Jimmy Jack's Rib Shack

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#7 of 39 Restaurants in PaihiaAmerican, Bar, $$ - $$$

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Jimmy Jack's Rib Shack

Review

At a glance

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Website

+64 9-402 5002Improve this listing

About

Features

CUISINES

American, Bar, Barbecue

Meal types

Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Drinks

Special Diets

Gluten free options

FEATURES

Accepts Credit Cards

Family style

Full Bar

Gift Cards Available

Highchairs Available

Outdoor Seating

Reservations

Seating

Serves Alcohol

Table Service

Takeout

Television

Wheelchair Accessible

Wine and Beer

Location

9 Williams Rd, Paihia New Zealand

Is this restaurant good for breakfast?

Yes

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Hours

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Closed now

• Opens at 11:30 AM

Sunday

11:30 am - 8:00 pm

Monday

11:30 am - 8:00 pm

Tuesday

11:30 am - 8:00 pm

Wednesday

11:30 am - 8:00 pm

Thursday

11:30 am - 8:00 pm

Friday

11:30 am - 8:00 pm

Saturday

11:30 am - 9:00 pm

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4.1

1,844 reviews

Excellent

798

Very good

647

Average

250

Poor

Terrible

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Yes

stork90

Mount Juliet1398 contributions

Best takeaway we've ever had!

Apr 2024 • couples

We have takeaway so rarely, as we prefer to eat in a restaurant and be waited on. However, we had a nice bottle of red wine that we wanted to have with steaks. We ordered 2 Scotch fillets (one blue and one medium rare) with the accompanying salad and fries, and they were ready when we arrived 20 minutes later for pick up. Oh my! These were very tender, flavorful steaks, with the garlic butter on the side, as was the salad dressing, at our request. They were cooked perfectly to our taste, The side salad was a thing of beauty - fresh tender greens, watercress and tomatoes, with a sweet vinaigrette we could add to our taste. Heaven!

Written 10 April 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Maioha

Freiburg im Breisgau695 contributions

A very good dinner at Jimmy Jacks

Mar 2024 • couples

My wife and I enjoyed a very good dinner at Jimmy Jacks. I ordered a seafood chowder, which was very filling, and my wife ordered fish and chips, which was also very good. We would definitely go back there again given the opportunity.

Written 11 March 2024

Graeme B

Napier145 contributions

Excellent Service

Nov 2022 • couples

My wife has a couple of food allergies and when the wait staff were advised they went to great lengths to check what foods contained that allergin. The quality and quantity of the food was also excellent. Highly recommend them

Written 13 November 2022

Maria F

1 contribution

No Louisiana Chicken, but they did have some!

Mar 2024 • couples

We wanted to order the Louisiana Fried Chicken to go with our Ribs & Seafood, but apparently we couldn't do so because they didn't have any Louisiana Fried Chicken unless we ordered the more expensive Fried Chicken & Ribs. We were not up for 2 big meals so we ordered Jack's Smoked Wings with American Buffalo instead. There was no kick in the buffalo sauce and the chicken was dry. We had really wanted to try the Louisiana Fried Chicken so were very disappointed when they had some but chose not to serve it to us.

Written 16 March 2024

Mediocamark

Maitland68 contributions

Disappointing.

Oct 2024 • couples

After having dinner at the Tipsy Oyster the night before. This place had a lot to live up to. And it didn’t deliver. Services was slow at the start. It Took a while to get our order. But after they took the order things got quicker. Our drinks arrived quickly ( mudslides) tasted like flavoured water. Then we got our order, all of it at the same time. Garlic bread, onion ring starters came at the same time as our mains everything was plonked down in front of us. I had the classic burger, which had no mention of an onion ring on the burger on the menu. However one seemed to find its way onto my greasy combination of a burger. My wife had the Maryland crab dip which was not the moreish dish it should be. All in all we were disappointed at the least.

Written 26 October 2024

Billie P

2 contributions

Poor quality

Jul 2024 • family

Ribs tasted like they were boiled and then slap some sauce on it. Took the price up and took some produce off. Dessert my doughnuts OMG didn't have no LOVE just hea, hea it is. Not going back.

Written 12 July 2024

Dream57088936260

1 contribution

Enormous Quality Decline and Price Hike

Jan 2024 • family

As a frequent patron of Jimmy Jack's Rib Shack, it pains me to write this review, but I feel obligated to share my recent disappointing experience. I opted for the takeaway $90 varied platter, which included an assortment of sides. Unfortunately, the quality of the food did not justify the price.The ribs, which should be a highlight, were a letdown. They were not only dry but also noticeably smaller than before, a clear case of shrinkflation. The chicken wings were overcooked to the point of being severely charred. The crab dip, which I had high hopes for, turned out to be watery and lacked flavor.The bread was as hard as a rock, making it inedible. On a positive note, the sausage was good, and the chips were decent - but these are simple items that one wouldn't expect to go wrong. The wedges were the same; while acceptable, they're hardly the reason one would pay $90 for a platter.The coleslaw was another disappointment. It was too chunky, and it seemed like the less desirable parts of the cabbage were used.Having been a regular customer, I've observed the gradual deterioration of both food quality and portion sizes over the last year. This latest experience has led me to the decision that I won't be returning to Jimmy Jack's Rib Shack. It's disheartening to see a once-beloved spot decline like this.

Written 13 January 2024

Steve Selby

Hello Dream, Very sorry you had a less than memorable experience. Maybe I can answer your points. Takeaway is always a fraught experience as it almost impossible to get food on arrival to be as good as fresh on the table. Things like crab dip will unfortunately deteriorate when kept in a container. The bread is hard for the simple reason that its toasted to allow you to scoop the crab dip as opposed to before when we gave soft bread. I have no explanation about the wings except to say if you were dining in we would have happily replaced them. As far as portion size and pricing goes we are like everyone coping with the ravages of high inflation. Feel free to call in anytime and discuss it with me. Ask for Les The rib size is dictated solely on the size that gets delivered from Finland and can vary considerably

Written 19 February 2024

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Tom H

Abbotsford3 contributions

Management isues make for an average experience

Mar 2023 • none

We went with our two grandsons for an early evening meal. My and my wife's first choices were "not available". Both staff members who dealt with us were efficient but seemed in a hurry to move us along. The food was typical of grill restaurants of this kind. It was pretty average but more expensive than most - possibly due to the prime location. The bill was well over a hundred dollars, but when I asked for a doggy-bag I was charged a dollar for the polystyrene box. When I challenged the cost suggesting that the cashier tell her boss that it might be as good idea to offer free boxes to customers who have just spent over a hundred dollars, it was explained to me that the box was partially priced to support a "green" initiative. It sounded dubious. The staff were pleasant enough - good kiwi folk, but I believe that management (or perhaps owners) choices have made for an unfortunate ambiance. We live locally and I will not be returning. In New Zealand, if we want to attract visitors to our tourist spots, we need to get this sort of thing right. It's not difficult.

Written 11 March 2023

Pip P

1 contribution

Wouldn’t recommend

Mar 2023 • family

Great staff and service, pity the food and management let it down. Friendly and attentive staff. Ribs good, fried chicken dry. What let it down the most was when we subbed out the fries for coleslaw (trying to keep it semi healthy) we were advised there was an extra cost. Happy to pay until we received the meal and the extra cost did not equate to the small bowl of coleslaw. Also noticed for takeaways you’re charged for a container-don’t try to say this is due to green policy, there are many eco friendly containers today and the cost of a container vs eating in with its associated costs doesn’t compare. Won’t be back. Do yourself a favour and grab an Indian from Madly Indian - delicious!

Written 11 March 2023

Reisenerd

Frankfurt426 contributions

For us more of a pub and not a restaurant

Jan 2025 • couples

We were here for dinner. We still had an hour to eat before closing time at 9pm. The bar inside is surprisingly large and modern, comfortably furnished. But there is also an outdoor area in front of the door. The service was friendly and accommodating. Our beer and the ordered cocktail tasted good. The food was rather better pub level. Warm crab salad takes some getting used to and not our taste. The steak was good and the rips were fine too. But that's all. Conclusion: Actually more of a pub with better cuisine - if you like the combination, you will get your money's worth.

Automatically translated

Written 27 January 2025

famadven

Wellington332 contributions

Amazing Platters

Dec 2020 • none

Was busy the night we arrived but didn't have to wait long for a table. We had tried booking earlier in the day but were told they didn't take bookings. When we arrived that night, a couple of tables had been reserved so not quite sure what the deal was but didn't matter as we got a table anyway. We were going to share some Cauli Bites for a starter but thankfully they had run out - when the platter arrived that the four of us were to share our eyes just about popped out of our heads! Even the people at the next table were amazed at the amount of food. There were wedges, fries and curly fries as well and really we could have done with just two of those and more of the chicken or fish. But we all enjoyed the platter and tried our darndest to finish it - but it had us beat! Staff were friendly - not overly attentive but they were really busy and we weren't that needy.

Written 10 January 2021

Jason D

Greytown58 contributions

Mixed review

Feb 2021 • couples

Great atmosphere, friendly staff. I ordered steak meal which was cooked exactly as I asked for, my wife ordered wedges as they were out if ingredients for the other two meals she wanted. The wedges were not good value for money at $18, it was small amount and soggy as if they had just been reheated in the microwave.

Written 14 February 2021

Anna A

11 contributions

Chef went the extra mile to cater for gluten free.

Jun 2024 • couples

Top marks to chef Geordie. As a coeliac it’s been a long time since I found anywhere that could do a decent gluten-free battered fish meal. Geordie made some gluten free batter up especially and it was the most amazing fish I’ve eaten in a long time. Beautiful salad as well. Helpful wait staff too. We will be back!

Written 22 June 2024

Patricia

London1 contribution

Appalling disregard for allergies

Jan 2024 • family

Appalling experience. Only one thing on the menu that they were able to do dairy free which happened to be a Caesar salad. Which we discovered had pieces of cheese in it after my strictly dairy free daughter had started eating it. Staff and owner were ignorant. No itemised menu for allergies so I guess we should have known what we were dealing with, but the staff assured us the salad would be fine. Completely ignorant if the enormity of their error and more than unbelievable in 2024. Do not eat here.

Written 3 January 2024

sukcir

Nelson9 contributions

The worst service and cold meals in NZ

Jan 2021 • none

As a family visiting Paihia , we came across this place which appeared to be busy, we enquired at the front door and taken to a holding table where it all went bad. When we finally got a table they brought us a bottle of tap warm water with three glasses one with bits in the bottom so I got another. We ordered two Tiger beers and a soft drink for our son. the beers came out flat either hot glasses or dirty beer lines. My sons drink never came. We then ordered our mains, 1 x Scotch fillet for my wife ribs and curly fries for our son and a Surf and turf medium rare for myself. 40 minutes later our meals arrived minus my sons curly fries, II strarted on my prawns and then cut of a bit of my steak which was colder than the beer . The mushroom sauce had been poured on top was cold so I guess my meduim rare steak had sat on the bench for 20+ minutes awaiting my wifes well done steak. when I asked to replace they took it back to kitchen and microwaved it making it taste like a rubber boot. I went and paid for the meal and asked how it was I had paid and was not looking for refund but told waitress of issues, the manager came over and said look around at all our guest and said no onone else complained. anyway thought i would warn people before choosing this place.

Written 15 January 2021