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Smoke City Char Bar, Los Angeles, CA

Smoke City Char Bar

4.2
4.2
58 Reviews
$31 to $50
Barbecue

Make a booking

2 people
10:00 pm
Booked 2 times today
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Great for outdoor dining
  • Good for groups
Welcome to the Smoke City Char Bar, an oasis in Downtown LA's Arts District. Featuring gorgeous interiors and comfortable patio seating (dog friendly!), Smoke City Char Bar is an excellent selection for Craft Smoked Meats, BBQ, Local Drafts and Specialty Craft Cocktails. Located just across the street from the landmark Arts District Brewing Co (set your GPS to 899 Traction Ave), free 2 hour validated parking is available in the Aliso Parking Lot (access on 3'd Street). Don't miss our happy hour: Thurs - Sun from 4pm - 6pm.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Barbecue, American, Dining Bar
  • Hours of Operation
    Thu–Sun 4:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (213) 935-8194
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Area
    Arts District
  • Parking details
    Public Parking
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Delivery, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeaway, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 58 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.2
4.2 based on all time ratings
  • 4.2Food
  • 4.3Service
  • 4.3Ambience
  • 3.9Value

NoiseModerate

58 Reviews
  1. MARTIN

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on 18 August 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    MY FAMILY AND I WERE IN THE MOOD FOR A NEW RESTAURANT AFTER A DAY OF SHOPPING AND HANGING OUT. CHAR BAR CAME UP ON YELP AS A SUGGESTION. WE LOVE GOOD BBQ AND THOUGHT LET'S TRY IT! THE RESTAURANT WAS VERY NICE, COOL MUSIC AND BAR. I NOTICED 1 EMPLOYEE HUSTLING TABLES AND 1 BARTENDER INITIALLY AND WONDERED WHERE THE REST OF THE STAFF WAS. THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RED FLAG. THE RESTAURANT WAS NOT CROWDED FOR A SUNDAY AFTERNOON. MAYBE 4 TABLES WERE OCCUPIED/SERVED (MAYBE 13 PEOPLE IN ALL) AND A COUPLE WAS AT THE BAR. WE WERE EAGER TO TRY THE FOOD AND DRINKS SO WE PUSHED THROUGH. WE WERE SERVED GLASSES OF WATER AFTER BEING SEATED AND THOUGHT THEY WOULD TAKE OUR DRINK ORDER AT THE SAME TIME BUT THEY DID NOT. WE MUST HAVE WAITED FOR SERVICE AROUND 15-20 MINUTES TO GET OUR DRINK AND APPETIZER ORDER. THAT WAS ONLY AFTER I GOT UP TO INQUIRE ABOUT A WAITRESS OR OTHER STAFF TO TAKE OUR ORDER. THE BARTENDER SAID THE GUY HUSTLING TABLES WOULD ASSIST. HE WROTE DOWN OUR APPS, DRINKS, AND ENTREES ALL AT ONCE. 30-40 MINUTES HAVE PASSED AT THAT TIME. AS ANOTHER 20-30 MINUTES PASSED I ASKED ABOUT OUR ORDER OF DRINKS AND THE APPS AND WAS INFORMED IT WAS COMING OUT. THE SLICED GRILLED WATERMELON AND CRISP FRIED SMOKED PORK BELLY APPS WERE SERVED AFTER ABOUT 60-75 MINUTES HAD PASSED FROM WHEN THE WATER WAS SERVED. THEY WERE DELICIOUS! WE ENJOYED THEM. WE WERE SERVED OUR ENTREES AND A PORTION OF OUR DRINKS A FEW MINUTES AFTER. I DID NOT RECEIVE MY DRINK ORDER (VAN GOGH'S FLASK) UNTIL ANOTHER 15-20 MINUTES HAD PASSED FROM RECEIVING OUR FOOD. THE FOOD WAS DELICIOUS! MAC AND CHEESE WITH BURNT ENDS, YUKON MASHED POTATOES, BAKED BEANS, TRI-TIP, BRISKET, BABY-BACK RIBS AND SKILLET CORNBREAD. WE ARE BIG FANS OF BBQ AND AGREED THEIR FOOD WAS GOOD. VERY SAVORY AND TASTY! IT MADE UP FOR THE BAD SERVICE. IF YOU ARE IN THE MOOD FOR A GOOD BBQ WHILE IN THE ARTS DISTRICT/ DTLA AREA, TRY CHAR-BAR. HOPE YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE THE MAX AMOUNT OF PATIENCE AS WE DID. CHEERS!

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  2. JamesR

    Los Angeles

    9 reviews

    1.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on 11 August 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    At 8 pm on a Saturday only two tables taken in a room that holds many. Even with that, the order was wrong, the service inattentive. The bartender left halfway through our meal.

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  3. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 14 July 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We ordered the smoked watermelon appetizer, California Ciabatta sandwich with salad, cornbread, and burnt ends Mac & cheese. It was all delicious. Our friends ordered tri tip and Salmon with crispy Brussels. They loved it aa well. Our server was very friendly. We’ll definitely come back!

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  4. GeorgeL

    VIP

    Sacramento

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 4 May 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our first time at Smoke City Char Bar. Food and service was excellent. We will go back.

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  5. MichaelBoh

    Los Angeles

    11 reviews

    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on 14 April 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I loved the food and comfortable, friendly atmosphere. I recommend trying lots of side dishes - they, and the meats, were fantastic! I will be going back soon.

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  6. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 1 March 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food and accommodations for our large group. Drinks were creative and well thought out recipes

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  7. Celeste

    VIP

    San Francisco

    22 reviews

    5.0

    22 reviews

    Dined on 19 February 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Smoke City Char Bar provided a comfortable,attractive dining choice in DTLA. The varied menu offered a wide variety of appetizers, entrees, and sides. The pulled pork was delicious as were the baked beans and macaroni salad. The brussel sprouts were also a hit at our table.

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  8. Heathern

    Atlanta Metro

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 15 January 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great place. Chill and helpful staff. Pretty ambiance, great mocktail list and delicious BBQ. Loved the ribs and the mac and cheese was out of this world. Kudos to the Chef - a great place to go when visiting the Arts District.

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  9. Will

    VIP

    Orange County

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on 31 December 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This is my favorite restaurant in Los Angeles hands down

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  10. DerrickW

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 29 December 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Good food. Good service No Malbec. That stunk. We will be back soon Thank you.

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FAQs

Smoke City Char Bar offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (213) 935-8194.

Smoke City Char Bar is rated 4.2 stars by 58 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
10:00 pm
Booked 2 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Smoke City Char Bar

899 Traction Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Additional information

  • Area
    Arts District
  • Hours of Operation
    Thu–Sun 4:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Barbecue, American, Dining Bar
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Public Parking
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Delivery, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeaway, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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  • Terms of Use
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  • Cookie Preferences
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