Jumpin’ Jack’s Drive-In

We stop in once a summer to sit out enjoying a jackburger or fish fry and Onion Rings and shake looking over the Mohawk. Sure food is OK but just the fun being here. I believe they still have ski show a concert next to them and in July fireworks I will admit fireworks I stay away to big of a croud. Looking forward to next April.

Open only during the spring and summer, Jumpin Jacks is fun. There is nothing out of the ordinary about the food but it’s outdoor eating and they have concerts and ski shows or even ski team practice while your there. Bring your friends and have a blast.

A classic! Nice breezy outside dining, food up to the hype! Employees are really great. subwayyyyyy!
Really nice environment for being the 40 – 50 years!
Next to the river where they have water ski shows on Tuesdays!

Great place for a fish fry and ice cream in the summer when your in the mood. They have cool ski shows on tuesday nights kids love it. Great ice cream flavors as well!

Fantastic food for good price! They expand from burgers to fish dinners. The seating is all outdoors so it is always nice to enjoy the outdoors while eating amazing food! I highly recommend to anyone running through the neighborhood to eat here, it’s always a town favorite!

A fun place to take the kids in the summer. The spot is seasonal with average American food. It’s more of an iconic place to hit in Schenectady than a foodie space. Lots of ground for the kids to run around on (Collins Park is right there) — sitting on the Mohawk River for boat shows. Staff is great, they are super functional with eachother and run super smoothly. The lines are crazy long and fast moving so be ready! Leave a tip too! They deserve it– «subway!»

Excelente place en el área de Glenville, Upstairs New York solo accessible al publicity en el verano!

It is what it is. A tradition. But, that’s about it.
It’s not high cuisine. It’s burgers and dogs and ice cream (And not even great version of any of those things.) served to you by teenagers. I (or my family) have gotten sick often enough eating here that I’m pretty much loathe to go back.
Maybe it’s the allure of the water. Or the fact that it’s not open all year round. This continues to be popular in Scotia.

Jumpin’ Jack’s is a local institution with a long history. I’m in my 40’s and my Dad would take me here when I was a kid. And I suspect most other locals have spent more than a few summer afternoons here when they were kids enjoying a burger and a cone.
Don’t come here expecting great food. You’ll leave disappointed. Not that the food is bad, it’s not. It’s enjoyable. But don’t let the crowds fool you into thinking they’re there just for the food.
Jumpin’ Jack’s «whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts», to borrow a phrase. The warm summer breezes, it’s proximity to the river, and Freedom and Collins parks, make for an iconic location, and fond memories.

Nothing spectacular. Hamburger patties, fries and onion rings seemed to be ordinary pre packaged stuff. Not impressed.

This is always a staple when I return home to visit family. I always get the jack burger with French fries along with a lemonade. It’s usually pretty busy but the line always goes quick. It’s an experience that everyone should partake in! They also have dessert in the same parking long. Along with live music and ski shows if you stop by on the right night.

Every time we visit my wifes family in Scotia we hit Jumpin’ Jack’s for some good chow. Its what my sister in law refers to as ‘Good Grease’.
You won’t find duck a l’orange on the menu, and the maitre d won’t suggest the $ 50.00 bottle of Chianti.
What you will get is: a couple of good cheeseburgers; wash them down with some delicious onion rings, and a huge thank you, for a tip; «SUBWAY». Its a fun, upbeat atmosphere that will have you visiting back for more.
Enjoy.

A reliable source for your he made quality fast foods. Burgers, fries onion rings, shakes, comes– efficiently produced– important when the line gets long! Nice view of the river and pleasant before a concert.

Awesome burger joint. Great burgers, fun environment down by the river and awesome fries.

This place is awesome, I dunno how anyone could give them a bad review. Always packed yet fast service, and great food! Subway! (what they shout when you give a tip and let me tell ya you hear it often!) Try this place yourself at least once I don’t think they will disappoint. Also keep in mind they are only open in the summer.

Come on people! This trip reminded me of where I live now. There are some good things about the Albany area — I find the people to be friendly, there is no traffic — but the food simply sucks. Jumpin’ Jack’s is a prime example.
If you have been exposed to the quintessential burger/​shake joint in places all over this great land then you know what the good is. Flavorful burgers, homemade onion rings, real milk shakes… This place had none of that. The burger was tasteless due to lack of fat, the onion rings were clearly of the frozen variety, and the shake… The chocolate shake came from a pre-​mixed/​pre-​made machine a la the frozen margarita machines in crappy Mexican joints. I threw it out after two sips. My friend did the same. For me to toss anything chocolate is almost unheard of — I can usually make it work.
The place looks so nostalgic and I’d hoped it would deliver the goods. It doesn’t. I’m convinced the folks who rave about this place have not experienced much in their lives.
Yet another disappointing food excursion.

It’s a fun little outdoor place with food that’s reminiscent of the types and quality you’d see at a fair. Burgers, fried fish, fried clams, onion rings, fries, fried dough, ice cream. There’s an amphitheater and it’s right on the water, so there are some sights to take in as you walk around. I imagine it’s a popular date location for young teenagers, and that parents bring the kids here a lot, and the fast food /​fried food and then ice cream is a fun little guilty pleasure for adults too. If I’m back in the area looking for an outdoor lunch (on a warm day), Jumpin’ Jack’s will likely see me again.

Schenectady favorite! The clam fry is a generous portion, for just $ 4. The burgers are tiny, but only $ 2.5! I ha the pistachio shake today, which was good. It’s just nice to sit outside, next to the river. One question– why so many extra fry cooks back there? At least it keeps the restless Scotia teens off the street!

I’ve lived in Schenectady for the past four years and always heard about Jumping Jacks but never tried it until this year and that was a mistake. This place is such a fun experience and great food! The atmosphere was very friendly, right on the water, casual, and good for the whole family. We had the jack burger, cheeseburger, twisters (curly fries), onion rings, and a strawberry milkshake. The milkshakes are unbelievable! They are a must have! The prices are very reasonable and the food is good. I’d recommend this place to anyone!

There are giant NO SMOKING OR PETS signs everywhere, so we were perplexed as to why four people outside were puffing away. We’re guessing rampant illiteracy, but maybe there’s lead in the food here or something. Certainly the employee who was smoking right on top of the giant propane tanks with their NO SMOKING warnings was a likely candidate for a Darwin award (see picture we posted). But I digress.
So, Jumpin’ Jacks, we can definitely see why this is a local institution, with short order food next to the river and across from the baseball fields and handy to the bridge crossing. That said, the food here was pretty mundane. We suspect a lot of it sits around waiting orders, since while they were peppy with the orders, our hot dogs, hamburger, fries, and clams all came out ice cold while the fish (nicely battered in corn meal, btw) came out fryer-​hot. The ice cream is all soft-​serv, which is good enough if that’s what you’re hankering for. The drinks were absurdly overpriced at refill-​large prices for 8 ounce cups stuffed with ice.
The locale is a little disappointing: no tables on the river or other way to take it in, and while the river walk is pleasant enough, there aren’t really places to sit down. The other point of confusion is calling this a «Drive-​In»; whence we come, a «Drive In» is a place where they bring the food to you at your car, not a ‘drive up’ where you pull in and get out of the car and eat outside, which we would call «take out» or perhaps «al fresco dining» if you want to get fancy pants about it.
Here I am talking trash about another local institution (see also our review of Mike’s) but call it the unblinking and un-​nostalgic view of the transplant. Jack’s will be a fun treat for the kids in future years, I can tell, but I doubt the older members or our party are going to feel the love as much, at least not until they can get at least 50% of the orders served hot. I certainly am not understanding why people were lined up at 5 AM for the opening day.
That, and if it survives the smoking around explosive flammable gas tanks. Just sayin’.

If its summertime and you want a burger you either cook it at home on the grill or go to Jumpin Jacks. It doesn’t matter how long the drive or how long the line is when you get there, it will be worth it. I don’t think anyone else can compete with this cheeseburger and sauteed onions. The homemade onion rings are the best around too.