Jack’s Urban Eats

I don’t know why this place has so many sub-​par reviews. This week was the first time that we ate there and it was great! Service was fast (no line!) — yes, we first encountered that initial not-​sure-​where-​to-​line-​up-​or-​order shenanigans, but once we got past that (you order at the salad bar area), then pay at the cash register and pick up a number for your table, the heavy lifting is done.
We waited at our table less than 10 minutes and voila! Dinner was served! My Asian chicken salad was great — really tender, moist chicken with lots of crunchy vegetables and I got the cheese bread (extra cheesy goodness for only $ 1 extra). My kids had the chicken strips and fries (very good with ranch) and the grilled cheese sandwich (really good!) with apple slices. The ambiance was pleasant and unobtrusive — not too loud, just an easy place to be. I will be back!

Not for the food… this is for the service I got today. I actually quite like their salads, sandwiches, and especially their urban fries. I usually go in once every week or two, often on a Thursday or Friday after work, or on a Saturday for lunch. I tend to order the same thing — either an order of urban fries or a buffalo chicken salad. Well, I went in for lunch today. I noticed some of the staff were listening to me order. Once I had ordered one of my standbys, one of them said something like, «I knew it!» and gave someone else a high-​five. Another staff member said something like, «Well, it had to be one of the two.» They were laughing a lot and having a grand ol’ time.
That is not the kind of service I expect. I don’t appreciate being made fun of. I had enough of that in grade school. I’m sure plenty of people would see it as no big deal, but I felt embarrassed and I almost left right then. But, I decided to eat my salad anyway. After I left, I called the store with the intention of asking to speak with a manager. There was no answer, and their phone does not have the option of leaving a message. That’s when I decided to give them a review. They probably won’t even notice, but I will also be speaking to a manager within the next day or two. Needless to say, I’m not going to be eating there for a while.

The food isn’t bad but it definitely isn’t great. They served me my plate cold and it wasn’t the best food. If you are looking for a place like this but better, I would suggest Pluto’s in downtown Davis. It is basically the same thing with better food and lower prices. Not only was my food cold but so was my brothers. He ordered mac cheese and it came cold that’s just nasty. The employees are nice but the food isn’t the best.

Located in a shopping center in North Davis with plenty of parking. The setup is inefficient as you line up to order your food, a little like cafeteria style. However, your food is brought to you. This results in long lines.
First the good — garlic fries, sandwiches, and mashed potatoes.
The bad — Salmon was overdone and dry. The mac and cheese was lukewarm and broccoli cheddar was cold.
They also shorted us a side dish.
Not impressed and won’t consider going back.
Hope they improve their operations as it can be a good restaurant.

HAVE AGAIN: The Bang mi sandwich was still delicious but there were big chunks of gristle — not good. I had to use a knife to cut off the bad parts. Next time, ask for the fat and gristle to be cut off. Otherwise, this would have been 4 stars.

Jack’s Urban Eats is one of the most unassuming mid-​scale restaurants in the Davis Area. Its low-​lit, even colored walls are completely in line with its theme of modest dining. This restaurant is perfect for you, your friends and your family. Just as an okay movie you would see on a date, Jack’s is the movie you wouldn’t talk about after you watched it, as no particular detail of your experience will stand out to you or your date later.
Now, this is not to say that Jack’s lacks an attention to detail. It almost exclusively caters to the comfort of its patrons with comfortable food and comfortable eating. I am not a tall person and the height of the booths are perfect for me and my girlfriend, without feeling as if my elbows are pointing upwards towards the table.
Try any of their classics, side it with a plate of garlic fries, and get ready to be satisfied because I guarantee you will be.

Very comparable to Pluto’s near South Davis but no where near comparable in quality. But the food still tastes good anyway.
My friend and I shared a salad and BBQ tri-​tip burger. You can pick seven free toppings for your salad (including egg!) and a meat for additional charge, I chose steak. The greens in the salad were a little wilted and brown on the edges and the steak wasn’t as juicy as I would’ve liked it to be. They don’t ask you how you like your meat cooked like Pluto’s does.
The tri-​tip burger, however, was delicious! It was juicy and barbecue-​y and perfect. And it comes with a slice of pickle and spicy pepper. This is going to be my new usual order.
This is not a full service restaurant so please be mindful and get your own drinks, condiments, utensils, etc.

Great salads and would have given a 4* review but they got rid of the bike rack outside. Apparently if you want to eat healthy you gotta drive there.
The sides are also generally great, but sandwiches are sometimes great, sometimes not so much.
If you get the bird you can request white or dark and they will give you what you want if available.

If you want good quality and fresh food, this is the place for you! My personal favorite dish is their Chinese Chicken Salad. The chicken is always really tender and the Asian sesame dressing they use is delicious. There’s a wide variety of fruits and vegetables mixed into the salad as well!
For their sides, I really like their mashed potatoes with gravy, garlic fries, and urban fries. Actually, all their fries are good! Their mashed potatoes are made with real red potatoes and their gravy really enhances the taste.
They give pretty large portions for everything so if you wanted to try multiple dishes and share, you totally could!

I brought 9 of my friends here to celebrate a few birthdays. I was nervous at first since they do not accept reservations. However, after speaking with the assistant manager, they were more than happy to let me come in 30 minutes before my event and set up a couple tables for dinner. They even stored my birthday cake in the frig and provided plates. The food is amazing and service was awesome. I look forward to coming back and enjoying a huge plate of Urban fries and a Turkey Berry sandwich!

The quality of food here is amazing, esp for the price.
I’ve gotten the lemon chicken here and wow, the chicken was super juicy and flavorful! I got a side of garlic mashed potatoes and the veggies that they had available. I’m very picky about the chicken that I eat, and this is quite possibly some of the best (most tender) I’ve had.
I don’t like they they cut all meats with the same knife. I don’t eat red meats and asked them to use a new/​different knife and they stated that there was only one knife they they wipe with a wet rag between cutting various meats. Decided to add that in my review in case if anyone else is bothered by it.

Hubs and it stopped in here for lunch one afternoon/​early evening in the fall. We walked in and went to the counter where you order food then find a seat. They have salads or make your own salad, sandwiches, plates, fries & chicken strips, sides and drinks on thier menu.
We ordered Garlic Fries extra crispy fries as a appetizer to start, hubs got 2 Sides Regular Mashed Potatoes with Turkey Gravy, Sautéed Veggies and I ordered the Banh Mi Sandwich with the Picked Radish in the side.
Food came out at decent time, garlic fries were perfect for me, the banh mi sandwich was good but more westernized then the real kind. Sautéed veggie were ok a tad more cook then I like they were a tad soggy, mashed potatoes with turkey gravy was good and the turkey was good as well. A good place if you want a quick bite.

Really liked this place when they first opened but in the last year, they’ve started skimping out on meat in the salad. They used to weigh it but now they don’t so they can get away with giving you half the amount for the same price.
They let the cashier serve the sides so she touches the money and then puts a side of gravy in the same container as the mashed potatoes so now you get to eat the mashed potatoes that touched the container she touched with her $ hands. Yum! The manager should really teach them about cleanliness.

The food is very flavorful. Order at the counter and they deliver to your table. Food came very promptly.
The Urban Fries are fresh and the toppings are plus up. From sandwiches to carved turkey, everything is very tasty.

I’ve been procrastinating on writing this since this place is completely average for me. There’s nothing here I would RAVE about or warn you to stay away from.
As a potato lover, I am slightly disappointed at the Urban fries I ordered. Though the fries were cooked decently, there were minimal sauce/​toppings that came with it. I had high hopes since this one one of their more popular fries. But my friend got their sweet potato fries and liked it, so maybe I’ll give that a try next time.
The first time I came here, I was a little confused on the build-​you-​own salad, so I opted for one of the salads on the menu. I got the Thai Salmon salad. It was just okay.
If I really had no other choice, I guess Jack’s wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. But I wouldn’t choose it on a regular basis.

+/​-​THE FOODS
The sides are definitely more worth it than the actual meals. I am a huge fan of their garlic fries and their sweet potato fries. They come in large portions and are great for sharing. The mashed potatoes are pretty tasty as well. When I come here, I always order a build-​your-​own salad. There’s a bunch of items to choose from but you are only allowed to choose 6, which is fewer than Pluto’s.
— THE PRICES
Jack’s is definitely NOT cheap. If you want to add meat to a salad, it’s $ 3 – 4 more, which makes a salad around $ 12 – 13, a bit on the expensive side. Sides are more worth it because they come in large portion and are about $ 4 – 5 each.

This place is very similar to Pluto’s in downtown Davis. I had the build your own salad and they offer some things that Pluto’s doesn’t have such as kale, quinoa, and artichokes. The base of my salad was with kale but they didn’t cut up the kale so it was really difficult to eat. I had it with a balsamic vinaigrette but it was very acidic and they put a lot in my salad so in the end it was difficult to finish and my tongue was in pain. You can only add in 6 items for the salad while at Pluto’s you can do 7. They put really little in my salad because I could barely find the items I asked for when I was eating the salad.
This place is nice with pretty interiors and lots of food options. The restaurant style is very similar to Plutos from the way you order to the different types of food they offer, and because of that, I would probably choose Pluto’s over this.

Natomas is my #1 and Fair Oaks #2 for Jacks locations. Haven’t tried the new one in Elk Grove yet, but this one in Davis is okay, surviving in that old Blockbuster Video spot next to Petco. I usually get the Reuben Sandwich and the Urban Fries, and they did not disappoint. The custom salads are better than the salads they have on their signature menu. Didn’t seem too busy at all for lunch or dinner, which is fine by me! Their next nearest competitor for eats in that complex includes Krush Burger, Panda Express, Noah’s and Jamba I suppose.

Been to Jack’s several times now, and each time I tend to get something different. It’s definitely not the best place for a sandwich or a salad, but it’s a mediocre place for both.
I appreciate that they freshly roast the turkey, but I also think they don’t give enough per serving, which makes it seem like I don’t get enough for what I paid for. They have a good berry sandwich and thai salmon salad, but it’s not exceptional and I’m sure other places are better. The only thing I keep coming back for would be the Urban Fries, which is with chili sauce, cheese, and pepper flakes. It’s a good combination of flavors to go with fries, but the fry texture itself is not that great. I would still recommend trying it out, however.
Not a super fantastic place, and a little overpriced for the taste. But I would likely come back again, mostly because of convenience though.

If I could I would give this negative stars…
I previously ate at and reviewed the JUE in Roseville at the Fountains. It was one of my least favorite places to eat. I never wanted to try JUE again. I didn’t have a choice, the boss took us for a team meeting here and she was buying us lunch. I had hopes my experience would be different.
Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. Staff at JUE use their unprotected/​ungloved hands to cut meat and prepare food. It is just nasty, why can’t you put on some gloves so I’m not eating whatever crude has accumulated under your fingernails.
The food had ZERO flavor. I ordered the California Cheesesteak sandwich with fries. Let me tell you, that sandwich was NOTHING like a cheesesteak sandwich. What would you expect, some melted cheese? No, it was a slab of cheese, not even warm. There was no dressing on the sandwich so it was dry and really hard to swallow. The meat had a small amount of flavor, but even salt would have helped. The only flavorful thing on that sandwich was the cooked vegetables. The fries were good.
I never ever want to eat there or any other JUE again. This place sucks.