Just Jakes in Duncan

Excellent small town vibes with a great menu and super friendly staff

Great food reasonable price great staff and good beer

We heard the food was good here, but that was not the case. The food in general was very salty, the beverages were super flat, the rice and salmon were super dry. I can t recommend Just Jake s.

Great place in the Heart of Duncan. Great food.

Keep walking

Two words: Dont bother. Deplorable service (we waited over an hour for our food and the place wasnt busy), and the food, when it arrived, was awful. I had baked salmon that was so dried out it was almost inedible, on a bed of rice that was practically cold.

We waited more than 2 hours for food not impressed. The waitress didnt even come to offer more drinks or clear the appetizers. Terrible service.

What a wonderful hidden gem in this beautiful place we were passing through on a Sunday evening. All the food was delicious and the service was impeccable. Strange smell at first walking in but everything else was awesome. I will go back.

Great food. Awsome beer selection. Top notch service. Outstanding deserts.

Service was prompt and cheerful. Server listened. Atmosphere was dark and tired. I had a tuna salad, dressing was very sugary, walnuts soaked in honey or maple syrup. For those that want the strong emphasis on sweet sugar, it would be ok. I didn t expect so much sugar on a salad. Yuk.

Favorite place in duncan for great food and craft beer

Excellent meal all round. We had the crispy chicken burger and the teriyaki chicken. Came away full and satisfied.

High quality food. A little slow on the speed after order. But food quality very good.

Really enjoyed the evening, the food was really good, the waitresses were very good, and the atmosphere was befitting of that of a nice pub.

Great food service is better than expected with friendly staff. Relaxed environment

Delicious food & friendly service!

Great people, and incredible menu! one of the best ceasers Ive ever had c: beef dip was unreal and so was the crab dip definitely recommend this place

Didnt actually eat there. The waitress said the food might contain Gluten so we went elsewhere. We first went there because the online menu said GF Items but they do not have a clean frier. Dietary restrictions: Not actually gluten free if they dont have a separate frier.

Cant go wrong -- delish. Friendly and accommodating Staff ! 5 +++

The food was good, the service was good,friendly, an overall good experience

Nolan made my dining experience really enjoyable

Great meal, and service.

The food here is consistently terrible. I keep hoping it will be different as it has a nice atmosphere. The food is not fresh; more like pub food cooked from frozen. The cocktails are bad.

Came here for lunch. Service was decent, but the food left a lot to be desired. Very bland and took an hour for the food to come out even though the restaurant was empty.

My friends coffee was cold and he didnt order it that way! The portions were really small, I almost wondered if I ordered from the kids menu by mistake. Then she had the nerve to charge me for hot sauce?! And I was charged for guacamole that I didnt order. Im over this place

Always great food.

Great food, good place to visit with family. Awesome service Amy. Thank you Food : 5/5

Thursday April 6th Theres nothing I like more than the perfect beef dip! 10/10 My friend really enjoyed the burger, he rates it 9/10 Waitress was very friendly and helpful 10/10 Bartending was lacking this night 5/10 Service was great however this night lacked a proper bartender. Very possible just short staffed on this day, so all forgiven.The waitresses seemed to be doing the bartending themselves? With the right bartender this place could be top-top notch! Kid-friendliness: Saw families there as well as adults. Would feel comfortable bringing the family here.

We ordered the special after the server assured us it was not spicy(hot) and we could not eat it it was sooo hot. Took it home and added sour cream to make it milder but didnt work. The dip with pita was good!

Jakes is not good. Caesar salad was just soaking in dressing. Sloppy mess. Burger bun was stale and then over toasted. Quesadilla was tasteless and over cooked. More care need to be taken with the food.

Always sold out of chowder. Every time I ve gone. Food is sub par at best.

Courtesy service with friendly atmosphere

Love this place! Always great service & food.

Wonderful staff from greet to service to paying the bill. Stay for dessert. The food was on target, the atmosphere...well, we named it The Swan Deck. Loved it, definitely recommend.

Food was good, beer was good. Service was spot on. 3 levels of seating.

Excellent food! Great service

Loved the roof top patio, food was pretty decent, server was super friendly. Would come back !

Great spot for lunch and dinner. Nice atmosphere to gather with friends and family and delicious food - especially the nachos! Parking: There are parking spots right outside and along the nearby streets.

Good service. Good food. Nice place.

Even though it was unexpectedly busy they still didnt forget us and the food was amazing

Service was good, staff was good. food was, Ok. Nice place. We all had different dishes. Some were really good, some were not. Food

Brought my girlfriend here for our anniversary. The food was brought out quickly and tasted amazing, easily the best burger Ive had in and around Duncan. The waitress for our table was exceptional. She was very friendly and went out of her way to help my girlfriend and I get a nice photo together. We will definitely be returning!

Very cool place. Great for a night out with family.

Waited over an hour for our food and when we asked about it, the waitress said there was a large crowd tonight and we would need to wait another 20 to 25 minutes. We could not wait as we were going to the theatre and said we would have to get it to go. We got our food for no charge after we suggested it but we should have been told that there was a very long waiting period to get any food. Not a good experience!

good food!

$33 for a steak that claims to be 7oz. Id pay $15 for it. Super over priced. The server didnt tell us her name but I had a feeling she was new. You can do better but no harm no foul there. The place was nice and well kept.

Quesadilla was disappointing. Tortilla was dry and crusty and crumbled when I tried to eat it . Fish tacos looked great! Food

Service was lovely but beef dip was served on a hot dog bun and we could make a better steak at home.

Friendly staff, warm atmosphere and great food

Food was great, kids liked it. Prices were decent. Nice atmosphere.

Good atmosphere, had the NY steak medium rare, it was cooked right but a bit too much gristle. Otherwise, a great meal.

I felt very cared for by my waitress who recommended a great beer and lunch. Highly recommend

I just had the steak sandwich with potatoes, carrots and onion rings... It was delicious! The steak was tender and flavourful and everything was cooked to perfection, I highly recommend it!

Not happy. Sometimes when I go there, its great; great service, great food. Other times, its awful. Like today, I get served food sitting in a 3mm deep pool of fryer oil. I was eating and couldnt figure out why my fries were all soaking wet, as if with water. As I get to the bottom of the dish, I realize its a huge pool of oil. I was starving, so I kept trying to eat it, but it was a huge amount of oil. I told the waitress that it was inedible, and that I couldnt eat any more of it, but I was still hungry. She dgaf and handed me the bill at full price. So I paid full price and tip to feel sick from ingesting a ton of grease and to leave still hungry. Even though its my favourite restaurant, I cant afford to pay for food I cant eat.

Food was very good, but it is cold in the restaurant. Wear warm clothing

Been to JJ many times in the past. Havent been in six months. Went to JJ for early dinner today by myself. Only one other table of three in the restaurant. The server was engaging and pleasant. Had the salmon bowl. Sadly, the salmon was so tart and salty it was mostly inedible. The sauce - ginger and soya - was bitter and excessively salty, practically brine. Vegetables were okay. Only ate half the dish. Ill probably visit again, but todays meal was a waste of money.

Appetizers were amazing. Entrees were less impressive. Mentioned that my wifes entree was slightly overdone and no bill adjustment or offer to remake was made. Service was a bit chaotic. Not sure if we will return but happy we tried it.

Had a late lunch Reuben sandwich and side ceaser. Did not take long to feel really sick with suspected food poisoning. Be a while before we try that again.

RAT IN A TRAP CAME OUT OF NO WHERE AND STRUGGLED ACROSS THE FLOOR IN FRONT OF 5 FULL TABLES! Took them a few minutes to come and remove the screaming rat. They took the drinks off our bill maybe to try to make us not post anything about it but that s just not okay. Our server was very friendly but im sorry that doesnt make up for a live rat stuck in a trap running across the floor!

We were visiting Duncan and found Just Jakes by chance! A stroke of luck! Great food! Good beer! And very nice service! I had forgotten my bag in the restaurant and a nice gentleman from the staff ran after us to give me the bag :-) thank you again

Fantastic food, drinks and service. Would highly recommend

Shared some great appetizers with a friend - always always good - food, service and general atmosphere EVERYTHING!

The usual awesome service, great food (chicken quesidea), and charming atmosphere. Will always go back there!!

Good atmosphere, good service. The reason for the 3 stars is the food wasnt very good. Very bland.

Penne Alfredo cold...and add on chicken pink inside...why!!

Great food and we had a great server. Highly recommend.

Came here on our last night in the Duncan area during a brutal heat wave. Despite being hot the staff was friendly and the food good.

Good place to go if you like quality. Best house specials plus a good place to spend time in the heart of Duncan.

Yorkshire pudding appy is really good

Friends and I have chosen Just Jake s as THE place we go to for a girl s lunch once a month for the past three months food delicious and good selection; service great; and decent prices nice friendly atmosphere!! It was nice to be able to visit and actually hear each other because it wasn t too noisy!! We will definitely be back!

Serve was slow and the meal was just ok

It will be a looooong time before I eat here again. Last night we waited 10+ minutes just for a glass of water! The waitress, when ever she showed her face , warned us it would be a wait as the brew pub was busy and the kitchen overwhelmed...understandable. We had no idea that meant we would wait 1 AND 3/4 HOURS! With a toddler at our table,that felt like an eternity and we were late getting home! To top it off the portions were small and the food just OK,definitely NOT worth the wait. We left hungry and disappointed. Not sure if I will ever go back. Now you have been warned. Saturday dinner time, expect a very long wait with out much reward. Oh ya, did I mention the stomache ache I have been suffering with all morning?

Ordered 2 taco salads, great if you like lettuce, looked like it was missing everything else

Great food, great service, great portion sizes

Excellent dinners one of our favorite places to eat. Servers are friendly and courteous

Purchased a cake for a friend from JUST DESSERTS and, unfortunately, the cake has almost no decorations and looks very messy :(

My first time here and I had one of the most perfect burgers with yam fries. Home made patty that was super juicy and a great bun that didnt disintegrate. The yam fries were also the best Ive had in years. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I also had a bite of my friends taco salad and remembering it makes me almost regret the decision to order the burger and yam fries, which means a lot with how perfect the burger was. 100 percent on the food. Service was fantastic too. I am going back again.

Great food and amazing staff

The food is great. Grilled fish Tacos instead of deep fried. Comfort food and healthy alternatives. Try the Greek Caesar. So happy to find a local restaurant that doesn t deep fry everything and isn t a chain!

Fresh, tasty and local food. Friendly staff. Cozy ambiance with lots of paintings from local artists. I would definitely come back.

Delicious food, excellent service

Great service delicious Curry.

A nice experience, great food and friendly service

Almost summer.... enjoyed some fun friday food fare and great service thx from Nanaimo.

Low review based on attitude of staff. Example .. tall young female behind the bar, um keep your fn eye rolls for when NOT in front of table of paying customers. Totally not warranted. Lots of choices in town , people will go where they feel welcome.

I really enjoyed this place! It was really welcoming, a varied and tasty menu... good prices too.

Well as you can see in the photo...the nacho are so awesome we ate the lot. The staff is great and so is the food. Check them out.

My son said the Craig St burger was awesome! I highly recommend the chicken curry. The service was excellent considering there was only one server for twenty-eight of us! Thanks again Brooklyn, youre a true professional

Always fast and fresh. Great service. Something for everyone.

The food is just okay. I ve tried going a few times now hoping the food would be better but it s always disappointing.

Great restaurant in Duncan! The food is great and the atmosphere is fantastic. Have nothing bad to say!

Food was delicious but felt neglected by the waitress. It took forever to receive our waters.... Willing to give this place another chance because the restaurant was cozy and had a great menu

Fabulous food. Fish tacos were delish. Loved the local wine. Ambiance and service were fantastic.

Good burgers.

Nice food and service

thank you a great take out,

Always great food and awesome service at this local landmark.

Great food and service.

This place should be called Just Terrible! The price you pay for what you get is ridiculous. It used to be great when it first opened but prices are way to high and service is subpar. I would avoid this place, theres better places in town for food and price point.

Great waitress and the food we ordered was quick and delicious.

Service was great. Drinks and Appetizers came fast. Food was delicious. Social distancing was in place. Overall very enjoyable!

My friend and I had lunch at Just Jakes last Thursday. What a treat, we often eat there but was concerned how they were managing spacing etc. No need to worry, well spaced and as always helpful, friendly staff. I had the blackened snapper and could have eaten that dish twice over, so tasty. Thank you to the staff for all you do.

We just moved to this area and went downtown Duncan to find a restaurant for Sunday lunch. Very disappointed that we went to Jakes. My wife hamburger had hair in it. She was lucky that she opened it up to make sure it had the right condiments on it and saw the hair. Of course she sent it back. no apology from the chef. utter lack of concern. and this is during covid. Obviously this person has no customer retention skills whatsoever. We wont return.

Excellent service!

We had great hopes for JJ but were very disappointed. Our window reservation request was not honoured and the four in our party found the food under flavoured,over salted and greasy. The restaurant had been well reviewed ...clearly in decline! Never again!

Their crispy chicken burger (I add bacon) is one of my favorite foods ever! I dont know what they do but its the best in Duncan and I keep going back for it.

Just the perfect little place for a date night escape. The servers were welcoming and efficient, our food was delicious and quick, and the ambiance for a romantic setting was spot on. I will definately put this place on our favorite date night list when we have time to get out of Nanaimo for a drive to Duncan.

Enjoyed dinner. Food very tasty. We had Mediterranean crab dip to start, Philadelphia cheese stake, french onion soup and beef dip. Many flavors and tender. Service was quick and pleasant. Will come back to try burgers.

Excellent food, very relaxing, prompt service

Amazing food and great staff. Excellent Burger and desserts.

Good food and beer. Service was ok, I will think twice coming here with kids next time.

Delicious food and casual atmosphere.

I Don t go here often but when I do, I m always happy with the quality of the food and the Professional yEt fun staff. I ordered Spicy panci shrimp and Fish tacos with hot sauce ( I like spicy food ). The shrimp came with garlic bread which has a very different slightly charred taste and was incredible. The shrimp, around 5-7, came in a small skilled on a wooden cutting board still searing in garlic butter and spices. After waiting slightly to cool, the shrimp was amazing and after you could dip the garlic bread into the garlic spice from the shrimp . For the main course everything came in small bowls on another cutting board. The fish was soft and flakey and was seasoned nicely. Everything came together perfectly and was overall a very enjoyable meal. 10/10 would recommend.

Vacationing from South Dakota, stopped on our way from Tofino, what a great find, pasta, prime rib sandwhich, and fish tacos amazing . Wait staff top notch.

Excellent service and food was delicious. Our waitress was very sweet and friendly. Made our visit very enjoyable.

If you are looking for a relaxing place with great atmosphere great food and friendly service. Jakes is the place. Whitney and everyone are awesome. Oh, the beer, 2 thumbs up.

Nice clean and bright place. Waitress was very attentive and food was great. Half price appies was a nice surprise.

Been there a few times now, food is mediocre at best. The place itself smells like the dish pit of any restaurant... Pretty disgusting. Service was not great also. Wont be going back fit a third time.

Portobello burger is a die hard fave, add some sweet potato fries and you have an excellent lunch. Great service and wonderful atmosphere. My sever was super sweet, she was busy with others but was still very attentive and helpful. Definitely love seeing how this place has grown. A must stop if you get hungry for excellent quality food.

Great service really good food. Right down town.

I live in Duncan and this was my first visit to this restaurant. I was unimpressed within three minutes when I was told they couldnt fill my order for a spinach salad and then charged me extra for putting some feta on my garden salad. Lots of other great places to eat in Duncan, dont think Ill bother to go back to this one.

Amazing staff and great food, could not recommend this place enough for families

Food was very good but we were on a time constraint and it took over an hour to get the appetizers we ordered. Completely unacceptable. Appetizers should not take over an hour! 5 minutes to eat and run out the door. Not a pleasant experience.

Fabulous food and great service. Reasonable prices. Recommended to me and now a fave spot. Now I m giving the recommendation!!

Great craft beer and really good food...all comfort Im my opinion. Just Jakes and the Craig Street Brew pub beside it is a regular watering hole for me and my associates. Never disappointed.

I like the atmosphere and vibe at Just Jakes...the food and service was outstanding too....Ill definitely go back.

Had a wonderful dinner out. Food was great and service was quick

Steak was perfect. Good service.

It wasnt bad, but it wasnt as good as the ratings would suggest. We were served disassembled tacos with grated marble cheddar cheese, mago salsa, fish, and cabagemole (cabbage mashed with avocado). Nice try at a nice dish, but it was a miss overall. The curry was ok, but the Nan bread tasted like Montreal steak spice. It was certainly nothing to go back for. The wait staff was really nice though.

Great lunch. Thanks!

Fresh ingredients fun atmosphere

Great food, very generous portions. Friendly staff

Very friendly staff. The menu is balanced and not too large. The food and beer was delicious and really hit the spot on a hot a hot day.

It was suggested that I try Jakes Bakery when I booked reservations for a table of 8 for a Birthday party. I had asked if I could bring my own cake but there is cutting fee added because they have desserts through their bakery. Thats fine I checked out the bakery menu online & the cake menu looked great so I called Jakes Bakery knowing it states 72 hour notice required to order a cake and left detailed msg with dates times etc & no one returned my call until the day of my reservation (6 hours) prior to our arrival and when I said what happened and that now I have a cake there was no apology or explanation as to why my call was not returned?! Of course I had a cake ordered by then to bring that evening from another bakery & yes I was charged the cutting fee. Food was good, service was good but we arrived to no air conditioning & had to move to brew pub. It was 31 degrees outside in Aug.

My husband and I were there this evening. The food was great and the service was great. I had the Greek salad with Cajun chicken it was really good but needed a bit more sauce. My husband had a burger and poutine. He also said that it was really good. We also had pita and it was the best pita I ve ever had. We will be back again for sure.

No wait. A/C was wonderful on hot day. Food was excellent. Service was great! Will return again.

Great family dining in the heart of down town Duncan. Large menu, good service

Visited Just Jakes recently and had the best burger ever and great hospitality.

Good food and friendly staff. Waited for food for almost an hour as the pub next door filled up and they seem to share a kitchen.

Wasnt up to its usual standard if food or service

Food and drinks were absolutely delicious

They have a gluten-free menu! The place is cozy, good food! Super family friendly!

The Blue cheese burger is to die for! Delicious, cheesy goodness.

Burgers are amazing. Great place to bring kids.

There was a long wait for food, which they did tell us about up front. Food was ok. Friendly service

Good food, good portions, good price.

Very friendly. Great service and amazing food!

Food is very good, like their beer

Food was good. Steak cooked nicely. Food took 1hr to get to us tho so thats why 4 stars not 5

Cozy, great staff and great food. Love it here :-)

Very friendly staff and very attentive to customers. Great food and specials throughout the week. Great beer too!

I went for lunch and had great food and service. Moderately priced. Good location for downtown shopping and services.

Food was great and waitress staff was awesome