JL Smokehouse

I first went to JL's about 3 years ago, and have been there about 10 times since. For the price, its an extremely good value. The owner is a wonderful human being and genuinely a good guy to be around....now lets get to the food part. Its VERY smoky BBQ. Their pulled pork is top tier and their rib tips are great. Brisket wise....I am not too much a fan of the brisket.. It's just a bit dry for my personal taste of brisket...and I dont know if thats the meats problem or a process problem but it definitely could be a lot juicier.Hot Links are legitimately spicey!Ribs and rib tips are pretty darn good too. Sides: Don't miss out on the potato salad. Its got some spice to it, and its the type of spice that makes you want to keep eating it. Overall its worth a trip to try it out. It isnt the absolute best BBQ I have ever had...but its better than 90% of the other places in the PHX area...outside of maybe 2-3 other places I have tried. Still giving it 5 stars because bang for your buck, it is very good.

I can't believe I've been living in this part of town for 10 years and first time trying this place. I was craving Bbq and saw this was the closest spot that was opened. Food is delicious, you can smell that familiar Bbq smell from outside. This is a quaint and clean restaurant, staff is super friendly. My husband and I ordered the Slugger - with Smoke Sausage, Rib Tips, Pulled Pork, Pork Belly, Hot Links, Potato Salad, Mac N Cheese, Collard Greens, Coleslaw, BBQ Beans, and BBQ Spaghetti. Everything was mouth watering oh so yummy!

The "The food was delicious. Visiting from Atlanta, Georgia, I called JL the pitmaster, John Madden of barbecue. He knows how to get down and dirty with it, and I like his style. He may be old school, but don't let that fool you. This particular location in Phoenix, Arizona, requires you to park in the back of the restaurant when you first come in. It kind of threw me off when I first pulled up, but that set the tone of the experience and his old school theology. But overall, I will be back. Again, the ribs were fantastic. You must give Mr. JL a try. It's nothing fancy, but it's old-school and worth it. It is one of America's hidden jewels in the land."

This BBQ spot is more affordable than others I've tried, which was a nice surprise! We ordered the Heavy Hitter meal with smoked sausage, pulled pork, rib tips, and ribs. Unfortunately, the sausage didn't stand out, and despite JL Smokehouse's claim that their pulled pork is the best in the country, I found it dry and underwhelming, just like the ribs. The rib tips were tender, but some pieces were so salty they were tough to eat. On the bright side, the staff was incredibly friendly, though the wait time was longer than expected, even during a slow period.

I ordered online for pick up. It said 30 mins. I got two Whippersnapper lunches, no frills. The dude at the counter was effervescent and friendly. Sadly, when I arrived 30 mins later, he told me they were out of collards. I switched to coleslaw but they were out. How about baked beans? Out. It sounded like the cook needed to arrive sooner. As I waited for my order, he told others that they were out of wings and smoked sausage. They better knock me out with the food on this one. My order was ready on time. I checked the order before leaving and everything was fine this time. In all it came to $37.90, which was about right for BBQ. JL BBQ is wearing me down with the restrictions: first it was the hours; now the availability of menu items so what's next?

This was our first time trying JL Smokehouse and we had a fabulous experience. All of the food was delicious, and we got lucky and even met JL himself, his wife, and Dee who were all super sweet. They cook from the heart and it shows in the flavor of the food! We got the brisket, pulled pork and ribs, as well as Mac n cheese, bbq beans and a bbq brisket taco. All were yummy but the brisket was our fav - such a yummy flavor in the seasoning and perfectly tender. Food 10/10Customer Service 10/10 We are excited to come back and try more of their menu, including their sandwiches and more tacos for lunch. We luckily live nearby. Happy to say we finally found a delicious arizona bbq place!

I love this place BUT I am so disappointed came in today and got a plate with 3 meats and 2 sides greens and bbq beans were good but the rib tips,pork butt and brisket was BURNT no char but burnt I couldn't enjoy the meat most of it was over cooked

We flew in from Seattle and I was craving bbq. I'm from Texas and if you know you know Texas bbq is the BEST! As soon as we got off of the plane we headed to eat. And there is no better place to be go than an off the grid restaurant to get the flavor of the city.We arrived at JL Smokehouse and we were greeted with the smell of brisket. We ordered the Heavy Hitter. 5 meats and 3 sides.BrisketRibsChickenCut ribsPulled porkBaked beansPotato salad ColeslawMeat was tender and nicely seasoned and char in the meat. The potato salad was the best side to me. Nicely seasoned soft but firm potatoes. Coleslaw had a nice vinegar kick in the back of the mouth. Nice and crunchy. Baked beans sweet and a little spicy. Just right.We did not try any dessert we were stuffed from the food. The heavy hitter is enough for 3-4 people. We never finished it all. This was a great experience. Awesome R&B music playing. Staff were extremely friendly and patient.

There was a long wait and they were out of a lot of meats, but the food was SLAMMING so it was worth it. The brisket was tender. Sausage was very flavorful. All the sides Mac and cheese, spaghetti, corn bread were hitting. Good portions too. A lot of people called in orders ahead, and that seems to be the way to go.

Yall......this food is the absolute best BBQ. Folks say it's the best BBQ in phoenix which I agree with but it's just great bbq regardless of location. The meet was tender and well seasoned and so were the sides. The service was impeccable too. Very attentive and you can tell they genuinely want everyone to enjoy their entire dining experience. So good. So so good.