Jake O’Connor’s

We’ve had great dishes and great beers at Jake’s. They have a heavy Irish pub feel we love in the atmosphere and we like the ability to bring our family there. They have friendly management, and we’ve always been able to get right in. Only a time or two has the service been off on a not-​so busy night, with no explanation as to why everything was late in arriving to the table. We’ll continue to give it a try, and update to 5 stars if we’re able!

I am a big fan of Jake’s. I have always found the service to be professional, friendly but not overbearing. The have fabulous bloody Mary’s and good Irish fare as well. It is my favorite place to go in Excelsior on the rare nights that I go out.

An Irish bar, not quite an original idea, but it has all the right fixtures and fittings. Hence the atmosphere is pretty ambient. The service is attentive and quick from the hostess and the bartender.
The menu is extensive and sounds great.
I tried the mussels which were pretty good. However, I supplemented with fries, and I think this gives the game away. Poor quality frozen fries. I suspect the presence of Sisco or USfoods here. Quality places make their own fries.

We always enjoy our food here, whether it is for lunch or dinner. Good service and atmosphere, really relaxed, and a good mix of Irish classics and bar food.
Their Salmon dish with pesto is delicious. It’s really simple and always cooked well, not dry. The corned beef sandwich is really good too! It comes with a potato side and a pickle. Nicely done with a good mustard and onions. We also always try to start with oysters if they have them, when they do they are always served fresh and promptly.
We have never had bad service here. The staff is great! Friendly, efficient, and will remember you if you have been there before. Good job guys!

I was a little surprised that this Irish Pub wasn’t listed a little higher on the Unilocal for Excelsior. None the less, the restaurant had a good reputation and had 3.5 stars on Unilocal so there I was at the Pub. The service was slow– it took about 20 minutes to get our drinks (two sodas and one beer), and only about half the tables were taken. But that would be my only complaint. The atmosphere was very nice and the staff were pleasant. But most importantly the food was great. I had the corned beef sandwich on a pretzel roll, and my goodness it was swell! The other orders were a seafood pasta and burger which were also reported as good. But the corned beef sandwich was the highlight! They said the fish and chips were good too, but you can get that at a number of places. So all in all, four stars and get the corned beef!

Best place for food and drinks in Excelsior.
A proper Irish pub.
Great food. Good choice of traditional pub selections and higher end offerings.
Great beer and whiskey selection.
Perfect ambiance.
Consistently pleasant and attentive service.
The only item I’d avoid on the menu is oddly the Shepard’s Pie. It may be a traditional recipe that I’m not familiar with, but it’s not a great choice in my opinion. Everything else has been great. Everything else has been great.

I like to think that any restaurant that has good staff retention is a winner. Many of these people have been around for multiple years and they are awesome! Must haves: chicken tender appetizer, mini tenderloin sandwiches, fish and chips (obviously!), and oh my the potpie! Sitting out on the patio and in the basement cellar are my two favorite spots. A little dark on the inside for lunch but makes for a romantic and cozy dinner!

I’ve been to Jake O’Connor’s numerous times and everything was fantastic with one exception. On one visit our steaks were a little undercooked. Our server immediately rectified the problem and had the kitchen make us new steaks and even bought us a round of drinks for our troubles. The owners of this establishment obviously put in a lot of time making sure that everything is just right and it shows. The staff is friendly and well trained. I have also been to their sister property Lola’s Lake House and again can only rave about how great everything is and how friendly the staff is.

I’ve been to Jake’s many times and have never had a bad experience. Food is the best Irish pub fare I have tasted in Minnesota. I recommend trying the Irish classics: the potato soup with brown bread, fish and chips, Shepard’s pie, and boxty. The pot pie is also to die for. Definitely add it to your rotation!

I’m an Excelsior local and Jake’s is probably my favorite spot in town for numerous reasons, respectively:
1.) Their staff /​service. I haven’t had a bad server at Jake’s and have gotten to know the bartenders personally, all of which I really like. I’ve even met 2 managers, and they were both great, and run a really great team of front-​house.
2.) The food /​menu. Okay foodies, this isn’t you’re place for groundbreaking dishes of pioneering originality and artistic presentation, BUT, it’s a great Irish/​American bar that offers good food for an ok price (Jake’s is a bit pricey, but so is everything in Excelsior). I’ve had almost all of the app’s — The mussels are amazing and plentiful. They are always extremely upfront about exactly when the oysters came in, and usually have a pretty decent selection (typically Blue points, PEI, and an Alaskan). The menu is pretty big, but not too big. It offers enough for most any person to find a dish that is right for them, but it doesn’t overwhelm you… you don’t get worried that it’s so large that they couldn’t focus on making that many great dishes. All of their dishes are solid. They are always cooked to perfection, and usually comes out pretty quick.
3.) The atmosphere. The layout is a bit unorthodox, and I do wish the bar was structured a little differently. It’d be better if it was a full circle, but they’d have to cut down on seating if they did so. That’s one area they could improve, but otherwise they offer a great «Irish Pub» experience
Excelsior is a very unique town and very happy to have them here. Great alternative to Maynard’s/Bayside (but not an apples to apples comparison — usually you go to the latter 2 places for the lake expereience, Jake’s does not offer that)

Cool ambiance, great service, unique and delicious food options. Sweet potato wedges were amazing, porkchops and snapper were good, kale and cranberry salad was awesome. Good variety of beers and food.

Stopped in for the first time tonight an I’m glad I did! The waitstaff was amazing with their service and the food was just as good.
I had the fish n chips ($ 14.94) and it was more than I could eat. I would say the fish had to be a 16 to 20 oz piece of fish with a double helping of fries.
My wife tried the small 5oz steak filet with asparagus and baby reds ($ 19.95). Steak was perfectly cooked and would order again without hesitation.
Overall just a great place to eat with waitstaff that take great care of you. I highly recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a place with great food and a unique environment.

Excellent spot with a wide range of food. Gorgeous interior. This place is very versatile. Family-​friendly, but also good for a business meeting or a high-​end dinner. The seafood is always done very well, and the traditional Irish fare is outstanding. On weekend nights, a downstairs bar is open for a more casual feel and more seating.
If you come in the summer, you can get a nice sidewalk table. All in all, this place is one of the better Irish Pubs I’ve ever been to.

Shouldn’t have sat inside in such great weather, but it ended up being worth it. Took the server’s advice & ordered something I wouldn’t have otherwise tried — the Bushmills braised beef sandwich — and it was amazing. The booths were great for making you feel like you had some privacy.

Meh, though the atmosphere is different, you can get many similar menu items, executed better, for less money, at the Port of Excelsior.

The food is consistent, I especially like to get the Seared Steak Salad (they have gluten free options on their menu, which is super). They have good french fries. However, the service is usually slow. I eat Jakes fairly often since I work in Excelsior. When I go in to eat in the restaurant, even if I’m not in a hurry, I will ask for the check to come with the food because the servers take so long to check in after food is delivered. Sometimes I’m in the mood to linger and sometimes I’m ready to hit the road. Either way, the server should be on top of bringing the check at the right time. It seems like there are always a lot of servers on staff, but I wonder if service is slow because the kitchen is short staffed? When I order my food for take-​out, I pick up and pay through the bartender, who doesn’t always seem happy to fulfill take-​out orders. Overall, I like Jakes.

Great ambience and nice place for a drink with friends. Nicely decorated with lots of imported stained glass work from Ireland. The corn beef dish was okay but not great. The cabbage was the best tasting of the parts of my meal. My guests loved their corn beef sandwiches and fries. The service was good and so were the beers on tap. I think they could improve on their food as I have had better corn beef than this place.

This place is awesome! The hostess was great and really represented well. She sat my date and I in the back room which was so cool. The entire atmosphere of the place is definitely a pub feel but more on an upscale level. We were to late for breakfast but the still accommodated us without any problems. The food was pretty good, not the best omelette I’ve had but hey, it’s an omelette! I would definitely recommend this place for sure!

Jake O’Connor’s is a delightful little Irish-​themed pub in beautiful downtown Excelsior. Personally, I wish everyone knew what a lovely little town Excelsior is, but at the same time, I kind of don’t, because I like being able to walk into O’Connor’s and not have to wait forever to get a table.
In each review, I’ve tried to offer a tip. Here, I’ll likely offer a few because honestly, this is one of my favorite places in the entire Twin Cities metro area. So here, let me offer my first one so that your night at O’Connor’s can start out right.
Tip: When you walk in, ask if they are seating downstairs. Downstairs as in the basement. Especially if you’re on a date or just feeling the need for some good atmosphere. The basement is stone with wooden beams, mixed tables, its own bar, and nice low lighting. It’s rustic and relaxing. They won’t often seat you down here unless you ask, so ask!
When you walk into O’Connor’s, you’ll experience one of my favorite pub sensations — smelling beer. I love walking into a pub and smelling beer. It’s so comforting, right?
Décor is standard for an Irish pub — lots of dark wood, old books, vintage paintings, a cool mural, stained glass, etc. You get the idea. It’s clean, decently lighted, and just has a good feel overall, regardless of the time of year. In winter, it’s a good place to warm up, and in summer you can walk up right from the docks and cool off with a cold drink.
The food. I do love O’Connor’s. I don’t love every single thing on the menu. We’ll get to that, because I’m fair. Appetizers are pretty standard for an Irish place — we’ve never had anything that really stood out as being terribly unique, but nothing is bad, either. It’s a good «safe» app menu.
The very first time we came here, I had a really great chicken pasta. It utilized dark and white meat, which was unexpected, and gave the dish a «wild» flavor that wasn’t at all gamey and very interesting. Which brings me to my next tip.
Tip: O’Connor’s menu changes seasonally, so if you love something, eat a lot of it because it may not be there when you come back.
My favorite thing on the menu, by far, is the Pork Porterhouse. It’s basically a huge pork steak, with this really tangy apple glaze? demiglace? shmear? on top of it. I usually pair mine with their carmelized brussel sprouts and a twice baked potato. It’s a heavy mean, but hey, I’m not looking to win an Iron Man contest anytime soon.
And another tip: The brussel sprouts. Have them. Trust Kit.
The only thing I’d hesitate to recommend is the current Seafood Fettuccine. It stank. It tasted pretty good — it had lobster, whole prawns (that sadly included the heads — they stared at me the whole time) and mussels. Seafood can be somewhat aromatic, but this just downright stank. I gave O’Connor’s the benefit of the doubt — and it tasted fine — but I just couldn’t get past the smell at all.
Desserts often change here, so at least get some to go on your way if you can’t stuff anything else in your gullet.
Service is always good here — O’Connor’s is always a win-​win.

2^nd time at Jake O’s and once again you did not let me down. You continue to be mediocre at best.
Calamari is supposed to be golden brown, not barely tan and sitting in a pool of grease. Pretty much uneatable.
Salmon sandwich… for the price one would think the fillet would be a bit bigger and actually have some flavor.
Plus side, you pour a decent pint and the ginger ale in your Jameson Ginger is tasty, with the crystal ginger bit being a nice touch.