Vinegar Jim’s
12062 Forrest St, Arlington, TN, 38002
Vinegar Jim’s Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Arlington for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Arlington for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Arlington for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
12062 Forrest St
Arlington, TN, 38002 - Phone (901) 867-7568
- Website https://www.vinegarjims.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Tue
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Katie D.
This place is your typical Southern meat and three type restaurant. It seems to have gotten a lot of bad reviews, especially lately, but I don't think it's that bad. It's not my favourite place, but I don't hate it, and I'm a picky eater. Maybe I've just been lucky every time I've went. I've been informed that their greens are amazing, but I'm not a greens fan. I can attest though that their green beans are awesome. The only downside is everything tends to be a little on the salty side (not so salty that it renders everything inedible, just taste your food before you season it), but at least you get a huge drink to wash it down. I've tried both the grilled (don't be worried by the menu's description of it coming in a cajun sauce, it's not at all spicy) and fried shrimp. Both are good. It's not that hard to mess up fried shrimp though, but the batter isn't bland and the shrimp aren't greasy, I mean.
(4)J B.
Terrible! Country fried steak was cooked way beyond well done. It was inedible. Cheesy spinach was flavorless. Bake potato casserole was just so-so. Overpriced even if it would have been good food. The manager delivered the extremely overcooked steak to the table!!! A friend described his food as "aweful" We left after 2 bites!
(1)Chris M.
Wow, super disappointed. Hate to give a one star but it just sucked. I have to say I've had lots of good lunches and one good dinner here but this was not one of them. Just gross. Fried shrimp were cold, greasy, way over salted, fishy tasting, chewy, etc. Shoney's sells better fried shrimp. Steaks were under-overcooked, sides were gross. Austin was our waiter and did a good job, you could tell he was embarrassed by the kitchen when he stated that he just served the food but didn't cook it. Overall one of the worst dinners we have had ever. Service was good but food sucked. Time for a new chef.
(1)Tom G.
Tonight 9 of us joined at VJ's for a birthday dinner. The best part of the evening was being with our dear friends. The worst part about the evening was being at Vinegar Jims however. We got there at 5 as they opened, our table was waiting. Our waitress took our drink order and we were on our way. She took our app order after delivering the drinks, and, well, let's just say it went South (like South Pole), from there. She bought out 1 of the several apps - greasy fried dill pickles, which we ate, and we waited, and waited, and waited.... the other apps never came. Our salads were delivered - "they're working on your other apps now. Jeez, how long does it take to cook effin croutons? Eventually, our dinners arrived. I was 2/3 thru my medium well (ordered medium) dry steak, had been out of any beverage for 30 minutes, had not seen our waitress any more. Some guy who was quite helpful started serving us. I asked him for some water, several others for tea etc. He replenished the tea, never bought the water. A friend at the end of the table several minutes later asked for water, I said make it 2. He said 2 it is. OK then. Hot rolls were enjoyable. They would have been better if we had received them before most our meals had already been eaten however. The only other time we heard from the waitress was when she asked if we wanted fried pies. BIG mistake. Several people did, and they were ordered. 30 minutes later they were eventually delivered and the tabs were paid. What a joke! What a disaster! Are you kidding me? And by the way, when she bought the checks she said we were not charged for the apps we never received! You think! Thanks, we appreciate that. Last we heard an hour ago they were cooking them! Oh, and Yelpers, forget trying to use the 10% off when checking it, it's no longer honored. What a fitting end to a joke of a dining experience.
(1)Kristina M.
So I particularly do not like to write bad reviews. I truly do not but I was just so fustrated by this place. So let me explain... So yesterday I had in service training in Arlington. A few of my coworkers and myself came across this place for lunch. We sat and were greeted by our waitress who was very friendly. She took our drink orders and promptly filled them. It was just the 4 of us at first then a few of the other attendees from the in service arrived. The waitress then came and took our lunch order. After 15 minutes she came around and delivered house made bread to each table, which was fine because the bread and cornbread tasted really good. However, it took so long to get our meal. We waited and waited and still no food. We literally waited an hour before we received our meal. What really frustrated me was that people who entered after us were served there meals first. Not sure what was going on but our waitress should of told us how long the food would take to make especially since we were on a time limit. When our food finally arrived, the food was just okay. I ordered the blackened salmon, spinach casserole and french fries. The best part of that dish was the spinach casserole. It was seasoned and tasted great. However,I found the salmon to be bland and the french fries tasted store bought and frozen . Also, they wouldn't let me use the 10% yelp check in offer and they didn't quite explain why, just something about resturant.com . That was upsetting :( All in all, I was just really frustrated by this experience. Although they have nice staff, and good bread, they need to work on executing their food in a timely manner.
(2)Jim B.
This was a disappointing return visit to one of our favorite places to eat. The first thing that we received were the rolls. They were hard as bricks. They were not good because they were not allowed to rise. One of us had catfish. The other had pork tenderloin. The serving size for the pork was generous. But it should have been cooked a little longer. It was not very lean either. The Catfish was per their usual outstanding quality. As was their baked potato. I tried to send an email message to admin.... On their website. It would not go. We drove 12 mile to get there expecting a better meal. We pass a lot of great restaurants on the way. They need to make this worth the drive since this is a destination restaurant for many of their customers.
(2)Jim M.
My wife and I went there today for lunch. My wife ordered the hamburger steak with two sides. The hamburger steak was almost bleeding it was so rare.She told the waiter that she wanted it medium well.The sides,according to her, were almost tasteless. She ate very little. For my side of the food, I ordered the country fried steak,which was rather dry and overcooked. Fried okra,which had an unusual sort of metallic taste, and a baked potato dish that was edible. We have eaten at this establishment in the past and we enjoyed it, but we won't go there again.The food quality has certainly gone down from those prior visits.The price for what we got was excessive also. I dislike giving bad reviews,but in this case,there is no way to avoid doing so.
(1)Tom S.
Uh.... The structure is old and showing her age. Inside the place is packed tight with 2 tops and 4 tops making the place feel cramped. We had their "soon to be world famous" croutons and uh.... No, never ever be! The wifey had steak medallions over smashed potatoes and 'shroom gravy smothering it all. It was a flat iron steak cut into strips placed atop baked potato insides smothered in canned gravy. Menu states the ribeye steaks are aged in house 30 days and "choice quality or better" after having one it is my honest conclusion that neither of those things are true. It was ordered medium rare and and for a 1/2 inch thick steak they came fairly close. The steak arrived at the table with no seasoning and a small cup of Dales Liquid with a touch more vinegar added. We did use our 10% off coupon for checking in on Yelpeven with that the experience fell short of memorable
(2)Mike J.
Poopsie and I went early on a week night before to got too crowded. We thought the service was great, the iced tea was excellent. We had the mud bug dip as an appetizer and it was great. Both our main courses were seafood-ish and we both enjoyed them. We found our food a little cool, not as hot as we would have expected. We found the quality and taste of the food to be great. We had the fried pies for dessert, cherry for me and cocoanut for her. Both good. Also, checkout the artwork on sale, done by the cook UDO. We fell in love with one of the pieces and took it home.
(4)McKenzie H.
Delicious food, excellent service. Doesn't open until late on Sunday though :( I love their fried pickles and their sweet tea!
(4)Dawn M.
Fast, friendly service and good food! Kirk Wise came out to great us and everyone was very attentive. This restaurant modestly does what country chains can only strive for. Authentic, locally sourced whenever possible food and great service. While it may be out in the whoop whoops for guests from Memphis it is very close to Lakeland where we live. My husband had the huge steak, collard greens and baked potato. Hand battered mushrooms were the appetizer. The steak was so large that he shared it with me. I had a blackened catfish filet with okra and baked potato. The catfish was a bit overseasoned just like in New Orleans. Iced tea was served in a quart Ball jar and refilled often. We cannot wait to bring family and friends here! I was not able to try their shrimp because the truck did not deliver that day. I worked in the food distribution industry for 17 years and know what a pain that is with customers, owners, and staff.
(4)Candace B.
I liked this place a lot had kind of a cracker barrel country store feel. The pork chops I had were ok a little on the dry side. But Chris and my mom had the fried shrimp and loved it! Their fried pies are amazing and Chris said their key lime pie was maybe the best he has had. The staff was also very nice and helpful.
(3)Sharon G.
Well, I didn't really want give this place even one star. It was bad. First I didn't know that Kirk was no longer the owner. When I ask the guy who said he was the general manager which he was a smart mouth why Kirk wasn't the owner no more he said well why don't you call him ad see why. Second they charge now for croutons. Really????? The prices have gone way up. Too expensive. Oh and the waitress ask what sides we wanted and we told her then when we got the check one of our sides were 2.00 extra which she didn't bother to tell us!!!!! This place sucked!!!!
(1)Janne Z.
Everybody told me how I should visit Vinegar Jim's, how wonderful the homemade food was, etc. It didn't live up to the hype, unfortunately. They do serve real southern vegetables, however, home-grown, I think not. Most taste like they were from a can. It is really pricy and while the steaks are good, they aren't fabulous. Because it's small, there is usually a pretty long wait, but in Arlington, where decent restaurants are hard to find, it's the price you pay. I think they charge more because they know they don't have much competition. If I had to drive a long way to get to Vinegar Jim's, I wouldn't do it more than once. As it is, it is probably the closest restaurant to my home, but I only go once every year or two.
(2)N. P.
Great food, always. The deep-fried shrimp with green beans and fries is my absolute favorite followed by the incredible fried pie. The staff is friendly and you always feel welcome. A great, non-pretentious country feel with high-quality food. A great taste of the South.
(5)Todd S.
I have eaten here twice. So far I have had the grilled shrimp and the blacken salmon. Both were great but the salmon was a tad dry for my taste. Then again, this is more of a steak house. The next time I go I plan on trying one of their steaks. Great atmosphere and the staff is responsive and nice. Recommend to everyone.
(4)Carrianne E.
We live in Arlington and have given Vinegar Jim's several tries. While sometimes the food is okay (never great) the service is ALWAYS horrible. I understand they are busy, but seriously, being polite should be a priority. Please don't act like its an inconvenience for you because you ran out of half of your menu items. The last time I went- literally the last because I will not go back- it was lunch and there were no menus. They told us we could look at the blackboard for what they had. So we got up from our table to walk over to the board and made our selections. It wasn't very crowded yet because we went for an early lunch. They were out of most of the items on the board and what we finally ended up with was obviously last night's leftovers. I will echo the opinions of other reviewers- the vegetables taste like they came out of a can. They brought my 7 year old a grilled cheese sandwich made out of the butt ends of the bread. Seriously? I would have eaten it because I'm a grown up and I know it's fine, but try to convince a picky eater that it tastes fine. My chicken was cold and chewy. Arlington may not have many restaurants, but that doesn't mean you don't have to take care of the customers you get. Overpriced not-great food and seriously crappy service.
(1)Phillip W.
Good service but the food is below average. The fried catfish size and quality was fine but over cooked.
(3)Shannon L.
What do you think when you think of Arlington, TN? Probably the same things people told me when I mentioned I lived out there for 6 years. It usually involves the phrases "Middle of Nowhere" and "country". Well, you would be right. Arlington is beginning to rise up and find some industry and neighborhoods, but Vinegar Jim's has been a staple "country" style restaurant in this "Middle of Nowhere" area. Vinegar Jim's serves up some of your traditional foods, such as fried green tomatoes and their famous fried pies. They also bring in fresh seafood every day and have a selection of hand-cut steaks as well. They hull their own peas and hand make everything. Also, get this: they buy everything LOCAL that they possibly can. My favorite part about this place is the extra-friendly service. The owner comes out to meet everyone, get to know them, and make sure their meal is excellent. Everyone is very nice and welcoming, and you always feel like you are at your annual family reunion. This being one of my grandparents' favorite restaurants, we decided to go there one night while I was visiting them. I got a blackened catfish filet with black eyed peas and a house salad with ranch dressing. Everything tasted as fresh as they claimed it to be, and I was pleased with my meal. I did find the catfish a little overseasoned and the peas a little undercooked. Overall, it was a decent meal. The only other complaint I have is that their prices are a little high for what they have. I understand I am paying more for the fresh fish, but I can go to equally good restaurants and pay less than what they are asking. Overall, the food is decent, but I am not dying to go back. The company, however, is worth giving it another shot.
(3)Belinda H.
My husband and I have lived in Lakeland for 10 years and are locals from surrounding areas. When we first moved to this area, a couple of people told us we HAD to eat at Vinegar Jim's. Our first visit was back in 2004 and the food was pretty horrendous! I don't remember what we ordered now but I can tell you the green beans I had definitely looked like they were out of a can, and a cheap brand at that! They were so overcooked that they just looked nasty. I also remember that everything else was pretty tasteless. I would have never thought they were using fresh vegetables back then and there were no online reviews, websites or anything back then to tell us otherwise. Fast forward to last weekend (02/18/2012) when we--along with our two little ones--went with another family. The other family mentioned going to Vinegar Jim's because they had heard it was a quaint little restaurant with good food. I told them of our past experience and that we never went back. However, we gave them the benefit of a doubt and agreed we must have visited on an off-night eight years ago. We arrived at 5:30 (they open at 5) because we wanted to try and beat any crowds since it was Sat night. VJs did have people waiting in line around 6:30. I ordered the "special" which was Jerk beef kabobs on rice pilaf. My husband ordered the regular menu item of Jerk chicken kabobs w/pilaf. There was NO jerk seasoning at all on my beef or my husband's chicken and both dishes (meat & rice) were very bland and tasteless. My husband also said his chicken was pretty dry. That may have been a good thing because my pre-school age son had the chicken tenderloins which were very thick and one of the two pieces was undercooked. When I advised our young waiter that my son's chicken was not cooked all the way through, he asked me if I was sure. Really? Of all things, I picked it up and showed him since it seems I either didn't know what I was talking about or he didn't believe me. He did bring out two replacement tenderloins even though the other piece was fine. This was all after my son only wanted a cheeseburger and the waiter said he could have the hamburger steak patty but to add cheese would raise the price from $6 to $8. Really? For a piece of cheese?!? Also, our rice pilaf consisted of really mushy overcooked rice. Had it been creamy, I would have thought they were trying to do risotto but it was all just creamy and mushy. This was bland and I had to add salt to eat it even though I usually never salt my food at restaurants. My friends didn't care for their food much either and they had steaks. I assume the owner was the tall gentleman who stopped by our table a couple of times to check on everything and asked how our food was. Of course, we said it was ok and left it at that. Although none of us ever plan on returning, there are obviously people who like it so to each their own. We're all local area Southerners but I can think of better places to get the kind of food they're serving especially for the prices they're asking! Of course, nothing is as close in proximity but we'll live without ever visiting VJs again. I do need to give kudos to their signature fried pies. I took an apple pie home and it was awesome and the crust was superb. I would go back for those but for take-out only since I would never eat their food again.
(1)Jolynna M.
The oldest restaurant in Arlington, Vinegar Jim's is a quaint little cabin near the railroad tracks with a very loyal following. They are master fry daddies here. I mean, if it can be fried, it will be fried: Catfish, pickles, green tomatoes (yum!), okra, crawfish, mushrooms, shrimp and even frog legs. But what they are most loved for is their signature Vinegar Jim's Fried Pies. They are available in chocolate, peach or apple, and let me tell ya - they are delicious! But if you aren't into deep fried anything, there are some healthier options on the menu too. They have grilled shrimp and fish, great filets and an amazing hamburger. Okay - so the hamburger may not be so healthy, but it's not fried. :)
(4)Dan Z.
A wonderful dinner tonight. I had the 14 oz ribeye which was great! The salad and baked potato were also great! The crawfish tip was tasty and reminded me of a Thanksgiving gravy with a lot of cajun spices! The waitress was fabulous and was by several times to take care of us! My wife mentioned that this was the best meal she had had here, and I would have to agree!
(4)Chris D.
Went there with friends from work, one of the best meals I have had since I have lived here. Hard to find if you are not looking for it. Great staff and the prices were amazing for the amount of food they give you. I will certainly be back.
(5)Steve S.
I moved to Arlington and had always heard about Vinegar Jims. I tried it out and was very pleased. The waitress was very nice and the place has a cool back in the day feel to it. Down home coutry feel. I am a person who has to have bread with my diner and it was like a bottomless pit. They had these home made crouton type breads in a basket I could not get enough of. The menu was more than I expected. I was sure the whole thing would be fried chicken and burgers but it was not. They had a very wide veriety from salads, to steak, to freah fish. I had the steak and I can say you did not even need the knife to cut it. It was one of the best steaks I have ever eaten. As full as I was I had to try a fried pie, supposedly everyone lives them. Everyone was right! What a way to finish up an great meal. I will be back!!
(5)Misty R.
This is a fun place to eat with a small town feel. It's in a log cabin in Arlington and you feel like you are at a cabin in the lake. They are known for their steaks and fried pies. The fried pies are worth the trip alone, my favorite is the chocolate. It gets a little crowded on the weekends so go early if you want to avoid the crowds as the waiting room is the front porch and it can get hot out there! You can bring your own bottle of wine and you can find coupons in the Clipper Magazine.
(3)Lisa B.
I have live in Arlington my whole life and have only heard great things about this place, so when I went the first time and it was sub mediocre food with bad service, i figured it was just an off day. I went again, and after waiting for about 45 minutes, we were sat. the service was slow. My friend got a 12 oz filet that was about the size of a typical 8oz filet, the flavor was the worst any of us had ever tasted and it was poorly cooked. The veggies taste straight out of a can. The fried green tomatoes were ok, as was the catfish. I hear the fried pies are good. I cannot imagine any situation in which I would go back.
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