After my son graduated from Lackland I asked him what he really wanted to do..."I WANT GOOD FOOD" ..well I think from his reaction The Smoke Shack accomplished just that. He got The Big Mac Daddy which was a large sandwich composed of 6" sausage topped with pulled pork/brisket and then Topped Again with their famous Mac & Cheese. Guy Nailed this one! The meat is SOOO flavorful ~ you don't need condiments with this MEAT! YUMMMMM Pleanty of places to eat inside as well as free parking spots!
Loveavacation48
Lots of locals eating here, outdoor tables, good food, a little bit of a wait for lunch but fast service.
227TimH
The setting is amazing right alongside the river walk. However food is mediocre at best and at inflated prices due to location. If this was a local eatery rather than a tourist one it would soon go out of business. Not even a proper Coca-Cola or Pepsi and given cheap knockoff cola. Very disappointing. Head further up the river walk to a proper smokehouse.
TrevorR05
Amazing BBQ, good service, and good prices. They had very good chicken, sausage, pulled pork, brisket, and ribs and all of there sides were good too
DavidMedinaPR
Since moving to Texas back in 2017 I have been after great BBQ pork ribs in San Antonio. I have tried several places and at best, they are just good. Of course, Texas is about Brisket and beef and not necessarily about pork, but they are my favorite. Then, there is the Smoke Shack. As of right now, they are definitively my favorite BBQ place. During our recent visit, we ordered the Texas BBQ trinity, Brisket, Sausage, and pork ribs. They are moist and cooked to perfection. And they have my favorite BBQ sauce too. Their brisket and the regular sausage are delicious too. Some of the best I have eaten. Rich, deep flavor with complexity. They have a nice spicy kick to them. Their spicy cream corn is amazing. Rich flavor and happy spicy. If you love BBQ you must visit the Smoke Shack in your next visit to San Antonio. You won't regret it.
Travis C
My buddy and I stopped when traveling through for a hunting trip. I liked at multiple reviews that rated this place very high. Maybe my expectations were too high. My personal thoughts are it’s a 3.5-4.0 rating. It’s nice and clean but the bbq in general was just okay. Nothing was bad and nothing was great. If aren’t a bbq snob this place is for you but if love Franklins, Black’s, Valentina’s etc. You might want to skip here. The place was clean, nice, people were great the bbq just didn’t hit the spot.
Derek F
This was my first authentic Texas BBQ experience and it was a good one! Brisket was perfect and so were the ribs, also had the jalapeño sausage and was blown away by the flavor!
Martin Covey
Great experience, BBQ was on point and the sides were the best I’ve eaten in a very long time
Carlie Gibbs
Good food! Grilled cheese brisket sandwich. Seasoned fries.
526livium
We went there in early March, visiting with the kids in San Antonio. I was blown away by the flavor of all the food, but especially the brisket. After eating at so many other BBQ restaurants, this one immediately became our all-time favorite. l wish I could get their recipe because we live in Sacramento, CA. I would say it makes it worthwhile flying more than halfway around the country just to enjoy that again.
This was our second time visiting this location. The brisket was good, tender. The sausage was flavorful. I got the Mac &Cheese, not much flavor there and the collard greens were just ok. I wanted to give this place one more try. My boyfriend got the same except he got the green beans and collard greens. The green beans were ok, same thing on the collards. The biggest turn off were the flies in the restaurant. Every time we go, flies were bugging us while we were trying to eat. Trying to land on our food, it was kinda gross. We won't be returning. Sorry for the bad review but I don't want flies on my food!
O. M. M.
Tried a triple-threat of Ribs, LEAN Sliced Brisket and the Turkey (again) today. Wow! They have got the perfect slow-smoked caramelization down!! They had so much flavor I could've eaten each one without sauce. The ribs are *not* thick (being pork) but they are so tender and flavorful with a great ratio of meat to fat. I've stuck to homemade ribs for awhile now because I've been disappointed a lot when eating ribs out, but these are the type I crave! I was really impressed with the moistness and flavor of the Lean Cut of Brisket and will have to tell lean-lovers I know about it. Was gonna save a little for some homemade Pho, but that Brisket stood no chance of being leftover! The thick, juicy Turkey was the perfect amount of salted today, but the Collards were so briney I could *not* enjoy them! That was a sad thing. :-( I also think they taste like they need to be slow-cooked longer to bring out the savory flavor of and break down the greens properly. I will stick to the Green Beans from now on because they taste fresh and tender and their broth is well-balanced with black pepper, tomatoes and onion... I could drink that stuff (and do). I still notice the to-go portion cups are skimpier than the dine-in sides, with only a few bites of each. I wish they'd remedy this. I appreciated that they wrapped my meat in butcher paper inside the styrofoam container; it kept the meat moist, but it did make the meats a little messier being clumped altogether. All in all, the meats are finger-licking good! Can't even pick a favorite at this point...
moniquecover
We stopped at the San Antonio Airport Smoke Shack to have a drink and snack before our flight. The pinto bean nachos were excellent…one of the best nachos I’ve ever had. We ordered a turkey sandwich and fries to eat on the plane, so we will see how that goes. My point of complaint is that the drink prices aren’t labeled at the cash register. This is kind of shady. I ordered a glass of the Cupcake sauvignon blanc. $22! WTF?!? Then, my husband reminded me that I had complained about this before. Six months ago, we flew out of SAT. The same glass was $15…still outrageous. But I’m not sure how the Smoke Shack can justify a $7 increase in six months. Ridiculous.
davelG7727QU
We had been in Texas for 4 days, and had yet to eat any BBQ. We searched various websites (including TripAdvisor) looking for good BBQ in the area. We settled on Smoke Shack, and made our way to the restaurant. I am sooo glad we chose this place. There was a short wait for a table, but the food was scrumptious. We had the mac & cheese, the Brisket Grilled Cheese sandwich, ribs, and sliced brisket. Everything was wonderful, but the Brisket Grilled Cheese was out of this world. It may have been the best sandwich I've ever had in my life! I would definitely return, and will recommend this to anybody I know who will be in San Antonio.
joshn752
Everything the family of 4 ordered was great. There is a reason that Guy Fieri went there on Triple D. You cant go wrong here. Seating could be tight at busy times.
After my son graduated from Lackland I asked him what he really wanted to do..."I WANT GOOD FOOD" ..well I think from his reaction The Smoke Shack accomplished just that. He got The Big Mac Daddy which was a large sandwich composed of 6" sausage topped with pulled pork/brisket and then Topped Again with their famous Mac & Cheese. Guy Nailed this one! The meat is SOOO flavorful ~ you don't need condiments with this MEAT! YUMMMMM Pleanty of places to eat inside as well as free parking spots!
Lots of locals eating here, outdoor tables, good food, a little bit of a wait for lunch but fast service.
The setting is amazing right alongside the river walk. However food is mediocre at best and at inflated prices due to location. If this was a local eatery rather than a tourist one it would soon go out of business. Not even a proper Coca-Cola or Pepsi and given cheap knockoff cola. Very disappointing. Head further up the river walk to a proper smokehouse.
Amazing BBQ, good service, and good prices. They had very good chicken, sausage, pulled pork, brisket, and ribs and all of there sides were good too
Since moving to Texas back in 2017 I have been after great BBQ pork ribs in San Antonio. I have tried several places and at best, they are just good. Of course, Texas is about Brisket and beef and not necessarily about pork, but they are my favorite. Then, there is the Smoke Shack. As of right now, they are definitively my favorite BBQ place. During our recent visit, we ordered the Texas BBQ trinity, Brisket, Sausage, and pork ribs. They are moist and cooked to perfection. And they have my favorite BBQ sauce too. Their brisket and the regular sausage are delicious too. Some of the best I have eaten. Rich, deep flavor with complexity. They have a nice spicy kick to them. Their spicy cream corn is amazing. Rich flavor and happy spicy. If you love BBQ you must visit the Smoke Shack in your next visit to San Antonio. You won't regret it.
My buddy and I stopped when traveling through for a hunting trip. I liked at multiple reviews that rated this place very high. Maybe my expectations were too high. My personal thoughts are it’s a 3.5-4.0 rating. It’s nice and clean but the bbq in general was just okay. Nothing was bad and nothing was great. If aren’t a bbq snob this place is for you but if love Franklins, Black’s, Valentina’s etc. You might want to skip here. The place was clean, nice, people were great the bbq just didn’t hit the spot.
This was my first authentic Texas BBQ experience and it was a good one! Brisket was perfect and so were the ribs, also had the jalapeño sausage and was blown away by the flavor!
Great experience, BBQ was on point and the sides were the best I’ve eaten in a very long time
Good food! Grilled cheese brisket sandwich. Seasoned fries.
We went there in early March, visiting with the kids in San Antonio. I was blown away by the flavor of all the food, but especially the brisket. After eating at so many other BBQ restaurants, this one immediately became our all-time favorite. l wish I could get their recipe because we live in Sacramento, CA. I would say it makes it worthwhile flying more than halfway around the country just to enjoy that again.
Restaurantji Recommends
This was our second time visiting this location. The brisket was good, tender. The sausage was flavorful. I got the Mac &Cheese, not much flavor there and the collard greens were just ok. I wanted to give this place one more try. My boyfriend got the same except he got the green beans and collard greens. The green beans were ok, same thing on the collards. The biggest turn off were the flies in the restaurant. Every time we go, flies were bugging us while we were trying to eat. Trying to land on our food, it was kinda gross. We won't be returning. Sorry for the bad review but I don't want flies on my food!
Tried a triple-threat of Ribs, LEAN Sliced Brisket and the Turkey (again) today. Wow! They have got the perfect slow-smoked caramelization down!! They had so much flavor I could've eaten each one without sauce. The ribs are *not* thick (being pork) but they are so tender and flavorful with a great ratio of meat to fat. I've stuck to homemade ribs for awhile now because I've been disappointed a lot when eating ribs out, but these are the type I crave! I was really impressed with the moistness and flavor of the Lean Cut of Brisket and will have to tell lean-lovers I know about it. Was gonna save a little for some homemade Pho, but that Brisket stood no chance of being leftover! The thick, juicy Turkey was the perfect amount of salted today, but the Collards were so briney I could *not* enjoy them! That was a sad thing. :-( I also think they taste like they need to be slow-cooked longer to bring out the savory flavor of and break down the greens properly. I will stick to the Green Beans from now on because they taste fresh and tender and their broth is well-balanced with black pepper, tomatoes and onion... I could drink that stuff (and do). I still notice the to-go portion cups are skimpier than the dine-in sides, with only a few bites of each. I wish they'd remedy this. I appreciated that they wrapped my meat in butcher paper inside the styrofoam container; it kept the meat moist, but it did make the meats a little messier being clumped altogether. All in all, the meats are finger-licking good! Can't even pick a favorite at this point...
We stopped at the San Antonio Airport Smoke Shack to have a drink and snack before our flight. The pinto bean nachos were excellent…one of the best nachos I’ve ever had. We ordered a turkey sandwich and fries to eat on the plane, so we will see how that goes. My point of complaint is that the drink prices aren’t labeled at the cash register. This is kind of shady. I ordered a glass of the Cupcake sauvignon blanc. $22! WTF?!? Then, my husband reminded me that I had complained about this before. Six months ago, we flew out of SAT. The same glass was $15…still outrageous. But I’m not sure how the Smoke Shack can justify a $7 increase in six months. Ridiculous.
We had been in Texas for 4 days, and had yet to eat any BBQ. We searched various websites (including TripAdvisor) looking for good BBQ in the area. We settled on Smoke Shack, and made our way to the restaurant. I am sooo glad we chose this place. There was a short wait for a table, but the food was scrumptious. We had the mac & cheese, the Brisket Grilled Cheese sandwich, ribs, and sliced brisket. Everything was wonderful, but the Brisket Grilled Cheese was out of this world. It may have been the best sandwich I've ever had in my life! I would definitely return, and will recommend this to anybody I know who will be in San Antonio.
Everything the family of 4 ordered was great. There is a reason that Guy Fieri went there on Triple D. You cant go wrong here. Seating could be tight at busy times.