Jack's Tapas Cafe
Seattle, WA 98105
Phone: (206) 523-6855
- Cross Street:
- 52nd Street
- Best of Citysearch:
- Chinese Food 2008
- Hours:
- Mon 5pm-9:30pm, Tue-Thu 11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-9:30pm, Fri 11:30am-2:30pm, Sat 11:30am-9:30pm, Sun 12:30pm--9pm
Editorial Review for Jack's Tapas Cafe – by Shin-Yu Pai
In Short
Mustard-yellow walls feature bold figurative paintings and graphic-style posters with a modern feel. The restaurant offers leather booths and table seating. Adventurous diners will enjoy traditional spicy pig ears or beef tendon. The mixed cold-cut appetizer features seaweed, hardboiled egg, and cuts of sliced beef and tofu. A range of noodle soups and hearty tofu or meat entrees fill out Jack's menu. Dessert includes green tea ice cream served with sweet beans and whipped cream.
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Insider Tips
Look GoodKeep an eye out for the daily special boards, which offer an impressive selection of vegetarian and meat entrees.
Where to SitGrab a booth next to one of the windows overlooking University Ave.
User Reviews for Jack's Tapas Cafe
10/25/2008 Posted by WSeattleFoodie
Not far from Ravena and University is this unasuming eatery that appears non-descript on the outside and fairly ordinary and plain on the inside, with neon green chairs. That's where the ordinary and plain stop. With a simple list of appetizers and entrees on the menu and a dry erase board full of specials, there is a depth of unique dishes that go beyond the standard fare of Chinese cookery. The staff was friendly and took my drink order. I decided on lemonade and he asked if I liked it on the sour or sweet side. Giving him a challenge, I said around the middle. He did a pretty good job. When asked for my order, I asked for a recommendation. Live veggies or meat? I said meat. Like lamb? yes. Like it more french buttery or more muttony? hmmmm. Interesting question. I like both, but given choice, probably more buttery. He then recommended the lamb stir fry. I wanted to try a sour pickle dish, but unfortunately they were out. So he recommended this bread specialty which he said I would have leftovers for sure. Well, it was not busy, but the food came slow. This is without complaint tho, as I sensed that the care and freshness of how things were made, had to do with it. The food came and it was wonderful. The lamb was wonderful, with some thin beans and onions.... Like he said.. more buttery... the bread was wonderful, with some scallions mixed in with this pancakey bread. He even gave some recommendations on what to make with it for leftovers. I'm planning on coming back for sure and try out some more things. They seem to use spices subtley with no MSG. They let the flavors speak for themselves.
Pros: Very tasty food with authentic flavors and choices
Cons: plain interior and slightly slow service, but due to food cooking times.
09/18/2007 Posted by aelder
I usually don't care for Chinese food because most of it has been Americanized. At Jack's, you get home-style Northern Chinese cuisine...in fact, you can usually see some of Jack's family eating there every day. A big favorite is the 3-cup chicken, which is slightly spicing and loaded with roasted garlic. They make their own noodles here, so be sure to try the lamp soup with shaved noodles and Chinese 5-spice...especially good on a cold, rainy day! They also make their own condiments. One of their specialties is chive stuffed sesame bread...but be sure to only order it if you have 4 or more in your group since it's a very large quantity of bread. Prices are really cheap, too. We recently fed six of us for dinner for under $80.
Pros: Huge menu selection and home-style food
Cons: Can get a bit crowded
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