BBQ Heaven in a Firehouse...

Jack’s Firehouse

2130 Fairmount Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19130

jacksfirehouse.com/ 

There are very few places that I can think of in the area to get some really good barbeque. One of the best, if not the best that I have been to is Jack’s Firehouse in Philadelphia. The restaurant is in a place that you would never expect to find great barbeque; on a street across the street from an old penitentiary in a building that used to be a firehouse. My girlfriend, her parents and I went there on a Friday before going to walk around and tour Eastern State Penitentiary. I had been there once before, but it was everyone else’s first visit to Jack’s. When you walk in the door, everything is still set up so that you can tell the building used to be an old firehouse and I love that. You can smell the barbeque from the second you walk in the door. We sat down and ordered, for me a cheesesteak with fries, and we waited for our food to come out for lunch.

While we waited for our food to come out, cornbread was brought out for the table. It was served with a blackberry jam that was absolutely outstanding. Tart, sweet, and delicious, I think you could have put it on a flip flop and it would have tasted good. The cornbread was wonderful as well, the type of thing that you only really get done so well in barbeque joints and in the South. 

I also had the opportunity to taste my girlfriend’s father’s pumpkin soup and boy, I am glad that I did. It was magnificent! It was supremely creamy and full of pumpkin spices in a way that made it feel like I was eating pumpkin pie that had been liquefied into soup form. 

My cheesesteak came out next and I was incredibly happy with my choice. It was hard for me not to pick something barbeque related, but my girlfriend ordered the brisket sandwich, so since I knew I could taste that too, I wound up ordering the cheesesteak. The roll was soft, a bit softer than I usually like on a cheesesteak, but it was incredible light and delicious. The meat was chunked up nicely, and was mixed together with the perfect amount of cheese. A quick addition of ketchup rounded out this masterpiece perfectly. The fries were pretty good as well, but I wish they had been a bit crispier.

Jack’s Firehouse is a really different place than most places you can find in the city. It’s fine dining, but for manageable prices and without the stuck-up nature that some fancier places provide. The food is fantastic and if you like good barbeque you have to check it out! Cheers!