Jac’s Cekola’s Pizza

First I find it telling that Jac’s doesn’t respond to it’s negative reviews.
Makes it look like they could care less what customers think of their restaurant.
We’ve been going there (infrequently) for a few years. Waitress service has always been pretty good and they have beer specials all the time so it’s a decent place to drink a little garl.
As for the pizza they DO skimp on the sauce. But they are frequently very busy so it’s understandable every pizza they crank out will not be anywhere near perfect. Still, they are usually edible. Appetizers are tasty although kind of pricey.
The menu is huge so you’re sure to find something to order.
Fact is it’s very hard to find halfway decent pizza in the Kalamazoo/​Portage area. Jac’s would be considered mediocre compared to many restaurants in a larger urban area. But it’s in a convenient location and you can get in and out in less than an hour and their menu doesn’t break the bank.
They do set aside room (free — call in advance reservation) for larger parties. We had a party of 20+ a couple years ago and that went very well as they sat us in a backroom and did a good job of waiting on our party.

We thought we would give this place a shot. Ended up being very disappointed with the food. We tried the «famous «pizza. The owners refused to remove the pepperoni due to a food allergy so we had to order individual toppings which cost $ 8 more. We finally got the pizza and it was like cutting through a piece of soggy cardboard with hardly any sauce and not much flavor. We may not be back and if we do it certainly would not be for the pizza. On a positive note, Emily was an amazing waitress and very personable.

Several of our friends suggested we go to Jack’s for drinks and to watch NCAA basketball. We have always liked the pizza. However this visit we were treated rudely by the «Hostess» I probably eat out 5 nights a week, service is a huge influence on our choices. I will never go back to Jack’s as long as they choose to employ people who do not grasp the concept of respect. This general area of Portage has many options, I know where I won’t go!!!

Just got pizza there and husband very pleased. First place to actually see the double pepperoni and get pizza extra done. They don’t skimp on topping here. Put a seasoning over the whole pizza which had toppings all the way to the crust. Tasted good and will stand out more than all the other pizza places we have tried.

So let me start of by saying that there are very little things to do in Portage after hours (happy) and dinner. Sports bars, yeah we got em, lots of them. So where do folks end up after hours, at least in my opinion, its here, Jac’s. I’ve found myself roaming Portage around 10−11pm and almost always find myself here. the have late night specials and a decent tap selection so my choice IS justified.
Now onto items that I’ve tried on the menu.
Pizza — It’s unique. Love it or hate it type of pizza’s. I am on the fence about it. I’ve had it on multiple occasions with mixed reviews. Fortunately I’ve found my go to here at Jacs — see below.
Sandwiches — I can only assume the rest of the menu sandwiches are good based solely on the one sandwich I get there EVERY time. The Italian beef is delicious. Its homemade slow roasted beef overloaded on a bun served with green peppers and onions, which I consider optional since I sort of add my own twist to this sandwich. I omit the veg above, but add mushrooms and provolone and get it single dipped with some on the side. Its one of the best things in Portage, trust me. I’ve had it with the giardiniera but found it to be a little oily for my taste. Regardless, go try you one of these.
For the parents out there, Jac’s is kid friendly, with games and change candy machines. The kids menu is pretty legit, chicken fingers being my go to.
Sports fans — Lots of TV’s and they take reservations.
Parking lot full — Check in the back of the building, took me a year to figure that one out.
Patio /​Deck — Slightly shaded, on the side of the restaurant, underutilized in my opinion.

The pizza was just ok. It wasn’t anything to write home about.
I was told be friends that this place is one from their childhood. They remember eating this pizza.
It felt more like a bar that also served pizza. Check it out and see if this place is for you. It’s not for me.

JAC’s pizza is perfection. Let me briefly explain why I make this extraordinary claim. I grew up in Portage eating Cekola’s pizza. I used to go to Star World as a child, and worked there for an extended time after that. I ate plenty of Cekola’s pizza growing up and loved it. Star World closed while I was a teenager and by the time I was in my 20’s I had pretty much forgotten what the pizza tasted like. Fast forward 25 years. My tastes have changed based on the many cities I’ve visited and I’ve actually become quite a critical food snob. Many of the pizzas I grew up eating and have since tried I now consider inedible. So when I had the opportunity to try Cekola’s pizza once again, I was prepared to keep my expectations in check. I can honestly say that I was blown away! The thin cracker crust, the spicy sauce, the blended cheese, the wonderful homemade sausage and other toppings that all come together in perfect harmony. If you have never had a 5 star pizza, eat the Cekola special at JAC’s!

Was here on June 21 mainly for Bloody Mary’s. they have a nice bloody bar with lots of condiment choices. We ended up having an appetizer of chicken fingers with frys and they were served hot with a couple of dipping sauces and the frys. It was a good Fathers Day brunch. A good little Sports bar with a busy waitress who kept us attended to.

Ive been several times both in the evenings as well as lunch time. The lunch time pizza buffet is pretty good. Sometimes they are slow to get additional pizzas out there, but its at least always fresh. Jacs is a good place to go in the evenings to watch a game and grab a burger. Service is usually pretty good.

Had one of the local best chicken quesadillas. Fresh jalapeños onions tomatoes with a small amount of cheese. I was surprised.

I caught the commercial and since I was looking for an awesome place to have pizza i thought «what the hell». I liked the location. Restaurant was clean and looked good. So for them to promote themselves as a pizza place, it appeared the pizza was an afterthought. It was a small part of the menu. I ordered it anyway and it wasn’t good. The crust was the only part that was fully cooked. The rest was very doughy. My server was great. And the craft beer selection on draft was impressive. I’d go back for a drink, maybe I’ll try something else on the menu.

It’s a dive/​sports bar, so one can’t expect much and Jac’s delivers on those low expectations. They have the typical dive/​sports bar menu; too many items to really be good at any of them so everything is, at best, mediocre.
Both myself and my son had the sirloin steak. I chose fries as my side and he chose rice. Had it not been for the overabundance of Montréal steak seasoning, neither of our steaks would have had any flavor. As it was, the only flavor was sodium. One of the worst steaks I’ve ever had anywhere.
If you need a place to quaff a few beers, watch the game, and/​or shoot some pool or darts, maybe Jac’s is an OK place to do that. If you’re looking to add food to the mix, I recommend pre-​gaming at another establishment.
Of course, the bad food and overly-​extensive menu is a management/​owner problem. Don’t let that take away from the staff. Our server, Danielle, was very good and very attentive.

Great bartender Miranda, food was picture perfect. Place makes you feel local even when you aren’t !

I was impressed. Pretty good pizza! Fun for beer dinners and the flights are cheap. The garlic pizza is tasty. Staff is pretty attentive. Don’t get carry out if you can avoid it. The pizza didn’t taste good when it was cooled down. The place is popular so get there early

Delicious burgers, and i love the buffalo chicken dip. Me and my buddies go here quite a bit, the guys like to shoot pool here and i like to have a good drink and some good food.

Homemade sausage on the pizza is outstanding! Tonight going to try the lasagna!

Pros: A great place to gather for a get together. They have a few pool tables, some large tables, and a good size bar! Their pizza is good, not phenomenal, but good.
Cons: Now when I say the pizza is good, it’s not the first place I would go if I wanted pizza. If you want to hang out and drink with friends over a pizza, it’s not a bad place at all. But their pizza could be considered «roller rink» worthy, (Star World anybody?) and definitely not award winning.

This is odd because I’m not going to really rate the food. I’ve only been in there for the lunch pizza buffet and that’s totally fine if small and unremarkable. If I have a complaint, it’s that they charged my son (who is 7) the same price as an adult. He’s growing but he doesn’t eat that much.
What I want to review is the venue itself. They advertise «Every seat in the house has a great view of multiple screens» and that’s absolutely true. If I were going out in Portage/​Kalamazoo and my primary goal was to find a place with a great view of a sporting event, I would go to Cekola’s as my first choice. They have a wealth of TVs and they’re arranged really well for convenient but unobtrusive viewing.
There are two sides to the restaurant. One is traditional «bar» style. That’s a nice spot with a good bar. The other side has a mix of traditional tables, half-​booth high tops, and diverse seating. That’s where I’d go. There’s some pinball and a couple other games in addition to pool tables. The Facebook page will give you a good feel for the layout. It’s setup incredibly well.
Anyway, that’s my story. I can’t tell you a lot about the food or service but I can tell you that if you want a spot to go out and watch the game (s), you could do much worse than Jac Cekola’s Pizza.

LOVE LOVE LOVE their food! Pizza is amazing! The Buffalo Chicken Dip is sooo good! Addictive for sure. They take reservations which is super helpful with large groups. Service has always been wonderful!!! It is a good place to go and relax and it I a great place to go out on a date :) Thanks Jac’s!

I’m a fan! They are very accommodating to large groups! Also, I have had Shelly as a waitress the last 3 times and she has gave consistently great service.