Smoke Queen Barbecue

An experience everyone should have. I don’t know where to begin. We were greeted and helped by the general manager. He was kind…warm and hospitable. The food was amazing. The meats were quality…delicious….falling off the bone tender and seasoned to perfection. The Cole slaw was beautiful and tasty… tallow fries yummy. Can we talk about the potato salad. Never in my life would I think raisins go in potato salad but they do when the Smoke Queen does it with pine nuts on top OH MY!!! We ordered our food and walked out into the eating area that just had this vibe. Lots of nice areas to sit.. places for children to play… a coffee shop…The Smoke Queen had an amazing vision of phenomenal food…family..happy children and overall great vibrations and she manifested it. We love this place and will definitely be back. And how can I not mention the Smoke Queen herself. I kept saying I hope we get to meet her and on the way out we were able to meet her. The Smoke Queen was super sweet…humble and gracious.

Okay let's start with thumbs up! 👍👍 I will be eating here again the next time I'm in the area. Unfortunately I am in South County so I think they better open a spot down there too! When I asked if they were Fusion they said they avoided the term because not all of their dishes especially their methodology for smoking is traditional American style smoking. But the fusion aspects are integrated throughout the side dishes. Such as the coleslaw that had a, I'm guessing, Thai Taste to it, which was not my favorite until I added the pickled onions and then it became as delicious a coleslaw as I have ever had. Their are two barbecue sauces were delicious one traditional American Hickory the other had a peanut Asian flavor to it that was also delicious. My brisket and ribs were also good but not my favorite that I sampled. I am biased against chicharron and the pork belly was very chicharron like so that is I think on me only, otherwise most people would like it. But the sample bite I had of the Char Sui made me almost cry that I had not ordered that in the first place. The udon that I saw on other people's tables actually made me want to order udon, which is very not me TBH. And I will absolutely be trying the Panang the next time I come in because it looks awesome and is a particular favorite dish of mine. My only critique and it is a major and minor at the same time is that my meats did not come out satisfactorily hot. It definitely was not room temperature nor cool enough for me to really make an issue of it but it was a mild annoyance throughout my meal. I really like their neighborhood outdoor feel especially with the outside sinks for washing your hands a feature every barbecue joint should take note of. They've been there for just about 2 years at the time of my posting and I am sure they will be there for many many more years to come. Congratulations to barbecue Queen for putting together a very worthwhile venture.

While ordering the 4 meat combo, I met Chef Winnie at the counter. She suggested substituting one of the meats for the American Wagyu Tri-Tip that just came out. I did and it was amazing! Beautiful bark and nice smoke ring. But in the end, being Chinese, my preference was still the Char Siu and Siu Yuk. 😁 I was disappointed, tho, that her smoked chicken wings were not sold on Sunday. Guess I have to return on a weekday. 😋

If the food doesn’t blow your socks off, the service definitely will. Winnie left such a touching impression for us this past visit. We came on a Saturday, the weekends are crazy. A line was already starting to build before they even opened, and as we made our way through the doors, Winnie was front and centre between the cash registers and the window. Keeping an ear out for every order taken and every order given. The girls are sweet, prompt and quick. We had a bit of a miscommunication with the buzzer, and Winnie went to find us in the chaos of the kids area to deliver our food to us. With how busy the restaurant already was, and how packed this plaza became, we felt the care! Canton Bowl - ($17) We opted for the dirty rice instead of white rice for an additional $2 charge. This Siu Yuk is another level. The crunch is out of this world, and the flavor of the meat isn’t the regular greasy pork you’ll get at a Cantonese deli. This taste is decadent, savory with the additional crunch. What a perfect bite. Curry Bowl - (17) - Opted for brisket to pair. The curry is bang on, so good. I would have just had a bowl of curry alone with rice if I could. Sadly, I didn’t get to taste the brisket alone without the sauce, but from what I could gather, very tender pieces. We had a toddler, so of course we had an order of their Tallow Fries ($8) - Generous portion of plain basic fries. Really good vehicles to soak up their bbq sauce. Our favorite was their House bbq sauce. Side of Curry Sausage - ($9) - At first, we saw $9 for 1 sausage and thought how insane. The green curry sausage made us way too curious to pass up, so we ordered it. HUGE, generous sized sausage. Flavors were so good, definitely recommend. Notable mentions, their pickled red onions. Who knew onions could taste this good, and be this addictive? I finished our small side of it and was yearning for a bucket of it. Totally must try! Overall we loved our visit. Can’t wait to come back and try the rest of the menu.

Farley G

Super good BBQ with an asian twist. Every thing we ordered tastes really good. My Fav was the pork ribs super big and so tender. The brisket was so tender and juicy not fatty witch i like. Mac and cheese was on point. The corn bread was very good super moist. The bread pudding was amazing tasted great. Dont for get the pandan banana pudding so so good! Get there early cause some meats will sell out. Also long lines if your going for lunch. We were able to get seats for lunch time. Check them out if your craving BBQ and in the area of garden grove.

Stefani Sisilia

Celebrating little Christmas with my relatives here and wow it’s so bomb!! It has American and Chinese bbq combined. We had 4 meats and 4 sides which has great value rather than the individual order. Our first choice of meat is brisket that was so smoky and tender. It’s so flavorful and good quality of meat!! Love it. Our second choice of meat is Siu Yuk basically it’s roasted pork. The skin is so crispy and salty. The meat is so juicy and flavorful. Perfect!! Our third choice of meat is pork ribs rack. The meat is fall apart from the bone. The bbq sauce combine with the meat is so good. Our fourth choice of meat is char Siu. They use pork belly for the meat and it’s sweet and juicy. Smoky and tender meat. For the sides we love the mac and cheese that are al dente and so cheesy. Delicious. I also love the dirty rice, it has bite size of pork belly and spicy sausage in it. Perfect with the meat. The staff is very friendly and nice. The service is fast and the restaurant is clean. Worth to try and we will be back!!

Michael B

Food was good. Got both types of pork belly. Both were moist, flavorfull and with perfect fat rendering. The crispy belly was perfectly crispy. The potato salad was creamy and had a different flavor than anything ive had. The sesame slaw was crunchy amd delightful. I tried my frend's point cut brisket. It was tender with a good pull and perfect fat rendering. I also tried my friend's st louis rib and sausage. The rib was tender, moist, had good flavor and a good bite. The sausage was tasty too. Id definitely go back. Too bad its so far from glendale.

Anna Huang

If the food doesn’t blow your socks off, the service definitely will. Winnie left such a touching impression for us this past visit. We came on a Saturday, the weekends are crazy. A line was already starting to build before they even opened, and as we made our way through the doors, Winnie was front and centre between the cash registers and the window. Keeping an ear out for every order taken and every order given. The girls are sweet, prompt and quick. We had a bit of a miscommunication with the buzzer, and Winnie went to find us in the chaos of the kids area to deliver our food to us. With how busy the restaurant already was, and how packed this plaza became, we felt the care! Canton Bowl - ($17) We opted for the dirty rice instead of white rice for an additional $2 charge. This Siu Yuk is another level. The crunch is out of this world, and the flavor of the meat isn’t the regular greasy pork you’ll get at a Cantonese deli. This taste is decadent, savory with the additional crunch. What a perfect bite. Curry Bowl - (17) - Opted for brisket to pair. The curry is bang on, so good. I would have just had a bowl of curry alone with rice if I could. Sadly, I didn’t get to taste the brisket alone without the sauce, but from what I could gather, very tender pieces. We had a toddler, so of course we had an order of their Tallow Fries ($8) - Generous portion of plain basic fries. Really good vehicles to soak up their bbq sauce. Our favorite was their House bbq sauce. Side of Curry Sausage - ($9) - At first, we saw $9 for 1 sausage and thought how insane. The green curry sausage made us way too curious to pass up, so we ordered it. HUGE, generous sized sausage. Flavors were so good, definitely recommend. Notable mentions, their pickled red onions. Who knew onions could taste this good, and be this addictive? I finished our small side of it and was yearning for a bucket of it. Totally must try! Overall we loved our visit. Can’t wait to come back and try the rest of the menu.

Brandon Decker

Okay let's start with thumbs up! 👍👍 I will be eating here again the next time I'm in the area. Unfortunately I am in South County so I think they better open a spot down there too! When I asked if they were Fusion they said they avoided the term because not all of their dishes especially their methodology for smoking is traditional American style smoking. But the fusion aspects are integrated throughout the side dishes. Such as the coleslaw that had a, I'm guessing, Thai Taste to it, which was not my favorite until I added the pickled onions and then it became as delicious a coleslaw as I have ever had. Their are two barbecue sauces were delicious one traditional American Hickory the other had a peanut Asian flavor to it that was also delicious. My brisket and ribs were also good but not my favorite that I sampled. I am biased against chicharron and the pork belly was very chicharron like so that is I think on me only, otherwise most people would like it. But the sample bite I had of the Char Sui made me almost cry that I had not ordered that in the first place. The udon that I saw on other people's tables actually made me want to order udon, which is very not me TBH. And I will absolutely be trying the Panang the next time I come in because it looks awesome and is a particular favorite dish of mine. My only critique and it is a major and minor at the same time is that my meats did not come out satisfactorily hot. It definitely was not room temperature nor cool enough for me to really make an issue of it but it was a mild annoyance throughout my meal. I really like their neighborhood outdoor feel especially with the outside sinks for washing your hands a feature every barbecue joint should take note of. They've been there for just about 2 years at the time of my posting and I am sure they will be there for many many more years to come. Congratulations to barbecue Queen for putting together a very worthwhile venture.

Brooke and Ben

Really impressed with Smoke Queen BBQ. The food has a lot of flavor and you can taste the care that goes into everything. We ordered a mix of meats, the beef rib, pork belly (siu yuk), sausage, and chicken, and all of them came out juicy and perfectly cooked. The sides were a standout too. The sesame slaw was refreshing, the mac and cheese was super creamy, and the cornbread had a nice sweetness to it. The beef noodle soup was one of the highlights of the whole meal. Great spot, quick service, and everything tasted freshly made.

Nick Beech

shared the perfect meal here with my significant other. Now I am a huge Chinese American BBQ fan! The sauces were mouthwatering- fantastic, perfectly crafted works of art. Brisket was so very tender. Amazing chefs, plus such kind and welcoming staff. This is my new go-to for anything BBQ when I am in Garden Grove! Just awesome!

Ankh Mery RA

An experience everyone should have. I don’t know where to begin. We were greeted and helped by the general manager. He was kind…warm and hospitable. The food was amazing. The meats were quality…delicious….falling off the bone tender and seasoned to perfection. The Cole slaw was beautiful and tasty… tallow fries yummy. Can we talk about the potato salad. Never in my life would I think raisins go in potato salad but they do when the Smoke Queen does it with pine nuts on top OH MY!!! We ordered our food and walked out into the eating area that just had this vibe. Lots of nice areas to sit.. places for children to play… a coffee shop…The Smoke Queen had an amazing vision of phenomenal food…family..happy children and overall great vibrations and she manifested it. We love this place and will definitely be back. And how can I not mention the Smoke Queen herself. I kept saying I hope we get to meet her and on the way out we were able to meet her. The Smoke Queen was super sweet…humble and gracious.

Matthew Nguyen

Food was delicious and the staff was super friendly. I had the Canto Bowl, which comes with siu yuk (crispy pork belly), a more western-style pork belly, and coconut rice. All the items were delicious, and the house bbq sauces complimented the food very well. Would definitely recommend to a friend and return in the future! Just make sure to get there early, parking around Smoke Queen can be pretty packed.

Charyle Emel

Had the bento box with 2 meats, and the amazing banana pudding! The best SOCAL BBQ I've had so far! We came at 2:30 on a Thursday afternoon, no waiting, such a delicious surprise 😋

Jonathan Hernandez

I've always wanted to try this spot and I can say I was missing out this whole time!!! We got a good amount of different orders and all of our choices were perfect. Aside from the amazing food I was surprised of the environment this place holds. They also have a little matcha spit in the back. I would say kid friendly is up there! A lot of space to play around after a great meal. I will recommend this place for families or just a one on one spot.

Kyle Ribas

Great Fusion Barbecue spot. This place was well worth the wait. We got a BBQ platter for two that did not disappoint. It was a lot of food. We got the ribs, brisket, pork belly 2 ways, dirty rice, tallow fries and some other sides. Everything was bomb, I recommend the crispy pork belly and brisket which were my favorites. They also have a fun play area for families and large groups. Great place that stand out from the traditional BBQ places

SanM

OMG! So good! Great atmosphere, small family feeling. Great happy hour deals. Either way worth the money! So very tasty. I had the pork belly bowl. Highly recommend if you like pork belly as much as I do. The rice was fantastic w the sauce. I’m gluten free so highly recommend if you are looking for a tasty GF dish.

Cinee C.

Asian fusion bbq. Proteins are flavorful and moist and not overly seasoned. The sides were very delicious as well. My favorite was cornbread, tasted like cake. Seating area was very spacious spreading throughout the property. Highly recommended for a family night out as there are lots of room for kids to hang out.

The owner is so nice and hospitable! The food was tasty but know that is it not traditional BBQ. The seasoning was a bit inconsistent. Some items were very flavorful, others were a bit on the bland side. The pork ribs were delicious as was the pork belly. Cornbread was a great choice for a side. It’s definitely worth a visit.

If you’re planning a visit to this Asian fusion BBQ hotspot, my best advice is to set your alarm. The line starts forming well before their 11:30 AM opening, and since it’s tucked away in a residential neighborhood, you’ll want that extra time to hunt for a parking spot. The Food This isn’t your standard Texas pit. The meat here—especially the ribs—tends to be a bit greasier than the falling off bone Texan style many are used to. However, that richness works well with their unique Asian-inspired sides. The Standouts: The Mapo Chili packs a serious punch, and the spicy cucumber is essential for cutting through the fat of the meats. The "Must-Have": If you’re there on a Sunday, do not miss the beef ribs. The Surprise: Their cornbread is surprisingly good—moist, flavorful, and a great bridge between the smoky meats and the spicy fusion elements. The Atmosphere The restaurant offers a lot of outdoor seating which gives it a great community feel. It’s a nice setup, though it can get quite hot during the summer months, so dress accordingly. The Verdict Traditionalists might find the greasier meat and non-traditional menu (like beef noodles and cha shu) a bit "out there," but for anyone else, the flavors are undeniable. It’s a heavy, satisfying meal that offers a creative spin on the backyard cookout. Tips for your readers: Arrival: Aim for 11:10 AM to secure your spot in line. Parking: Be patient; the residential streets are tight. Ordering: Balance the greasy meats with the spicy cucumber to keep your palate fresh.

Main parking lot next to the restaurant is small. There is more parking but it's further away. Only one handicap spot close by, if that's a issue. Brisket was pretty dang good. The pork ribs had a good smokey flavor but a bit dry. The deep fried pork belly was crispy but flavor was a little lacking. The Cole slaw lacked punch. The corn bread needed more corn, if that makes sense but the apple butter was on point. The best side was the dirty rice. It was a pretty interesting outdoor seating. Very hipster. I would try again if I was in the area but wouldn't seek it out.

Traveled from Sonoma County for this BBQ joint! Got the 4 meat, 4 side menu item- Fatty brisket, char siu, and x2 of the siu yuk. Corn bread, dirty rice, and x2 of the coconut rice. The fatty brisket and the char siu are really fatty so you'll have to come here to eat good food and not worry about anything else. The siu yuk is another belly pork take with ultra crunchy skin. A side of picked onion helps cut the richness. It's note-worthy to say that the corn bread is the unsung hero. It's a round corn bread that's moist and warm and really reaches deep into your happiness. It also came with whipped butter, honey or maple, I can't remember. It's really rainy when we arrived at SNA and it's worth getting soaked for!

This bbq place is in the corner of a quite neighborhood, with other small unique shops. It's all linked together for a fun atmosphere. We ordered the 4 meats & 4 sides. crispy pork belly, brisket, sausage, chicken with coleslaw, dirty rice, mac and cheese and cornbread & 2 drinks. ($100) We had leftovers for dinner. BBQ flavors are delicious unique, next time definitely trying soup bowls.

Michael George

The owner is so nice and hospitable! The food was tasty but know that is it not traditional BBQ. The seasoning was a bit inconsistent. Some items were very flavorful, others were a bit on the bland side. The pork ribs were delicious as was the pork belly. Cornbread was a great choice for a side. It’s definitely worth a visit.

Tony W

If you’re planning a visit to this Asian fusion BBQ hotspot, my best advice is to set your alarm. The line starts forming well before their 11:30 AM opening, and since it’s tucked away in a residential neighborhood, you’ll want that extra time to hunt for a parking spot. The Food This isn’t your standard Texas pit. The meat here—especially the ribs—tends to be a bit greasier than the falling off bone Texan style many are used to. However, that richness works well with their unique Asian-inspired sides. The Standouts: The Mapo Chili packs a serious punch, and the spicy cucumber is essential for cutting through the fat of the meats. The "Must-Have": If you’re there on a Sunday, do not miss the beef ribs. The Surprise: Their cornbread is surprisingly good—moist, flavorful, and a great bridge between the smoky meats and the spicy fusion elements. The Atmosphere The restaurant offers a lot of outdoor seating which gives it a great community feel. It’s a nice setup, though it can get quite hot during the summer months, so dress accordingly. The Verdict Traditionalists might find the greasier meat and non-traditional menu (like beef noodles and cha shu) a bit "out there," but for anyone else, the flavors are undeniable. It’s a heavy, satisfying meal that offers a creative spin on the backyard cookout. Tips for your readers: Arrival: Aim for 11:10 AM to secure your spot in line. Parking: Be patient; the residential streets are tight. Ordering: Balance the greasy meats with the spicy cucumber to keep your palate fresh.

Nancy Rapp

This bbq place is in the corner of a quite neighborhood, with other small unique shops. It's all linked together for a fun atmosphere. We ordered the 4 meats & 4 sides. crispy pork belly, brisket, sausage, chicken with coleslaw, dirty rice, mac and cheese and cornbread & 2 drinks. ($100) We had leftovers for dinner. BBQ flavors are delicious unique, next time definitely trying soup bowls.

Cathy Acuna

Our 1st but definitely not the last visit. We came pretty early just in case. It was the right decision because the place got very busy immediately. All the meat were tender, juicy and tasty. The staff were nice, friendly and helpful. The restroom was clean. The overall atmosphere was chill. A small park community in the area. Cons: limited parking. The ube cheesecake was something different, not a fan.

acjocson63

We tried the $80 platter with four types of meat. The pork belly and brisket are awesome. The chicken and the hot links sausage are good too. Although the hot links were too spicy for us. The sauce was good and it was definitely has an Asian flavor. Unfortunately they don’t have the dirty fried rice and the potato salad. Overall the experience is good and hopefully next time they will not run out of those sides.

Although many people who reviewed this restaurant seem to find this place unique, the flavors did not taste as described on the menu nor as hyped on this review section and social media. They did the science project right, but it was not the culinary experience I was hoping for. As mentioned above, I was expecting distinctive spices and flavors of Southeast Asian cuisine, but they were very mediocre. It was just correctly cooked meats. The slaw and dirty rice did not worth $7-8 for what they were. Shell and cheese smelled more of butter than cheese. The only thing I felt was that it was good was the cornbread was good, which seems hard to mess up. The atmosphere seemed exciting as the buildings around the restaurant looked to fill in some tenants. There were plenty of seating and the workers were proper and attentive, asking if we needed heating while we were seated. Overall, for the price point of the food, I did not find this place worth dining again.

KA

Although many people who reviewed this restaurant seem to find this place unique, the flavors did not taste as described on the menu nor as hyped on this review section and social media. They did the science project right, but it was not the culinary experience I was hoping for. As mentioned above, I was expecting distinctive spices and flavors of Southeast Asian cuisine, but they were very mediocre. It was just correctly cooked meats. The slaw and dirty rice did not worth $7-8 for what they were. Shell and cheese smelled more of butter than cheese. The only thing I felt was that it was good was the cornbread was good, which seems hard to mess up. The atmosphere seemed exciting as the buildings around the restaurant looked to fill in some tenants. There were plenty of seating and the workers were proper and attentive, asking if we needed heating while we were seated. Overall, for the price point of the food, I did not find this place worth dining again.