The Smoke By Chef Reginald Scott

It's Memphis BBQ. This is something I had to keep telling myself as I consumed my food because my Texan expectations didn't always align with what was presented. I ordered the Memphis Nachos as they were recommended over the loaded fries by the staff. My initial reaction when I saw it was- ok this will be interesting. I've never had pickles with nachos. Also, in a city known for Mexican food, I was disappointed to be served what looks like standard food court tortilla chips (e.g. Tostitos) but I was hoping that the meat and other flavors would make it better. The cheese and crema overpowered most of the dish and I didn't get any discernible flavor from the chicken. At first glance I was concerned about the amount of protein in the serving, but because I didn't eat all the chips, I was able to have chicken with most every bite/chip. Smoke Dust Wings - If I recall correctly, Memphis is known for dry rub, so this was important when it came to the wings. I wanted to give the wings a fair tasting before trying them with any sauce. While there was certainly a lot of what appeared to be seasoning on there, I couldn't call out any spice or flavor -- therefore I added the sauces. The server gave me two to try because I wasn't certain about the 22K - here's where her recommendation hit home - the 22K is the way to go. I was on the fence because it was more mustard-based but it was definitely the more satisfying and complimentary to the chicken compared to the other BBQ flavor. I'm not a big bread eater so I didn't even taste the toast that accompanied the wings -nor the pickles that were provided because of sodium-intake restrictions. Strawberry Lemonade - This is a good sized portion of lemonade and I can see why this flavor was apparently more popular. It's sweet but fair warning, a few sips and it wipes out every other taste from the food.I appreciated how nice the staff were and that for a very small team they churned out orders as quickly as they could.

Tried their 2 meat plate with one side at the local farmers market. Wrong on so many levels. The "best damn everything"? More like the worst damn everything. First of all, I had to go back because they only gave us half of our order. Second of all, there was a hair in the food. Now for the food, boudain was dry as hell, burnt and lacked flavor. The beans container had a hole in it so it spilled all over the bag. The "brisket" didn't taste like brisket at all. It was not fall off the bone, lacked flavor and it tasted more like a chewy steak. It is beyond me how they stay in business at Finn Hall. Maybe they are serving leftovers at the market?For $37 you can go elsewhere for better boudain and brisket. For brisket or any type of BBQ, the Truth BBQ actually has the best damn everything. For boudain, go to Triple J Smokehouse. I do appreciate the energy they brought to the farmers market and my fiance and I did appreciate the free samples. The chef gave out some pretty good samples of rib but everything else was subpar. The samples brought us in but we ended up disappointed in the end. If you don't season your food when cooking, you might like it.

Dear people, I walked into this place originally going to Carol Kay Cafe and had a change of mind. I decided to order something at The Smoke. Soon as I walked to the counter a woman greeted me hyping the food up. She gave advice on what food to get and how good the brisket and mamas spaghetti was. So I decided to get 2 meats and 2 sides, the presentation was horrible. The food was just left on a tray with small cartons used for the sides. The food was a disappointment! It was cold , the spaghetti was dry and seasoned with hella Italian seasoning , the meat was chopped up in little tiny baby bites (not tender at all). The side toast was hard and covered with Italian seasoning. The wings were dry and tough. The only thing that was somewhat decent was the baked beans and the pickled onions and cucumbers (which also had a lot Italian seasoning on it). I met the owner, but we have to do better in holding people accountable. He can do way better than what he's giving us people. At least warm up the food.

Holy Toledo! It's some of the best BBQ I've had in a while. We tried the brisket eggrolls (done to a crispy perfection), chopped brisket (just the right amount of fat), the ribs (nice texture), the jalapeño sausage (perfectly cooked and the mac n' cheese which was packed with flavor. The meats already had an amazing taste on their own, but there was an added seasoning on them (magic pixie BBQ dust?) That brought the flavor to another level. I'm going back again for sure! Thanks for the yummy BBQ!

I was in Houston for a work conference and our hotel was next to Finn Hall. It was an impressive food court but we passed some folks who had food from The Smoke, saying we should definitely try the brisket, and I said well, while in Texas... I decided on a lighter fare and got the brisket with a side of Mac. The brisket was delicious. Juicy, tender and full of flavor. I don't have much to compare it by, but I liked it. The mac and cheese was okay. It came with pickles that were also really good. The brisket portion wasn't too big so if you're hungry, get a few sides. Or get two meat options. Staff were efficient and food came out quickly. You bus your own tables. It is a little loud and echo-y in the food court with all the other places preparing food and nothing to absorb noise. Seems like a place business people go during their lunch breaks and the rest people staying in surrounding hotels. Definitely recommend the smoke.

Respectfully, no! My coworker and I ran into the owner the first week of opening. I didn't feel like bbq then and didn't yesterday but since we said we'd try it out, we went in Finn Hall. This the second time FH has let me down. The first time I got raw chicken from The Craft. Both of y'all get somebody else to do it cause I can't.I got 2 meat / 2 sides $22 and barely ate half. Meats: brisket (dry and tiny chopped like in a sammich ) and the smoked wings (just overcooked and dry for no reason, that bird didn't deserve that fate). The recommended sides were spaghetti (too sweet for my taste) and mac & cheese which was the only thing kinda decent except for that green seasoning on top, I mean why?My coworker got some $16 potato and it came with bbq sauce already on it as well some Carolina gold type bbq sauce which she did not like. I'd recommend not saucing potatoes, serve on the side as most restaurants.Overall

The food itself; fantastic! Really great and friendly service by Chef Reginald! Had the smoked chicken salad and Chef offered me a free side of Mac with my meal! Would get again!

We stayed in the hotel across the street from Finn Hall and I really wanted some bbq. So when I looked it up I was excited it was near. As I stood in line, the girl next to me asked this guy is the food any good? And he said yes, I'm from Memphis lol When asked we did not know he was the owner. We asked him his favs/recs. He said the pulled pork was really good and one of his favorites. I asked how's the Mac and cheese...he said you mean smack and cheese lol I said ok let's do that. So I ordered the 2 meats/2 sides. I got pulled pork and brisket, with Mac and cheese and baked beans. He was 100% correct on the pulled pork. Mac and cheese was really smack and cheese. And I'm picky about that lol the brisket was also really tender and flavorful. Overall the food was really good. So if you're ever at Finn Hall, you should visit the nice and funny owner with the great food!

the Blue Lemonade is amazing, the brisket is well seasoned. the customer service is great. Penelope is cool

The best bbq in Houston, they also have the best pickled onions and pickles. Highly recommend visiting if you are in the downtown Houston area.