Up in Smoke BBQ restaurant opens in Czech Village

A barbecue vendor has opened up a brick-and-mortar location in the Czech Village as the Cedar Rapids historic district continues to rapidly evolve with new restaurants.

Up in Smoke BBQ, which sold its food as a mobile vendor and out of restaurants like Old Neighborhood Pub for most of 2021, has set up shop in the space formerly occupied by Anvil Meat Market & Deli, 92 16th Ave. SW. It has been serving carryout orders behind the building since late February. Soon, Up in Smoke will be open for dine-in.

Regular items on the menu include pulled pork, brisket, macaroni and cheese, and coleslaw. Up in Smoke also offers a novel approach to a barbecue staple: mini cornbread loaves with habanero berry jam.

The restaurant reminded customers via social media last week that it would be temporarily closed that week for construction to make steps toward dine-in service.

The closure of Anvil Meat Market & Deli in September 2021, after holding the space in the Czech Village for over a year, was thought to be the end of a meat tradition at the address for more than 130 years. But it seems that tradition will continue in a slightly different format.

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