Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse – Bayside
“I still prefer Peter Luger's for steak but their menu has more variety.”
“We had mashed sweet potato and cream spinach as sides, which were also extremely good.”
“Sides, lobster Mac & cheese, regular mac & cheese, garlic mash potatoes, sauté spinach.”
Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse – Bayside
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$$ Price range Above $61
8 reviews
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Have been to this UJ's a few times and they have never disappointed. So many people rave about Peter Luger's in Great Neck but I find UJ's to be superior, from the food to the friendliness of the staff to their service in general.
I'm a huge rib eye fan and you won't be disappointed here. Their sides, too, are all very good and sized to share so don't go overboard and order too many or you will take away room in your belly that should be allocated for the delectable meat(s) of your choice.
It's not as big on the main floor as PL's but additional room downstairs helps out. Parking available in the street or nearby lot. Valet, too. PL's seems pretentious and thrives thanks to the name/fame of the Brooklyn's PL's location (far superior IMHO) while UJ's delivers solid scores across the board.
We came here for dinner at 8pm, exhausted from the Billboard 100 concert and the effects of the beach-side alcohol slowly wearing off on us into a sleepy daze. We thought it was a little weird that the place was empty at this hour, but after eating here I know why.
From start to finish, everything was mediocre. The crab cakes and baked clams were no bueno. I think there was more lemon and breadcrumbs than there were clams.
My 8oz. filet was so bland I had to ask for steak sauce. That's a cardinal sin in any steakhouse. It looked so nasty, like expired tomato sauce. I didn't even bother touching it. The server then recommended truffle butter as a topping, which I agreed to, but that didn't really do anything except tack on a $13 charge on our bill.
The lobster mac and cheese was such a fail. The worst I've ever tasted. The spinach and potatoes went untouched after that.
Our server had the ill mustache though. He was telling us that he's been maintaining it for so long nobody's ever seen his upper lips since junior high school. HA!
5 stars for customer service. 3 stars for food.
Honestly. I have no problem with the food. It just didn't wow me. It wasn't as flavor as other steakhouses. It wasn't bad though.
The waiter and floor manager were very friendly. They were down to, and they tried their hardest to make us feel like one of the regulars.
For steaks, my 3 friends and I shared the Porterhouse for 2 and Cote de Boeuf for 2, both medium rare. We also got creamed spinach and sauteed mushrooms.
Beforehand, they provided complimentary bread; they offered 3 types, and all 4 of us got the onion bread. It was soft and sweet. It was yummy.
The steaks were cooked a medium rare, and they were bone in of course. The steaks were good, but nothing wow. Perhaps, it needed a bit more seasoning is my only suggestion?
The creamed spinach and sauteed mushrooms were solid.
Overall the food was average. Nothing great, but nothing terrible. The service was excellent though. I'm not sure why this place has mediocre reviews.
Uncle Jack's is located on a busy block with many other food options available. I was in the mood for steak and potatoes and that's what I was going to have. Once inside the place has a saloon/old school type vibe. Where the staff wear those velvety red vests, the curtains are thick and Sinatra gets played at least five times for the night.
We were seated immediately and the service was attentive and friendly. As for the food, I had the Fred flintstone steak with the garlic mashed potatoes. The garlic mashed potatoes were seriously on point. My steak was seasoned well and the portion was huge, like it was bigger than my head. I couldn't finish it, but I did have room for desert. I opted to go with the chocolate mousse and while the flavor was delicious, the consistency was odd. Mousse should be light and airy this was a little grainy as if the ingredients were over mixed. It tasted good so I ate it anyway.
All in all it was a good dining experience and I'll be back but finding parking here is a nightmarish ordeal.
I feel like this place is too overrated. I went with a good amount of expectations for the porterhouse, but sadly it failed me. But first, let me talk about the restaurant itself. We made a reservation for 5 in a quiet area, so they led us downstairs. As soon as I hit the last step, I knew that this experience would be not so grand. It reeked of wet and smelly towels and Clorox from the bathrooms. I was definitely taken aback from this because I thought this place was supposedly "fancy". Now, on to the food…We ordered the seafood platter, which came with HALF a lobster tail (ridiculous), big shrimps, clams, and oysters. The seafood was okay…it was pretty fresh, but it was $60 for all that…not worth it in my opinion. We ordered 2 Porterhouse, which came with filet mignon and NY strip (one was medium well, and the other was medium), rack of lamb (well done), and side orders of mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. The meat overall was pretty good, but I honestly think that there are other cheap places that taste exactly alike, or maybe even better! The side orders were just meh…One thing that really turned me off was that they charge for bread…okay…what? Never have I been to a restaurant, and mind you I've been to a good number of restaurants, charge for freakin' bread. I mean, it was only $5, but that wasn't the point. The point is what restaurant in their right mind charges for bread…? The restaurant is expensive as it is, so I thought that was completely unfair. The waiter was great though. He checked up on us to see how we're doing, and refilled our water and wine glasses every 15 minutes. Just one word for this restaurant: disappointment.
We've been here twice; both times absolutely phenomenal. Any low reviews you see are from tightwads who would just as soon order a NY Strip from Gustav's Diner as a real NYC steakhouse. This restaurant is for lovers of exquisite food and service.
Decor is old-school New York steakhouse. It's a pleasure to take in the scenery — for any true New Yorker, it's a comfortable, familiar setting. There's space between the tables so you're not eating on top of other diners.
Waitstaff is nearly perfect. Busboys and servers are efficient and mostly unobtrusive. Waiters are old-school NYC waiters, almost a dying breed: slightly older gentleman, intense NYC accent, strong but friendly NYC personality, and a wry sense of humor. Competent. Both times our waiter took the order without writing it down and got everything correct. Nice! Only negative comment: please be more mindful of not interrupting table conversation. That's beneath the quality the of Uncle Jack's Steakhouse experience.
The manager is perfect. We arrived at an awkward time between lunch and dinner (1st visit). We wanted to order from the lunch menu even though the kitchen had stopped serving lunch. The manager snapped his fingers and made it happen without us even asking. He saw the need and made it happen. A true professional. On our second visit he gave my daughter ice cream, gratis. He's obviously a proud Dad who loves his kids because only Dads think of this kind of thing.
I won't lie, the prices are steep (charging for bread is a misstep, IMHO, that will anger some people) but that's the price for exquisite food and service. If the price is bothersome, you should be going to Gustavo's Diner. I think the prices are commensurate with NYC steakhouse. In fact, more than fair — food quality and prices are on-par with Peter Lugers, but the service at Uncle Jack's is MUCH better, and Uncle Jack's accepts credit cards!
Baked Clams: A-
Nice and garlicky. Lots of sauce with a half lemon in cheesecloth to catch pits (nice touch!). Breadcrumbs are like a garlicky bread pudding. The only better baked clams are my mom's because she uses bacon and even MORE garlic! We were given 9 or 10 clams. I wish they were a bit larger.
Skirt Steak: A+
It's hard to make a bad skirt steak: it's one of those cuts of meat which is naturally soft and almost cooks itself. That said, this was still one of the best skirt steaks we've ever had. In fact, it was cooked so perfectly that we ordered a second dish to take home with us! Juicy, tender, and beefy without being too fatty or oily. It was a perfectly cooked steak.
Hamburgers: A+
Perfect charbroil on the outside, medium rare on the inside: Perfect! The bacon is thick slab smoked bacon, the cheese is beautifully sharp cheddar. A perfect American hamburger.
Prime Rib Chop ("Fred Flintstone"): B
Slightly underwhelming. I ordered medium rare and it came mostly medium. The very center of the cut was medium rare, but the rest was dry, indicating that the meat was cooked at too high of a temperature. They need to cook the chop at a lower temperature to allow the entire chop to cook more evenly. However, there was enough au jus, the cut was beautiful, and the outside was nicely grill charred (perhaps a bit too much charring, but that is a subjective point.)
Boneless NY Strip: A+
NY Strip ("boneless" means you don't get the T-Bone with it) is a beefy, tender cut of meat. When cut against the grain, it almost melts in your mouth with a strong USA beefy flavor that you can't get anywhere else in the world. This is a winner. Perfectly grill-charred. Insanely soft. Obviously an expensive cut of meat, meaning it was aged for several weeks before being sold. This is why you order steak from a place like Uncle Jack's rather than a diner. If you want a perfect NY Strip this is it. You can't do better.
Kurobuta Pork Chop: A
Anyone who speaks Japanese will recognize "kurobuta" to be 黒豚, which means black pig. The meat isn't black, of course.I'm guessing this refers to a Japanese breed of pig. You get two very thick, nicely charred pork chops, soft, fatty, and succulent, as Japanese meats tend to be.
Wagyu Kobe Meatballs: B
As of July 2016, only one restaurant in NYC serves real kobe beef, and it's not Uncle Jack's. Any other NYC menu that says "kobe", including this one, is a lie. I lived in Japan for a year, and know kobe beef. This is NOT kobe beef! In fact, using real kobe beef for meatballs would be a sin: kobe is known for marbling — you would grill kobe beef as a steak, not grind it up for a meatball! Meatballs are still good, even though they're not real kobe beef.
Creamed Spinach: B-
Too much nutmeg. I like my creamed spinach chopped finer.
Mashed Potatoes: A
Nearly perfect. They obviously use some kind of cream here. It would be an A+ if the potato skin was left on (I really like the skin for rustic mashed potatoes). Consistency is *perfect* in my opinion.
Stopped in on a Friday night solo. Service was good, the bussers were especially attentive and and friendly. Decor is just what you'd expect from the outside – old fashioned classic (but kind of boring) steakhouse.
Wedge salad to start, hold the onion – the bacon on top was crispy and tasty, but the blue cheese was really the biggest disappointment of the evening. The consistency was watery, and had a vinegary taste (I prefer a thicker, creamy blue cheese dressing myself). The portion was huge!
For my main, I had a filet mignon (ordered medium rare, cooked to about medium), a baked potato (huge, but not awesome) and a massive side of mushrooms which were absolutely amazing – without a doubt, the best element of dinner.
I liked their bar area, and I'd go back to hang out for a glass of wine sometime, and maybe try an appetizer. For steak at steakhouse prices, I'll trek to Manhattan next time.
Came here last night for Thursdays Ladies Night Special after attending the Daymond John Event. I came with a friend and when we walked in the hostess said the bar was full and offered us a table. You can only take part if you sit at the bar. So we left. We walked up and down Bell Blvd to look for another place but this is where we wanted to be. Something hey ladies go back so we did. And surprise 2 seats opened up. WINNING!!!
We pulled up to the bar and the bartender, Eddie, was very warm and hospitable. (I love great customer service). We both ordered Cosmos. The glasses were nice and chilled. He even inspected the glasses to make sure they were perfect. We looked at the appetizers since we wanted to pick and not really eat a full on meal.
*My phone was dead last night so I was unable to take pictures *
We first ordered the Maryland crab cakes. You get 2 sitting on a bed of roumalade sauce. Absolutely delicious. There is no artificial crab here. I felt like a chef with each bit. I was able to taste the onion, celery, shoot even the sea it came from.
Five Cheese Mac & Cheese ( comes with the option to add bacon or lobster for an additional charge) I FREAKING LOVE MAC & CHEESE!!!!! if ever there were a way to get rid with eating all the time without blowing up like a blowfish I would. The dish arrived and it was as if angels were singing. The other bartender, Natasha I think her name was served it out to us. The cracking of the broiled cheese on top and the ooey gooey cheese. Writing this makes me want to go back. You can literally taste all 5 cheeses. My only critique was that it need a sprinkle of salt.
Filet Mignon Appetizer. A 5-6 oz cut sliced into 5 pieces and served with 2 Heirloom Tomato wedges and horseradish sauce. OMG!!!! The first bite and the meat literally melted in my mouth. (In the event I lose my teeth as a senior I will request my steaks from here.) The steak was seasoned well, cooked perfectly to order and went well with the accompaniments.
We had a round of apple martinis as well. Very delicious and not to strong as some places can get the measurements wrong.
For our last drink we had a mojito made by Eddie. When I say Wow. The freshness of the mint and lime muddled at the bottom of the glass really came through. It made a nice palate cleanser after the food we ate. Overall we enjoyed our experience and for the 3 appetizers we had it came up to $56. Not bad. We've thrown that away at some poorly executed foods at chain restaurants. I definitely will be back.