Clem Mikeska's Bar-B-Q — Restaurant in Temple

My mother reached out to Clem Mikeska’s Bar-B-Q to address a serious issue regarding the quality of the food we picked up over the weekend. Unfortunately, the meals we received were extremely disappointing — the baked potatoes were old and overcooked, the meat was burnt, and the overall quality was unacceptable. This was especially frustrating because, prior to placing the order, a young male employee assured us that the baked potatoes had just come out of the oven and that everything was fresh. That clearly was not true.

As soon as we got home and discovered the poor condition of the food, both my mother and I attempted to call the restaurant. However, no one answered. It appeared that the phone had been taken off the hook, giving the impression that the staff had intentionally made themselves unavailable, despite the restaurant still being open.

The next day, my mother called again and was finally able to reach someone. She explained the situation and was told that one of the owners would follow up on Tuesday to discuss a refund. Finally, she spoke with Angela Conlan, one of the owners. Unfortunately, Angela approached the conversation with an unprofessional and dismissive attitude from the very beginning. Her tone made it clear she believed we were just trying to get free food or avoid paying — which was absolutely not the case.

We had every intention of returning the food that same night, had someone simply answered the phone. We kept all the inedible food in its original containers and even documented the condition with photos and videos. My mother even sent Angela pictures via text to show the poor quality. Despite this, Angela refused to offer any real resolution. She repeatedly stated she would “send a check” but wouldn’t explain why we couldn’t simply pick up a refund in person.

Angela continued to be rude and uncooperative throughout the conversation, even though my mother remained calm and respectful. Eventually, my mother told her to keep the money — not because it wasn’t important, but because we were so disappointed by both the food and the treatment we received. She told Angela that if the restaurant needed the money that badly, they could keep it — along with their substandard food.

Our family has been loyal to Clem Mikeska’s for years. We’ve supported the restaurant and regularly recommended it to others. But after this experience, we can no longer support a business that shows such disregard for its customers. We will not be returning, and we will no longer be recommending Clem Mikeska’s to friends, family, or anyone in...

I dont know who is posting the 5 star reviews or what theyre getting out of it but Im here to tell you that this is not a 5 star place. I have been to 5 star places. This isnt it. I went there about 6 years ago or so and it was terrible. Everything tasted like cedar chips or liquid smoke. Look it up if you need an explanation, in essence its a flavoring. The tables were greasy and I remember that the tea was watered down. Almost like I ordered it and they just poured some tap water into a half full pitcher.

Well time moved on and I kinda forgot this place existed. About 2 months ago I had a friend come in from out of town and we ended up there because he liked the name. I hadnt been there in a long time so I said nothing. Ive been to bad places that had a turn around and was hoping that this would be a success story.

Nope. For starters I want to say that the problems of this place are the food. I havent had a problem with staff. Seating is a bit crowded. It somehow always seems to be full. Guess these people have never had actual BBQ before. I understand that this place has been around for like 100 years or whatever but I dont think theyve ever actually smoked or Bar-B-Qued anything in their lives.

The food was flavored with liquid smoke and salt. Thats all. A greasy, red, hot, peppery, goo. Expensive meats that were turned into sloppy red trash flavored with fu@#^ing liquid smoke. I swear to God, stop that. Liquid smoke is for people that dont have access to a smoker. On the sign out front it says clearly "Pit Bar-B-Que". Go there and see for yourself that at best theyre just grilling or oven baking and then dousing with Liquid Smoke and salt then grilling for a few minutes to give the impression of actual Bar-B-Que.

I know a place in Austin, its a small Bar-B-Que place. A real one. The guy opens at noon and stays open until hes sold out. The food is absolutely amazing. Hes there at 8 or so every morning and hes throwing meat on the grill all day long until 2. Thats when he sells everything and he told me hes usually off by 4 or 6 and cleans up. Thats a real grill. Napkins on long tables, seasoning on grilled soft meats, tasty sausage links served with beans and a tortilla.

Clem Mikeska's brand of Bar-B-Que is like what a robot would make you if you programmed Bar-B-Que into a computer and had it cook for you. I dont like it. Im giving 2 stars because the service has always been good and this time my tea tasted great. Progress I suppose, baby...

starting this off by mentioning i have been a server/bartender for almost 15 years, so my frustration about my visit comes with the understanding of how the service industry works & knowing the bare minimum of what to expect at any restaurant.

this was our first time visiting Clems, & we will never be back. when we got sat, our server was very nice! she got our drinks & our order quickly. we waited for "fresh rolls," which came out slightly warm, but very hard. we waited almost 20 minutes (not an exaggeration) for our food, which isn't a huge deal if they had been busy, but we were one of the four tables in the restaurant, & the only ones who had ordered at that time (as everyone else already had their meals). the food came out barely room temperature. my partner decided to eat hers, but i called over the server to ask if they could warm mine up. when the server brought the warmed up plate out, the brisket was 75% fat. i started to try & piece together a bite, & decided to try my Mac & cheese, which was also cold - not even room temperature, the cheese was hard, the noodles were hard, it was all a mess. we sat for over 10 minutes, watching our server sit on her phone, or talk to other servers, not once did she come to check on our meals, ask if we needed drink refills, nothing. at this point, i was annoyed & after waiting for her to look over, i asked to speak to a manager. after sending out a very young kid, i expressed my issues with our meal, he apologized, discounted our meal & ran our card. the manager (who's name i assume is Miguel? not because he told me, but because that's the name on the receipt) barely made eye contact, was picking at his nails, & acted as if he couldn't be bothered. when he brought the receipt, he didn't even give us a pen to sign &/or tip (which i would have, being a server, i never leave $0, even when the food/server isn't great, but i understand the food not being warm was not her fault, so i still would have left at least 15%), so we left.

overall, the service is mid, the food (even after being warmed up) was not good, & the overall experience was such a let down. i come from a small town, where supporting small businesses matter, but the server (who never told us her name) & manager here just did not give that type of experience. i understand bad days happen, but this restaurant seems to not care about their customers or their food quality. i would not recommend going here, & will...