Restaurant Review: Jake's

Jake's
The Lumberyard complex
Open 7am-1pm
Cruz Bay
(340) 777-7115

Jake's, the new restaurant located in Cruz Bay in the former home of Chilly Billy's, is now serving breakfast from 7am to 1pm. The interior has been spiffied up a bit, and the old half-wall divider has been removed to add a little more space and to make the room feel a bit more airier, visually.

Our three outings to Jake's had in common that we were promptly greeted and seated by our servers, and that our orders were taken and served expeditiously. We love this. We were in and out in less than an hour.

Jake's is best described as diner-style food, meaning it's good and there won't be any surprises–eggs come out looking like eggs, omelets don't have truffle oil, and the coffee is decent but not awesome (but then again, it doesn't cost $4 either).

The breakfast burrito is an oversized flour tortilla stuffed with eggs, onion, tomato and cheese and comes with home fries and an outrageously fresh and lively salsa. For $10, this is a steal.

The "Regular" is two eggs any style; your choice of sausage, bacon or ham; toast; and home fries—simple, straightforward, good. And, from 7-8am Monday-Friday it's only $8.
Potato pancakes came crispy, with homemade chunky applesauce, the seasoning of which was heavy on the cinnamon, but rather than being overwhelming, was a nice counterbalance to the richness of the pancakes.

The omelet with cheese, tomato, artichoke hearts and home fries was cooked perfectly and was the size of a baseball mitt. Too much for some, just right for others–either way, a sunny way to start the day.

We give them big points for fast, cheerful service and generous portions, above-average marks for the food itself, and just a pass on the ambience (no A/C, plastic seats, constant traffic noise).

Jake's is a solid addition to the Cruz Bay breakfast scene.

Reporting by Sun Times staff