I wish I could give this place 10 stars. I absolutely love going here, especially on Thursday nights for karaoke. I never used to like karaoke but this place is different. No pretentious a-holes, very reasonably priced wells (only $3!) and beers, plus the staff (Nat, Oscar, Chadwick and Marquis) are super friendly and seem to enjoy my co-workers and I making fools of ourselves on a weekly basis. Steve, DJ Purple, becomes your backup band while you preform and almost always everyone in the bar sings along. Its like the whole bar is your friend; the vibe is one of the best parts.
I have been on other nights when its been more quiet for a mean martini from a very sweet female bartender… though I didn’t get her name. ALSO, during the day, Jacks is an outstanding eatery. Over 10 different Po’ Boys, gumbo, jambalaya, mac and cheese, and a great bar apps menu.
Jacks…. I love you!
native new orleanian here–and one that’s always looking for some good creole/cajun/southern food in the bay area to sustain me til the next visit home south to the mama and this place definitely can satisfy me…….
great tasting fried shrimp and fried oysters and fried catfish that are so good that even tho i order them on the foot-long french bread po’boys, i end up eating half of the seafood just pickin’ them up off the sandwhich and enjoying all by itself……..and they bring in the real stuff–seafood and leidenheimer french bread right from the south (if you’re from NOLA you know what i’m talking about)…….
i’ve taken a half dozen friends there over the last few months and still haven’t been able to try everything, but what else have we had that was great? homemade sweet tea, daily fresh cut fries—and they cut them really thick and with the skin left on the ends so that really taste like potatoes (and you can add shaved parmesan for a good little hit to the taste buds), sweet potato fries, crawfish hush puppies, a real creamy mac&cheese, cornbread, corn maque choux and a good spiced angus burger
but the killer that everyone i’ve taken there love love loves? roast beef po’boys that blow us away……we order foot-longs thinking we’ll eat half there and take the other half home for dinner……so far, no success on taking that darn second half home–instead we stuff it all down in one sitting and have to roll out the door with gravy still drippin’ off our elbows…….luckily SFGen is just two blocks away in case we need to stop by the ER and have our arteries checked…..
that roast beef is cooked down til it’s just fallin’ apart like pulled meat—just like all our southern mamas and grandmamas always do…..and then they add the richest gravy all over it that makes your taste buds keep wanting more and more……
this little kitchen is in the back corner of a bar and fer shure reminds me of a hundred little dives i grew up eatin’ at in new orleans….
lots of other NOLA faves on the menu i haven’t gotten to yet, but i’ll be back to eventually check them out too—-jambalaya, gumbo, red beans&rice, pralines, fried chicken in abita beer batter
menu seems to have a few good daily specials i haven’t gotten to either, and they do creole/cajun brunch things on weekends but damn, there’s just not enough time so far……
if this place was anywhere near the house i’d be hittin’ it a few times every week, but having to go across town to get to it means i don’t get there nearly as much as i’d like…..
