Where We Eat – Smokestak in Shoreditch

It feels slightly odd to describe any of David Carter’s restaurants as under the radar…especially after the most recent Michelin Guide awarded both a Michelin Star and a Bib Gourmand to his London Bridge projects, Oma and Agora respectively.

But somehow Smokestak in Shoreditch still feels a little underappreciated to us…despite the fact it’s been one of the most consistently excellent places to eat in London for well over a decade!

Smokestak was Carter’s first restaurant and began life as a street food operation at Street Feast in Dalston back in 2013, during the golden age of London street food when half the city seemed to be queueing in car parks and railway arches for smoked meat and craft beer…us very much included!

A lot of those operators disappeared as quickly as they arrived…Smokestak very much did not…

We’ve eaten there many times over the years. Everything from a quick afternoon stop for a pint and a pulled pork bun through to a recent dinner with friends where eight of us settled in for almost three hours and an absolutely outrageous amount of food!

The cooking is sensational. Perfectly judged barbecue with astonishing depth of flavour running through everything that comes out of the kitchen.

If you’re going as a group then pre-ordering a whole brisket for the table is a very good idea indeed!

Also, absolutely do not skip the pig’s tails in soy molasses to start. Sticky, sweet, rich little nuggets of gelatinous joy!

Perhaps part of the reason Smokestak still feels slightly under the radar is its location.

That particular corner of Shoreditch has always felt a little strange…wedged awkwardly between Redchurch Street and Brick Lane, with restaurants around it constantly opening and closing.

And yet Smokestak endures.

What it reminds you is that if you do something genuinely brilliant, and deliver it consistently year after year, people keep coming back…

So if you fancy some of the best barbecue in London, it’s only half an hour on the Overground from Brockley… and absolutely worth the trip!