Today, I was craving to eat nachos out of the blue.
We weren’t planning to go out for dinner but looks like we decided to drop by Jack Astor’s to satisfy my desire for nachos! Talk about instant gratification.
I think the last time we’ve been to Jack Astor’s was probably at least 2 years ago, or even longer. I can’t remember exactly, but I just know it’s been a while since Rui and I dropped by.
Of all the delicious restaurants available in Toronto, we never thought we’d ever come back to Jack Astor’s again. Lol.
But here we are, so we’re going to write a quick review about it.
Here is what we had and our honest thoughts…
Jack Astor’s Roasted Chicken Macho Nachos ($27.57 + $4 For Guacamole)
We haven’t ordered nachos from a restaurant in a while, so browsing through the menu, we were a little surprised to see the increase in price.
I think they used to be under $20 which includes meat options. But we were a little surprised to see them at $27!
The server even asked us if we wanted to “jack up” the nachos for an additional $12 or $13. That would make a platter of nachos $40 and I think that is insane for just tortilla chips topped with cheese, and chicken. We thought the “jack it up” option was too much, so we decided to stick with the regular!
In fact, the regular is a big portion that’s enough to share with three or even four people as a starter.
As mentioned, I haven’t had nachos in a while, so I thought the first bite was good. On top of that, the cheese made it this platter more mouthwatering, Who doesn’t enjoy melted cheese on chips, right?
The chicken, on the other hand, was a huge disappointment because it turned out to be burnt and a little dry for my liking. Other than the chicken, the overall texture and flavour of this appetizer were satisfactory. But then again, I think it’s because I haven’t had nachos for a long time, which is why I’m being more lenient!
After seeing how pricey these nachos are, I felt the urge to just go home, and Google a recipe to make a better and even healthier version. This wasn’t the best (not the worst) so the price doesn’t justify it. To put it into perspective, we paid $38 including tax and tips for this plate for nachos.
Jack Astor’s Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Bowl ($24.49)
I guess today was the day I get to indulge in a creamy coconut chicken bowl! Yes, I got super excited about this Thai curry chicken bowl on Jack Astor’s menu!
It’s nothing like what you’ll find from the best Thai restaurants in Toronto we’ve been to, but Jack Astor’s offers a modern and Westernized version that you will appreciate.
And in case you want to know, their bowl comes with the following ingredients: Sautéed chicken, seasoned jasmine rice, yellow Thai coconut curry sauce, roasted turmeric cauliflower, sweet potato, snow peas, carrot, cucumber, miso dressing, green onion, sesame seeds, peanuts, cilantro, fried taro root.
Even though I was looking forward to this bowl, I honestly wasn’t expecting much from a bar-and-grill type of restaurant.
However, to my big surprise, this dish actually turned out a lot better than expected.
This dish offered tons of curry, spice, and herb flavour.
The best part? The sauce was creamy! I swear the taste was so addicting, that you’d just want to keep eating it even though you’re not hungry.
Since I already had half of the nachos, I decided to stop eating because it’s bad to fill up the tummy with too much junk. There was still 50% left, so I asked to server if she could help me take it to go. And yes, it came with quite a bit of rice but you won’t be able to see it in the picture because they jam-packed the rice deep inside the bowl underneath everything else.
I like that the chicken wasn’t too dry, so that was a plus.
If you have a normal appetite and you’re the type of person who does not want to exceed your daily calories (or overstuff yourself with food), it is possible to share this with two people as long as you order a small appetizer.
The Big Jack Burger — or The Copycat Big Mac? ($25)
Rui was craving a burger since he hasn’t had one in a while. I think the last time was our trip to Burger Priest, which was at least 6 months ago; and if you don’t include the A&W burger he had a month ago.
Anyway, he was just feeling for a burger.
He was going to order the classic burger, which used to be his usual order from Jack Astor’s back in the day. However, this time he noticed they were offering “The Big Jack”. This name caught his attention!
At first, we didn’t think anything about the name.
But when the burger came out, and as he was taking a few pictures of it, he eventually realized that it resembles the McDonald’s “Big Mac”. Ohhh, no wonder why they call it “The Big Jack”!
As you can see, they were trying to imitate Big Mac’s iceberg lettuce (chopped and sliced into tiny pieces), two slices of processed cheddar cheese, along with their special sauce – they probably call it the “Jack sauce” here. Even with your first bite, you’ll feel like you’re eating the same lettuce pieces from a Big Mac.
The bun was totally different, but you can still tell that they were trying to imitate McDonald’s version.
And of course, you can’t forget the beef.
Their beef was obviously much better than McDonald’s version!
With that said, you can probably say that this is a classier version of the original big Mac.
So, if anyone is going to be paying $25 for a burger that’s an imitation of McDonald’s cheap recipe, it better taste darn good!
The good thing is, Rui thought it was better than expected. It reminded him so much of McDonald’s in a good way. I think the last time he had a big Mac was probably 10 years ago, but you can never forget how a Big Mac tastes.
It may not be the best burger in Toronto like the list we have here (who knows, maybe you’ll think it is), but it was definitely really good!
The next time you drop by Jack Astor’s, I think it’s worth trying at least once in your lifetime!
Sweet Potato Fries (+3.97 as a substitute for regular fries)
The big Jack originally comes with classic white potato fries.
Rui and I don’t like classic french fries so we asked them to substitute for sweet potato fries. Apparently, that costs an additional $4.
Most of the time, whenever we ask to substitute a combo with some sweet potato fries, they end up either really oily or soggy. Like the time when we were at Inspire Restaurant to try their famous Waffle & Chicken (“Waff Out Loud”) dish.
I don’t know what it is, but most places don’t really serve good sweet potato fries. But surprisingly, the ones from Jack Astor’s were pretty decent. It was still quite oily but not oilier than the others we had. We also like the fact that they weren’t mushy and soggy on the outside. It was actually firm and slightly crunchy on the outside, while soft on the inside.
It also came with a chipotle dipping sauce, which made the fries taste even better.
Food: 3.9/5
I wish I could give them a solid four out of five for their food but I’m not. The dried chicken on the nachos turned me off. And that’s what I was originally craving for — nachos!
Not the mention, that plate of nachos costs $27 before tips and tax, which I think is a bit much especially when you don’t have a group of 3 people or more.
I’d also like to mention that in the past when we used to come here for dinner, we thought there some of their dishes were good, but some were also bad. For example, I remember when they used to serve lobster and artichoke dip, Rui and I thought it was incredibly salty. We would go home super thirsty thanks to the sodium overload. Only if they reduced that sodium, I would have been more forgiving about it.
I still have to say that in our most recent experience, they have improved!
We were happy with The Big Jack burger with sweet potato fries and the Thai chicken curry bowl. I would definitely recommend those two items if you ever decide to stop by Jack Astor’s to treat yourself to a nice meal.
Service: 4/5
Most of the time, we don’t have any bad experiences with their service at Jack Astor’s. They are always warm, and friendly, and they would come to fill up your glasses with water.
Our server today was just as friendly and nice. Overall, there is nothing to complain about.
Ambiance: 4/5
I like that they have a dark ambiance because it makes everything feel more intimate and cozy.
In the past when we used to stop by Jack Astor’s every month or two, we always enjoyed sitting at the booths for more privacy. But if you hold a big gathering, you’ll be seated at the bigger tables with chairs, which feels like you’re in the open.
Whether you want to catch up with a buddy for a drink after work or hold a birthday party with a group of people, Jack Astor’s is a place that will offer you a range of diverse foods for you to enjoy with your friends and family.
Price: $$
Jack Astor’s never appeals to me as the place for high-quality food. It’s sort of like you’re in between — good enough food at a fair price.
I never considered it as excessively expensive, but based on our most recent visit, we thought the price was a little higher than what it should be.
With tax and tips, we paid $113 for this meal, which was only shared with two people.
I know, it was the nachos that jacked up our bill – no pun intended.
What’s even crazier is had we agreed to “jack up” the nachos with slightly more chicken, we would have had to pay an extra $12-$13 before tax and tips.
For goodness’ sake, they already charged us an extra $4 for guacamole on the side. And that wasn’t even considered real guac! It was incredibly dinky (the size of two tablespoons) and not to mention, quite salty. Almost just as salty as Chipotle’s version, which I think is a rip-off for the unnecessary crap they put inside.
Anyway, the food wasn’t bad, but the price wasn’t worth it because we ordered nachos as an appetizer. The sad part is that the appetizer itself cost more than our individual meal.
Well, it’s time to learn how to make my own nachos at home, because I am pretty darn sure you can make them tastier, fresher, and much healthier, which I personally value more. Oh yeah, and you also have the option to load your nachos with organic chicken breasts when you make them yourself (not cheap frozen chicken like Jack Astor’s), which would cost way less. Ok, my rant about their nachos is over. Lol.
Overall Rating of Jack Astor’s Bar and Grill: 3.7/5
I know it’s a franchise, a chain, whatever you wanna call it. But I have to admit the food isn’t bad at all. It actually tastes quite good!
The service is generally nice and polite while prices are a turn-off.
With that kind of price, I’d rather pay slightly more and just go to Joey’s.
Overall, they will get a 3.7 out of 5 stars from me.
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