jax cafe

i was extremly disapointed with jax cafe. after a friend suggested it , my husband and i went there for our anniversary. the service was terriable the food wasn't cooked to order and the waitress took 30 minutes to come back to the table, so i couldn't return the food to the kitchen. the place was dead on a tuesday. worst part i could see her gossiping in the kitchen with other staff. i am so disappointed, we will not return.


-----11 may, 2013-----

i was extremly disapointed with jax cafe. after a friend suggested it , my husband and i weny there for our anniversary. the service was terriable the food wasnt cooked to order add the waitress took 30 minutes to come back to the table. worst part i could see her gossiping in the kitchen with other staff. i am so disappointed, we will not return.

first time at jax. i moved to the tc metro a year and a half ago. my girlfriend was born and raised in ne mpls, so we are in the area at least once per week visiting her folks. jax is always busy and i saw that as a great sign. i loved seeing the cute old couples shuffle in, the men wearing suit jackets and the women in dresses. from the outside, it just seemed like that fancy place that your grandparents went to eat when they wanted to splurge a little on a saturday night.

we finally got around to going last friday night. i wasn't disappointed or surprised by the interior. old school steakhouse/supper club right out of the movies. the bar is right by the main door and it's a beauty. in fact, i want to go back and just have a few at the bar sometime. the hostesses got us to our table quickly but unfortunately we were in the far back room, tucked into a corner. i would've liked to be up where the action is, but instead we were seated next to a loud table who ignored the decorum by wearing hoodies and cut-offs.

it was a friday night and while it was busy, i 'd definitely stop short of calling it hectic. our server didn't check in for 10-15 minutes and finally someone noticed and took our drink orders. much to my liking, my rye old fashioned tasted like a 70-year old don draper made it for me. a subsequent ketel dirty martini with bleu-cheese stuffed olives was equally satisfying. my gal had her usual two glasses of wine which she enjoyed as well.

while the food itself took quite awhile to arrive, it was very good. we had crab-stuffed mushrooms and salads to start. i had the filet and she had the nightly special, which was a strip with peppercorns and some sort of cream sauce on top.

our bill had an "entertainment charge" of several dollars on it. past experience tells me that this is the case when a musician is playing at the restaurant, but if one was, we certainly couldn't hear it.

we'll definitely go back to jax, probably sometime this summer so we can enjoy the outside patio. food was as good as expected (and those expectations were high!) but could've used a little faster service.

a twin city original!. great food and charming ambience. the jax burger is superb!

bad experience, poor waiting staff, way too loud.. i feel bad as the reviews are generally good overall, but my experience was just horrible! and i can't bring myself to try it a 2nd time like i usually do with other places.

i took my wife to jax's dec. 08. i called for reservations and specifically told them i was coming for anniversary. when we arrived, it took 30 minutes past reserved time to get a table. when we were seated, it was next to 2 tables, each with 10+ guys drinking to the point of falling over and extremely loud. the waitress dropped a full glass of ice water in my lap. the food was great, but completely overshadowed by the ambiance. my wife and i ate in complete silence because we could not hear each other talk. i did not complain as the entire restaurant was so loud, there was nowhere we could have moved. i do think the waiting staff should realize that a couple on their anniversary should not be seated by 20 drunk, loud men, however.

that night, i wrote an e-mail to jax owner explaining my experience. i left my number, e-mail address, and home address and heard nothing back. if they don't have the time for me, then i don't have the patience for a 2nd visit.

will not be going back.

i prefer their lunch menu to their dinner menu. dinner is largely limited to expensive hunks of meat. it's very good meat, but there are times when you want options. lunch offers a few things, such as the chicken pot pie, that are not available at night.

this place is amazing and great for a fancy night out. service is awesome and extremely professional. the chicken caprese is what i ordered, and it's very flavorful and filling.

we'd never been to jax and just happened to drive by while we were deciding on a place to have lunch.  we are very glad we did stop.  great atmosphere.  excellent service and food.  we had the sausage with sauerkraut, and pierogis.

can't wait to go back and check out the dinner menu.

i brought my wife, daughter and son in law. i had not been here in many years. we had an outstanding experience. the food was very good, service was great. we had a short tour from michael and that was fun. we loved the experience and we will be back soon. my steak was outstanding!

by far the best sunday brunch in the entire state! i love everything about jax and is on the top of the list for special occasions, family celebrations, friend get togethers, meetings, and holidays! we love bringing our kids to the brunch with santa! every time we want to celebrate we love eating here and getting that special little something with the personalized matches at our table! the steaks are of course at the top but the seafood is stellar! desserts and drinks are fantastic! its old school and classic. beautiful, upscale but welcoming and cozy!

over priced. this restaurant is very overpriced. most entrees are $30-40. that did not even include the salad, that is extra. ambiance was ok, but where we sat in the back of the restaurant was very noisy. we will not be returning anytime soon

gorgonzola crusted top sirloin*. the best steak in years! our company gathering of four dined on steak, prime rib and scallops. pierogis for all! everyone raved about the meal for weeks. jax cafe will continued to be recommended to all looking for a perfect dining experience!! service was excellent!

fabulous !!! loved everything about this place. fantastic food, great service. wonderful, old traditional building. crab rolls are a must have. petite filet cooked to perfection. can you tell we really loved this place.

not a steakhouse to consider. waited 15 minutes to get water on the table. bread was cold. prime rib was like a warm piece of ham. ny strip was nothing special. staff was completely disconnected...a family was assisted with netting a rainbow trout then abandoned by the staff. the staff never returned to the family to net additional trout. this place was a train wreck!

somethings do change...for the worse. in 1978 this was the place to be. i remember my coach taking the team here as a reward for reaching the state tournamament. back then when smoking was the norm, they had the name of your party stamped on matchbooks. i still have mine. a great memory. in the past four years i have been here twice. one time we sat outside, the other was inside. the inside is fun, old world charm. few places like this in minnesota. the outside is hidden from the street (area has gone through some tough times, but greatly improved) and quiet. watching children catch the trout is always fun. the food on both occassions was very dissapointing. i returned the second time yearning for the experience from my past only to be disappointed again. the steak was over cooked and the salad was water soaked. i think like the lexington in saint paul, this place is soon to be part of our history. i choose to remember this place in its glory years.

girls night out. on jan 26 th we were ready for a great meal at jaxs. we ordered and my lobster was not done so she sent it back. my friend finished her meal when mine finally came out it was tuff and i couldn't eat it. the manager was worse than the food and argued that i should pay for the lousy prime rib. never again. no class.