Cheesy J's — Restaurant in Clarksville

It is with some measure of disappointment that I visited and write a review for Cheesy J's. Based on their menu and my love of crispy toasty cheesy sandwiches, I had fairly high hopes, despite the fairly mediocre Yelp ratings. But I'm afraid I need to confirm that my hopes were unjustified.

First, some good bits.

The staff was super friendly and helpful, though with an establishment (like this) where you stand in line and order at the counter, staff quality doesn't enter as much into the overall impression of a place as with a sit-down full-service establishment.

As senior citizens, we got a 15% discount, which is a substantially larger discount than we generally see for seniors.

The pickles were pretty good. My wife said that her pickles were the best part of her meal. For me, the pickles and the cream soda were kinda tied for goodness.

The washroom was pretty clean. The eating area was nicely set up and I didn't notice any un-bussed tables (though it appears that diners are expected to bus their own tables, which I did).

And now, the rest.

My wife had The Dip, Wet. First, we were a bit confused that ordering "Wet" meant that they would put the Jus on in the process of constructing the sandwich, rather than providing Jus with the sandwich for dipping. But the staff was happy to provide a container of Jus. She found the sandwich overall to be sufficiently "meh" that she asked me whether I really wanted to take the leftover half sandwich home. I thought that since it wasn't actively bad, I'd go ahead and finish it later.

I had Cheesy Brisket. I thought it was kinda OK, though the meat was not nearly as tender as I expect from a brisket dish. (My first bite, I couldn't fully bite off a piece of the brisket, so the entire slice slid out of the sandwich.) My wife thought that the meat tasted bad. I thought that the taste was OK; it was just that it could have stood some additional cooking time to get tender. Oh, the best part of the sandwich was the crispy cheesy bits around the edge.

Both came with a "taste" or sample of their tomato soup. This was useful, as we both now know that we would not be happy buying the tomato soup. I don't think that it is Campbell's, but I think that the quality of taste is comparable.

My wife had the combo with a side of cole slaw which was not horrible, but she didn't eat very much of it. I had the combo with a side of Mac & Cheese. For me, freezer section Mac & Cheese from Stouffer's is pretty good and I give it a solid 3 stars. And, for me, the Kraft box with the orange powder is a solid 1 star. This was somewhere in between. I had a few bites of it, but it wasn't worth eating or taking home to eat later.

Their drinks are mostly Pepsi products, plus Iced Tea (sweet and non-sweet). I started off with unsweet tea, which I found to taste a bit odd and weak. So I dumped it out and got the cream soda, which was pretty good.

In summary, while Cheesy J's is not actively bad, I don't see myself choosing to return.

P.S. I didn't notice until I got home that the menu they gave me does not have all of their sides listed. Not sure whether anything else might be missing.

P.P.S. I didn't notice until later that I was charged $1.16 for "Advantage Program". Unsure what this is, as I...

Passing by, we took notice of the eye-catching signage directly on the building. Upon arrival, the parking area was busy and felt clustered. Only being able to park in front of the strip mall or three spots on the side with strange bends in the driveway. Inside the restaurant gives a chill, surfer/getaway vibe that is enjoyable. The place is orderly and easy to walk throughout. Looking at the menu, everything was clear and easy to read with very interesting choices that sound great. Unfortunately, at this time, ingredients for items were out of stock limiting choices. Prices were "OK" not terribly outrageous for combo meals that were displayed with each option. We decided to try the bristket with a side of broccoli soup and a "cheesy j" with a side of tomato soup. Both included fountain drinks, and we also ordered honey buns. The drink machine/fountain was out of many flavors, with the others running empty while dispensing. Receiving the food took a few moments, but it is understandable as everything is made to order. Once we got the grub, we noticed that the tomato soup was tasteless and bland. I do not recommend that. The broccoli soup was good, just a bit watered down with no broccoli at all. But again the taste was present and enjoyable. Both sandwiches were decent but I wouldn't order the brisket again, I'd try something different. The desserts were incredible and so very tasty. Cleaning up and leaving, we noticed that the bathrooms were slightly messy, with thin napkins replacing paper towels as the dispenser was out of towels. Overall, I think this place has great potential! Just needs proper management to run it correctly. Everything on the menu is phenomenal on paper. It just needs the ingredients or minor adjustments. Might have caught this place at a rough time, but it's definitely...

Edited Review 06/17/25 I went back today. I got to meet the sweet owner. She is super sweet and very nice. They remade my meal from a few weeks ago when I left my original review. And everything was absolutely perfect. Thank you so much for making it right. The fries were perfect and the grilled cheese was amazing. Thank you so much for making it right. I'm so glad i stopped in again for another try. Just keep in mind when going to eat here the food is made to order and it might take a little bit if they are busy. Definitely recommend giving them a try.

I've been seeing the sign for weeks and couldn't wait to stop in for the food. Today was the day. I ordered a chicken bacon ranch sandwich combo with curly fries to go. I definitely didn't mind the wait due to the food being made to order. The employees were super friendly and helpful with suggestions. My food came out I walk out to my car open the fries to eat them and they were cooked but cold as if they had been sitting for a long time. No worries I still have my sandwich. Due to driving to my next location I didn't even look at the sandwich. Just grabbed it from the box took a bite and tasted burnt bread. The bottom side of the sandwich was burnt and it was so overwhelming that you couldn't taste anything in the middle of the sandwich. I ate that half anyways due to being hungry. But I'm very sad that this experience wasn't how I expected food wise. I am however willing to give them another try at...