Jack's BBQ is a staple Washington chain known for their Central Texas-style BBQ. They have…read morelocations in South Lake Union (SLU), SODO, Columbia Tower, Bellevue/Redmond, Algona, Lakewood, and Federal Way. I have been to both their SLU and SODO locations. Their claim to fame is that "BBQ Sauce isn't needed - the meat is amazingly delicious!" However, they always provide BBQ sauce at the table and sell bottles of their BBQ sauce to take home, so not entirely sure how much they believe in their saying...
On my most recent visit to the SLU location, a large group of co-workers and I went out for a celebratory occasion and ordered the:
- SMOKED SWEET TEA ($4.50) - smoked brown sugar, simple syrup, and iced tea. This also comes as a cocktail with vodka ($14.50). This drink was honestly just alright and I probably wouldn't get it again personally. It had a slightly savory and smoky after taste, but kind of tasted like you just put a few drops of liquid smoke in the drink.
- BUTTERMILK HUSHPUPPIES ($9) - golden brown and piping hot (like literally straight out of the fryer!) served with tartar sauce and honey butter. While they were super fresh and hot hot hot, they were a bit too dense for my preference. It was worth a try, but I would just stick with the regular buttermilk cornbread instead.
- LONESTAR FRIES LOADED WITH QUESO AND BEEF BACON ($14.50) - french fries coated in velveta cheese with crumbles of bacon on top. One of my co-workers wanted to give this a try, so wasn't my choice or pick, but this appetizer was also pretty rich and dense. I also would not order this again as I found it too salty.
- PICNIC ($98 - enough for four or more people to share!) - brisket, ribs, sausage, pulled pork, chicken, white bread, homemade pickles, jalapeños, and four sides. For sides, we chose the REMOULADE COLESLAW, BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD, QUESO MAC N CHEESE, and SWEET CORN PUDDING. Because there were 8+ of us, we upgraded the side sizes to 12-oz for $8, as part of the picnic deal. We additionally got a side of WAGYU BRISKET (a Wednesday-only special).
- BRISKET/ WAGYU BRISKET - tasty, but surprisingly was on the drier side. I don't know if I really could tell the difference between the Wagyu and their normal brisket. I was expecting a much more moist piece of meat, but seemed kind of lean.
- RIBS - these were my favorite in the basket. Sweet, juicy, and falls right off the bone!
- SAUSAGE - they give you two types to try - spicy and cheese-filled. The spicy has jalapeño in it and definitely has a small kick. The cheese-filled is mild and slightly saltier.
- PULLED PORK - also on the saltier side, but at least it's relatively moist and pre-shredded.
- CHICKEN - mostly dark meat (which is my preference), but can't say there's really anything special about their marinade. Nothing to write home about here.
- REMOULADE COLESLAW - your standard shredded cabbage coated in a sweet and slightly peppery and tangy mayonaise dressing. No complaints here.
- BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD - this side is an ABSOLUTE MUST. My co-workers and I were blown away by how good the cornbread was here. It comes with a dollop (more like a scoop) of butter drizzled with honey, but even on it's own, it was absolutely amazing. It was crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, like a good cake.
- QUESO MAC N CHEESE - This side was evidently rich, but less rich than the Lonestar fries. It was creamy, savory, and came with a sprinkle of breadcrumbs on top. I liked that they used spiral macaroni as opposed to your typical half tube macaroni as it gave more texture and chew to the dish.
- SWEET CORN PUDDING - I thought I would've liked this one more, but similar to the hush puppies, this dish was also too dense for my liking. However, it was a nice and sweet complement to the mostly savory dishes otherwise.
**TLDR- for mains sides (as I've basically tried them all at both locations), I would recommend the ribs, buttermilk cornbread, remoulade coleslaw, Gramma's collard greens, and mustardy potato salad.**
For dessert, we ordered one of everything off the menu and honestly, dessert was 10/10!:
- PEACH COBBLER & ICE CREAM FOR TWO ($12) - this cobbler was fantastic. It was moist, gooey, and had the perfect amount of sweetness. It was served warm and the ice cream just melted right into it!
- PECAN PIE -1996 TEXAS STATE FAIR CHAMP, ALA MODE ($9.50) - this pie was fantastic too. It was sticky, chewy, buttery, and everything a good pecan pie should be. No wonder it was a prize-winning dessert!
- BANANA PUDDING WITH NILLA WAFERS ($6.50) - this pudding was creamy, rich, and full of bananas and whipped cream with strong notes of vanilla. The nilla wafers offered a nice crunch and love how they crumbled some on top of the pudding too!
Service was wonderful and we got our food within 20 minutes after ordering. The atmosphere is casual and family-friendly.
Overall: 4/5 for food, 4/5 for service, 4/5 for atmosphere