Holy Smokes — Update
Ok, with this post, you get the whole nine yards of Texas BBQ places in Belgrade. We have had their food a few times delivered, but for my birthday, I decided this was the place to visit. First, I love Texas BBQ; it was the first restaurant I ever went to in Fort Worth, Angelo’s, that at the time still had sawdust on the floor. And even the last time I was there, it is still the best I have ever had.
So often on my birthday, because I am a foodie and fond of the experience of a fantastic restaurant, we go to some
place expensive, price-fixed menu, hoity-toity, on some list of the best of the best. The problem with a place as such, there is no actual room for my daughter. I wanted her there! Plus, now that I am out of the boot and can walk more, I wanted to try Holy Smokes for real, knowing they can already deliver.
There are two locations in Belgrade; the one in the old part of town is a five-minute cab ride away and is the original. Of course, my daughter chose not to come that evening even though I picked it with her in mind, well, and the fact that I love BBQ was only part of the decision.
For those not used to hole-in-the-wall BBQ places, let me explain something I have come to discover. Meat is an agricultural crop and varies from cow to cow, pig to pig, chicken to chicken, and is never the same as yesterday. The brisket on one day might have too much fat and the next perfect, same for the rib and everything else. This is especially true of independent restaurants as opposed to chains. Like a tomato, there are times when they are great and times when they are just average.
The restaurant was everything I could hope for in a BBQ place, not in Texas. It is next to a small parking lot surrounded by restaurants, small bars, clubs, and unique shops. Just down the street, the place that used to be an outdoor patio that my wife visited as a student is now the cute patio for Holy Smokes.
At 6:30, the place was still pretty empty; early dinner in Serbia which is around 9:00 PM. The old town menu differs from the one in New Belgrade and the one you ordered for delivery from, so we had some new options. We got the three-meat plate and a half order of smoked sausage with pork ribs, brisket, chicken thighs, and sides of creamed corn, fried potatoes, cole slaw, and potato salad.
The BBQ was excellent! It certainly lives up to the Texas moniker. Everything was cooked to perfection just down the street from the restaurant. The delicious sausage will be up there with my all-time favorites. As I mentioned above, the brisket was a bit dry but still good, and I could eat the chicken and ribs all day.
If you want a taste of Texas in Belgrade, you can not find better than Holy Smokes.