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    JL Smokehouse

    4.5 (444 reviews)
    Closed 10:30 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    JL Smokehouse Photos

    Business Info

    JL SMOKEHOUSE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Divey
    Casual
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - JL Smokehouse

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    It's not fast food
    Kyle B.

    This was the highlight of my travel to PHX. Came from seeing Mark Weins(YouTuber) visit. The food was delicious. And I got a chance to meet and speak with JL. Just a really nice, down to earth, conversational gentleman. I ate the restaurant which was comfy and simple. Slow when I got there. But business quickly jumped I will most certainly return!!

    Tonisha C.

    A solid bbq spot. The service was great. The dining/waiting area was clean. They do have music playing in the background but it's not so loud that you can't easily converse with others around you. The wait time to receive our order wasn't too long. The meats were well seasoned with the brisket being a little on the spicy side. The BBQ sauce was not great, too much vinegar not enough flavor.

    Pulled pork, spareribs, brisket, bologna, mac 'n cheese, beans, roll
    Dan L.

    I'm traveling from our if town and decided to stop here for lunch. It was just okay. The staff was great. Five stars for them. Brisket was fine. Ribs were fine. Pulled pork was fine. Smoked bologna was pretty good. Beans were subpar. Mac 'n cheese was really bad. BBQ sauce was horrible. Way too runny! It came out like water! With the exception of when I make my own, I haven't had smoked bologna in a really long time, so I was stoked to see it as an option. All the restaurants in Oklahoma have it. If somebody told me they were traveling to Phoenix and wanted a barbecue recommendation, I would not send them here. Not bad, but definitely not worth the recommendation.

    Food galore the Slugger Pit Master Picks so fun to try it all
    Krissy H.

    The experience there was truly delightful. Surprisingly, the cornbread stole my heart, even as someone who usually isn't drawn to it. It arrives looking like a pancake, but the flavor is incredible! While the barbecue was good, I found myself slightly disappointed. No regrets, though--I plan to elevate my mac & cheese by adding green chilies for that extra kick when I get home. The potato salad had a sweetness that wasn't quite my preference, but don't get me wrong still good and home made as for the coleslaw was refreshing, especially when mixed with the barbecue sauce. We indulged in a feast of six meats--perhaps too much for just the two of us--but we're excited to transform the leftovers into amazing tacos. After seeing it featured on the news, we drove an hour to experience this gem, and it was well worth it. This place has earned a spot on my list of go to spots. While not a typical date night spot, hints it is a BBQ place and not much to look at again don't get me wrong its fine but it's perfect for takeout; imagine a lovely picnic or a fun backyard gathering. A day by the river with this delicious food would be truly fabulous. as for the service could not ask for a better service they were super sweet .

    This place stepped above and beyond once more food is absolutely excellent and made to eat. Service was incredible as normal
    Richard E.

    Service was great. Food is unbelievable once again ready to eat thank you guys very much for your great service.

    Beans, pulled pork sandwich, mac & cheese barbecue sauce

    BBQ Parking behind the building. The inside is like a traditional BBQ joint. You order at the counter. This review is solely for the items I ordered and I have not sampled any of the other food. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich and a side of beans and macaroni and cheese. First, let me say the sides are probably enough for two people so bring a friend and maybe each order one side and split them. My meal with a can of soda was just under $25. This style of barbecue appears to me to be more of almost like a North Carolina or vinegar based style with a little mix of spicy. It's definitely a spicy or style of barbecue than something sweet like a baby Rays or other store-bought barbecue sauce you're probably used to eating. Their sauce is thinner and has a pretty good taste and spice to it. The beans have good flavor and are also somewhat spicy so maybe buy yourself a second drink because you'll be drinking it. The mac & cheese was of the right consistency that mac & cheese should be. It was not runny. It had decent flavor and was even tastier when I put some of the barbecue sauce on it. Let's get to the pulled pork sandwich. The portions were fine. It came on a nice fresh bun, but as opposed to being pulled pork, it looked like more like chopped up pork, and to be honest it did not have an overly smoky taste. It was moist and you could tell it was barbecue and not like a pork chop, but it just didn't have enough smoked flavor for me. Some of the bark even tasted almost crispy, like a pork rind. Slathered in sauce it went down fine, but I'm not gonna lie, I was really missing that smoky flavor and a good bark that you typically get from well done barbecue. I'll definitely go back and try some of their other meats and see if they are any different. I'm going to have to take off one star just for the lack of smoke flavor because after all it is barbecue, but all in all my sandwich was decent but not the best I've ever had. I would've taken off half a star for the price because I don't think a lunch should cost almost $25 especially when I know how much pork shoulder costs, but since the sides really were enough for two people, they'll keep their half a star. Give it a try but go in knowing it is not gonna be sticky sweet barbecue. It's going to be more of a vinegar base style of barbecue.

    Brisket bbq taco
    Kalyn C.

    This was our first time trying JL Smokehouse and we had a fabulous experience. All of the food was delicious, and we got lucky and even met JL himself, his wife, and Dee who were all super sweet. They cook from the heart and it shows in the flavor of the food! We got the brisket, pulled pork and ribs, as well as Mac n cheese, bbq beans and a bbq brisket taco. All were yummy but the brisket was our fav - such a yummy flavor in the seasoning and perfectly tender. Food 10/10 Customer Service 10/10 We are excited to come back and try more of their menu, including their sandwiches and more tacos for lunch. We luckily live nearby. Happy to say we finally found a delicious arizona bbq place!

    Menu on 4/9/24
    Jeff B.

    I ordered online for pick up. It said 30 mins. I got two Whippersnapper lunches, no frills. The dude at the counter was effervescent and friendly. Sadly, when I arrived 30 mins later, he told me they were out of collards. I switched to coleslaw but they were out. How about baked beans? Out. It sounded like the cook needed to arrive sooner. As I waited for my order, he told others that they were out of wings and smoked sausage. They better knock me out with the food on this one. My order was ready on time. I checked the order before leaving and everything was fine this time. In all it came to $37.90, which was about right for BBQ. JL BBQ is wearing me down with the restrictions: first it was the hours; now the availability of menu items so what's next?

    Pulled Pork Loaded Baked
    Danita W.

    My daughter and I visited her today and purchases the brisket sandwich with fries and pulled pork loaded baked potato and collard greens. The food was delicious and great flavors. The brisket was moist and well seasoned. The fries were lightly battered given a crunchy texture and the loaded potato was amazing! The collards were ok lack seasoning but added some brisket and seasoning made it better. Overall, great customer service who provided recommendations for sandwiches.

    Heavy Hitter 5 meats!
    Brie O.

    We flew in from Seattle and I was craving bbq. I'm from Texas and if you know you know Texas bbq is the BEST! As soon as we got off of the plane we headed to eat. And there is no better place to be go than an off the grid restaurant to get the flavor of the city. We arrived at JL Smokehouse and we were greeted with the smell of brisket. We ordered the Heavy Hitter. 5 meats and 3 sides. Brisket Ribs Chicken Cut ribs Pulled pork Baked beans Potato salad Coleslaw Meat was tender and nicely seasoned and char in the meat. The potato salad was the best side to me. Nicely seasoned soft but firm potatoes. Coleslaw had a nice vinegar kick in the back of the mouth. Nice and crunchy. Baked beans sweet and a little spicy. Just right. We did not try any dessert we were stuffed from the food. The heavy hitter is enough for 3-4 people. We never finished it all. This was a great experience. Awesome R&B music playing. Staff were extremely friendly and patient.

    Inside
    Mike H.

    Look folks, Phoenix is turning into a BBQ Mecca. JL is the diamond in the rough you have been searching for. The service is with courtesy and love of what is being done. The young lady at the counter is a delight. I watched her work her a$$ off and with a smile. You don't pay her enough JL Food, A+ brisket- moist and tender, great cut. Ribs- great bite, good Q. Chicken thighs, well smoked and skin charred just right. The pork belly had what tasted like a bit of cinnamon in the dusting. This made it a bit irresistible to me. The flavor was super interesting with the rich belly. Hot links had the right bite. Sides weee great too but I am being long winded. Suffice to say... hit up JL. It a bit of good que, it takes your mind off the heat.

    My Brisket

    The food was amazing and service was great too. Definitely coming back! Huge portions

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    4 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    2 months ago

    BBQ is incredible and absolutely good. Flavorful. Moist and tender. Service made feel like I was home.

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    5 months ago

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    James L.

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    2 years ago

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    James L.

    Thank you. We look forward to seeing you soon.

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    2 years ago

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    James L.

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    2 years ago

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    James L.

    Thank you, Danita, for your feedback.

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    10 months ago

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    James L.

    Thank you Brie...

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    James L.

    Thank you, Mike, for your feedback.

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    James L.

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    James L.

    Thank you for the feedback. We really appreciate the love

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    2 years ago

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    5 months ago

    JL Smokehouse is totally LEGIT!! Amazing food and amazing flavor!! A definite return customer. Keeping them on my catering list.

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    2 years ago

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    James L.

    Thank you, Morris, for your feedback..

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    James L.

    Thank you, June , for letting others know about JL Smokehouse

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    James L.

    Thank you Norm....

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    3 years ago

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    James L.

    Great feedback. It is very helpful, and this is how our team grow.

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    5 years ago

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    Thank you, Myshell, for your feedback...

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    JL Smokehouse Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - JL Smokehouse

    Are your meats gluten free? (no soy sauce etc)?

    Yes

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    Southern Fried

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    Great food at decent prices. The manager told me they will be closing at the end of the month, so…read morethat's sad.

    If it weren't for Yelp I probably wouldn't have discovered this little place, even though I drive…read moreby it daily to get home. Tucked back in a small building, just off Southern Avenue, you'll find Southern Fried. It is a small little walk in store front, so plan ahead to order out. We went ahead and ordered online to make things simple and easy. As shown on their building and advertised they show they serve Jamaican food so I was pretty let down when I looked at the menu to discover they do not have any Jamaican food. Seeing pictures of previous Yelp reviews of jerk chicken and oxtail left me bummed. We ended up ordering the fried okra, fried mushrooms, the 2 fish and 5 shrimp combo, along with the fried catfish and fries. We took our food to go and headed home, just around the corner. Once opening the containers i instantly got excited about the mushrooms. Anyone that knows me knows i am mushroom obsessed. With a quick dip in the ranch that came with and popping one into my mouth.... Yummmm! The okra was a bit of a miss. It seems they were still a bit slimy. Moving along to our main courses, I was disappointed to find that our fish was packed on top of our fries and the fries were very limp, soggy and unseasoned. I think packing the takeout differently could easily eliminate this issue. The catfish and shrimp were seasoned to perfection. They both had a perfect blend of spice and a light and crispy batter. I would love to see Jamaican food on the menu, as the advertising is a bit deceptive. Overall I would definitely be willing to try them again and would love to give one of their burgers a taste test.

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    4.1
    (90 reviews)
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    Gwan Gwan! This was my third time eating here, and every visit has been a great experience. The…read morefirst two times I ordered the jerk chicken plate with rice and peas and cabbage, and both times the food was outstanding. Yesterday, I decided to try the Rasta Pasta for the first time, and it did not disappoint. The flavor was excellent, the presentation was on point, and the service was top-notch. Even though we were dining during peak hours, our food arrived in a reasonable amount of time. Overall, a great experience with delicious food and excellent customer service. Highly recommend, and I'll definitely be back again very soon! The only thing I'd mention is the music volume. I love reggae music, so I definitely appreciate the vibe, but turning it down just a little would make it easier to enjoy conversation while dining in. I also think it would be fire if you hosted some reggae or dancehall events after restaurant hours for the community. . RESPECT!

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