Wild Jack's Tex Mex Bar-B-Que

Tasty BBQ in a pleasant oasis. I recommend trying the tri-tip sandwich with a side of barbecue sauce! Wild Jack’s is great. I’ve heard people might turn up their noses at it because it isn’t the single greatest barbecue in the world- but it is perfect for what it is. It’s an order at the counter, fast service, reasonable prices, and good food in a lively environment. Get yourself a Diet Coke, a sandwich, and enjoy the fresh air and charming playground outside. It’s a welcome respite from the monotony of the 5 and a top notch roadside restaurant.

Tom Schwarzkopf

Tasty BBQ in a pleasant oasis. I recommend trying the tri-tip sandwich with a side of barbecue sauce! Wild Jack’s is great. I’ve heard people might turn up their noses at it because it isn’t the single greatest barbecue in the world- but it is perfect for what it is. It’s an order at the counter, fast service, reasonable prices, and good food in a lively environment. Get yourself a Diet Coke, a sandwich, and enjoy the fresh air and charming playground outside. It’s a welcome respite from the monotony of the 5 and a top notch roadside restaurant.

This place deserves to be rated much higher. Burnt ends burrito with barbecue beans and a delicious hot sauce? Everyone was very kind, service was fast, and it was just a very wholesome, family place. This is a place to go out of your way for, fortunately since it's by the 5 you don't have to!

Its a great atmosphere. Food is pretty good. Staff is very polite. Its a land mark spot to visit on vacation. I will be back.

Very family friendly and clean. Tri tip was very good and tasty

+1

Ate three times for lunch, the brisket tri tip burrito, BBQ pork sandwich with sweet potato fries, and the nachos with chicken and brisket. All three were good.

Really love the barbecue that they have! Prices are fair and even beat everything else in kettleman city! (I.e not a generic fast food restaurant)

+6

My husband loved the brisket sandwich. He said it was one of the best he's tasted. I had the honey Sirracha wings. I wasn't very impressed by it. I think the Sirracha had no heat and would have been better with more garlic. I would give the wings a 3 star.

Listen, I ate here 2 years ago and don't remember what I ate (maybe the burrito?). So maybe it was just unremarkable. BUT... I just stopped here recently (we actually love looking around. It's an awesome rest stop!) and ate the spinach strawberry almond vinaigrette and added tritip. IT WAS AMAZING! Hardy and HUGE! The picture I attached was after eating a bunch of it and getting full! (I forgot to take a picture when I first got it🙄). I buried all the tritip, strawberry, almond slivers under the spinach, so it's hard to see all the hardiness. But it was packed! Easily feeds 2, maybe 3 people. The tritip is a little on the smokey side, but the strawberry and vinaigrette cut it nicely. Definitely recommend this salad. If the other salads are anything like this, they are delicious as well😁

Workers aren’t friendly. Terrific place to stretch your muscles. Big food portions. Cobb salad was excellent.

+6

Love eating here, had the chicken sandwich this time, very light and tasty! Beer was cold and my brother said his pulled pork was good too! Staff is friendly and helpful! Clean and lots of seating!

Definitely worth trying if you are passing by. We had the brisket sandwich, power wrap with chicken and the garlic fries. Plenty of parking for rvs!

+2

How have we been missing out all these years eating fast food along highway 5! And now we have found this amazing spot! Wild Jacks is a great place to stop when passing down the highway for some high quality food instead of the normal food along this route! Loaded fry’s with brisket and a ribeye sandwich where what we got, they were amazing and fresh!

Very touristy location the food at Wild Jack's was excellent excellent BBQ the pricing was fair good luck trying to find a table this is a very popular Travelers location to stop and pee and refresh the parking is tough especially for towing a trailer but don't let that discourage you it's a great place to stop and stretch your legs and get food nice souvenir shop on site

Stopped by on our drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles and it was a nice break. The Mexican food was flavorful. The coffee next door was just what we needed for the road. There are also souvenirs and snacks, which made it fun to browse while stretching our legs. A good spot to pause and recharge before continuing the journey.

Iconic for sure. Great place for the kids to run around. Smoker was running in the back out side snd creating some great tasting Smoke BBQ = Brisket and hamburger. 🍔 wry tasty. Ice cream after so great. Self order front and get a buzzer when ready. This place is huge and I bet it can accommodate 600 people. Nice roadside stop 🛑 that has something for everyone !

For people going from LA to SF or the other way around, definitely a must stop. Good: So much seating! I was surprised but they have a big indoor space then an even bigger outdoor space and it also has a COW in the outdoor space! I really liked the trip tip sandwich I got - so much flavor for not that many ingredients in the sandwich. There are also great bathrooms and outlets which were definitely much appreciated. Bad: The place is pretty casual but the wait times are really long and we waited 20+ min for our sandwich even when it wasn't that busy. Overall would stop again! Really solid place.

On Hwy 5 This is one of my favorite spots. Whenever I’m traveling to LA or heading back home, I make it a point to stop by if the timing works out. Nowadays, it’s also a must-stop for charging my electric car (Tesla charging lounge and Electrify America). My favorite menu items at this restaurant are the ribeye sandwich and the BBQ ribs. I’ve been enjoying them for almost 10 years, and I highly recommend giving them a try if you get the chance!

This place is the perfect stop if you’re doing the drive from SF to LA on the 5 with kids! The outdoor area is a massive play area with climbing and slides and a lot of open space for running and getting some energy out of the kids! Food is decent with a varied menu and the service is nice! The general store offers a lot of goodies for the continuing journey on the road…

Came here because the menu looked amazing. It is. We had the burnt ends burritos and it was super yummy. BUT…. I didn’t really care for the Chuck E. Cheese kinda atmosphere lol. But I’m sure people traveling with kids are fine with it. Order at the counter isn’t my favorite thing to do at a restaurant. Especially if you want to enjoy some beers. You have to keep whipping out the credit card lol. Bottled beers. No coors light or bud light. But. I’d try it again because the burrito was so good. Maybe I’ll sit outside or take it to go next time.

We discovered this fun place on our family trip. This place is the perfect stop for families with kids!! It's old western style with lots of character, the food is delicious, there is a coffee shop, ice cream place and a play ground all in one place! The kids can run around old western wooden houses, sit in jail, go to the bank, out come inside the hotel. There are water mist sprinklers outside so that everything is comfortable. We really enjoyed our stop here right off the 41.😁😁😁

Food-wise, the menu's a little underwhelming and the food's just okay (at least the burger). But a lot of effort clearly went into the decor and design of the place. The gift shop and kitschy deco is more interesting than the restaurant. Nonetheless it's a welcome break from the usual cluster of chain restaurants you get in these small pit stop towns.

Esther K

Stopped by on our drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles and it was a nice break. The Mexican food was flavorful. The coffee next door was just what we needed for the road. There are also souvenirs and snacks, which made it fun to browse while stretching our legs. A good spot to pause and recharge before continuing the journey.

John Powell

Iconic for sure. Great place for the kids to run around. Smoker was running in the back out side snd creating some great tasting Smoke BBQ = Brisket and hamburger. 🍔 wry tasty. Ice cream after so great. Self order front and get a buzzer when ready. This place is huge and I bet it can accommodate 600 people. Nice roadside stop 🛑 that has something for everyone !

Jenny Xu

For people going from LA to SF or the other way around, definitely a must stop. Good: So much seating! I was surprised but they have a big indoor space then an even bigger outdoor space and it also has a COW in the outdoor space! I really liked the trip tip sandwich I got - so much flavor for not that many ingredients in the sandwich. There are also great bathrooms and outlets which were definitely much appreciated. Bad: The place is pretty casual but the wait times are really long and we waited 20+ min for our sandwich even when it wasn't that busy. Overall would stop again! Really solid place.

Daniel

On Hwy 5 This is one of my favorite spots. Whenever I’m traveling to LA or heading back home, I make it a point to stop by if the timing works out. Nowadays, it’s also a must-stop for charging my electric car (Tesla charging lounge and Electrify America). My favorite menu items at this restaurant are the ribeye sandwich and the BBQ ribs. I’ve been enjoying them for almost 10 years, and I highly recommend giving them a try if you get the chance!

Scott P. Hu

This place is the perfect stop if you’re doing the drive from SF to LA on the 5 with kids! The outdoor area is a massive play area with climbing and slides and a lot of open space for running and getting some energy out of the kids! Food is decent with a varied menu and the service is nice! The general store offers a lot of goodies for the continuing journey on the road…

Christine schieffer

Came here because the menu looked amazing. It is. We had the burnt ends burritos and it was super yummy. BUT…. I didn’t really care for the Chuck E. Cheese kinda atmosphere lol. But I’m sure people traveling with kids are fine with it. Order at the counter isn’t my favorite thing to do at a restaurant. Especially if you want to enjoy some beers. You have to keep whipping out the credit card lol. Bottled beers. No coors light or bud light. But. I’d try it again because the burrito was so good. Maybe I’ll sit outside or take it to go next time.

Yulia Rossignoli

We discovered this fun place on our family trip. This place is the perfect stop for families with kids!! It's old western style with lots of character, the food is delicious, there is a coffee shop, ice cream place and a play ground all in one place! The kids can run around old western wooden houses, sit in jail, go to the bank, out come inside the hotel. There are water mist sprinklers outside so that everything is comfortable. We really enjoyed our stop here right off the 41.😁😁😁

Joshua A.

Food-wise, the menu's a little underwhelming and the food's just okay (at least the burger). But a lot of effort clearly went into the decor and design of the place. The gift shop and kitschy deco is more interesting than the restaurant. Nonetheless it's a welcome break from the usual cluster of chain restaurants you get in these small pit stop towns.

angie san.

Workers aren’t friendly. Terrific place to stretch your muscles. Big food portions. Cobb salad was excellent.

Willie the food Guy

Very touristy location the food at Wild Jack's was excellent excellent BBQ the pricing was fair good luck trying to find a table this is a very popular Travelers location to stop and pee and refresh the parking is tough especially for towing a trailer but don't let that discourage you it's a great place to stop and stretch your legs and get food nice souvenir shop on site

It’s a step above food from most other tourist attractions, I was pretty surprised. The menu even had good variety. It’s good for what it is.

This is a good place to visit for the unique decor and atmosphere. Good restrooms and lots of souvenir shopping. As for the food, very hit and miss. My travel partner enjoyed the burnt ends burrito. I had the chicken quesadilla and it was overcooked and extremely oily, not tasty even on an empty stomach.

A break from the chain food fare found along I-5, but you are paying for the expensive atmosphere Self-serve beverage station and counter service ordering. At $83 for 3 items, 3 sides, and 3 drinks, and expected to clean my own table of the trash, I won’t be back. (They also got my food wrong, but made it right) Nice change of pace, but not worth the price.

We stopped here for a bite. The place was cute and the patio was perfect for kids and dogs. The food was however not great. I had the pulled pork sandwich which was too sweet. The family had chicken sandwich and chicken tacos which was overly salty. The wings were good. Good place to hang out but good is mediocre.

Panda McCurtain

A break from the chain food fare found along I-5, but you are paying for the expensive atmosphere Self-serve beverage station and counter service ordering. At $83 for 3 items, 3 sides, and 3 drinks, and expected to clean my own table of the trash, I won’t be back. (They also got my food wrong, but made it right) Nice change of pace, but not worth the price.

Lisa HD

We stopped here for a bite. The place was cute and the patio was perfect for kids and dogs. The food was however not great. I had the pulled pork sandwich which was too sweet. The family had chicken sandwich and chicken tacos which was overly salty. The wings were good. Good place to hang out but good is mediocre.

The service sucks. The cashier was too busy trying to fix her necklace while taking my order. Staff was also too busy gossiping with each other. Half my food was missing. The food was good.

Unique place but agree with some of the other reviews, food needs some work. Got the tri tip sandwich, and it was dry and needed some sort of sauce. Was just dry meat and bread. Brisket sandwich was better, juicy and had more flavor. Food took a whil because of the gal made everyone's order before handing them out instead of first come first serve.

Nichole Gonzalez

The service sucks. The cashier was too busy trying to fix her necklace while taking my order. Staff was also too busy gossiping with each other. Half my food was missing. The food was good.

Elizabeth Mark

Unique place but agree with some of the other reviews, food needs some work. Got the tri tip sandwich, and it was dry and needed some sort of sauce. Was just dry meat and bread. Brisket sandwich was better, juicy and had more flavor. Food took a whil because of the gal made everyone's order before handing them out instead of first come first serve.

Brisket sandwich was really fair and bland. Sandwich roll was blah and got soggy quickly. BBQ sauce was limited and not interesting. Fried zucchini was good!

It's decent. Tri tip was good but the brisket was dry and rice was hard. You can tell they either microwaved the meat or left it in warmer for way too long. Make sure u get a side of bbq sauce to rehydrate the meat.

Ordered the burnt ends( tri tip) burrito. Not very flavorful lacking with basic seasoning. The sauce tasted like canned chili sauce . No lids for sodas and was not welcomed when I entered was not busy at all. Food did come out quickly, was hot and the place was clean.

Stopped by to grab a bite to go the food was so good I love their cobb wraps! Unfortunately Customer service wasn’t good the girl at the front with braces was rude and seemed like she did not want to take our order but other than that we had a good experience

Got Santa Fe chicken wrap and it was not good at all, maybe edible. The chicken had no flavor, the wrap was watery, not sure why. I have never been here before so can’t speak to other items on the menu. Service is okay. The place was dead.

Sara M

Got Santa Fe chicken wrap and it was not good at all, maybe edible. The chicken had no flavor, the wrap was watery, not sure why. I have never been here before so can’t speak to other items on the menu. Service is okay. The place was dead.

Food was not seasoned at all. Server was ok but they don't take phone orders, which isn't convenient for truckers. If you don't want fast food, its a good option, but I won't be stopping there again.

The Food Service takes a long time, expect to wait at least 15 minutes for a simple sandwich. The food is pretty good once it finally comes, $20 for one brisket sandwich

Pls do not ever add boiled chicken on the nachos. P.s. pls also make sure to cheese the nachos. I feel like for $20 I should also get some real chz on the top. Unfortunately what I got as "nachos" was chips with watery boiled chicken on top and like no cheese. Staff was lovely and place looked cool. Just like level up that food game.

Jonathan Krive

The Food Service takes a long time, expect to wait at least 15 minutes for a simple sandwich. The food is pretty good once it finally comes, $20 for one brisket sandwich

Chelsea Herting

Pls do not ever add boiled chicken on the nachos. P.s. pls also make sure to cheese the nachos. I feel like for $20 I should also get some real chz on the top. Unfortunately what I got as "nachos" was chips with watery boiled chicken on top and like no cheese. Staff was lovely and place looked cool. Just like level up that food game.

Awful to say the least. Lots of fat sandwiched between white bread. Kids grilled cheese had strange tasting and looking mozzarella.

Takeout food of ribs and nachos took 60 mins. Talked to staff multiple times and they said it would be out any minute. Poorly seasoned and lacks flavor

Food was gross man im not sure what to say about a BBQ restaurant. If you want your BBQ boiled in tasteless water then this place is for you.

My wife and I enjoyed our food. Everything was great except for the servers attitude. Girl with the red neck tat shouldn’t be placed in the front if she’s gonna have that kind of attitude with the guest that come through here. That’s all.

Holy moly unacceptable on all fronts. Brisket nachos - no meat! Just cubes of chopped fat. Nacho cheese not even spicy, didn't put jalapenos on it Chicken wrap - weird flavors and wet to the point half the tortilla was a soggy mess before it even got to the pickup counter. Fried zucchini - fried but not crispy, just oil laden. Parmesan fries - decent Burger - probably best thing on the menu, but you're still better off going to in n out down the road.

Cj Hernandez

My wife and I enjoyed our food. Everything was great except for the servers attitude. Girl with the red neck tat shouldn’t be placed in the front if she’s gonna have that kind of attitude with the guest that come through here. That’s all.

Joe Presley III

Holy moly unacceptable on all fronts. Brisket nachos - no meat! Just cubes of chopped fat. Nacho cheese not even spicy, didn't put jalapenos on it Chicken wrap - weird flavors and wet to the point half the tortilla was a soggy mess before it even got to the pickup counter. Fried zucchini - fried but not crispy, just oil laden. Parmesan fries - decent Burger - probably best thing on the menu, but you're still better off going to in n out down the road.