Up In Smoke BBQ

"Absolutely the worst BBQ in town. No smoke flavor, no rub flavor. No flavor of any kind. Meat was soaking in fat, pretty sure the brisket is actually chuck roast. Pulled pork was inedible. Sides were terrible. I believe this is crock pot BBQ. Never saw a smoker. For the love of god, don’t waste your money here."

"At Up In Smoke BBQ the cornbread was amazingly moist and delicious. The brisket was very good. I tried all the sauces; the blueberry habanero was very good. Phish was playing overhead. Owner was very friendly."

"Cedar Rapids—2/2024— this remains the BEST BBQ joint in CR, owner, staff, food, experience all great. No need to look further go here!!! UPDATE 10/2023 we’ve been here a few times and have never been disappointed. Stopped last week while they had live music (Mo was awesome), another great meal. Planned to stop this week but noticed an “all sold out” sign on the door! ORIGINAL POST— great smoked pulled pork, huge sandwiches. Bbq nachos are mammoth (bring a friend there’s plenty there). The sides are all tasty too. This place is very reasonably priced with huge portions. Ribs were tender, I am convinced there isn’t a loser pick in the whole place. If you haven’t tried it yet it’s your loss."

"First time visiting and had a great lunch. My husband and I shared the 3 sampler and got the brisket, pulled pork and chicken. All the meats were great, but I particularly loved the brisket. Great flavor and very tender. The cheesy potatoes were so good ..could make a meal off those alone! Also enjoyed the cornbread and it was a large serving! Will definitely be back!"

"Update 4/19: I stopped in here and grabbed a half rack of ribs with cheesy potatoes and an order of wings. This stop wasn't quite as good as the last time I was there. The cheesy potatoes were about the same, ok but leaving me wanting more seasoning and cheese. The ribs and wings were ok but some were over done. This made the chicken skin almost unchewable. The portions were good and the blueberry habanero bbq sauce was very good, not too spicy. They could even have made it a little more spicy and been ok. The guy at the counter was super nice and he was one of the few people that actually told me about the credit card fee before I paid. We went on a Thursday afternoon around 430 pm. We ordered a full rack of ribs to split with cheesy potatoes, coleslaw, and cornbread. They have 3 sauces, chipotle, regular and Carolina mustard. All the sauces were good with the chipotle having a nice kick but not overly spicy. The mustard had a great flavor without being overly mustardy or vinegary. But the best thing is the meat is very tasty and flavorful without the sauces. The sauces add a nice flavor to the already good meat. It was smoky and tender, though the one downside was that they failed to remove at least some of the silver skin which made a few of the ribs a bit chewy. Overall, the meat was good and out of the places in town, it is the best flavor without sauces. The cheesy potatoes were decent though needed salt and pepper and more cheese, though that's personal preference. The coleslaw was really good. It was creamy and the flavor was exactly between not being sweet or vinegary. It is some of the best coleslaw I have had in a while. The cornbread was excellent and worth the cost. It was slightly sweet and moist without being gooey. I had unsweetened tea which was good. Their menu is pretty limited right due to having just opened but looks will be adding more soon. The decor was pretty cool and eclectic with good background music. The prices are in line with most other places in town. With my one visit, I would highly recommend this place as the 1st in my list of bbq places in town. I will visit again and update if things change."