Jake's Saloon

We lucked into finding Jakes after a long day visiting the sites, and walking back to the 1 train to head back up town. The menu is seemingly one of only a hand full we saw in NYC that was remotely affordable food wise. The service we had was very good. I enjoyed the Steak Sandwich, and while I asked for it to be cooked medium it was medium well. Thankfully it was a perfect cut, seasoned well and tasted great as described on the menu. My wife had the Pear Salad without Pistachios our son is allergic, the salad was a good size and I got to have about 1/2 of it. It was perfectly dressed, and the pear played delightfully off the balsamic very well. My Son had the burger and fries and he called it his new happiness burger. High marks from him as he is a picky eater. The only complaint was the cost of our drinks. 4 pours of Makers Mark on the rocks was over $50, which is nuts when you can buy a .750 for $24 in Baltimore maybe not in NYC. At least they were fair pours. Next time we will probably skip the drinks this was a theme of our NYC trip, I don't know why I kept getting alcohol. In summary, Jake's is great, and had good music playing.

I was pretty bummed about this one. I went in the middle of the afternoon on a Sunday. The bartender was fine, but overall the service was lackluster, as were the drinks. I love a dark, dive bar and was pretty pumped after reading other reviews about Jake's... but it was disappointing. I specifically asked for food recommendations, and the chicken/mango spring rolls were pretty bland, with a sauce that tasted like almost straight mayo and a flavor profile that didn't make sense with mango. The worst thing was the seating...the booth halves on the banquette side of the high tops were awful. Lol. Super cheap and SO uncomfortable. They were tilted very far forward which doesn't make sense for bars that want their patrons to settle in and stay to eat/drink and had nearly no padding. Anyway, probably won't return - which sucks because it's a super convenient location for me.

Food was mid. Burger was plain beef with lettuce, tomato, and onion, and a bun. That is it. The bun was soggy by midway. Additionally, Have to pay extra $2 for cheese on a burger waiter asks, would you like cheese or bacon? As if you get the choice of either cheese or bacon, when in reality your paying extra for each topping. My friend order the fish & chips and it had hints of uncooked batter which made the dinner much less pleasant to eat. “High school cafeteria fish & chips were better”. Service was not great. We went @6pm when there was not many people eating dinner in the rest yet and it seemingly felt like it was packed and very busy because the server checked on us 2x. Once to take our orders and the other to collect payment. The other times we had to flag the person down because they were “busy” doing other stuff. Overall not the best experience and cannot recommend this place :

I’m a bit more about the people carving out the service and the miracles from behind the bar, but if it wasn’t about that impartial aspect? The service is great, accepting and welcoming. These folks managing and overseeing this spot are like the Shepards of excellence, but you’d never know unless you asked about it. Patrons who come here hold massive “hands” but again? No one shows their cards unless if you’d ask: humility. There’s a good wealth of information about the city too if you’re new to town and in search of a healthy spot of community, but be kind to yourself. Good people? Nice space for larger parties 12-20, and gentle lighting make this bar a go-to: come-back. Say hi to the Irish bartender, Brendan? and that Matthew joyful character to say hi and enjoy.

My son and I are from out of town and thankfully found this great neighborhood spot! The service was outstanding, food was great. This was during March Madness and the place was packed. It didn’t stop both co-owners from coming over and saying hello. My son, who enjoys visiting different sports bars, said that this is one of the best he has been to in the city. Would definitely recommend the Buffalo Cauliflower!!

Great food and drink with variety collection for beer and alcohol a top service. Fresh food, Brandon couldn’t have been nicer to us when we called in …7/10 Yankees and 8:10 Mets MLB…

The food was correct. But be carefull with the receipt!!! The waiter tried to make us pay for additional dishes, toppings that we had not taken and an automatic tip of 18% even though it is displayed on the menu for groups of 8 or more. When we asked for explication, the waiter don’t negociate and bring us the real bill in few seconds. almost like it was already prepared .

Very quaint bar. Went on a Sunday night and sat to have 1 drink. The staff is so sweet and the vibe is extremely chill. Cocktails are like 14 dollars which isn't bad for Chelsea. 8 for beer and 10 for like white claw! I recommend itFood: 5/5

Had an awful, racist experience at this bar. Went with a friend to catch the Knicks game. Hostile bartender bald white man accosts us within seconds of us entering the bar, "Order something or get out." Keep in mind, we've been in the bar less than a minute and I was giving the bartender time to fulfill other customer's orders. I ask for a Guiness and then the bartender rudely asks my friend what he's drinking. He's a practicing Muslim so he asks for a soda water and bitters. Bartender immediately rolls his eyes and tells us "he doesn't have time for this" and tells us to "get the **** out." Lifelong New Yorker and I've never received this sort of treatment at a bar. Needless to say, I'm never going back here. Additionally, the one other time I've been prior, the Guiness was flat and had a metallic taste, which indicates they probably haven't cleaned their tap lines in the last 3 months. Considering that Manhattan nightlife is already on life support, it's largely racist and discriminatory practices like the ones practiced at Jake's Saloon which are responsible. A quick glance at the other 1 and 2 star reviews will confirm that this was not an isolated incident. It's sad we still have to contend with this sort of blatant discrimination in 2024 in a presumably 'progressive' city. They need to retrain their staff on customer service or, preferably, rehire new staff. Shameful.

Go-to for a late night beer. The bartender is wonderful. It’s unpretentious and you don’t have to be all dressed up like at other local bars in the area. It’s also affordable compared to other local spots. Great place to have a drink and watch a game or chat with locals. Vegetarian options: Good vegetarian snack options