Jakes Tyler

This place is expensive, that is true. But it’s meant more for fine dining than casual eating. That being said, it has it’s perks. I recently tried the cheeseburger, just a simple bacon cheeseburger, and it was fantastic. Probably the best on the square. The chicken cigars (I think that’s what they are called) are delicious as well. The tiramisu is also the best in the city. You also want to try the bananas foster. The rooftop bar is an awesome place to relax, enjoy live music, and a great meeting place for friends or a date.

If you are going expecting a 4 star restaurant save your money, had the Delmonico steak it was a marginal top sirloin at its best and the vegetable melody, straight from a bag of frozen vegtables, the only thing that was decent was the scalloped potatoes I could tell they were made fresh but again not the best I have ever had. We spent 180 for dinner and frankly I think it was worth maybe 60 at its best and we had a bottle of wine. Don’t waste your money on this place, not worth the hype… You are better off going to Bernards

Jakes is just one huge rip off. Had a get together with my class reunion, first off there is no handicap access. If your in a wheelchair or can’t make it up the steep steps then your done for. Also when given $ 1200, 18.50 from 60 people with no one nit paying, to set up some kind of buffet all we got where some meatballs, fruit, some fried cheese, pickle okra, a spinch dip as well as a shrimp dip of some sort in the smallest amount that could be given because there wasn’t very much to go around. oh I should mention that to drink only water was included, not even a darn coke. The sad part is that little spread wasn’t very good. my classmates and myself felt like we got scammed. at $ 18.50 per person some pasta or some cheap dinner, a casserole, anything but what little we got, shot, just some soda, or service would have been better, it wasn’t like it was packed. in fact it was dead. If your in tyler just go to Ricks on the square, better service, better food, better atmosphere. Jake’s just wants your money in exchange for nothing worth writing home about.

Great atmosphere. Love the roof top bar. However, this place is straight robbing people. In a nice way of saying it, the food is gross.
The fish I ordered was sea bass it was over salted and served over a ton of beans. Just terrible we ate 2 maybe 3 bites. We also ordered a 10oz filet. ($ 42) Requested it to be served medium rare. The filet was so over cooked that the meat curled and was literally rocking on my plate. Unreal that this product was allowed to leave the kitchen. Passed from the grill, to chef or expediter, to the food runner, to the bartender who served this to me. Nor did a manager or anyone notice or ask how the meal was. Oblivious! Blew my mind. Ordered a ahi tuna plate and buffalo chicken app. They were alright. $ 200 dollar meal for 2 plus a tip and that was the experience. Yikes.
Anyone that has been able to sit down and enjoy a true, made with love meal at any restaurant, anywhere in the world knows this place is a sad story. If the entrees I ordered were prepared to standard, then God bless Tyler and the kind people of this community. If I ever go back it would be for drinks and drinks only and some one would have to initiate it.
Although I had high expectations based off the atmosphere and price points, it was a huge let down. If you are looking for a great or even ok culinary experience this is not the place. Good place to grab a drink and listen to some live music.

While visiting the area from Georgia, we made our way to Jake’s for drinks after a disappointing dinner at Currents. We loved the «old downtown» atmosphere and the building décor. The bartender was working the entire room and bar and did a great job. He knew all the desserts by name and prepared our drinks well. The cheesecake did taste frozen though (would have liked fresh-​made better.) We enjoyed our time there and wished we had eaten dinner there too instead of Currents!

Service and ambiance: 4 stars. Food and prices: 1; therefore, 2.5 stars it is.
After trying to get in at Villa Montez, without reservations, we opted to come here as our second choice. It was dead at 8:00 on a Friday, and we were immediately seated. The inside has exposed brick, and seriously exudes class. This really is a cool place– cosmetically that is. The rooftop bar. Yep, that looked pretty f’n cool too. But, here are my issues with this place:
1) The food is just insanely overpriced. $ 42 for a «certified Angus» fillet? For real?! Granted, I’ll gladly pay $ 42 at Ruths Chris for a fillet, because they use «Prime» beef. So, there’s no way in hell I’ll spend Ruths Chris prices on Angus beef at Jakes. It. Will. Not. Happen.
2) The drinks: I ordered a Chopin martini, and the wife ordered a glass of Pinot. My martini came to the table half full. Wife and I looked at each other as if possibly they ran out of Chopin, or the server spilled half of it. It was good, but for a splash of Vodka, I shouldn’t be charged for a martini. In fact, they should’ve been embarrassed to even serve that to me.
3) Food portions: Not even enough for a midget. Seriously, my Ahi Tuna was maybe the size of an appetizer. $ 22 for 5 slivers of tuna. Not to mention, the quality was poor. Wife’s chicken was good, but also midget sized, and not worth $ 20+, when you can go to Brookshires, and prepare a similar dish for $ 4.00.
To be fair– the service was very good; but, I just can’t get over the insane pricing, mediocre quality of food, accompanied with big city prices.
I’ll come back, but just to hang out on the rooftop, and kick back a few beers. I’ll never eat, or order liquor here again.
Disappointing.

I love this place, I thought being on the roof was amazing while drinking a margarita. The atmosphere was awesome, and service was good too. It wasn’t extremely crowded, its great for date night.

If you want ambiance, Jake’s has it, from romantic to roof top dancing. Looks like you have stepped into a well cared-​for New Orleans upscale bar on the inside and a great view of Downtown Tyler from the Chavetta.
I have had Appetizers, Lunch and Dinner and have been impresses as of late with the food quality and presentation.
The Music booked at a Jake’s is always top-​notch from pianist to bands, jazz to old rock and roll.
Always a great place to be with friends!

I’m not sure how to approach this review, as I’m torn between my expectation and the result. The historic nature of this place reminds my of the Tobacco Company in Richmond, VA, so I’ll use that as a reference point. There aren’t too many upscale steakhouses in Tyler, and the better food really just seems to be the casual BBQ place in town. So, in an effort to smell less of BBQ at the end of the day, we came here.
The building is a nice restored brick walk-​up that gives off the great vibe of old time steakhouse with history. When we walked in around 6:30, there was a piano playing, but by 7:00 they stopped and the restaurant became dead silent. We were served by a waiter in training, who was too soft spoken for a large table, but seemed to the situations well, if with a little help. There were some delays in drinks and attentiveness, but our group was having a little fun pointing it out, so it made it into this review.
The filet I ordered came out perfectly cooked, although it’s not the best I’ve tasted. Similarly the sides weren’t much to write home about, but were adequate. Perhaps a drink and burger would have been the better choice. Allegedly homemade desserts were slow to come and did not meet those lofty homemade expectations. They need a signature dessert, one that everyone craves right after their steak, like the Butter Cake at the Tobacco Company. Simply put, the hodgepodge of desserts weren’t worth the calories.
3 stars for passable steak in a great location, but I’d save it for a business dinner or a craving for expensive steak.

Very nice place. Love the renovated old building style restaurant with a nice rooftop dining and bar. The piano plays very well. Nicely tuned. Will definitely return.

Great location and atmosphere. The dinner began with the waitress giving us the low down on the menu items. The problem is when each items begins with we have improved or it tastes better now you know you might be in trouble. Steak was good but fatty, drinks were stiff but good and spinach was the veggie of choice. I’d go back if I had too, but would rather hit up a Texas roadhouse.

It’s still the best bar in town, but I miss the old menu with the crazy extensive cocktail menu and the amazing appetizers. It’s a lot more boring and steak house-​ish now.

The current owner’s attempt at Ruth Chris style dining in Tyler. Pricing reflects this. The rooftop bar makes for a great view of the downtown area. I would caution having dinner on the roof, as sometimes the food comes up from the kitchen cold. Service can be spotty and slow if they are busy. The ribeye can be very good. I dig the old fashioned bar downstairs. Overall, this place is pricey for the quality of the food. I awarded the 4^th star simply for the rooftop experience.

I went here for a business dinner during the week and left pissed off at every aspect of my meal. From the intermittent service to the crappy food to the overpriced drinks, that will be the last business dinner (or visit) I have at this place. The four of us ordered burgers (ranging in price from $ 14 – 18) thinking they were going to be insanely good. We didn’t think much of it when the waitress did not ask us how we wanted them cooked, but maybe we should have. A charcoal briquette would have been less dry. And a tiny little pile of mixed greens is all that comes with it? For $ 18 I can’t even get a damn tomato slice?
Seriously, go to Whataburger if you want a burger. Go to Don Juan’s next door if you want good food. Go to every other restaurant in Tyler that serves alcohol if you want a better price on a drink ($ 5 for a Miller Lite). Whatever you do, don’t go to Jake’s.

Ok food, ok wine, ok service… Way overpriced…
We had crab cakes for the appetizer and they were very good, but when it came to the actual meal… I had the ribeye and ordered it rare, and was served medium well… and my wife ordered the chicken madeira and it was overcooked as well (She had to use a steak knife to cut the chicken breast… a really bad sign… Honestly, if I’m going to spend over $ 100 on dinner it should be correct. I told the waiter about the problems and he apologized but didn’t offer to fix it. I will not be back.

Once again this review is strictly of their rooftop bar. We were told that this rooftop bar is really nice. Sure enough, it was located inside of a very upscale restaurant.
The rooftop was packed. The crowd was a bit older but still lots of fun. They have a live band playing. Drink prices were fair like 5 – 6 bucks a cocktail. Just another place where you can go that closes at midnight.

Atmosphere is great throughout… from the bar downstairs to the roof top. Employees enteract with customers and make you feel important. Great place to lay your worries aside and relax.

Their roof top bar is a great place to relax after a hard day with a cold drink and a good cigar.
Their steaks and oysters a first class.
Sincerely,
Erick Platten

Upon entering my first impression was that they tried hard and succeeded in presenting an upscale restaurant that was established for many years. The place is dark with jazz music filling the air and with the multiple levels it adds to the ambiance one is acustomed to at such fine dining establishments.
Our waiter was younger than expected, however he did his job well. Not quite as polished as some other fine dinning places. As for he reason for visiting such a place we started out with the calamarie which was heavenly. Flash fried lightly with a hint of a crunch. The after taste was a tad sweet and with three sauces for your choosing. The sauces were sweet & sour, a mustard based spicy sauce and a remoulade sauce. I had the 12oz New York strip which was medium well. It was prepared correctly and was tender, yer not overly mushy. The flavoring was what I would have expected as well. The price of $ 26 I thought was fair.
My wife had the grilled salmon. She said it was the best salmon she has ever had and it melted in her mouth. The price as $ 22.
Overall the finest place with the best food I’ve come across in Tyler in my six years of living here.

Very pricey, but wonderful service and food in one of the most beautiful nighttime spots in Tyler.