Smoking Kow BBQ - Alexandria

There's some REALLY GOOD BBQ here!! Stopped in for lunch and was surprised to see how many proteins they offered on their menu, it reminded me of a real TX smokehouse, with a chalkboard style offerings list and so many options... they had everything except beef ribs! So, I opted for a half pound each of turkey, pulled chicken, and brisket. Also got a side of Texas Caviar. The side was really good, it's basically a cold bean salad with a smokey, spicy sauce. The brisket was decent, but they cut me some off the fatty, point side, which isn't my fav, but it was definitely moist and tender. It just had way more fat than I wanted. But that pulled chicken was some of the best I've ever had! Tender and very nicely seasoned! The turkey was great! The only better turkey I've had was at La BBQ in Austin (and I've had smoked turkey at many places in TX and KS.).Their sauces were decent, but all three were heavy on the vinegar, lite on the tomato.... Still, nicely seasoned. Service was great and the place, including restroom was very clean. Highly recommend stopping in!

They delete bad reviews so i am writing one again. Customer service and food was really bad. Person at the register acted like we bothered him while he was watching videos on his phone.Brisket was the toughest i have ever had and the mac and cheese was cold.Stay far away from this place.

Can I consider this a "hidden gem"!? It's so small that you can say it's tucked away. If you've never been here, you MUST go! Let's start with presentation and atmosphere! When you are arriving, it initially strikes you as your average take out spot. But the closer you get to the door, the more homey it looks and feels. The wood is stacked up outside of the door and a Bench for sitting very welcoming! Once inside, there's southern blues instrumentals playing, the smell of the amazing BBQ and helpful staff! The decor is also very fitting. So much that we opted to dine in! Customer service: A1!! My boyfriend let the store worker know that it's our first time and he asked for recommendations and BOY DID WE GET THEM! He gave so many option, how to pair certain meals to get the best bang for your buck. We were even offered samples of whatever we liked!!! And no, the samples did not come in small sauce cups, they came in takeout bowls BIG samples. I was truly amazed and everything won my heart. The food: just go.. trust me. You will be hesitant to try another bbq spot. The ribs are sweet and savory. My 2 year old raved "chicken SO YUMMY!" with the thumbs up. lol

On a hunt for burnt ends and found Smoking Kow! Food: ordered the Burnt End Platter, comes with two sides and a piece of bread. Burnt ends were flavorful and not too tough. Potato Salad is a red skin rendition which I love! Sweet potato mash was good not too sweet, basically a baked sweet potato with a little butter and hint of sugar. All the bbq sauces are vinegar forward. Carolina gold more vinegar and less sweet than I'm used too. But I fill dipped in all three (Carolina Gold, Original, Chipotle) FYI: The collard greens and baked beans are cooked with pork, and I don't eat pork. I don't recall seeing that on the website if you order so be aware. Ambiance: there are three picnic tables inside to sit. However on the hottest day in 8 years (100 degrees) it was inferno inside. Great service describing the menu and helpful!

I'm hoping I caught them on a bad day. I mean really bad. The meats were dry and no taste of smoke anywhere to be found. It's rough when the thing I enjoyed most from this meal were the spicy pickles. I will give them at least one more chance but it has to be in the restaurant. This lunch cost me $45 via UberEats and I quickly regretted it. Mac and cheese was ok. I will keep you guys updated when I'm feeling adventurous and decide to give them another spin.

A great catering experience with excellent food. We stumbled across this BBQ spot accidentally one day and have been hooked ever since. We just knew we had to have them cater for our wedding. We worked with Dianne and negotiated a what we consider very generous price for all the delicious food that we ended up getting. We catered for 150 and no one went home hungry. One small thing, there may not have been enough servers as the serving line did move a bit slowly. We got compliments on all of the food though. The brisket, pulled pork, pulled chicken, collard greens, beans and potato salad were all good. We highly recommend using them for all your catering needs.

I searched up brisket near me and this place popped up. I'm glad I came! Customer service was good, ambiance was good. The aroma in and around this place is amazing. Pulled chicken: 10/10 A little cold but full of flavor. Nice Smokey taste good seasoning Brisket: 9/10 a little dry but tender and well seasonedPotato salad: 9/10 different than most potato salads but I really liked itBeans: 8.3/10 more like a chili bean mix than a traditional baked beans, but still very goodMac and cheese: 7/10 very creamy but not baked like I prefer. I could see someone rating a 10SaucesCarolina gold: 9/10 more vinegar forward; not orange/gold like most are used toOverall 9/10 of experience. Will be returning!

Yummy brisket but I didn't get my money's worth. Next time I'll get a different dish. $20 for 4 slices of brisket and a ton of Mac cheese

Food and Customer Service was Excellent! Will definitely comeback. One of the best places in NoVA for BBQ.

Northerner visiting from Boston. Food was out of this world and service awesome. Ribs and pulled pork' was great and sauces too. Delicious. Sides were awesome. Sweet potatoes and Mac and cheese. Beans and cornbread greens and coleslaw. A feast. Kow can cook. . A will come again when back to area