Smokin’ Gold BBQ

Friendly staff. NO FRIES! BBQ goes with fries. Huge upset. The brunswick stew was too tomatoey, pork sandwich was good but a little dry. The mustard bbq sauce is great. Would love to try it on some chicken tenders!

Been eating with the owners here for years. Apparently the ownership has changed. While the BBQ was tasty enough the bun was so greasy you could not even hold on to it. The Brunswick stew was essentially tasteless. Totally disappointed that a place with such a quality history has gone downhill.

I was introduced to Smokin Gold during Gold Rush this year. I got lucky and went on a day they had Burnt Ends. I got Brunt ends and by a fluke I also got their Brisket. This is by far the best, most moist and tender Brisket I have ever had. I have eaten BBQ in TX, KS, LA, AL, NC. Bar none the best I have had. No wonder he has so many Trophys on the walls.

We ate there last Friday, it was very busy, the wait was at least 45 minutes for the food to be served. I would give this place one star except we have eaten there before and I gave it four stars. This time the food was terrible!
I ordered the rib platter, it was under cooked, fatty, and tough, the sauce was bitter. My wife got the brisket and it was as tough as nails.
Sorry I thought we found the perfect place, but it was not to be.

This place is just amazing! Great pricing, friendly staff, and perfectly smoked pork. Parking is an issue because of traffic and the size of the parking lot but well worth the walk. The surrounding small town is fun to stroll around.

JUST NOT FOR MOMMA
While in downtown Dahlonega, my husband and I came across this simple little barbeque restaurant. It was clean and cozy inside and the employees were very warm, welcoming and patient as we took our time deciding on our dining choices. I don’t normally like smoky meats but I am always curious to try new barbeque restaurants and my husband was interested as well so we wanted to give it a try. We decided to share a plate and ordered the double serving of rib tips, brisket, baked beans and macaroni and cheese. I really like having green vegetables with my meals so I only ate a small amount of the sides. The Texas toast was delicious!
The sides were actually pretty good, the beans were not overly sweet and the mac n cheese was not too salty. The brisket was lightly seasoned and very tender while the tips were too smoky and a bit chewy. I really need to just stop trying to eat barbeque away from home because I am forever disappointed. I am simply a fan of my own barbeque and just need to be content with that.
My husband enjoyed the meal but felt that it was just okay. I don’t think that either of us would consider a return visit. However, if you like smoky meats with a little bite in a cozy and clean environment, this place is really nice. The staff was very kind and even allowed us to sample the cole slaw. Service was fast and efficient!

I ordered a bowl of what was laughingly called Brunswick Stew, Thin, meatless, loaded with sweet corn and way too much tomato sauce.
Girlfriend ordered brisket sandwich.
Disgusting.
Roll was so wet you could squeeze water out of it. The meat had obviously been boiled in water. The fat on the beef was still jiggly. One circular slice of pickle sitting on top of the sopping wet bun.
Y’all should be ashamed,

Very good barbeque. Rib tip sandwich was very good at hit the spot! Baked beans are really good as well highly recommend!

I stopped in for a solo lunch, had the pork plate with corn casserole and baked beans.
The pork was flavorful and moist, the beans homemade with chunks of pork. I really enjoyed the corn casserole and the bread that came along with.
Waitstaff was helpful and kind; I cleaned my plate!

Stopped in for lunch during a stay in town. Worst BBQ I’ve had recently. Got the two meat plate with pork and rib tips. The pork was just a ball of mush, and the rib tips were mostly fat and veins. The sides I got were baked beans, which were very saucy, and potato salad, which was just awful. Found a random bit of gristle in r potato salad, so not sure what goes into this one. The sauces were meh, and were not at the table, had to ask for them. Habanero sauce was not even slightly spicy. Also the prices were high and portions were small. Pass!

Good pulled pork. Bun was a little soggy but the crunchy pickles made up for it. Tasty habanero BBQ sauce and mustard sauce. I’ll give 3.5 stars. I think any BBQ joint should have sliced onion… They didn’t. I asked and she said they have onions but would have to slice on for me… Whatever.

Fairly average BBQ. Service was good and they do seem to cook everything on the Big Green Egg right out front. We went during a non-​busy time on a Tuesday and the meat all tasted like it had been sitting around for quite a while. We tried sampler platters and all of the meats were pretty average. Jalapeño BBQ sauce was good and the corn casserole side dish was fantastic.

Great Brisket And everything cooked on THE BIG GREEN EGG! Nice people and CLEAN. I think this place is a very worthwhile stop when you’re in this area. The people are nice the food is great and the fact that it’s cooked on the big green egg is just remarkable to me that you could run a restaurant without a commercial smoker. I will definitely go back

Pretty good, but I’ve had better pork. I got the BBQ pork sandwich, corn casserole, sweet tea, and brownie a la mode to split with the kids. The corn casserole and brownie were great. I’m pretty sure the brownie had been microwaved, but it wasn’t bad. The pork was almost flavorless without sauce. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the fact that the sandwich didn’t come with a side. The kids portion of Mac n cheese was laughable. Pretty good otherwise, but service was slow on a not very busy Friday night. I think I’ll drive to Dawsonville for Big D’s next time I need a BBQ fix.

Very friendly and prompt service. The pulled pork and corn casserole were delicious! The mac n cheese and beef brisket were both a little dry. The restaurant is clean and the staff is awesome!

Good meat, meh sides, mediocre service.
We walked in wanting to try one of the few places on the square we hadn’t been to. We were met by a kid at the counter who said to sit where we liked. Another party came in a few minutes later, sat down next to us and immediately flagged down a server, getting their drinks and menus. Meanwhile, we sat. And sat. Curious, we waited to see how long it would take. I was sitting facing the kitchen, making eye contact with several servers. Only seven of the twelve tables were occupied. It took about five minutes to get anyone to greet us, giving us plenty of time to peruse the blackboard with most of the menu on it, so we were ready to order as soon as we got someone’s attention.
They were out of ribs and beans, my husband’s favorites, so he had to choose something else. We got the two meat combo and a sandwich plate, sampling the brisket, chicken, and pork, with mac & cheese, slaw, and corn casserole for sides. The meats were all good, moist and with great smoke flavor. The corn casserole was very good, almost a pudding consistency. Slaw was a lot like kfc (uninteresting), the macaroni was also pretty bland (the cheese sauce tasted like a mix). Drink refills were hard to come by, only offered once and our empty cups placed at the edge of the table ignored. I get that this is a college town, but decent service isn’t an issue at any other restaurant in town.
If we’re in the mood for bbq, we *may* order meat to-​go, but won’t likely be back in for a sit down again.

The smell from the Green Egg Smoker outside pulled me into this cute little BBQ spot. I had the Burnt End Sandwich and Sweet Tea. It was Delicious !

After a day of hiking with a buddy this was a good BBQ place recommended our country cab driver. The corn casserole is excellent brisket was excellent, rib tips were very good but I kind of wish I would have had the ribs instead. sweet tea was very good lemonade is very good and banana pudding and it was good too. The owner came out to greet us and make sure the food is good waitress was a military spouse and very nice. Food came out fast too. Cole slaw was sweet. BBQ sauce was just right, sweet with a little twang.

I’ve been here twice with motorcycle buddies — it’s okay but nothing to ride out of the way for. The service is friendly and fast, but they were out of Brunswick Stew the first time I was there; it was okay on the second trip.
Good motorcycle parking out front.

This place was recommended by the locals. I’m not a BBQ fan so I can’t really provide a tremendously comparable review to other BBQ places. From the comments my group made though, it seems like the food here was pretty good.
The meat was definitely tender and succulent. Get the platter meal. Although the portion size wasn’t wowing, the quality was good. After all, sometimes it is about the quality and not quantity. My friend and I were sharing this with one meat option so I’d recommend getting the two meat combo platter (unsure of exact name) with two meats if you have a larger appetite. The sides were fairly small as well so do add another meat option.
The brisket was highly recommended, but they had run of this since the group I was with visited here on Wednesday right after Memorial Day. Apparently this place takes food orders so that’s why they had run out of their famous brisket so quickly.
I just think it is strange how they close at 2:30 PM and not opened on a random weekday. Well, I guess that’s how businesses in a small town roll. Lol. Overall a pretty good experience here. The service was friendly, and the food was good.