Jake’s Bar and Bistro

I purchased a voucher from living social that expires 2012. I came by the restaurant today to find out it was closed. It would have been nice if they wouldn’t sell items that you cannot redeem. Maybe that’s why they had to close, bad management.

I had high hopes for this cute little locale. The view is beautiful and the ambience is very nice, not to mention the fabulous selection of local brews.
I was, however, far from impressed with the quality of the food. The dinner started out promising enough with their stuffed portabello mushrooms. The order seemed a bit small, but the flavor was very nice. My $ 14 scallop salad though left much to be desired, the scallops were cold and flavorless and almost had that not-​so-​fresh fishy taste. I had to flavor it with lots of salt and pepper in order to make it somewhat palatable.
My husband did enjoy his monterey chicken, which was chicken breast topped with jack cheese and bacon. I’m not sure if it is worth the trip back though, mediocre food with a bill that totaled over $ 70 is just offensive.

Not sure what to expect upon arrival, Jake’s ‘wowed’ me:
Wow. Great beer selection! Wow. Great view from the deck! Wow. Great food!
I had seen ads for this place in the local paper, but it wasn’t until Living Social offered a deal on it that I finally made the trip down to Steilacoom for a visit. Glad I did! The place was busy on a sunny Sunday evening and there was a wait for seating on the deck so we went to the bar first.
Jake’s has 42 beers on tap, all of which are micros or specialty beers, including several that I hadn’t tried before (like the Deschutes Mirror Mirror, a tasty treat and 11% abv). The bartender was helpful at suggesting a few varieties to sample before deciding on which beer (s) we would have with dinner. Cheers!
Once seated on the deck, we were treated to a fantastic view of the South Sound including Fox Island, McNeil Island, Anderson Island, the Tacoma Narrows Bridges, the Steilacoom Ferry… Nice. Great place to watch the sunset while dining.
The menu here is on the spendy side for ‘pub grub’, but not too bad considering this is more like a fancy restaurant than a dive bar: entrees range from $ 10 for a burger to $ 19 for a steak. The quality of the burgers we had here was excellent! No fries or rings here though; they offer a choice of soup, salad, or Tim’s chips with your burger/​sandwich meal.
Looking forward to returning soon!

This is truly one of my favorites places. Besides the gorgeous view, the food here is delicious. While it may be a bit on the pricey side, it is definitely worth it. I’ve always visited during more quiet times, so have always received wonderful service. Can’t wait until summer to sit out on the deck. My favorites are their French Dip and Turkey, Bacon, Gouda (pesto) sandwiches. Enjoy!

A little pricey, but great views, good food, and an incredible beer selection. You can do beer tastings!

Great place for lunch. We’ve eaten there three times now and never been disappointed
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The food is very good. Nice sauces and original flavor pairings, expertly prepared there’s a nice selection of wines & a huge array of draft beers. The staff is knowledgeable too. Jared has been our waiter each time we’ve gone in and he’s given us excellent advice about beverage choices.
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The view is good in the west end of the room too, but it would be better out on the deck. However, Steillacoom doesn’t have the kind of weather that makes outdoor dining appealing outside a few months in summer.

Not enough staff. The bartender said I’ll be with you in a mintue about 5 times. Never did get a drink. The open kitchen I asked the cook what to order. He showed me a huge ticket and said whatever you want. Wrong answer. Got up and left never going back. The whole experence left a bad tatse in my mouth.

Well… my visit to Jakes was a terrible experience! The place was not busy, however we were refused an outdoor seat saying there was a wait list… we instead were sat by the kitchen. Food was overpriced and horrible. Will not be back!

I wanted the salad but it was 16 dollars, I think they should sell them in halves. The seating was uncomfortable.
Their BBQ chicken was so amazing great bacon the sauce on it was fantastic. The side salad that came with it was wilted so I am glad I went with the sandwhich. Drinks were strong and good I had the long island. The BBQ Chicken cant say it enough was amazing! My husband had the BBQ burger he said it was ok.

Just had lunch here today after a friend recommended it for lunch after a stop at Chambers Creek. The previous reviews seem like a mixed bag so perhaps we got lucky.
The young chap running the bar was also the waiter. He was friendly and knowledgeable when it came to the menu and beer selection
We put in a grilled cheese order for our 2 year old daughter. They were cute and split it thinking our 7 month old son would like half. He does not eat a lot of solids yet! He was impressed by the Tim’s chips though.
My wife got a Scuttlebutt Blonde and I got a Diamond Knot Blonde, both were great. Part of their 42 beers on tap.
My wife ordered the blue cheese burger and was happy with it. I got the «steil-​y» cheese steak, and it was amazing. I got it with a bowl of chilli as the side.
As for pricing, the food was probably on the higher end for what it was. However it was really good too, you get what you pay for.
This would be a great place in summer when you could sit outside on the deck.
Steilacoom is a bit off the beaten path, unless your going on one of the Pierce county ferries. However this sure is worth discovering!

Oh My God. I walked in thinking it would just be another lunch at a local bar and grill. I walked out deciding that I had to return multiple times before heading home to Texas. I truly believe there is not one thing on the menu or at the tap that the owner hasn’t personally scrutinized to ensure it is something he can brag about.
Even the burgers weren’t just «burgers because everyone has burgers.» Each one had special gourmet touches which made you walk away feeling like you tasted a unique creation.
The Gumbo (though it was more of a spicy minestrone than a Gumbo) was absolutely delicious and the beers… oh the beers. I only wish I has stayed around long enough to try all 42. Each was unique and hand-​picked and the Raspberry Lambic was a dessert in a glass. Hells yeah, if I ever have a Restaurant, this is the one I want to emulate.

This is the secret of the South Sound. I’ve been searching for the perfect place to satisfy my appetite for unique beers in the South Puget Sound and have finally found it: Jake’s Bar & Bistro.
This place is locally owned and staffed with fantastic people who really care about beer. There are 42 tap handles that showcase beers from all over the world.
I highly recommend checking this place out if you are looking for a true beer seeker’s haven. Plus, they have an affordable and tasty wine selection along with a decent selection of spirits!

The best kept secret South of the Emerald City. The food is amazing! Try the Bleu Cheese ironsteak or the butter and garlic steamed mussels; incredible. The beer selection boasts 42 individual taps rotating Oktoberfest, seasonal and sour beers which are usually extremely difficult to find. John serves you in unique glasses which bring out all the flavors of the relatively inexpensive brews. I’m not sure how they keep the prices so low, and the selection so varied, but I’m not gonna ask. A nice little fluted selection of tequila and scotch as well. Enjoy.

I’ve only been to Jakes once and had heard great things prior to my own visit. …
Getting there was a little stressful — I was coming from DuPont and had terrible mapquest directions. I had a 3:30 lunch reservation with a friend and we were on a time crunch. I was lost and hungry and wanted to cry. I called Jake’s Bar and Bistro hoping that the person on the other end would be able to help. The person who answered the phone seemed clueless but she had the bright idea to pass the phone along to Jake, the actual owner of the restaurant. He was very personable and friendly while I was having my own personal mini panic attack from the heat and lack of food in my body. Jake was wonderful and I thanked him personally upon my arrival to the restaurant.
My friend and I both ordered strawberry spinach salads with goat cheese and asked to add chicken to our order. The server was very accomodating and said that would be no problem.
The salad was DELICIOUS! We were both in salad heaven. My only complaint was I was hungry again less than 2 hours later… next time we’ll order a hearty appetizer to accompany the actual meal. While she was waiting for me to meet her she orderer the red, white and blues appetizer (corn chips, guacamole, salsa) which was mediocre but what can you expect from chips and salsa?!
I will be returning… and bringing my mom along with me. It was a goregous view, we ate amazing salads and had wonderful attentive service, for a small price!
THANK YOU JAKE, FOR THE DIRECTIONS!

This place gets an «A» for the view and the beer list, and a «D» for the food. Steilacoom is where I grew up, and I was excited to give this place a try. We sat outside and had a great view of the Sound. I ordered my favorite sandwich — a Reuben. It was dried out and rubbery. My wife had a crab cake sandwich. It was dried out and rubbery. Maybe that’s a new cooking technique? The service was okay. I would probably go back and get a beer and munchies, but I’d skip the main meal.

To make a long story short, we’re never coming back here again, and it’s because the service sucks, and the restaurant seems to be changing for the worse.
The long story is that we’ve been coming here for over a year and are still treated like strangers, or with ambivalence from the people who recognize us. Since we’ve been regulars for a while, we’ve gotten more comfortable asking questions, especially if one of our staple orders has changed — in this case, the nachos have gotten smaller in size (while the price has doubled). When we asked our waitress if they were smaller, she responded saying that they were arranged on the plate differently, and that the portion size was still the same. This was not true, and then the waitress barely spoke two words to us the rest of the evening. We have had similar experience with the staff when asking questions about their beers, or making requests about the food. (It took several outings where we ordered nachos with no jalapenos, and received them WITH jalapenos, to voice our dissatisfaction to our waitress before finally receiving a correct order.)
Food is decent but overpriced, and as I said, the nachos have shrunk, but gotten more expensive (the nachos being the only splittable, filling appetizer item for its price range). Beer selection has also been on the decline in recent months, and there have been more instances of something running out.
It’s really unfortunate because there is so much potential. If they had a couple of awesome appetizer deals and/​or happy hour, kept the beer selection up, and improved their service, it would be great. But it doesn’t seem to be heading that direction, in any of those respects.

My GF and I ate here last weekend on one of those do-​nothing Saturdays where we didn’t have much on our agenda. She likes the patio with its mountain view – but I guess February is too early in the season to be eating outdoors, so we sat inside.
I was immediately impressed by the extensive beer list. IPAs are well represented, which is a great way for any establishment to get on my good side. I overheard a server explaining to another patron that most of the beers on the list are chosen for their bold, strong flavors – hoppy, malty, etc.
The food on the menu looked like pretty standard pub fare. I ordered the BLT, and was happy to find it was not one of those lackluster diner jobs. Piled with thick, crispy bacon and spread with some kind of fancy aioli, it was dang tasty.

I went here with a friend for a quick lunch date. I had my 13 month old daughter in tow, as I always do, and was disappointed that they didn’t have a single high chair. Not good for kids. Luckily, I had her carseat, or there would have been no way.
I had the ciabatta with turkey, pesto, gouda, tomatoes and red onions and it was delicious. I sampled my friend’s crab cake sandwich and was impressed as well. One could infer that everything on the menu is good (and my friend, a Steilacoomian, said it was ;o) .
Sitting on the deck is divine on a sunny day. This restaurant has a great view of the water.
So, why three stars? The service. The service is «meh.» Don’t expect your water to be refilled. Don’t make substitutions on your food (I thought asking for my onions grilled would be a modification, but alas, it was a substitution). Don’t expect to have the waitress give you the check in a timely manner. Don’t expect to be able to pay, or get a box, or do anything in a timely manner. It’s not awful, but it’s certainly not good.
But still, I’d come back. The food is good, and downtown Steilacoom doesn’t have too much to offer ;D

Atmosphere is great, View of the sound terrific. Amazing selection of beers and food is very good. Only drawback is that you can’t make any alterations to the food order. It comes exactly as it is on the menu with no modifications allowed. That’s fine if you don’t have an allergy or do not want want to hold something. Overall the food is very tasty, I wouldn’t say overpriced, but not cheap either.
I can’t wait for summer because I want to sit out on their deck, sip a microbrew and take in a spectacular view of Puget Sound.

My friends and I used to go here all the time when it was in a garage and all they had was peanuts to eat. Loved it than, and would have given it 4-​stars.
When they moved to their new location, it became a totally different place. No more peanuts but actual food, this was a good thing until you see the prices. The food is tasty just feel it is a bit overpriced. Everytime I went there after they moved had poor service, not the staff just the waiting times.
My table waited for 20 mins. to get our drinks and to find out that 2 out of our 5 drinks they were all out of, something that they should’ve told us so that we couldve ordered different ones. Another 15 min. went by till we got our drinks. 30 min went by for our order to be taken, granted they were busy, but you would think they would staff appropriatley. Had experiences close to this one but on smaller scales.
I feel bad saying those things but they are true. Jake is an awesome guy and was so much fun to talk and chill with when it wasn’t such a big place. That being said, I congradulate him for his sucesess. BY FAR THE BEST BEER YOU WILL GET. I really want to go back a few more times and see how things are and if the service has improved I have no problem updating my rating. Jake if your out there I still love you and love your beer and wines!