Jungle Grille

Please note that this place has gone out of business — which is a shame, as they were one of my favorite places to get take-​out sandwiches for lunch.

Can’t believe I lived across the street from this for a year and never walked in during my stay. Jungle grille is a cool place with a unique menu compared to its college park competition.
I got the burger, which was very juicy and flavorful… maybe a little on the greasy side. The bun was nice too… The star for me was tater tots, I love tater tots, and love that JG has them… Will definitely be here again before graduation.

I hate to give this place 3 stars, but it doesn’t quite succeed at what it does in the same way other places do. They could definitely and easily improve, so I’ll say what I liked and what my beef is.
What I like: 1. the atmosphere is cute and cheesy, but just the right amount of cheese, with jungle paintings all over the wall, like a mom-​and-​pop rainforest café. 2. the service is pleasant 3. the menu is LARGE and fairly unique for College Park. Delicious onion rings that top anywhere else. Huge amount of smoothie, ice cream, etc. Entrée-​wise seems to be plenty to please anyone.
The problems. It’s just overpriced for what you get. It’s not expensive by any means, but here’s an example. I almost always get the veggie burger. It is dry. Old or overcooked or just a bad brand, I don’t know, but the veggie burgers in the diner on campus are better. That’s just sad. They don’t even put real lettuce on it, just the shredded kind (come on, you guys are a restaurant, not McDonalds). Plus, it’s about a buck or two more than you’d usually pay for one. A friend once got some other meal and I tried a bit and I wasn’t too impressed with that either.
I think after 20 years Jungle Grille should really start focusing more on the quality of the food. It’s edible, but it’s not 4-​star, even for College Park. By that I mean, in terms of price: taste ratio, though I do go here occassionally becuse they do have some stand out items and the atmosphere is nice.

I got a burger here today and although I cant say anything special about the quality of meat, it wasnt bad. The burger as a whole was very well made, it was exactly as I had asked for, and the bread was warm and crisp. The only possible complaint is that they could have put a bit more bacon in the burger for the price, but Im willing to let that slide.
The quality of food here is quite a bit better than most places in college park. I will try some other items when I can.

One of my favorite sandwich places. It’s stuck in a little strip mall right off of the campus, and has a huge selection. They manage to get so much right too. The BLT is great, the burgers are always juicy, the salads fairly fresh, and they have a good grilled chicken sandwich too. It’s a good choice for a quick meal that’s a lot better than the rest of the fast food in the area.

What a delightful place!
Jungle Grill has been around for over 20 years and the owner is so sweet and helpful. I recommend their salads and freshly made smoothies. This is the perfect place to check out when you’re in the mood for something super casual and you’re not sure what you feel like eating. Why? Because they offer something to please everyone. Vegans, vegetarians and everyone in between is sure to find something satisfying.
I have to give Jungle Grill a perfect, 5 stars because they are so friendly, service is quick and the quality is there. Also, the prices are reasonable.

Although a little overpriced for typical sandwiches and salads, Jungle Grille is a good food option in a town that doesn’t have a ton of great eateries. I like the chicken salad, and their desserts are worth indulging for.

my first job in MD was about a block from jungle grille and it seemed like the guys in the office were always, ALWAYS eating or ordering from jungle grille. there, or taco bell. you see where this is going…
i always brought my lunch. it was just easier (and cheaper). but they still always invited me, whenever they went out or made a run for food. and i began to feel bad for always declining even though i was completely happy with my sandwiches, dinner leftovers and the like. so i finally gave in and tried jungle grille with the work crew.
the experience was a lot like losing your virginity (for a girl, anyway). i was nervous, and i wasn’t sure that i wanted it. but i did it. and then… is this it? this is what everyone’s been raving about and going back for more? why? i don’t get it. such a huge build up and then… blah. the whole thing was just very disappointing.
the food — all of it — was bland. warm soup, room-​temp sandwich, cold salad and smoothie… all bland. what was worse was the ‘smoothie’ was basically a milkshake w/​a little bit of fruit in it. i [usually] love smoothies. i am NOT a milkshake fan. (maybe it’s a matter of opinion, but in my mind a smoothie is a drink made almost entirely out of fruit w/​maybe a little juice and/​or yogurt in it. not a milkshake with a banana thrown in.)
the only reason for the second star is b/​c the staff was always (yes, i went back and gave them a few more chances — but the food never improved) super friendly and their service was always prompt. i hate to say it, but taco bell probably had the better tasting food as far as lunch options went for that office location.

One of my favorite places to order from while I was in college. It was the first place I ever tried sweet potato fries and I’ve been in love ever since. My go-​to order was usually a turkey burger and sweet potato fries, but their build your own salad was also awesome — lots of options to customize. Have sat there to eat and also loved it — the place has a nice quirky décor.

I remember when they opened this joint my sophomore year of college.
Back then my one brain cell loved the turkey Caesar salads and the frozen yogurt with every possible topping. Now that I am all grown up and I have many more brain cells that have recovered from my time at UMCP, I find that I still love the Caesar salads. My fat ass stays away from the frozen yogurt though, purely for healthy dietary considerations, of course.
John, the owner, is super cool too!

great for frozen yogurt and ice cream! the food is overpriced though and it closes too early. I would only recommed it if a) you really want frozen yogurt or ice cream or b) you are craving sweet potato fries.

Awesome customer service. They make the best milkshakes! Their tuna salad is made from white tuna — taste dee-​lish! And when it’s available I get the French Onion soup! yum!
Only bad thing is — it’s a little too loud in there. But they have a cool décor! jungle theme!

Ok this place isn’t fancy, it’s just a laid back sandwich shop. In fact you should really ignore the word «grill» in their name because honestly the grill is not where this place succeeds. Where they are amazing is in their fresh ingredients, great sandwiches and wonderful soups. The Jungle Chicken Salad is the best I have ever had! Not bland at all, surprising for chicken salad! The atmosphere is great and the staff our just about the friendliest that you will find in this area. Oh and as other have mentioned before, treat yourself to the sweet potato fries… yum!

sweet potato fries + 1 point. Great variety, ice cream, fresh bread, huge menu. I used to get the grilled chicken on bed of rice with veggies! Its huge and I would eat the whole thing. I just really like this place. Spend $ 10 bucks on lunch this place is worth it. Spend $ 7 and get lunch special from Danny sub shop down the street good for ~1250 calories of crap.

I’ve been eating at this place off and on since the Clinton administration.
The key word here is FRESH.
Everything here is made FRESH — DAILY — which lends to it’s appeal.
Tarzan salads, hot fries, burgers, Italian subs, chicken salads (sub or salad) — I’ve found quite a few favorites here…
A bit more pricey than the College Park chains… Worth it.
I’m pretty sure they deliver.
Kids AND adults love the endless bar of ice cream (or yogurt)
very friendly staff.

As a preface, I used to live in the University View apartment building, which was right across the street from Jungle Grille, and so I used to get food from here all the time.
I usually ordered the Chicken BBQ dish, but also ventured to the burgers and salads a couple of times. In all cases, the food was usually pretty fresh, and definitely better than a lot of the other nonsense along Route 1.
Also, their milk shakes and ice cream are excellent — word of caution, though, they cost $ 5 apiece. You’d be better off getting a milk shake from Potbelly (mmmm, I’m craving one now).
Overall, I relied on Jungle Grille for many a meal, and I was never let down too badly. However, the prices are a bit steep, and you don’t really get that much more to warrant the prices being as high as they are.

This place is really rather mediocre. Jungle Grille has a bit of a chance to stand out from the crowd, given that a lot of the other restaurants along Route 1 are also terribly mediocre or sub-​par. But it doesn’t. So even though I had lived within walking distance of this place for the past two years, it was never worth the effort. Even their placement on
did little to motivate me to go there.
The food isn’t all that special, although they do try to differentiate with their menus. They do offer several reasonably good burgers, but almost every time I’ve ordered, something in my order has been off. A medium-​rare ends up being well done. A topping of bacon is entirely missing (discovered after getting home). Something is always amiss. And for the price of about $ 8, I balk every time I consider ordering.
Molly is right about the sweet potato fries; they are pretty fantastic. They also have a great deal of very tasty frozen yogurt and ice cream, as Laurie pointed out previously. However, the ice cream tends to be a tad overpriced. I do enjoy it when I go, but it hasn’t helped make Jungle Grille into a place I frequent.
All in all, Jungle Grille qualifies for a simple «meh» when people ask what I think.

Mmmmmmmmmm sweet potato fries… all 4 stars go to you.
The other stuff is really good too, but a little overpriced for this type of food.

The Jungle Grille used to be the Yogurt Jungle, in the dark ages of my undergraduate career at College Park. It opened in 1987. I went here all the time for chicken Caesar salads, the occasional tuna sandwich, and frozen yogurt.
All of that stuff is still here. I’m back down here in a graduate program, and I’m back at this restaurant probably once a week or at the very least every other. The salads are still good. The Caesar dressing is really good, if you’re into super garlic and sour. It’s not a traditional version by any means, but that works for me. The chicken on the salads is different, and I prefer the ancient version, but it’s still good. I had a tuna sandwich recently and it was good. The multi-​grain bread is tasty, if a little bit dry. Otherwise, you can get a «Tarzan» salad with pretty much anything on it you can imagine (from basic veggies, that is — nothing too outlandish here.) There are many veggie options and other sandwiches too. Portions are huge.
I guess the switch to «grille» was to reflect that «it’s not just for yogurt anymore,» although one side is still devoted to yogurt and ice cream. That’s okay, but little about this place has changed besides the name. The same person owns it, per an article I read, and I swear some of the same employees are here from the old days. All in all it’s a relaxed environment to grab lunch and read the City Paper. There’s usually a friendly person at the register, too — always a plus around here.