Okay we were just passing through and saw "buffet". Who doesn't like a buffet? So we go in, very small buffet, not our typical choices.. BUTTT my family of 5 ate and LOVED every single thing we ate. My kids ate things they usually wouldn't and actually went back for seconds. It was a little pricy for the small amount of choices but when I tell you not a single thing was left uneaten.. crazy. My daughter needs the recipe for the roast she actually asked me to call and ask for it haha and it's been 2 days since we've eaten there. She's still thinking about it. read more

Mama Jacks Restaurant - The food I didn't take a picture of before I ate because I honestly thought it wasn't going to be great. - American Near Me - Kountze, Texas

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Saturday night seafood buffet. $43 for buffet and lemonade, 1 person. Upon arrival, no salad, cole slaw was dry and flavorless. Fried shrimp, corn on the cob and hush puppies were room temp. Boiled shrimp had no flavor and I doubt they were gulf shrimp. Made a second trip to the buffet and got salad and the only good thing I ate, strawberries. Returned to the table and was finally offered a drink. Not what Jerry and Barbara offered by any means. read more

I love this place always nice and friendly..I like everything I have eaten from him...so I'm not sure what would be my fav..

For a home cooked meal this is the place to go. The buffet is a little on the expensive side.

I visited Mama Jacks this past week for the first (but certainly not last) time, and ordered the buffet. The meaballs and chicken fried steak were great, and there were many other options to choose as well. The rolls were quite good - I'll have to try the cornbread next time. A great place to eat if you're passing through Kountze! read more

I don't know how to even begin this except for years. I have gone to mama Jacks. It has always been great. Not only the food but the service the cleanliness everything. It's under new ownership so tonight at the behest of a friend we went there for the crawfish. They advertise at the crawfish serving at 5 PM. We ordered 5 pounds crawfish at 4:45 Waiting for the 5 PM at 5:50 our crawfish arrived. We were told that they didn't start boiling the water until 5 o'clock in the interim the seafood buffet began so we ate that too. They barbecued crab were so overdone that the meat was sticking to the shells. The meat was over fried to the point that you could even tell that there was meat in them. When I mentioned this to the server, she got the Cook, who came out his name was William who informed me that that's the way barbecue Blue crab were and that I basically didn't know what I was talking about. I could break the pinchers with my thumb and pointer finger. They were so overcooked the gumbo was absolutely tasteless. It had no room in it. It was basically boiled chicken and sausage. I didn't see any like Trinity in it or anything like that. It was Tasteless. We finally got the crawfish and the young server asked how it tasted. How was the seasoning? I said there isn't any so I popped one and I let her try and she looked at me she agreed evidently they kept the crawfish in the water too long. It was mealy, and had zero sneezing whatsoever you could tell that it did not have any onions that it was boiled in. It was boiled in any lemon. I think the rudeness from William just capped everything off, and then when I was talking to the owner, Jenny, who is a super sweet lady, and I felt really bad for having to show her these things. One of the other servers decided that she would just walk up and interrupt our conversation. I asked Jenny I said is everybody on their periods right now? The hush puppies were extremely overcooked and basically burned. I spent $125 on two seafood buffets and 5 pounds of crawfish. We didn't get the potatoes in the corn until 20 minutes after we had already gotten our crawfish. The hamburger that the guy had across the eye from us looked awesome and I wish I would've bought a hamburger and not paid that kind of money for the crap that we did get. I did get a dessert which normally there's cinnamon rolls or chalk full of cinnamon these were raw on the inside. I'm told that they're normal cooks are in Mexico getting their Visa papers redone, but I can tell you I will not be back for a very, very long time. The food sucked Jenny. The honor is just a sweetheart as was her daughter who waited on us, William I could do without absolutely, and whoever the little chunky girl was in the green shirt, she needs to learn some manners. When you dont need pinchers to open the claws because they are over fried something is wrong Place is clean. Great country family style dining read more

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Always friendly and prompt. Ordering off the menu is best for me. Always comes out hot and fresh. The Barbara Fries are the best on earth. This is the place for fresh home made hamburgers. Better than Whataburger! read more

Great food, wonderful service, nice atmosphere and servers. We had burgers and onion rings, they were delicious! Would totally recommend!

Their food is amazing. The waitresses/waiter's are quick to get everything you ordered from them. They always have live music when me and my family go there for a quick dinner on Friday's. read more

This place is great. Seafood buffet was amazing. The crab patties and crabs were wonderful. Plenty of fried catfish and shrimp as well as baked catfish and boiled shrimp. Service was friendly and a great atmosphere. Definitely going back! read more

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I gave the Mama Jacks lunch buffet a try last month and was unimpressed. The fried chicken was great but everything else was a miss. Instant mashed potatoes and powder gravy do not belong on a "southern" smorgasbord. In the spirit of fairness I thought I would give their breakfast buffet a go before reviewing. Unimpressed then became disappointed. Scrambled eggs and hashbrowns were extremely undercooked. I'm not sure how one undercooks packaged eggs but they were slimy and unappealing. The sausage gravy, instant with patty sausage crumbles was bland, utterly unseasoned. The bacon and biscuits were okay, not great. The ultimate disappointment was the coffee. In not sure what kind they use but it is awful, definitely not Community or Folgers. The staff were not friendly and I heard them using foul language (including the F word) when expressing their displeasure with either a coworker or boss, not sure but apparently she is an older person who they find abrasive. read more

Great Food and great service with a cozy country atmosphere whats not to like about mama Jacks?

Super great service here. We were with Ms Crystal who was a GEM! We only had the fried mushrooms which were simple and tasty but not what we expected. They aren't your typical full size mushroom but are more like sliced pieces. They are still very good and the homemade ranch is delicious that comes with it. They just weren't up to my expectations. We also ordered a dozen cinnamon rolls. We had to wait twenty minutes for them to be "made" but when they came out they weren't very warm at all. Nonetheless, they were delicious so don't pass them up. Just take them home and pop in the microwave. I plan to return and hopefully will update my review. read more

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Food was great! Service was awesome. Been eating here for years. The Jackson's set the bar high and looks like the new owners are off to a great start. read more

Breakfast buffet was great. Very affordable prices. Attentive wait staff. Food was hot, fresh and yummy. Great place to eat in a small town.

It's been a number of years since I ate here, but am so glad that I "made the trip". Great food at great prices! The service was wonderful as well! I would highly recommend visiting the place! You won't be sorry!! read more

Delicious breakfast buffet! We were traveling thru and so happy to find this gem! I bought a Mama Jacks TX tee shirt too! read more

Mama Jacks Restaurant - two plates of breakfast food - American Near Me - Kountze, Texas

I am very torn on giving a 3 star it could be rated 2 or 4 stars depending on your taste. I has the seafood buffet ($28) and a couple pounds of crawfish ($8 lb). I had several different items and they were all over the place some were good and some not . My thoughts: fried crab some were great some were over cooked and dry. battered and fried corn on the cob (never in my life seen this) was good. Dirty rice was clumpy, French fries were bad. Fried shrimp had a great batter but some were soggy. Hush puppies were overcooked, fried catfish was good. crawfish etouffee I have no idea what the hell this was supposed to be. Crab patties (spung Bob), boild shrimp was ok but done was soggy, salad bar was fine, peach cobbler was overly sweet, banana pudding was not ver awesome, 4 lb. crawfish came with 1 sausage peice 2 new potatoes, 1 corn. It was good but not great. Solid size to the fish and they came apart nicely, but not spicy it was not bland but definitely needed way more heat. Service was ok. Can i recommend? Not sure, this is one of those places that you love or hate. I think the big draw is the fried crab, but at what point do you get your value of fried crab? read more

Mama Jacks Restaurant - Seafood buffet - American Near Me - Kountze, Texas

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I may be a little a biased but this is a hometown thing! My family enjoys the decor and the food they've been going since they were babies and myself since I was in elementary school. Ms. Barbara always greets us and enjoys going down memory lane! Anytime I go home I usually eat there one of those days. read more

Southern charm meets comfort food at Mama Jacks! I've listened to my mom and stepdad talk about all their trips here for 20 years. Although this was my first visit, I plan on stopping in again soon. I love the patio are but it was closed on my visit. I was surprised to see a buffet and it's the first one I have seen since covid started. It did seem to draw the people and I did notice that it became a seafood buffet as the evening arrived. We ordered off the menu though. We ordered boudain balls as an app. I ordered the chicken fried steak with a baked potato and my husband ordered the chicken fried chicken with baked potato. Our server was super sweet and attentive. We were also checked on frequently by other staff members. Everyone was very friendly! Our food was good and each entree was accompanied by a salad. I didn't eat all my of steak as it was a little too tough for me. I wouldn't order it again. I look forward to ordering a different dish next time around. My hubby really liked his dish. We'll be back next time we are visiting my mom's. We really enjoyed our first experience and look forward to more. read more

Mama Jacks Restaurant - a dinosaur on a table - American Near Me - Kountze, Texas

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Nice breakfast buffet. About 8$. Has pancakes, hash browns, bacon, sausage, fruit, biscuits, gravy. Friendly staff. Conservative leaning- Fox News on the tv. Has balcony on second floor but sadly it's often not open. Clean place. Likely the best breakfast place in the county. Lots of character. Would recommend. Lots of country type food. Chicken Fried Steak read more

Mama Jacks was a great hidden gem. The food was very good. The seafood buffet was huge with BBQ crab. Service staff were friendly. They had a great live band playing, adding to the ambiance. Would stop by again when in the area. read more

Always the BEST!! We love the food and attention. A really good down home place to enjoy in Kountze, Texas.

It's been a good while since I've been in Mama Jack's for their Breakfast Buffet, but I can tell you it's as good as it was the last time I was here and that's been at least 15 years ago or better!!! I used to come here frequently when I lived over here in the East Texas area. I really loved it. I would come over to Kountze and have breakfast here at Mama Jack's because they just had a really great buffet. They have scrambled Eggs, breakfast links, pan sausage, bacon, grits, pancakes, French Toast, Grits, Great Hash Brown's, plain Cream gravy, Sausage Gravy, biscuits, and the have things to go on your eggs such as sliced jalapenos, picante sauce, and other things. I had sweet tea and my wife unsweetened tea. The folks and the wait staff are very friendly and out going. I didn't add that they also have a great lunch buffet daily and the menu items change each day. Some of their lunch includes Chicken fried steak, fried chicken , meat loaf, baked chicken, liver and onions, and other items along with a great list of side vegetables. On Thursday nights they have a seafood buffet that I've heard is really good, but I haven tried it yet. So of your in the area is highly recommend stopping and giving them a try. The food is really good here!!! read more

Mama Jacks Restaurant - Breakfast off of the Buffet - American Near Me - Kountze, Texas

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Very good buffet. Is.so liked the live band. it was worth the 40 mile drive. I will be back with my group

Just average food. Nice atmosphere and seating. They have a weekend seafood buffet but it very pricey.

Mama Jacks is your quintessential small town restaurant. You can get everything from breakfast, to lunch and seafood on Fridays. I walked in at 9:45am on a Saturday. I was treated like family and was told that I may sit anywhere I like. I had the breakfast buffet it was very good. I will look forward to having the seafood buffet on a Friday. A tip, at 11:00am the buffet changes from breakfast to lunch. read more

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Great food at even better prices! All buffets are well worth it and they also have a great selection on their menu.

I called to ask about the food, and if they had any awards or what the food was they served, to pay for a meal for a US Vet & Wife, I was told vague info and talked to a MGR, (they said) then I called back to see if I could pay over the phone for their meal, I spoke to a lady named Barbara (said she was the owner) and was cursed at by asking was I the SOB that just called? I said I just called, but doubt I would be paying for a meal there! read more

Our son did not like anthing on the buffet, so ordered off menu. His order never came. Server was just walking around doing absolutely nothing instead of making sure our child had his order. read more

Excellent home style buffet cooking including a dessert bar. Kind and friendly staff.

Friday night at Mama Jacks in Kountze, TX. Doesn't get much better than that. Okay, let's start with, you're in the middle of the Big Thicket in a town called Kountze. What do you expect? Well, there's Mama Jacks and what a treat! The Big Thicket Band was rocking it, and they have a Friday night (?) Seafood Special - $24.95 for all you can eat. Check out the photos - everyone had plates topped with crab, which is a sight to see. Unfortunately, I can't eat shrimp/crab/crawfish - BUT I did get a steak 12 oz for $13. Not bad. The waitstaff were unobtrusive but attentive. All of the locals seem to eat here, maybe because there's not many tourists passing through in late June. It was a great stop for us! read more

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My grandparents and I went here recently. I think they liked the food more than I did, but I thought that it was just mediocre. What we do agree on is that the food hurt all of our stomachs. I wasn't throwing up or anything, but I did feel quite nauseous afterwards. I will say that I had their food a few years ago at a murder mystery dinner at the Kirby Hill House and it was amazing! I guess their catering is better than their everyday food. read more

I stopped in with my 9 year old son on the way to a hike and bike trip. The food was good and the staff is friendly. This place may even be a five star but we just got burger and blt. Some of the other plates looked awesome and buffet looked good too. We just were not too hungry when we stopped in. read more

Mama Jacks Restaurant - BLT cross section. Lots of bacon! - American Near Me - Kountze, Texas

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We love this place! Owners Jerry & Barbara Jackson are AWESOME folks! Food is GREAT & wait staff nice & know their job! read more

Food was great, service terrible. Our server, Brittney, who was extremely rude, made our experience very unpleasant. Me and my friends were very excited to try this restaurant out for the first time. She rolled her eyes at me for asking for a different dressing and threw her arms because WE ASKED HER FOR JALAPEÑOS which was supposed to already come in the burger. Which it did NOT. She had a negative attitude the entire time she was serving us. read more

Wednesday lunch buffet was outstanding. Meatloaf and sole with crawfish sauce were the stars!

The service was excellent. The little elderly lady was very nice and made sure that all my needs were met. I ordered the catfish dinner, the fillets were very thin and the batter on them just didn't hit the spot. I'm sure the buffet would have been a better choice. read more

Amazing food, great service, and very clean. We had the lunch buffet. Their food is home-cooking good. Rolls and desserts are all homemade (not store bought). Great little place to stop and get a quick bite to eat. read more

First time, and I will definitely be back! Around $20 for 2 sodas, and 2 breakfast buffets, and I am sold on this not so hidden gem! I have heard great things about Mama Jack's for years now, and I can't believe Ive waited so long to finally check it out. This is an adorable quaint restaurant, with ample seating for the crowd, and friendly staff. Their buffet offers something for everyone from pastries, to fruit, meat, desserts, and all the usual breakfast suspects. I've heard great things about the lunch buffet, so I'll have more to add once I've dabbled in those dark arts as well! read more