TV Restaurants

Is Smoke Daddy Still Open? Best Thing I Ever Ate Update (Chicago, IL)

Open verified

As of September 2026, Smoke Daddy is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed September 7, 2026.

Primary source
thesmokedaddy.com ·
Secondary source
Yelp ·

Last verified

What the source shows: The evidence packet's 2026-09-07 site check showed thesmokedaddy.com actively promoting a 2027 event with working online ordering for the Wrigleyville address, and a Yelp listing for that address, updated 2026-09, shows 552 reviews with no closure tag, while Time Out reported the separate original Division Street location's permanent closure on 2026-01-04.

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What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

Food Network's Best Thing I Ever Ate has recognized Smoke Daddy for dishes such as its pulled pork Benedict, part of a Chicago barbecue restaurant that has offered live-music dinner service since 1994. The business's original home on Division Street in Wicker Park closed for good after 31 years; Time Out Chicago reported the location served its final brisket on January 4, 2026. Smoke Daddy continues to operate from its second location, opened in 2018 inside Hotel Zachary in Wrigleyville at 3636 North Clark Street. As of 2026-09-07, the restaurant's own website lists that Wrigleyville address, offers online ordering, and promotes the location's role in 2027 MLB All-Star Game festivities, while a Yelp listing for the same address, updated 2026-09, shows 552 reviews with no closure notice.

Featured on Best Thing I Ever Ate

Season / episode
Season All-Star, Episode 6
Original air date
Not confirmed
Episode title
Brilliant Barbecue
What was featured
pulled pork Benedict and live-fire smoked barbecue
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Smoke Daddy

Frequently asked questions

Is Smoke Daddy still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Smoke Daddy is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed September 7, 2026.

What happened to Smoke Daddy after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

Food Network's Best Thing I Ever Ate has recognized Smoke Daddy for dishes such as its pulled pork Benedict, part of a Chicago barbecue restaurant that has offered live-music dinner service since 1994. As of September 2026, Smoke Daddy is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed September 7, 2026.

Where is Smoke Daddy located?

3636 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60613. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate featured Smoke Daddy?

Season All-Star, Episode 6 of Best Thing I Ever Ate. The episode is titled “Brilliant Barbecue”.

What do reviews say since Best Thing I Ever Ate?

As of 2026-09-07, the restaurant's own website lists that Wrigleyville address, offers online ordering, and promotes the location's role in 2027 MLB All-Star Game festivities, while a Yelp listing for the same address, updated 2026-09, shows 552 reviews with no closure notice. We summarise what dated sources report; we do not publish our own rating.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
3636 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60613
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
thesmokedaddy.com

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Record btiea-0941 · last verified .