This place has the perfect steak that I like. I don't mine paying the price because I know I will get great food. I have been here over a dozen times and never disappointed. Everyone is nice and service is good. It's hard to find a good restaurant up here but at least I found one. read more

Had dinner here tonight. Very cute place with nice decor, however the table and the booth were not clean. We asked our waitress how big was the brisket platter she said she has to ask and went away. 10 minutes later we had to send a search party. We ended up ordering a brisket platter with fries, cornbread and coleslaw. When the food arrived we were surprised to see the way the brisket was sliced, however, it was very tender and in combination with their BBQ sauce it was rather good. Fries and coleslaw were meh. For dessert we got an apple cobbler. She warned us that it will take 10 minutes to prepare. The cobbler however was pretty disappointing. The dough was ether made with salty butter or a bunch of salt was added to it by mistake. I doubt I will ever go back. read more

See all

I've been coming yo Grumpy Jakes for 20 years, and that was at their first location. The truly REAL thing I can say is, in 20 years when thinking about the food and service, the two words that comes to mind are: CONSISTENCY and EXCELLENCE! And all done in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Such a pleasure eating here! read more

Service good. Beer cold. Food was underwhelming and overpriced. I'd love to know how many first time customers ever return. Party of 2 both ordered fish on a Friday. You can get a better fish fry just about anywhere else. No need to ever go back. Sorry! read more

We love Grumpy Jake's the food is always wonderful. The service Is always friendly and food comes out fast. Never a upcharge for extra dressing or sauce. This is one of our to go to places when we are up for the summer. read more

Grumpy Jake's BBQ - Pulled pork and pulled chicken sandwiches . Both delicious. - Barbeque Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

Grumpy Jake's has the absolute best barbecue, and they never fail to give us a great meal! Went there for a birthday meal, attentive service, comfortable booth and tables. read more

Grumpy Jake's BBQ - Brisket sandwich with onion rings and applesauce - Barbeque Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

See all

Labor Day 2025 my mom and I came up here for some barbecue. I had the Pulled Pork Sandwich w/ Cowboy Fries and a hot link on the side (I haven't had one of those in so long!) along with some serious horseradish and a little bit of mom's coleslaw. She took some of my fries, too, so it's ok- lol! 5/5 stars! read more

See all

I don't get why all the low reviews, ordered here for the first time ever, yes the pictures don't do justice to their food, the ribs are tender, the brisket are okay, not dry like the pictures on yelp would suggest. The pepper with cream cheese wrapped in bacon was heavenly when dipped in their ranch sauce, oh and they have the best bbq green beans I ever tasted in any place, period! This will be my frequent place when I visit eastern AZ every time. I also love their extensive menu, it's not just a bbq diner, they also server all the classics, even fried chicken and regular steaks if that's what you want. The only negative I can say about this place isn't their food, when I went into the diner, their lights were very dim, and it was flickering once in a while, would do them good if they decide to upgrade their lighting inside the diner some day. read more

Another great meal at Grumpy Jake's. Love the bbq sauce. The service was top notch to. read more

Grumpy Jake's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

See all

We have been living here for three years and grimy Jake's is my go to place !!! I always get ribs and chicken and hot links ! Very good flavor and I love the bbq sauce warm just like they serve it ,big boot of my favorite ice cold cali squeeze so good , pies are phenomenal! The severs are so nice and attentive ! All negative reviews could be ignored especially the petty ones . It's a great hole in the wall and neat inside . read more

In town for our anniversary, my wife and I decided to have some bbq. We arrived at Jake's and were greeted and seated immediately. After looking over the menu, and since we'd never been here before, we decided to have the bbq sampler. I also ordered a soft drink and it was served in a large mason jar which was nice. They were decorating for Christmas and the dining room was clean. However, when the food was served, it looked overcooked, dry and had little flavor or aroma. The meats lacked that smoky bbq flavor and seasoning you could expect from a bbq joint. The sides (onion rings and mashed potatoes with gravy) were bland and needed salt and seasoning. Overall we had a disappointing meal, despite good service and a pleasant atmosphere. We won't return next time we're here. read more

If I could do 10 stars, I would. Fantastic menu options - sandwiches, salads, dinners, bbq, burgers, chicken...a little of everything. We got the brisket sandwich and meatloaf plate. Holy yummy!!!! Everything was absolutely perfect. The bbq is the best I've ever had (and I lived in the South!). The brisket and meatloaf were so tender you could cut it with your fork. Amazing and delicious. Everyone who worked there was super friendly, too. We'll definitely be back. And with friends! Thanks for a nice lunch! read more

Service and ambience were excellent. BUT... The price they had for their food was definitely NOT worth it. It was $17.99 for their chicken fried steak and let me tell you, it was definitely not worth that price. The only redeeming factor of their food was their pies. They serve great pies. Overall, you pay a lot of $$$ for mediocre food. But def try their pies though. Those are the only ones worth eating. read more

Food was awful and expensive. Terrible BBQ. The brisket had NO smoke ring. It actually seemed like it had been baked in the oven. Sides also subpar. I know it's Pinetop so I don't expect Phoenix quality but this was awful - and I hate leaving bad reviews of local businesses. read more

Popped in here for dinner as it wasn't far from where we were staying and bbq sounded good. The place was bright and clean and we were greeted right away upon entering. Service was fast and friendly and we had our food quickly. We both got The Pig, the pulled pork sandwich, and we shared the homemade chips and fries. The sandwich had a soft fluffy bun, the pork was juicy and tender, and the bbq sauce was rich, sweet, and smoky. The homemade chips had good crisp though not much flavor on their own and they weren't greasy. They were phenomenal when dipped in bbq sauce though. The fries were seasoned and cooked to perfection. They didn't need anything but I dipped mine in bbq sauce because it just took them over the top. For dessert we got the banana pie and the brownie ala mode. The banana pie honestly tasted like a banana laffy taffy so if you don't like that flavor I wouldn't order it. The brownie was warm and flavored and of the two was our favorite. If you're looking for a good bbq spot that's fast, friendly, and clean this is a great spot. read more

See all

Came up for 4th of July weekend and this was my 3rd option for various reasons. Maybe it was my fault for not getting BBQ at a place that had BBQ in the name, but pot roast sounded so good. Pot roast is typically a dish where all the ingredients are slow cooked together in a pot so the flavors can blend into the meat and veggies. What I was served was some slices of roast beef smothered in gravy (I do love gravy though), canned vegetables with decent mashed potatoes. So disappointed. The corn muffin was good though. Despite the disappointing dish, the service was good and staff was very friendly. The inside of the restaurant itself was clean and welcoming. read more

Grumpy Jake's BBQ - Pot Roast - Barbeque Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

This place was cute. A few questionable signs in the front but that's what kind a town this is. Food was good, service was great. A few folks continuously checked up on us. I even took home a slice of pie. We'll be back next time we're in town... I did notice an extra charge on the bottom of my ticket... $6.38. Maybe it's the pie. It doesn't say, so I don't know. read more

See all

The food is old and not fresh. The service is awful. The prices are outrageous and the owners are awful people. I complain and one of the owners came out and barely spoke English and told me that I was crazy and wrong about how I felt about my service in my boo. I got a barbecue pulled pork sandwich. The bread was stale. The pork was very old and dry, and it took nearly 40 minutes for me to get a pulled pork sandwich with fries I would avoid this place at all costs. read more

I am sad to give this place an average review because the staff were nice and I love to support small local businesses; however, the BBQ was very average. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give them a solid 5. Perhaps other items on the menu are better; however, since I only tried the BBQ pulled pork, I can only comment on that. read more

An okay local restaurant that has slightly below average BBQ (as far as brisket). Not really worth visiting for BBQ but perhaps for other menu items. Salad (spouse review) - A legit 5 star - BOOM-huge, fresh, tasty! See the photo! One of the best salads she's had anywhere (and she usually gets salads). We will be back because she liked the salad so much. I helped her eat much of it - Chicken was excellent flavor! Brisket sandwich/fries - below avg. I'd say about a 1 to 2 and honestly, I've had better at gas stations. Sandwich was just meat and bread and it needed all the help it could get (see photos). Meat wasn't terrible but just okay. Bun was some cheap type bun from Walmart toasted but semi soggy. Joe's BBQ in KC (rated top place to eat before you die - Anthony Bourdain) puts a dollop of BBQ sauce, provolone cheese and 2 Onion Rings on their brisket sandwich (the Z-man) and it's on a kaiser role. Joe's brisket sandwich could be served just meat/bread and be great but not this place - no way. I know Joe's in Kansas City is top of the mark in the country (look it up on Yelp and compare a photo of Joe's Z-man brisket sandwich to this)... you will see a very sad comparison. Seriously- if your reading this check it out because if your ever in KC you will be going here. I'm actually sorry to have ti be harsh (such nice/clean place w/ good service)... but I have to honest to my fellow BBQ lovers. This might actually be below avg for a gas station. As I think about it, Quick Trip gas station back in Phoenix beats this for less than 1/2 the price. This place has no business serving this (with fries) for $13.00. Although the fries were okay (served hot) this place should not have "BBQ" in their restaurant name. Service 5! Cleanliness 5! This place seems very WELL managed.... BBQ dishes all need to be replaced on the menu though with other items they can do better with (based on the brisket). They are not even close to acceptable on BBQ. As a general restaurant- I give it a 3.0. As a BBQ joint, a 1-2. Admittedly I am a BBQ snob but this was pretty weak by anyones standards. Do not visit this for the BBQ or you will be disappointed... but try other things on the menu. Based on the dinner salad/cleanliness/Service - it was not a total bust and worth trying (just pass in the Q). I am rating a 3 overall based on the positives. read more

See all

Great menu & the quality of food is tops.I like the whole atmosphere & service is fast.Actually taking friends tonight for their first time.

Service was above and beyond. Quality of food was less than desirable. My half chicken was very dry, unusual for a BBQ smoke house. Price for the meal was very high, seems the norm for Show Low. read more

Everything about this little diner is perfect! The staff was kind, reliable, and very welcoming. The food was absolutely delicious. We ordered fried pickles (spears), fried zucchini, brisket, pulled pork sandwiches, and the pot pie and everything was so good! Good portion sizes, delicious bbq sauce, and their sweet tea was almost as good as you can find down South! Will be returning when I'm in town again! read more

Grumpy Jake's BBQ - Pot pie - Barbeque Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

See all

We were so excited and appreciative that the Christmas decorations were still up the day after New Years!! It is so pretty, and you just feel the love put into their efforts to make the atmosphere special for the holidays! Bummer that we missed the Christmas music like we enjoyed last year, but I get it since Christmas passed. We are from out of town but visit often. This is one of our favorite places to eat in Show Low. They do a great job of delivering tasty and MOIST meats! My favorite meat is their brisket! I don't like "moist" brisket, nor do I like "lean" brisket available at most restaurants. Moist is too fatty and lean is too dry. They nail it every time!! It is a combo of moist and lean!! Never too fatty and never dry, in fact it is moist without the excessive fat! All of us enjoyed our meals and talked about returning next time we visit the area! We always leave happy. It is a nice and clean atmosphere. Prices are fair, food is good, and service is also good! I will say that I am not a fan of the cornbread. I think it lacks flavor and moisture. I mix corn, or even creamed corn, green chilis and a bit of cheese in my corn bread, so it doesn't measure up to mine. LOL! Everything else about this restaurant is very enjoyable!! read more

Absolutely love Grumpy Jake's! The staff is always very friendly and the food is awesome. My wife had the Pulled Pork Sandwich and I had a Sampler. We didn't quite finish, so we took the rest home, with some extra of their great BBQ Sauce. read more

1st visit on a Monday night and a post-MTB bike ride beer (turned into a dinner). I was the only one in the back bar area, and they were fine with that..great, friendly service. The pulled pork sandwich was really good with a fresh (soft) bun with a glass decanter of bar-b-q sauce, always a bonus. My wife joined me and loved the brisket dinner. We'll be back! read more

My husband and I came back for some more BBQ. He ordered The Pig pulled pork sandwich with fries and I got the Jake's Brisket and Ribs plate with garlic mash potatoes and green beans. We've been here before and I distinctly remember it being much better. The green beans were so good! The cornbread was SUPER DRY and the garlic butter was cold on hot potatoes, and the meat was fine, but not something I'd rave about. But the service was quick and the staff is so nice. Anyway, it wasn't good enough for us to go back. read more

I received a very good meal! I have not eaten at Grumpy Jakes for many years, so I tried it again last night by getting the sampler to go. Everything (except the cornbread) was very good to exceptional. The ribs were perfectly done with just the right seasoning and the meat fell off the bones. I am usually not a brisket fan, but this was not fatty, the meat was moist, and it just fell apart. The chicken and pork were good, and their BBQ sauce was not too sweet yet very flavorful. I really, really liked their cowboy beans and the coleslaw was tasty but could have used a little more flavor. The only part of the food that was not really good was the dry, crumbly cornbread. Good job!! read more

The best chicken pot pie ever! They also have delicious pie all homemade. The waitress was so friendly and attentive.

As I came back at another time to give it a try, I think the chicken that they're using for a fried chicken is a Cornish hen because that's about the size of what you're getting now. So there's absolutely no meat and it was like two thighs and a wing and a leg and there was absolutely hardly any meat on it. So they need to step it up with the chicken. read more

I give Grumpys a 5 for bustling service from the whole staff. Huge portions for home cooking. And the best iced tea. Got two slices of pie to go. read more

This visit was during the covid-19 pandemic. 4.6/5 stars Luis greeted us as we entered-though starring at the pies in the glass counter had our attention for a minute! We were planning on taking the food to go but we were the only ones on our side of the restaurant so we sat down. The menu had a big variety of BBQ and favorites. We chose the pot roast and chicken fried steak both with mashed potatoes. One had a side of veggies and the other a side of mac & cheese. Staff wear masks and sanitize tables, seats and menus between customers. We saw them sanitizing menus and cleaning. The entrees were really good. It was hot and delicious. The chicken fried steak was crispy and the pot roast tender. The potatoes were very dry without the gravy. The mac & cheese was only warm so we didn't even taste it-I was planning to take home anyway so will try tomorrow when heated. The staff were really great...and the reason I rounded up to 5 stars. Luis was very nice and gave great service. We would definitely come back and I recommend Grumpy Jakes! read more

Grumpy Jake's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

It's been awhile since I have eaten here. Usually one of my favorites but did not enjoy my dinner last night. I ordered the pot roast which I've had before, however, the pot roast I was served was not home made. I hate to say it but it tasted like a frozen dinner, even the brown gravy tasted like a packaged one. So disappointing and is not worth $15.99. I do not recommend the pot roast. read more

We found Grumpy Jake's as a result of a Yelp search and reading other reviews. After we sampled their fair, we were very upset that we did not discover this gem sooner! We make frequent trips up to Pinetop and just now discovered them. We were HOPING for the Pasta House, but once again, found them closed or open outside of our schedule. And the Pasta House was closed for Easter weekend. I mean WHAT PLACE that serves the public takes this holiday off?? So mad, we looked for an option. After reading enough positives, we decided to try Grumpy Jake's. They had so many options, we could not resist, so we ordered WAY TOO MUCH and it was an expensive bill. And OMG did we get what we paid for!!! And so much that we are still eating it at home in San Tan Valley! We got the Family Platter for an appetizer. OH MY GOD! EVERYTHING on that appetizer was awesome! The fried zucchini was absolutely fabulous! The fried okra, chicken strips, wings, chips and the cowboy fries were fabulous! It was hard to stop eating this and I had more to go. I got the Jake's Super BBQ Sampler and my wife just got the 1/2 rack of Pork Ribs. There was so much left over that we were able to make 3 meals out of this and it was STILL hard to eat it all. The ribs were absolutely what I would want them to be. The sauce provided on the side is better than anything I have experienced! I would gladly drive up to Pinetop from San Tan Valley just to pick up an order. When we go back up in July, to Nutrioso, we are diverting to go through Pinetop to pick up Grumpy Jake supplies!! =D I only got take out, but the people there were friendly and treated my order like it was the most important order they had that day. And they did not mess anything up at all. For that alone I give at least 4 stars. The magnificence of the food? 6 stars!!! Try it! And don't wait so long like we did! =D read more

See all

very poor and slow service. servers would not wait on us and once order was taken, it took over an hour. Wait staff allowed other customers to laugh at us and were very disrespectful. do not recommend at all. will not go back. read more

Great service and food! It was a really peaceful and fun atmosphere! Very cute restaurant! Waitress and cooks were so nice and attentive! read more

Grumpy Jake's BBQ - Brisket nachos - Barbeque Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

Food was great and the service perfect. We took our grandson and he really enjoyed the ribs and French fries.

Wow! Definitely some great flavor! We shared the Big BBQ Plate to leave room for pie and I'm glad we did. The meat was cooked very well and to soft. The rib meat fell off the bones! The corn bread was its own version delicious with a very subtle but super enjoyable jalapeño taste. The pies are homemade and the coconut cream was good! I did leave wanting the Mrs. Piggy pie special and the coconut cream was good, but kinda boring in the sense that there wasn't anything exciting or special about it. It didn't scratch the itch when expecting coconut cream. Considering we got to try for type of meat with our plate, it was all so, so very good! Definitely making a good choice with any of them. read more

Well, I only want owners of restaurants in Pinetop to heed this message. I for one want and expect Best Service, Best Quality, Best Cleanliness. When we go out to eat its not a necessity its a want and a desire and an adventure. With this said Grumpy Jakes did not deliver. They failed miserably unfortunately! I ordered a Char Broiled Burger with Swiss cheese, Fries and a side of Beans. I received a reheated Char-Broiled Burger, wilted lettuce, wilted low quality tomato, and a wilted slice of onion. Fries were warmed not freshly deep fried with fry crumbs on the bottom an wilted greasy on top. My side of beans were barely warm, acidic watery horrible tasting beans. My wife ordered a Pulled chicken BBQ sandwich, coleslaw and a BBQ sauce cruet. So not really a BBQ anything really was dry and Bun was Walmart Bun warmed. It should have been a Brioche lightly toasted bun. While waiting for this gourmet experience my wife went to the restroom. I won't get graphic, but it was a standing room only experience. An unbelievable disaster. To top off the whole experience we left no Tip except for this, "Do the Right thing because it's the Right Thing to do!" Or close and go home! read more

The French dip was a tiny product with absolutely NO FLAVOR. The barbeque beans were out of a can. Paid my bill and went to Sonic burger. This place was like a low grade coffee shop. read more