Smokin' Jakes — Restaurant in Arnolds Park

I love BBQ and have had BBQ all over the Midwest. Most BBQ restaurants fall into one of two categories, good or great. Smokin Jakes was the exception! We were slightly suspect upon arrival when we noticed we were the only customers in the joint under the age of 75 but thought we would give it a shot.

I wanted to try the ribs but after witnessing the elderly lady sitting at the table adjacent to mine nawing on some dried up pork jerky on a bone I decided I should try something else. I ended up getting the roast platter consisting of roasted turkey pork and beef. My wife must have seen the ol' lady working on the ribs as well because she passed on the BBQ all together and ordered a BLT.

It didn't take long to get the food and it looked okay at first glance. Unfortunately I went right for the roasted turkey before the smell of it had a chance to make it to my nose. Upon arrival to my mouth my nose cought up and both worked in unison as an slightly sour over cooked leftover taste instantly flooded my senses. I should have stopped there but in trying to find a redeaming part of the meal I pressed on. The pork smelled just as bad so I spared myself from the taste test. The beef smelled ok so I gave it a try. Very fatty but edible although very bland. The BBQ sauce had a real funk to it as well and the baked beans were kinda dry but edible.

My wife said the tomatoes on the BLT were almost rotten gross. She also had a cup of chicken noodle soup that was ok. My kid said his chicken strips were ok so take that for what it's worth... All in all I would not recommend this place to anyone and you couldn't pay me to go back. Do yourself a favor and choose one of the many other great restaurants in the area and leave Smokin Jakes for the walking dead void of taste buds that apparently keep the place...

We had a hankering for some BBQ tonight and one of the shop owners at the Emporium recommended Smokin’ Jakes, so we gave it a shot. The three of us had our dog with us so we got takeout. Let’s break down the good and the bad with some good ole pros and cons as to why this is an only a 3-Star Review.

The good (pros): Tasty French Dip with a good amount of beef, cheese, and flavor. Solid salad with a variety of greens, fresh bell peppers, broccoli, and homemade ranch. Although though, a little salty, the baked beans were very tasty and full of flavor. Very good potato salad. Almost as good as we make at home. The meat was tender and juicy.

The bad (cons) Make sure when you order to go that you check your boxes for order accuracy. We ordered three meat sampler, got back to our hotel and it was missing the pork the turkey. When we returned the brisket, because we are honest folks, they gave us a smaller portion of BBQ sauce and almost shorted us the baked beans. Also, when they provided us the remake with all three meats, they loaded us up with brisket fat this time (see photo) and made me instantly regret my honesty returning the incorrect order. No good deed goes unpunished. Overall, there is no real smoke flavor on the turkey, brisket, or sliced pork. Heck, that chain around the country with a similar name to Infamous Dan’s has much more of a smoked flavor on Smokin’ Jakes meats. Maybe I was expecting too much with the name of this...

We visited Smokin' Jake's last night with our two teenage kids. We thought the place was cute enough with its antique decor. However upon a closer look, it was just disgusting: moldy ceiling tiles and completely gross bathrooms. The guys ordered a burger and patty melt versions of their smoked meats; their sandwiches were all good enough. I ordered a chicken Philly and was completely surprised when a chicken breast sandwich arrived. I told the server that this wasn't what I had ordered, and she proceeded to argue with me, stating that I had ordered a chicken filet. After some persuasion, she took the sandwich back to the kitchen. What returned was the same chicken breast with a slice of cheese, some undercooked green peppers and onions on the same soggy burger bun. We again commented that this was NOT a chicken Philly, to which the server replied, "that's how we make them here." We opened the menu and pointed out the description, which was nothing like the sandwich I was given, and then asked to speak with a manager. This server informed us that she WAS the manager on duty. We finally had to resort to flat-out refusal to pay for the sandwich because it wasn't what I ordered and it was not prepared as described. The server/manager was completely rude through the entire dispute. We will absolutely not return and will advise others not to stop there when visiting the...