JR Pem’s Smokin Bar B Que

Two words, HOT DAMN! This right here is some fabulous BBQ! Had pulled pork and hotlink with MacnCheese and loaded potatoes. If you’ve ever had real BBQ in the south, this is as close to that as you’re ever going to get! Downtown Dixon is super cute, had no issues with parking either but for this food I wouldn’t complain about walking a mile up hill both ways! Good job JR! Now, I must nap!!!

Tried it and I have returned for more. Nice addition to Dixon. Not much too choose from but this is a great place to eat. I hope more people will stop and enjoy! Everyone has been friendly and the food is good. BTW the fries are to die for. Can’t wait to try the seasonal desserts.

In July we needed a venue for a luncheon in the Dixon area. We had happend to stop for lunch at J R Pems Smokin’ Bar B Que.
After discussing among ourselves I asked if they could accomodate our pending event some two weeks away. We were expecting between 40 and 60 people.
From the start it was «sure, no problem!». They offered us the restaurant even offering to make it private. Because it was my wife’s family event and her culinary acumen exceeds mine I asked her to negotiate the details.
They were glad to make a few menu adjustments to the extent practical because we expected a few persons who are vegetarians and some with food allergies. While we had to accept a somewhat fixed and limited menu they made a number of options available and negotiated a group price.
Everyone enjoyed the food. The event took place without a hitch and the service was excellent.
Now, I hope this business succeeds because at the time they had been in business less than a year. To me its amazing with such short notice they could put it together, but they did. The 4 stars are for good food and down home friendly people.
As a fan of barbeque I admit I have had better but only marginally so. Considering the size of Dixon we felt fortunate to have both tasty food and a venue for our guests. Don’t get me wrong, I would never pass up a chance to eat there. The food is great. But the best thing about this place is how nice the people are. They out shine their food and as a barbeque lover that is saying something.
I hope they thrive and grow. Give them a try. Next time you are caught in a traffic jam on I-​80 swing into Dixion for an hour or two and enjoy their hospitality.

Run, do not walk, to JR Pem’s Smokin Bar B Que in downtown Dixon, CA. This relatively new addition to the regional barbecue scene should be packed to the gills. They operate a large and modern restaurant on 113 in downtown with a good selection of meat and excellent sides. Parking is surprisingly easy but the street parking may get swamped at peak times.
JR has a simple menu with meat plates and sandwiches with an extensive amount of side dishes. On my visit, I devoured a two meat plate — fatty brisket and giant pork ribs — with their loaded mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. The meat was excellent with flavor and texture right on point. Their sauces were also excellent with lots of flavor and a great sweet and spice combination.
Their sides are equally impressive. The mac and cheese is homestyle with crushed Cheese Its on top! The loaded mashed potatoes are loaded with bacon and cheese and are highly recommended. The other sides look great and are probably just as awesome.
If you enjoy barbecue, you need to make the drive to Dixon. JR is legit and a wonderful restaurant in a slice of classic Main Street America. Plus, those homemade cakes and pies are not going to eat themselves!

The beef brisket was moist and juicy. Bow sauce was unnecessary. Didn’t care for the roasted potatoes though. The apple fennel slaw was good as well. Will be back.

I cannot say enough great things about JR Pems. We recently did a group dinner here, and my transaction with them started a month prior, when I first called to see if they could accommodate our group. I believe I spoke with the owner/​guy in charge and he immediately was very welcoming and easy to talk with. He knew his menu, his prices and gave recommendations.
This place has a great setup for groups– several rooms and even a patio. I pre-​picked the «two meats, two sides» which was the BBQ Chicken, pulled pork, salad & Mac-​n-​cheese. Everything was served on time, on some kind of cool one-​dish-​holds-​all platter. A server came around with different sauces to add… And everything was soooooooooo so mouthwatering good! The Mac-​n-​cheese was clearly homemade and just the right amount of cheesy, and topped with crumbled cheez-​its. The chicken was moist, the pulled pork was perfectly cooked. The cornbread was heavenly.
Also, unbeknownst to me one person in our group was vegetarian, and stopped by on her own to request a veggie option in Lieu of the meat. No problem! They had a vegetarian lasagna that she said tasted great!
We wound up accidentally staying past their closing hours (we were just enjoying ourself so much!) but they were very nice and still so accommodating to the very end. I wish this place all the success in the world!

Go here! The food is great. Hands down the BEST BBQ joint in the area, possibly the Sac area too. Everything tastes and looks amazing. The service is equally as great.

Thank you so much! The food was awesome! Thanks for making our catered lunch for our father’s celebration of life party a huge success!!! Yummy brisket and BBQ chicken. Our guests raved about all of the food.

This place just TACKLES my bbq cravings. When I feel the craving coming on, I get here quick. I’m glad to see it getting the reviews it deserves. So where are the lines? This place should be packed! It’s in a very unassuming storefront on the main drag through Downtown Dixon.
My favorite order is:
1 meat plate with ribs, loaded mashed potatoes & the sautéed veg. Every bite is perfection.
Bring someone along to order the Mac n cheese so you can steal a few bites. My various lunch dates have tried the brisket, pulled pork sandwich, apple fennel slaw and I can report its all been excellent, because if you go to lunch with me I’m tasting your food ;)
Order at the counter, atmosphere is pleasant and casual & SPARKLING CLEAN! The house made lemonade is delish. I’m always too full for dessert.
The only negative is no beer, but you can grab a drink later. EAT HERE.
Dixon get out and support this place! Seriously! Where are the crowds?

I was there for a late lunch a few days ago… I don’t know why the line is not out the door. The food is excellent. I had the two meat platter with ribs and beef brisket with apple fennel slaw and Mac and cheese. The meat was perfectly cooked. The sides were hand made. This food is priced similar to Dickies BBQ but is infinitely better.
I spoke with the owner while I was there. He is a real nice guy and an excellent chef from the offering that I saw.
Even the BBQ sauce is homemade and was fantastic!
I highly recommend.

Great bbq in the dixon area! Great tasting bbq for not a bad price. They put cheese-it’s on top of the mac-​n-​cheese andd the loaded mashed potatoes taste like home! All the food looks and tastes fresh! Definitely going back!

Very good. I had the Brisket and Ribs. The was juice tender and very flavorful. Definite stop for me when I am in Dixon.

Excellent, high quality food in Dixon! I live in Escalon and my boyfriend lives in Dixon. He wanted to try out the new BBQ place in town. I was impressed that in addition to the BBQ, the side dishes, lemonade, ice tea, and desserts are all homemade.
I had the Philly brisket sandwich (made on a homemade roll) and for my side I chose Parmesan fries. It was all very tasty. I would order again. The brisket was very tender and flavorful.
My boyfriend had the two meat/​two sides meal. Ribs, chicken, potato salad, beans, and cornbread. I tasted all of his food (lol) and they were all cooked and seasoned to perfection. We were very, very impressed. He said it was 100% better than Cattleman’s in town. I couldn’t leave without trying the cookies (snickerdoodle & chocolate chip), both yummy.
I told my boyfriend this is where I want to eat next time I come to Dixon. I wish the owner/​cook the best of luck. He deserves a lot of business and success!

First time here. Came on recommendation from a friend. Ordered the two meat/​two side plate with brisket, chicken, mac n cheese, and veggies.
Bad news first — I’m pretty sure neither meat saw the inside of a smoker, and if it did it was only for a minute or two. Chicken was slightly dry. Brisket was lacking in the flavor department. Mac n cheese was sub par and I don’t expect much from mac and cheese at places like like this. The tiny square of cornbread that came on the plate might as well have not been there. If you’re going to serve it that small, it better be good.
Good news — My side of veggies was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The brisket (although flavorless) was moist and tender. The chicken had a hint of a dry rub that may have had potential if there was a heavier rub down. The the yellow bbq sauce was pretty tasty and I usually don’t care for that.
In conclusion, I give this more than one star because I got a good amount of food for 10.50 + tax.
I’d have been happy to pay a few extra bucks for flavor.

I went to lunch here yesterday and the food was great going down. Great presentation (I even added a photo) and staff was super friendly. I came back to work and within an hour I had to make a RUN to the restroom. I was sweating and had the chills but thought I might just be catching something. My coworker asked where I went to lunch. I told him where and he laughed and had my other coworker tell me about his experience there. He told me how him and a few other of our guys went there and all got sick by 9 that night. And these are big guys. All day yesterday since eating there and all through the night to today I’ve been consistently bent over holding my stomach in pain. I may be going to the doctor soon. Never again. My coworkers’ experience is just confirmation.

Great new place in Dixon! Great BBQ food. Very reasonably priced, and a friendly staff. We had the pulled pork sandwich with Apple and fennel slaw, French fries with rosemary and Parmesan cheese, brisket, roasted red potatoes, and beans. Everything was excellent! Definitely going again.

I live near Dixon and I hope this place makes it. Much better than Dickeys and you can talk to the order taker without shouting over a tall glass barrier. And the sides are great, too, again, better than Dickeys.
The ambience is non-​existent but the service is very friendly and attentive. Our group tried all the meats and we all agreed that everything was very tender and just about perfect.
It appears that they do a lot of takeout business. After eating there I can see why.
Try some great BBQ here.

HAVE AGAIN: The beef brisket and pork ribs were excellent — dry seasonings, but I like mine wet so I added their BBQ sauce, which I also thought was excellent. Very good macaroni and cheese as well as the seasoned fries. My only complaint was that the food should be piping hot (although the temperature was not bad). Overall, best BBQ I’ve had since Cardwell’s in St. Louis and Interstate in Memphis.
NOT HAVE AGAIN: The homemade chocolate cake was good (and much better than I expect at most restaurants); however, I like my recipe better and so would try a different dessert next time. I am a good friend of the owners’ mother/​mother-​in-​law, which caused me to drive to Dixon for dinner but had no affect on my review.
PRICE is cheap to moderate, but very reasonable.

We grabbed dinner Friday night once I noticed they were open because good BBQ is hard to find around here. People’s tastes in BBQ differ widely, and if you don’t like a restaurant’s sauce, you won’t be happy. That said, the sauce here was great! I don’t know the owner (I’m lookin’ at you MarkT…), never seen him in my life, but he makes good food and I’ll definitely be back.
I got a pulled pork plate. I’m incredibly picky about fatty pieces of meat – I won’t eat them. The big pile of pork had one small fatty piece (that most people would probably eat) and the rest was lean. Very good, not dry like some places. Mac and cheese were decent, and the seasonal veggies (crunchy green beans and tomatoes with basil) were excellent. They have iced tea and lemonade to serve yourself, so I made an Arnold Palmer. Serve yourself soda machine had some different choices, like Sobe Lifewater.
I usually expect cornbread with BBQ so that would be a good addition to the menu. Then again, JR Pem may have saved me from myself by not having it and making sure I had room for all the green beans!
You order at the counter and take a number. Prices were reasonable.
A friend of ours got their beef ribs (apparently not usually in the menu) at Grillin and Chillin on Saturday, and since they were quickly just a pile of bones, I’d say he liked them.
I’m looking forward to visiting again!

I am super happy to report that we finally have some decent BBQ in the Dixon, Davis, Vacaville area!
I am from Kansas City so I love me some quality BBQ. Richard has nailed the difficult one two punch of tender brisket/​pork and a solid complimentary sauce. I will be back to sample the rest of the menu. For now, I am very happy that the brisket and pulled pork are the best I have tried in NorCal.
Entrée #1 (two meat and two sides) $ 10.49– Pulled pork and brisket with loaded mashed potatoes and BBQ beans. The portions are huge. Check out the picture. Brisket was tender and juicy with no tough fatty portions. So good. The pork was tasty, but not overwhelmed by salt or spices. Both went well with vinegar based sweet BBQ sauce and the vinegar based mustard sauce. Loaded potatoes were pretty good. BBQ beans were good. Light on the BBQ flavor and a bit smokey. Meat = 5 stars sides 4 stars. Note: Food cooled down quickly. Maybe consider higher serving temp or pre-​heat the metal trays used for serving.
Entrée #2 (one meat and two sides) $ 9.49 — Pulled pork with seasonal veggies and mac and cheese. Veggies were sautéed green beans with basil and tomatoes. Beans looked freshly picked and were crispy and very good, basil and tomatoes complimented the dish well. Not your typical super soaked soft green beans.
Burgers and desserts are available on their menu and they also have a breakfast service on Saturday and Sundays.
Overall a very good value considering the quality of the food and the portion size… very good value.
Dixon is getting an impressive line up of restaurants on on main street:
–Great BBQ
–Fine dining at Firehouse
–Excellent Sushi at Hana
–New Korean restaurant at Moyo Moyo
Edit: 23July – I am not a friend of the business, never met them. I am passionate about food and very excited about finally getting decent food in Dixon after living here for 10+ years. Read the reviews, visit the restaurant and make your own decision. My rating scale takes into account nearby like businesses and level of food. Therefore 5 stars for the best BBQ I have had in Dixon, Davis, Vacaville, Winters, Woodland, Sacramento and Fairfield is appropriate.