Happy Jack’s Submarines and Fine Ice Cream

Not good food and, service was terrible waited 20 minutes for a cheddar beef that was put in a microwave. Ill never go back.

I love the place, food and ice cream. Price is great! 4 stars for the free smell you will get after eating there.

Great food, nice people that run this restaurant. Fun atmosphere. One of the best places in Mchenry. Awesome ice cream. Also, great place for taking the kids! My 3 y/​o nephew has to come here every time he visits us. They have fun car box’s for the kids meals. Lots of cool coca-​cola stuff everywhere. Try the subs, and everything else is pretty good too! Oh also try a peanut butter and chocolate ice cream shake! My personal favorite!

No shortage of Coca~Cola memorabilia inside. Got the grilled chicken sandwich and fries and both were very good. Lots of lettuce and mayo on the sandwich and the chicken wasn’t overly cooked. Fries did not taste greasy like the typical fast food place.

Food was really good. Establishment was incredibly clean. Staff was super friendly and accommodating. One of the female employees was so kind and loving to my little guy who clearly had an immediate crush on her. We will definitely be back.

Happy Jacks has been a staple in McHenry for over 30 plus years. Great subs, awesome ice cream and much much more. I wish we had more family owned places in the area!

There’s something special about the nostalgic feeling happy jacks offers. The kids love their meals w/​the paper cars and we love the shakes. Only complaint is that they could probably try a little harder in the quality of food. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t ‘great’ like I remembered it. Keep on keepin on happy jacks!

Welcome to the 70’s people! Area is good for families. I lived in Louisiana and know what the fries are supposed to taste like! These are like no French Fries you will taste at any fast food and restaurant will taste like! It is not deep fried, which is a plus for those who do not like a lot of grease on their French Fries. Subs are fantastic! Get a perfect portion of everything. Enough meat, cheese, veggies, and condiments! It is one of the best things you will ever taste! Cherry Coke is like old school made! Get a lot of Cherries whether or not the person is generous on what they give you! Ice Cream, you are in a dream!
Pros:
1. Convenient, right off of Elm Street!
2. Food is always great!
3. Sub Shop and Ice Cream parlor are just 3 stair steps apart!
4. Has indoor and outdoor seating for both Ice Cream Parlor and Sub Shop.
5. Dine in or To Go.
Cons:
1. Gets really crowded, even at non traditional lunch and dinner hours and on weekdays.
2. Once in a while you will get a rude, bossy kid who runs the counter.
Otherwise great place!

Happy Jack’s is fun. That’s probably the best way to describe it.
When you look at their menu you’ll see that they’re kind of a jack of all trades type of restaurant. You probably won’t find the best (Insert whatever food here) here but whatever you order will be good. They seem to have everything from subs to burgers, hot dogs, chili and more. The staff seems to be comprised of a bunch of teenagers who all approach the job with a surprising amount of professionalism. I mean that in a good way of course.
The place is covered from floor to ceiling in Coca Cola memorabilia. I’m sure a coke enthusiast would probably have a grand time snapping pictures of all of the historic coke related artifacts and etc.
The best part in my opinion is the separate section of the restaurant dedicated to Ice Cream. In Texas, we’re led to believe that it doesn’t get any better than Blue Bell. But the Ice Cream at Happy Jack’s (I forget their supplier) is incredible. And there are more flavors than anyone needs to choose from. If you’re looking for a place to grab something small for dinner and then a treat afterwards, I’d definitely give this place a try.

Love Happy Jack’s! Not only they have amazing food they are park of the family as well. Come here just about every weekend to get a shake or lunch/​dinner! Love coming here!!!

My wife and I ate there the other day and it was OK. We each had a burger and fries. The burger was very dry and just Luke warm. I was a little disappointed after reading all these good reviews. The fries were the skinny variety and were very good for frozen fries. The customer service was very good.

My wife and I stopped at Happy Jacks to get ice cream, as we walked in the blonde with the torn jeans behind the ice cream counter advised us (we close at 9 pm) it was 8:35. The server continued this bad attitude during our stay when we finally ordered it was like she was doing us a favor taking the single sundae order. The next customer asked her why she was crabby and she told him try shoveling ice cream for three hours and you’ll see! Happy jacks won’t have to worry about selling us any ice cream ever again. Lousy service and average ice cream. No Thanks.

I have been eating here for years, received excellent service and food, and never had a problem, until tonight. I’ve always thought it was a good idea for high schoolers to have part time jobs, but never a good idea to have them running the place. The service that these high school aged girls give is absolutely horrendous. They were rude, unattentive, and I felt as though I was bothering them by giving them my business. One girl even went so far as to poke fun of my name. .while I was standing there waiting for my order. The ONLY reason I’m giving two stars and not one is because I know during the busy hours, this type of behavior is not tolerated behind the counter.

Yummy ice cream. Haven’t had food but love the cream. I would go eat some cold treats

Came to this place with my uncle a few weeks ago when I came to visit and I must say their food was pretty great and delicious, well they had a ton of my favorite comfort food so who doesn’t like that? and the Milkshake, is a must! Yes, i know I’m a fatty at heart but let me just say this place is great came here 3 times during my stay! I give it four stars just because service was a bit slow on 2 of those days, and the smell… it wasn’t too bad for me, but the food and the milkshake definitely made up for it! Will definitely be coming here again!

Been a customer here for years, since I was a little kid. Always had great food and good service. Until recently.
The last few times I’ve been here, it has taken forever to get our order placed, not because of it being busy, but because the girls behind the counter aren’t always very attentive. It always seems like we are bothering them by placing and order and the short, rude answers to questions are kind of getting old.
The icing on the cake is when the place was empty, but it took 22 minutes to receive 2 hotdogs, a basket of fries and a cup of cheese. At first, we thought we didn’t hear our number called, so we went up to ask if that was the case. The lady behind the counter said, «Oh, the hotdogs? Yeahhh, they’re cooking…» and turned right around to what she was doing. This is 15 minutes after our order was placed. I’m not sure, but no hotdog I’ve ever cooked has taken 15 minutes, let alone 22. When we did receive the food, the hotdogs were cold in the center, the bun was stale and the fries were hard.
Unfortunately, we may be breaking up with Happy Jack’s after so many years.

Happy Jack’s is just that, a fun little restaurant, with very good Subs, Hot Dogs, Italian Beef and more, with a nice ice cream area in front. The food is very good, the service is usually very good, and you have got to see some of the oldest Coca Cola memorabilia, all in almost perfect condition, from the earliest days of Coke. All in all, good food, kewl antique memorabilia, and worth trying. Bring the kids for a look back at the old days.

Food was decent, I was really hoping for it to better. The worst was the smell when you come in the business. Made me sick to my stomach. They need better ventilation above their grill and fryer and to make sure it is cleaned often.
Very cute decorated.

If at all possible have someone pick up the food for you, because as soon as you step inside this establishment, your clothes are going to soak up «the smell». I think the way they cook their fries causes it, and it will not leave your nostrils or clothes for hours. As far as the food goes, it’s ok, subs are good but overpriced for what you get. The best bang for your buck is getting the two hot dog special. Ordered a chocolate shake before and got a slightly more tan vanilla shake, also disappointing for the price paid. People in this town seem to flock to this place like a Holy land but I will never understand it.

Happy Jacks is awesome! When I think of where I grew up I think of Happy Jacks.
The kids are always pleasant, Jack is always so nice, the food is great, etc.
Everything is made fresh, so it is not a typical fast food joint. The subs are fantastic – great, chewy bread with fresh ingredients. Also, a lot of their food is cooked in this special device (I cannot remember what it is called) but it basically lowers the fat of the food content by 30% – so a little healthier for you. There is a sign in the place stating it is as well, so no, nothing is cooked in a microwave. :) And I really know this because I’ve had multiple friends and relatives work there during the good ol’ high school days.
Another thing I love is that their Cherry Coke is made by them, it is not the fountain stuff. They actually mix the syrup and the coke for you. So a little vintage vibe going there.
And on a side note… The absolute BEST day to go to Happy Jacks is in June. I cannot remember the exact day, but Jack always has an anniversary celebration by having all hot dogs, fries, pop, and cones be 39 cents (i believe that was the price of things when he first opened in the 60s).