Jr’s No.19 BBQ

I have been here many times and my dad even had them cater a party for him. Today, I stopped in to try the Reuben that has been taunting me via Facebook. It was wonderful, with the meat seasoned well, nice melty cheese and rye bread from Pine River Bakery. If it had been supper time, I would have tried one of their craft beers on tap. Great, friendly service from the waitress. It is definitely worth the hike up north.

If I could I would put zero the food you could make at home. plus the wait and service is awful this is such a disappointment in every aspect. even the staff women and men you can tell they hate there job I sincerely hope you don’t waste your time and money at this establishment.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in the world. The brisket sandwich is awesome, sometimes it isn’t great, but always good nonetheless. The prime rib sandwich is also amazing. The macaroni and cheese isn’t great, but for some reason I always get it when it’s available.
The menu is limited, almost like they only prepare what they want to prepare, which is fine since they have so many delicious options! It just seems slightly lazy!
They have a jukebox in there in which I always play Straight Outta Compton!
All in all its just a great place to be! They spend a lot of time and energy decorating it as well! It is really neat!
I definitely recommend this to anybody that is visiting in the area of Pine River!

Love this BBQ and owner is the nicest guy! Found this about 2 years ago, always get this when we are in town! LOVE IT! They just made a penny bar, more fun to be had here now!
Update: DO NOT LEAVE WITHOUT GETTING THE CHEESECAKE! Omg… Heaven…

Really good. For northern MN there isn’t much competition to compare it to, but I am a self proclaimed expert (based on my love for bbq, my trips south to eat bbq, and the fact that I have a custom built bbq on a trailer and make my own q all the time). The brisket is great, pork is also great. I would bet that Jr. does a great rib as well based on his knowledge of the other meats. Excellent — would have given 4.5 stars but can’t give 5 because there are better q joints down south (Like Pappy’s in St. Louis).

This place is terrific! My fiancé and I had the best bbq that we have had in a long time here. Great service and great prices. My favorite was the pulled pork while my fiancé loved the brisket. The homemade sauce was totally addicting. It was light, fruity and spicy. We had three different slices of the homemade cheesecake. The caramel macchiato and the coconut crème were awesome. Who serves fresh, homemade cheesecake anymore?
I am so happy that we have a home in the area that we stay at frequently because I cannot wait to get back there soon!

I give this restaurant 3 stars, only because it fell short in a few areas, none of which were the meat!
The brisket was great, tender and juicy, although some crispiness on the edges would have been welcome. I was unhappy that the sandwiches were not sold alone, or available with sides. The only option is to buy them with chips which were some cheap mass produced lays style variety. I don’t like being forced into food I don’t want, and everyone likes options!
I ended up going with the rib plate so I could have potato salad, which ended up being a each style creamy salad. Im not usually into those but Ill admit this one was good.
My colleague went with the pulled pork which she said was great except for the bun. It looked like it was the economy style hamburger bun, and the bottom became disgustingly soggy before she could finish. I actually couldn’t recognize as bread and had to ask her what the heck was on her plate.
She also had the mac and cheese which I got to try too! A big disappointment, It was dry and had little flavor. They should leave out the bacon and focus on making a creamier mac, at least make it creamier. Dry and gross, more milk and cheese/​sauce!!!
Lastly I opted for their special rood bear which comes in ONLY a monster cup. The root beer was good, but why not offer a smaller portion and charge only a fraction less?
I feel like this type of business model pushes excessive amounts of items, and they may not be exactly what you want!

The young man who runs this place is truly passionate about his bar-​b-​que. And it shows! Fresh, from scratch cooking, clean/​inviting atmosphere, friendly/​attentive staff. I love the North-​woods hotdish, Reuben and Prime Rib sandwiches. He’s added TVs to the place — — not sure why that’s necessary, but it’s appealing to some of his patrons, no doubt. He has a nice selection of beers, for those desiring something more potent than his delicious home-​made root beer — — my «beer» of choice! I have yet to get to Jr’s. for his brunch, but intend to do so very, very soon.

Don’t be put off by my 3-​star rating. This establishment is a good place to eat ribs, but doesn’t leap up to a four or five in my book. The restaurant’s interior is bare bones (no pun intended) with a few wall hangings to give it a down home country feel. I came to it on a Thursday in the late afternoon, and was the only patron dining there. No surprise.
The person who took my order was pleasant and accommodating but when I asked if their ribs were St. Louis style she said she didn’t know what that was. Ok. I asked for the four bone rib platter with two sides; beans and slaw. Because one of the ribs was what you’d call a tag end, she threw in an extra rib, which was a nice gesture on her part and spoke well for the place.
Also, the price is unbeatable. So many rib joints take the better part of your SS check for a full rib dinner these days, but Jr’s 19 BBQ charged me just under $ 10 dollars. A real bargain! The slaw was fresh, coarse cut and perfectly creamed. The barbecue beans were tasty. The naked ribs were just fine. To my mind they could have been more tender (smoked longer?) and lacked the high bark to meat ratio that rib lovers crave. Their signature sauce is truly good.
All In all, a place I plan to return to whenever I want BBQ in the Pine River area.

Clean, friendli, FANTASTIC FOOD! The daily specials are mind blowing. I had the Prime Rib sandwich with smoked Portabella Mushrooms and smoked caramelized onions. We topped it off with an «Ugly Cheesecake,» which was anything but ugly. Amazingly light and creamy, it was made fresh daily at the restaurant. I will be back, again, and again.

I must refresh my prior entreaty — you must eat at Jr’s No. 19 if you’re anywhere near Pine River. He makes amazing food with an emphasis on barbecue!
If you were in New York or Downtown Minneapolis, a professional reviewer would be using the phrases «chef-​owned» and «artisanal barbecue» to describe Jr’s (and the prices would be inflated to match). We were back again today and again enjoyed Jr’s creations. This time we enjoyed the pastrami special (second to none outside the NYC area) and Jr’s amazing new pork carnitas taco meat. Combined with outstanding baked beans and a very respectable cole slaw it was another wonderful Jr’s experience.
I forgot about the Northwoods casserole or I probably would have enjoyed that — oh well next time.
We’ll be enjoying some Jr’s barbecue every time we’re up North this year — hope to see you there. You’ll really be missing out if you don’t stop in.
BTW — if you like Jr’s on Facebook you’ll know what the daily specials are.

In northern MN on a trip with the band and we spotted this place and glad we did. The joint is big, roomy and clean and the owner/​staff are super friendly — happy to provide samples. The brisket was moist and flavorful. The ribs were big and meaty with just the right amount of tug. The pulled pork was just right — not too dry; not too wet. Excellent sauce (I bought two bottles to bring home).
As for sides, we only tried the Northwoods Casserole and it was awesome. Wild rice, sauce, mushroom, Parmesan — not a spec of cream of mushroom soup to be found! I saw the cheesy mac on another plate and it looked really good to. Also, we had a sample of the bread pudding and man was it good. It was like a caramel roll in a bowl.
The band is going to be back in the neighborhood in a couple weeks and we’ll be back. Oh yes — we WILL be back!
(holy crap I’m getting hungry just writing this…)
If you live anywhere near Pine River or are just visiting you MUST stop in!