Jacob Restaurant
“Hungry up in Harlem, not wanting Sylvias, not Amy Ruths, not Melbas or Charles pan fried chicken or any other soul food spot!”
“The hot buffet has oxtails, short ribs, jerk chicken(OMG YUMMO ) Mac n cheese, plantains, fried chicken to name a few.”
“Priced $4.99 by the pound how much or how little you spend is up to you.”
Jacob Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I am not a buffet fan but I was hungry and not in the mood for anything in particular so I figure I could get a little bit of everything. The place was packed which I saw as a good sign. The place is very clean with a lot of options to choose from between hot and cold dishes and very affordable. Lots of different meats like fried chicken, jerk chicken, ribs etc as well as vegetarian dishes like fried rice, rice and peas, mac and cheese, etc. My one complaint which is a big one is that nothing was hot. That's my big gripe with buffets is that the food is sitting out there and even if they have a heating system, it's just never hot enough. I don't like eating luke-warm food. Some of the dishes were lacking in some flavor – need more salt.
I'ts quick and cheap and adequate but I'll probably skip it and head to an actual restaurant the next time I'm in the area.
I came at 10:15AM so everything was fresh but there was already quite a few people there. The buffet is $5.99 per pound. I sampled a little of everything, thinking I was just getting a small snack but my total came to $9.45. There is a $10 credit card minimum and I didn't have enough cash so I had to buy a bottle of water too.
The baked salmon tasted really good but it was dry. The mac and cheese had a good baked crust on top. I went straight for a piece of the corner. The mashed potatoes, green beans, and corn were all fresh and delicious. The fruit looked very fresh too. In case I didn't use the word fresh enough, everything was definitely fresh. They don't save anything from the day before. I've heard they donate the leftovers to a local soup kitchen daily.
Overall, my expectations were exceeded with the quality of the food, but it was more expensive than I had expected.
Everything here is delicious! Best buffet I have ever been to hands down!
The trick here is how to ration valuable real estate in your styrofoam contain to maximize your gluttony. As much as I hate to go for ribs, fried chicken and wings (you are paying for the weight of bones you don't eat) I can't help but get some of everything. The greens are the perfect balance of succulent and sweet, the yams, the mac and cheese, you can't go wrong with anything. I had the nerve to get a slice of red velvet cake and it was amazing.
Price is totally reasonable. A true asset to the soul food scene.
3 stars for the plethora of buffet food. They have everything you can think of. If dining in please be aware that the seating area is extremely small!
I'm not quite sure how you mess up soul food but Jacob's manages to. I had the Fried whiting, Rice & Peas, Collard Greens and Potatoes. The only thing I sort of enjoyed was the Fried Whiting. The Rice & Peas was flat out disgusting. No flavor whatsoever. The Collard Greens tasted like they were just thrown in boiling water to steam & that was it. I'm not sure what they put in the Potatoes but that was flavorless as well.
Went here for dinner when the weather was still warm. They have seating indoor and outdoor. The indoor seats were all taken and my group ended up sitting outdoor. It was quite nice sitting outdoors and the area is sectioned off. This is a buffet by the pound type of place. It's self served and the food is priced at $5.99/lb. They have a wide range of food to choose from. Lots of meat like ox tail, bbq ribs, fried chicken, jerk chicken, and more. They do have rice, pasta, fish, and vegetables too. There is free water you can get yourself if you're eating in. I had a little bit of everything. The meats were overcooked, probably from the warming tray. The non-meat items that I had were fine. Not a buffet person, since the food is usually not the best because it's been sitting there for quite some time. But the food here had a lot of flavor and one of the better buffets.
Stayed with a friend who lived around the corner from here and came here twice within 4 days cause it was just THAT darn good! You really can't go wrong with the food here pretty much everything is bomb. Only two things I didn't care much for was the fried chicken (I've had better) and the mac n cheese (too greasy for my poor tummy). I actually think most people would enjoy the mac n cheese I just rarely eat greasy food so I couldn/t handle it. Really enjoyed the jerk chicken and braised pork ribs though, finger lickin good!!
I highly suggest making a lap before starting to put things on your plate. If you go on a Sunday this will be difficult because it gets packed but believe me there's so much you're going to want to make sure you get a bit of everything and not load up on one item right away. They also have really great fresh fruit but weight wise that gets real pricey real quick so I'd skip it (hey you can have fruit any day).
*** Quick Do It Yourself Service, Fast Checkout ***
First, not sure if it was just my internal body temperature, but it was hot when I visited Jacob; there definitely was no a/c blasting or it was just on the lowest temperature you could possibly set it to. You serve yourself and can choose as many items you want. Note: The cost is dependent on how much your to-go box weighs. I got an assortment of food. I really enjoyed the fried chicken, collard greens, and the steamed vegetables. There's been previous reviews on how delicious the mac n' cheese is, but it wasn't anything that great in my opinion. Overall, if you're looking for a quick, cheap, filling meal, then come to Jacob Restaurant.
I tried nearly all the meat and fish dishes. The salmon was the best. I do like this place, lots of variety, and the price isn't too bad either. But parking is terrible!