Jackie Smalls — Restaurant in Wayne

I've been to Jackie Smalls a few times now. The food is always really good and the staff is nice, but I can never QUITE get there with it because of the environment/location. I decided to stop by yesterday (a Friday) for lunch a little after 1pm. I'm in Little Falls basically one town over, and yet it's rare I drive into Wayne. Honestly, it's one of my least favorite activities - there's always a ton of traffic, a gazillion stoplights, and what on paper should be a 10-minute drive is closer to 20 to 25 minutes. It's just the worst. Jackie Smalls didn't invent Wayne, but it's tough to summon up the enthusiasm for the place when the journey to get there isn't pleasant. And that for sure includes the chaotic parking lot it's in, right next to the Whole Foods. Jackie Smalls is sort of tucked away in the back, which means you also have to drive across/through most of the parking lot to get there. Yesterday wasn't too bad in that regard, to be fair, though the area immediately in front of Jackie's was pretty crowded and I opted to park closer to Valley Road instead and walk a little longer. No big deal. I'll take my steps where I can get them.

Jackie Smalls is the right name - it's a pretty tiny establishment with minimal seating. Every time I've attempted to come here (and I'll admit, it's almost always during what should be a normal/busy time), there has never been sit-down table availability and yesterday was no different. They also get a ton of pick-up order traffic, so the entrance area is constantly busy. As soon as I saw the situation, I went up to the counter and ordered the Breakfast Burrito and a Blueberry Scone to go instead of rolling the dice and putting my name in for a seat. So it goes. The gentleman at the counter was very nice though, which to me was notable given that he was clearly super busy and juggling a handful of obligations. And the scone was provided immediately, so I at least had that to munch on while I sat near the door and waited for the burrito.

The scone was good; probably my favorite characteristic of a good scone is sugar granules on the top, and this had that in spades. Decent size and consistency, and while it was a little crumbly, that goes with the territory. The only part I wasn't crazy about (and this is a personal preference) is that I don't like fruit scones where the berry inside is liquid/melting. Not an ideal texture for me. But I'd get this one again, and from what I recall, they usually have a few other edgy options that I was probably too late in the day for. A strong pastry game overall, which is a big benefit when you have a lot of casual walk-in traffic there to just grab a quick coffee.

The burrito was ready to go within 10 minutes, noteworthy given how busy it was; whatever is happening behind the scenes is working. This was the one savory item on the menu that really jumped out at me because I'm not a big Mediterranean cuisine person, and it's a tasty one. The decision to bypass a meat in favor of potatoes gives it an interesting texture (though calorically, it might be a wash, but I don't think anyone eating a burrito has any business making direct eye contact with a scale any time soon) and the cheddar cheese provides an important moistness given that this doesn't have any condiments/sauces inside.

I can completely understand why this place has almost universally perfect ratings; when the food and service are high quality, it's hard to go wrong. But for me, the congestion both inside and outside this place is just enough of a deterrent where it's honestly going to be a while before I come back. I'm rooting for them to get a second, more...

Came here with a few of my close girlies for brunch recently. So the girls have been there before and really enjoyed the food so they brought me here. The atmosphere is really cute and adorable. Not many seating options since it’s like a small cafe. One thing that was interesting was you choose your own seat and then you walk up to order which is typical for cafes but also serves almost restaurant food. The menu has a great variety of food Lunch foods and breakfast foods. I typically order savory food for lunch so I deiced to order something sweet. I got their French toast because the rose water whipped cream sounded so good! When it finally came I won’t lie I was scared for my life and confused. I was served three small French baguettes instead of toast. Now it looks aesthetically pleasing to the eyes but worst choice ever. Taste of the baguettes just doesn’t taste like French toast whatsoever it’s just eating crunchy rough bread. I loved the whipped cream and the syrup and the fresh raspberry. I just don’t enjoy sawing through rough bread. When you first get the dish it’s not as tough to get through but I won’t say it’s easy. If you let the bread sit while chatting it’ll get hard as a rock. I’m sorry but please change your choice of bread to maybe like a nice thick cut of brioche bread toast. I would 100% tell people to get the French toast if it was made how French toast should be with some kind of toast dipped in a proper batter with lots of cinnamon and a good splash of vanilla. But I’ll never recommend anyone to order French baguettes that are hard as a rock. Never add something on your menu for looks because you think it looks good. Its 50% taste and 50% looks this was good taste of the whipped cream and syrup but no taste of the baguette and good looks bad combo. I will go back to try some of the bowls because they smelt and looked really good. But I’m sorry i cant recommend this dish...

Really debating whether I should give this place a 4 or a 5 at first, but lets start with this review to explain why I came up with the 5.

We navigated Valley Ridge Shopping Center to find this cafe as the place actually has a lot of stores. It was good that theres a lot of parking spaces BUT it gets full and busy on the weekends. There was no wait when we entered the cafe though and we get to pick where we wanted to sit. Inside was clean, neat and bright which we liked. Staff was wonderful and pleasant and service was great!

I loved the single pine cone on the table as their winter decor. Lol it was actually cute. Anyway, menu had lots of options but we opted to get pancakes and a sandwich. The blueberry pancakes did NOT come in with blueberries on the side like their photos but the pancake itself had loads of it. The lack of fruit was overlooked as the pancakes where absolutely delicious! Soft and fluffy just the way I preferred it. We also got the Club sandwich which was also well made. Love the grilled chicken, sourdough and bacon. Im glad I asked if it came with any sides because it did not and I wanted fries with them. The fries were golden and crispy which was enjoyable to eat.

For drinks we got the Malibu Fresh which was nice and we also got the Mocha. The mocha had a nice latte art but i did not taste espresso. So it was really like hot coco. I shouldve asked if it had coffee but I really assumed it did. I was thinking of giving them a 4 for those thing: no blueberries on the side for the pancakes and no espresso with their mocha BUT because the staff was just wonderful and the food was actually delicious, i thought it would just be fair to give them more credit. Would love to come back and explore more on the menu and perhaps next time be sure to get a nice drink..one thats surely...