Jax Café

One of the best sunday brunchs I have ever had. There was nothing that I tried that I didnt want seconds on! Excellent experience!

Very cool «old school» place with white linens and superb service. Clam chowder was good but not great lacking flavor. Wouldn’t recommend fish here but steaks looked good and ribs were very tasty. AuGratins good and cheesy and plenty for 2 people. Onion rings were good and also great crunchy garlic toast. Tournados not that good, lacked any flavor in sauce and cut of meat was just ok. It was overpriced in my mind for what quality you get. Good food, just not Manny’s great but unfortunately approaching Manny’s prices. Great atmosphere and service a plus, but food was just… OK for what we had.

I can’t understand why so many are raving about this place. I’m sure the patio is nice, but the dining room is nothing special. The waitress seemed distracted and several ordering errors followed. What’s with the «Famous» crab cakes? What are they famous for? My date and I both had prime rib, it’s good. I mean, c’mon…its prime rib. You got to try pretty hard to mess it up. But this was just OK, and not worth the price tag. By the way, an Old Fashioned is $ 12. What?

A great place with all the charm and romance of a 50s club. The food, tonight prime rib, New England clam chowder, is wonderful, as usual. The service is first class. We love the casual atmosphere and the feeling that Jax is a really nice neighborhood restaurant. The pianist favors us with soothing classics, old and new, «Here’s Looking at You.» We strongly recommend.

Been there three times now. Blown away the first time, disappointing the 2^nd time and just okay the third time. So I am not sure… I guess Ill average out…3.5
Finally I have found the place that has enough finesse, food and class. I am in love with piano and décor and the outside patio.
However, sometimes I feel that they lack consistency. Ive had lamb chops every time. I am a creature of habit and lamb chops are my downfall. Every time they have tasted differently, deliciously every time, especially the last time, perfect rub and perfectly cooked. And every time I got a different number of chops (3−5−4). Maybe its by weight but just looks a bit weird.
Service — our first waiter, was absolutely amazing. The second and third not so much, not very friendly and a bit forced. During our 2^nd visit, my fiancée ordered crab cakes and the waiter brought in crab rolls. He said that that’s not what he ordered, but the waitress insisted that indeed that was it. We had to order crab cakes again and had to foot the bill for the rolls, even though we didn’t order them (cue awkward conversation). With that said, order the crab CAKES they are delish, skip the rolls, mostly bread and too much cheesy stuff.
My hun is into seafood, so he also had the lobster and it was delish and perfectly cooked.
The drinks are nice too. The patio is amazing. But the service needs some work.

It’s all been said about Jax but my two cents:
* legit throwback vibe. Think Mad Men.
* Surf and Turf is their game.
* Patio is one of the best in the Twin Cities.
* Wines by the glass are pedestrian. Buy from the wine list.
* The place is huge but busy (at least on Saturday nights).
* Plenty of parking
* Some Polish items on the menu

Has a cool, old school feel — although, demographics can be a bit geriatric. It’s not uncommon to see multiple generations of families celebrate events there.
Steaks, ribs, walleye are very good here. I would avoid crab cakes, crab stuffed mushrooms as they use a lot of filler.
Service was a bit brusque — not friendly, a bit odd to be honest. Overall, pretty good… especially when you have a groupon.

What a wonder hidden outdoor patio they have. It’s such a gem that you’re not going to find anywhere else in the northeast. This is definitely a place for a special occasion. The wait staff there know how to treat a customer. So attentive. They have an extensive menu, so everyone in your party will find something they love.
Such old school charm. The best part of the dessert tray they pass around after your supper. I just wanted to smoke a cigar, grab a crème brûlée and some espresso.

Went here for a friend’s birthday. Super impressed with the ambiance when we walked in, pretty old school. Custom embossed matchbooks with my friend’s name on it, wishing her a happy birthday. Impressive. +1
Nice selection of beer and wine. I noticed my favorite pinot (Belle Glos) on their list of reds, but started with a rye IPA. Got the pinot to go w/​dinner. +1 for the pinot inclusion alone.
Started with the pot roast pierogi. Delicious. I’d come back for lunch just to order a platter of them. Seriously, if you come here and don’t get these, shame on you. +2
I ordered the tournedos for my main, med rare; they came med well. They were still tasty, but if I’m dropping $ 30 for steak, it should be cooked as ordered. –1

This place is really awesome. Stopped because we found it on a list of best restaurants in Minneapolis and the list was spot on.
This place is a throw back to the dark wood paneling, punched tin ceiling, coat check room, payphone booths. It couldn’t be a cooler atmosphere.
The atmosphere would have been enough but the food was absolutely delicious to top off the perfect lunch. The pot roast pierogies and french onion soup were to die for.
I can’t wait for my next trip to Minneapolis to stop again.

My goodness, what a busy place on a Tuesday night. That’s always a good sign! I met some colleagues of mine after work. It was a little cool, but the heaters made the outdoor area comfortable. What a beautiful patio. The pictures definitely do NOT give it justice. Everyone must experience the patio at some point.
The food was good. We started with the crab rolls and the Gorgonzola bread. I also had the red wine during Happy Hour. Later I had the lobster roll. To be honest, I’ve had better, but it was still quite good. I need to come back for their fish or steak.

Jax Café was much better than I had anticipated! The hostess and servers were fantastic, and the steaks were outstanding. We requested outdoor seating (which is truly a gem!), and the weather was a bit cool; so the staff positioned a table for us and fired-​up a heating lamp which was mounted on the ceiling… Very nice and comfortable all evening.
The locale has a wonderful historic vibe without feeling tired or dusty… It’s classic and fresh!

We found this place while googling Minneapolis top restaurants and were not disappointed. The place has been around forever and looks very classy in a nostalgic way. Love the ambiance of the joint.
Staff was awesome!
1. Pot roast Pierogi — holy crap, these were bursting with goodness flavor. I ordered them because, well, what is a pot roast Pierogi? Did not disappoint.
2. French Onion Soup — Just fantastic. Cheese was excellent. I took the bread and dipped it in. FYI — the bread is baked in butter and served with real butter. It is to die for…
3. Lobster Cobb Salad. I posted a pic. This had to be one of the best salads I have ever had. Bacon was the expensive kind, lobster was plentiful and chunky, great bleu cheese crumbles, a couple eggs and half and avacodo. I dumped homemade bleu cheese dressing and homemade honey mustard.
The above was my lunch!!! It was excellent. I would like to go back in the spring or summer and sit outside and order the same meal!
FOOD MAKES ME HAPPY

I haven’t written a review in a long time but Saturday’s experience is worthy of recounting.
We had a 6pm reservation, chose to sat in the bar and eat more casual food. I ordered a cocktail, BF ordered a beer. Thank GOD I looked in my glass before taking a sip. It was full of FRUITFLIES. From what I have seen on restaurant/​bar shows, this pretty much means that stock isn’t being rotated, the bar isn’t being cleaned thoroughly, etc. We called the waitress over and showed her the drink. I expected her to be much more shocked and apologetic than she was. She took the drink away and I decided beer was a safer option. BF watched her go to the bar with my fruitfly beverage and she mumbled something but no one seemed concerned and there was no removal of the culprits that supplied my insect-​filled glass. I should have trusted my instinct and hightailed it out of there at this point.
Instead we ordered our food, an appetizer and a burger to share, at about 6:15. Appetizer came out in about 15 minutes. It was pretty average, and tiny for $ 8.95. The sauces that came with it were definitely from a can or bottle. Neon orange «cheese» sauce. Gross.
We ordered our burger medium well, assuming it would come out a little pink as is common in a steakhouse. We asked for the bacon extra crispy. We sat. And we sat. And we sat. BF observed the waitress was a true professional when it came to avoiding eye contact. She finally came over after about 45 minutes and, again, was less than apologetic. She said our burger «was working away» in the back. No promise of timing, said she would bring bread. Bread never comes. We sit. And sit. 1 hour in, the burger arrives. We cut it in half. I pull off the limpest, grayest piece of bacon you have ever seen. I cut into the burger and it is more medium rare. I couldn’t even eat it at that point.
She brings the bill, not a single item was taken off or discounted, save my fruitfly beverage. One more half apology but that was it.
The only reason for 2 stars is we had a nice experience when we dined in May. Otherwise this would have been 1 for sure. I think I am lucky I didn’t get sick either time.

Wow…
Don’t expect great service arriving 70 min before their closing time.
We Stood around for a couple awkward minutes just to be greeted by «anyone» to be seated… (Maybe our late arrival for dinner confused the staff)
Once finally greeted and seated after about 5 – 7 min went by a woman came by our table (who ended up to be the most polite «anyone» there) stated she would grab our drinks because our server Doug was too busy at the moment to come by and greet Us or take a drink order. Okay … No biggie and it was thoughtful she came by… but busy? Keep in mind it’s 8:30 pm and there are only about 2 – 3 occupied tables in our servers section. The rest were empty.
After «busy» Doug had some spare time … He came by to tell us it was going to be a few MORE minutes and he’d have to come back and take our order in a few more minutes… just not now. (keep in mind we had been served our drinks already (by the «other» lady helping Doug) and we’re ready to order. For we are over 15 min in at this point. But Doug wasn’t able to jot down our order just yet …
He’d be back in a few more minutes …
Once Doug returned from checking on his other table and disappearing for a few more minutes … He came to take our order ! We’ve now been there now for well over 20+ minutes
Doug took our order like a robot. He didn’t suggest any additional menu items or side dishes … didn’t even ask if we would like another drink (my glass being empty at this point and my bf’s drink was 2 sips from being empty… Didn’t even make small talk… He just took that order down, thanked us and zipped off.
I flagged down Doug to ask if I could have another drink … Again, like a robot said «yep» and walked away.
At this point my bf’s glass was now empty too, but I didn’t have a chance to throw in my bf’s drink order before he zipped off…
Now the food has arrived and was fabulous !!
The chef definitely was in no rush back there and our food was cooked perfectly as ordered.
I can only imagine that Doug’s co-​workers were a little miffed at Doug last night, for someone else greeted us and got
Our drinks… a passer by (server or bus boy) was asked to fetch the steak knives Doug forgot and a different passer by was asked to grab the drink for my bf that I had offered up. Not Doug.
I wish this was a better experience for we had heard great things about this restaurant.
I get people get busy, i really do, but when there is zero personality, and an obvious «fake» niceness or almost a condescending tone … It really affects the «everything».
After not feeling welcomed what so ever … (the only thing we ended up thinking was that we arrived at 8:20 for dinner when they close at 9:30) but i gotta say … had Doug taken our order on the first trip to our table we would have been outta there well before their closing time. I almost feel as if he stalled to make matters Worse. Who knows … Only Doug does I guess.
After that awkward service (even though the food was super good) we will take our $$$ and tummies else where. Spending $ 45+ for steak one would think the service would match that type of price tag. Here it does not. Maybe this review will help management keep an eye on their customers happiness and or managing their staff better. Maybe give Doug no more than 2 tables at a time so he can work on his Time management and Focus on customer satisfaction.
Needless to say … Doug got a crappy tip for the crappy way he made us feel last night.

Their patio is one of my favorite places. The food is pretty poor though and it’s not cheap.
That patio is amazing. Pond, fish, garden… Great atmosphere. I wish their food was better. Everything was really bland. It seems catered to their older clientele. No seasoning on the steak, burger or potatoes. The $ 5 mushroom side looked out of a can. Steak was a ⁴⁄₁₀. I could cook a better steak. Our server was slow and condescending. He pretty much refused to let a member of our party order a steak medium-​well. I know its frowned upon at a ’ high– quality steakhouse’ but some people don’t like bloody meat.
Id go back to sit on the patio again, but wont get my hopes up for good food or friendly service.

This is our favorite local upscale restaurant.
Jax never disappoints, whether it’s brunch or dinner. The service is great and the wait staff are friendly and typically attentive.
This is where my hubby loves to get his steaks (I don’t eat steak) and he’s only disappointed if he’s gotten a smaller cut than he really wanted. He tries to control himself and will order to reflect this.
I usually get fish or chicken, all of which are delectable. My son caught my trout for dinner, which was fun for us. The fish is expertly prepared and the freshness is obvious, even when it’s not the newly-​caught trout.
We usually get the crab rolls as an appetizer. They’re small, yet flavorful and will cause you to order another set. There never seems to be enough to go around.
While the brunch can be spendy, we’ve found it to be well worth it. The amount of food on offer is probably a sin in some restrictive universe. There is something to please everyone, even children, here.

High end restaurant. Really? you can’t even make French fries right ?
First time here and the last time
Five stars for the great location and patio ! Two stars for the food and service
The service was incompetent. You do not pour a beer right down the center of the glass ! How is it, that you are 60 yrs. old and a server, and do not know this ?
You do not get crabby because we are only doing Happy Hour !

Hands down, Jax Café has the best brunch in the Twin Cities! After I went here, I waited to visit a couple other brunch spots before writing this review and let me tell you. I compared all of them to Jax Café. NOTHING compares to this place! It’s totally on the higher end of the price scale, but treat yourself sometime.
Prime rib, everywhere, is my jam. I love it. I crave it. When my girlfriends and I go for brunch and they all get desserts, I get second (third) helpings of prime rib. This prime rib? HOLY MOTHER OF EVERYTHING THAT IS HOLY. The cut of meat at the carving station is so huge, it’s the size of a small car. (Ok, not really, but I’ve never seen prime rib that huge before.) It has a giant bone sticking out of it. It’s legit. I must have gone back to the carving station like 5 times. When the nice man carving it saw me grab a plate, he started cutting me a beautiful piece, because he knew I was headed for him. It was glorious! My only regret is that I meant to tip him before we left and I forgot. He made my day and I’m not sure he really knew that.
For $ 15 you can get bottomless mimosas. This place really means it! They kept coming and we never had to flag down our server ever. She was fantastic!
All the other food was amazing and delicious. I could fill this review to the end of time about how great everything is, but really… you just need to go. Now!
Tip 1: The dress code is dressy. We were clearly the most casual people in the place. I saw a manager in the bar do a little double take as we were leaving, but he wasn’t rude about it at all. I just don’t think the place is used to funky printed leggings. ;)
Tip 2: Make reservations online and put the names of your party in the notes section. You’ll get matchbooks with your name on them at the table. It’s the little things like that made us feel extra special.
Tip 3: Soak up the atmosphere. I went with a group of my girlfriends. At the table next to us was also a group of girlfriends, only they were probably 70 plus. It was like looking into the future or something. It really added to the whole experience. Our two tables were the last to leave before brunch closed for the day.

YES YES YES.
Ok, this place is awesome. I had never been here so I didn’t know what to expect. When I pulled up I thought it looked like a dive from the outside. But you get in and it’s so charming! I went with several girlfriends for Sunday brunch and we were all in printed leggings (stretchy, for the AYCE buffet, duh) and hoodies. We were by far the most casual people there. Most seemed like they came from church. They had matchbooks with our names printed on them at our table waiting for us– what a nice touch!
The brunch buffet spread was impressive. The strata was TO DIE FOR– sausage and asparagus and probably a piece of heaven was in it. We all had several pieces. Everything else was really good too– there’s an omelette station but instead of having to wait for your omelette, they bring it to your table. The roast beef was fabulous. They also have bottomless mimosas for $ 15. The dessert table was pretty fancy too, and filled with cheesecakes, cakes, apple crisp, bars, and brownies. The bloody mary was good but small for the price. This is definitely a winner! I will be back for sure.

They have a solid brunch! I’m usually kind of suspicious of eggs benedict in buffets since they usually sit around for a long time and the yolk hardens but the eggs benedict here was super yummy! They also have a omelette bar and you just tell them what you want and your table number and when it’s finished cooking it gets brought to your table. They also have a gigantic parking lot across the street from the restaurant.