Alpine has a quiet small town vibe a bit like Julian but without the horde of tourists. Lots of one story buildings and land that hasn’t been paved over.
I love trying out bbq joints and was happy to see Jay’s Southern Cafe in Alpine. Inside I was greeted by a smoky aroma from the oak wood in their smoker and fine southern hospitality.
I tried the fish and chips and a pork rib. Fried seabass was coated with a crunchy southern style batter.
Loved the contrast between the sweet seabass flavor and the cornmeal batter seasoned with salt and pepper. Fries were crispy and had a nice potato flavor. The fish and chips were a huge dinner for me which I barely finished.
Pork rib had a smoky aroma while the sauce gave a sweet flavor. Pork was tender and moist.
Pork was smoked with oak.
Banana pudding was sweet and had a tasty banana flavor.
2 ladies who were taking care of customers provided excellent customer service and were very nice.
I’m impressed Jay makes delicious fried food and bbq at a great value. $14 for fish and chips while ribs are $3.50 each.
Next visit I tried 8 chicken wings. Good for a small lunch. Loved the southern style batter which was crunchy with delicious flavor. Chicken was tender and juicy. Among my favorite southern style fried chicken wings.
I also added 2 ribs to my order. Ribs had a smoky flavor from being smoked with oak and a bit of sweetness from the sauce. Delicious.
Jay’s Southern Cafe is my favorite spot to eat in this part of the county. Great tasting food at reasonable prices and southern hospitality to boot.
Lots of free parking and cool trees to view.
2169 Arnold Way
Alpine, CA 91901
Alpine, CA 91901
(619) 766-0053
Great pictures of the facade! Yes their food is delicious! I especially like their pulled pork.
It’s tough choosing between the delicious fried food and the bbq.
Sounds tasty! And all the character and charm of Julian without the high prices.
It’s a shorter drive too. 🙂
We will make the effort to stop here the next time we are in town. Looks great. The County is so large and has so many great places-so good to see you like to drive around, too.
I love Jay’s. We having been visiting the Alpine area to spend time at The Children’s Nature Retreat: https://www.hungryones.com/2021/10/childrens-nature-retreat-5178-japatul-spur-alpine-ca/