Smokey J’s Q House BBQ

Usually this is a three or four star place but recently, the meat was at best 1.5 stars for BBQ.

Maybe I came on a bad day… Burnt ends were too burnt, ribs were dry. Flavor ok, sauce way too concentrated. I expected better for the money I paid (over $ 35.00). A disappointment.

Best brisket in town. Came in at 8:20 and even though they close at 8:30, they let us eat here and it was all delicious! Great ribs! The brisket is to die for! And the pulled chicken was amazing! All of their bbq sauces were wonderful! Especially if you mix them!

Ambiance: Hole in the wall BBQ joint with 2 picnic tables inside and one outside.
Service: Dude in the back was polite and friendly, oddly enough they guy taking orders and dealing with customers seemed annoyed to have to do so. Gave me Cole slaw instead of the potato salad I ordered, no biggie on that though.
Food: I got a 3 way with ribs, pulled pork and brisket. None of the meat tasted all that smokey, the lack of smoke ring was a giveaway that it would lack that flavor. Ribs weren’t fall off the bone overcooked which is good, but they also weren’t all that flavorful or tender. Pulled pork was reheated in a frying pan with some sort of sauce. The sauce gave it a nice flavor, but it didn’t taste like traditional BBQ pulled pork. That’s neither a good nor bad thing as the flavor was good, just unexpected. Brisket was cut from the fatty end and was soft, but again lacked the smokey flavor and seasoning. It also could have been cut nicer and trimmed of some post cook fat. Beans were surprisingly tasty and the Hawaiian roll complemented the plate much better than the sliced brown bread that some other places serve. 2.5 stars given the $ 30 price tag. Probably not going back as I prefer smokier BBQ.

I saw an ad for this place in the East Bay Express which said «Texas-​style BBQ.» Sorry, but the super-​fatty, mushy piece of brisket I was given in no way, shape, or form comes even close to resembling Texas-​style BBQ. Smoky J’s lured me in with false advertising.

Great North Carolina style pulled pork. Juicy, tender and smokey. Tangy, crisp coleslaw was a perfect complement.
The place is small and not much to look at, but the staff smile a lot and someone there knows how to cook a pig right.
Cash only. Very worth the hassle.

I’ve been going to Smokey J’s since they opened for two main reasons, ribs and brisket. Great ribs. Very good brisket, oh so tender. The one time I had the hot links, they were good and spicy, but just a little dry.
I like the sides. It’s hard to find good greens and these are well-​prepared and spiced. Good cornbread too. I got the cheesy garlic bread for free as a Unilocal special, and that was a joyful thing.

It’s disrespectful to call this BBQ!!! The link was all ground up, the brisket looked like cat food so the ribs went untouched!!! My kids eat everything and they took one bight of this dry chicken and we’re done. WORST OF ALL WAS THAT SORRY EXCUSE FOR BBQ SAUCE! I have never done a Unilocal review before which should tell you how bad it was. They didn’t even give me all the food I paid for but I’d rather loose my money then go back there.
I found this place when I googled best BBQ in the Bay Area! Who ever wrote that needs to kill themselves. I’m so mad I wasted my money! It’s so sad that there’s no real BBQ in the bay!

Sorry, Smokey J’s, you used to be better.
In the past, you’ve had just okay service and good food. Your cashiers have been bad on occasion. Exceptionally dead. In general, they are THE WORST. The are not friendly and even less helpful. WHERE do you GET them?
A month ago, you forgot to include TWO sets of ribs with my to-​go order, and when I drove back to get them, you gave me 5 of the driest and smallest ribs I’ve ever seen. That comes out to 2.5 mini-​ribs per previously ordered dish.
Last week, you forgot to bring my cheesy garlic toast with my 3-​way. And you said you would bring it. And you didn’t. And I love cheesy garlic toast, even when it’s bad.
Take yourself to a backstreet diner, SJs…

Just tried this place for the first time about a week ago. Glad I did!
Righteous ‘que, served by friendly folks. Killer burnt ends. 3 sauces on the table — be careful with the hot — it’ll sneak up on you. Portions very good — the two way lunch (ends & ribs) gave me plenty of leftovers for dinner.
Loved the beans and cole slaw; biscuit was only average… but the smokey flavor of the meats will keep me coming back.
Ate at one of the picnic tables outside — as sun shone down and time stopped while the bbq took me back to the Texas hill country … grinning and licking the sauce off my fingers.

Tried this place again because DEAR LORD WHY DO I ALWAYS CRAVE BBQ ON SUNDAYS? and got the burnt ends instead and it was Delicious, everything I wanted their brisket to be. Still only 3 stars because the sides are sweet and mediocre, and the meat seems hit-​or-​miss, but I’m glad I tried them again.

What happened to all the flavor in the pulled pork for the sandwich? Of the several times I’ve come here, my stomach and taste buds tell me this isn’t a good place. The sauce packed too much punch for some pork meat that couldn’t take it. And that’s how I feel about the food there, it’s very sharp in one aspect and so it burns a hole through the food and past your tongue and belly… Missed the target by a wide range.
The only thing I really like about this place is the pickle tub and getting pickle juice. Love that stuff.

Nothing terribly wrong with this place, but the BBQ here seriously lacks flavor, seasoning, and smoke. I tried their ribs and brisket and they both tasted like they were cooked days or weeks ago.
No barks on the brisket. None! Please message me if you find them.
Seemed like the meat was boiled first and then smoked. You might be able to detect a tiny bit of smoke flavor to it (if you overwork your taste pallets). Ironic, right? They are called Smokey J’s.
The brisket wasn’t too dry and it wasn’t really moist either. It absolutely lacked proper seasoning. The owner claims he is from Texas; however, the food tastes absolutely nothing like what you would get in Texas (at least legit restaurants). I recommend the owner to checkout one of these place listed here:

next time that he visits Texas.
As far as the ribs go, I have had better. The ribs tasted like left overs. Very bland and smokeless. Chewy and dry.
Considering how high their prices are, they seriously need to step up their game!
Inside also feels very unclean, and the staff aren’t really friendly.
BTW, they are CASH ONLY!
I don’t think I am ever gonna go back there again.

Yuck! My stomach hurts as I write this. The cold slaw was soggy and mushy one bit and in the trash it went. The brisket of beef was boiled prior to being put on a grill. The chili was so salty it made my mouth burn.
The pickles were good.
The service was worst than the food. Customer service was worst than the food — No hello, may I help you; nor a thank you or good bye after paying for that terrible food.
Bye a roasted chicken kfc and add kinders bar-​b-​que sause will be a better bet.
Yuck!

Just had a fantastic meal at Smokey J’s! After a long sabbatical from BBQ, this was a amazing welcome back. The ribs were fall off the bone great, the pulled pork was juicy and perfectly tangy, the brisket was spot on and the burnt ends were divine. So many good things on the menu… baked beans and chili were also standouts. Bring your appetite, you won’t leave disappointed! Can’t wait to come back.

Burnt ends were tasty, but I don’t know that they were that memorable, and that was unfortunately the highlight of the visit.
Service was like talking to a robot, and I’m convinced that talking to a mechanical person would have been better since no mistakes would have been made. Also, robot people can’t glower at you.
We split a plate of 2 meats and 2 sides, and about half an hour later (there was only one other customer), we received a small platter of burnt ends, a teeeeeny tiiiiiiny wedge of corn bread, and a urine-​sample size cup of cole slaw. The slaw was edible, but the corn bread was tasteless and wet (not moist, just wet).
No ribs were in sight, but it was a rainy Sunday and we were happy to wait. I decided to check in a little while later and discovered that they had simply forgotten about our other meat. No apologies, just some ribs thrust at us silently a few minutes later.
Smokey J’s, I wanted to like you, but you were playing really hard to get for some reason. Also, pricier than you’d expect for such mediocrity.

It ain’t cheap and cash only. However, the ribs are great and the burnt ends are even greater. Sides of greens, potato salad, and hot water skillet cornbread are winners. Three temperatures of sauce, all nice and tangy. Frito pie is from another planet with homemade chili, and every topping you can imagine. It’s a heart attack, but what a why to go!

Wow its not often that you find a real bbq spot. This is it! Open everyday awsome well done.

NEVER GOING BACK!
Rare that you just want your money back after you order. I don’t expect praise for coming into the empty bbq spot… but don’t be bummed for me being there. Every time I come I get horrible service. It wouldn’t be so bad if the lady behind didn’t get such a welcoming hello!
–The recommended burnt ends were terrible.
–The chicken was pretty tasty
–roasted garlic potatoes were great… only got 4 – 5 pieces lol.
They don’t like to answer questions about their menu. And have few choices.
Cash only and they’re overpriced as hell for no reason.

Two not-​so-​great experiences. First time I ran in starved for lunch, was the only person there and had to wait 25 minutes to get my half-​chicken. But I was like, ok, I didn’t know they were going to have to cook it up from scratch, won’t do that again. Last night, I walk in. «Sorry, cash only.» Obstacle one. So I jackass myself across the street to get cash at the gas station. Then, «sorry, we’re out of pulled pork and brisket.» Obstacle two. This is 5:30pm, dinner time, the only other people there are a couple with two kids, and this barbecue place is out of 2 of the 5 meats they have on the menu. Really? This isn’t 10pm after a crazy post-​game rush. It’s a Monday night at dinner time. So my two friends and ate what they had, but seriously, come on. If I’m paying $ 40, maybe I should get what I want and instead what you just happen to have. Probably won’t go back.

Poor customer service, didn’t honor the check in offer, Cashier didn’t know about the offer and said it wasn’t theirs. Clearly it is, it’s on your Unilocal page and it has the business name on the offer. Lame.

Loved the food, any ribs are usually good ribs for me. The sides were awesome. The only thing is the cash only payment option makes me come here once in a blue moon.

The owner is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met! I got in a car accident in the intersection his shop is on. My car wasn’t drivable, because my bumper was sticking into my wheel and I needed to get home to Davis (70 miles away). Triple A and my insurance company refused to tow me so he spent an hour and a half messing with my bumper until he had moved it enough that my car was drivable! Moral of the story this is a great local business with an awesome owner and I definitely recommend going there (p.s. the barbecue sauce smelled great)

Ordered a smoked half-​chicken for $ 12, and requested that it be juicy.
Received a nice take-​out box filled with a pretty hefty chopped-​up helping of tasty chicken… juicy, and not dry, indeed. Accompanying it were a vinegary cole slaw, a soft bread roll and two chosen sides of potato salad (which was OK but not outstanding).
The delicious smokey flavor deeply permeated the chicken, with even the white breast meat tasting succulently! Topped it off with a mix of their hot sauce (yes, it’s hot!) and the medium… very nice.
For your money at Smokey J’s, you definitely get an honest serving of tasty BBQ.
Next time, I’ll try a slab of their Ribs and sides of chili and collard greens!
;}

This place has the best BBQ I’ve ever had. Texas style BBQ, you can’t go wrong!
The brisket and ribs are delicious and mouth watering! Best GREENS I’ve ever had. The Frito pie is a must try with Rib meat or brisket! Anything you try will be great. This is a must try place when you visit the Bay Area! They also have beer.
Beer and BBQ!

Just awesome! Food here is delicious! I come all the time. Try the brisket. They do it amazingly good!

I really wanted to like this place more as it it super close to my home. The customer service is great, meats are cooked well, and the sides are good.
One major problem is the sauce. Its just has a little too much vinegar for my taste.
Have eaten 3 times and just doesn’t quite do it for me.
Give it a try though, it may be more your flavor.

CASH ONLY! Not a bad place. I went for the August 30 pig roast. Its a very small restaurant with maybe 3 tables in it. We got takeout because of that. Good thing my boyfriend brought cash because I never have any on me. The service was ok. Nothing over the top friendly or rude.
The meat was good. The coleslaw was alright. Cornbread was yummy! The sauce was a little too spicy for my personal taste. I prefer a more honey or sweeter bbq sauce.
I would go again and I recommend others to try it.
Sauce Is The Boss!

We had smokey J for my office birthday lunch.
It was delish and they had given us a HUGE bottle of mild and spicy sauce to go with our order. Albeit our order was HUGE.
Than my co workers craved it for a good solid month afterwards and that’s when it went downhill for me. The next time we ordered I got the frito pie. I heard good things about but I just felt like it was too salty for me. Than we waited for next week so we could order their special Thursday Mac and cheese. The first time I got the potatoes and garlic and that one was good. Than the following week I ate off from my co worker’s who got sausages and Mac and cheese. It was okay… Than the following week they ordered the same thing and it was just gross.
Maybe cause we literally had it for a good month and I was going tired of it, but I felt like I could taste the gas. I know someone got burnt ends on Monday and I had a taste and it was sooo good but I think I’ve had my fill of smokey Js for awhile.
Also side note when we sat down to eat I felt like it could be just a little bit cleaner. But the service was good.

California really doesn’t have a specific barbecue tradition, but there are plenty of joints that ‘cue up some decent meat that emulates a legit regional tradition.
This place sure doesn’t (I think it’s supposed to be Texas-​style).
Smokey J’s is the 2^nd Worst barbecue restaurant I’ve been to in my life (Dickey’s gets the 1^st Worst award).
I had the combo meal, and was dissatisfied by practically everything in it. All of the meats were too salty, but the collard greens were so obscenely over-​salted that they rendered it unnoticeable in the meat. The brisket was tough, the links were unimpressive, and the turkey was strangely dry.
It was inconvenient having to go get cash at the gas station, and I was pretty appalled about the cleanliness (the picnic table I ate at was actually sticky).
On the bright side, the beer was cold. That said, I can find cold beer elsewhere, so I will definitely not be eating here again.

The extra second star is for the service because the cook and server were both very nice and accommodating. If not for them, I would definitely give this place just one star.
We just moved to the east bay and we’ve been eating out every day, looking for new places to eat. Today, we had a major craving for bbq and 80% of the places I Unilocaled were closed on Mondays! So by default, we landed onto Smokey Js. Granted, the reviews were decent and the pictures looked good!
We ordered ribs, pulled pork, and hot links. They unfortunately ran out of chicken, something we were really looking forward to! The pulled pork was nice and moist, as were the ribs, although they had a sweet glaze that I didn’t care too much for– I just dabbed their bbq sauce over it instead. The hot links were INCREDIBLY salty. We each had a bite and threw the rest away. I really wish they had had chicken because that might’ve made the experience better.
As for the sides, the coleslaw was unlike anything I’ve ever had. It was pickled and so sour. One bite, and the rest was untouched. Maybe I’m just ignorant to authentic coleslaw ways but this was inedible. The potato salad was alright, although I had a huge piece of raw potato in it. The cornbread was burnt, dry and rock hard. We didn’t even bother trying it. The only good side was the garlic roasted potatoes.
With so many bbq joints in the area, I will definitely not be coming back here.

I went here because the brick pig was closed on Sundays, and then the BBQ Hut was out of brisket. I’m kind of a brisket person.
THE GOOD: Sweet ambiance and cute outdoor seating. Love the décor. The folks are nice and they always give my dog a big bone. Homemade pickles, yay.
THE BAD: I don’t like this much fat in my brisket, pecan pie is not up to Southern standards (mostly corn starch with only a layer of pecans on top). That fat, though! It grosses me out. Maybe other stuff on the menu is fine, I’ve had a brisket sandwich before that was ok.
I feel like a passive-​aggressive jerk, I don’t like writing bad reviews, but I was pretty disappointed and I couldn’t eat it. I’d say go down the street another mile to the brick pig’s house. It’s cheaper and way better meat.

Welll… the brisket was mainly fat and gelatinous connective tissue, the Crispy Wet Ribs were just soggy, the cornbread was dry. The hot links and chicken were pretty good and we liked the collards and the coleslaw.
The guy behind the counter in the black chef’s uniform: grouchy and unfriendly. I could excuse it if his food was really good, but it really was just OK. Also they only take cash (unless you spend over $ 100…whaaaa?). Again, I can deal with cash only if the food is great but there are too many things wrong with Smokey J’s to make me want to try again.

Our BBQ hunt led us to Smokey J’s this weekend. We’re familiar with a few of the places in the immediate area, but the urge to try them all made us drive past our beloved little places to come here. Overall, it was a pretty decent experience.
PARKING.
You *might* get lucky and find a nice big spot on Shattuck on your way there, but otherwise, it’ll be a pain, and you’re better off trying any of the side streets you pass. It IS free parking, though!
LOCATION.
Very small, and a little grimy. To be fair, you don’t really expect BBQ joints to be sterile and pristine, and it wasn’t like the place was dirty or anything, just sticky with leftover BBQ sauce, discarded napkins, and whatnot. It’s a small place, too, we noticed most people getting their food to-​go. There are only two 2 tables with benches, so plan accordingly.
BABY BACK RIBS & BRISKET.
Normally I would list the meats separate, but my feelings are the same for both. The meat was a little underseasoned, but good. However, both meats were extremely fatty. Not in the ‘cut the pieces of fat off’ or ‘eat around it’, I don’t know how to describe it, but the meat was just a little more fatty and oily than I prefer in BBQ. It’s possible it’s another style of BBQ I’m not familiar with? And again, it still tasted good, especially with their BBQ sauces, but it didn’t blow me away, unfortunately.
POTATO SALAD.
A bit of a let-​down, sort of chunky, and tangy. Not sure what they do to it, but it’s passable.
Not bad, overall, but there’s better BBQ in the area.

This the first place in the Bay area that actually stands up to my national standards. Dang serious ribs!!! The perfect level of low and slow allowing for tender deliciousness. The brisket was truly world class, I’m really not sure how they managed such a tasty cut without the usual dryness around the edges. I would say they need to enter that into some competitions. Their pulled pork is just that, what else do you want?
Oh Frito pie you say, that is what else you want? Yeah they have that too.