Jones Bar-B-Q
Jones Bar-B-Q Diner since 1910
Long before you see it, you will smell the tantalizing aroma wafting from 219 W. Louisiana Street in Marianna, Arkansas – home of the renowned Jones Bar-B-Q Diner. Crowds can be found forming a lengthy queue an hour before opening time. However, you will not find a website, the ability for online ordering, or even anyone answering the phone. To purchase the food, you must wait in line and in person. Jones Bar-B-Q Diner is an unassuming spot in a residential area with a single item on the menu; chopped pork barbecue.
The pork is sold by the pound or served in a sandwich made with Wonder bread. All sandwiches include a side of a vinegar-based barbecue sauce and house-made coleslaw. Sales begin at 7:00 AM sharp, and the diner officially closes at 1:00 PM, but the delicious meat often sells out by 10:00 AM. The pulled pork cost $7 per pound or $3.50 for the sandwich. Most sales are take-away as the diner only seats ten inside dining patrons.
Those in BBQ country often lament which barbeque sauce reigns supreme, vinegar or mustard-based. In Arkansas, vinegar and cayenne pepper-based sauce is representative of the area and the only sauce served at Jones Bar-B-Q. The Jones Family has been serving up the slow-cooked meat since 1910. The diner is currently owned and managed by James Jones, affectionately known as “Mr. Harold,” who has worked at the diner since he was fourteen years old. The original owner and pit master was Joe Jones, the brother of Mr. Harold’s great-grandfather. Jones Bar-B-Q is believed to be the oldest Black-owned restaurant in the country and the Jones family has been serving up smoked pork shoulder roasts for over 111 years.
Indigenous Americans and Spanish Explorers are associated with cooking, steaming, and roasting meat over an open fire. However, the concept of barbeque spans centuries and represents a significant culinary contribution made by African Americans to the New World. The invaluable knowledge of spices and cooking skills imparted by the enslaved brought from West Africa remains with us today.
Jones Bar-B-Q Diner is the only restaurant in the entire state of Arkansas to win a James Beard Award and was named an American Classic. The James Beard Award recognizes culinary excellence and the demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equality, community, sustainability, and the creation of a culture where all can thrive. Jones Bar-B-Q Diner received this award in 2012 and is worth a stop to taste the best barbeque in the state.
