Jake’s

Visited with my family on a recent trip to Ashland. I’ve always had great experiences there, but my last trip left a bad taste in my mouth and it wasn’t the food. Atmosphere was great, seated promptly– which was great for a family of 6 with children. But they obviously forgot to give us a server. I asked hostess if we could get someone and I guess the lady there was a manager and she said she’d get someone right over. Several minutes later, still no server. We’ve been seated for over 12 minutes and not one server came to our table. I found the manager sitting at the bar and asked her if she found a server, completely astonished at her attitude. Obviously her drink was more of a priority. I gathered my family and went to Bob Evans. And to top it off, on our way out the hostess said «thank you, have a good evening» oblivious to what just happened. And the manager was still at bar. Hmmm. Great management. Never again.

Atmosphere is good & people are nice, but the food is absolute crap. Good if you’re just sitting at the bar.

The first couple of times I came here the food was pretty good and so was the services but the last few times I’ve been there my food came out cold and did not taste very fresh. Also our server seemed preoccupied even tho we were 1 of 5 total customers in the restaurant.

I’m from out of town and visiting family that live in the area. Came here on a Monday for lunch and saw an advertised special for a 10oz NY Strip for $ 11.
Curious, I tried it and was thoroughly impressed. I’ve never had a steak this good for this price. Highly recommend.

Tried this place after not being back for nearly a year after 2 prior crappy visits. This recent visit the baked potato was cool enough that it didn’t melt butter, Mac & cheese cold and was reheated for us and the sandwiches were blah. Guess we won’t be going back. It’s a shame Ashland doesn’t have any great places to eat.

Similar to a Applebee’s or TGIF. Nothing stood out or was amazing, decent food. Service was good, atmosphere was nice.
Little pricey for the food you get.

Food is great with a fair price. They have pretty nice bar with a nice cute young bartender (always a plus).
New York strip steak special on Mondays, give it a try if anything.

Regular steakhouse food. Nothing special. I sat at the bar. Waitres/​bartender was decent. Although she gave me my bill then I think she took a 10 minute smoke break with friends. Lol

This place never fails to let me down. Tonight the place was empty and there was a 20 minute wait. I think they bring the rejects from the Wooster location to ashland and use them as managers and hosts. They couldn’t figure it out again tonight. It’s complicated sitting people at empty tables. They know how bad they are too. They will not make eye contact and the manager hides in the back and occasionally comes up front and shows his hostess how to write meaningless numbers on the worthless seating chart. The worst!!!

Are 0 stars possible? Our server was obviously having a very bad day. She was condescending and not friendly. She needed a lesson in customer service. Our food was under cooked and cold. She told us every restaurant is different for steak temperatures. Her answer should have been asking to cook our steaks longer to our liking. Only saving grace was the manager who apologized for the undercooked food. Having been a server I appreciate good service and quality customer service. I won’t be back.

I swear I’ve written a review for Jake’s before. I must of forgotten, which is easy to do as Jake’s is fairly forgettable.
If you visit or live in the Ashland area, chances are you have eaten here. Why? Because it’s Ashland and there are few other options. I work nearby and also have clients who visit as part of my job, thus Jake’s is one of the few decent places that I can actually take my clients that isn’t fast food, Mexican, or Chinese.
The place is much like an Applebees or similar place. Generally overpriced, smaller portions, and just boring food. I’ve always had really good service, but the food is completely lacking. My hubby ordered a chicken breast and it was anemic and rubbery. I’ve had luck with the salads but they aren’t mind-​blowing.
Overall, if you want a place to eat, Jake’s will work, but you won’t be impressed and discussing your return trip.

Our last dinner in Ohio this trip. We were given the option to go to Outback or Jake’s and opted for Jake’s. Though I was told I had been there before, it seemed to be a new experience for me. The restaurant was clean and well presented. We were seated immediately as we arrived a little early for dinner. Our waitress seemed efficient while reciting the daily specials. I ordered the special, Lake Éire Perch Platter and a Great Lakes Christmas Ale as I try to order items I don’t cook or cannot get in SoCal. My wife ordered their Cheesesteak (sans mushrooms) and the waitress noted it was just like getting their French Dip (with cheese). Our meals came out promptly. The Perch were scrumptious! I substituted the Fries for Steamed Broccoli and was not disappointed! The Coleslaw seemed to be standard restaurant carton slaw. Regrettably, my wife’s sandwich came out as a French Dip without cheese. Additionally, my Mother did not get the soup she ordered for her Combo Platter. After the soup was exchanged, our waitress asked if we wanted anything else and I reminded her of my Christmas Ale. My wife opted out of mentioning the sandwich switch. Honesty, the food was good! The Lake Éire Perch was awesome! However, we expect average to include delivered meals and drinks as ordered without prompting. Was this a one off? Don’t know as we depart the area tomorrow.

Jake’s is among the better choices for a sit-​down meal in Ashland, which sadly says a lot about Ashland’s selection. They used to portray themselves as a «steakhouse» and have since moved away from that a bit (even ditching their tagline).
Having done some contracted work for them in the past, I got a behind-​the-​scenes look at the kitchen. It’s very clean and they seem to take great precautions to ensure a good experience for the customers. As a bit of a germaphobe, I feel comfortable eating here.
The food is generally pretty good. I can’t say there’s been anything I’ve eaten there that I flat out disliked, though many of the options are pretty average. There’s a huge difference in quality among their steaks. The specials are typically more meat for less money, and logically not as quality. The normal sirloin is great, though, and what I typically get. It’s actually the exact same meat Skyway East gets for their sirloins.
Some items are pretty overpriced, so just pay attention when ordering.
All in all, it’s a decent option for eating out in Ashland. It’s no better or worse than Applebee’s – it’s just another choice. It’s nothing to rave about, but nor are the other Ashland options (Bob Evan’s, Applebee’s, Perkins…).

Stopped here for lunch on our way through the area. Had a sirloin with Cajun seasoning, one of the best sirloins I’ve had. Excellent taste and quality.
Had a spicy Bloody Mary that was great as well. Great service too.

This place is awesome! Great food, great service and ice cold beer! The beer battered mushrooms are fantastic. The steak medallions melt like butter. My wife and I stayed overnight on our way to Niagara Falls We were so pleased to find this!

Jake’s is about 2 – 3 blocks from I– 71 in Ashland, OH so that makes it easy on and off accessible.
There’s handicapped parking at the front.
I had a sirloin steak, french fries, and salad (comes with a hot breadstick), while my husband had the prime rib special with baked beans and a salad. Both were tasty and cooked absolutely perfect.
The staff was very friendly, seating us quickly, waiting on us, bringing my husband’s Stella Artois and my diet drink and refill.
The bathrooms were clean and took you through hunting décor.
This is definitely a good choice for lunch or dinner.

I ate at Jake’s on a Tuesday evening because it was half price burger night. I’ve been to this and the Wooster location in the past, so I am giving 3 stars based on those positive experiences.
First, the service is good and the restaurant is comfortable. The prices are reasonable, too. However, on this occasion I was disappointed. The hamburger patty was not normal ground beef. I would liken it to the lean, finely textured meat patties you get at fast food restaurants. It basically seemed like an oversized fast food patty. The fries were good, the fried mushrooms were good, other things I’ve had from the menu were good (eg. the steak), but they need to fix that hamburger patty situation. On this occasion, half price was more than enough.
Go for the steak, you’ll get a better burger at Wendy’s.

So, so, so bad.
I ordered a burger and it was charred on one side and undercooked on the other. It also looked to be a preformed burger. Like the ones you buy en masse from Costco. The burger bun was soggy from the get go.
My Dad ordered Fried Mushrooms which were cold and slimy in the center, and a baked potato which was literally cold. I put my finger on it after he pushed it away and calling it lukewarm would be a generous term.
We barely ate but tipped our waitress well because she was very nice.
Seriously though, don’t eat here. It’s way too expensive and you’re guaranteed to be disappointed.

We stopped here at around noon, on our way home from Columbus. I want to start off by saying that my rating is based on the service, not the food.
So, the food here is quite good. My wife ordered the prime rib, and I ordered the baby back ribs. Both entrees were very good, and my ribs were so tender they fell off the bone and cut with a fork. The BBQ sauce had a perfect blend of sweetness and spiciness, which is hard to pull off.
The problem with this restaurant was our server, Dawn. She acted as if she was doing us a favor by serving us, getting visibly annoyed that I wanted soup and a salad with my ribs, instead of their normal sides. Hey, if I’m willing to pay for it, just give me what I want, ya know?
Once we got our food, Dawn chose our booth to hang out and clean. She cleaned the wooden post over my wife’s right shoulder for a good 5 minutes, and just… hovered the rest of the time, cleaning the empty booth beside us. Cleanliness is a good thing, sure, but the restaurant was nearly empty and there were plenty of other booths she could have been cleaning. It made us feel very nervous, and my wife had to keep covering her plate to keep dust from getting into her food.
Once we were finished eating, though, Dawn was nowhere to be seen! We wanted to get our check paid and get back on the road, but we had to sit there for a good fifteen minutes, twiddling our thumbs and waiting for Dawn to bring us our check.
It’s a shame… the food was amazing, and the ambience is very nice. I doubt we’ll return.

Tacky, tacky, tacky. Theming a steakhouse around the owner’s pet dog is a risky proposition to begin with. Augmenting that theme with taxidermy is even sketchier. Thus, my expectations were low from the moment I walked into the place.
I had the prime rib special. It was, hands-​down, the worst prime rib I have ever eaten in my life. It was stringy and difficult to slice through, especially with the dull steak knife I was given to carve it with. It was served naked with a bland, bouillon-​based jus in a disposable plastic cup. I sent back my first plate because my meat was actually cold in the centre. When a replacement was brought, the meat was only just a bit warmer, and the server cheerfully advised me that «we zapped it all for you, okay?» No. No no no. You do not «zap» prime rib to heat it up unless it’s in your fridge and you want a snack at 3 a.m. and … no, maybe not even then. What’s the matter with you people?! And for the love of Beltone, someone turn the volume down on that overly-​perky waitress whose vocalisations may have aroused tom cats within a ten-​mile radius.
I digress…
Appetizers: cooked from frozen, not hot by the time they got to the table. Salad: went through a woodchipper.
Service: … Weird. Our table was tag-​teamed by the aforementioned caterwauling waitress and a guy who looked like he’d been recruited from the kitchen, and referred to my father-​in-​law as «bro.»
Dessert: I have no idea. I was too queasy by the time I was done with the rest of my meal to try it.
Finally, towards the end of the meal, the server refilled my husband’s coffee, but not mine! Oh, that’s it, bitch. You stiff me on my caffeine fix, you get a rotten review. BOOM!
Jake’s. Don’t bother… It’s the dog’s dinner.