Cousin Jack Pasties

I came here for the first time a couple of days ago. It was a mid Saturday afternoon. There are two buildings side by side with the Cousin Jack signage. The yellow painted building is extra dining area that was closed when we visited. The brick building was the one that was operating. It was very small inside. There was a paper sign indicating that take out orders can not sit at the tables and dine in was seat yourself. They had two tables, 4 chairs each on the covered porch right in front of the building. They also has 2 two seater tables inside.
So hubs and I decided to eat out on the porch. This place was ran by two folks, a man and a woman. The fella mans the food. The woman waitresses and busses.
They have pasties in two sizes, Jenny and the Jack, with Jack being larger. Hubs ordered a beef pastie Jenny size $ 7. I ordered a speciality one, Jenny basque lamb $ 7.75. It came out piping hot. The crust was flaky and the cubed lamb very flavorful and moist. Each pastie had the initial of the type stamped on the dough, mine had BL.
The waitress didn’t refill our drinks though but full disclosure, we didn’t ask. We both finished our drinks before we even finished our pasties. She did efficiently and quickly take our respective trays away. Hubs finished before me. She promptly gave us the bill. Hubs took this as a hint for us to eat and leave. He felt rushed. I didn’t feel rushed though.
By the way, they have a couple of parking spaces in front of their store. The spaces are small and the type that you will have to reverse into the street to get out of them. Also there is a city lot across the street.
Overall, my experience was good. Service was ok, food tasty, and the pricing is a bit higher than the other place around the corner. I am apt to give this place another go if I’m in the area. Hubs on the other hand is one and done with them.

Of course we came here after visiting Empire Mine and hearing how miners would eat Cornish pasties for lunch! That was a compelling bit of information that of course whet my appetite. Granted, they didn’t tell us to come here, but there weren’t many options as far as these old-​time morsels go. I think I envisioned and dreamed that these would taste way better than they did. I’m still holding out hope that other pasties taste way better than the ones sold here! Or maybe this was a very authentic representation of the miners’ lunches; I’m not sure.
It was quite hot inside the little shop, and there was only an elderly lady taking orders & serving with one man in the back prepping the food. It’s a quaint place with only a few tables. It seemed very understaffed and service was slow. She forgot to serve my requested water, but thankfully I had a water bottle with me. My friends ordered wine.
I got the Jenny size Basque Lamb Pasty. The crust was flaky and crisp on the outside, and the filling was definitely flavorful and moist. It was so dry overall though, that I wish it was served with some sauce. The pasties were very uniformly shaped, and they had a couple letters stamped into the dough, giving a signature and unique feel. It almost looked like a large, old-​fashioned Hot Pocket.
They had a large collection of English foods/​pantry items for sale along the wall.
While it was an okay first experience, I’m intrigued enough to try a Cornish pasty at a different restaurant…

After hearing about it, we just had to try!
After taking a tour at the Empire Mines, I was very excited to try a pasty! Miners ate these old school hotpockets because they can hold the crust with their dirty hands while enjoying all the good stuff inside. They kept it warm along with their tea by setting their candle underneath their lunch box.
So back to the pasty. Thankful I came with a local who recommended this place. They are a pretty good size, and here at Cousin Jacks you can have it a Jenny or if you’re hungry have the bigger one called Jack. They are bigger than your average hotpocket. They come with different fillings and have the option to be bought hot or cold ($ 1 extra if you want them hot).
We had them hot and it was a pretty good first bite. It was a little bland but then again it’s English. Tried it with ketchup to add a bit of color, sweetness and acidity to it. Thought it was A-​OK!
That’s my peace

Unfortunately, different members of my family have bad negative experiences as well so I know this is not a one off. The staff have ignored us in the shop and we’re not helpful. You’ll find international sweets but check the date because they are mostly past their date.

As usual, we had lunch at Cousin Jack’s… We had the chicken and the turkey pasties. Once again, the crust was light and flaky. (My wife and I always wonder how they get the crust so light and flaky, even though they make a large quantity at one time.) The fillings were flavorful and spiced just right. Another winning lunch.

Mixed feelings about Cousin Jack Pasties. On the one hand, how many places can you find Cornish pasties, kind of a unique, meat-​filled empanada with assorted other flavorings. We had them only one other time, in San Luis Obispo, and they had stuck in my mind as a unique, delicious meal. Although the beef pasties are the original, neither of us are real beefeaters, so I had the turkey pastie and my wife the chicken. They were quite good, the outside shell perfectly done, the meat/​vegetable insides good as well. For dessert we had a delicious bread pudding in vanilla sauce.
There are separate entrances for dining in or getting these to-​go. It was rather a cold November day, so we opted to dine in. The dining area is a small, oldish 80s-​look room with a few tables and was totally deserted except for us. There is only one woman in charge and she splits her time between the to-​go area and stopping by to bring our meals.
It was an unusual atmosphere, seeming more like you are eating in a stranger’s spare room as opposed to a restaurant. Going to the bathroom is an interesting adventure where you step over a stoop, enter a hidden tiny courtyard, and follow the sign to a cold, small bathroom with a broken lock.
The food is good, far superior to the bolted-​on dining area. Best to go the takeout route though.

The BEST pasties in GV. Bought a chicken one today, brought it home to cook, and used the convection on my toaster oven, 375°F pre-​heated for 20 mins. Best way to cook them! The crust comes out perfectly flaky and browned, and they stay hot for a while too. STOP IN SOON! Thanks!

This is an eclectic place. Very homey. The pasties are homemade and flavirful. A small funky 3at in area as well as a separate 5ake away section. Check it out for a different treat at l8nch.

My mom and I went here for lunch today after hearing it was really tasty. We had my three young sons with us. The waitress was friendly enough at first. She messed up our order and brought us stuff we had not ordered and when I tried to tell her she just walked away. However, the pasties were tasteless, barely lukewarm and they were like mush. The soup was cold and tasted terrible. We were so disappointed with the food. It was just terrible. Then the check came and she had charged us extra for the combos since we let my kids taste our food, charged us for an extra soup and $ 5 for a slice of sourdough that was supposed to come with my salad. She wouldn’t fix the bill, which was about $ 15 in overcharges. We will not be back, ever and we will let our friends and family know to save your money and try a different place.

The fries are the most terrible pieces of crap I’ve ever put in my mouth. If I wasn’t so used to swallowing, I would’ve spit. The pasties are good.

Very unfortunate experience today at Cousin Jack. Our family of 4 (2 daughters, wife and myself) has been wanting to get back here after our trip to Ireland and England last summer, especially my wife, who hasn’t found decent scones anywhere stateside since our trip. We had been up to Grass Valley once before last summer and enjoyed their food (including scones). Today was another story, though only for my wife — but that ruined our day.
She ordered a scone with clotted crème & jelly, along with tea. She was completely excited as her tea arrived served in a very British manner, and was eager to ‘attack’ her scone. I noticed a lack of approval on her face after the first few bites, after which she asked me «What are these green things?», showing me a few greenish flakes and some slightly green-​colored morsels that, to me, looked almost like the greenish hue of pistachios. I had a small bite, and agreed — it didn’t taste good… and it did taste moldy. She managed to eat another bite or two, but then really looked unhappy. so we showed it to the server, the same elderly lady who was there before (most likely the owner). She took one look, and said «Well, it looks like something that shouldn’t be there», and whisked the scone away. By this time, my wife was clearly not feeling well, but holding out some hope that a good scone might wipe away the bad taste in her mouth and throat.
4 – 5 minutes later, a new scone arrived. She spread her clotted crème and jelly over the new scone, and, with some trepidation, started to eat the replacement scone. She showed me this inside of this one, saying «See? No green like the other one». She ate about ²⁄₃ of this one, but never seemed to get into it, and then informed me that the moldy taste from the first one stayed in her mouth and throat, and was making her nauseous. She stopped eating her 2^nd scone, and I took a few bites — and actually thought it was ok (I’m not a scone fan, so «ok» means good). Later, she would tell me that even the second one had some greenish tint towards the middle.
The rest of the day, my wife was nauseous to the point of WANTING to throw up, but what can you do when you are walking around town, trying to enjoy shopping in the local stores? She got ice crème and chai tea to try and mask the moldy taste from her mouth and throat. And clearly, she had a bona fide tummy ache after 2 – 3 hours of retaining the bad scone, which was clearly begging to be «let out» from one end or the other!
Story ends unhappily, but with ‘closure’ as she was able to finally throw it up 3 hours later when we returned to the car — fittingly in a parking space back in front of Cousin Jack’s!
Shame — because the rest of us (my kids and I) LOVED the pasties, pot pies, soup, and caesars salad (5-stars)…and would want to make the trip to Grass Valley for that. But I think we’ll need to do this without my wife. So much for our much-​anticipated «scones trip». One moldy item that induces vomiting and ruins my wife’s day outweighs the 5-​star rating on the other stuff — final weighted rating: 1 STAR. Sorry!
The owners of this place need to definitely ‘inspect’ their scones and other pastries, as I think this may have been the result of not cycling through product effectively or diligently enough.

The sign said closed but hours claimed otherwise. Walked in to be greeted by nobody until 5 minutes later a 7 year old showed up. Weird vibes. The place looks tired and doesn’t pass for quant. Small town biz owners charm is usually their friendliness and talkative nature. This lady has neither. Shame. The food? Well, it Tastes like a pastie from frozen. Add enough ketchup to anything and it goes down the hatch. Not bad but nothing to remember or come back for. Our food arrived with the 7 year old and his 5 year old brother. Kitchen looks dirty. I’m sure this place wouldn’t pass any inspection. Two stars is generous.

I will give the pasties five stars. They are the best pasties in town, hands down. And that’s important to the town’s rich Cornish history.
I give the business two stars because the service is HORRIBLE. There’s this one older lady who works there who always acts like it’s a total inconvenience to be alive, let alone doing something for you. She will blatantly tell you if she’s out of something (which happens quite a lot, actually. Another problem with this place is that they VERY often run out of food, and it’s generally not safe to get in your car and stop by without giving them a call to see if they have what you want). Sometimes this cranky lady tries to close early, and if you come at the last minute, she’ll give you crap about wanting to close, even though the shop isn’t due to close for another twenty minutes. It all becomes very entertaining in the end, but infuriating to the more entitled types.
Finally, besides pasties, there is an assortment of other non-​perishable foods up for sale on the variety of dusty shelves. Most of these items are imported from Britain, and can be really hit and miss. Just make sure you check expiration dates before buying anything.

Great place if you like paying too much for a warmed up frozen pasty. Yes FROZEN not fresh. Thumbs down

Being an Englishman who loves a traditional Cornish Pasty, I was quite excited to see a «traditional» pasty shop in Grass Valley after moving here a few months ago.
I finally got round to trying one of the pasties here and I was very disappointed. The filling was clearly frozen, rather than fresh, and the crust itself was not prepared properly. There was no «handle» around the pie, and the pastry was very, very dry.
I guess I will just have to go back to missing Cornish Pasties!
Thumbs down, I’m afraid.

Good Place | Good Town
$
My dad’s family roots are from this town (during the gold rush), so we visit here pretty often. We would always grab pasties from Marshall’s but apparently they are closed on Sundays so we went here.
I’m so glad I stopped by here.
I had the spinach cheese pasty (vegetarian) and my husband had the lamb pasty. SO GOOD. It’s about an 8 or 9 inch pasty and the crust is flaky goodness.
We’ll be back :)

The pasties are small, expensive and filled with quarter inch cubes of carrot. I was raised on King Richards Pasties in Grass Valley back in the seventies and according to the old Cornish recipe they and another current and local pasty… they didn’t include cubed carrot.
I know, personal preference and all but the crunchy carrot cubes are disruptive to the overall texture of a pastie. Lol
I guess the older gentlemen I’ve met on three occasions is Cousin Jack? If so, he’s not a very friendly guy.
It’s great that he loves dogs and makes them biscuits (I would too) but he himself seems to be way to uptight and grouchy.
All in all, we won’t be going back.

This place is very dog friendly. How so? How about homemade dog biscuits and an owner who is kind enough that my scardy-​cat dog was wagging at her. Outdoor, covered dining exists for dogs (and their people).
The pasty was okay, but I have to admit that I did not know what to expect except something like an empenada. I had spinach, mushroom, and cheese, and I would have been happier if there was hot sauce to add. I cannot complain, though.

Okay, so don’t laugh but my husband and I were first introduced to pasties at the annual Dickens Fair in Daly City (which is fantastic and you should go if you haven’t). Anyhow… after the Dicken’s Fair my husband Googled pasties in our area which led us to Cousin Jacks.
Cousin Jacks is conveniently located in historic Grass Valley and there are two entrances — one to dine in and the other for take-​out. My husband and I dined in. He ordered the chili pasty w/​a side of garlic parmesan fries and I ordered the pot roast pasty with a side caesar salad. When is the last time you went to eat and EVERYTHING was excellent? You probably can’t remember. Well, let me tell you, today, at Cousin Jacks everything was excellent. The pasties were delicious — flaky crust, very well seasoned, the fries were the best I’ve had in a very long time — they were flavorful and not greasy like most garlic fries, the salad was perfect. Service was fast, portions were more than we could consume and the price was right. We’ll definitely be back. I loved the newspaper clippings about the business and the framed black and white pictures of Jack on the wall.
Check this place out on your way up the hill (or down). They have salads, pasties, pot pies, bangers, bread pudding…

Tea is really good! Very cute and something different. The Pasties were pretty good, I am not sure what an excellent pastie should taste like, so I can’t give this more than four stars. I was with two friends and they both ordered a pastie also. There general impression was they were tasty but a little on the dry side.
We were served by the owners who promptly corrected us when we said Pastie. It is pronounced Past ee. The same when you would say, it’s all in the «past» so don’t carry that baggage with you. Then you add the ee to it and you get Past ee. I said it like Pahstee or like pasta with two ees at the end of it and was told the «right» way to say it immediately. They are very nice people.
The place was pretty empty when we arrived there. It could have been because it was around 2 p.m. and the lunch crowd was over. It also could have been because it was 98 degrees outside and they don’t have air conditioning too. They do have outside seating which is comfortable and in the shade but when it is 98 degrees, shade doesn’t matter.
The restaurant is decorated to reflect the towns mining heritage. There are lots of pictures of miners, and mining tools, etc… Apparently the owners are decedents of tin miners that came over from Cornish England to help the placer miners start finding gold in hard rock mines.
There are two entrances, one which is for takeout only and it has a nice display case of all the different flavors of pasties and the Jenny and Jack sizes. Jenny is smaller than the Jack size. The other is more like the restaurant with several tables in side.
Overall, it is like most English food I have experienced, it is good but it is not meant to have the sophistication or taste of French food.