Jack’s Oyster House

First off when I went the restaurant was dead there were two guys at the bar and my family that was it and it not like it was an odd time to eat dinner either it was Thursday night at 7pm. With that being said the restaurants is beautiful and very historical. However it was a very traditional fine dinning restaurant, service is slow also the food is not cheap. For example a whole lobster is $ 60 dollars. We got the lobster tower it should have been called the lobster plate due to the fact it was served on a plate not in a tower it had 4 clams, 4 oysters, 4 large shrimp, and 2 lobster claws $ 50 dollars. I also had the Lobster Tail with crab and shrimp. What it was is a lobster tail with a bread crumb stuffing and I guess in the stuffing there were bits of shrimp and crab. However I don’t think it was worth almost $ 40 dollars. Also nothing on the menu seemed creative or different for a million other restaurants in Albany. Half the menu was steak, two chicken dishes, and 3 or 4 lobster dishes. Maybe other restaurants market better or something but nothing on the menu called out to anyone in my party. Also it seemed like there were no signature dishes if there was I didn’t see it and i didn’t order it. On the other side coin the deserts wasn’t bad I had the banana foster. I do wish it was served table side but it was very good. However in all honesty I’ve have had a lot better for a lot cheaper and I think other people have too from reading other peoples reviews and the fact that no one was there, speeches volumes.

Fine dining at its best in Albany ! Special night for my wife & I. Made more special by an attentive staff & great food. Thanks !

I go back to when Arnold ran the place.
Service is still great
Best Manhattan clam chowder you will ever have!
Place is immaculate and classy wait staff is excellent
Steak was no better than the chains
Too bad. Great bar Is French sounding place around corner on green street
Great location bottom of hill from state capital

Thanksgiving dinner at Jacks. My wife, daughter and I had reservations for dinner at 6pm. We arrived about 20 mins early so we waited at the bar. My wife and daughter each had a glass of Chardonnay and I ordered a pint of Sam Adams. HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER, $ 29 for 3 drinks. Before we finished our drinks our name was shouted and we were shown to our booth. Both the bartender and waitstaff were 1^st class. No complaints. We all ordered the traditional dinner. Turkey, mashed and sweet potatoes, green beens and cranberry stuffing. $ 29.00 each. In short YUCK. My meal was only lukewarm, the stuffing tasted like a rats asshole from Calcutta, and not the nice part of Calcutta either. The green beens were under cooked, just what I needed while suffering a tooth ache. In summation, I would have to think twice about returning. I have had better for less money.

To expensive for my taste and frozen seafood to boot

Old school service (white apron, no nonsense, ‘service just good service’), atmosphere and tradition (black and white checkered floor, high ceilings, wood and more wood), impeccable food. Was looking for a good place after work while working out of town on a cold fall rainy night, turned on Broadway, and there it was — the green awning for Jack’s. Street parking was easy and figured that every Oyster House I’ve been to has been great. Well, this one was double down great. Awesome tradition like Jack’s in San Francisco, quietly excellent food like a great Oyster House.
Had the creamy chowder, with excellent flavor in the creamy stock. I’d not seen Steak Diane on a menu for years, and after it here, I don’t think I’ll find it better if on any other menu. Very tender beef fillets in a perfect Diane sauce. I didn’t really need it, but the class ambiance made me do it — I had their cheesecake with a berries and a raspberry sauce?
A little pricey, but who’s counting? Dining here is the Gatsy feeling, for sure. No rush elegance, impeccable service where excellence is expected without a smile, and every dish has the taste and feel of a great chef.
And, of course, they poured an excellent Makers Mark on the rocks with my orange twist!

Excellent food well prepared and a great cut of steak. The staff was very attentive seeing how it was a bday they even had a cake with candles at the end of our meal. Jacks is class and elegance and that’s what I love about it.

Jacks’s… Decent food, but you can’t charge $ 7 for a Miller Light in Albany, wow.
After a renovation to restore this historic Albany restaurant to its previous glory… The only thing I had heard was the food was mediocre at best. That’s pretty much what it lived up to… Some people liked what they ate, some people were unimpressed. Oh well, the interior has that classic metropolitan ambiance… Always a fun place to visit.

The vegetarian french onion is literally BAR NONE. It is amazing and an absolute must try. Jack’s is old Albany. It’s a staple for any Albany lover, there is so much history and many stories of good ol boys who ran the town dining there. Gosh wish I could have been there in the 20s to see what it was like.
The waitor is fabulous, he has been there for years and is very professional yet personable. Such a delicate balance in fine dining and he absolutely nails it.
Beautiful date night location or work lunch outing.
Must Try: Vegetarian French Onion Soup

Such disappointment — I always forget, «trust your gut!» and a bunch of Unilocal reviewers … ok so I was talked into going to Jack’s … very pretty place that serves very good wine but the food … a great disappointment.
I ordered a stuffed lobster tail — I honestly can’t tell you what the stuffing consisted of without look it up on the menu as it wasn’t really identifiable. The lobster tail — completely overcook, tough, chewy, and no buttery flavor you would expect from an expensive piece of shellfish ($ 40 dish).
The others had the cowboy steak, pizza, and the veal liver … while I didn’t try the steak (and the consumers aren’t as much of a food snob as I consider myself to be therefore they weren’t complaining all that much) I did try a piece of the liver — it was quite a bit on the dry side but seasoned ok …
Not a memorable experience aside from the price for the meal (about $ 280 if I recall correctly) — I wouldn’t return nor would I ever recommend Jack’s Oyster House …

First of all Sheilin (hope spelled correctly) was an awesome server. The place was really nice and the food delicious. To start, we ordered fried calamari and together with the dipping sauce, it was delicious. It was not too greasy or chewy (fried food perfection). The crab cakes were topped with slaw (not a big fan of slaw), which to my surprise worked well. It was just enough citrus. To top our meal, we ordered chocolate cake, too rich for my taste but tasty.

An Albany, NY, fixture. With dark wood and waiters with black jackets and bow ties it evokes an earlier time (reminds me of Musso and Frank in LA. It actually predates Musso and Frank by three years.) Jacks is clearly its own place and holds it own today.
My waiter was great. Just the right degree of sophistication but enjoyably interactive and very attentive.
The Manhattan Chowder is fantastic. A great balance of flavor with just a little bite. I guessed white pepper, but was wrong (the chef did reveal the secret. I won’t pass it on, you will have to go in and ask for yourself.) The Boston Cod was absolutely wonderful, it was flaky but firm, not over seasoned, every bite was an explosion of flavor.
The only problem with dinning alone is not being able to foist tastes on those who dine with you. Somehow I resisted running about the restaurant attempting to get other dinners to sample the delicate flavor of this fish. I guess that means I can actually go back.

Tradition meets class, class meets meat, meat meets mouth! A fabulous find with a beautiful bar, classic ambiance, and quality food. This is no frills old world excellence when it comes to steak. Great wine, good food, a perfect stop. Solo at the bar, large tables for meetings, intimate settings for romance. Make Jack’s a stop on your list.

We had a wonderful dinner while visiting SUNY Albany. The soup was delicious,. The filet mignon was very tasty. The waiter was wonderful. So attentive and very friendly!
We highly recommend this restaurant.

Looking at the reviews Steak Diane seems to be very popular. This is exactly what my wife had for the main entrée and she was not amazed. The meat was very tough, unlike Medallions of Filet.
We ordered the Seafood Tower of Extravaganza and although tasty was not extravagant.
I ordered the «exotic Oysters «after the non-​extravagant Tower and found them very tasty but overpriced in my opinion. I also had the Filet Mignon which was good but I’ve had better at a much lower cost.
Overall the place is nice, old and you an feel the history of Albany.
Glad we went but most likely will not return.

I must say my husband surprised me the other night with reservations at Jacks. I was very excited! The place reminds me of how dining would be back in the day. Glad I wore my pearls, lol. They brought bread and butter out. Great crusty bread. Very prompt service. Loved the attention we got. For appetizers we both got the raw oysters. So good. We both ordered the cowboy steak. Got to say, it was cooked perfectly! I had mine with their seasoning and my husband had it with blue cheese. I took half of mine home. It came with potatoes and seasonal veggies, which were delightful! What a great choice. Romantic, dressy, a walk back in time. Worth the money, worth the trip!

Never disappointed with jack’s.
Staff is always friendly and attentive.
Always try the soup, whether it is Manhattan clam chowder or the chef’s soup of the day.
Definitely come here if you are in the area!

Not always perfect, but Jack’s, I forgive you if it’s not. Because you’re not just another pretty restaurant. You’re the setting for so many happy occasions, so many celebrations. Where else can you get a lovely meal, a birthday candle, a plastic ring (do you still do that?), and a dated Polaroid? Add to that an owner who remembers you– I call this «the innkeeper effect,» and you’ve elevated the experience from a meal to a memory.
The fact that my son suggested we lunch here for my birthday left me teary-​eyed & verklempt.

We had a party of 12 for my sons graduation … Needed a large enough place and Jack’s was one of the few in the area that could accommodate us the weekend of Siena’s graduation. Good location at base of capital building — parking suck, but so does parking in NYC.
Suffice to say, steaks were great — we all ordered meat with various sides. Note to the person who penned the 4 – 17 review — ORDER STEAK IN A STEAK & OYSTER HOUSE ! Pasta you can have anywhere.
I brought several bottles of top wine as I asked if the had corkage fee as I thought my wine was better than the menu options. We started at the old-​style bar before sitting down and the Cosmo and other drinks were well done.
Nice classic steak joint. Ate here several years ago when I did business with GE Schenectady and Momentive in Watertown Was good to come back. Thanks for hosting us.

I ate here as part of a small wedding/​reception dinner. There were about 20 of us in a private room. The couple getting married had a small service at the 74 State Street Hotel, about 5 or 6 doors down the street, and then hosted everyone for late lunch/​early dinner at Jack’s.
Jack’s has a traditional, old-​money steakhouse feel as you walk in. Lots of dark wood. We were escorted to a private room off the side where, amazingly, they managed to fit all of us in at one very long table. The room had huge windows, and nice view of what we learned was the SUNY administration building. It had interesting architecture, so provided something nice to look at while you were eating.
The way the dinner was structured was that the married couple, who were very generous hosts, ordered seafood appetizer towers for the table, and then told everyone to just order off the menu, whatever we wanted. I say this was very generous not only because there were no restrictions on what we ordered, but also because Jack’s is very expensive.
The seafood appetizer towers were amazing in quality. Each one included jumbo shrimp cocktail, oysters on the half shell, raw littleneck clams, and I think something else, but I can’t remember what it was because I was enjoying the oysters and clams so very much. A glass of not-​very-​oaky New York chardonnay was the perfect accompaniment to the raw seafood.
For my meal, I ordered a 2.5 lb steamed lobster. What can I say, I can’t get good Maine lobster in Seattle! My mom also got the lobster, as did several of my other dining companions. What I will say about it was that it was absolutely fabulous, but a little messy to eat in your formal wear. Okay, a lot messy! On the menu, they said that is would be «steamed and shelled», but it definitely wasn’t. Basically they split the tail for you and cracked the claws. As a born-​and-​raised New England girl, I had no problem with figuring out how to eat the lobster, but it was still messy, and if working for your food presents a problem for you, you might want to go with the baked/​stuffed lobster option. In any case, it was delicious and a real treat. I never even got to my sides, the fairly nondescript baked potato and steamed vegetables.
As for other dishes for non-​lobster people, my dad REALLY enjoyed the Atlantic salmon fillet with a pesto glaze. Another person sitting near us got a beautiful-​looking seafood stew, which included clams, mussels, lobster tail, and some kind of white fish in a garlicky broth. And several people ordered steaks. The steaks looked gorgeous, but one person had to send his back because he ordered it rare, and it came medium well. They quickly replaced his steak, and he said it was wonderful, so I’m sure it was just a little misstep.
Overall, if you are looking for a traditional high-​end dining experience, nothing too innovative, just solidly executed seafood and steaks, Jack’s is the place for you! Oh, and the service was incredible, I almost forgot to mention. They answered people’s questions thoughtfully and just really made us feel special. In summary, what I will say is that it was a real treat to get to dine there on lobster!