International Smoke - Houston

A fresh take on the BBQ theme with creative and well-prepared dishes. The standout of the meal was the Krebsgratin appetizer. What elevated the experience from 4 to 5 stars was the service. We received excellent, friendly, and attentive service. The portions were quite generous, almost too big.

The atmosphere is a bit noisy, but the food is fantastic! The chicken could have used a bit more seasoning, so I highly recommend trying the burger instead. Our waiter was outstanding—he really went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed. I asked for a spicy sauce, and he kept bringing more until we were happy. I also loved the ambiance; there's an outdoor area with games like Jenga, Connect Four, and cornhole. It’s definitely worth a visit!

We enjoyed lunch here today and will definitely be coming back. It was tough to decide what to eat, so we opted for family style dining. We began with the tomato remover, which was wonderfully refreshing for a warm Houston summer day. Next, we tried the Punjabi fish sandwich, featuring redfish today. The sandwich was fantastic, and it was my first experience with something like it. We also shared the braided short ribs, which were delicious, though I felt the dish would have benefited from slightly shorter ribs and a bit less rice. Our side was the ripe mac and cheese, which had a unique flavor. We finished with banana tea paired with Fat Cat Creamery ice cream. It was great to see a variety of local food vendors represented on the menu.

Came to try it for Houston Restaurant Weeks. Food was delicious, every single dish! And the service is fantastic. Everyone was very friendly and our server was very knowledgeable about the dishes we had. Definitely recommend.

Loved the atmosphere and the staff but the food fell short of our expectations for the price. Drinks were very good, but food was just ok. I had the Korean Short Rib and my husband had the Filet Mignon. We also had the rib tip mac n cheese, which was pretty good together but the mac and cheese itself had no real flavor. Korean food is my favorite so I was disappointed with the rib that did not taste like Korean Galbi, the steamed rice was undercooked and the kimchi was not traditional but still good. Steak was pretty good. Overall for 4 of us that dined and drank bill was over $300, so I expected more from the food. Still enjoyed our visit and would probably go back to try other items on the menu. The dishes were beautifully composed. Our waiter was very good, great sense of humor and very efficient.