Jack’s Place

Jack cooks a great meal at the right price. Pancakes are delish and more than 1 person should eat. Bacon is crazy good… Uses fresh ingredients.
Leave your credit card and ego outside as Jack only takes cash, no Bitcoin, and he is often out of stuff. There are rules.
This is where the extended North Old Town family goes to meet up. Join us for snarky comments and coffee.

Was in National harbor for a science conference and found this place just a few miles away! Great food and service! Thanks Jack! Is a cash only place!

This was a very good! Place to have breakfast! The Italian French Toast was amazing and the people were very nice!

We were able to immediately get a table at 12:15 on a Saturday. They stop serving breafast at 12:30 so the friendly server immediately took our order. The portions were huge! The pancakes were the same size of the plate and the veggie hash and omelet was loaded with fresh vegetables. The menu states they cook using olive oil. All I know is I truly enjoyed the freshness of the food and the quick service. I will definitely be back.

Great local place! French toast is incredible and so is the sunny side special! If you want to feel like a local come here for breakfast!

So this is seriously NO FRILLS. Do not expect «brunch» or even a diner feel. It’s a small shop that is primarily a grill and a bar and a couple tables. We were here for breakfast and left happy, full and satisfied with eggs, pancakes (one is plenty — they are huge), bacon, hash, etc. and it was super inexpensive.
One thing I really liked is that this feels like somewhere that there are a lot of regulars and there’s a bit of an etiquette of ordering at the bar, and talking to other customers. If you want a greasy delicious breakfast with a friendly atmosphere and good food, Jack’s is your place. Bring cash because it’s cash only.
The only things I would change would be the styrofoam plates and maybe make the coffee better.

I’ve tried to go to this place before but every time they have been closed. Its very small and I think Jack must be a huge fan of the Nats, he has pictures posted up all over his place and he wears a Nats baseball cap while slaving over the hot grill, seems like a super relaxed guy just livin the dream. The place is pretty small and I sat at one of the ~5 seats at the bar which faces the griddle and the waitress. Dont expect to bring a big group here and I would recommend as soon as you come in grab one of the menus at the bar and order there as well, seems to be the best plan of attack.
I had the western omelette, the egg was cooked perfectly, packed full of ham, grilled onions, and tomatoes. pretty inexpensive too, I believe it was ~$ 7.50. The coffee was nothing special even tho they have their own mugs (just a nice touch), they also ran out of half and half…
This place accepts cash only, there are signs posted all over. Naturally, I only had eight one dollar bills in my wallet and due to my low SA I didnt realize this until I was done eating, they were nice enough to let me run to King St. were the nearest ATM is located.

Some might say that breakfast is just breakfast, but it is never just breakfast as Jack’s Place. I don’t know what they do to their food. I don’t care for omelets. I love eggs, but not omelets. Jack’s omelets are not only packed with ingredients, but there is something that grabs your tastes buds and won’t let go. I always get the western with bacon and coffee. The only thing in the whole place that I don’t usually get is the hash brown. It is the basic, flat patty. Nothing wrong with that at all. It is fitting for the place. I just don’t care for it. I wish there were some fun spices on it. Outside of that I have enjoyed everything else there. They have great sandwiches too.
Jack’s Etiquette:
If you are sitting at the bar, pass the food or drinks to the table just past you. Siting at the bar means you ‘get involved.’ This is one of the things that makes Jack’s seem like you are eating with friends even though you don’t know anyone else in the place. It is so small that you become friendly very quickly.
I go to Jack’s when I can. The place is crazy small (5 two-​top tables, i think, with about 5 seats at the bar) with an unpretentious setting and atmosphere. If there is a wait when you arrive… you should wait. It will be worth it. Get out to Jack’s and take a friend! Oh, and Jack is CASH ONLY.

The pros…
Good food.
Low prices.
The cons…
If you are not a regular you will feel like it.
Cash only.
Styrofoam plates.
Ridiculously small and kind of dingy inside.
If I could give an extra half star I would. Don’t expect a gourmet dining experience and you won’t be disappointed.

Didn’t get to eat here server was too rude to deal with. Cash only. Maybe the food is good, didn’t stick around long enough to find out.

Good home cooking in Old Town. Jack would be the first to tell you that if you’re looking for something fancy, go somewhere else. The biggest drawback is the size. There are only two tables and about 10 stools. But, if you can get a seat, you’ll get a good breakfast at a reasonable price in Old Town. We didn’t have lunch, but I’ll bet it is as good as the breakfast and again, reasonable. If you are claustrophobic, avoid this place.

This place was just okay. I’ve had better sandwiches. I ordered a sausage, egg, and cheese toasted sandwich. My husband ordered a western omelette and he said he’s had better as well. Their menus have lots on them so maybe we just ordered some «not so popular» items. First come first serve seating. Limited seating. Place fits maybe 20 people. Cash only. 1 cook on the day we visited-​so service was slower… not sure if this is how it normally is. 1 cashier/​waitress. I wouldn’t even say «waitress» because you ordered at counter and picked up drinks/​food at counter. No one actually came to your table. Only saw 2 employees the whole time we were there. FYI.

I’m a long-​time Saturday morning regular here, so my affection for this place is so hard-​wired that I can’t fairly review it for better or worse. But I can offer a couple perspectives to help w/​your first visit:
1) The «breakfast usual» sandwich —- egg + american cheese + bacon-​lettuce-​tomato-​mayo — is really excellent and a nice, and a satisfying but not large breakfast itself. I usually get it on rye; sourdough good as well. If you don’t know what you want, that’s a good place to start. If you’re especially hungry, get an order of home fries (not the hash browns, which are pre-​made patties) with it.
2) Pancakes are large + thick — one is enough for most folks. Blueberry version almost always available and good. Generic faux-​maple syrup, however. French toast (choose the Italian bread version) well-​liked.
3) There’s a pretty regular set there, but it’s a friendly crew, I think. Seems busiest around 9:00 am — can be a little slow at the «rush» period around then.
4) Really hungry? The corned beef hash (served w/​two eggs) is pretty good — it’s made w/​chopped corned beef and large chunks of potatoes [it’s thankfully NOT the canned/​minced style w/​small potatoes that are served in some places]. Not always available, but usually available.
5) Jack’s is about a 5 minute stroll from the northeast corner of Alexandria City Hall plaza, where there’s a pretty good farmer’s market on Saturday mornings most of the year — so if you’re looking for another reason to come to Old Town, that’s a good thing to add to the itinerary. Probably best to park near Jack’s, walk to market, then come back for breakfast (parking is less available in blocks just adjacent to the Market/​City Hall).

Jack’s Place is the kind of place where you get great food and meet kind people. It’s small but it’s got heart! There’s only a few tables and the bar front to sit at and Jack runs the kitchen, takes your orders, and mingles with his customers. It’s cash only so make sure you come prepared. He’s got a breakfast and lunch menu– the hubs and I came for breakfast. We got two coffees and I ate the Breakfast Usual sandwich and he got Sunnyside Special. Both were delicious! I highly recommend this place if you’re in the mood for a little «hole in the wall» hospitality and a quick bite!

Went here for a breakfast before getting my hair and face did. Had a couple of the standard breakfast fare and it was all made right in front of us. standard eats, nothing that jumps out at me but the price reflected it.
Food ⁴⁄₅: tasted as expected. eggs are eggs, hash browns are hash browns. you’re not going to mess these up unless you really really suck
Atmosphere ⁴⁄₅: It’s a neighborhood joint! Tiny place was packed of regulars. Felt cozy and «old»
Value ⁴⁄₅: I think I spent $ 10 on breakfast w/​a coffee. not bad!

This is an old deli converted to a restaurant and to my quick observation, seats about 16 – 18 people including the 4 stools at the counter. Don’t come here with a group of 6 and expect quick service simply because it can’t accommodate it.
With that being said, breakfast is a straightforward menu except for the French Toast which is made with Italian bread, and I recommend. Walk in and grab the blue menu off the counter and order there as well.
I see other reviews mentioning how there are locals and maybe newbies are treated differently. Sure there are folks known by name, but the establishment is close to the water and not far from King St. It isn’t like they don’t see tourists. I was treated like any other patron.
Go enjoy this quaint little place.

What a great place. It feels like Jack is making breakfast since the end of the Vietnam war. And boy he does it well. Had the blueberry pancakes –big as a plate, fluffy and tasty, some crispy bacon and the corned beef hash. Yummers! Don’t miss out by going to some of these horrible chains

From my brief visit to Jack’s Place, I can see how some would be turned off by how the regulars might be treated as family and the newbies treated as second class citizens.
That wasn’t my experience at all, though. I was greeted with a good morning on a Saturday shortly after opening. Jack was at the grill, making sure everything met the high standards of his diner. The other staff member manning the register was very welcoming, though clearly the regulars had the inside track.
If you don’t get a menu when you sit down, just grab one from the counter (blue for breakfast). I selected (with a little Unilocaler help) the «breakfast usual» BLT+E on Italian bread. It was magnificent and a steal for Old Town.
Don’t be discouraged by those who say that non-​locals will get sub-​standard service. Just be friendly and down-​to-​earth, and you’ll be treated well.
PS: If you have a kind word to spare for John Elway, I think that it may be well-​received.

There’s only one word that can describe Jack’s Place: local. You can tell this joint was hopping before neighboring King Street became a mecca of tourism and lecherous guys with high and tights started infiltrating Old Town on weekends. The generations of pictures and photo-​holiday cards posted on the walls are a tell-​all of this little diner’s history. And there’s even a special wall for pet photos.
There are spots for precisely 16 people inside… four tables and the rest counter space, so it truly is a small mom and pop kinda place.
Breakfast is served Monday through Friday until 10:45, not quite sure about the weekend hours for breakfast. Breakfast prices here can only be beat by one place in the area — Blue and White Carryout — but here you get a much bigger menu, a choice of bread, and chairs to sit in. Well worth the extra fiddy cent for a breakfast sandwich.
They only use olive oil for their cooking, so even though the place looks like a grease spoon, it ends up tasting a lot better. dare I say healthy? The fresh tomatoes and green (not iceberg) lettuce agree.
I’ll definitely come back again, whenever I happen to have paper money on me (CASH ONLY), and if I become enough of a regular, maybe Meow Meow will find her photo on the wall!

Jack’s get points for being as close to a diner as Alexandria seems interested in offering. (Runner up award to Table Talk.)
We ended up here on a Saturday morning. The place is very, very small and you must show initiative to get service. As in, ask for a menu. Tell them when you are ready to order. Have your second, third and fourth choice ready when they announce they are out of things like sausage and chile and the type of bagel you really wanted.
The coffee is instant and it’s not easily refilled.
Food is okay. Just okay. The bacon servings are enormous and nothing’s so greasy as to be disgusting. It was just totally okay food in a very cramped environment with no real focus on pretending to care about your experience.
All of this would have been cool for 2/​3rds the price… but the two of us spend nearly 30 $ for breakfast. For that price, I want real coffee… and a kitchen that actually has what’s on the menu.