One of the few late night places (as in, open past 11:00 PM) – and not many restaurants open late I’ve come to realize – in the Boston area to have good barbecue is Smoke Shop BBQ. Chef/owner Andy Husbands is a man serious about his ‘cue given the fact he’s on the competition circuit and won several accolades over the years.
We started off with appetizers of bar chicken wings coated in agave and spices and little toasts topped with slices of juicy brisket and topped with house made kimchi. The fresh, hot-from-the-fryer chicken wings were delicious and messy to eat that it makes you want to keep licking your fingers since it’s so good and has a nuanced sweet-smoky flavor. The brisket toasts were a very good and the kimchi had some spiciness and fermented funk.
The hot links with pimento cheese and saltine crackers on the side, was incredibly flavorful dish that feels like a Southern classic. The sausage had bold, smoky, spicy flavors and the casing has a good snap. The pimento cheese was addictive to eat.
We had a few barbecue plates – burnt ends with sides of coleslaw and cornbread with honey butter glaze and prime brisket with bacon collards and crispy brussels sprouts with hazelnuts. The proteins were tasty and had a good amount of smoky flavors. We really enjoyed the prime brisket since it was juicier. The simple pork spare ribs are not the type of ribs that were cooked until the meat comes off the bone effortlessly but it was tasty. The sides satisfy the little cravings of what you’d want with barbecue. We really liked the collard greens and brussels sprouts.
For dessert, it’s not exactly photogenic but it’s utterly delicious and totally satiates the serious sweet tooth. The large square of gooey butter cake was definitely buttery and soft like set custard. The crack pie crusts were addictive in its own way for having the sugary, crackly texture on the teeth but not too saccharine. The s’more bar was very good that the bar was served warm that the marshmallow portions are still gooey and it’s not too sweet.
I would come back during the normal dining hours since it’s definitely a relaxed crowd here primarily hanging out over drinks when we were there.
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Information:
The Smoke Shop BBQ
Official Website
1 Kendall Square
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: (617) 577-7427
