J's Smokehouse BBQ — Restaurant in Papillion

I really wanted to like this place, I saw that it was highly rated, and it was in a part of town that I don't visit often, so I was excited to stop in. The restaurant was busy, which was a good sign. However, I think my expectations were too high, as it was mainly downhill from there.

The lady at the counter that took my order was very nice. I ordered the brisket sandwich and the mac and cheese. Normally it looks like they brew iced tea, but the container was empty, so I chose to go without a drink. The sandwich is $12 and the mac and cheese is $4. After tax and 4% credit card fee, the total was over $18, so with a drink it would have been over $20. It always frustrates me when there is a fee to pay with card, why not offer a small cash discount instead? Obviously a lot of people eat here, so the high prices don't seem to be negatively impacting business.

The brisket was chopped for the sandwich, not sliced. I hate it when BBQ joints chop their brisket; sliced brisket is so much better! Apparently, I could have asked for the brisket to be sliced after reading another reviewer that was similarly disappointed; I would have saved the money and bought a pulled pork sandwich had I known it was chopped. The meat was served on a normal sized good quality bun, it seemed like about 4 ounces of meat to me. 4 ounces of meat was very disappointing for a $12 sandwich that doesn't come with any sides. There are 2 BBQ sauces, one in a red bottle, one in a clear bottle. I was not sure which was which, as the sauces are unmarked, but the sauces were pretty good, definitely a tangy, thinner, Texas-style BBQ sauce. The mac and cheese was quite good, my only complaint was it was only warm and not hot.

I will say I saw someone walk by with the ribs, and they looked amazing. I think I would order those if I come back. But I would not come back for a small sandwich lunch that is...

Our first visit was OK. Need a better greeting from the workers when they see new people come in and not really know what to do or how to proceed. Just call out and say welcome… if you’re looking for food come here and if you want to go to the bar, go there… But instead, everybody pretty much ignored us until we walked up to the counter to ask if we order there. Anyway, the place is small, there are lots of seats, and everything we ordered was available that day. I ordered one of each side because everything was available and it was our first visit so we wanted to try multiple things. I ordered the brisket sandwich with fries, my son ordered the brisket sandwich with a medium potato salad and my husband ordered the double smash burger with a side of street corn. The street corn comes off the cob. They have a variety of burgers, but it doesn’t show on the menu that we had at the table. It may have been on the board, but I didn’t notice. The brisket sandwich came with three huge slices of brisket on a brioche bun… Amazing! Of the sides we ordered, the fries were a bit dry/overcooked. Not really a fan. The potato salad was also not to our liking. It had a vinegar taste to it. My husband absolutely loved their coleslaw. I loved the mac & cheese and my husband loved the street corn. The beans were also very good. The Smashburger was amazing! I had ordered a single Smashburger to go, and it really was very good! Definitely give this place a try. And make sure you visit on Lincoln Road… as there was a previous location that is still listed....

There's not much about J's that I can say that probably hasn't already been said....

....but I'll at least give it a shot. I'll start off by saying I'm not a Barbecue and smoked meat expert. My focus is generally steaks and fine dining. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a nice slab of ribs every now and then J's has quickly built an incredible reputation in Omaha as one of the best (if not THE best) BBQ joint in the city. I was a bit skeptical going in, but I can say without a doubt that they've exceeded my expectations.

The service sizes were extremely generous - this entire set of grub had me out the door for less than 70 bucks after a tip. The meal was all cooked to perfection, tender, juicy, and extremely flavorful. All the descriptive words you could ever wish to hear at a place like this The baked beans were incredible, and probably some of the best I've tried recently, and the Mac N Cheese tasted great. The house BBQ sauce was simple and delicious - no need for 10 different kinds to try. The one was perfect (although there was a spicy option available too).

Service was typical for a barbecue place - order at the window, grab your drink, seat yourself, and everyone working was great.

In all, I would 100% return. Does J's take the crown for #1 in the city? You'll have to...