Jack's Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Pleasant Hill

Food is good. Service usually good but last time was terrible all around. Ordered drinks and appetizers, no problem. Server came back and we asked for a couple minutes to put in entree order. Server didn't come back for at least 15 minutes by my estimate, so when I tried to order the early bird, which ends @ 6pm, I am told sorry it's 6:03. I tell server that she's been gone a long time, she says sorry but can't do anything. Can't do anything? Yes you can, very simple to allow my order to be put in. Oh well. Annoying but ok. Little bit later the server comes by with another server and explains the new server is our actual server who was on break and she was covering so she is passing us over. Got it, no wonder you didn't come by for a long time, you are covering too many tables. The real problem was when the entrees arrived. The runner was carrying many entrees and while handing them out, stood there with the chicken marsala plate tilted and dribbling sauce on my wife's jacket. My wife points out that the sauce is getting on her jacket and the runner says he doesn't think so and it just dripped on floor and quickly leaves, I figured to get a manager, nope. Waited a while, wife is using her water and napkin to try and clean. Nobody. Server stops by to ask how the food is, I explain what happened with the spill and ask for a manager. The manager comes by and says hello with a confused/ put out look on her face. Does not say "I heard what happened. I'm sorry. We'll make it right." I tell her what happened, she looks at the jacket and tells us to wash it, if it doesn't come out dry clean it and they'll pay for dry clean. I assume they will comp my wife something but she didn't say, I guess we'll see. She sends the runner over to apologize, nice but not necessary. HE should have grabbed a manager when it happened. The fact that I had ask for a manager to escalate it means he is out of the picture. Server doesn't come by for a long time and not often at all, it's pretty busy. Finally get the check and no comp. I ask for the manager. She comes by and I ask if she wanted to comp anything for the jacket. She says she offered to pay the dry cleaning and that is all, that's their policy. I was not expecting that explanation which showed a complete lack of customer service. So you mess up, want us to go through all the hassle of fixing it(wash, then dry clean if necessary) then you just pay for the dry clean? She says she can give dessert. I push back a little and tell her that I don't think that's right. She says that's the policy but in this case she'll comp. Wow, don't I feel special - not at all. She seems really annoyed. No empathy. No smile. No warmth . Really handled poorly. I am not the type to complain or look for free meals, but if you mess up, the very least you can do is comp something to show you understand the inconvenience and wasted time on our side. The manager could have been the hero and pulled off a 180 if she handled the situation properly and could have overshadowed the few earlier errors but instead she compounded the...

A very quick bit about me. I was the GM for a large restaurant in Walnut Creek for eight years, ran the restaurants at the Concord Hilton for three years and got a hospitality education at DVC in Pleasant Hill

We went to Jack's today in Pleasant Hill, Thursday 7/31/25. It sits on a large plaza in the Crescent Drive area of Pleasant hill. It is a rather large restaurant that serves an upscale breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. There are two spacious dining rooms, a full bar with a wall of giant TV's. It's open kitchen is a beehive of activity with cooks running back and forth. There is a lot of glass, shiny surfaces and modern lighting in this professionally designed eating space. We have dined here about five times. Between the indoor dining rooms and the vast amount of outdoor dining, this place has to seat at least 250 when full to capacity. The outdoor spaces are elegant and include various boulder water structures, tables with umbrellas and outdoor lighting. It's the kind of place you can hang out from late afternoon to sunset. Today I had the French Dip sandwich. Now this is not considered a sexy meal. It's a classic, and done right it is sublime. The way a restaurant prepares a classic tells you a lot about how they will prepare the more contemporary dishes. There is a lot to do well with this sandwich to make it right. The roast beef should be sliced paper thin and be rare to medium rare so that it is tender. There should be very little fat or sinew so you can take a clean bite every time without tearing the meat out of the sandwich because it is stuck to your teeth. The roll should be hearty, yet soft so you can bite through it easily and it soaks up the Au Jus readily. The Au Jus should be dark and hearty, full of beef stock or juices from the roast itself. This was the best French Dip I have ever had after a long line of french dips with coarse thick slices of brown meat and hard rolls that hurt my jaw or watery, tasteless Au Jus It was simply perfect. My wife had a beautiful patty melt perfectly grilled on Marble Rye and cooked to a perfect medium with some juicy pink peering out between the cheese and caramelized onions. This has become a regular venue for us and we have never been disappointed. The place oozes with professionalism throughout. Julio Caesar or Caesar Julio was out waiter. He was quick, friendly, attentive and had a great personality. He suggested I add cheese next time to the French Dip and I kicked myself for not thinking that myself. The whole staff was cheerful and friendly and seemed to be glad to be there.

This restaurant is a sure bet and I urge you to go there directly and see it...

Excellent, always friendly service and delicious food, (the Boneless Asian Wings, Coconut Shrimp, mind blowing Spanakopita, Sunset Blvd . Burger, and Jack's Burger, and the Fish and Chips with Garlic Oregano Fries are all an absolute must to try! And summarily devour!), with a friendly, casual, (or dressy, they have separate rooms for parties as well) atmosphere. And in the highly unlikely event of a mistake with your dine in, or takeout order, they will fix it with a smile and without question. A really fun and friendly place for friends and family. The people and the service at Jack's are so awesome that I wrote all of the above before even taking a bite of my meal. Always perfectly cooked to order. A medium rare burger is PERFECTLY medium rare. Never overcooked, a patty as thick as your thumb, so juicy you will need to ask for an extra napkin. Tonight there was a rare mistake made with my order and when I called in I was immediately redirected to a friendly, helpful manager, (Renee :) ), who apologized profusely, and without question asked if it would be okay if she had the kitchen fast track me a (complete with side dish), entirely new meal. When I arrived mere minutes later, the lovely hosts and manager, (Nicole, Sophia, and Renee), were so sweet, (they treated me as if I was their first and most important concern, and said nothing of my grungy, cleaning the house clothes, but complimented my shoes! Nothing of the kerchief in my hair, but instead told me I had beautiful eyes) and instantly apologetic that my meal was not yet ready, (it had only been 7 or 8 minutes since I called), AND in the 60 seconds or so I had to wait they offered me drinks, bread, and dessert. They could not have been more helpful. If you want to go out for a fun and relaxing breakfast, lunch, happy hour, dinner, dessert, whatever, in a welcoming and friendly environment with a varied and delicious menu, AND get excellent service with a smile, Jack's is the place to go. It's kitty corner to the Crescent Theater, (perfect for dinner and a show), and centered in the middle of Crescent Plaza, a sweet little shopping area, (perfect for an after Sunday brunch stroll), with valet parking and a 5 story parking garage a block away so you never have to stress over parking. I could keep going, but I have a Jack's burger that is calling my name ;) *As if they needed another reason to receive a 5 star rating, they also have outdoor seating that is dog...