Smoke on Hope Street

Let’s get real, during the workday, the goal is to decide where to eat, get in line, scarf down your food and get back in front of your computer in as little time with as little hassle as possible. So I’m not expecting any lunch to be dine in gourmet dinner quality. Also, since this is repeated mutiple times a week, no one is trying to spend an arm and leg every lunch. So reasonable prices are also key.
With that being said, I’m going to have to agree with the people here that mention that this is more of a bomb salad place than it is a BBQ place. The first time i went I had a BBQ plate. It was okay. But the best thing to order here is actually the salad. A small will set you back a mere $ 7 and is the perfect amount of food for me. A large is a couple dollars more and well worth the price. You get a protein (may i suggest the brisket), choice of salads (I like a spring and arugula mix) along with unlimited toppings. I try not to go overboard with the toppings but you can and you know what? It won’t cost you a penny more! YASSS!

One word, terrible. I was there last week and ordered a salad wiry teriyaki chicken as protein, it was just average but I decided to come back today to try one of the BBQ item on the menu. I ordered the pull pork with brown rice in a bowl but the pork was just total inedible, it was super salty yet lack any bbq flavor, the rice was soaked in some kind of oil so I literal had to dump my $ 8.50 bowl in the trash. I did not want to walk back to the place to complain and this is the last time I’ll ever come back. There are plenty of other places around.

This is the best for a quick and delicious lunch. Very well prepared brisket, BBQ chix and more– served as a salad with lots of toppings, sand on yummy bread or plate with sides. Very reasonable too– two sizes of salad well under $ 10. Too bad it is hidden in the Wells Fargo building because you wouldn’t know about it unless you walk by. Hope others find it so I can keep coming for lunch! It has only a few places to sit so only 4 stars.

+ Great tasting meats/​protein choices
+ Offered plenty of samples without asking
+ Friendly staff
-/​+ Not much inside seating
I tried this place for the first time today during lunch and I was quite impressed. The pricing is very good for the area and even the small bowls/​salads are reasonably sized.
My coworker and I were immediately offered plenty of samples as soon as we stepped inside and each were very hot/​fresh. He got the 8-​piece wings and I got the small salad bowl (choice of salad, protein, and unlimited toppings).
Service was fast and friendly (for my order). My coworker’s order took some time since I suppose wings aren’t ordered regularly. In the meantime, the manager on duty offered him some pulled pork on a Hawaiian roll since he had to wait. Pretty good service.
I will definitely be coming back here again.

My go to lunch spot for downtown LA. $ 6.99 gets you a loaded salad with plenty of extras. The manager is always happy to help you out if you need some recommendations. All the meat is flavorful and juicy. I would highly recommend this place for lunch.

It is what it is. Don’t come here looking for authentic bbq. For that go check out Horse Thief. But, if what you want is meat that seems to have been cooked in a slow cooker, with some salad on the side, this place is probably fine. Especially if you’re in a hurry and can’t walk down the hill to GCM.
Nothing really has a strong smoky flavor, as I said… it tastes more like slow cooker bbq with lots of sauce. I’d recommend the chicken dishes over the brisket. You know brisket isn’t going to be great when it’s priced at the same tier as chicken breast.
The sides are not the best — in particular the corn is kind of tricky because it is seared like it’s been grilled, but it tastes like it was probably pre-​steamed or boiled then laid on a grill to get black marks on it.

1^st time getting lunch here – This place is really good!
Barbecued chicken was the best!
They LOADED me up with all kinds of veggies, greens, beans, mangos, and chicken, Italian dressing – the small salad felt like it weighed 3 lbs.
Great tasting and Great value at $ 6.99 for a small (it was not so small) salad.
On the salad after you pick your protein, you go down the line and can pick from unlimited add-​ins and they have a ton of great adds.
No brainer – come back here again!
PS
Don’t let the name of the place fool you – you do not need to be a smoker to eat here. No smoking is permitted in or around the building.

Making this my regular go-​to spot for lunch. The Kale salad with quinoa with brisket and Spicy BBQ dressing is so good as well as portion size for $ 8.31.

These guys are great! $ 7 for a healthy tasty filling salad? Excellent. This will become a regular place for lunch.

So at first, I wondered why this place only has 2 – 3 stars although their food is tasty and reasonably priced. Now, I definitely know why. The food is okay. I like the kale salad with half and half proteins that I rotate every now and then. Only a few of their meats are actually smoked but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I go to Smoke because I walk like one minute away in the Wells Fargo Tower.
Service is poor. It really is. They ask the same question multiple times and don’t listen when you answer. When the manager (s) are there, it’s even worse. Let me start by saying no one smiles at this restaurant and no one is happy to see you. It’s like they’ve just heard some tragic news. They are so stingy with the toppings.
As I mentioned, I like the salad. I wouldn’t recommend this place as a traditional bbq restaurant where you want to have ribs or tri-​tip sandwich. Their BBQ does not taste like the good BBQ restaurants.

This is my other regular lunch spot in DTLA (the other being Ocho Mexican Grill). As mentioned in that review, this is what I look for in a go-​to lunch spot:
— Healthy food: I exercise regularly and look for lots of veggies and plentiful protein portions (check that alliteration yo)
— Quality ingredients: You know you can tell when you’re eating food and when you’re eating «food»?
— Bang for the buck
— New Meal+: If I’m going to eat here regularly I don’t want to get tired of it, whether I order the same thing every time or I have a variety of choices.
— A smile or two: A pep level of around 6 is good enough for me.
Essentially, I’m looking for something efficient and Smoke on Hope Street is right on the mark for me. What needs work is their customer service — during one visit the person preparing my meal never looked me in the eye and expressed body language that seemed to imply «Geez, why am I even here?» Another worker didn’t know the names of the salad dressings. Yet there was a competent worker who had great suggestions when I needed guidance with the amount of choices available.
The food itself, however, is delicious. I think the best value is the large salad, which I usually order. Only $ 8.71 total with tax! The quality of the meat is great for the price and the variety of toppings keeps things from going stale on multiple visits. So typically I’d do this:
— Large salad, alternate between mixed greens and kale+quinoa
— I try a different bbq meat every time but I particularly like the beef brisket
— You get 4 toppings and believe it or not, there is no upcharge for the avocado! Some toppings I like are the brussels sprouts, tomatoes, mango, carrots, and I usually like sun-​dried tomatoes but the ones that this establishment could use some work.
— You get a choice of salad dressing but I actually don’t even put any because the bbq provides all the flavor you need.
— You also get a dinner roll (you shouldn’t be eating white bread if you want to eat healthy) so I usually just hand it to the homeless guy at the Grand Ave crosswalk .
I start lunch early (before noon) and have never seen this place crowded. I’ve never had to wait which concerns me since I hope this place doesn’t close down due to a lack of business. Again, the food is fantastic value and the bbq meats puts it above the quality of other nearby salad vendors.
There is very little seating inside the restaurant but I wouldn’t sit in there anyway (not much ambience). There is ample seating outdoors and even better seating across the street at California Plaza. If you sit directly outside of the restaurant be aware that it’s a smoke break spot. There’s seating inside the building, but outside the restaurant if you choose to remain indoors like a vampire.
I always walk to get here so I’m not sure where one would park. One should not be driving everywhere downtown anyway just like one does not simply walk into Mordor. One can, if one wishes, to park at the nearby museums and make a museum day out of it if one is coming from out of town. Overall, this is one place where one can find a wonderful lunch experience. It has certainly won me over.

Went here a few times and I can say that they had a nice place good food but I don’t think I can say that their service good.
Been here for almost 3 times already and the service here is the same every time I went here. Well, their service is kinda bad on my end. I don’t know if its just me or they just don’t have any good manners or they just don’t care if their customers is hungry or not.
But kudos to their kitchen staff, their baby back ribs is really good. I had a lot of back ribs before yours made my day, its very tasty, I can’t find any bad things about it.

This is a pretty good lunch spot. My first visit and I was pleasantly surprised. Here is why… many, many restaurants try to serve BBQ and screw it up royally. Now I wouldn’t call this a BBQ joint… it’s more BBQ-​lite. So the bottom line, is the food is good. The greens are tasty with a tiny kick; the Mac-​N-​Cheese is a little too smushy for my taste, but the flavor is not bad. I tried the Hawaiian Chicken which is dark meat vs. the white meat BBQ chicken. (Dark meat holds flavor better and I am soooo burnt out on white meat). Overall good experience and I will be back.
One more thing. They use white Basmati Rice vs. traditional long grain. It is the little touches that makes a meal memorable, no matter what level.

you can’t judge this place like some high and mighty Unilocaler who thinks his/​her reviews actually matters.
if you are eating lunch here, most likely you are one of the thousands of office workers within a 2 – 3 block radius. what is your purpose? get some decent food at a good price without a long wait.
Smoke on Hope Street fits that bill.
BBQ meats? decent. especially if it hasn’t been sitting out too long.
the sides? pretty good.
price? $ 7.99+tax and up. for what you get, it is a very fair price.
and it’s fast from the point of ordering and getting out since it’s a production line style setup.
ask for the bbq sauce on the side if you don’t want it smothering everything.

I like this place! Good for a quick BBQ fix in downtown… Other local BBQ spots, you have to wait for your order. Here it’s a fast food place. I had the beef brisket sandwich with mac n cheese, and collard greens. The flavor of the beef was really good, tender, with some juicy bits of fat to add flavor. I love collard greens, and will order then when I have a change. I’m not expert, but I liked the greens, and the mac too! Definitely will be back, but bummed that ribs are only sold on Fridays.

Imagine lukewarm, chewy/​not-​so-​flavorful BBQ on top a bed of veggies with salad dressing. Welcome to Smoke on Hope Street.
Smoke on Hope Street is located in the Wells Fargo Building — the same building that holds McDonald’s, Let’s Roll Sushi, Atrium/​Market Café, etc. Despite it being a not-​cheap place, it’s definitely has that food court feel to it.
This place has salads (BBQ in salad??), plates/​bowls, and sandwiches. You get to pick your leafy veggies, protein, and 4 toppings (veggies, cheese, etc.) for the salad. They run close to $ 8.50 after tax. The veggies were fresh enough, but the sun dried tomatoes were very salty that it took up the taste of the salad. I chose the BBQ chicken (all the proteins are BBQ), and it tasted a bit strange with the BBQ and salad. Also, the sun dried tomatoes overrode the taste of the BBQ. :(
One of my coworkers got the pulled pork sandwich. It had okay flavor, and it comes with two sides. One side was the mac n cheese, which was rather… horrible.
They do have a coke remix machine, which was great. Unfortunately, as other reviewers mentioned, they are out of various flavors often.
The board states that orders come with some jalapeño bread roll thingy, but I did not receive such roll. They did give me a plain dinner roll though. Nothing Jalapeño-​y, and I do like jalapenos. :/​
The price of the food seemed very high compared to its taste and ambiance. I probably will not come back by choice, unless I really want an overpriced salad with mediocre BBQ on top of it.

I think the place is great!
Pulled pork sandwich with side of Mac & Cheese only $ 9.00.
I may feel different after a couple /​three visits but my first experience was great.

Thank goodness Horse Thief is down the hill to satisfy a bbq craving. I give up on Smoke! They frequently run out of menu items by mid-​afternoon, the food isn’t amazing, and customer service sucks sometimes. I don’t need to patronize bad attitudes, especially for mediocre food at best. Pass!

My co-​worker (she doesn’t Unilocal!so I am doing so on her behalf) and I went down to try this place, and although it smelled delicious, we were both let down.
She bought a plate ($ 13) with brisket. As another reviewer mentioned, they kind of just cut an arbitrary amount of meat. Worse, they SKIMPED on the sides. The guy behind us got a much larger scoop of the greens.
I just came for the bread pudding, which is clearly listed as a dessert. When we asked for it, the server seemed really confused and looked up at the menu, wondering if the place serves it at all. Finally, another server tells us they don’t have it. I’m surprised nobody else had asked for the only dessert on the menu???
The final straw — the plate didn’t come with a cornbread muffin, only a small piece of baguette. When she went back in to ask for it, they said they had run out. It was 1 PM on a typical lunch day.
Overall, my co-​worker said the sides were not that good, though the meat was. I’m not sure if I will come back to try a few sides… for $ 4/​side, they better be more liberal with the portions! I’ll wait until they work out their opening week kinks.

I’m from Texas, so I know good BBQ and southern hospitality. This place does not have either.
I heard about this place this morning, and even though I’m supposed to be on a diet, I decided to cheat today because I’ve been CRAVING some BBQ.
When I walked in, my hopes were high because it smelled great. I ordered a brisket plate, as did the guy that was in line in front of me. I noticed that they do not weigh the portions but it’s all left up to the discretion of the slicer. The guy in front of me got shafted because his was only 60% of how much I got… I would have been pissed.
They have three BBQ sauces (mild, medium, and hot) so I asked for a medium and a hot. I see the girl clearly scoop the one labeled mild so I tell her that I wanted the other two. She looks at me with an annoyed look and says, «Yeah, I got medium and hot.» Even though she clearly didn’t… I wasn’t going to make a scene over BBQ sauce.
I paid for my meal (not cheap… $ 14+ for the plate, no drink) and walked out before I realized that I had not gotten my «jalapeño corn muffin». Walked back in and stood next to the register, but the cashier was busy because they had switched two lady’s orders. I waited patiently as one of the employees opened up the container and tried to convince this lady that it was the pulled pork she ordered when it was clearly brisket.
I told the cashier that I didn’t get my jalapeño corn muffin and she tells me that they ran out. So I say, «Hmm, nobody told me that… Do you have a substitute or something? I mean… I did pay for it.» She says matter-​of-​factly, «No, you didn’t. It just comes with the plate.»
ARE YOU JOKING ME? I didn’t actually say that… just yelled it in my head.
Which reminds me: Common sense is like deodorant; the people who need it most don’t use it.
So after this bad experience, the food would have to be AMAZING for me to come back and spend money. Not surprisingly, the food was mediocre. The brisket was dry, the cole slaw was bland, and the potato salad was not really potato salad. Neither one of the BBQ sauces was spicy so I have no idea what happened there…
I would suggest that the owner take a trip down south and try some real BBQ and real sides. It should be a country/​mustard potato salad, baked BBQ beans, etc.
Another suggestion: the prices need to be adjusted. Every authentic BBQ place I’ve been to has prices according to the meat (i.e., the chicken should not be the same price as the ribs).
I really regret cheating on my diet for this meal today… I should’ve waited until tomorrow for BBQ at the Bank of America Farmer’s Market. It’s not great either, but they have great customer service AND it’s cheaper.