After a cold and disorienting morning in March here in the greater Nashville area, nothing sounded as good as some hot smoked chicken and a tall beer. That’s how it is around here this time of year – one minute, it’s 67 degrees outside and the next thing you know, there’s three inches of snow on the ground. Nevertheless, Smokin Thighs was the destination of choice for us on that day. I was stoked to try it out. My fiancé used to work in the Berry Hill area, and she always told me about this place and how much I’d like it. Never missing an opportunity to get a good food review in here on SoBros Network, despite her protests and telling me to not focus on work all day every day, I decided to snap a few photos and add this gem of a place to our larger catalog of Nashville Reviews here. For more on Smokin Thighs, check out their website here. Now, let’s get to it.
Pics
Ratings
Food: 6.7/10 – Smoked chicken is the name of the game at Smokin Thighs, and I can certainly see why. It rules. And, it makes it stand out from the rest of the BBQ joints in town. For me, I had to get the Thighs In A Pile – smoked chicken, boneless and chopped up, served on a platter and seasoned to your request. I went ‘Nashville hot’ hot because I love heat and don’t give a shit about the health of my stomach. It didn’t disappoint – the chicken itself had all of the smoky flavor you’d expect while the Nashville hot seasoning provided it with a hell of a kick. I could’ve bathed in the bacon mac and cheese and the loaded baked potato salad.
Booze: 7.8/10 – What a great beer list – on tap and in a can. Plus, they have an exhaustive liquor list that includes a stout bourbon list, and more moonshine options than I’d even know what to do with.
Value: 4.8/10 – $12 for my Thighs In A Pile. $12 for the Smoked Chicken Tacos. Factor in a few beers, and I came out spending about $50 tip included, which seems to be par for the course for a date night in the Nashville food scene these days.
Atmosphere: 6.2/10 – It was a little small, I’ll admit – but this is where context comes into play. I’m a 6’2″, 280 pound man with broad shoulders and a beer gut. Some places just ain’t designed to fit a man of my size and stature, so to be completely fair, that’s not something that should be held against them. It had a traditional dive bar vibe, and enough TVs in that place so you don’t have to worry about missing a game.
Overall: 6.375/10 – I came away impressed by Smokin Thighs, but the hallmarks of the experience were the texture and taste of the smoked chicken, which I’d imagine rocks on any dish you get off of this menu, and the extensive list of booze. It struck me as the perfect way to kill an entire afternoon and end up having to call an Uber or Lyft to get you home safely.
And, the rare hot chicken double score:
- Flavor: 4/10 – I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of complexity to the Nashville hot seasoning – it gets the job done, and where this dish excels is in its heat and the texture of the smoked chicken itself. It’s very different from a traditional hot chicken dish.
- Heat: 7.5/10 – A strong rating for what was the strength of this dish. It was perfect – it had me releasing endorphins and gulping down water and beer as fast as the waitress could bring it to me.
- Texture: 7/10 – Smoked chicken that melts in your mouth and not in your hand? Hell yeah.
- Fixins: 6.3/10 – The bacon mac and cheese and loaded baked potato salad are elite sides in this city. I just wish there was more of ’em (but, also remember – I’m a fat fuck so take that into account in this evaluation).
- Overall: 6.2/10 – I’d caution people to not go to Smokin Thighs expecting traditional Nashville hot chicken. But, if you want the heat and you want to change things up a bit, to me, this is a nice riff on one of the city’s staples. It’s incredibly different from a texture standpoint, but the raw heat of Smokin Thighs’ Nashville hot dry rub will satisfy that cayenne itch you got going.
CURRENT NASHVILLE RESTAURANT RANKINGS
- Butcher & Bee (8.5/10)
- Nectar: Urban Cantina (8.44/10)
- Barcelona Wine Bar (8.23/10)
- M.L.Rose (8.19/10)
- Von Elrod’s (8.17/10)
You can check out our full Nashville restaurant rankings here. I’m always looking for new spots to try – don’t be afraid to hit the comments with suggestions!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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