Jakes Texas Tea House — Restaurant in Waco

I've visited a few local restaurants in Waco, and all of them were really good, I went here for lunch to see if I could keep up that streak, and this restaurant surely didn't break it.

Food ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Me and my parents got rather basic meals, but even then, they were all really good. I recommend trying their more interesting foods though, I'm sure those are even better. I got the BLT, my mom got the regular burger, and my dad got a chicken sandwich, all came with a side of fries, for my meal I added some watermelon along with my side of fries as well. Everything tasted really fresh and was packed with flavor. The buns were toasted perfectly along with the meat, and the mayo and condiments were really good as well. My watermelon was pretty good too, I was expecting an average watermelon, but the freshness and the nice balance of sweetness and flavor made it a little extra special. The only thing I didn't enjoy as much were the fries. They were a little mushy but had a home style taste. I appreciated that it wasn't loaded with salt too, but I would've liked more seasoning on it. It's not enough to bring it down a star because I enjoyed it overall, including the meals. Definitely recommend the food.

Service ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The waiters were nice and consistently checked up on us to see how we liked the food or if we needed anything else. It wasn't anything special, but it was great overall. The food came out pretty quickly, and we spent about 30 minutes in the restaurant, great service overall and there weren't any major problems

Atmosphere ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I think an atmosphere deserves five stars when it's not just good, but great, and special in a way. This place had so much old fashioned detail and there was a lot to look at while you sat down. Something else I thought was neat was that there were notes inside the crevices in the brick wall of the restaurant. They each had a message inside to read and was something I distracted myself with while I waited for my food. Another cool detail was that the food was served in hubcaps, you can't tell with my pictures, since it was covered in food and was shown on the bottom of the plate. Overall, really awesome atmosphere and it wasn't too cramped either.

I was really satisfied with this place overall. The atmosphere and the food is what made this place stand out among the rest. I wanted to try their pies but ended up being too full. That's something else this place is known for apparently. Props to the owner for a...

Stopped on a Sunday while traveling through Waco. We chose Jake's from the description and reviews.

Jake's is near downtown Waco where street parking is limited. Currently, street repairs complicate parking. After circling the block several times we found a way into a lot with handicapped accessible parking next to Jake's.

Entrance into the building is easy through two possible entrances at the front of the restaurant, from street side, or west side of the building near the sidewalk. Once inside you see the incredible display of 50-60s Ford convertibles, road signs, and product signs such as automotive oils, etc. We sat next to a pristine antique gas pump and rear half of a Ford convertible. Beautiful!! What a delightful visual welcome!

We were seated promptly. Our server asked us first if we had experienced "family style" service. She explained the side dishes (mashed potatoes, green beans, creamed corn, etc.) are served in bowls shared by the guests at the table; the sides are refillable at your request. The menu says "take home" sides are not allowed.

We chose fried chicken and BBQ ribs as our main dishs. Both serving were more than generous. We decided to take home the ribs and half of the fried chicken. We decided if we are lucky enough to go there again, one shared main dish would be more than enough! We got the last piece of the German-chocolate-cake pie. Yum!! I see why it was the last piece!! You won't leave Jake's hungry!!!

The restroom is minimally handicapped accessible. With a wheelchair, the handicapped stall is not sufficiently big enough to close the door. Forget privacy! Again, architects and builders who don't actually know about accessible spaces!!

Overall, Jake's is a great place to eat. We were very satisfied customers. Parking is currently a challenge, especially with a wheelchair. Handicapped accessibility is compliant for entry and seating in the dining room. The restroom has transfer bars, but size of the stall...

I truly had such an aggravating experience here where I ended up paying $34 for one order of chicken tenders. I have also never been treated so unprofessionally by a food establishment. When ordering, I informed the waitress that my sister and I would be splitting a plate of chicken tenders ($16.95). They brought out chicken tenders equivalent to one meal, and on Sundays they do a “family style” where the sides are unlimited. When checking out, I noticed I was charged $34 even though we only ate one order of chicken tenders. I brought this to the waitresses attention and she ended up bringing the manager over. The manager immediately approached the table defensive and abrasive, when I had not done anything to warrant that kind of reaction. She scolded me by saying “If both of you eat, both of you have to pay.” I questioned this by saying we were only given one meal, so It doesn’t make sense that we would be charged for two. She kept repeating “Baby all you had to do was read the menu.” I figured I had just missed something on the menu and ended up paying the $34. After reviewing the menu (which I attached to this review) it doesn’t explain ANYTHING about their sharing policy. I understand that this restaurant is unique in the way that they do their “family style” meals, but it’s not clearly outlined anywhere that sharing constitutes an extra charge. At that point, we would have just bought two meals for the same exact price. We were also charged for a tea that was accidentally brought to our table that our waitress said we could have. The manager ended up taking this off the bill when I mentioned it. Overall, the food was just okay but the atmosphere of the place was very cute and well done. I am just appalled at the way that I was treated over something that was not explicitly stated in the menu. Unfortunately, I will not...