ARLINGTON
For most of its 95-year history, the Arlington Steakhouse was a good choice for Sunday lunch.
The current lunch might be the best.
Chef Billy Adams Jr., known from east Fort Worth restaurants, is in the kitchen serving “Soul Food Saturdays and Sundays” for what is now Jambo’s BBQ at the Arlington Steakhouse.
For the last 10 years, the historic former steakhouse at 1724 W. Division St. between Fort Worth and Dallas has served above-average barbecue as a separate spinoff from the original Jambo’s in Rendon.
Adams has moved in weekends to add his superstar smoked turkey legs, fried catfish, barbecued rib tips and smothered pork chops.
He sells out every weekend,
Because this is so much more than a turkey leg.
That’’s a smoked turkey leg smothered with collard greens, yams and cornbread dressing, served by Chef Adams Soul Food at Jambo’s BBQ at the Arlington Steakhouse, as seen Oct. 25, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com
Using Jambo’s pit, Adams smokes gigantic turkey legs so carefully, they come out soft enough to melt away at the touch of a fork.
If you’ve only had a dry, gristly festival turkey leg somewhere, Adams’ cooking redefines turkey legs.
I’m not kidding. When I touched the leg bone to pick it up, the dark meat immediately slid straight off and left a clean bone.
If I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have believed it.
The “soul food platter” came with a huge leg smothered in three sides.
Jambo’s BBQ at the Arlington Steakhouse, open since 1931 on the historic transcontinental highway through west Arlington, now serves Chef Adams Soul Food weekends. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com
In this case, it came topped with giant helpings of collard greens, yams and Cajun “dirty” cornbread dressing. Baked beans were also available.
The entrees and vegetables are also served separately if you don’t like the Big Turkey Leg experience. But I did not see anyone ordering it any other way besides “soul food.”
The entire barbecue menu is also available weekends. Online comments praise the cobbler.
Jambo’s BBQ opens at 11 a.m. The soul food menu is added Saturdays and Sundays.
It’s on West Division Street west of North Fielder Road along the Union Pacific tracks, just down the street from the beloved Skillet’N Grill and Division Street Diner restaurants; 817-381-0980, jambosbbq.com.
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Bud Kennedy is celebrating his 40th year writing about restaurants in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has written the “Eats Beat” dining column in print since 1985 and online since 1992 — that’s more than 3,000 columns about Texas cafes, barbecue, burgers and where to eat.
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