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I must say, this place rocks my socks. I took my boyfriend here for the first time (since he is from Redmond), and he LOVED the idea of throwing peanut shells on the floor! He said "..beer and peanuts are my heaven.." I prefer the Sea-Island Breeze drink...the 25oz size...lol...
Their crawfish chowder is TO DIE FOR! I love it. Very tasty! Their crabcakes are sooo good, but normally I only get one, they are pricey. If you are going for dinner, you must get the Combo Round-up. Its the best thing on the menu. You get to choose 2 entrees (steak, shrimp, salmon, crabcake, 1/2 rack ribs, sassy sausage...), plus 2 sides (loaded potato, rice pilaf, sweet potato fries, showstring fries...) all for 19.99. Best deal in the house!
The only downside, is that their happy hour is only .25 to.50 cents off the regular prices...=(
But I cant leave out, the best item in the house, and they are FREE with dinner!! The Rolls. OMG...I must tell you, these rolls with the honey butter are....::drooling:: ...sooo good!
Eh, it was okay.
The whole peanut-shells-on-the-floor-misspelled-homey-signs- -on-the-wall thing.
The crawfish chowder was really good; salty, but good.
I also got the campfire chicken - to her credit, the server was less then enthusiastic about it, but I wasn't in the mood to eat a slab of meat at the time. It was okay - they forgot to bring me the sweet potato fries so by the time they came out, I was almost done with the chicken.
It wasn't a bad place, but don't expect a chic bistro...
Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to get over this fact:
Jimmy Mac's Roadhouse is decorated in corregated alumnium and shares a parking lot with the Wal-Mart in Renton.
If you can get past any hang-ups about bargain shopping, corporate America, and restaurants that look like Disneyland attractions, Jimmy Mac's is not a half-bad place to enjoy dinner. Scoop up a bowl of peanuts on your way in, and try not to cringe as you toss the shells right onto the floor. Service is perky and efficient, and though the menu is largely steak-centric, they do offer several salads plus chicken and seafood dishes. I do think Jimmy is better with meat than with fish, as my Nebraska-grown steak was fantastic but the coconut shrimp a bit over-battered and lacking in flavor. There is a wide selection of side dishes, and the sweet yeast rolls don't even need the accompanying honey butter.
Don't be turned off by the setting...this place is all fun, no fright.
I had driven by Jimmy Macs a number of times and never really thought to stop in. One night after a hectic and mind numbing trip to Walmart, my girlfriend and i decided to stop in cause we were both starving and it was the first place we saw. I figured i would get a so-so burger from a place that looked like a very intentional dive. My friends, never judge a book by its cover.
All the neon lights, peanuts on the floor, and southern decorations add up to something i notmally cant stand, but it somehow really works here. The staff is very pleasent and balances good service with a relaxed attituted very well.
Now, for the most important thing, the food. I have been there four times now. What amazed me the first time is what keeps me coming back, the food is cooked perfectly. My steak is always cooked exactly the way i ask. The fried food is never over done and delicious. The chicken is nice and juicy and the ribs are nice and fall-apart good. So many times in "divish" type bars or restraunts the food is just cooked to hell and if its edible its considered a succces. But that is never the case here. I will be back time and time again. OH! And i almost forgot, the rolls are delicious!.
I always have enjoyed this place. I have found the service to be very spotty and i couldnt care less for the GM of the place (if he's still there) Ditto all the other reviews on the yeast rolls and honey butter. Try a blackened chicken ceasar salad.... Yummy!!
Went to this restaurant for the first time last night, after looking up restaurants in the area on Yelp. After reading mostly good reviews, we decided to give it a try. I have to say that I'm glad we did! As soon as we walked in, the hostess said hello and asked us to grab a bowl of free peanuts by the door. Our waitress showed up very quickly to our table, and let us know about their specials and her recommendations. We ended up getting:
- Roadhouse size prime rib cooked medium (it was beautiful to look at)
- 16 oz t-bone cooked medium rare
- baked beans
- loaded baked potato
- coconut shrimp
- Roadhouse size mixed drink (Tropical Twister or something like that)
- blackberry lemonade
- chocolate chip cookie sundae to share
One of the best parts of the meal was the FREE STUFF... which were these delicious yeast rolls with honey butter. We both ate 3 each! It was ridiculous. The prime rib... oh God the prime rib was fantastic. We go to The Keg in Renton all the time and I always order the prime rib, but Jimmy Mac ruined Keg prime rib for me. It was so much thicker, juicier, and more flavorful. The t-bone was excellent as well. The dessert we got was perfect, because we were just about stuffed by then. It was really just an individual size, but we wanted something sweet so it worked for the 2 of us.
We had a very attentive and friendly waitress named Cindy. That definitely makes the experience so much better!
We can't wait to go back as soon as we can. :-)
We stopped at Jimmy Mac's again the other night for dinner and it was awesome! I know they are known for their steaks but I LOVE the teriyaki salmon. The service was great too... made us feel really welcome. Just a nice evening.
This place was nothing like the joint in the movie Roadhouse, which was a relief and a disappointment. There were no fights or flying chairs, the canned music was ok I guess, but there was no Dalton. Oh well, I came here for the food even though it would've been cool to bust a beer bottle on someone's head.
I found this place by looking on the Yelp talk forums for a good inexpensive steak spot. I have eaten at Outback too many times in my life growing up with my dad who thought it was the best steak ever. I refuse to go to that place ever again. I'm glad I discovered Jimmy Mac's.
We came there fairly late on a Saturday night so it wasn't very bustling inside at all. My party of four was seated at a nice comfy booth. The place does look like a restaurant that I have been to a few times in Texas or Oklahoma, the free peanuts that you can shell to the ground are a nice touch.
Our server was an older girl who was extremely sweet and attentive for the whole time. I wanted to marry her after she delivered that sweet, sweet basket of rolls and honey butter. I don't think I've ever tasted rolls so delicious and fluffy. I had three of them and could've eaten three more, but there would've been no room for anything else.
My friends and I were big fans of the big 24 ounce cold mug of Bud Light for $4.35. Yeah yeah, Bud Light is sorta lame, but c'mon I wasn't eating at El Gaucho.
The starter salad was tasty witht the perfect amount of dressing. I had the Roadhouse Special which was a top sirloin medium rare and was pretty impressed by the cut and flavor. Definitely better than Outback in that it was not overly-seasoned. The loaded baked potato was the perfect accompaniment.
My buddy ordered the "smaller" prime rib and it was the biggest prime rib serving I've seen at about 3/4 inch thick, he ate all of it and couldn't even touch his baked potato. He said it was delicious and was impressed. His other two friends split the pulled pork with fries and they polished that dish off no problem.
I'm glad I've found a spot that delivers an above average place for a good price. The total for my meal and big ol' mug of beer was less than $26. Whenever I'm in the Renton area and feel like being full and happy I will always put Jimmy Mac's on the consideration list up towards the top.
I lived in Texas for several years and although I don't consider myself an expert on roadhouses, I would venture to say this is at the bottom of the list of 15 or so chain and non-chain roadhouse sytle restaurants I've been to.
The service was good. Our server was attentive and was available but didn't hover. The ambience--well, it looked like they were trying too hard and it seemed tacky (not rustic/southern). It's an open concept restaurant so eventhough it wasn't very busy when I went, I imagine it gets really loud when they are really busy.
The most disappointing part of this restaurant was the food. I like my filet about medium rare to medium. This steak was cooked probably a few minutes longer on one side than the other and eventhough it was still within the "medium" range, it was much closer to med-well than med-rare. The server asked us to cut the steak to make sure it was cooked right - I didn't want to send it back because like I said, it was probably technically medium and I didn't think it was worth it to send it back. My filet also looked more like a sirlloin than a filet. My grandmother ordered a ribeye medium-well and that was over cooked as well, this ribeye was particularly thin. It was over seasoned and I tasted butter. The salad dressing was very runny and our yeast rolls weren't browned very well...they were just barely cooked. To top it all off, I paid $60 including a tip which just added insult to injury, I probably would have been okay with paying $40 for the quality of food we got.
For steak, I'll probably stick with El Gaucho or Daniels...I don't have it very often so when I do, I should go for the best. If I were totally into inexpensive steak, I would go with the Keg or even the Outback or Black Angus before coming back here.
i'm in love with this place, the atmosphere, the food, the service are great. It is quite unique and fun
This used to be the place I take my family almost every week primarily because I would love to meet the owner! What a cool last name(if that is his sur name!). It seems to me as economy goes down, so does their staff and food quality!
I wanted a tried their steak and mushroom soup which tasted fresh out of a can quality but a little bit on the salty side and I swear there was only one piece of steak in there, aside from a ceasar salad that was drenched in dressing, the chicken was smoothered with layers of cheese and bacon, and almost when I thought nothing could be wrong with the ribs...........they were! I never experienced this before dining here where I would have to really use a knife to section off my ribs and the meat tasted over cooked just sitting around then re-heated.
I would definately come back just because my family loves it here, but if I have another bad encounter then I probably won't ever go back.
I always love going here, and then I forget about it for a while because it is such a cool place. Then I miss it and go back again. The quality of the meat here is five star. I can order a steak "this big and this thick" and I get exactly what I asked for, cooked to perfection.
Frm the outside the place looks like a shack. You walk in the front door (prominently labeled 'front door') and the floor is covered with peanut shells (yeah, like Texas Steakhouse). There's a big barrel of peanuts by the front door. To the left are some of the nicer cuts of meat on display. Their fillet is really really tender. The difference is that this place doesn't treat you like a retard who has never eaten in a Western style restaurant.
Once you sit down, you get a basket of buttered yeast rolls. DO NOT EAT THE ROLLS! Well, yeah, eat them ... because they're fabulous ... and then suddenly the basket is empty and you are going to ask yourself "Did I really just eat two whole buttered rolls?" You can get more, but remember this place is for steaks so beware of filling up on the rolls.
The staff are all really nice, polite, and attentive. I never have to ask for something - they always come by and ask whether I need something or ofter to refill my drink. It's very casual, but very classy and professional at the same time.
Then you get the bill and, unless you've run up a huge bar tab, you are going to ask "Is this right?" The prices are very reasonable - I mean if I order a twenty-five dollar steak then I'm going to get charged $25 for it, but with a drink and rolls and everything you can get out for $30 per person. However, please be nice and leave a generous tip because the servers deserve it.
If you want steak and you're down in the crotch of Lake Washington, go find Jimmy Mac's (just North of the Wal-Mart) and treat yourself to an excellent steak dinner.
Forget Outback, go to Jimmy Macs. We went here on Sunday and had the best night out in a while. Steaks were cooked perfectly and the service was superb! Keep it up Jimmy's and you'll stay busy! I'll be back.
I've been to Jimmy Mac's many times and have only had a bad experience once which was due to a very self-important waitress...I haven't seen her since. The waitstaff is helpful, cheerful and on their toes at all times. Wed. is chicken friend steak night, YUM x10. The chocolate peanut butter pie is also one of my favorites. The hot, homemade rolls and honey butter are to die for. WARNING - It's very easy to fill up on them before the food comes, they simply melt in your mouth. I'd say the only down side is that they are located by the Wal-Mart in Renton.
A "Disneyesque" replication of a Texas style roadhouse.
Strong points: great yeast rolls and honey butter, a fairly broad menu including beef (burgers and steak), chicken, pork, and fish (not sure about vegetarian options though), and staff is terrific.
Weaker points: the country music can be overpowering if you enjoy conversation with your meal, the quality of the food for the dollar spent is only average (ie. the sausage is just a big hot dog) and other places might offer more for your dough, such as a couple BBQ joints in and around Downtown Renton.
Other notes: parking is never an issue... for bus riders, Jimmy Mac's is only a 10-15 minute walk from Metro Transit's South Renton Park and Ride.
Bottom line: Not awful but not terrific -- I'd still recommend them to someone to try at least once.
The food and service are good here, the steaks and chicken tasty and the yeast rolls earn raves (though I don't like them much; too sweet for me).
The music can be loud but on a weeknight, it's actually reasonable here. We've had really good luck showing up with big groups during the week; they're happy to pull tables together, assign enough servers to keep everyone fed and happy, and don't have any attitude at all about split checks.
When you feel rowdy, or want to go somewhere without shushing the kids continually, this isn't a bad choice at all.
This place is quite unique in a weird way. First of all, the location is a tad bit odd. Seems like it's in the middle of a parking lot near WalMart - but not. Heh, at least there's plenty of parking!
Upon entering, you're supposed to grab yourself a bowl full of peanuts and bring it to your table. [We didn't know that so the waitress was kind enough to bring us our peanuts to our table.] To the left of the entrance is the kitchen where you see a glass fridge with the different steaks and meats they use.
Very western-ish / picnic-style feel. Kids (and adults) love the idea of throwing peanut shells on the floor. The waitress kept dropping butter on the floor - which I guess, with all the peanuts - makes it a "peanut butter" floor. ha..ha..ha..errr okay, moving on ...
The yeast rolls were sweet and moist ... kind of addicting. Steaks were flavored and cooked well. Prices decent. I opted for the steak sandwich which was quite tasty. You get what you pay for.
The service was great! Very friendly staff.
Once in a while, it's nice to go to a place where families can be loud, make a mess, throw the mess on the floor, and not be scolded or looked down upon by staff and other diners.
Living in Seattle, I don't typically make the drive to Jimmy Mac's very often, but it's a great place to take your Midwestern relatives on the way home from picking them up at the airport.
The big surprise here is that the steaks are really good cuts of meat. The steak quality far and away exceeds places like the slightly cheaper Outback. And the cuts are just as good if not better than some of the high end ($$$$) steakhouses in Seattle.
Too bad I usually spoil my dinner by chowing down on far too many of the yummy yeast rolls, but a steak doggy bag makes an awesome lunch the next day. The service is fast and they keep your soda filled.
This is one of my family's favorites for dinner. We love the fact that you can take a bowl full of peanuts when you first walk in from the big barrel at the front and you can crack and throw the shells anywhere you want to. The waiters/waitresses even encourages you to throw your peanut shells all over because once we had a nice neat pile of shells going on and the waitress walked by and took the bowl and tossed the whole thing on the ground. So much fun!! I sometimes don't even eat the peanuts and just crack to throw on the floor. :)
Their steaks are so delicious and fresh.. when you first walk in you can see the nice cuts they have available right in the glass display like if you were at a butcher deli. Definitely should try their crawfish chowder too!! mmm.. so good esp when eaten with their yummy yeast rolls.. so nice and hot when they first bring them to you.
Totally a fun place to go to have great steaks and get messy w/ peanuts.
My grandma loves this joint for it's ribs- we go here every Mother's Day. Food is good- not much for healthy options but the steaks are good, bread is great and the crawfish chowder- amazing.
Little kids love the peanut shells on the floor. Sometimes the music seems too loud and service is always stellar.
Good food options for diverse crowd!
I have to give this place 5 stars just for the bread (super yummy), the peanuts and the great country music before I even take a bite out of the rest of the food. My team at work went here for lunch...definitely good for groups.
I ordered the crab cake because on the menu they say they are known for it...it wasn't the best crab cake I've ever had...but I did taste one of my co-workers sweet potatoes fries...and they were delicious. She had some leftover on her plate and I was sooo upset when the waitress came to take them away...I wanted them back.
I could seriously come here and just munch on the bread w/butter and the sweet potato fries and be content.
On a side note: The place was pretty clean considering you throw your peanut shells on the floor.
Yee-HAW! Jimmy Mac's is the best roadhouse in all of Washington!
When you go to Jimmy Mac's, you'll start out with a bowlful of peanuts, which you crack open, leaving the remains on the floor. Go ahead! Make a mess! It's fun!
Then you get some of Jimmy Mac's delicious bread rolls. Seriously consider just getting a salad or something, because these things will fill you up alone. Everytime I go there I end up unable to eat my meal because I've gorged on the rolls!
But the food is good too. Lunch is often served on hubcap plates! The dinner is delicious. You can't go wrong at Jimmy Macs!
PROS: Great food. Country music. Fantastic atmosphere. You can throw peanuts on the floor without being called a slob.
CONS: Not the greatest peanuts in the world.
BONUS: Look for the signatures of various local and national celebrities.
This place sells by gimmick, not by quality, and it is far from abashed about making you pay through the nose for it. In that regard it's rather like a vaguely grown up version of Chuck-E-Cheese, but instead of arcade games and a mouse suit you get peanut shells on the floor and a contrived Texan theme.
The food, from what we saw, was poor even as bar food goes- between an appetizer, a bowl of their much over-hyped chili, two entrees, a dessert, and two beverages, the only thing that stood out as noteworthy was the blackberry lemonade my fiancee had. (That thoroughly uninspiring meal, by the way, came in at a ludicrous $60- and no, we weren't eating steak and lobster.)
Frankly speaking, unless you're honestly willing to spend 50% more to walk on peanut shells and get bombarded with the latest country hits, you'd be much better off at an Applebee's (and I loathe the place). Or take a trip up Rainier and try one of the barbecue joints in Rainier Beach- it'll be half the price, twice as good, and won't stink of flagrant marketing.
First off, I'm not a fan of chain steak restaurants - Outback, Lone Star, Logan's, Texas Roadhouse.... ugh! There is just something artificial about them. If you want a true roadhouse steak experience, try Jimmy Mac's.
Yes, Jimmy Mac's menu is very similar to other corporate steak restaurants, but with only two locations (Renton and Federal Way) they have managed to avoid the stigma that comes with "corporate food". They have also managed to create something authentic.
Grab a bowl of peanuts on the way in and throw the shells on the floor. Eat the yeast rolls that come to your table right away, but not too many because they will fill you up.... warm, sweet and tasty.
Every time I eat at Jimmy's, I always start with a Ginger Ale. They don't actually have Ginger Ale, but they do the old bartender's trick and fake it (Sprite with some bitters). Still, there is just something about it that I love.
For a starter, have the coconut shrimp. Outback has the same thing, but only Jimmy's coconut shrimp taste like something that you would make at home. Not the fancy presentation.... just great taste.
For the meal, everything on the menu is super - nothing comes out poor. Steaks come out just the way you order them (never raw or overdone). Their BBQ sauce is nice and sweet, which is my taste. The nice part about their entrees is that you get to choose your two sides from a huge list - Get the potato pancakes, mushrooms, sweet potato fries and/or Cesar salad... heaven!
One word sums up the service - genuine. There is no pretense, they don't pretend to be your best friend or boost your ego. They are honest, hard working and very accommodating. They genuinely want you to have a good time and a great meal.
Jimmy Mac's is the real thing.
We go to Jimmy Mac's a lot, and I am *so* not the country type.
We try to head down there on Friday or Saturday for the Prime Rib. Otherwise my favorites are the salmon, salads, and teriyaki rib eye. Everything I have had here is GOOD. And don't forget the rolls with the whipped honey butter. Try to not load up on them or you'll be taking a doggie bag home...
We have our favorite waitress of course -- Jill. But all of the wait staff has been good to us. ;) It's just that we don't have to really order if we're sitting in her section, she always remembers what we like.
I've been meaning to try out this place. We had just finished a huge deadline and one of the managers wanted to take us out for lunch. I suggested Jimmy Mac's since it was close and I was interested to see what it was all about.
We got there around 11:30, trying to beat the rush and we succeeded! The place was hopping but there was plenty of tables and we were seated immediately. The hostess grabbed us a plate of fresh yeast rolls and there was a great big barrel of peanuts right as you walk in that one of my coworkers took advantage of.
This place has a great atmosphere and the decor is pretty cool too. They even serve some food on large hub caps! I'm not big into country music but it fit the ambiance so I went with it. The really cool thing is that you get free peanuts and you can throw the shells all over the floor, call me simple but I like that kind of thing.
The menu is pretty broad and it took awhile to look it over and finally decide on what I wanted. We started off with "Onion Rings by the Foot" which come with 3 different dipping choices and they rings were great. I ordered "The Business Man's Lunch" and chose the Top Sirloin with shoestring fries and a Cesar side salad. The steak was just as I ordered, the fries were ok but the salad was a bitter disappointment. I love Cesar salad but this stuff looked like it had been sitting in a big bowl and just scooped out, way too much dressing too. That is really my only complaint other than it was pretty expensive too. Even though I wasn't paying that does still factor in.
Overall it was a fun experience and I will most likely return, though I'm in no big rush. I think next time I will most likely go with some friends or take my special girl.
I have been to a number of the different roadhouse themed places all over the country. This one is not the best I have been to, but it is right at the top of the list.
The steak was ok, but the potatoe pancakes were great. These alone set this place apart from most of the others I have been to.
Certainly worth another visit.
Very interesting house salad compliment the yeast rolls. The aged steaks are divine. The 'cue is a bit more vinegar-y than I like, but the killer peach cobbler makes everything all good!
Is it wrong that I just come here for the fries and rolls. I could live off that for days. But I do also love the beans and the campfire chicken.
"grab yer peanuts and follow me" The shirts make me laugh everytime and I Love the music.
A pretty good knock off of Texas Roadhouse and Logans steak house... more of personal touch... i do like the bread here better than the rest... has more of a real feel to it not as chain like as Texas Roadhouse and Logans...
The food is good, but....
It's very loud with blaring country music, there's this "we're so festive" kind of atmosphere, and the prices are fairly high. For the same money, you get a much better stake at the Melrose, less than a mile away, and be able to hear your companions talk.
Renton, WA
Category: Steakhouses
Renton, WA
Category: Barbeque
Renton, WA
Category: Tapas Bars
Renton, WA
Category: American (Traditional)
Federal Way, WA
Category: American (Traditional)
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