Review: Chimneyville Café

The buffet line at Chimneyville Cafe is one of its main draws. (Credit: Leah Starnes)

Chimneyville Smokehouse has been around the Jackson metro area for over 20 years serving up their award winning barbecue.

In March of 2008 the decision was made to build their beautiful new location on Lakeland Drive which recently opened in the bustling Dogwood shopping area in Rankin County.

I predict the following of the original Chimneyville on High Street will only increase with this brand new café-style restaurant. They serve up 3 meals a day, 7 days a week with reasonably priced items and the freshest ingredients available.

The food: Whether you are looking for a great array of breakfast items, the best veggies around or a wonderful night meal you won’t be disappointed with a visit to Chimneyville.

The breakfast offerings of omelets, pancakes, French toast, biscuits, pastries, muffins or a full country style breakfast meal will surely please one and all.

They offer up plenty of starters for a quick meal at lunch or dinner with everything from nachos to soups, gumbo and the great Chimneyville sampler plate.

Plenty of fresh made salads are available and great top sirloin and chuck burgers abound. Menu items of chopped steak, ribs, pulled pork, chicken, turkey, sausage, brisket, and combo plates really please the barbecue enthusiast.

If you are hungry for some delicious fish there are plenty of fresh filets served up grilled or fried with plenty of side items available. A nice kid’s menu is available along with plenty of dessert offerings freshly made daily.

They offer up a serving buffet line each day for every meal.  You have your choice of 1 meat and 3 veggies at lunch and for an additional fee you can add on one of the great dessert offerings. You can’t go wrong with their lunch or dinner buffet as the veggie and meat offerings will definitely be a treat.

A wide array of sandwiches are also awaiting you with great barbecue pork, brisket, chicken salad, chicken, club, pastrami, corn beef, Mahi Mahi, shrimp, catfish, and crab cake. The Jitney Jungle #7 recipe, which is a local staple for generations, is some of the best pimento cheese you will ever eat. Thankfully you can eat a great sandwich in house or have some to take home.

A take out menu for one to 1000 people is available with plenty of onsite catering features to choose from and a full casserole and deli items menu for that wonderful take home meal.  Their web site is filled with all of the casseroles and take home entrees that are cooked and ready to eat for whatever occasion you might need.

In need for a quick pie or cake, just take a few minutes and check out their fresh daily made from scratch baked desserts. Plenty of breads, biscuits, sandwich buns, croissants, corn bread muffins and French bread are cooked fresh daily as well.

The drink: Plenty of good sweet iced tea, soft drinks, coffee and fruit juices are available. A nice array of bottled beer to go along with your meal can also be found. Budweiser, Miller, Coors, Michelob, Corona, Sam Adams, Beck’s, Amstel, and Heineken served up iced cold for a nice compliment of your favorite meal.

The scene: The new building is absolutely inviting with a nice sofa sitting area in the front with a flat screen television for mingling. The building is beautifully decorated with a clean, upbeat, and inviting atmosphere.

There is plenty of booth and large party seating and a separate dining area for small party gatherings. Their upcoming River Room Conference Center will be a fabulous facility for meetings, rehearsal dinners, reunions and any other large gathering you might be looking for.

The outside of the building is very unique yet modern, plenty of onsite parking and a nice outside seating area for meeting your friends.

The bottom line: Skipper Westbrook and his management and staff have brought a wonderful new concept to a familiar restaurant.

Many years of working in the restaurant industry will certainly work to the new owners’ already booming business that Jimmy Morton begun over 20 years ago.

Take a drive down Lakeland Drive and get ready to enjoy some of the best meats, veggies and everything that goes with it as Chimneyville continues to grow with their great Southern cooking served up by people who care about their customers.

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