A distinctive Triangle barbecue restaurant will close this month

The combination of barbecue restaurant and smoothie bar made Smiths Smokehouse in Wake Forest one of the most distinctive joints in North Carolina’s new wave of barbecue.

After a little more than two years in business, Smiths will close Oct. 27, the owners announced this week.

In an Instagram post, owners Rashad and Saadia Smith said they would wind down their brick and mortar restaurant in Wake Forest, but vowed to continue cooking and catering under the Smitty Experience name.

“October 27th will be our last day of Brunch and Service,” the post reads. “This is not the end of Smiths Smokehouse and Smoothies. It will be more of a transition for us into new levels and new opportunities that align with our vision. We know we are purposed to serve, we know that God has given us these skills to bring Y’all the Smitty Experience and trust me, we are not done.”

In the Triangle’s red hot barbecue scene , Smiths stood out as one of the few Black-owned restaurants and the only one also serving fruit and dessert smoothies.

Situated on Main Street in Wake Forest, Smiths appealed to the sweet side of barbecue. Sauces and rubs carried a bit of fruit and sweetness, plus even mac and cheese had some spice and sugar, and the bread option was a blueberry corn muffin.

In a ranking last year of the best Triangle barbecue joints, I put Smiths at number 18 out of the top 20 spots .

The Smiths barbecue menu veered away from North Carolina tradition, embracing the modern hunger for brisket and burnt ends alongside pulled pork and beef ribs.

On the smoothie side, Smiths served creative sweetened concoctions like banana pudding and strawberry shortcake and fruit options like pineapple, mango and granola.

Before the brick and mortar, Smiths popped up around Raleigh and Wake County in 2020 as a barbecue trailer, often selling out at events and breweries.

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