Smokey’s BBQ

the best bbq i’ve ever eaten in over 20 years i’ve been livng in petaluma. killer ribs, nice cornbread, dynamite coleslaw, best pulled pork, tasty hot sauce.

Drove by and see a note on the door that they closed the business. That is too bad cause they weren’t open long enough to get the BBQ fine tuned.

To the 30-​year culinary experts out there who say this place is on point with deep south BBQ, you are wrong. Momma’s meatloaf is better than this place. I will not go on and on, but I have 2 major criticisms: CHEWY RIBS (like rubbery chewy) and NO BARK (where in the hell is the bark? This is supposed to be smoked BBQ!) The Pulled Pork looks like shredded meat in a sea of juice. That’s called shredded pork. NO BARK AND CHEWY RIBS. The meat needs to be slow and low. This guy is not leaving his meat in his smoker long enough. But what do I know. I am not a 30-​year expert. I will say the touch of pineapple to the slaw is unique and tasty. The cornbread muffin was the bomb. GIVE US TENDER RIBS, AND SOME BARK ON YOUR PULLED PORK AND DONT SHRED IT TO DEATH (give it a rough chop) AND YOU ARE ON TO SOMETHING HERE.

Here is the thing about BBQ. If you have not been to the «deep» south then don’t claim to know BBQ. I can understand a personal flavor review but the problem with Unilocal is people with zero culinary background and limited experience place reviews based on eating mommas meatloaf all their life. This brings me to the nay Sayers on Smokeys. Smokeys is the first BBQ Joint in Sonoma County to get it right. The fusion flair of adding pineapple to the cole slaw to the tender juicy smoked ribs is amazing. As meat is not factory made but yet harvested, I will never hold a restaurant responsible for the quality based on one try. You can buy the highest grade of meat and get a bad batch. It’s genes people! But what do I know? I’ve only been in this industry for 30 years. Smokeys sauce is spot on and their cornbread isn’t dry but moist and plentiful. Try the lemon-​aid as well. The perfect wash after an outstanding meal! I tell everyone about Smokeys, even though it costs me a meal here and there when I come in and the ribs have sold out at 3pm!!!

I’m always torn about a barbecue place that really serves grilled meat rather than barbecue. The tri-​tip was fine (but it was grilled tri-​tip rather than smoked brisket). The ribs didn’t work because they were too fatty and not slow-​cooked; instead of being tender, they were very chewy. The corn bread was pretty good as were the beans, but the macaroni was too spicy for other folks in my group.

Amazing authentic southern style BBQ. Finally a great BBQ place here in Petaluma. The chef who is actually from Thailand says she spent years learning from her second family in Mississippi. The pulled pork sandwich is delicious. The BBQ sauce comes on the side and has a nice spice to it. I hear the chicken is good and will try that next time. Highly recommend this hole in the wall BBQ joint.

This place was amazing! Had the large family plate. Even the kids loved it! The owners were so sweet also. Petaluma need a BBQ spot like this!

The pulled pork was spicy but not in a good way; I didn’t like it. Coleslaw was offered to us free to tone it down but I’m one of those people who don’t like to mix those two things together. And I didn’t like the barbeque sauce on the side — it was cloying and strange. I’ll go back if they change up a few things/​improve. The people were very nice.

This is probably the first and last time I’ll ever be in Petaluma. I was in the Ragnar Relay race and this was close to one of the exchanges of our race. It’s a very casual sit down place, perfect for a bunch of sweaty runners to sit down and eat at. You order with the cashier, pay, then sit down and wait for your food.
The food was pretty good! I got the tri tip sandwich, which came with slices of tri tip on top of a sweet bun with spicy sauce. I got a side of baked beans. I was a bit skeptical because the tri tip looked so brown so I was worried that it would be overcooked. However, the meat was very tender! The portion for the sandwich was a good size, not huge and not too small. definitely enough sustenance for my 6.5 mile night run that I had to do in 4 hours. My husband got the half chicken with a cornbread muffin, a side of veggies and french fries. The chicken was huge and he ended up with leftovers. One thing to note, I thought it was interesting that they served eggrolls… one of my teammates got them and said it was pretty good.

Great BBQ, Fairly priced but definitely not fast food type. By that I mean you cannot get it and go. You have to put the sandwiches together yourself. The tri-​tip is really good and the sauce for it, is even better. The sides run a little small but with the Sandwhich it is very filling.

Went here last friday with my fiancée ordered the tri-​tip with seasonal veggies and sweet bread and mashed potatos. The trip tip was excellent, it just had way to much sauce on it. The sauce had a great bbq flavor with a little spice. I really enjoyed that. The season veggies were well cooked and not seasoned, which I loved. Nothing worse than someone else putting unhealthy crap on something that is supposed to be healthy! The mashed potatoes were okay, they were not very hot and didnt have much flavor to them. My fiancée had a bbq sandwich, I am not sure what type of meat but he loved it. He got the coleslaw also, it was really good.
The only thing I was put off by was one of the cooks and the way they were training their employee. I could tell the guy was new and trying to learn how to use the register and get used to the prices, but the cook was very rude and yelling at him to fix things that he didn’t know how to fix. We have all been that new employee that has made a mistake and didn’t know how to fix it. Learn to have some patience and guide them through, let them make the mistakes and ask them how they think they would fix them. A lot of times they will figure it out.
I would recommend to try the tri-​tip here, it was cooked nicely. I just know now to ask for not so much sauce.
Smokey’s I’ll be seeing you soon for some good BBQ food!

My mom wanted BBQ for her birthday lunch. We had been to Lombardi’s (?) and we were not impressed. Looked here on Unilocal and noticed Smokey’s. It’s in kind of a random spot, but the reviews on here sold me. It wasn’t busy at all, but I enjoyed that. The owner was very attentive. He went as far as going across the street to Whole Foods to get a lemon when my mom requested a wedge for her iced tea. The food was really good. We got the tri tip and ribs. Both very tender and flavorful. They make mild and hot sauce. If you can’t handle the heat don’t get the hot. They mean it. Corn bread is perfect, not dry, not too sweet. Coleslaw was refreshing with pineapple added to their recipe. The only negative is the parking. There is none. Only street parking in a mostly residential neighborhood, but I’m not going to take a star away for that. The food was great and I plan on going back. By the way, no alcohol on the menu, but noticed that soon they will have beer and wine.

The ribs are fall off the bone delicious. The staff is very friendly. Even the cole slaw is very good as well. We need a good bbq place in town.
The corn muffins are very tasty along with the tri tip and pulled pork. The bbq sauce is killer and spicy so choose the mild if hot is not your style.

How do you feel about tea? I’m a fan, whether it’s the syrupy sweet tea, a savory green tea, or even a cozy earl grey, but my very favorite is Thai Tea. I never would have guessed that upon my quest for BBQ in Petaluma, I’d not only find hot bbq to satiate my inner carnivore, but also Thai Tea to delight my adventurous sweet tooth.
Housed in the old location that used to feature Super Pollo, and across the street and down slightly from Petaluma’s Whole Foods, Smokey’s lives up to its name. There was little parking so we drove down the suddenly residential neighborhood and parked a good ways away, but immediately as I opened the doors I could smell its bbq goodness wafting towards me, a beckoning of meaty, saucy goodness.
The location itself is not much to look at, with minimal décor, and just a few tables. I was surprised and delighted to see Thai iced tea and coffee on the menu, which is so far from Memphis style bbq, but so wonderful to me. My dad ordered the sliced bbq chicken sandwich, served on a soft roll with a side of bbq sauce and macaroni salad. His chicken was tender, flavorful, and moist, the mild bbq sauce was savory and tangy, and the macaroni salad was ok, but nothing too exciting. I went all out and ordered the Combo plate, with spicy ribs, a huge sweet cornbread muffin, mashed potatoes and cole law. Ribs were flaky, spicy (–is that curry I taste?), generous and moist, the cornbread was delicious and hearty, the mashed potatoes weren’t my favorite, but that’s probably just because I don’t like black pepper, and the coleslaw was fruity, I couldn’t decide if it was mandarin orange or pineapple.
Service was super fast, friendly, and attentive, servings were large, prices were reasonable, and the food was solid. Not at the league of Petaluma’s finest Bubba Q’s (rest in peace) yet, but a definite contender for good ol’ flavorful, delicious, and yes, Smokey, bbq.

Was just ok had a weird taste didn’t like the BBQ sauce, I know I ordered coleslaw but I got macaroni that was ok because it was good. Staff very friendly

Really, really good! My husband and I kept saying this as we ate our meal. We ordered a large family box so we could try more meats and sides. We chose the chicken, ribs, and tri-​tip, and the mashed potatoes, macaroni salad, baked beans, and veggies. All of the meat was delicious; not over seasoned, tender, smokey, and just tasty. The only issue I had was that the ribs were a little fatty. For the sides, surprisingly the macaroni salad was my favorite (I don’t usually like it). It had a little kick to it too. The beans were solid, veggies very fresh and cooked perfectly, and the mashed potatoes were ok. Their corn muffins were delicious; bigger then your standard muffin, moist, and almost sticky/​crunchy on the outside. BBQ sauces were good. They did have a slight sweetness and were very thin, but they complimented the meat nicely. Best thing is that we have enough for a whole second meal. The large family box would easily fill up 4 adults. We’re so glad to have a new BBQ place in P-​town. I hope they stick around.

Was going to give another BBQ place a couple blocks away a try but it was a bit too sketchy for us. Found this place by the wonderful smell emanating from the smoker parked on the sidewalk out front — the best kind of advertising for a BBQ joint.
The pork rib plate was just what my taste buds were craving. Tender, juicy and cooked to perfection, the meat was truly finger-​lickin’ good. I ordered the hot BBQ sauce on the side so I could control the sauce to meat ratio (nothing worse than BBQ that is drowned in sauce). It was tangy and had good heat. The sides were okay — I had mashed potatoes and slaw — but enjoyed the homemade corn bread best.
Will definitely be back to try their other smoked offerings. If they’re as good as the ribs I will have found my new favorite BBQ joint. And best of all, it’s local!

This has got to be one of the best BBQ places in the bay area, only open for 2 weeks. YUM, YUM, YUM !!! tried the pulled pork it was excellent, can’t wait to go back for the Tri tip !!!

I found this place by dumb luck, was hungry and while getting gas noticed a new BBQ place next door. Turns out I found one of the best places for BBQ in the bay area. I had a combo plate and really enjoyed the tri-​tip and the pulled pork but the bbq chicken was simply amazing. The chicken is super moist and flavorful but not at all salty. Really good bbq sauce mixed with perfect smoky taste was memorable. I will drive out of my way to get this chicken. Already found myself dreaming about it once!
Really good sides, especially liked the macaroni salad and the corn muffins were homemade and delicious. Really did not have anything to complain about which is rare for me.
The place felt clean and the staff and owner were super nice. If you live in the area or just love BBQ you should definitely seek this place out. A truly hidden gem for your taste buds, make it a point to try this if you love meat.

You know how when you work out you get hungrier? Like, I don’t know if I’m hungry because I burned soooo many calories or if it’s this mental «I deserve THIS» thing that’s happening but I worked out today. And at 4:58pm, I got really hungry. As it happens, I was driving down Washington and about 10 seconds later, I saw a sign for BBQ. So I had a kinda early dinner today. Tri-​tip, baked beans, fries, corn bread, and a sweet tea for less than $ 12.
I don’t go out for BBQ much in the Bay Area because… well, many reasons. Reasons like: I’ve had some of the greatest BBQ in the world and none of it was up here. It’s usually been in places like Texas, Mississippi, St. Louis, and off my own smoker. So when I pay for BBQ and it isn’t good, I get down on myself for wasting a meal expecting a different outcome. So believe me when I say that this place is good. The meat was tender and had good smoke. The sauce was thick and peppery. The baked beans were sweet, the fries were skinny and crisp, the corn bread was sweet and everything was good. I will come back to try the rest of the menu, including the Thai spring rolls. One thing I would have liked to see on the menu of sides was greens. And it’s a bit of a misfire that they have steamed rice as a side. I don’t think that really works as a side for BBQ. And more variety of sauces is often fun but really, when the meat is done right it’s not as important for me.