Smoak at The Variety Bar

At last my taste buds were a-​satisfied! Yay! I got to munch on a mega tasty pulled pork burger in a brioche bun. Noms! After being disappointed by finding out on a Tuesday evening that it only pops up from a Wednesday — Sunday, I knew I needed to come back and sample the goods.
It’s set in the Variety Bar, which is a really dark and a very orange bar (lighting). I can’t believe how the chef manages to set himself up just at the door. I remember hanging out in that corner not the long a go before the Smoak arrived. Well, he does it and he does it well.
The staff at Variety took so long to serve us and the chef could see we wanted to order food (menus in our hands). So we just said to the chef and that allowed him to get on to prepare our food. It was fairly busy but not too bad, eventually a staff member came over. I felt he was possibly new as he was a bit fingers and thumbs, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. I explained that I had already said to the chef but he took quite a while to write it down and pour me a coke. Like I said he was maybe new.
The chef brought us over a complimentary bowl of nachos, which was unexpected. It was a basic mix of dorritos, chopped tomatoes, jalapenos and sour cream, possibly mayonaise. Then the star of the show arrived. Oooh it was lovely! It did have jalapenos, which I just cannae handle, so I had to remove. The pork was just melt in your mouth.
I highly recommend, so get your booty doon there soon and tuck in.

Mmm… tasty, tasty meats. You’ve just got to love a place that will do something meaty on something bready with a bit of a twist! Admittedly, every time someone reviewed Smoak, I was set to salivating. I’d been meaning to check it out for some time, but just never got around to it. Luckily, with a pre-​Yelp event crowd, I got to try it out at last!
Confusingly, Smoak is not occupying a shop of its own, but rather hiding in the Variety bar. The bar staff take the orders on behalf of the Smoak counter which sits at the end of the bar, and sometimes that may not be ideal. As happened with one of our order, there was some sort of Chinese whispers stuff going on because something wasn’t written down properly. There was some confusion with a wrong order, and some of us got our food quite late on, leaving us practically inhaling our food. We were also given what I believe may be several peoples’ order of nachos in one giant basket, I think the assumption being that because we were in a large group we’d be OK to share. Not always safe to assume that, but in this case we were fine with it.
Now, down to the food! I ordered the mixed sliders minus the jalapenos (because I’m a wimp) on brioche buns. This stuff was amazing! Tenderly cooked, the toppings just set everything off beautifully. The reputation for deliciousness is most definitely well deserved. I would definitely go back to try a full size sammich!
On ye go. Taste the meaty goodness!!!

I really looking forward to coming here all day and l wasn’t disappointed i decided to go with the lamb special really tasty, will be sure to be back.

I’ve head a lot about Smoak, so I was quite looking forward to it pre-​Inverarity tasting the other week. I like the Variety Bar, and I like that there’s a wee indie food cart in there, it suits the place.
I was less impressed by the Variety’s barman, who didn’t seem to understand my order. I was tired and I’d had a bad day, so have no trouble at all believing that I wasn’t making much sense… but I didn’t need the eye-​rolling-​exasperation. Poor show mate.
Fortunately the food more than made up for it. Now my other half thinks that the portions are a bit small (although higher quality than somewhere like Pinto) but for me they were absolutely perfect. The pulled pork was amazing. Seriously good. Perfect texture, held well by a lovely soft taco, and light and crispy tortilla nacho chip ‘hings.
It’s not a gut-​buster, but as far as bar-​street-​food goes… *applause*

Its meat jim but not as we know it! Smoak is delightfully nestled in the variety bar (nice place if a bit expensive) and it is absoloutely gorgeous. So very much going for it, tasty meats, well cooked pork, decently priced for the fare put on for you.
I went for the cuban sandwich and considering they wer whipping it up for myself and about 7 other people the waiting time was not too bad in the slightest. Very fresh, very appealing, smells delicious and suits the locale.
The only bad points were the staff were slightly confused when one of us went for our order, they might just have been having a bad day.
But all in all a solid four stars, id definately pop in again.

Nestled in the quirky Variety Bar, Smoak consists of a small cart with exceptional ingredients and a fellow that really knows his Barbeque.
What the hell else do you need to know?
Good Barbeque in Glasgow? — How long have we been waiting for this?
Brisket and Pulled Pork. Oh Yeah.
Get them in a Brioche Bun with toppings or on soft corn toriillas — you will have a good time.
They start early and do not go that long into the night.
Get your butt in here. Keep this place going. You will enjoy it and we will have it for a while.

Decided to pop into the Variety Bar this evening to get myself one of these Smoak burgers everyone’s been going on about. As far as I’m aware Smoak used to be it’s own joint, but is now part of the Variety Bar on Sauchiehall Street. It definitely fits into the general vibe of Variety, and feels very American street food (although I’m sure Lex would chastise me for saying it feels authentic!)
I ordered the takeaway menu, which was a burger, a packet of crisps and a can of juice for £5.50. The options for the burger were either oak-​smoked Aberdeen angus or mesquite-​smoked pulled pork shoulder. I was told they unfortunately only had the pulled pork left but luckily that’s what I was going for. The burger, a wonderful brioche bun that is fast becoming my favourite way to make a burger, comes with slaw, onions, BBQ sauce, jalapeños, dill pickle and dipping sauce. Absolute heaven on a brioche bun.
The fact this place is simply a stall inside the bustling Variety Bar is what I love most about it. You walk in the door and are immediately welcomed by the smell of the cooking meat right in front of you; Smoak has no kitchen. At the moment, unfortunately, it just doesn’t feel deserving of a 5* review yet. But it’s definitely not far off!

Meat. and great things done to meat. covered in one of the greatest condiments for meat — hot sauce!
Smoak truly is located in one of the most random locations — just a little wee kitchen in the corner of a dark wee bar. but they do a good trade, seemingly as there is nothing quite like it down this end of Sauchiehall. I opted for soft shell tacos with Aberdeen angus beef, feta cheese, slaw and… i forget what else. mainly because when i ate it i didn’t really inspect it. Mostly because i was distracted by the yummy-​signals in my brain screaming MOOOOOOREEEEE.
Completely yummy, pretty good value for money and i would love to see it in a more prominent location. Or they could get the take away van they’re aiming for and really get the street food vibe!

Easily a four star joint, bordering on five (return visit may well secure it!).
I popped in here after reading a couple of reviews and generally just hearing a bit of buzz about it.
I’ve been waiting for food like this to arrive in Glasgow ever since my first intro to it in San Fransisco almost three years ago. Why it’s taken so long to arrive (it’s meat people, meat!) I have no idea, but thanks to Chris from Smoak, it’s here and I’m delighted to say that it’s been worth the wait!
I opted for the mixed mini sliders, which is basically three wee mini brioche buns with either the pork or beef filling. Lordy! Very complex flavours, succulent meats, fresh, tasty and so satisfying. T’was accompanied by a wee serving of tortilla chips and fresh salsa (I think this has changed since Lex visited), which was pretty tasty to.
I had a wee natter to the owner Chris before I left and it’s obvious that he’s incredibly passionate about not just his own food, but the overall food scene in Glasgow, which is really nice to see.
This is a must people. Go here. Check out the grub. Rejoice.

Gone is the Old Dumbarton storefront, replaced by this simple pop-​up inside the divey Variety Bar along the infamous Sauchiehall Street. Look for the pig diagram in the window, and you know you’re in luck — Smoak is on.
I find it funny when you overhear conversations here or read comments about street food being «all the rage» in the US, as if it’s a fad. But as someone who has spent most of her life on both coasts of the US and early career in America’s heartland, it’s not a fad… it’s a way of life, food is our culture.
Oddly enough, over a month ago a friend in CT (with Texan roots) asked me if I’ve been to Smoak. She lived in Glasgow, and we both have a tendency to roll our eyes at anything American, Mexican or remotely ethnic on this side of the pond, as it tends to be exceedingly disappointing. Shortly after she pointed it out, I ventured over to Variety Bar to sample Smoak’s Texas BBQ «street food» offerings.
The pop-​up setup is small (much like a wee food stall), next to the entrance and beside the bar. Smoak boy Chris whips up your order on the spot using meats he’s smoked for over 16 hours. Have your way with sliders, soft corn tacos, sandwiches and baguettes with fillings ranging from hickory oak-​smoked pedigree angus brisket, mesquite-​smoked pulled pork shoulder or oak-​smoked Aberdeen angus. For sandwiches you have Philly cheesesteak (though I find it odd that they would used smoked beef in a Philly), and Cuban with pulled pork. Each order is accompanied with «nachos» which in this country really means bleh tortilla crisps and ketchup-​y salsa doused in soured cream, yet lacking cheese. But cheese makes the nachos?!
A very solid 3 stars… The flavour itself is surprisingly close to home, and I applaud Chris for bringing a little taste of home to Glasgow. I would have liked to see fresher salsas, such as a simple pico de gallo or salsa verde to accompany the tacos. The «nachos» aren’t really nachos; it’s just a side of tortilla chips and an insanely small thimble of mediocre salsa and sour cream. Additionally, the use of smoked meats in the Philly and Cuban are slightly odd. Its use doesn’t make the pieces any worse, but they just aren’t Phillies or Cubans to be honest. I suppose the general punter wouldn’t know the difference? It’s just slightly misleading to call them Phillies and Cubans if you have certain expectations. But for a fiver, the main star (meat) doesn’t disappoint.
Compared to the old West End setup, its pop-​up location in Variety Bar surprisingly fits the «vibe» of its host location, and it provides greater accessibility and visibility for those seeking something a little more in the Glasgow food scene, especially with the foot traffic of Sauchiehall Street. I look forward to seeing what else Smoak has cooking up in the future…

Just been for my first Smoak in Variety Bar. It was really good!
I had the Mesquite Smoaked Pulled Pork Shoulder on a brioche bun with coleslaw, onions, bbq sauce, jalapenos, and dill pickle. It comes with a side of nachos and salsa as well. Price… all for a very reasonable £4.95.
If you want a «variety» you can order sliders and mix between the pork and angus brisket. They also serve soft corn tacos with either the pulled pork/​angus brisket and the usual toppings too. The tacos come with Glasgow Mega Death hot sauce on the side. Don’t let the name put you off :-p It complements the tacos pretty well if you don’t use too much.
I was really surprised when I went into Variety Bar… have lived in Glasgow for 12 years and have never once been in. It’s got a good selection on tap, frozen margaritas, friendly staff.
Will definitely be going back to try more Smoak in the future.