Pack Jack Bar-B-Que Inn

It used to be a great place before the fire. I think that the kids took over once they reopened and it hasn’t been the same. Terrible food. I can and do do better at home.

I love a good barbecue. And I’m not picky. Good barbecue comes in all shapes and sizes. It does not come in the shape and size of Pack Jack Bar-​B-​Que Inn (why this is called an inn remains a mystery).
At first I was excited about a place that only had meat on the menu (there are two sides you can order — beans or slaw, but that’s it). I mean, if you can get away with serving nothing but meat, your meat is going to awesome. Unless it’s not. Which it wasn’t.
I ordered the brisket. I have actually NEVER had worse brisket. It’s not that it was too fatty or too lean, it was just horrible. It was like eating slices of a smoked baseball mitt. The meat was of scary low quality. Scary as in I actually worried about my health having eaten it. My kids got the pulled pork sandwich. Pulled pork is actually hard to screw up, but it apparently can be done. The quality of the meat was horrible. It’s texture was like meat that been frozen for a few years, then thawed out after a power outage and warmed just enough to almost go bad, then refrozen again for another few years, then cooked. My partner had the chicken. Fatty and grisly. My eight-​year-​old daughter actually looked up at me from across the table and said, «When you said barbecue, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind.»
I really wanted to like Pack Jack. It’s the kind of place that could be a hidden local treasure if it wasn’t absolutely horrible.

Terrible experience. Food was way over-​cooked, really tough ribs, chicken skin was like trying to bite through plastic. Cheap atmosphere with paper cups and plastic silverware. Dinner rolls are frozen and reheated (mine was still frozen inside). My wife left 95 percent of the food on the plate and neither server ask how it was or if there was a problem. Will not return.

We were excited to try a new place. The beans and potato salad were great, but when we tried the pulled pork, it tasted incredibly dry and over smoked. It kind of has a plastic taste to it. The lamb ribs were terrible. The fat wasn’t rendered off of them at all so they were almost entirely fat and bone. There was maybe an ounce of lamb meat total. The sweet potato pie was good.

I live this place. Can’t believe the reviews are so low. What more do you people want. The barbecue is awesome. Old school smokey flavor. Good sauce. Beans are amazing. Could have more sides but still great. I was so excited after this place reopened after a long closure due to fire. They are back and better than ever. Definitely try the pecan pie.

I ordered the beef and lamb rib combo. The beef was good with great bark and good smoke flavor. I think the lamb ribs were too few and pretty fatty but they are my favorite. I thought our server was excellent. A young man full of energy and hopping around helping everyone. He was very pleasant and made our meal enjoyable.

I can’t believe it’s back. This place damn near burnt down 10 years ago, and hadn’t been repaired for most that time. I’m glad to see they’re up and operational again. Barbecue is definitely B+ or better. Tastes the same way I remember back in college. Big portions, smoked, and great atmosphere. They even added a new beer/​garden patio outside for nice days. What makes this place a destination is the service believe it or not. Our waitress «April» was super friendly and accommodating. You can change the channels on the TV, play connect 4, and pretty much do whatever the hell you want. Even as I was leaving April came running out to give me a piece of Pecan Pie and to say thanks again. Awesome experience. Will be back for sure.

The best smoke pork ribs ever. Big juicy and full of smoke. Racer 5 and Mirror Pond on tap too. The owner Don, is a true gentleman. Go for the pork ribs and you’ll be happy. The outdoor patio is rustic and charming.

Best beef ribs in northern California not over smoked just right even better than my red oak BBQ ribs.
Man never had to say that before!

Man… I don’t like posting negative reviews about my hometown businesses, but this place is horrible. I drove 20 minutes because Jesses bbq back in the day was excellent. I ordered a half rack of beef ribs, and saw once I drove away that I had basically a bag of bones that looked like the beef was cut off of them! I don’t know if this was a mistake or what, but I felt ripped off.

Good beans, potato salad. Chicken was cooked very good. Links dry, ribs dry. Nice waitress April

Pack Jacks is BACK! We stopped in today at 12pm as they were opening and met Robert in the parking lot. Robert is one of the family members and showed us around and gave us a little history behind the restaurant. We took our family there as a surprise for my step dad’s 74^th b-​day. We all had an amazing experience and loved everything we had. It is truly the best bbq around! Robert is the nicest guy and best host that we have ever come across.
He made us feel at home and very welcome. We will all be back again and will tell all of our family and friends about the outstanding food and service!
Thank you again Robert you made our day even more special!

My boyfriend and I were going staying at a hotel nearby and the man at the front desk gave us a list of all of the restaurants in the area including ones that would give a 10% discount because we are staying at the hotel. Our room wasn’t going to be ready for 30 mins so we decided to go get some lunch, however we were on a time constraint and needed to be back at the hotel in just about that time. We went to Pack Jack about two miles down the road and in my stress, I decided I would just share food with my boyfriend and we would get our food to go.
We ordered the pulled pork sandwich and the nice lady who was serving us gave us plenty of all three of their delicious homemade BBQ sauces to take with us. She was aware that I was in a hurry and made sure to let us know how long the food would take and was very pleasant to us even though I think I was probably being a bit of a B.
All in all, we got back to the hotel right on time, got into our room, and had a great pulled pork sandwich to «share». I was only allowed a bite and boyfriend finished the whole thing. The pork was amazing and their sauces, wow! The hot was zippy, the mild was tasty, and the sweet was my favorite! We will definitely be visiting Pack Jack when we are in the area again!

Well, we used to go here for years before they had the fire that closed them down. They were always great. But, today July the 4^th, we decided to finally try them again. It was because of the reviews that we had not gone in after they reopened.
So, we got the links, beef ribs, pork ribs, potato salad, beans, & individual pies, sweet potato & pecan. Everything was so good. The potato salad was excellent, creamy with just the right seasoning, the beans were the ones I remember, thick, smokey, & out of this world delicious.
The links that they make are really good, my hubby said they were the best he has had, & he’s from the South. I loved the beef ribs the best. It’s not always easy to find beef ribs, & these were fantastic. The pork ribs were fine, I’m just not crazy over pork. The little pies we had really hit the spot, & were extremely tasty.
Now, here’s why I didn’t give 5 stars. While we did love the meat, & especially the flavor, I think they might have been cooked a little too long. Maybe they should have been taken out a ½ hour before, & then would have been perfect. I noticed the reviews saying, too dry, or too smokey. First, the meat is smoked not grilled, & smokey is what you want. But, some on here talked about dryness, & I just think a little less time may take care of that. The sauces were very good, & dipping the meat or putting that on of course makes the meat more moist. We did ask for extra sauce. I also think that if you order links, ask them not to slice them, leave them whole & that will keep the moisture in.
All, in all everyone was glad we went there today, & we will be back. Finding good BBQ in Sonoma County is not easy. I’m very glad Pack Jack has stayed in Sebastopol.
One thing I would like to suggest to the owners, corn bread would be an excellent addition!
I had to edit this review, as we were so full from the dinner, I only took one bite of the sweet potato pie. But, the next morning, (I know pie for breakfast sounds weird, but delicious!), I took the little pecan pie out of the fridge, & with my coffee finished it. Well, no kidding here, it was the BEST PECAN PIE I have ever had. The top was a bit crispy with the glazed, sugary pecans, & the filling was beyond delicious. The sweet potato, which I had later that night was absolutely perfect. I don’t know if they will make a full sized pie or not, but I am going to try & order a couple of pies from them for Thanksgiving. I had to come back, & update this because those pies just floored me in how good they were. Whoever baked them, should have a bakers section in that restaurant. YUM!

Lamb ribs are very fatty. pork ribs were very dry. too much smoke. We ordered potato salad got terribble coleslaw. took it back and they gave us coleslaw AGAIN! overpriced. Will not be back. Food smells and tastes like a campfire.

We had a delicious dinner beef ribs, lamb, pork ribs, beans cole slaw and more! fire pit BBQ
The bbq sauce was spicy or mild, all delicious! The meat was very tender and tasty! great people very nice checked in to see if we were good all through the meal! We also learned a little family history. Left feeling well fed and loved!

Stopped for beef ribs and they were terrible, tough not tasty and no meat on the bones whatsoever. Don’t get beef ribs if you come here… I probably won’t be back

Baby backs were not baby backs. They’re lying about what cut they use. Meat was garbage tasting. Not falling off the bones. It was in fact stuck to the bones. The opposite of what you look for in a smoked rib. Sides we’re meh. Service was meh. Tried to like this place but they got some work to do if they want me to eat here.

I stopped here for dinner on a Friday night with my husband and a friend and our overall thoughts were that it was just okay. My hubby ordered the ‘half dinner’ (which is an entrée and one side) with lamb, our friend got the combo plate with links, pulled pork, potato salad and beans and I got the pulled pork sandwich. The highlights were the bbq sauce which is available in mild, hot or sweet, and the beans which were quite tasty but we all felt that the meat was dry. The potato salad tasted like it came from a grocery store, it didn’t seem homemade, and the bun my sandwich was on was definitely lacking in substance. It was like wonder bread but in roll form. Also there wasn’t enough sauce on my sandwich. Hubby said his lamb ribs were really dry and not very well trimmed, they had kind of a gamey texture.
The décor is old and kind of tired looking, and the food is served on paper plates but we did get real silverware, maybe that’s a recent improvement based on previous reviews…
Overall we weren’t blown away and paid about $ 50 for the aforementioned food plus two beers and a Pepsi, yet we left hungry because the portions are pretty small. We probably won’t be back.

First impression… cheapest possible paper plates, plastic utensils and flat diet coke.
My cut of beef I seriously doubt was near a barbeque although it had sauce on it. It was so fiberous, I couldn’t chew it enough to swallow it. I’m not saying tough, I mean chewing couldn’t break it into pieces. I commented the potato salad was good and was told it came from Costco. This poor meal would have been unacceptable if it was cheap… which it wasn’t.
My friends meals were edible but not worth the price. We all left vowing never to eat there again.
What a shame, I really wanted a good Barbeque place to open up there.

The most disgusting and trashy place I have ever been in my life. We were driving to sebastapol and both me and my husband were starving so pulled of here. The place was completely empty except for the flies… The food was overpriced and exactly as everyone says: dry, dry, dry, small portions, and tasted like liquid smoke. Also it was served on paper plates and with plastic utensils… This place is a joke, do not ever waste your time or money on this joke of a BBQ place.

My husband is a die-​hard fan of this place. He brings home the take out all the time. I am not a huge meat /​rib type eater but my hubby is and he swears this is the best around!

Excellent take out bbq. I have no idea why anyone would say anything negative about this place. It’s clean, the prices are good, the product is excellent, and the service is professional. I actively change my route to stop here.

Ermagershk! Our office had Pack Jack BBQ brought in today for lunch… talk about insanely delicious! Even as I write this review… I realize I am going to have to keep this little *indiscretion* a secret from my boyfriend. It would be a problem if he learned that I was eating BBQ… without him. The thing is… I have no remorse. I would do it again. This BBQ is just that good!
*Tip* Make sure to get this with a bunch of friends… that way you can basically order everything on the menu, have a bit of each item… and salivate about the experience hours later. The hot links are great! The cole slaw is *perfect*! …and the BBQ, is off the hook! I grew up with BBQ, so I’m picky. But this stuff was delish!

If you’re near Sebastopol and like BBQ, good hospitality and a tummy full of smokey deliciousness, this should needs to be on your list for quality comfort food. I live in the city and we’re known to be food snobs. Pack Jack surpasses anything in San Francisco with ease. We’ll eat here and take an extra 3 – 4 racks of ribs home. It’s that good. Pork and Lamb ribs are might tasty and so are the links, although one reviewer noted that it tasted like dog treats. I can’t confirm or deny this, having never eaten a dog treat, but obviously she has.
Food and service, both terrific. 5 star Q.

I am giving this four stars with a caveat – just because I hate eating with plastic forks and no matter how good the wine, if the glass is plastic, it isn’t very good. (I brought it myself and had my own opener. Corkage is cheap), Their wine is from a box and sometimes the house red is a rose. They DO have Racer 5 but I forget since we usually take it to go.
Our waiter, Keenyn, was wonderful and the food was fantastic. I had the lamb and my DH had the ribs (pork). I tried both and they both were very good but the lamb was even better.
I always do double beans because they are that good. YUM! If you have a pulled pork sandwich, you have to get one coleslaw to put in in the sandwich.
It is a bit of a dive but it is clean and the food is worth it. If you are going to have a picnic, stop for your food on the way. They have plenty of plastic forks :-)

I was hoping for another great bbq joint to go too. We went in and were taken care of by Keenan — great young guy that was patient and did a great job. He gets 5 stars — I would go back for good service.
Dry
Dry
Dry
The Chicken was overcooked and dry — but you can almost expect that at most places — not all. Lola’s does a great BBQ’ed Chicken on the weekends for 10 bucks, and this one cost me $ 18. Very smokey flavor just wayyyyy too dry.
Also got a rack of beef ribs — which I expect to be a bit tougher than pork /​wish I had ordered pork the way my friend wanted. These Beef ribs besides being a ¹⁄₃ of the size of a normal beef rib, they were soooo DRY damn it. A waste of time and money.
Long slow cooked should be moist — not dry. My roommate makes ribs and cooks them for 4+ hours and they’re always so moist and delicious. Ugh.