Smoke on the Water – Greenville, SC

Smoke on the Water – Greenville, SC

I thought it was time to update my restaurants in Greenville, one of my favorite places to visit within driving distance of Greensboro.  There are so many local restaurants in this town that you can come numerous times and still not try them all.  And after eating all the fabulous food, there is the Swamp Rabbit Trail that runs from downtown all the way out to Traveler’s Rest to run, bike or just stroll.  We’ve found some favorite restaurants that we tend to return to and haven’t branched out lately to try anything new.  Natalie and I planned a girls weekend this Spring and decided we would venture out.

Smoke on the Water is located across the bridge on Main Street, so depending on where you’re staying, you might not have explored this area. There are several restaurants across the bridge that we’ve tried but we hadn’t stopped at this one, mostly because they don’t take reservations, and I’m inpatient when I’m hungry.  Anytime we have passed by, it seems crowded and smells wonderful.  We decided to get there early on a Thursday night and got right in. I didn’t realize but they not only have a large patio out front but one in the back as well, so don’t be deterred if it looks crowded.

They have a large smoker in the back where they smoke their meat using hickory and oak to create their signature flavor.  The meat has a rub on it and comes without a sauce which I liked.  The smokey flavor is not masked by a sweet glaze.  However, they make four homemade sauces that are brought to your table to try. One is a traditional Eastern NC vinegar based sauce, one is sweet with brown sugar, one is mustard base and the last is spicy and just slightly sweet.  You can mix and add as you wish.  The menu is pretty extensive with not only dinner entrees, but lots of sandwiches and burgers.

We decided to get a sampler plate choosing 2 types of meat.  We both tried ribs and I went with the pulled pork while Natalie chose the chicken.

In addition, each came with two sides from many to choose from.  I couldn’t resist the deviled eggs and creamed spinach. Our favorite of the meats was the pulled pork.  The seasoning and smokey flavor were spot on and didn’t really need any sauce.  Everything we tried was delicious and we would definitely recommend this to our meat loving friends.

The atmosphere was casual with a band playing blues in the background. We were seated pretty close to the band, but it wasn’t so loud that you couldn’t carry on a conversation.  If it hadn’t been raining, it would’ve been a great place to sit outside and people watch.  For some reason the temperatures in the Carolinas want to stay in the 50’s.  Where is our warm summer weather.   We were so glad we ventured out to try something new.  Give this place a try for a different take on pulled pork, or any of the other smoked beef or pork dishes.