Jenkins Quality Barbecue - Downtown

I use to come here a lot as a kid. My mom was excited to have some since we were back in town. I came on a Monday afternoon around 2 o'clock tried to go inside, but it seems as if the inside is closed. So the only option was drive-through but someone did end up coming out to take our order, which was really helpful, we ended up getting a snack pack that came with two sides. The two sides that we got were potato salad and baked beans. They don't seem to have any vegetables. I was so disappointed because, the chicken was so dry, hard and most importantly cold. And the baked beans are really sweet, but they do taste good. But I just can't do the overly sweet stuff no more. We bought some sauce and that might be the only thing I ever buy from here again.

Honestly, I've only tried this once. But even what I have was nothing to write home about. The bbq was definitely flavorless in comparison to other bbq I've had. They do rely on their sauce, which I'll admit is good. But I also ordered fries and it was a mixture of old and new ones with absolutely no sort of salt or seasoning on them. Staff also did not seem super friendly or helpful. The sign is confusing as there are no time slots about their offerings considering was informed that there are only things available at certain times of day.

In full transparency, I'm vegetarian so my rating does not reflect their mostly meat menu. However, I did taste their hottest BBQ sauce and it was pretty dang good (I'd score that a 5). I'm sure if you put that on anything, it will taste good! I also had their corn nuggets, which were cold, even having them as soon as we got our order. I thought it was a very small serving size for the price. Back to my 3-star rating. There were a number of things that definitely need attention as a food service establishment. First thing you notice when you walk in is the door. It seems like it has shifted so it hits the tile floor and opens only about a third of the way. (Not accessible and not very welcoming at all as it makes a loud scraping sound). The other door entrance/exit door is locked shut for some reason.The outdoor patio is great since there's limited seating inside, but there were dead cockroaches out there that should have been taken care of prior to opening (we went here soon after their opening time on a Saturday morning). The menu seems very simple as it's all listed by item on a board by the cashier. For a newcomer, however, it was a bit hard to decide without photos or descriptions. I looked to yelp for help on this. I know this is a Jax original and a go-to for many folks for decades so I'm sure the simple pleasantries are unimportant to some, but definitely very notable for new visitors. Bottom line: their sauces are worth trying if you haven't!

Jenkins has been around for a very long time and rightfully so. Jenkins is VERY famous for their bbq sauce and I have family that always ask to bring them sauce whenever I visit. I go to this particular location because it's close to my job for lunch. I usually get the half chicken with a side. The food normally comes out fairly quick and is reasonablly priced. They also have a drive thru if you dont want to go inside the restaurant. They do have a small area for you to sit down and enjoy your meal. All in all, theres a reason why Jenkins is a staple in the community ans has been around for as long as I can remember

I'm a vegetarian now but I think I would eat meat if I could go back to Jenkins. That sauce is delicious, especially the hot one. You know the food is good if the ribs are laid on white bread and doused with hot sauce and wrapped in essentially a paper bag. They are my first stop in Jacksonville every time I go. I'm thankful that this black owned business has weathered the decades so very well. The chicken is good too but go for the ribs. Expect a long wait; perfection takes time. You can probably order ahead now. And it's so well worth it if you like little fat and some crunch ask for an end cut of the ribs. I usually get a sandwich or a slab. I can't even tell you what the sides are because they don't even matter. Don't forget to buy a bottle of sauce, but it won't be the same when you make it at home. At least they sell the sauce in a bottle now; now back in the day it used to be that you had to bring your own container. lol I've been coming here since I was a little girl. It's so good that my (adult) kids talk about it...feels like home.I there is no ambience though; plan to take your food and go home to lick your fingers and suck the bones in peace.

Ordered the mustard based bbq sauce online and made some pork. Pretty tasty. Though the ordering site needs some help it took some time to get it to work. It didn't like firefox and it definitely didn't like my phone so it took a while. My next order will need to be in person since it cost as much to ship as the product. So it will be a while before I get more unless my friend is on her way North!

I came here on a Sunday almost around halftime during a Jags game. We had to leave for a various reasoning. We were going to head to Bono's but we have never tried the BBQ here before so here comes the experience. We pull up in the drive thru with only one truck in front of us waiting at the window. Score! That gives us a little bit of time to scan the menu and place an order, fast forward 20 minutes later the truck is finally pulling out and we are pulling up.... Not sure how or why I was okay with waiting that long, probably because I was still feeling very tipsy from the Jags game(don't worry the driver did not drink). I got an order of the chicken and ribs snack pack and the wife got the chicken snack pack, oh and some corn nuggets. All of which came out like 20 - 30 minutes later, I don't recall. The food. It was great. The ribs, the chicken and sides, YUM. I had cole slaw and baked beans. The fries and corn nuggets were alright. Will I return? Probably, but I will need to make sure I have a movie downloaded on my phone while I wait at the drive thru. We did not have any issues with service.

Last Thursday at 12:40: no pulled pork. Ribs were tough as hell, had to be from the previous day. Beef was not edible. Old St. Aug location is just garbage.

This is a Jacksonville classic the barbecue is always delicious. You can smell it a mile away. The ambience is simple. The service is hit or miss but it is delicious overall.

I have been going to Jenkins for a long time (over 50 years). When they are good, they are the best because of the famous mustard based sauce. However, I am not going there again because of the quality control. Every other time I go, I get ribs that are tough as shoe leather. I am tired of playing roulette and being disappointed. It hurts, because the food is really good when it's right. I am finally done.