Grumpy Jakes BBQ

2 stars only because the food was decent, our server was horrible she acted as if you are disturbing their personal life. our waitress disappeared. i never got a refill only when who looked like the owner appeared did she seem interested in how we were doing. i wont ever return. she had the nerve to ask me if i needed change when i paid!!!
definately open as of 12/​31/​2013

This place is OPEN.
Daughter just sent us pictures of her and her girl friends eating there and said they loved the food.
«Other» review sites have reviews from this month on them.

Grumpy Jake’s is located in Pinetop. Terrible restaurant! Below average food. Grimey walls and floors. Flies! And the waitress tried killing the flies with Fabreze which filled the restaurant with that powerful scent. We couldn’t wait to leave. Skip Grumpy Jake’s.

The bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers are unbelievably delicious, the sweet tea is iced cold and bottomless, the service is friendly and the price is very reasonable. Nom, nom.

While the food was adequate the service was not good. After we ordered we did not see our waitress again, even after the food was delivered by someone else. Ordered fries and couldn’t get a bottle of ketchup to save my life. No more water for us after the initial glass, and we had to take our leftovers up to the cash register to ask for a box. We had been given a gift certificate and was told they weren’t going to honor it since they couldn’t make out the signature at the bottom of the employee that signed it when it was purchased. This desperate grab at my pocketbook has surely eliminated Grumpy Jakes ss a potential spot for dinner for my family. The food was decent, although the fries were cold. Go to Stolen Recipe instead. They have integrity and good food.

The service was friendly and the smoked meats were good… but seriously, it’s hard to mess up smoked ribs and pulled pork. The problem here is too many bbq places worry only about the meat and pay little to no attention to the side dishes, Grumpy Jakes included. Coleslaw is probably the number one side to go with bbq and it is easy and cheap to make, but unfortunately, Jake’s was obviously bought in. (meaning they just bought some crappy coleslaw from some vendor) It was terrible. In fact, all of the side dishes were horrible. Corn bread (another staple side for bbq) was super dry and tasted like it could have been yesterdays leftovers. Beans tasted like they were straight from a can. Sweet potato fries tasted like crappy frozen ones from the grocery store. Regular french fries were obviously frozen too.
If you are an owner reading this, please work on making your sides at least par to your meats.
Also, invest in a few more high chairs. There is nothing worse than going to a restaurant with your family and not having a high chair for your baby to sit in. How am I supposed to eat ribs when I am holding my ten month old baby in my lap? I can’t. It’s impossible.
All that being said, it is still probably one of the better restaurants in the area, but there are some really terrible restaurants there, so… I guess it’s like being the smartest mentally handicapped person in the class…

As a «son of the south» by way of transplantation, I know a few things about BBQ. And as a large mammal with a fondness for BBQ’ed pork products, I know some things about what good BBQ should taste like.
First rule of thumb when ordering a pulled pork sandwich: it should always come with BBQ sauce already on it. This was not the case at Grumpy Jake’s. When my sandwich came to the table, it was dryer than the county in which they make Jack Daniels in Tennessee. This is just not cool.
I found the whole meal, from the BBQ chili bean french fry platter on down to the sandwich was sort of dry, not possessing enough heat, and lacking truly skilled BBQ sauce.
I get it, I’m hard to please. But when I pull over after a hard day of riding my bike at Sunrise, I want my dinner to be as amazing as my day of riding. Just wasn’t the case here. Heck, I didn’t even get the great post BBQ gas that I am used to, which made trying to decimate the ride van on the way home with explosive farts something that didn’t happen. It was a sad day all the way around.

Love the ambiance and informality of the place. Their BBQ is stellar, slowly smoked meats… can’t get better than this. I love this place so much my profile picture is a picture from this place. ORGASMICO

Nothing grumpy about Grumpy Jakes! Super Friendly staff, great food and good prices! We had 10 people so we had a variety of dishes, everything was great. Ribs, chicken, top sirlon, the all you can eat fish… everyone was happy and we were really happy with the bill. We didn’t want to go to Charlie Clark’s because it’s so expensive and has totally gone down hill, the 15 minute drive to Jakes was SO worth it!

I thought I would show this place a little review love since the last several reviews weren’t too stellar. To be honest, after reading the previous reviews, my boyfriend and I decided to go to Stolen Recipe instead of Grumpy Jake’s. However, upon arrival, Stolen Recipe appeared to be closed, so, craving BBQ, we grudgingly headed to Grumpy Jake’s.
Upon entry, the place was pretty busy. Lots of older people and locals (which is usually a good sign around these parts). We were told to seat ourselves and quickly did so in a large comfortable booth. The décor and atmosphere were pretty typical of what you would expect from a small-​town BBQ joint… Lots of western décor and minimal flair. We ordered the Super Sampler, which featured pulled pork, pulled chicken, brisket, and ribs with two sides (squash and garlic mashed potatoes). Everything was delicious! Especially the ribs and the garlic mashed potatoes! The meats were moist, juicy and flavorful, and the sauce comes served on the side. My only suggestion would be that they serve more than one option for sauce– maybe something a little spicier. The existing sauce was nice and sweet though– I enjoyed it. For around $ 16, we got enough food to feed the two of us AND take home some leftovers. Next time, we will have to order some pie for dessert. They looked sooooo good, but we were just too full this time!
All in all (besides the lack of sauce options), this place was very tasty and reasonably priced. I would definitely eat here again.

The brisket and pulled pork sandwiches were solid; good service too.

On a 5 day visit to Show Low; we discovered Jake’s the final night. I wish we had been here earlier in the week; as I would have come back. After poor service and food and OTHER establishments; we found Jake’s to be quite refreshing! The décor was western, rustic and casual; with old gas lanterns, cast iron fry pans and wanted posters for decorations. A bucket of shelled peanuts was on each table with shells on the floor.
Service was superior with the waitress arriving as soon as we sat down. Our order was the sampler platter and baby back ribs. The waitress warned it would be a lot of food. She was correct. The ribs were smoked and very tasty and some of the meatiest baby backs I have ever eaten. The meat fell off the bone. The sampler platter was good; the main entrée being the pulled pork which was very tender. I had a side of Albondigas soup which was home made and quite tasty. Our order was served to us within 5 –10 minutes.
Service was friendly and very efficient. Three employees chatted with us and kept our drink glasses full. Jakes will be the first place I come to on my next White Mountain visit. I’d give it 4 ½ stars if there were ½s.

Being from Phoenix, I know my BBQ… HAHA
It seems like every BBQ joint review starts like that somehow. Well mine does too.
Pros: OPEN, warm, free peanuts, large mason jars of drinks, great staff, cool décor, nice sauces, good sides.
Cons: The pulled pork was a little soggy, BUT i ate it and was happy

Pretty good barbeque! I had «the pig» which was pulled pork. Very moist and tender. Very friendly wait staff, drinks served out of mason jars, cornbread, cole slaw, you cant go wrong here folks!

Went in for BBQ while in area over weekend. Good atmosphere with comp peanuts & comfortable atmosphere. I tried the sampler plate & was very disappointed. Pulled pork was watery and inedible. Chicken was a little better & brisket was okay. Sides of baked beans & cole slaw were average but not great. Maybe it was an off day for the kitchen, but it was not a good effort.

I have been there twice and both times I have ordered the pig (pulled pork). The next time I go there I will probably get the pig also. It is not too much, not too little with the bbq sauce on the side. The cole slaw was awsome. The kids love the apple sauce.

Great, solid BBQ joint. Cozy atmosphere, with some fun signs on the wall, as well as a collection of cast iron frying pans. And a collection of gas lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Peanuts to snack on before you get your meal, prompt service, good selection on the menu. I had the pulled pork BBQ which is served «dry» with no sauce … but to my delight, the server brought a small cast iron skillet of warmed BBQ sauce to the table so I could make the sandwich to my liking. The BBQ sauce had a nice sweet tang to it, and we actually asked for a second helping! I had the BBQ baked beans as a side, and they were good. Moderate pricing … two of us got out of there with a sandwich/​side each and one soda for under $ 20! Well done, Grumpy Jake’s!

I don’t know many Jakes that I actually like. At least this one makes some great food. Exactly the type of place that you want to eat at when you roll through Show Low. The fish fry was superb, the cod was flavorful and mild. The crust seasoned to complement the fish well. The corn on the cob, which is fried and breaded with various seasonings, was the highlight. Ask for extra.

We were craving some BBQ on our way through Show Low to a hike. Not only was the BBQ excellent (hot and mild), but the atmosphere was amazing! Peanuts at every table to crack on the floor, root beer served in mason jars, and an adorable pig on the roof.
Another place with great staff and good food, worth a trip back!

It was my Grandpas birthday and he wanted all you can eat fish. That’s fine by me. I would be more than happy to sample the food offerings of a small town.
This place is a very popular BBQ place out here apparently. My Grandparents said that it wasn’t as busy as normal in there. They said that sometimes you cant even hear each other talk without yelling.
Its a family owned restaurant with family being the waiter, waitresses, hostesses and cooks. Someone walked over and handed their baby over to my Grandma like it was no big deal.
My Grandpa got the All You Can Eat Fish Fry. Cod fish deep fried. It didn’t have a breaded crust. It was more like a light coating of seasoning that gave it a hard crust. The fish was very good and I wished I had ordered it.
My Grandma got the Cowboy Killer. A huge, I mean huge, potato. It was like the size of a mans size 12 foot. Then its piled high with pulled pork and all the fix’ns a normal potato would have. Its giant. Plus its only $ 7.95. It also comes with a side salad.
I had a Pulled Pork Sandwich. Ordinary bun with Pulled Pork piled on. It wasn’t to big just the right amount. It comes with a side of BBQ Sauce to pour on and I got fries on the side.
Their BBQ sauce was missing something. I don’t know what it was but it wasn’t there. It was sweet and very thin. It needed to be thicker. I don’t know if it was their own or store bought.
I was stuffed. I wished I had gotten the fish fry and also the Cole Slaw. I’m love Cole slaw and it has to be just right and this was really good Cole Slaw.
Other than that this place is really good and a small town like Show Low is lucky to have such a great place.