The moment you walk through the front doors of Smokey John’s Bar-B-Que and Home Cooking on West Mockingbird Lane, you’re hit with the glorious smell of wood-smoked meats and the sight of smiling employees eager to get customers through the cafeteria line and fed well.
Both the food and culture at this family-run restaurant near Love Field trace back to its founder, “Smokey” John Reaves. Though the local barbecue legend passed away in 2019, his legacy endures through every rib, slice of brisket, scoop of mac n cheese, and spoonful of banana pudding.
His sons and the restaurant’s co-owners, Brent and Juan Reaves, have big plans to celebrate their dad and the loyal fanbase that’s made Smokey John’s a lunchtime tradition for thousands of hungry people each week.
Prior to the restaurant’s founding in 1976, their dad smoked meats for the pure pleasure of the craft. When people started asking if they could buy his meats, he realized that his backyard hobby might actually be a viable business. Young Juan, however, didn’t quite understand what it meant to start a business from scratch. Even after his dad first took him to the vacant building at Lemmon Avenue and Mockingbird Lane, that would become the restaurant’s first location…