Monroe’s in Jacksonville, FL

Monroe’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Q

4838 Highway Avenue
Jacksonville, FL 32254

Monroe's

Many restaurants are the product of a successful catering business. This is the case with Monroe’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Q & Catering on the Westside of Jacksonville. Keith (the owner of Monroe’s) has run a catering business in North Florida for several years. When the timing was right he decided to open a full restaurant. Keith can be found at the restaurant location on any day that they are open, unless they are on location for a catering event. Monroe’s catering has been a reliable and a favorite for many of the large corporations in metro Jacksonville area. Right on the take out menu they tell you they will cater from 50 to 10,000 for delivery or full service. 

On this visit I got to meet up with some friends of mine for lunch. It was just after noon when we got there. As always if you stop by between 11:45 am and 12:30 pm or so, you will need to be prepared to wait in a line to place your order. When you enter Monroe’s from one of the 3 entrances you need to make your way to the middle of the building to where you place your order. At the counter you will place your order and pay at the same time. Then you will get your cup to fill your soda or tea, as it is self serve. They will give you a number and you grab your seat. Not to worry, because there is never a long wait for your food. 

Keith

With Monroe’s being a Bar-B-Q place I usually order a pork sandwich or some of the best chicken wings that you will find in the south. On this particular day I decided to go with one of the lunch specials, which was the meatloaf. Keith informed me that it was a secret recipe from his grandmother. This meatloaf has some of the best flavor of any meatloaf that I have ever had. For my sides I went with the collard greens and the mac n cheese. The mac n cheese is really good but the greens are fan-flippin-tastic. As in every Bar-B-Q place my meal was served with Texas toast. The food is always wonderful at Monroe’s, and this day was no exception. Now this wasn’t all that I had ordered on this day… They did have banana pudding available, so of course I had to order me some of that. The banana pudding was really good. It was not my mama’s but it was dern good and I would order it again. Keith did offer me a slice of their own banana split pie. In the past I have tried this pie and once again the guys at Monroe’s have created a wonderful new item. If I recall the pie does have pineapple in it. I personally do not like pineapple, but this pie is wonderful nonetheless. 

Dining Room

The dining area is filled with the blue and white collar workers of the area. The walls of the restaurant are decorated with everything from Indian artifacts, Gone With The Wind pictures, classic album covers, and even photos from a fire that occurred in Jacksonville years ago. There are a lot of great stories on the walls there, and Keith will be more than happy to let you know what those stories are. Even though the place stays busy, the staff makes sure that the tables are clean. We have never had to wait for a table to be bussed or wiped down before we can grab a seat.

Pie's Meal

Visiting Monroe’s for lunch has been a favorite of mine for over a year now. They always offer a great lunch specials from bar-b-q to fried chicken. You can even get a veggie platter if you like. Recently they have started offering a family style dinner menu on Thursday and Friday evenings. This menu is available after 5:00 pm and features the best of their Bar-B-Q items. Before I left I grabbed a menu of the family style offerings. Monroe’s serves this in parties of 2 or more at $8.50 per person for one main course or $8.95 for 2 main courses per person up to4 at the cost of $11.95 per person. The main course offerings are from pork chops, fried steak, the delicious meatloaf I have just mentioned, pulled pork, turkey, and really about 4 or 5 more items for the main course. The veggies or sides that are available consist of the mac n cheese, collard greens, fries, beans, and potatoes. The meal is served with a basket of cornbread as well. If I were to guess, this offering will soon become a great tradition in Jacksonville. 

Monroe's Store Front

To find Monroe’s you should know it is just off of Highway Avenue. If you are like me, you have never heard of Highway Avenue. It is easy to find and is very close to I-10 when you exit off of I-10 head north. Ok, for those of you with a bad sense of direction. If exiting from I-10 going towards Jax (heading east) you will turn left on Cassat then right on Highway Ave less than a quarter mile ahead. Or if you are going west on I-10 (away from Jax) then you will just turn right on Cassat and then left on Highway Avenue. Monroe’s is on the right almost right after you make the exit. The hours of Monroe’s are M-W and Sat 11 am until 3:30 pm on Thur and Fri they are open from 11 am until 9 pm. You can have the daily specials faxed to you or your office. If you want to call Monroe’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Q you can do so at 904-389-5551. And one of my favorite things is this. You can reach them on the World Wide Web at www.monroessmokehousebbq.com 

Enjoy and tell Keith Moonpie sent you by.

Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com