Smoke City Char Bar

"Great BBQ spot. This was a good restaurant with good food and drinks. I just expected more in flavor. The mashed potatoes needed more kick with either a gravy or pepper, the BBQ sauce need more variety with one being too sweet and the other very typical. My biggest criticism is the the sauces were cold and the meat was not steamy. Cocktails were great though, service was keen and polite. The atmosphere and playing was perfect for a date or business lunch/dinner. I would love to come back and see if they improve the balance of the dishes."

"I HAD THE SALMON CESAR SALAD AND IT WAS DELICIOUS. IT'S HARD FOR ME TO FIND THINGS TO EAT BECAUSE I HAVE A VERY DELICATE STOMACH. IT'S A VERY NICE SPOT, STAFF VERY FRIENDLY, AND KIND."

"Overall: B+ (dine in) - Service: 5/5 - Ambiance: 5/5 - Food: 4/5 - Drinks: 3.2/5 Smoke City Char Bar is a bit difficult to find since you have to park in the Aliso garage then walk out past the dog park to get there but they have instructions on Yelp under the "About the Business" section. They also validate parking for 2 hours which is a huge plus for DTLA. The ambiance is more upscale than your typical BBQ joint. We came on a Sunday night so it was empty with 2 other parties dining outside. The space is beautiful and clean, and the service was great (shoutout to Angel) so I was so sad that there weren't more people dining here. Food was pretty good but drinks were light and tasted okay. Crisp Fried Smoked Pork Belly ($18): The best of the 3 meats we tried. The pork belly tasted exactly like it's name. It wasn't too dry and surprisingly went really well with the heirloom tomatoes and balsamic gastrique underneath it. We're used to Asian flavors and pork belly being very umami but this was a different way of cooking we can appreciate. Beef Brisket (Half Order $23 / Full Order $42): I was disappointed in the beef brisket even though it was said to be one of the more popular meats. It was lacking flavor so we had to dunk it in a lot of sauce. There were some pieces that were on the drier side and then some with huge chunks of fat on it. Baby Back Ribs (Half Order $20 / Full Order $37): The ribs were a little bit better to me with the meat being tender and falling off the bones easily. There were some parts on the outer edges that were too burnt/dry so we couldn't eat it. There seems to be a bit of inconsistency with the seasoning as well with some parts being too salty. For the craft smoked meats, we got to choose our sauces. 1. Soy Ginger: I thought this was too umami to use as a dipping sauce but would have been great if the meat was basted in it. 2. Harissa Mosasses: Wow this has a kick to it which I liked. 3. Cayenne Honey: Didn't taste like the name suggests but it was great for dipping our fries in instead of ketchup. Truffle French Fries (Small $6 / Large $9): We both really like the truffle french since they were crispy and you can taste the truffle. Charred Brussel Sprouts (Small $6 / Large $9): We both love the brussel sprouts which was recommended by Angel. They topped it off with pomegranate seeds which was different and gave a nice sweet contrast. The brussel sprouts were phenomenal with the sauce being key! I would probably buy that sauce if they sold it to use as a marinade for all my other veggies. My only complaint is that I wish they were consistent on getting all the brussel sprouts crispy. There were some big pieces that were a bit more watery with the crispiness only on the outer layer or on the edges. The Mamba ($16): This has cocktail has woodinville rye, mint, blackberries, & lime. This was my husband's favorite drink. I didn't care for it much. Hush, Francis ($14): This is a mule with Xicaru mezcal, lime, pina, & house made ginger beer. This was such a great twist on a traditional moscow mule and my favorite cocktail of the night. Picsso's Passion ($15): This is made of fords gin, Cointreau, lemon, passoa liqueur, & lillet. It comes out a pretty pink color with a lemon wedge garnish and actually tastes similar to a pink lemonade. Very light drink. Smokey White Sangria ($13): My second favorite drink made with white wine. Very light as well. Pandan Panna Cotta ($13.50): I was surprised that they had an Asian Italian fusion dessert at an American BBQ place. The panna cotta was the perfect texture & level of sweetness but did not taste like pandan to me at all. The panna cotta is topped with a generous amount of mango slices for one half while the other half was filled with the mango granita & condensed milk. It was really refreshing and the sweet mango paired so well with the panna cotta. I could not stop eating it. It's a great dessert to end a meal with, especially during the summer."

"Wow this place is just amazing. Their pork belly appetizers was crispy in every bite. And their brisket hit all the right spots. Everyone that works here is super nice especially my Spanish server that worked on the night of 7/22. They also validate parking here!"