Perdition Smokehouse

Yeah. Too bad. The quality of the brisket was pretty good, but they were stingy and watched the size of their portions too much. You aren’t going to succeed in this very competitive food landscape by nickle and diming people on the portion sizes…

Sorry to see it has closed shop after such a brief run, but in retrospect none too surprising.
In April I hosted a party for fourteen there, and was met with every fashion of weirdness as I tried to make arrangements. You’d think a fledgling high-​volume restaurant would be eager to seat such a big party at 5:30 on a Friday, but it was difficult to persuade Mike and crew to reserve tables or offer assistance of any kind. Apparently they were committed to a different business model — one where an endless stream of patrons would cycle through cafeteria-​style showering the place with cash, and no attempt need be made to accommodate them in any way. Maybe this model works somewhere on the planet but, if so, I don’t know where.
The food was pretty darn average. The brisket was good and among the sides the hush puppies hit the right note. But the ribs were uneven and too often sinewy, and whoever came up with the absurd notion that each portion of meat should be put on a scale and weighed in front of the customers is an ungenerous soul with no future in the hospitality business. The food was good enough, and the vibe of the place was pretty nice — especially if you sat on the patio on a warm-​ish Berkeley evening.
The biggest loss, of course, are all those glorious taps. The bar area looked like something a mad scientist had cooked up, and the selection of beers was among the very best in the state. Most of the people they hired for the bar area were young and enthusiastic and pretty darn knowledgeable. It was a great place to have a beer — or three — and for that alone we will miss it.

I really really really loved this place, but then they changed their menu. The side dishes are especially disappointing now.
The mac and cheese used to be baked with bread crumbs, and come in a great serving size that left you satisfied if not stuffed. Now, it’s super creamy and basically slightly fancier Kraft mac and cheese. And the small is a TINY dish that leaves you wanting more.
I also used to love the seasonal veggie side. I ordered brussel sprouts the last time I was there, and again received the TINY dish. Which included four whole brussel sprouts. For $ 4.
You used to be great, Perdition! Why did you have to change? I’ll still go for the incredible beer selection (40+ taps!!) and awesome atmosphere (that beer garden tho), but no more dining for me.

I used to love the food here, but something has happened in the last couple of months. I was pretty suspicious that they changed kitchen staff because the food tonight tasted completely different than 2 – 3 months ago (in a disappointing way), and our waiter confirmed that yes, the chef has changed.
Our chilis tasted very ketchupy and salty, the cornbread lacked the sweetness it had previously & was dry, the brussel sprouts had a brown butter vinaigrette that was a tad odd with the rest of the BBQ flavors, and my dining partner said that the ribs were unusually dry.
We love their beer & cider selection, so kudos for that. I think I’ll still go here, but very sparingly than I used to before. Sadness!

Point blank– food is bad and overpriced. eeeexcept for their mac and cheese. It’s bomb and not too rich and a good, comforting end to a drunken night. Being open past midnight is a special treat in downtown Berkeley so it’s a decent place to end your night.
Now to the good stuff. Great beer selection! And you can get pitchers! But it’s all about the backyard area. Not even worth it if you can’t sit outside.

9÷19÷15: Was really looking forward to trying this place. I always love to see what the trendier places can do with traditional food like good ‘ol American BBQ. In this case this place is the vision of the owner of Mikkeller Bar, which definitely counts as trendy and hipster, so I was expecting a lot. It was also our friend’s bday, so this was kinda his bday lunch /​early dinner, and of course bdays gotta be somewhat special at least.
We ate outside in the patio, so I didn’t pay too much attention to the interior. Outside was nice – rustic wood benches, and nicely modern yet traditional.
So did the food live up to expectations?
0. Almanac Citra Sour $ 7: Well, owner of Mikkeller right? – well, they did have the beers! Nice selection of eclectic beers. Very nice. Got me this sour, which I’ve never heard of, but was very well balanced. Light color, but good balance of pale beer taste, sour, and fruit. I like. ⁸⁄₁₀.
1. Black Angus Brisket: I didn’t order but was told they ask you how much fat you want, and my friends having good taste, asked for the juiciest cuts they got. And I’d have to say, they were damn juicy and fatty! – VERY nice. Unfortunately the texture wasn’t that solid though and the taste was a little more plain than the best BBQ out there – there wasn’t even a smoke ring (and they call this place a «smokehouse?»). Good foundation though, but needs to work on the finish. ⁶⁄₁₀.
2. Mary’s Organic Chicken: Pretty standard. Not your typical BBQ – there’s no sauce. Just dry rub which seems to be mostly salt and pepper. Not too many herbs. A little too plain for me. ⁵⁄₁₀.
3. Mary’s Organic Chicken Wings $ 7.00: Same deal as with the whole chicken. But as wings I think it works a bit better. The BBQ nicely dried the skin, so it was tasty. ⁶⁄₁₀.
4. Lisa’s Fried Sour Dill Pickles $ 5.00: Big homemade-​tasting pickles slice length-​wise and breaded and fried. Tastes like it sounds. Not especially great breading or pickles. ⁵⁄₁₀.
5. Pork Ribs, St. Louis: Pretty good. The meat is nicely tender, and not super fall-​off-​the-​bone. I HATE how everyone says good BBQ should fall off the bone, cause it shouldn’t! – then why have a frickin’ bone?! Anyway, this one is the perfect doneness as far as I am concerned. Unfortunately it has the same problem as their brisket – just ain’t that flavorful. And again, very little smoke ring, if any. ⁶⁄₁₀.
6. Collard Greens: Somewhat standard preparation, with meat for taste added in. The greens themselves are far more bitter than normal – not sure what the deal was there. ⁴⁄₁₀.
7. Mac & Cheese: Nice high-​quality mac and cheese, complete with strong and gourmet cheese. Standard construction, but good stuff. 6.5÷10.
8. Mixed Green Salad: Just a pile of lettuce. Like seriously??? You’re charging $ 4 – 7 for this side, a pile of lettuce?! And not only that, the waiter didn’t bring the dressing ’till 10min later. WTF. ²⁄₁₀.
10. Corn Bread $ 5.00: Very strange corn bread. ULTRA DENSE. And extremely sweet. I told my friends it’s like eating a candy bar! Seriously. Like a corn bread fudge. I dunno, it’s not my thing, but I can see some people might like it. ³⁄₁₀.
11. Giant Snickerdoodle Cookie $ 2.50: It is definitely big, maybe ½ft wide? Otherwise tastes standard. Good price though I guess. ⁵⁄₁₀.
So, unfortunately, no, this place did not live up to expectations. It’s alright, but not worth any special trip or anything.
³⁄₅
#bbq #americanbbq #brisket #wings #ribs #beer

Food tastes great but it gave us food poisoning.
The End.
(Yelp wants more detail but I’ll just say this: I had brisket, baby back ribs, mac & salad. Friend had brisket, St. Louis ribs, salad. Both of us enjoyed our meals but are now in our bathrooms sick to our stomachs.)

BBQ, my fav food but it’s hard to find anything close to real BBQ in the east bay, west coast, outside of Texas? If you’re looking for BBQ, I think this may be the only place to go. The brisket was flavorful, great beans. Corn was good. They just need to serve it hot and it’d be 5 stars.
All was luke warm when it arrived, and the brisket was cooked through, close to well done. Tasty, but sadly, not juicy.
Now, 5 stars on the beer selection. Beer tender was awesome, fun and knowledgeable. If you haven’t been here before, get ready, it’s one of the best beer selections in the Bay Area. Easily 20+ great small batch breweries available. I’ve heard the owners are connected to mikkeler in SF and both trappist’s in Oakland, makes sense if it’s true. I happened to be there when Societe brewery was there in the back patio, lucky me!
In the end, I’m rounding up to 4 stars. I will be back. Combo of great beer and BBQ is too great to pass up, even though the food was not as hot as I’d like.

Full disclosure: I’m a native Texan, and when I saw that Perdition Smokehouse opened up on University avenue, I was prepared to hate it. Since I moved to the Bay Area from the Texas Hill Country, all of the barbecue I’ve had here has been supremely disappointing. Whether it was B-​Side BBQ or Smokey J’s or anywhere else, they were all let downs. They couldn’t live up to my high standards of barbecue, and I didn’t expect Perdition to be any different. This place has swanky décor, a bar with a plethora of craft beers, a wide variety of side dishes, and a sizable selection of sauces at each table. In Texas, the most traditional places see these things as frills that distract from the focus of the meal, which is the meat. I thought that Perdition was using these gimmicks to hide the fact that their barbecue was underwhelming. However, after trying the barbecue at Perdition Smokehouse, I must admit that I was wrong. Their barbecue is actually really great!
I tried the brisket sandwich ($ 13) with a side of mac and cheese. I went for lunch during the week, so I had to abstain from ordering a beer even though they had some really enticing options. The brisket was outstanding. It was very moist and flavorful; not quite on the Hill Country level, but still surprisingly good. The spicy barbecue sauce actually was quite spicy and really enhanced the flavors of the meat. The buttery, toasted Acme bun was definitely a step up from the traditional white bread served with barbecue in Texas. The mac and cheese was super tasty too. The bread crumbs provided a nice textural contrast with the macaroni, and the cheese was rich and creamy.
The restaurant has a few downsides: It’s a little pricey, and the juxtaposition of the sleek, modern interior of the restaurant for a humble, rustic food like barbecue was kind off-​putting. However, I was still really impressed by the food and would definitely come back.

First I need to say, I used to be regular customer here. Thought this review needed to be updated since lots of things have changed around here, and I’ve had more than a couple of bad experiences. It’s not just reflection of one bad experience (many restaurants have a few bad days in a year); it’s a reflection of several terrible experiences over the course of two months.
Oh Perdition, you dropped the ball. You dropped the ball to a point that I’m expecting you to lose a lot of your customers in near future. The experience tonight was a push for me to update my review.
We ordered half a pound of brisket for to go today, and it just appeared to me to be less than ½ pound more like ¹⁄₃ or ¼ pound. We asked for the moist part of the meat, but the meat could not be more lean and dry to be honest. Remember those days that you weighed the meat in front of your customers what happened? Remember those days that you cut the meat in front of your customers, what happened man? I remember whenever we ordered food here we got complementary cornbread, but this time we didn’t. I feel scammed. Scammed by one of my favorite places in Berkeley!
This is not the first bad experience here for the past few weeks. I remember I went there 3 weeks ago, and then they gave me shredded brisket with bbq sauce mixed together when I asked for ¹⁄₃ pound of moist brisket. I used to be a regular customer here, but seriously the quality has gone way down. The meat was not as smokey as before, plus the brisket that we had was poorly seasoned. How can you screw up putting salt and pepper on meat?
Now you guys only serve ribs on weekends ONLY after five and smoke like what 6 or 8 racks? And they are usually gone in an hour or two? Why even bother? Your restaurant is called Perdition Smokehouse isn’t that ironic? Many times that I come here and you are out of brisket and well you kinda don’t serve ribs anymore; and instead you offer me chicken?! That’s insulting. I missed your ribs a lot to a point that I showed up 5:30 to get dinner (5:30 for dinner is very odd for my lifestyle since I usually eat dinner at 9:00, thus that’s a lot of effort from me), and the ribs were dry like Sahara desert.
I remember once Mike told me «We try to serve Franklin quality food to our customers,» woah this is not even Applebee’s quality now. Maybe this is because Mike is busy with his other restaurants, and it seems that he doesn’t care about this place at all, but we miss the food that you guys served when you started your business.
Not to mention that some of your staff has become very unfriendly/​rude.

So this place was a hit or miss experience for me.
We ordered a 2 meat plate with pork and brisket. Our sides were mac n cheese and cole slaw. We also added a link to this order plus corn. Oh, and it came with cornbread.
Ok, starting with the BBQ. The pork was ridiculously salty. I totally get that it is heavily seasoned… but there was just way too much salt. The pork was moist though in comparison to the brisket, which was rather dry. The link was cold and the flavored were bland. The main courses at this place was a fail for me.
On the other hand, the mac was delicious. The bread crumbs really gave it texture and crunch. The mini cornbread muffins were also moist and delish.
Unfortunately, the slaw was bland and the corn was hard and cold.
They do have awesome beer selections though! Overall, I wasn’t impressed.

You can order meat a la carte by weight (or volume (½ rack /​chicken etc)) or plates with sides ($ 13 for 1 meat plate+2 sides /​$ 18 for 2 meats (+$ 1 with ribs)) There are $ 10 lunch specials: a) 1-​meat plate (w/​2 sides), or b) meat on roll or on greens with chips & drink. +$ 3 for a pint of a selection of 3 beers curated from their large selection.
Got the Brisket plate with Beans & Greens. The meat is carved in front of you and this is one of the rare places that asks if you want your brisket «Lean or Juicy», I went with «Juicy»
It’s order at the counter and you get a metal tray with your meal. Utensils are in front of the register where you pay and each table has a holder for paper towels and their 4 sauces (House, Spicy, Vinegar, and Mustard (hidden behind the other 3)
)
About 6 ounces of meat and a generous heap of the sides (
). The cut was well marbled with a striip of fat running down the length (
)
They should just own it say «Fatty» vs. «Juicy» though I should say the meat under the fat layer was juicy while the meat above the fat layer running down the middle was dry and a little tough. Lightly smoky flavor with not much from the rub; the lightly-​splicy House sauce helped enhance the flavors of the brisket.
The sides were very good. The Cowboy Beans were the best part of the meatl with great flavor, a little heat, and the occasional bite of brisket burnt ends mixed in. The braised greens had slivers of pork and were nice and tender with no bitterness though I like it with some vinegar tang, which these didn’t have.
Good value for the lunch special. Will be back to try some of the other meat selections.
Brisket: 3 stars (some parts really good. some parts really meh)
Beans: 5 stars
Greens: 4 stars
Overall: 3.5 (more emphasis on the meat), rounding up.

I find it a bit amusing when Berkeley tries to be fancy :3
Prices and ambiance are on par with SF, but the food and dranks are not quite there.
I got the 1-​item combo with brisket with sides of coleslaw and greens/​pork. Together with a beer, it was ~$ 20 and overall mediocre:
— Brisket: not bad but not amazing, a bit on the bland and tough side
— Coleslaw: way too pickled… you have to really like sour food to enjoy this
— Bread: nice and soft, goes well with the BBQ meat in DIY sando fashion
— Greens: probably my favorite in the meal but most people dislike collard greens because it looks and tastes so healthy
— Beer: selection was alright, but it is served in tiny cups. Triple Rock would be laughing.
Also, the service and attitude feel like fast food/​cafeteria. The redeeming factor is the décor: the lighting is swanky and they do a good job on the rustic theme. Bonus nerd points for making brew names look like elements of the periodic table.
Perdition has potential, especially since it occupies a niche in the gastropub scene of Berkeley, but they need to up their game (pun not intended).

I was rolling back from the Melo Melo Kava Bar and got a kraving for some Ribs .
So I street hiked to Perditions Smokehouse .
I rolled in and ordered some Pork Ribs .
I paid with my Credit Card then picked my ¼ Rack up and grabbed a table .
I like the Décor of Perdition and The Beer Selection Looked good.
They had 4 Different Flavors of BBQ Sauce on the Tables .
My Pork Ribs were Disappointing .
The Ribs were Very Dry and Tough .
I might return but Ill stay away from the Ribs and try Their other BBq Offerings.

Well, the main dishes were «eh.» I had a pulled pork BBQ sandwich, and it had some huge hunks of fat that were really gross. In addition, the bun it was on was mediocre, at best. My sister had some ribs, and she thought they were just OK.
That being said, the sides we had were REALLY GOOD. The tiny cornbread mini muffins were gobbled down quickly, and the beans had amazing flavor.
I enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant. It had a very industrial feel with some warm details. The booths were big. We were served our main dishes immediately and then given a number for the sides. After a few minutes they brought them out to our table. The employees will bus your table.
I wouldn’t come back here since I didn’t enjoy the BBQ itself. The place smells really good, but they need to step it up a notch.

Good BBQ is so hard to find in the Bay Area. Perdition Smokehouse has the goods… but at a price.
Don’t get me wrong — their stuff is rich n’ smoky. Their pulled pork and chicken isn’t too dry, but they kind of skimp on the meat. Prices are a little high too.
Still, it’s good BBQ in the Bay Area. It gets points just for that.

Spring Break 2015 in CA… Interesting relatively new BBQ place in Berkeley. Their style of service is somewhat in the mold of Dickey’s, the Dallas, Texas BBQ franchises. The meats are all smoked on site and you order plates or a-​la-​carte servings of whatever strikes your fancy. While Perdition is in the mold of Dickey’s, I think Perdition carries it off a bit better. There is more ambiance, at least in the Berkeley location… high ceilings and exposed beams, and a decorative alphabet of BBQ surrounding the room making for an all around inviting atmosphere. Now to the food…
In the end I found Perdition had 5 star beer and 2 star food. The biggest complaint is all the food is too cool… just lukewarm. There isn’t much here that is served hot, other than the sides. The smokers are in the back and they bring out slabs or hunks of whatever meat is done and put it under heat lamps… the advantage being you see exactly what you’ll get if you order that particular cut… the downside being it dries up a bit and is lukewarm after a while under the lamps.
You order either a plate or a serving of the meats… plates get sides and servings are just a-​la-​carte. They measure out the meats and weigh it right in front of you on a scale. So if you order a ¼ pound of brisket for $ 7…you’ll get exactly that and maybe a bit more but never less. Choices are brisket (pretty good and juicy with a nice crust), chicken (nicely crisp on top and tasty inside), ribs (good taste but dried after sitting), sausage (tastiest of the offerings), and pulled pork (the star of the dinner, juicy and very tender).
I think the key to winning here is to come in when they are deep in the meal period… between 12:30 and 1pm for lunch and 7pm-​ish for dinner. If you arrive when they are deep in the serving period they will be bringing out resupplies of the meats and they will be fresh. If you arrive early for your meal seating will be easier but you are going to get the product under the heat lamps which may have sat there too long. Don’t go early. They had a separate area for drinks and an extensive beer menu (see pics). All in all a bit pricey but still worth a visit.
While I realize you can’t get smoked meats to order in a sit down restaurant because of the time it takes to smoke them, they need to do better with timing or something to warm up the main courses… they were just too tepid. They fix this problem and they get another star.

This was as mediocre as my Valentine’s Day. First off I was late picking up my date since my GPS broke as soon as I drove across the bridge, then when I finally picked her up, I was such an idiot that I locked my keys inside my car.
Perdition is similar in that it was one mishap after another. The ribs were dry and tough, and I honestly didn’t like any if the sauces offered on the table.
The Mac and cheese was horrible. See the picture? Hard and nasty. Like it had been sitting there for a week under the lamps.
Yes, they have a good sized portion what good is that when it’s not worth eating?
3 stars for the portion size and the brisket was okay.

It’s pretty cool that they smoke their own meats, and the results are pretty tasty, but the economics just doesn’t work out for me. $ 15 for a rib plate with only 3 ribs just isn’t worth it.
Okay, but I gotta give them some credit for their sides. The potato salad was spot on and the mac ‘n cheese was delicious. I just wish it weren’t so overpriced.
3 stars for 3 ribs.

My wife and I went on one of our weekly dates to this meat lovers paradise! We learned about Perdition through an online listing of new places to eat in Berkeley: «6 New Berkeley and Oakland Restaurants to Try Now» on
(8÷12÷14).
One of the first things that appealed to us is that all the sugar-​based sauces could be on the side or left off all together. In addition, they use a dry-​rub on the meat. Perfect paleo meal.
We both ordered the plate meal option: one meat and two sides. Margaret got the chicken with mac-​n-​cheese and cowboy beans. I got the brisket with cauliflower salad and potato salad. Complimentary meal items were an untoasted dry thick piece of bread and dill pickles.
The servings were huge!
The flavor was rich!
The meat was moist and tender!
Friendly and helpful staff!
Margaret says, «the mac-​n-​cheese tasted just like the one my parents made when I was a kid and the cowboy beans were just the right amount of spicy: not too over powering.»
This is a good place to go with a group: you order at the counter, pay and then take a seat. There are tables and booths that will accommodate large groups.
They also have a craft beer bar and serve high-​quality fountain soda (real cane sugar, no corn syrup).