Smokey Jake's Neighbourhood BBQ

The pork ribs and the brisket were delicious as with the corn and bread. The only disappointment were the wedges.

The service by Jack was excellent from the suggestions during the ordering process, to making sure we are enjoying our meal.

Sweet Jesus, this place is amazing. We went there last night. The food is INCREDIBLE. I've been all over the US, and these guys are competitive with some of the best BBQ I've had. Their brisket is next level, the pastrami was mindblowing, even the chicken was beautifully smoked. The sauces are authentic. And my god, the burnt ends. All the meat was on point.

My girlfriend got the cauliflower. I'm not a fan of cauliflower, and was expecting just that, cauliflower. The way these guys cooked the cauliflower and corn, I could have eaten a plate of that alone. The mac 'n cheese was pretty good as well. Probably the weakest dish of the night, but still better than most Aussie places.

Even the drinks are great. I got a simple Old Fashioned. I have not found a place in Australia that offers a decent old fashioned. These guys, wow. If they opened a bar, this would be my drinking hole. The perfect amount of ice. Not too much bitters. The right amount of bourbon. Most skimp on the orange wedge or the cherry. They had it all. I've spent up to $30 in an attempt to get a good old fashioned. Everywhere else sucks. These guys, $15, and probably the best I've had in Australia.

Not only that, but the service was excellent. We had a young kid serving out table. He was new, but polite, enthusiastic, and cared about our meal.

We rocked up on a Saturday night, and the place was empty? We left dumbfounded. With THAT level of food, how this place doesn't have a line out the door and around the corner is beyond me. Only one other family came in. This must be a hidden gem. But they are on a main road?

This place is due to explode in popularity. I've gotta tell everyone I know about this place. If you love American BBQ, this is your place! It makes places like Misty's and Big Boy BBQ taste like fast food. The appearance is unassuming from the outside. It isn't the flashiest of dining establishments, but the food makes up for it twenty-fold, the drinks are worth visiting for alone, the music and the service fills in the gaps. The best meal I've had all year.

I love this place. Trust the staff to make recommendations and you can't go wrong. Kentucky mule cocktail is outstanding.

The value for money is awful. The presentation poor, the taste very average. Would not go there again

Indoor seating only, we walked in without reservation for 2 people for dinner on a Saturday night.

We were served with popcorn while we waited. We had the beef burnt ends and beef Briskett which was served with coleslaw, Mac n cheese and buttermilk cornbread - it was a lot of food for 2 people we had to package the rest to go which was another serve. Recommend all dishes.

Food was delicious, food fantastic and prices great - 10/10 will eat here again.

A small delicious gem in the middle of Ormond, easy accessible via train or car. Had a work function there lately and decided to pre order the meals to make it easier for the kitchen. The communication with Jake was from start superb, open and comforting. The service itself was professional and we felt well looked after. Food was delicious, fresh and well yeah- smokey! As you expect it from a BBQ place. Very good. Overall 5 star from me as I felt very comfortable from start to finish amd so did my work colleagues.

Friendly staff and really good food; the pastrami in particular had excellent flavour. Will come again!

Have been waiting to try, very disappointed! Beef ribs dry, pork ribs okay. We thought it overpriced for what we got, small servings compared to all other ‘ meat ‘ places we have tried. Pleasant service but definitely won’t go back

What a find! Great brisket taken to another level by the au jus. Chicken Maryland was delicious. All the sides we tried were good, too, with the smoked olives, smoked garlic bread, and slaw the standouts. As homesick Americans ourselves, we took a chance on this place for a family birthday dinner and we're glad we did. The friendly staff even threw in a little something extra (and also delicious) when they heard we were celebrating a birthday. Amazing value for the price. We will definitely be back as often as possible!

Very lovely service, tasty food and big location - great for sharing food! Also half price drinks on Friday until 6pm.
8$ cocktail!

Food was cooked correctly, well present and tasted great. Kids loved the Mac & Cheese. Both parents appreciated the variety on offer and found it filling. Well worth a try and possibly become a favourite of those with BBQ pallette.

Great food at great prices and Jake was very helpful explaining the menu and showed us the smoker after we had our delicious dinner. Will come back here!

A constant stream of deliciousness arrived at the table. We had an amazing night out. Will definitely be back. Thanks Phillip and staff

Customer service ten out of ten.
Sadly food wasn't as good as had hoped for.
Meat was all a bit bland and dry.
For the $92 I was expecting a much higher quality of food. That included one beer and one softdrink.
The slaw was really nice.

The restaurant itself is very over powering with the smoked smell. Had to wash all my clothes when we got home.

Maybe just went on a bad night.
We were the only customers inside at the time.

I do appreciate the effort in presentation of the food and again the staff member who was on duty last Friday was very polite friendly and prompt.
The restaurant is well laid out and parking is pretty easy close to the restaurant.
All the best for the future.

EDIT 10/10/2022 - @SmokeyJakes
Why edit your reply 10 months after the fact?
Your initial reply was of a friendly tone, offering for me to return and try again and that you probably had an off night.
Now your response below is less friendly.

To be honest I do prefer the smell of KFC and/or a Fish n Chip shop. Ive never had to wash my clothes after a visit to KFC to Fish n Chip shop. Anyways again I wish you all the best.

Smokey Jake's was a great place to catch up with a group of 5. We enjoyed the friendly staff, and free arcade games with cocktails etc. The food was ok except for the undercooked porkchop that my colourblind nephew was served. By the time I pointed out it looked too raw (he cannot make out the difference between red and brown) he had eaten it. He has spent a very long night expelling it. I thought there was protocols for restaurants about what temperatures certain meats had to get to before serving?

This restaurant can't be for real! Only open a couple of days a week and they still can't make fresh bbq. Most of the meat was inedible, dry, hard and tasted like liquid smoke straight out of the bottle. When questioned when it had been smoked, was told it was taken "fresh out of the bbq last night" for tonights first night of service for the week! More like reheated in the microwave with meat from last week

Absolutely trash establishment. The brisket was pastrami, the ribs were over cooked and bitter. I could go on but it’s not worth it. Shocking.

Brisket and sausage were oversmoked unfortunately - tasted like cigars, but the wings were good. Good vibes though, might give it another burl on another day.

Smokey for sure. As a group we ordered all the meat dishes except chicken. On this day the the beef ribs - unexpectedly to me - was the star of the night. Juicy and suculent. The other meats were a hit and miss. Some dry for my liking. The staff on duty 10 out of 10. Helpful and smiling. The group was happy and pledged for return (again).

Low key appearance from the outside but the smokey aromatics in the beef brisket, pork ribs and lamb are high key tasty.