Jack Lee's Tavern Restaurant in Cornwall

Nice place.

Never again will I go there to eat...

Always a hit

Good place, good service and food for a reasonable price

Rating restaurants is always difficult due to the potential for so many things to go wrong. Now and then, my craving for Chinese food (or at least a Canadian version) wins out. My usual choice would have been the Chinese Buffet Wing Hing in Cornwall because I enjoyed the variety of delicacies. Sadly, my cab driver informed me they closed long ago (I dont treat myself as often as I should). Shout out to my very cordial driver from Choice Taxi, who is a lovely gentleman. Anyway, the next logical choice was Jack Lees on Pitt St. The Pitt Street Mall certainly has some interesting characters haunting its sidewalks these days. It was a Tuesday evening and uncrowded as I entered. As always, I had my tunes playing in my ear for entertainment (and just in case I needed to block out background noise). My playlist is an eclectic dream. I received my usual bewildered stare from the greeter and the obligatory question, Are you alone?. To which I reluctantly responded with , . I say reluctantly, not out of self-pity but of societal pressures that erroneously dictate singles are necessarily lonely. I enjoy my solitude. The greeter offered me my pick of tables. As I walked past the steaming, colourful buffet, the tantalising aromas of the binned goodies assailed my nostrils. I chose a table for two near the buffet counter but out of the way of traffic. I barely sat down when a pleasant waitress approached me, asking if I liked something to start my meal with. Within two minutes, I had a cold beer in my hands. Very nice! Visions of Wonton soup danced in my perfumed little head as I sashayed my red summer swing dress to the giant cauldron of pork-filled dumplings. One has to be careful not to fill up on this delicious appetiser. Fortunately, the bowls provided are small, and that helps prevent overindulging. Four slippery dumplings, a generous spoonful of chopped green onion, and a dollop of dried Chinese noodles later, my first course was ready. Back at my necessarily table, I drizzled some soya sauce into the bowl and a dash of pepper. My only complaint was that the soup could have been warmer. Otherwise, it was delicious and fresh. My first trip to the main buffet was typical of my routine. I like to build my first plate out of vegetables so I do not miss out on any choices. Other than snow peas and carrots, I love Cantonese veggies. I found certain vegetables a bit firm for my liking, but at least I knew the food had not been sitting for long. I traditionally reserve my second plate for egg rolls, chicken wings, chicken balls and spare ribs. I am not a big eater, so I have to plan my meals logically. I prefer to run out of tummy room for meat than vegetables. One hour and 10 minutes later, I was full. The table was cleared of used dinnerware between courses, and the waitress was attentive throughout. After a lovely meal, I like to cap it off with a freshly brewed cup of coffee and a snifter of fine cognac; neat. Somehow, this digestif combo does not appeal to me after feasting on Chinese food. I rarely eat dessert, so I settled for one more barley sandwich. The bill with a generous tip totalled $49.00. The service was excellent despite my having done most of the work. But it is, after all, a buffet. The food was as delicious as I remembered. I would like to see new items on the buffet, such as oysters, mussels, and breaded shrimp. The atmosphere was pleasant and quiet without loud music piped in to interfere with my playlist, dutifully humming in my ears. Aesthetically, the decor has not changed in decades. It is a recurring, perhaps petty, complaint with Cornwall restaurants. But a refresh is nice to see in an establishment. It shows the owners interest in their business and customers. My search for good restaurants in Cornwall continues, but in the meantime, Ill always have Mexis!... Alanis Rae Sept 17/24 Cornwall, Ont.

Got food poisioning.

for the price you cant complain, but the fried rice and the noodles tasted like burnt oil.

Best garlic spare ribs anywhere!

Great Chinese Buffet.

The food was so good and filling and I would order it again. I got the dinner for 6 and some extra egg rolls and extra lo mein and it was perfect.

Great buffet at reasonable price! Lots of seating and friendly staff! Will return for sure! Vegetarian options: Your choice of vegetarian dishes! Parking: Very limited street parking but lot across street from restaurant! Kid-friendliness: Highchairs available! Wheelchair accessibility: Have seen wheelchairs inside!

Food taste stale and burned, told the waitress that rice is overcooked and has a weird taste to it, soupe with uncooked won ton. First and last time, ribs over boiled, they fill up the caserols with New Product without changing recipient. Discussting, tried fortune cookies, was damped and has a bassement undertone

Overcooked food

Great place. Clean bathrooms Vegetarian options: There is salad, fries, vegetable sautéed Kid-friendliness: Its a space where the whole family enjoys, there are little chairs

Yes I been going there for years and I still try to get there when I go back to Cornwall for visit, be nice if the did add even one more item like fish or oyster otherwise its pretty good price is awesome. Friendly kind people there never give you a hard time when you ask for anything I hope to eat there today.

Decent price for all you can eat Canadian Chinese food. Been going for 30+ years. Looks the same since 1990. Traditional Chinese decor.

Wonderful restaurant for gathering. Great for familly and friends. Great staff and wonderful owners I strongly recommend this place. Supper buffet.

My sister and I went for supper, we had the buffet it was delicious. You should go there for supper.

So delicious and good prices

Staple of Cornwall eateries. The dinner buffet is still one of the best price-to-quality meals Ive ever had. For roughly 20$, taxes in, you can fill your belly for the rest of the day. I go here once every couple months. I will continue to do so as long as Im around Cornwall. Vegetarian options: Almost half the options are vegetarian! Be careful if youre strictly against veggies mixed into sauce cooked with meat. The dish itself may only be veggies, but there may be cross-contamination if you can call it that. Im a loose vegetarian, so it didnt affect me at all. For a vegan though, it may be difficult to determine what youre able to have without asking the cooks directly.

Restaurant with buffets and bring-your-own plates, a very good variety and low prices. Parking: Opposite check pay hours

Delicious food, staff friendly, had pick up and it was fast. Gen. Tao chicken is our favourite. Is good here but some pieces were chewy and could use more sauce.

The cheapest buffet Ive ever been to but also the worst. Just the price of $15.95 speaks for itself. Food warms and tastes burnt. Very limited variety of dishes! You dont have to be a gourmet to eat there. And what about the service? Unpleasant service! Friend advice: go elsewhere! The cheapest buffet Ive ever been to but also the worst. Just the price of $15.95 speaks for itself. Food lukewarm and tastes burnt. Very limited variety of dishes! You dont have to be a gourmet to eat there. And what about the service? Very unpleasant service! Friendly advice: go elsewhere!

Nothing good to say, the bathrooms were dirty as hell. For the price we paid, it was okay.

The best Chinese buffet in town (the only one). The wonton soup is decent. The sweet and sour pork is good, as well as their veggie dishes, although one of them sometimes has a fishy taste. The chicken balls are hit or miss but mostly a hit. The chicken wings are my favorite dish. The egg rolls are nasty. Stay away from those if you can. The decor could use some updating. The price is right for filling your belly

Its old school. Jack Lees. Maybe they can change the menu a little bit? It would be nice if they had healthier options. But other than that the food was great.

Love the buffet

A true staple in the community. Have been going here since the 90s. Always busy at dinner time.

Buffet without variety. Not bad, not much choice, but for $15 per person + tax, you cant expect more. Very average service. The worst part... the poor cleanliness of the toilets. Sticky floor, persistent smell of urine, toilet paper on the floor and there were even childrens bobbles on the counter... Place to avoid

This place is amazing 10 out of 10 The food is amazing the service is incredible too. Would recommend to everyone. We ended up making a mistake at our end we thoght we ordered something extra but we actually didnt and but thr employee that answered tried everything to help us out to fix the problem and he find out we didnt order anything extra which is totally ok. She was so polite to us.

absolutely amazing restaurant! i love coming here with my family! my daughter is lesbian which disappoints me but this place makes me happy again, since my wife left i had been lonely but now that this is my local restaurant i am not sad!

The chicken wing is the best I ever had at a restaurant

Great food, great price, great service. Excellent family restaurant

Buffet was good, for $15 you can t go wrong.

Good

Was ok riz taste a bit burnt tonight

The selection is somewhat limited, but what is there is very tasty and enjoyable. All you can eat is always fun, especially when they have items like wings and spareribs; no way can you eat your fill of those anywhere else for even close to that price.

Been going here for more than 25 years. Always consistently good. Love the wings. This is not a fancy place but worth checking out Dietary restrictions: Fried rice is egg free

The restaurant is dirty, there is practically no service. The food was very limited choice, all drowned in sauce with no spice and no taste. The only thing good is the price. I wouldnt mind the limited food choice if the food was good since the price is very reasonable. Too bad.

Our family had a wonderful meal and our waitress was excellent. She was Fabulous

Came for a Chinese buffet. Got a Chinese buffet, red carpet and all. I want to come back.

Today was the worst won ton soup I ever had

I wish I could give zero stars. I genuinely have no idea how this place is busy/open. The food is disgusting...the buffet bar literally smells like wet dog. Definitely the worst chinese food Ive ever had. And the wonton soup looked like dishwater and was nasty. Just awful. Will never go here again.

Excellent wonton soup. Great buffet

Looooove.... Always a nostalgic place for family Food

Best place in town for standard Chinese food. Pleasant experience always. Vegetarian options: Wide variety Dietary restrictions: Always happy to give what you need. Kid-friendliness: Accepting of kids ofcall ages Wheelchair accessibility: Thankful for accessibility as I am in need of walker at times.

I cant imagine how this food could get any worse. First time to this restaurant, never again. It is such a simple cuisine. I have never seen almost black fried rice, some sort of macaroni dish that was the same colour. Nothing fresh at all. I read that they had good wonton soup so I tried some. All the broth had been absorbed into the wontons like it had sat in the broth for a week or two. I hate giving bad reviews and usually dont complain if there is at least one decent item. I counted 6 dishes and a couple empty, everything was just soggy and not very hot. I gave it one star but really should be a minus one

Thank you so much. I ordered dinner for my parents from Edmonton. And it was fantastic, least that what they told me.

Service was great,soup was amazing

Very basic choices, busy, reasonably priced

Classic, always enjoy the food and feel of this good ol restaurant

Id like to give 0 stars. We ordered delivery and after an hour and a half and a phone call back we finally received it. Nothing was fresh. Only got one cookie with a meal for 2. Were pretty sure they didnt take our order in the first place. We paid a pretty penny for an order that should have been very simple. What happened jack?

Wonton Soup is the best part of the buffet followed closely by the chicken wings. Small selection, but appropriately priced as such. The restaurant atmosphere is still in the 80s but I think that adds to the environment! Friendly staff, cant wait for my next buffet FEED! Kid-friendliness: Kids stools from the 80s are available and on hand. I guess the kids will love the Jello? Wheelchair accessibility: No ramp in the front but handles to help you step up the step

Great buffet

Excellent food

Semi good food its all we got in town for buffet price is cheap cant complain

Was the best cat I ever had but I dont really like cat so not for me. 20$ buffet with tax good fries and red sauce I call dragon blood that has Chinese benifit to take risks like eat that food.

Good food

I dont get the hype behind this place...none of the few options at the buffet taste like anything and are barely edible at best. Takeout isnt much better. At least the guy working there was nice enough to give us a free can of Pepsi while we waited for our order to be done, so thats something I guess.

Delicious food!! Been here a few other times for the buffet and its always great. Never old or dry, always fresh and tasty. The ribs are sooo good...

Typical Chinese buffet

Havent been in here in 30 years or Cornwall...went for nostalgic reasons and everthing was exactly the same, even the booster seats my sister used to sit in back in the 80,s were still there! Prices were fantastic! In Ottawa it would have cost at least 5 $ more per person Everything was like I remembered even the red heating light. The food was pretty good but i gave it 3 Stars because the rice tasted burnt almost like it was the bottom of the wokor cooked in a birty wok and the ribs were chewy almost as of they were cooked from frozen....but aside from that my experience was as expected

Im going to be honest. This was the absolute worst food I have ever tasted. The recycled rice was burnt, no amount of sweet and sour rib juice could mask the flavor. The chicken wing was putrid, like foul fish tasting, it was clearly rotten and after one bite I had to spit it out. It was the worst dining experience Ive had ever. Im not trying to sensationalize or be over dramatic, but this was horrible. Read the rest of my reviews I am always fair. This was the all you could eat supper buffet on may 9th 2023 @ 440pm. My wife and I could not finish any food after the putrid chicken wing, i came home and used mouth wash repeatedly. Not to mention the cook coming out to stir the buffet food wearing jogging pants and a torn t-shirt that I wouldnt even wear to paint my basement. He looked like he was homeless. I paid my bill and will never return. Even if you paid me to eat there I would rather starve.

Thought we would stop by and check this place out. Some reviews are good and some are bad. After attending I would say its bad. SMALL BUFFETT only had chicken balls and ribs as the protein. Had frech fries, rice and some type of noodles. There was a vegetable dish of celery and broccoli, had egg rolls as well. My wife had the only soup which was wonton but it was good. No salad and only jelly and rice pudding for dessert. Needs more items yet the place was busy for lunch- go figure

Just plain awful food. 5/15/23 the chicken wings were good and that s it. Everything else was trash.

Food is hot and fresh. Everything was delicious.

there is only 6-7 dishes available. Parking: Pay machine parking lot. Food : 1/5 |

Classic cornwall Chinese buffet. Food is always good when I go and the service is always attentive

It was the first time dining in at Jack Lees food was awesome and service was excellent

Everything was acceptable, but like the saying goes. There is always room for improvement...

Buss

You get what you pay for... food is good but youre not going to a high end restaurant..

Absolutely disgusting

Great buffet and the price is reasonable.

Really wasnt fond of anything on the lunch buffet. The price on the door didnt seem to match what we paid for.

Service was very poor but the food was even worse! Served spaghetti noodles instead of lo mein noodles. The only thing that was half way decent was the bean sprouts.

First time there and probably the last for the buffet The rice was burnt and the food made me sick the orange juice got for the kids smelled bad and tasted like it was starting ferment Food

Food is ok...

Always fantastic ordering here! Whether take out or dine in, the foods always fresh and people are always so friendly.

Amazing Chinese cuisine and buffet is refreshed every few minutes. Prices reasonable. Tables cleared as soon as people leave.

Was very good but little gluten free items. I could only eat the veggies and one of the dishes had an enourmous amount of celery... looking at everyones plates - most seemed to have uneaten celery lol.

Its a cute place, not a huge selection.

Visited this restaurant on last Sunday. It was all dirty - no cleanininess and flies were flying around and troubled us. Request management to take care of cleanininess as per Canada and Ontario standards.

Had a nice meal with a dear friend.

Chinese buffet with not many items on it

Not a huge selection of food considering the size more dining tables then anything for food the service was garbage the waitress came to my table once and that was to bring us a cup of water and a pitcher of water that was it the atmosphere was quiet pretty dead place.

The best thing about this place was the waitress! The atmosphere is the same. It was on my visit as it was 10 years ago. Nothing has changed other than maybe the owners! The fried rice was so hard and clump together it almost look like fried rice balls. The island is not very big for a selection, the island contains 12 slots of food now keep in mind two spots for rice and two spots were mixed veggies. .. two spots contained sweet-and-sour sauce and plum sauce. So that tells you what was left over for variety .. price has gone up dramatically over the years regardless, if it s a Buffet or not! There s zero selection! The guy at the counter who takes your money literally just want your bill your money and for you to leave. Came all the way from Brockville after an appointment and next time I think I ll visit Taco Bell! Definitely wasn t worth $30!!

Great place for Chinese food

I personally love going to Jack Lees. I love the service and the food. I especially like their chicken wings and French fries. I wish they would deliver to the cornwall island again because those were the days. Awesome deliver good food and great service Jack Lees I hope you guys reconside delivering to the Island again.

Alway one of the best all you can eat Chinese places in Cornwall friendly staff and great food that had not changed in years. Overall 5star Vegetarian options: They have a good variety Kid-friendliness: This place is kid and family friendly

Excellent Chinese buffet

Not a bad place to me. So far my only bad experience was the food seemed like it was out for a while once. Other than that I think the price is good. Kid-friendliness: Sweet and sour chicken, rice and fries are usually the go to thing for kids

The wings are really good The soup too I will come back for sure Bravo to the restaurant and the employees

Affordable food is hard to come by in 2023. This place will fill you up on a budget

Food was just ok. Everything kind of tasted the same. Fortune cookies were stale. I wont be back for a little while.

No flavour, it is gross.

Very good

I have never written a review before but just have to this time. The first time we ordered from this restaurant the food was passable. This recent 2nd time the order was deplorable. The lemon chicken was fried to small hard unchewable pieces. The eggrolls and fried rice was passable and I couldnt finish the egg rolls. The garlic ribs were okay but no sauce??? I dont believe we will order from this restaurant again.

Called at noon for dinner to be ready for 530 didnt get my order to almost 7 cold order was over 120 dollars not impressed

Food was good. Service great

Not very good and not hot

Usually very good. Love the won ton soup

Selection okay. We had the buffet. The food could be warmer. Price average $31.00 for two adults.

Best place in town for a proper buffet. Its just an old classic buffet restaurant. Foods good, service is fine, and price is amazing for what you get. Overall Id eat here once or twice every month if I could.

Food was great

Amazing Food but the old man doesnt hear well & shouldnt take orders on the phone anymore & best looking Chinese restaurant in town.

Price is ok and the food is ok. Still there 70+ years, must be doing something right.

Went there on Mother s Day. Food was not good at all like the old days. Out of the 15 of us 6 of us have food poisoning. So I do not recommend Maybe it happened to be a bad day for the cooks. I don t know but it s was a bad experience and I don t think I would go back

Simple and tasteless buffet, expensive for what there is in terms of choice

I have been going here for like 20 years

Good food good sirvice

Very good food and very generous portions when buying a la carte! Good prices!

Great taste, better then I remember.

We had lunch there last week and the food was greasy, the eggrolls were hard, the macaroni tasted strange, but the wonton soup was okay. The owner is not friendly at all. Aside from a decent price, you are better off to eat elsewhere.

Wheelchair accessibility: They come out set a ramp up. It was great

This must be the smallest all you can eat buffet bar that I have ever seen. One reviewer stated that he was coming from a big city and just loved the food. I find his review to be very strange. I come from a big city as well and when my family saw how small the buffet was, we were shocked. Very little choice, available food was warm not hot and not tasty. Decor was nice and staff was nice. I would really like a local to tell me has the buffet always been this small (apparently this restaurant has been around for decades) or did it used to be bigger in the past.

Pitiful buffet, rice, macaroni, egg rolls, bean sprouts, yeast side, ball of chicken dough with a fishy taste. Won tong soup. And no dessert except a small Chinese cookie. The rice was burnt and the rest of the dishes were not very hot. In short, were not going back.

Maybe you should update your hours so people dont go there for nothing

Good food, clean dining area. Very busy at supper time

Buffet was delicious but theres not enough variety. Waitresss are great. The place needs to be updated and better lighting its extremely depressingly dark in there Parking: Lots of parking across the street in the parking lot.

Vegetarian options: I loved my Vegetarian yummy...yummy Parking: Good Kid-friendliness: Very Friendly always a smiles Wheelchair accessibility: I have seen the rap

Food was pretty good. Rice tasted like cigarettes.

Lots o food; little cost. Great for casual dining.

Great food, service and prices. We will be going back for sure.

Satisfactory

You cant see what the food looks like due to those red heat lamps....the spare ribs and chicken wings were like eating jerky....had to spit them out....rice had a cardboard taste..not sure if it was minute rice....the eggs rolls and chicken balls were very chewy. Veggetable dishes were good and the doors on the bathroom are almost the height of the toilets....felt like I had no privacy.

I try to order, and they get it wrong because they dont speak English well at all. I repeat myself so many times and still wrong. Ill never order from this restaurant again what a waste of time and money

Food is great

Been going to Jack Lees since I was a small child, I m 57 and nothing has changed, it s delicious every time

For me I found the buffet very good, the soup is great and the price is not that expensive. It has to be good for me to leave Oka Quebec to have dinner at this restaurant

Good food great service

Its Canadian Chinese food, and a buffet. This place hasnt changed in 50 years, and its not a bad thing. You get exactly what youd have gotten here decades ago. Its comforting, and the prices are very good. I wish theyd serve a traditional dish here on the buffet, but thats me. A good place to take the family. Everyone will like something, and its inexpensive. Sweat and sour pork was delicious

Need new carpets big time.and chairs could look better.

Very out dated, but good food. Could use a huge face lift.

Best won ton soup, spare ribs, and chicken wings in this city! They are consistently great and the buffet is fantastic. Service is fantastic and love the nostalgia of the décor that remains after many years.

Its an old classic Chinese buffet.

Used to enjoy Jack Lees but the last time was a disaster. Rice was burnt beyond being edible and after putting plum sauce on everybodys plate realized that it was rancid. Called and they offered to replace the rice so $90.00 down the toilet. Never again.

Food is very good price is very good.

Love there buffet

Very nice and friendly place Good food

My husband & I visited this resturant for supper tonight.Very poor seletion of buffet. Food only luke warm. No shrimp or desert. Will be going else where in future.

Think they lost the ginger spice in the egg rolls so disgusting

Food was fresh and hot. Had the lunch buffet with wonton soup

Food is great. Got the #17 and there is so much food for two people but so worth the money. Absolutely delicious

Very good food for your dallar Staff are very good

Good

I visit from large cities, so a trip to this buffet is always on my list when I come to town. Excellent value. The chicken wings alone make it worth it. Lunch buffet leaves you wanting more selection, Dinner buffet leaves you STUFFED. Once you learn to pick out the ribs that are still tender.....happy days.

Went to Jackie Lees I loved that place but be the last time wings left over from the night before buffet was cold chow main terrible taste to it

Terrible service, I have allergies and am ALWAYS, very specific, twice now i call back because they screwed up and told the order wont be replaced because of their memory issues, absolutely will not order from here again, d9nebeing treated and called a liar from theses people, and to think this used to be my favorite restaurant.

This place was the best Chinese in town but now the food is dry, very little selection and the upkeep of the restaurant is bad. Dinner is the best time to go.

Terrible food me and my mom went for lunch the food was Terrible the selection was Terrible and we both are sick to our stomach this restaurant should be shut down worse food I ever had in my life. Do not go here !!!

We love this food!!