Can't believe I haven't been here before. New favorite spot in Aitkin! Meat was juicy, buns were warm and buttery, side sauces were excellent, mac and cheese was creamy. Great prices and superb local hospitality. The breakfast menu sounds fantastic!! No notes! read more

Smokey Jake's BBQ - Pulled pork slider, brisket slide, mac and cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Aitkin, Minnesota

Stopped in to grab dinner with my family on Tuesday, December 30, 2025. I was visiting from another state but my brother, sister-in-law and mom have driven by many times and wanted to try it. We walked in 20 minutes before closing time. Owner operators were smiling, happy, welcoming as we put in our orders. We tried the brisket and pulled pork in a variety of entrees as well as the brisket and pulled pork French fries. Everything was delicious!! The small restaurant was clean and nicely decorated, with approximately 10-15, two and four top tables. They do take-out and catering as well. There were hand made crocheted items and decorative coffee cups for sale on the counter - made by the owner herself. I would recommend stopping in for a lunch sandwich, bringing the family in for dinner or call in an order for pick-up. Well worth the stop. read more

Stopped on the way to Brainerd for an appointment at the VA. Food was amazing! Great service! Fun environment, veteran owned. :)

Great bbq. Great service. We stop in when ever passing through. Always great. Always friendly. Don't overlook their there sides

I love this place I would say a lil expensive but definitely worth it amazing food and amazing service. I would recommend the loaded fries, brisket, and ribs. AMAZING! read more

Hidden gem alert!!! Probably best place to stop food wise in Aitkin. Staff is friendly, is a tad spendy but honestly it's worth it.

Absolutely amazing customer service and the food is FABULOUS! Absolutely recommend 10/10

Food was excellent, had pulled pork and brisket sliders. Well seasoned, tender meat. Sliders were such a great option to try more than one thing. Delicious grilled brioche bun for the sliders were tasty. Service was so friendly and welcoming. Will be back for sure. read more

Smokey Jake's BBQ - Pulled pork and brisket sliders. - Barbeque Near Me - Aitkin, Minnesota

Bottom Line: Fine Texas style BBQ in Aitkin MN. Friendly staff and gregarious owner make for a fun visit. Top Line: Brisket sandwich was well smoked, juicy, & super tender. Bark on brisket was well established, pungent, and rich on the smokiness front. Meat slices were fall apart tender. The beautifully toasted bun held up well to the generous load of juicy meat slabs and BBQ sauce. BBQ beans had chunks of shredded brisket in amongst the vegetable matter & saucification that made them equal to the flavor punch of the sandwich. The beans alone may well justify the trip to this slightly off the well beaten (Highway 371 through Brainerd into the north woods) path. The weakest link was the cole slaw that was pretty tame on the flavor category. Cabbage was fine. But the dressing was a very understated mayo dressing without sweetness on one hand or vinegar punch on the other (or some other flavor shift ingredient) to make it distinctive. So the slaw was a 3 star player, not bad and not spectacular. Counter staff was fun & friendly. Lots of smiling happenin' there. The owner proved to be an outgoing and engaging personality. Great to interact with. And a bodacious pitmaster too!! read more

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Terrific BBQ joint in an unexpected location. I enjoyed a brisket slider with spiciest sauce and a side of zesty cole slaw. A reviewer earlier today said the meats are too dry. I agree the brisket was drier than some I've enjoyed in TX and OK. But the meat is not too dry to my taste. It's tender and has good flavor. Zesty cole slaw is fresh and creamy. Spice levels of the sauce and slaw are well thought out. It's not like the dumped cayenne or pepper flakes on top and called it spicy. The foods' flavors and spice levels work together well. read more

Fantastic! I will have to say while I am a big fan of BBQ, normally I end up very disappointed, especially when I see brisket on the menu. Smokey Jake's wow, incredible! You have made a fan in me! Jake and his wife were both beyond friendly, and the spicy BBQ sauce is on point! I can say that I will hunt down and visit any place that has Smokey Jake as their food vendor. All of the food I saw being served up looked so appetizing. The portion size was perfect, and while I say I would like to try something else on the menu like the grilled cheese, I have a feeling I will be ordering the brisket again =D read more

Smokey Jake's BBQ - Brisket sandwich, corn muffin, mac n cheese, spicy bbq sauce - Barbeque Near Me - Aitkin, Minnesota

Stopped in here with my wife and daughter for a quick lunch yesterday. We had the brisket, the pulled chicken and a side of Mac n cheese. The atmosphere was nice and simple, the food was good and what put our experience over the top was the owner coming out to greet us and see how everything was. He spoke to us for quite a while and told us some of the place's history. Overall it was a GREAT experience! Thank you Jake! read more

So so so good. If you are craving bbq, this is the place. So lucky to have it in town. The menu is perfect and the family staff is such nice people. read more

Cute mom and pop bbq food truck! It was at burgeon beer and we were hungry. We ordered some ribs, nachos, and beer wurst. The ribs were good, just a tab bit dry, the hot bbq sauce on it was legit! It was spicy and definitely good home made bbq sauce. The nachos with pulled pork on it was good too, medium size could probably feed 3! The beer sausage was my favorite. Great flavors and good meat. I want to try their food hot and fresh from their place if they have one?! read more

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Thank you to the YELP community for helping us find this little gem of a restaurant. It's unassuming appearance hides amazing food inside. Both the brisket and pulled pork were juicy and flavorful. The staff were polite and helpful; they repeatedly asked us how the food was and helped answer questions we had. Service was fast. Prices were reasonable; it was a great value. We highly recommend! read more

What a find! Food was great although we only tried the brisket (generous serving, terrific taste), cornbread and beans. And don't miss the spicy BBQ sauce. We will be back for ribs and pulled pork. Service was very friendly and efficient. read more

I only wish I could have ate more! I always enjoy supporting small business owners and I love the concept of this roving BBQ business especially since this is real deal legit BBQ. The pork ribs were meaty and full of smoke flavor. I also had the pulled pork nachos. It came with a generous portion of pork, great taste and an awesome value. My favorite? The brisket sandwich. Perfectly smoked, big flavor and very nice meat to bun ratio. Lastly, the BBQ sauce came on the side which I appreciate since I can't stand my BBQ flooded in sauce. The flavor to their sauce was really on point and was just perfect. Next time I want to try some chicken, their beans and some of that delicious looking smoked jerky. Can't wait to track down the trailer again for more! read more

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Wow, you need to try this place best food. Customer service on top. Clean place and great ambiance. I love when we are Supporting families in the area. Best food in town. Thank you. read more

Spotlessly, clean, nice atmosphere, great food and great staff. Both of us had a grilled cheese brisket sandwich with french fries and everything was perfect. I will definitely dine here again! The portions were great. The large order of says it's for 2 people, it's so large it will be fine for 3 people. read more

We were a large party 9. We loved this place!! Friendly Staff that were very accommodating. The prices were very reasonable, and the food was EXCELLENT!! I had the pulled pork sandwich and curds; others had the pulled pork nachos and brisket as well as corn bread muffins and other menu items and everything was piping hot and very flavorful as well as tender and juicy. I was not a fan of the BBQ sauce, it wasn't bad, I just prefer mine warm or hot and I prefer a sweeter bbq sauce. All in all, it was a wonderful experience, and I will go there anytime I am in Aitkin. The family that runs it has excellent customer service and really cares about your experience. Don't miss this small town gem!! read more

I was recently at a 'Taste of Aitkin' event and these folks won the best savory category. Their BBQ meat was so tender and the choice of sauce delicious! Nice to get takeout and enjoy the food sitting in the city park or alongside of the Mississippi, both areas just blocks away. read more

We never tried them in San Diego, but they found us in Aitkin Minnesota and we love 'em. The Food Truck was great and now we have their restaurant close to home! This family really takes care of us. I only eat the brisket and ribs, but if I wanted to add some carbs, they have amazing nachos and grilled cheese sandwiches, and burgers. Our whole family loves this food! read more

The brisket sandwich is tasty but dry meat. The ribs are also tasty but dry meat. Maybe the ribs were cooked too long? The dry rub and the side sauces enhanced the meats read more

We were at Indian Joe Brewing for UFC 237 and we were hungry and Smokey Jake's BBQ came in for the win! We were going to split a Beef Brisket Sandwich and a Pulled Pork Sandwich, but we were given a sample of both and my husband didn't want to share the brisket anymore as it was his favorite. I ended up ordering a Beef Brisket Sandwich of my own (I was notified I could get two sliders with both meats, as the pulled pork was really yummy too, but I choose to go with the bigger pieces of perfectly cooked brisket this time.) with Mac & Cheese and Cornbread. The brisket was so tender and flavorful (I did use a little of the spicy BBQ sauce and that had the perfect amount of heat for me). The Mac and Cheese mixed with a little of the brisket and spicy sauce tasted delicious. I may even skip the bun entirely next time and just go for the Mac Bowl with Brisket. The Cornbread was moist and I enjoyed it with the honey packet it was served with. Jake and is wife were super friendly, personable, passionate about BBQ and it shows as they are making fantastic BBQ. I hope they roll into another location I am at again soon. read more

Smokey Jake's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Aitkin, Minnesota

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Great food and great people. The brisket is delicious and the spicy bbq is excellent!!

Wow! Some of the best brisket ever! Quick and friendly service and everything is homemade. And even those French fries are the best! We just wandered in and we're totally blown away. read more

My best friend and I got the grilled cheese tri-tip. It was hearty and savory. The bread was buttered to perfection and there was a lot of tri tip in every bite. We asked for hot barbecue sauce in the side which made the sandwich even better. Better than the sandwich was the service. The service was fast, welcoming and friendly. I hear they are expanding and for good reason! We were also informers they do catering! read more

Delicious! Smokey Jake's catered my 100+ person wedding and all the guests could not stop talking about the incredible food. They were so easy to communicate with and so friendly and accommodating. We couldn't have asked for better people to work with. I highly recommend Smokey Jake's for any event you are looking to cater- your guests will leave full and happy and you'll be at ease knowing you're working with a great and reliable business. read more

We had the grilled cheese with pulled pork sandwich/it was absolutely delicious!!! Just thinking about it makes me want to go back. We also had a side of coleslaw and potatoes salad - both were ok but nothing to write home about read more

The Smokey brisket sandwich....I have never had such an amazing sandwich in my life. The meat was perfect. It was moist, tender, flavorful and it melts in your mouth. I got the corn and macaroni sides and they were equally as good! I would 100% recommend them to anyone for any occasion. We found them at the Indian Brewery read more

Amazing food! great portions! awesome friendly customer service!!

Jacob and his family are awesome! We just had my wife's 60th at Indian Joe's in Vista and Jake's provided an absolutely delicious lunch for our group of 35. Pulled pork, brisket, slaw, potato salad, and macaroni salad. Really good homemade barbecue sauce (Spivey and regular ) and even the buns were better than most places. I love barbecue and this was up there with the best. They had all the food ready and waiting for us in the brewery, it was just perfect. Couldn't be more pleased. read more

First time trying their BBQ, it was amazing. After work every Thursday I always anticipate the truck to be there. I ordered pulled pork with no buns, mac and cheese, and corn bread for my sides. My husband ordered the beef brisket, no buns and mac and cheese. Both had good portions for not being as a sandwich. Love the food! Makes me want more...next time I'll try a different dish. read more

Smokey Jake's did an amazing job at our employee event yesterday! During the planning process, Jake was very attentive, understanding and responsive. On event day, Jake and his team arrived early, wedged their truck into a really tight space (very impressive!) and were ready to serve on time. The food was amazing-- delicious tender meat and their homemade sauce was sooo GOOD! All of the employees were very pleased with the food and how quickly they were served! Thank you again! read more

This is a great BBQ food truck. We tried the brisket grilled cheese and the brisket nachos. And followed them the next week to where they were. This time we got the pulled pork grilled cheese. I'm from the land of BBQ and Jake's is pretty damn close to making me think of home. And to top it all off, Jake is in the armed forces so we are supporting those who have fought for our freedom. read more

I had to write this review, just because these people are just so dang nice. I don't eat meat, which rules out most of the menu, BUT the two times I've encountered this vendor at a brewery, they have been so nice about getting me some vegetarian sides. They don't give any attitude about it. The guy who may be the owner even went around the brewery and asked all the patrons if they wanted anything before they closed down. I just find it so rare these days to find service like that. Gives me some warm fuzzies. read more

Smokey Jake's has earned their name. A true smokey flavor in every bite. I got the pulled pork sandwich and each bite left me wanting more. Great juicy pork and a lingering smokey flavor that reminded me of backwoods cookouts. Thanks! read more

Awesome bbq, fresh, not greasy, great flavor, not overly smokey, well balanced. I feel like Phils bbq is a good Comparison and this bbq makes Phils taste like Mcdonalds. Jakes is worth every penny. Great job guys, you really have a passion for bbq read more

The most amazing brisket sandwich I have ever eaten! amazing flavor, super tender and HUGE!!! We will be back A LOT! I can't wait to try everything on the menu. Definitely a must stop for lunch or dinner! Craving a sandwich now!!! read more

Delicious food. I had the Pulled Pork plate with beans & potato salad, they all come with corn bread. The pork was very tender, the BBQ sauce was not too hot. The beans were was good. The potato salad was different, I think it had cream cheese, not sure. I liked it, as I said, different, finally, the corn bread was really good, not too sweet. Good food! read more