Izzy’s Brooklyn Smokehouse
“I'm feeling the tantalizing tastes of the pulled beef now as I write this.”
“I recommend the dinosaur ribs and for dessert the peanut butter pie/mouse thing is great!”
“I had brisket , lamb shank, smoked baked beans, French fries, lemon merengue pie and peanut butter pie.”
Izzy’s Brooklyn Smokehouse
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
4 reviews
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Crown Heights is a magical place. A lot of holiness abounds in this neighborhood. 770 Eastern Parkway may be beis chayeinu b'ruchnius, it may be a spiritual home and source of life to the chasidim of the Rebbe, but Izzy's is the kodesh hakedoshim, the holy of holies of gashmius, material, culinary pleasures and delight.
I finally made it here last week on a very special day. Katsuji Tanabe of Top Chef and Mexikosher fame, was here plating up smoked brisket Filipino tacos. Plus, Izzy had pastrami in the house. I was going to order smoked brisket, but once I saw that glorious pastrami, I knew I had no other choice to order it, and my G-d, was I thrilled I did. The pastrami was simply the best deli I ever had in my entire life. No other way to express it. Better than any delicatessen I ever ate in. I can only imagine what kind of juices would be flowing and what sorts of screams we'd hear if Meg Ryan ate the pastrami here instead of that other place. It was melt in the mouth, fatty, smooth, and like clay in the hand of a master artisan, Sruli masterfully piled the pastrami on a delicious roll with his red cabbage slaw, perfectly crispy house-made pickles, and grainy mustard. I wish I had ordered three of these! I still cannot get the thought out of my mind. Next time Izzy's has pastrami, I plan on ordering at least a pound and also seeing if they have good rye (not that there was anything wrong with the roll, but I'm a purist). I'd run back here every day for that pastrami, I'd spend half my disposable income on it, I'd do cartwheels for it. It's worth an ode and a sonnet.
The Dinosaur rib was great. The bone makes for some laughs, as it does resemble something Fred Flinstone would eat, and the sauce on the table complimented it perfectly. Next time, I would have them give me rib without the bone, as I'd imagine you get more meat for the price that way, and I'd have them cut out an inedible and highly unpleasant membrane that interrupts your eating pleasure. The baked beans were solid.
Desserts are a draw here for sure. You cannot tell they're dairy free and parve, and they taste homemade. I had the peanut butter mousse, and it was as decadent and dreamy as you can imagine. It made for a nice supper, along with half of the rib I couldn't eat and most of the beans. I, and many others there, definitely ordered too much, as our eyes can be bugger than our stomachs. My whole bill came to $110. This place is very expensive, in all honesty, and it is a hole in the wall (not very comfortable to eat in when you're being rushed, hassled, and overwhelmed by the crowds yearning to get in here), but this place is absolute perfection and I'd hurry back to get some pastrami, a rib off the bone and cut up, and some beans and next time, pecan pie. Izzy is a master and we're so incredibly blessed to have this place in our midst.
I've never had smoked food before and decided to try this place. We got here at 10pm and there were only a few people there. We were served within five minutes.
Looking at the menu made my mouth water. What do I try? So many delicious options! So I went with the brisket ($20), which comes with as side of red cabbage slaw and a few half dill pickles. I've never tasted meat that tasty, but it didn't fill me up so I ordered the pulled beef sandwich ($17), which came with slaw on the sandwich. The 'wich itself was very large and bursting with flavor. In fact, we split it into two. The chicken wings ($9) were delicious, and a great option for a side dish. For dessert, I had the lemon marangue pie ($7), which was okay.
Overall, I'd highly recommend Izzy's for anyone looking for food that's way different and unlikely to disappoint. I'd recommend ordering one of each item and sharing, so you each try it all. I wish they offered a chef's tasting plate for this reason.
First I want to say the food is delicious. The place is nicely set up and clean. But I wouldn't come here when it is busy if you want to stay because there is limited seating. The staff is very friendly. When I went to order though they had items missing from their menu. They were out of chicken. They were out of some desserts but had some extra ones that were not on the menu. Since they didn't have chicken the guy there convinced me to order the ribs. The menu said $32 a lb. So I thought it was $32.Then he cut the ribs and weighed it. He charged me $78. I told him I didn't want it. He said he understood. He said have the brisket instead. The brisket is basically the same thing except without the bone for one fourth of the price. Yes you are getting less meat but you also aren't paying for that bone when they weigh it. So I had brisket that came with cole slaw. I also ordered mashed potatoes. My bill totalled $30 and some change. I was happy with that. The only complaint I have about the food is it is pretty cold.. or lukewarm rather. Would have been better hotter. But besides that the flavors are great. Would come back again. They gave me a free caramel cheesecake which I thought was really sweet of them. The customer service here is excellent. Honestly though no milk cheesecake isn't that good. I didn't really like it. It tasted funny.
I'm really glad I put my ego aside and gave Izzys BBQ Smokehouse a second chance, because boy was I wowed.
My husband who didn't solely agree with most of my review the last time I was there took a step back and said he now understands what I mean.
The contrast, the difference, everything was so not comparable. So much that I feel like maybe I wasn't at Izzys last time.
Let's talk about last night.
We were a party of three. We walked in to a pretty full restaurant. Izzys mother so graciously told us that the room next door is empty and we could order at the counter, take a seat there and they'll bring it to us as soon as it's ready.
So that's what we did.
The following is what we ordered and I'll go through each of them.
Smoked Chicken Soup — Wow! Hearty hearty chicken soup. A world of scrumptious and almost homemade flavors combined in this generous serving of chicken soup. Filled with lots of veggies and delicious chicken he really pulls out the stops with this soup. I am a fan.
Pulled Beef Tacos – A total contrast to the previous time I tried these. The tacos were firm, neat and did not fall apart the moment I picked them up. I'm feeling the tantalizing tastes of the pulled beef now as I write this. The perfect amount of pico de galo on top of the softest most divine pulled beef you will ever ever get to taste.
Candied Bacon — Ok, as I wrote on my Instagram post. I wish I was able to fill a bathtub with these and just make love. Really. I've never tried real bacon and I don't think I ever want to. I don't even know why this is not a regular on the menu (Probably because it's not the most simple dish) Crazy! Who knew meat could taste this good? I have definitely found a favorite. Flavors, texture and serving amount was just right. It had this beautiful combination of sticky candy and then smokey/spiced flavors. The sweet and savory combination worked so perfectly. It's a heavenly creation.
Beef Empanadas — Although these are absolutely phenomenal my thoughts are that the meat to dough ratio could use some tweaking. Like less empanadas per order and more meat inside. The meat was very tasty but there was a lot of dough left over half way through.
Smoked Hot Wings — Last time I said I was a fan of these and that hasn't changed. I ordered a serving for the table but fortunately for me I managed to eat them all before anyone else got their hands on it. Yes, I am a monster like that. Ain't nobody gonna mess with a white girls wings. Again, the spicy smoked flavor is what pulls me to this. I dream about eating these in my sleep. They are also not stingy with the chicken these wings come with. You don't immediately bite into bone. You can actually get a decent amount of chicken before kicking the bone to the curb.
1lb Brisket — This is one of the points my husband absolutely agrees with me. The brisket we received last time was nothing, nothing like this. I don't even know what that was. This order was chunks of mouthwatering, moist, juicy and richly smoked beautiful pieces of brisket. We even attempted to order another half pound. Good thing they forgot about it because we had no room in any of our stomachs by the time we were done here.
Half a Chicken — I went back to the pictures I took last time and see the difference openly. What we got this time was worlds away from the chicken we had the previous time.
This chicken was succulent, beautifully smoked and very very appealing to our taste buds. This is a dish I'd order and re-order many more times. Especially as someone who is not a big chicken eater, this actually makes me think chicken ain't that bad.
Smoked Fried Chicken Sandwich — First time ordering this. I wanted a sandwich and asked Izzy what he recommends. He said this one, so we went with it. And I say THANK YOU! This is also not a regular on the menu and I agree with that. The specialty and uniqueness of the sandwich makes you want to beg for more. I ordered it with pickles on the side per someones recommendation and I agree with the pickles and sauce having a bit of a clashing taste. (Although my husband says it screamed I need pickles). Perfect perfect sandwich all around. Oh, I want more. Now.
So, in conclusion, Izzy has a gift. A gift I did not get to see the last time I was there, but last night I saw heaven and God in my dishes and I have yet to see that at another local smokehouse. So Thank you for allowing us to second chance at this amazing establishment so we can see what the real rave and hype is about.
I'll finish it off by saying, thanks to the second room no clothes/coats were sent to the dry cleaners!