we went in on a Tuesday for lunch. it's off season, so no one else there but us. Kobe was our server. he did a great job. I ordered the daily special, the hot pork sandwich. it was delicious. husband got the french dip, which was my second choice. I got to try a light of his. it was good, but mine was better. A got a cheese pizza. it was big. she enjoyed it and had some for lunch the next day. overall a great experience. read more

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We are working in Spencer and wanted some wings. The reviews had me and my foreman tempted to not go, we went anyway cause it wasn't far, ended up getting the special and it was no joke the best supper I've had in a long time for an incredible amount of food for $12.99. Don't let the reviews steer you away, it was amazing. We will be returning. read more

Great food and service. We used carry out. Food was hot and fresh and plentiful. Order was prepared quickly as it was late in evening. We eat there every time we are in Okoboji. read more

We walked in and no one seated us for about 10minutes so we assumed we were supposed to seat ourselves. We approached a table that needed to be cleaned, and a waitress walked by and said give me a minute And I will get that cleaned for you. We got drinks got 3 of us from the bar which took 20 mins even though there were very few people there. The rest of our party arrived and were refused by the bartender stating she would come to the table to take the order. The waitress came by and cleared about 1/4 of the dirty dishes. Then we SAT FOR ANOTHER 1.5 hours with no additional cleaning or service. We were also reprimanded for cleaning the additional dirty dishes off our table after an hour of the waitress not returning. Then it was stated she thought we were the table that had already tabbed out after we had spoken to her TWICE. We left after a total of 2.5 hours with only one round of drinks being served to us and no food order even offered to be taken. This place should be shut down. No semblance whatsoever of service. read more

Service was great but food was subpar. I ordered ribs and wings and the Best thing about the meal was the sauce for the wings. The vibe and space is really cool and laid back. read more

Always good food here. The ribs are very tasty, and they have really good fried cheese curds.

Should have listened to the reviews. This place is God awful. I had the half rack of ribs. They tasted old. The fat was slightly rendered and slimey. Oh get this...our 2 youngest were going to share some food with their sisters since they don't eat much. We read our receipt before paying and realized we were charged $2 for a clean plate so $4. $4 frickin dollars to eat off a clean plate! If we would have known that we would have just let them eat on the table. We questioned our waitress and she said they didn't have a dishwasher. What!? We asked if there was a manager and she said no. She looked 18 and clueless. Do NOT waste your money and put yourself and family at risk by eating at this hole. read more

We had lunch here on a day the beer was half off. Bonus! Tried the Philly cheesesteak and a bbq brisket. Both were delicious! The meat was tender and flavorful. Very casual, the waitress was prompt. Would like to come back and try the ribs sometime, they looked good. read more

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We thought this was going to be a great place to stop for a Saturday dinner, it certainly was not. We sat for 10 minutes without a waitress even greeting us. We then waited another 10 minutes for drinks. And then almost 30 minutes for our food. Trying to flag down anyone to help us was almost a wasted effort. Half way through our meal, two people sat next to us, were greeted immediately, and had their food out within 15 minutes after making a remark to the waitress that the last time they were there it was an awful experience. I guess here it pays to complain... After our meal was finished, we looked around for 15 minutes for our ticket. After getting fed up, we walked to the bar and got our tab from another waitress. After looking it over, we realized that we had been charged for a drink we ordered and then told that they were out of it. After arguing with this new waitress for about 5 minutes they finally gave in after much eye rolling. All in all, if you want good barbecue with good service, don't come here. read more

Disappointed. I want to like it but, no. It's a local eatery and it's a shame. Service sucked. Staff was polite but that's it. A BBQ place that does not put BBQ sauce on their food. My brisket was more like pot roast. It took so long for service. We were 1 of 3 small groups (4) people. 1 group eventually walked out. Is a hard no on recommending. read more

The food is worth 2 stars, but we ordered the sampler and only got two out of the three meats. Sat at the bar and had to listen to the staff complain about customers. It was hard to hear the bartender when we ordered our meal and he had to repeat himself. He actually rolled his eyes at us. Rude. Unfriendly. Not my thing. read more

Went here for Winter Games. They were the only one in town at least practicing Social distancing. The wings were great they also had breakfast options. The bouncers were nice. I'd come here again read more

This is probably one of the worst bars I've ever been to. As we enter, we were welcomed right away. Which was nice. When came time to order... she was quick to interrupt us. My experience personally that was really confusing...was I order BBQ wings. When they came...they were plain wings and a side of bbq. (Which is not what their picture shows.) So, I kindly asked if she could take them back and just toss the wings in bbq to get them evening covered. My response was full of attitude, and all I got was: "No." My friends food was Luke warm, dry ribs, cold beans, and just all around a pretty bad experience. I would recommend choosing another bar in town!! read more

Went here last weekend because it was our 30th class reunion. Ended up here due to the rain before we went boating for the day. For starters they opened up a bit early for us which was very nice and accommodating. Our waitress was attentive and bantered with us. When our food came out most was appetizers. I had cheese curds which were good. You could tell they changed the oil in the am. My friend had quesadillas, another had a burger with a big portion of fries. Everyone liked the food. All in all it was a pleasant experience when the day didnt start off so great with the rain. read more

Thought I would give this place a chance. I ordered the full rack of ribs. They were the toughest ribs I've ever had both my friend and me gave up after eating a few bites. The waitress finally came by and after we complained bout how tough and bad the ribs were she agreed with us me told us to hang on. She brought our bills and stated she knocked them down to half racks. So we got 5 dollars off of ribs that we couldn't even eat. No offer to fix it or get us something else. Nope just a 22 dollar bill for food we couldn't even eat. We will never go back to this place ever again. read more

Food was pretty good and the late night hours are pretty convient. However our server Jenna was extremely rude and I can definitely say that was the worst service I have ever received. Will not go back in that establishment this summer. We didn't get a water until our meal was half way gone, asked to pay before receiving a water or meal, we also asked for a box before leaving and did not recieve one for 10 minutes and ended up leaving with the leftovers in our hands, and Jenna threw silverware at us in a rude manner when we first sat down. read more

Horrible service. Horrible food. Just an all around horrible experience. Them calling their food BBQ is like calling McDonalds fine dining.

Walked in and got welcomed right away! We had to wait a couple minutes but only because they were cleaning our table. Our waiter brought us our drinks right away but had a wait for the food. Waiter was willing to get us ketchup after asking multiple times, so my friend had to walk up and get it herself. Waiter never came back and checked on us and we waited for the check. Overall the food was below average, tasted like it was reheated in the microwave and sat for 10 minutes before coming out. At the beginning I was impressed with the service but at the end I was ready to get out of there. read more

Yep, 20 minutes before bar time. 10 grown adults that would like a beer and bbq as they wait for a ride. Eric the bar manager says no! Not an option because he is angry. Toooo bad for Jakes. Had friends in town and wanted to show them a cool place. Unfortunately due to there horrible bartender lost out on a party of 10. read more

Smokin' Jakes - This eric the manager..horriable! !!! - Barbeque Near Me - Arnolds Park, Iowa

I came here for dinner with my mother and ordered the chicken wrap with mac n cheese as my side dish. The wrap was flavorless, the mac n cheese was made from a cheap box version with the powdered, salty, bright orange, "cheese". I ate half my wrap and 2 bites of the mac n cheese. I took home the rest with no intention of eating it. I cannot fathom how this restaurant stays in business unless you have no taste buds or like being punished. Our waitress was unable to smile but I think she tried at least once. All this is unfortunate as they are located in a prime area across from The Emporium on Broadway. read more

Smokin' Jakes - he outside of a restaurant - Barbeque Near Me - Arnolds Park, Iowa

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We love Smokin' Jakes! We come every year when we are on vacation. They have good food specials every night and domestic beer specials too. Our server, Mel, was so helpful with my baby niece and had such a great sense of humor. We love the ribs and the atmosphere. We will definitely keep coming back. read more

We were in town for the Winter Games, which clearly spikes the attendance in this summer resort town. We waited for about 10 minutes while waitresses and other employees walked by going to their tables until someone finally told us that we could sit anywhere. While we were waiting, I heard the waitress tell her table about their 4-5 food and drink specials for the day. So when our waitress came, I asked about the specials. "We don't have any." "But I heard the other waitress talking about specials" "Nope". Well then. I got the bbq pork sandwich, which was good. It's sliced pork, not pulled, which was different but still good. The problem was that at nearly $10 when it's all said and done, The sandwich is tiny, and comes on a hot dog bun with a small plate of fries. The food might be good, but it's always bad when you leave a place and feel like you didn't get what you paid for. read more

I travel state to state and these are some of the best chicken gizzards I've ever had excellent breading great service and clean restaurant. I could actually chew these read more

The food was decent. Most of us ordered barbecue and everyone seemed pleased with their meals. However, the service was horrible. When we asked the waitress to describe one of the soup specials, she simply repeated the name of the soup incredulously like we were the biggest idiots in the world for not knowing what that was. When we asked her if it had a creamy base or a broth base, she said, "I don't KNOW, I am not the COOK." That was a bad start and it just got worse. She rolled her eyes when we ordered sides, and yelled at one of us for referring to one of the sandwiches by the wrong name when she delivered the food. It was to the point where we were scared to ask any questions for fear of being berated. I will never go back. I am told that the owners are nice people, I hope they read this and realize why their restaurant was almost empty at lunchtime. There are many better places to eat in this town -- you might need to ask around instead of using Yelp just this once because it doesn't seem Yelp has complete listings for Okoboji. read more

Another one I want to give 3.5 stars to. The food actually wasn't bad. If you visit this establishment, don't wast your time with anything but the ribs. We went here with a group of 12, so I'm not sure if it is really fair to judge how poor the service was. It was pretty bad, although my sister was pain in the arse. I just don't think they handle large groups well. Everyone who ordered ribs was happy with their meals, kids and adults. If they didn't order ribs, not the same expience. They weren't fall-off-the-bone good, but were meaty and smokey, better than I was expecting. Tap beers left much to be desired, but they had 1919 on tap, a fun order for the kids. read more

Slow slow slow. No server. Had to go ask for menus and a drink.. once we got it had to wait wait to put an order in. Then took over an hour to receive it on a slow night. read more

Great BBQ ribs! I've always gotten great service, but I know it can get busy, so like all places, when it gets busy it's hard for the staff to keep up. I always try to stop in when I'm passing through. I've probably been there a dozen times in the last 20 years. I'm always greeted with a big smile and a hug! My motto: Always make friends with people (and leave a good tip) you'll always be treated well in return! read more

A friend and I went in to eat last night and the only table open was a large one. There were only two of us but we had been waiting for awhile so we sat at that table. I let the server know that there was only two of us and that if more people wanted to sit at the table they certainly could or that we could wait for a smaller one to open up. She said that we were fine. Not five minutes later the manager came out yelling at us saying that the table was reserved for larger parties and that we needed to leave. I said okay that's fine but why are you being so rude? She began to cuss me out saying that she wasn't being fuc**** rude but if I wanted her to be she could be fuc**** rude. The tables around us looked at her in just as much shock as we did. We ended up leaving. I understand Smokin Jakes probably deals with a lot of drunk people at night and maybe the manager was frustrated but we were sober, we were the ones that offered to go to a smaller table if we needed to, we were never rude even after being cussed out. It's a shame that one person could ruin a restaurant experience like that so badly. read more

It's absolute bogus that this has four stars. The food is absolutely top tier--really tender ribs, good brisket, REAL BUTTER, fresh potato salad, really good buns, and tangy BBQ sauce. The service was a little slow, but I can't complain too much, because the waitress got us aluminum foil instead of a regular leftover box. So go here. read more

My wife and I went there for a beer and had so much fun we stayed for an hour and a half. We did not eat there... But the bartender was fantastic and the decor was retro with lots of antiques. They do serve food till 3 am, witch is fantastic after the bars close. read more

Food was OK but for the price 10.99 for a BBQ pork wrap that was pretty skimpy (a regular sized flour tortilla with a bit of cubed pork and lettuce and cheese). Kids meals 6.99 for a few fries and frozen chicken strips and mini BBQ sandwich. Drink was ice tea when it was refilled was half Sprite. Wouldn't recommend it. read more

The food is pretty okay, pizza great & drummets eh, but it is the beer specials bring us back. The service is poor though, takes a while for them to come and longer to check on refills. read more

Parents beware! Kids meals ONLY come with fries and kids drinks are pricey! This place must survive selling late night cheap beer. Stick with Bob's across the street in Arnold's Park. read more

Wow, horrible! With a party of 7 and almost walked out before we even sat down. The only table available had 6 seats so as we were pulling over a chair to put on the end the waitress acted annoyed and said that they really don't like to put a chair there due to it being a fire hazard...there was still space wide enough for 2 people to fit through! They had a bunch of specialty drinks on the back of the menu with no description and when we asked what was in some of them the waitress kept getting more and more annoyed. 1 person ordered a specialty drink, 2 people ordered beer and the rest just ended up ordering water to avoid her attitude. 10 minutes later, she returned with the specialty drink and all the waters except 1. She said she forgot what kind of beer we ordered (weird since she wrote it down) and that she would be right back with the water. We finally got our beer but we are still waiting on that water (even though she mentioned bringing it at least 2 more times). Next, she basically talked us out of multiple items on the menu saying that she gets chewed out all the time when people order them because they are overpriced for what you get. One friend ended up ordering a 1/4 burger which was just a frozen burger patty cut in half and put on a regular bun...no attempt at all to reshape it into a normal looking burger. Really none of our food was good at all. So I guess our waitress was right about it being overpriced! Finally, we were trying to have a good time and play some fun songs on the jukebox (especially since our food was taking forever) but a ton of hip-hop artists/songs were blocked. When we asked the waitress why, she informed us that her manager immediately gets a headache if he hears those kinds of songs. One of the songs we picked (and paid for) mysteriously cut off about 30 seconds in and skipped to the next song. My family is up at the lake every summer and this time I had brought some friend's up who had never visited before hoping to show them a good time. I was/am honestly embarrassed that i suggested eating here. Never again! read more

Terrible service. Even worse food! It all tasted pre made and reheated in a microwave. Our waitress forgot to give us our salads. So we got them after our meal. read more

Very OKAY. Way overpriced for the food you get. Weird French fries, weird service experience- we were the only people in the restaurant and it took 45 minutes for our food to get out. read more

We had not been to smokin Jake's in a few years, as the service and food got so bad back then. We just went this past Saturday night. Thought we would give it a try. Service was terrible. Completely understaffed for a Saturday night. Our waitress was grumpy as if it were our fault that she was understaffed. Food was not bad but took forever to get.Would not go back to smokin Jake's if you paid me. read more

Average bar food. Good prices, nice people. Working here. A decent experience. Interior could use a bit of an upgrade read more

Went there hoping for ribs but was told that is on the dinner menu and not available for lunch. Ordered the BBQ pork sandwich. No flavor even with sauce and hot sauce. Disappointed. read more

Cam in late night. Made server Eric aware my girlfriend had a dairy allergy. He gave zero shits about anything. The only thing this place has going for it is that it's is open late. If McDonald's os still open I suggest you dine there. read more