SmoQue Shack
4 / 5
NOW I KNOW what the “meat sweats” truly feel like. SmoQue Shack is a new specialty restaurant opened in the ByWard Market that is serving up one of my favourite foods of all time: Smoked meat. The food at this restaurant is quick, affordable, and will put you into a meat coma.
The dining area is a reasonable size, decorated in a chic coral theme that is fitting considering patrons are packed cheek to cheek into the space during the peak hours. The wait staff is friendly, attentive, and organized considering the immense volume of people at the restaurant. They give you the option to sit at the bar while you wait for a table, and offer a fine selection of beers from Canadian breweries.
Moving on to the most important part—the food. The menu features succulent barbequed pulled pork done up North Carolina style, spicy Jamaican jerk pork that plays spicy, sweet, and sour notes on your palette, and moist beef brisket, all served with a freshly baked bun. These dishes are served by the quarter, the half, and the full pound.
Now, SmoQue would not be a proper smoked meat restaurant if it wasn’t serving up huge, tender racks of pork and beef ribs, which it does in the quarter, half, and full rack. The selection of complimentary barbeque sauces truly demonstrates a mastery of a magnificent culinary science.
The menu also features a fine selection of smoked meat sandwiches, including a pulled pork sandwich for $8. Vegetarians will also enjoy their visit to the SmoQue Shack, as it also boasts smoked and grilled tofu.
Another unique addition to the menu is the seafood option: the restaurant serves a fine smoked salmon and smoked shrimp.
Customers can choose from a multitude of side dishes, served in single or sharing portions. Sides include corn bread, southern greens, baked beans, mashed potatoes, baked macaroni and cheese, grilled vegetables, fries, and more. This is merely half the selection of side dishes to accompany your meat feast.
I strongly recommend making a reservation for SmoQue Shack, even for the lunch hours. As a fairly new establishment that serves up finger-licking good food, it gets incredibly busy. It operates between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m., but the lineup is often out the door. Patrons often have to wait at least an hour without a reservation.
Aside from having to make reservations, there’s no better smoked meat restaurant in the city. The establishment truly lives up to its billboard outside, which reads: “You can’t beat our meat!”
—Joshua Pride
