Fat Jacks Barbecue — Restaurant in Monona

Friendly staff. One of the highlights of this restaurant used be that they offered all-you-can-eat chicken on sunday nights, ribs/chicken Tuesday/Thursdays, and ribs on Wednesday nights. There was no all-you-can-eat chicken special tonight, and it seems like it will not be available; there is usually a sign that advertises their all-you-can-eat specials, but not anymore. The sides were great, but the chicken was dry and the the chicken skin needed more effort to tear through than a fruit rollup.

It's still an ok place, but the atmosphere is a little weird right now. They want the customers to order at the counter now, so I guess it's technically not a sit-down restaurant in that regard, yet the employees try to work hard customer-service-wise, as if it's a sit down, so are we supposed to provide tips? It's a very confusing environment at the moment. It feels like they wanna run it like a Culver's but have their customers pay tips as well? I mean the only service you provide is bringing us the food. We pay for our food in advanced, like fast-food restaurants. We have to get our own refills, our own drinks. I don't mean to complain, the staff was very friendly and courteous, but from looking at how little ppl there were tonight from 530-630, i assume other regulars are kinda disappointed with some of the changes that have been made. I'll probably come here at least once more, but if it's still the same format and if the food is mediocre again, ...

1/16/2019 I'm not gonna waste food. What you should do is if you know your chicken is dry, you shouldn't even try to serve it to your customers hoping they'll just happily eat it. I'm not 100% upset at the change, but if you know your food isn't up to par or it's getting dry cuz you're not getting enough of them served out, don't make the paying customers suffer. I'm not gonna make you guys lose more money by returning the chicken for a hopefully, fresher batch bc it's very obvious you need to save as much money as possible at the moment. I do wish you guys the best. Please change your online so it's not advertising your restaurant as an...

I stopped by the evening of 2/9/2016 for dinner. This was the 3rd time I've been there, and definitely won't be the last.

First, a little on overall impressions and atmosphere. They have the place decorated with some pretty fun decor. It's nothing like Ella's Deli (which I find to be quite frightening), but they have a soapbox car hung by the door, and other fun and interesting items covering the walls. As another reviewer commented, the age range of the crowd there is typically 35+. The waitress was younger (late teens/early 20's?) but I'm not sure why age enters into the equation anyway. Moving on...

It was a cold winter night, and I was pleasantly surprised with how warm the restaurant was. There were lots of good menu options. My top picks were the Beef Dinner, Cajun Catfish, or the nightly special, All-You-Can-Eat Ribs & Chicken Combo for $13.95. I ended up going with the special. I was a bit nervous to go with an 'All-You-Can-Eat' special, as sometimes they're better described as an 'All-You-Care-To-Eat' meals, but I'm happy to say that isn't the case.

The ribs were great, and the chicken was also great. Smoky flavor infused throughout both. Rib meat was tender and fell right off the bone. They had BBQ sauce bottles on the table, but the smoky and slightly sweet flavor of the ribs required no added sauce. Similarly, the chicken was moist and tender. The side items, which included cole slaw, baked beans, garlic bread, and fries (in the shape of potato wedges) were also great. The price is a bit high, but for the quantity of food received, there's no question about it being a good value.

Some other reviewers commented on the age range of the attendees, salad bar, or health considerations of dining at Fat Jack's. If these are concerns for you, get yourself to Cosi, Panera, McDonald's, or Starbuck's - wherever makes your conscience feel fuzzy. If you want a great meal, get yourself...

The service food and atmosphere are all excellent. Folks this is honest food served with integrity. What does that mean? They smoke their meats in a pit and serve fresh food made on site. I ordered the pork platter for lunch and added a side of beans. Well arranged and ample pork with a nice smoke ring and good bark. There are two sauces to chose from hot and mild both nice. The cole slaw is homemade on site. The baked beans were awesome.The french fries crispy on the outside and creamy and hot on the inside WOW. My waitress was friendly and fast and the food all arrived hot including the garlic toast. I went back the next day and had the beef sandwich for lunch (I was in Madison for business) the sandwich again outstanding. I see reviews on this and other sites by foodies or so called foodies. They think their job is to show the place off in its worst light. Now I have had bbq in St Louis, Maggie Valley and Memphis and I would say the best was Maggie Valley but Fat Jack's is good BBQ and make no mistake about it these people care about the dinner and the diner. If more places were like this I would be thrilled. I spoke with Sue (an owner) and it is obvious they love what they do. So love it or hate it that's fine but It is a good honest value (lunch for eight bucks) and food that is tasty and well prepared with care. I gave Fat Jack's five stars and they deserve every...