommend going on taco Tuesday where all the tacos are discontinued AND you can get a shot of espolon (tequila) for $5. I also recommend trying one their quesos if you're with a group. This place is also cute to sit outside during warmer weather. The service is also really good even when it's super busy which does happen sometimes. Definitely worth checking out if you haven't already.

This was my first time at smoke although it's been on my list for years I always somehow ended up elsewhere but yesterday was my lucky day to finally get to try! The burnt end taco & ultimate chicken taco was unreal good and that MAC AND CHEESE! For SURE in my top 5 in Pittsburgh! Can't wait to get back and try more. (Even took a few tacos to go (steak & shroom) which were fantastic as well!) See yinz soon!!

I really quite enjoyed this place. They sell donuts on the weekends in addition to their regular Mexican offerings, and I am so glad I decided to come on a weekend. I tried out their glazed donut holes, glazed donut, and Mac n cheese. Very simple, but done so well. The Mac n cheese was very tasty. It has flavorful breadcrumbs on top with tons of cheesy, creamy sauce all inside. It might be a bit too rich and creamy for my taste, but it's still very enjoyable. The only real down side is that it is quite expensive for Mac n cheese, even with the very nice portion. Both of the donuts were absolutely excellent. Again, so glad I went on the weekend. The glazed donut, although again a bit expensive, it was delicious. Definitely homemade. Soft on the inside and perfect glaze. The donut holes were equally delicious; a lovely bite sized treat, soft and flavorful. I thought it was very good overall. A bit pricey, but I still recommend this place for sure.

The cocktail I had was a special, and it was absolutely fantastic. The chips and queso were very good as well. The house chips were fantastic and the queso had a lot of flavor. However, my friend and I waited for a very long time for our tacos. We were there for over an hour before we got them. We had gotten our chips and queso, ate them and after waiting another 15 minutes asked for an update on our tacos then waited another fifteen minutes before they were brought out. The tacos were pretty good once we got them, but we each only took and few bites and were ready to head out. The flavors were unique and worth trying, but I wouldn't say they were one of my favorites. I love that they have a "secret menu" on their site and think they have a really unique spot. They don't accept reservations, so I'd get there earlier in the evening if you want a spot!

I am so glad we got to eat here. This is my first time not only hanging out in Lawrenceville, but coming to Smoke for a delicious dinner with my friends. The day was very hot day. About 85 degrees and they had the fans on and the gates open in the building. Rustic, eclectic vibe to the space so it was welcoming and chill. Our server was so sweet, she made sure we got water and chips and queso for us. AND BOY THEY WERE GREAT! We had to wait awhile for drinks since they were short staffed (but who isn't these days) but they came in cold and ready. I got a nice hazy beer and my friends got some Belgium beers. We got to ordering our tacos and I got 2 to start just in case they were big. And I am glad I did. I got the Shroom taco and the Chorizo taco. They were amazing! Thick and heavy. I want that Chorizo recipe so bad. IT WAS TOO GOOD. 4 Stars for sure, only issue I had was the building being a lil too warm inside the space.

ABOUT THE FOOD: The tacos are individual to order, hot, flavorful everything-from-scratch, smoked meaty taco goodness! A well articulated flavor profile for each taco! They have classic flavors, and to break the monotony, they have unique varieties as-well. I however recommend the steak and queso! Believe the tortillas are house made! They taste like it anyway. They also have an expansive vegetarian menu too that my brother enjoyed! SERVICE: Our waitresses name was Luicia, attentive, hospitable and quick. Seemingly very experienced. Wishing well wishes to her and the rest of the restaurant. Tip well! PRICE: The thought of individual tacos being averagely $6 is kind of frilly sounding. HOWEVER!! this was actually VERY FULFILLING and REASONABLE price-wise. I am a extremely frugal person, and these tacos are priced RIGHT!! generous even. Amidst all the restaurants on butler st, it's quite overwhelming, but quite the gem is this cute chic clean bar and seating with attentive staff; greeted by a hostess, and sat in a comfortable, half-booth.

Food was good so gave it 3 stars but warning there felt like no A/C and it was a 90+ degree day. We could not even enjoy as it was so miserable inside. We had to take food to go. Not sure if this is how it always is or if something happened but it was bad. Service was very good which not sure how they could run around.

The highlight of my experience at smoke was that the food was delicious. I didn't know this ahead of time but it's basically American style barbecue in a taco. The mac and cheese was incredible and a perfect amount of food for three people. Everything was scrumptious and high quality - a nice change of pace for Lawrenceville cuisine. The downsides however were prominent. When my party of three walked in there were only high top tables available to accommodate our party size. At that time there were only maybe 10 other people in the restaurant and not that many more came in after we sat down. From the time we ordered our food using the QR code to actually receiving our food it was 45 minutes. The barstools at the high top tables were super super uncomfortable and made waiting for 45 minutes for our food that much worse of an experience. Our server was great and kept bringing us water but we were all pretty disappointed at how long we were waiting as we were hungry. Apparently they had a lot of online orders and this is the better option for ordering from here. We really didn't expect the wait time or the uncomfortable seating and our expectations compared to everything good we had heard about this place were lowered as a result. Again, the food was delicious, but my margarita was not. It was $11 for a very watered down drink with only a small hint of pineapple. There are too many other places in the direct vicinity that have great drinks for this to be acceptable. Also, four tacos, a side of mac and cheese, and one drink was $80 - we had sticker shock for sure but honestly the tacos were very hearty and the mac and cheese was amazing so in a way I can justify the cost. I'd be willing to try this again now that I know what to expect from the ambiance, wait times, and quality of food, but I won't prioritize Smoke when there are lots of other places to try in Pittsburgh. TLDR: food was worth it, the wait times and comfort levels were not.

This is a great place with more than a few vegetarian options. We ordered take-out, but the space had a low key steampunk vibe that made me want to want to stay and order a beer. Tacos are available with either a corn or flour tortilla, though flour is the default, and the fillings are somewhat outside the mainstream of a typical taco shop: tater tots ("nuggs") and fried onions make recurring appearances. The vegetarian tacos we ordered were all pretty good, though I prefer the grilled cabbage taco to the "veg". Definitely don't miss the sides either: the slaw and pickles were both good, as were the house-made hot sauces and dressings.

I thought the atmosphere, food and service was really good! They close at 6:00 pm that's why I am giving it 4 stars and not 5. Our server was super nice! We ordered the gravy to try but didn't know what to eat it with and he threw in some absolutely delicious made in house chips! The philly taco is wonderful and I agave been craving one ever since. I was not wild about the brisket sauce for me it was a little bit spicy. At first I thought the prices were a little too much but you get a lot of meat in your taco; I am talking like it could be a sandwich or taco, lol It's great and I definitely want to go back someday!

I was drawn in by the promise of tacos. They're my favorite food and given the opportunity I will choose them every single time. Smoke, for me, didn't live up to the hype. The decor is super cute. Our "server" was phenomenal especially since she was the only one working and it was busy. Drinks were okay. Nothing to write home about. I got the spicy margarita and it was more spice than tequila I think. Queso appetizer with the poblano peppers was delicious but pricey! Honestly everything felt overpriced. I got the chicken and apple taco which was delicious but fell apart after 1 bite. Same with the mushroom taco. All in all, it was good. But paying for chips to go with the queso (what else am I gonna dip in there, my napkin?), soggy tacos, and the mind blowing check total will keep me from adding this to my top taco joints.

It's changed! The service was great but ordering from your phone provides a take-out ambiance. It didn't feel cozy and festive as in prior years. Our food and drinks were okay. I brought a few out of town guests and they weren't so happy with the ambience and food. I will visit again - hoping it was an off night!

Love the smoke salad and the vegetarian offerings! The homemade blue cheese dressing is also on point! Hours are a bit weird so check before you go.

Excellent neighborhood spot. Try the Smoke Salad, dig into the hidden tacos, or ask them what they like. Great staff, excellent cocktail menu and draft list, and smoked everything.

Smoke should have a higher overall rating. The pandemic made things slightly schizophrenic here but one thing always remained and that is scratch everything and super high quality. The slaw is my always go-to. The queso and Mac are tremendous of course and the tacos (on house made flour or corn tortillas) are always great. Brisket and burnt ends are my top two but you can't go wrong with any of them. Two tacos is a big meal especially if you get sides. Thoughtful local tap list and all around good bar program. Farrah Fawcett poster in the men's room (be sure to wash your hands under the Fawcett). Fun decor. Smoke is a winner

Delicious! Queso, chorizo taco, and ultimate taco were amazing! Portions were also bigger than we expected.

We stopped at Smoke for lunch because it was right next to Row House Cinema after our movie there. Unfortunately we should have kept looking. Our food was overpriced and mediocre. $8 for a taco with no sides, which tasted mostly of sauce, and oversalted at that. The Mac and Cheese was a healthy portion, but was bland. My biggest gripe was the mandatory 20% tip included in our total. We barely interacted with our server. Sorry to say we won't be back.

After hearing great things about this place, I finally decided to give it a try. Surprisingly, there were a few open tables when I walked in on a Friday around 7pm. Each table has a QR code that brings you to the menu and allows you to order food directly to your table. Our server also came by and gave us water and told us to order on our phone unless we wanted to wait a long time for her to come by and take our order. Unlike some other restaurants with phone ordering systems, the website did not prompt you to open a tab and pay at the end. Instead, we had to order all at once. This requires you to add your tip in the beginning, which is frustrating and does not make sense without knowing what kind of service you will have. It also made it more inconvenient to add items to the order. We ordered all of our food at once (chicken taco, side of beans, and brisket taco). The food was delicious, but it took 45 minutes to come out, and was a bit expensive. Our margaritas were good as well, but they weren't mixed. We wished they had rice on the menu to go with the beans, but understand that Smoke is more of a BBQ/fusion place. Fun place to go with delicious food and a fun but casual atmosphere, but it feels like they still have some kinks to work out with the ordering system.

The food is so good. The mac and cheese is unreal. As someone who loves tacos and Mac and cheese this is like heaven. The nachos are also delicious. The staff is incredible. They are so happy and just make your experience so good. I love the decor inside. Also if you have a chance to try the donuts I highly recommend. They are different every week!

Great experience overall for our first time in! Super fun environment, with amazing service by Jelly. We started off with some chips and queso (pretty filling) then got a whole variety of tacos -- including one from the secret menu... I won't spoil any surprises, but the UFO was delicious and fun! Overall, a nice place to stop for some good tacos. I recommend a visit!

Wait staff was condescending and had to be repeatedly asked for simple services like drink refills, silverware and napkins. When asked what menu options were gluten free for a member of our party with an allergy we were instructed to "read the menu and look at the ingredients" for ourselves. The menu both physical and digital had no indications of gluten free options or full ingredient lists just the toppings of each menu item. They advertise house made corn tortillas as an option, but when our table ordered them we were told that our food would take "an absurd amount of time" because they had to make our shells, then three orders showed up with flour tortillas instead of corn. After dining, we traveled two blocks from Smoke before the person in our party with a gluten allergy was vomiting on the side of the road. A clear indication of being in direct contact with gluten. Despite taking their medication for these scenarios, they have spent the evening sick and in immense pain. The cherry on top is a single taco is $9.50... absolutely this place can get fucked. Glad to see them close.

This place is awesome. I love the smoked meats and great combinations they offer. The inside also looks very cool. I wish I could turn a bunch of old windows into a wall. The only thing that could make this place better, is if they were open on Mondays.

Don't walk past this excellent taco spot! I recently stopped in on a whim and couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised. We started off with drinks (Adult Lemonade and a House Margarita) and nachos. Although the nachos took some time to bake, they were totally worth it! The nacho portion was huge (plenty to snack on, and we took some home). We also tried the burnt ends taco and the chorizo taco. Both were delicious. You can tell their food is crafted with care. Bonus: Sunday is donut day!

First time customers of Smoke. Right off the bat, we loved the waitress. She instantly drew us in with her witty and fresh personality. There were a decent amount of drink options and they were reasonably priced for the city location. The waitress recommended the quest and chips, which were already on our radar. THEY WERE TO DIE FOR. Easily the best tortilla chips I've ever had and the queso was exceptional. The fried chicken not-ranch taco was by far my favorite. Things we didn't love: the QR code menu. I like to be able to browse a physical menu and the online one was a little difficult to navigate and kept closing out. The wait time for the food. This is the only downside to a restaurant that makes everything from scratch (which I appreciate) when you order but it still sucks when you're hungry (lol). Definitely try this place!

I'm torn on how to review Smoke. I enjoyed our meal, but we had to wait close to 90 minutes for tacos and they are a little pricey. We started with the queso and chips. The chips were so good! They are very filling for 2 people (we took some home). I ordered the chicken philly taco and the veggie taco. the chicken philly was way too cheesy that it over powered everything else with it. After the long wait, it was dissapointing. I did enjoy the veggie taco. it had more flavor and it was not as messy as the CP. I enjoyed the decor and the staff was very friendly (esp for how busy and short staffed they were). You have to order with a QR code, which caused the waitress to never be near us and you have to check out with each item (ie if you want to order another beer, you can't add it to a tab and have to check out each time).

Ok while we were in town we decided to check this place out under recommendation. The chips and queso was absolutely mind blowing. The use hand made dough, fried, with a bit of salt. Each bit is flakey with a bit of chew. I forgot to tell em hold the red and green peppers but was able to strip them out. The cheese has good stand alone flavor. I went with burnt ends taco and and a chicken. Burnt ends was good nice bark and good chew. The chicken was a heafty portion good homemade chicken and sauce. We added the blue cheese on the side and avocado cream perfect match. My wife's blackberry Margareta was very strong and spot on. If your here near the strip check them out

Warning: If you are on a first date, do not take her here. If so, any future dates you two go on will continue to disappoint time and time again. You see, Smoke is not just an ordinary taco shop, it is literally heaven. Do you know that feeling when "just the tip" is in and everything in your being is telling you that plan B isn't that expensive, just worry about that tomorrow? That's what every bite at this place is like. Let me go into more detail. Starting off with apps (I am a certified fat-ass at heart), my go-to is their queso. Now I know that may sound like a typical "chips and queso basic bitch" type of order, but I cannot stress enough how good that shit is. Is it actually cheese? Or is it pure MSG? All I know is that I get it every time, and ever time I can't help but to feel for those poor starving idiots who decided to dine at an Applebee's instead. The chips are fried tortillas, which somehow are way better than you would think. The cheese is melty/gooey/stringy all at once, and one you add the peppers, hot sauce, and other toppings, you will come to realize that you peaked at life, and the only thing left in life to look forward to is your next bite. For all you self diagnosed alcoholic types, their drinks are heavenly. They are a little pricey if you are wanting top shelf liquor, but that's Lawrenceville for ya. I cannot figure out if the drinks are poured light or heavy, as I stop drinking to shove my face with their food once it comes out. And trust me, it takes a LOT to separate me from a good drink. Hell, to put it into perspective, I have a cup holder on my crutches, and Smoke will literally have me swearing off all alcohol if it means I can take another bite. Now for the tacos.... You know how you hit up the taco bell drive through at 2AM, barely coherent after a hard night of slamming shots, and that quesorito makes a special place in your heart? Now imagine a taco that does all that plus more.... While you are sober. The meat, so tender and smokey, the cheese, the toppings, I will never be able to adequately convey my feelings for them. Hell, as I write this, I have leftovers sitting on my coffee table, and that's all I can think about. You may think that a certified fat-ass and leftovers don't go hand-in-hand, but I ate queso and other tacos until the point I was about to puke, so shut up. Seriously, get here and try it. First glance may look a little pricey compared to other places around, but after eating here, you'll compare every other spot to fast food. Thank me later.

This place is so good! My friend and I got the house queso and chips, the Mac and cheese, the ultimate taco, and the apple taco (chicken). I don't eat meat a ton so I would probably stick to the vegetarian options next time but wow was the food good! All of the meats and veggies are smoked. They also have homemade donuts which are delicious.

Smoke in Lawrenceville is truly home to a little bit of everything BBQ, from queso to nachos to tacos to proper meat plates (plus some classic side dishes). And it's pretty easy to gorge yourself on their meat-centric offerings. Portions are huge, with the bonus of everything being made (and smoked!) by the restaurant itself - so once you find something good, it's hard to stop enjoying it! The cocktails are amazing as well, so it's easy to find a good drink pairing with your meal. I will say though, navigating the menu can be tough for me, because I am the biggest wuss when it comes to spicy food. And this place loves spicy sauces and ingredients alike. As a result, when I sampled the menu with my dinner party earlier this year, I found myself grabbing my water glass on a regular basis. Fortunately, I did find some things that didn't burn my mouth with every bite! Honestly, the delicious appetizers and sides can make a meal all on their own. Case in point: I thought the nachos and mac and cheese in particular were AMAZING. Those nachos were piled high with tasty toppings that went together perfectly; and that mac and cheese was pure gooey goodness, with the perfect balance of crunch thanks to some breadcrumbs. Sadly, Smoke is still cash only in 2019. Sure, ATM's can be accessed next door and within the restaurant, but it's an inconvenience nonetheless. You may need a good bit of cash depending on how much food and drink you order; and it's one more thing to remember and do when making your meal plans, heading out with your friends for the night, etc. With all of these details in mind, I consider Smoke to be a special occasion kind of place, at least for me. They know good BBQ, have some delicious dishes, and definitely offer one of the most unique menus in the area. Still, they're cash only (and not the cheapest place), popular and busy as can be, and have a menu that takes some work to navigate due to my wimpy palate. So yes, I'm sure I'll be back again at some point; but it will likely be for a special occasion and/or by a friend's request.

We visited smoke for the first time tonight and had an incredible experience! A coworker of mine recommended the queso, so my husband and I planned on stopping in for a quick drink and app, but after meeting our waitress Jelly, we ended up ordering a whole meal! Jelly has the kind of energy that's infectious, and after hearing that it was our first time in, she talked us through the Smoke concept/lay of the land & gave us some of her personal favorite recommendations (which we ordered 1 of each of). You don't meet people like Jelly often, and the food lived up to how she described it! We will definitely be coming back soon.

this place really cooks my only concern is the housemade chips some of them were dog-eared

I have no idea why the overall demeanor at this place is so bad. It's a shame because the food is great but even as someone who enjoys the food I won't be rushing back. After an already nauseating online ordering process (the alerts tell you an hour wait and then you get a text that your food is ready twenty minutes later while you're sitting on your couch 25 minutes away), you're then greeted by "sup" at the bar with an attitude as if you're the first person to ever get takeout there. Condado is 20 feet away if I want $9 tacos without the crap service.

Super delicious and the server helped me a lot with accommodating my food allergies. The food is mid- priced, it's about $8 for a taco but they are large and you only need two to feel full. I thought it was great and it smelt really good inside as well. I'd deff check it out

Service was quick and the pick up window was very accessible. This might have been the best brisket sandwich I've ever had in my life. The spicy poblano Mayo was AMAZING, as well as the Mac and cheese!

Service was quick and the pick up window was very accessible. This might have been the best brisket sandwich I've ever had in my life. The spicy poblano Mayo was AMAZING, as well as the Mac & cheese!

Came across this gem when looking for a new (to us) bbq joint in the burgh. First off you better pay attention to the address because the signage is so unremarkable that we definitely drove by twice before finally asking someone on the street for help. We waited for a bit for our table but we're able to relax with a mighty tasty cocktail so no complaint there. Overall we had a great experience. Started off with the house queso and these delicious airy homemade tortilla chips. Ordered a 1/4 lb brisket with porter sauce and a sharable mac and cheese. Hubs got the brisket and 3 bone rib with mustard sauce and coffee sauce on the side. The mac and cheese is pure heaven. Definitely enough to share and still bring some home for leftovers. The bbq sauces were just ok but I mean good bbq doesn't really need the sauce. The mean fell apart and was cooked perfectly. Friends ordered pulled pork mac and cheese and a chicken taco with jalapeno apple slaw. They said the slaw was the best they have ever had! Would love to see a place to enjoy bbq outside on a nice day, but we would absolutely go back for more either way! Compliments to the chef!!

My subpar opinion about smoke is solely based on the taste of their food. The service, drinks and ambiance are amazing. My personal favorite is the tequila lemonade and the shroom queso. The pita chips are amazing. The pulled pork is good as well however I do not recommend the brisket, it is dry and plain. The tacos are expensive and not a great concept compared to just ordering the meats by pound.The mac n cheese and the nachos are also mediocre as well. I do like the location, and it makes a place for great company. I am not enthused my the food particulary but willing to give the restaurant more tries because it was decent

No I don't recommend. No I won't return. Very disappointing. First and foremost, the food is not good. Other than the pork taco, the food was not worth the 45 minute wait. (There were 3 other tables other than us and 4 people at bar. Not busy at all) The cabbage taco tasted like Chinese food with bbq sauce. The burnt ends taco must have been pretty bad because he only took 2 bites. The mushroom taco tasted like the mushrooms were soaked in a dirty foot bath for 24 hours. The Mac and cheese was bland and unremarkable. There was no real pop so my partner drank water and I had blackberry "tea". I'm an avid tea drinker and this was water with blackberries in it for $4 so another disappointment. As far as atmosphere and other notes, that place is like a hipster Cracker Barrel as far as decor goes. Everything is reclaimed (cool!) however the tables are reclaimed wooden boards which leaves large deep grooves that can't be cleaned and are disgusting with old food. There are no servers or menus or cash or Coke/Pepsi or paper towels in the bathroom so you don't have to touch the dirty door knob. Just overall this place is a no. If the food was exceptional then I could look past the awful ordering with your phone, no server, no pop, dirty tables and obnoxious wait time. We arrived starving and left unsatisfied. Should have went to Mad Mex or even Chipotle.

Mixed review! Keep in mind I went to a BBQ Taqueria as a vegetarian. When you arrive at Smoke, the first thing you notice is clearly the smell of the BBQ - it's awesome. The entry way is lined with freshly cut wood, that they use to smoke all of their meats. The space itself is quaint (not very large) On Cinco De Mayo we stopped in and I was surprised that there wasn't a longer wait. For two people, we were put on a wait list for about 35 minutes (not bad for a Sunday, especially Cinco De Mayo) I loved that there were several vegetarian options. I tried the avocado taco, and the mushroom taco. Whatever the mushrooms were seasoned with made the taco taste amazing! The only thing that I was disappointed in, I wish that I had asked if they had a hard shell taco (those are my favorite) There were several daily specials, we tried to order one but something had happened in the kitchen and they ran out. The brunch specials sounded amazing though (not vegetarian) Drinks were just OK, different margaritas $10 very distinguished ingredients - grapefruit, "spicy", blood orange, etc. My second drink was wine (there were only three wine options on the menu) and came in a tiny glass (not even a wine glass) My favorite part was probably the mushroom queso dip. I don't usually eat cheese so this was a treat for me - I have to say that the tortillas that were served with the queso made the whole dish! All in all, I'm happy we stopped here. The atmosphere was nice and relaxing - and the food was fresh. I do agree with other reviews that prices are a bit steep. That was my deciding factor between 3, and 4 stars. Side Note: Two homemade hot sauces on the table "Hot, and Hot AF" Clearly I went with the Hot AF - which was quite possibly my favorite part of the meal! Super hot, very good!

I have been to smoke over the years more times than I can count. I have always enjoyed my experience until this last time. I feel like they've either sold their business, or just gotten super lazy when it comes to customer care. They've added the ability to pay with a credit card now, but with a 3.5% fee. I'll just keep paying cash, if I go back now. Matt and I entered around 5 for dinner. The hostess did not greet us, just took us to a table (that's now closer to the table next to you even more than before) for two. We could have been meeting someone else or have a larger party, why just assume? I digress. With the rise in "popularity" of Lawrenceville, so have the prices at smoke increase drastically over the years. $14 for queso, really? That's silly. The waiter was attentive enough, but I found myself never having water. I get it, it's free, don't complain, but this is the first time I've ever run into the issue of not having water here. Again, I digress. I really hope this was either a fluke. I hope it's not regular practice there now that they kinda just don't care anymore.

Pittsburgh, where can I find legit tacos?!?! Ugh. Pros: available on No Wait. Get in line, if you want to go. Cons: so much fusion that I'm lost. Hubs and I ordered the shroom queso and chips to share. I asked whether we should pay the $3 premium for the shroom version vs. regular. Hubs was intrigued by the smoked mushrooms, so we did that. When it arrived, he acknowledged my question was too true. There was hardly any mushrooms and the queso was liquid like. As for the chips, was that pita or tortilla? Oh, no. I was wise and ordered only one taco--brunt ends. Hubs ordered the brisket and chorizo. Neither of us ate more than half of our tacos. Brunt ends was too salty. I was eating pita/tortilla as a palate cleanser...need I say more. The chorizo was okay, average at best. The brisket was fine, bit dry. So, two beers, three tacos, and chips and queso was a $60 (which includes tip) dinner. Nah, no, I'm fine without. Service was at least attentive.

My bff brought me here when visiting the 'burgh recently, and I have to say...it was awesome. We had the mac and cheese, brisket and migas tacos, paired with the $5 cocktail of the day. It was awesome! I loved everything about it. The downside is that it's cash only, but that's all. Service is great and I'd come back for sure.

Spring is coming and we're in the mood for BBQ! We decided to explore Lawrenceville and walked into an aromatic delight for our noses, lol! We were greeted with a smile by our waitress and there was a nice crowd of all ages dining. We ordered brunch because dinner isn't available until 5. We ordered Chicken & Waffles and Biscuits smothered with gravy & eggs. The Chix & Waffles were delicous. The Biscuits and gravy were bland and the taste of flour in the gravy was unpleasant, but overall the service was good, the food was good and we will be back for dinner. We can't wait to taste the ribs and side dishes! Definitely a great place to visit when the weather gets warm.

I don't know how you could miss it as there is signage throughout the restaurant, but this place is CASH ONLY. Dark natural wood is the primary adornment along with Edison style lightbulbs. I sat at the bar in the early afternoon and despite the later lunch hour, there were still quite a few people. I ordered two different tacos (house-made soft tortillas) and they came on a tray surrounded in aluminum foil. The meat was juicy and full of flavor. You could tell you were eating BBQ, which I usually prefer unadorned, but the combinations brought everything together. All that said, my two tacos ran about $7 each and they are not that big. Tasty stuff, but if you are looking for quantity over taste, go to Chipotle.

Tips: CASH ONLY Happy hour: 4-6 parking: there is a pay lot across the street I went here before an event at Bierport and it was during happy hour. My friend was already at the bar and I sat next to her. I waited at least 5 minutes or so before the bartender even acknowledged me. I ordered a beer that was on special for $2.50 and we ordered 2 mystery tacos and the mini queso and chips. The mystery taco idea is really fun and cool! The chef just tosses together whatever ingredients he wants. One of ours was a smoked pulled chicken with bbq and crispy onion straws. The other was a ground beef I think with roasted corn. The homemade chips were good, only complaint was that a few weren't as cooked and crispy as the others. I will definitely be back to try some more mystery tacos!

Friends from Lville asked us to meet them here after the PGH marathon. I was a bit nervous at first since it said they had flour tortillas, but when I asked they told me that they could do corn ones too. I'm sure glad that they did! These are quite the gourmet taco creations. I had the veg and the BLT with chicken added! The BLT with chicken was my favorite of the two, but there's others that I'd love to go back and try. Unfortunately, the queso can't be made gluten free so beware of that if you are like me! Everything I tasted had quite a kick to it. I love spice, but I know some in my party where surprised by the level of spice. The decor is adorable, and it smells like a true smokehouse when you walk in there. The bar stools could be a bit more comfortable at some of the high tops, but it likely helps a with table turnover. I'd recommend, and will update once I try more tacos!

When I first walked into this restaurant I was immediately thrown off by the vibe: it is literally smoky in there and very dark. I prefer bright places with natural light coming in, or if it's dark, that it's dimly lit in a romantic way. For me the atmosphere is more of 2 because of this. The food was good though, a solid 4 on food with the exception that the prices are, in my opinion, too high. I had the mac n cheese which was extremely tasty and I had bites of my husband's tacos - I believe he got the brisket taco which was flavorful and cooked well. I wouldn't go back here because of the setting and prices, but the food is definitely good.