One month, 8 days.  That was exactly how long Smoking Jay’s BBQ had been open for business when we visited last Friday.  Located nearby the Henry Doorly Zoo at 13th and Vinton, this barbecue place was the perfect spot for a late lunch before we went to the also nearby Lauritzen Gardens.

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When I asked the chef/owner, Jackie, where we came up with his recipes, he pounded his heart.  “From in here.  I cook with love.”  And you can tell this by the quality of his food.  His welcoming personality is also what makes the experience shine – you want to come back because you feel like you are eating a friend’s down home food.

Omaha Smokin' BBQ Collage

While our food did arrive rather quickly, you do need to think sit-down restaurant prices, rather than fast food ones.  Yet those of us who ate meals were still under $10 or less, so everything was still quite reasonable.  The kids meals cost a bit more than happy ones do, but the portions were larger and included  drinks plus fruit snacks -a fun idea!  I tried the pork nachos – waffle fries slathered in BBQ pork goodness.  Yum!

Welcome to Omaha, Smoking Jay’s BBQ!  We look forward to coming back again soon!  (And next time I will be bringing my husband along too!)

Want to try Smoking Jay’s?  They are 13th & Vinton – just south of Downtown Omaha.

Current Hours

Sunday-Thursday 11-8

Week-ends 11-10

Currently they have some smoking deals on Restaurant.com.  Buy a gift certificate for less money, then go give them a try!

Author: neodyssey

My name is Gretchen Garrison. I started this blog about Nebraska in 2013. So far, I have written three books about Nebraska and Lincoln.