Equus and Jack’s Lounge

This was our first time, at Equus & Jack’s. It was a nice Tuesday night dinner.
The atmosphere was very quiet, on the Equus side; dim lighting…
Next time, I would like to try the Jack’s Lounge side, but I do not love TVs, when I am having dinner. They had TVs, where we were, but, thankfully, they were off.
The service is slow, but not in a bad way. It is higher end restaurant slow. Just mentioned it, in case you are in a rush.
The water glasses were filled promptly; as I was thinking ‘I need more water’, my glass was filled. I did not have the think that twice.
The Cucumber Cooler cocktail was good. It was either in too small of a glass, or it went down too easily. Since I liked it so much, I got a glass, of red wine, with dinner. I love red wine, but I drink it slower, than other drinks. They have a nice cocktail list and lots of bourbons and scotch. They also have a nice wine list, but most are by the bottle. The selection by the glass is nice, though.
The crab cake appetizer is delicious.
The rolls, which I asked for, were soft, warm, and served, with butter.
My husband loved his Wedge Salad, with Rock Shrimp, on the side. He is picky about his shrimp and said it was really good.
The Scallop entrée, with puréed potatoes, roasted pearl onions, and spinach, with bacon, was so delicious!
I bet the desserts are incredible… next time.

I don’t know which is better, the service, food or cocktails. One thing I do know, they compliment each other for an enjoyable experience every time we go. Oh, it is very entertaining watching the 60 and 70 something year olds get their drink on and have a great time.

This place will now be my go to for New Years Eve (NYE) because it’s delicious food, a great price, and the best service from any restaurant I’ve ever been to!
For $ 60 I got a 5 course meal consisting of
1. Oysters Rockafeller: savory
2. Bibb Salad: solid staple
3 and 4. Double Beef tenderloin medallions with veggies, mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts
5. Crème brûlée– I DID NOT WANT DESSERT TO END!
Mine was the gluten free option, but I loved feeling included in this awesome prepared menu! You need to check this place out!

Dined on the patio at Jacks tonight for the first time in over a year. Slow service and our waitress seemed to be unhappy to be there. We had some nachos which were good, but a small amount for the price. My friend ordered the beet salad and mushroom soup. Very, very small salad and the small cup of mushroom soup had the consistency of water with no garnishments on top or anything in the soup, including mushrooms. I had the hamburger and it was nothing special at all. It came with sweet potato fries which were horrible looking… kind of gray and burnt and tasted as bad as they looked. When I asked for some dipping sauce, I was told they had mustard, ketchup, mayo, and steak sauce only. For the money, this was one of the most disappointing meals I have had out this year. I used to think Jacks had good food, but it was anything but that tonight! Way too much money for mediocre food and unfriendly, slow service.

Little hidden gem in St. Matthews. Menu has a great selection and is ever changing with specials. Very much a lounge spot for the 50+ crowd but don’t let that deter you if you’re not into the older crowd bar scene as the food make the place worthwhile!

We had dinner here with the company. The meal was delicious. The service satirical. Only one visit though, hard to judge. No complaints overall.

Friend and I enjoyed an early dinner here this evening. Perfect weather on the patio set the stage for a perfect meal. Chef Dunn is clearly in command in the kitchen. We toured through a bunch of shared appetizers. Fresh squash frites, lightly tempura battered, were crunchy and sweet with a peppery aioli for dipping. The play on red beans and rice was the hands down fave, with al dente beans, house made sausage and perfectly grilled shrimp topped by pickled onions on a bed of rice. Textures and flavors play with your palate. The mussels were fab as well, and then there was a luscious, creamy almost custardy summer squash soup. On to entrees, sea bass for the lady and pork shank for me. Both on par with the appetizers, creative and delicious. Dessert, a marvelous crème brûlée and trio of the house made ice creams. Coffee and a glass of port each. Yes, we pigged it. Don’t hate. This is really great food, by a highly skilled kitchen team at an old Louisville staple. Impeccable, polished and friendly service always on point.

Great experience and will definitely be going back! :)
We went on New Year’s Eve around 7:30pm for drinks at the Lounge without reservations and were still seated right away.
Service: 5 STARS. Outstanding! Our attendant Scott (that l found out as we left was also the bartender) was perfect! Great attitude, treated us well, didn’t rush or pressure us to make drink/​food decisions. He had perfect timing for offering more drinks and food when we seemed to want them and presented them well also. I am very picky when it comes to service because it’s something I’m paying for and Scott delivered 100%.
Atmosphere: 5 STARS. Classy yet casual. I was a little apprehensive about choosing this lounge because we wanted to spend the evening at a romantic, intimate, classy lounge without the pretentious stuffiness that typically comes along with it. Jack’s turned out to be perfect.
Pricing: 3 STARS. Seemed okay at first glance, not too high when reading the menu. When the food came out though, I felt the portion sizes were too small for the price. Specifically, the crab cakes were $ 8 and consisted of 2 very small cakes. The Calamari was $ 8.50 and was also a small portion.
Quality: 4 STARS. Very good.
The food: The crab cakes were good but had too much breading on the outside which blocked the crab taste. The calamari had good flavor but didn’t come with any dipping sauce so it dried in my mouth as I chewed it, becoming a bit of a task.
The drinks: Totally awesome! We had two glasses of red wine that were good but not quite cooled to the best temperature for serving (yes red wine should be served cool. «room temperature» doesn’t mean warm. but I digress) The Bourbon Ball martini was fantastic! and so was the Brandy Alexander! we strongly recommend both of these!
Enjoy! :)

Exceptional! Our party of 4 had a wonderful dining experience. The setting is surprisingly casual while the food is very upscale with great attention to detail. I started with the Bourbon Ball cocktail and that alone is worth a second visit to Jack’s. The Crispy Calamari appetizer with olives is so very good. We will pass next time on the Cheddar Tator Tots and order 2 calamari appetizers. The truffle aioli sauce with the Tator Tots tasted more like tartar sauce. One companion pronounced the Diver Scallops as very good; another had the Rock Shrimp Jenkins, also a favorite. I would venture to say that the two of us who ordered the Parmesan Crusted Sea Bass had the best meal of the evening. It was a very generous portion of flaky, perfectly cooked fish served with luscious whipped potatoes. I did not order dessert but my companions said the crème brûlée was very good. Our server was a very young woman who was very professional and knew the menu well. Bonus points to her for even knowing the specific ingredients in the cocktails! We can’t wait to return and I only hope the Sea Bass is still on the menu!

Very disappointing. The duck was a very small portion on a sticky flavorless risotto. The roasted broccoli was raw and simply burned. The steak with fingerling potatoes was quite good but it came with roasted Brussels sprouts that were also raw and burned. The special was sea trout, which ended up being very close to salmon. It was very good and included a better risotto. The manager provided free desserts when we told the server about the vegetables. The desserts were disappointing, too. All in all, with a cocktail for my wife and I and an order of calamari that was puzzlingly tossed in a sauce that rendered it soggy, but tasty, the three of us paid $ 138 before an 18% tip.

This «neighborhood gem» is anything but. The food is mostly salt. Our family had the fried chicken (best on the menu), pot roast and sea bass. The pot roast was so salty you couldn’t enjoy the slow roasted flavors. My sea bass was «fishy» and felt like day old fish. The clubiness of the restaurant meant our requests were often ignored or, at least, delayed for those who were there regularly. This restaurant is definitely not worth the money.

Just had another wonderful dinner! Our server, Gary Fox, is the best and suggested dinner selections that fit our diet program perfectly — even dessert. If you want great food and service in a comfortable setting, it doesn’t get better than Jack’s.

I was a little worried when my group for work decided upon this place for dinner after research. I was very skeptic and just the name along was hard to get over. When arriving to the place, the outside look left a lot to desire. My mind when to sports bar…
Do not let the name and the outside fool you! I was pleasantly surprise when I walked in and the restaurant was beautiful.
The menu had a great selection of food including some seafood options as well as Southern Cuisine.
I ordered for myself the sear scallops. They were cooked to perfection and they paired them with a risotto that was to die for! All of my coworkers food looked delicious specially the fish tacos and the Seabass.
The crowd was in the older age range, definitely my group was the outlier.
It’s true what they say, don’t judge the book by its cover and I guess by name as well!

My recent visit to Equus & Jack’s was my first but it certainly won’t be my last. I went here with a gift card (it’s a smidge pricey so it’s not a place that I would have frequented on a normal Friday without one!) and my SO and I were pretty impressed. We ordered the shrimp and grits as an appetizer and it was phenomenal — the grits were perfectly cooked. As an entrée I had the Caesar salad with crab cakes. The crab cakes were full of crab and practically no filler which is exactly how it should be! My boyfriend had the Creekstone Filet and he ate every bit of it. I am not a fan of steak but I tried a bit and it was very tender. The only complaint that I have about Equus and Jack’s is that the bartender has a VERY heavy hand when it comes to the cocktails — we could barely taste the mixer.

I always forget about this place but I’ve enjoyed every visit here. I recommend the nacho appetizer, the burgers, and the fried chicken. Bartender makes great drinks… I usually get the Old Fashioned. Also love the atmosphere. Very laid back but upscale at the same time.

I’ve been here maybe 3 times for fancier meals with friends from out of town. Last time we were here maybe a month ago they had Pappys available for tasting so we got a few and shared. It may or may not still be available, our waiter indicated they still had some around Kentucky Derby time last year.
I’ve tried many of their entrees, mostly by tricking my unsuspecting eating partners to look at fictional reindeer out the window while I cunningly steal small morsels of their food. But the best in terms of value and taste has to be the fried chicken. Not exactly traditional because it is served on top of mashed potatoes and you eat it with a knife and fork, but it is oh so crispy and delicious.
For desert I would recommend getting a Bourbon Ball (the alcoholic beverage kind) and possibly also some sort of sugary food to help soak up all the alcohol.

Being outside KY now, I no longer take for granted bourbon lounges. The bourbon menu was extensive and many options you do not usually see on a menu. Yes the have Pappy and all the years as well. My wife ordered the Bourbon Ball which she enjoyed enough to order another. I had a glass of Noah’s Creek, but before he ran away I could not tell him neat… thought a well-​run bourbon establishment would already know that. The atmosphere was very enjoyable and the couch was very comfortable. I couldn’t help but note the table across from us. It was two couples who in my personal opinion should have been cut off from their profanity and breaking a glass from lack of motor skills. Sometimes make the tough decision to tell a customer NO. When in the area I will return for the great lounge atmosphere.

My review reflects our last two visits. Before that, until the smoking ban kicked in, the food could not be enjoyed without the stench of secondhand smoke. It is now smokefree throughout. The bar and restaurant are comfy and lively. It’s definitely a regulars kind of place. Chef Dean’s crab cakes are excellent. Tonight we had wedge salad, fish tacos and seared scallops. All were superb! We had the nightly pot roast special last time and it was delicious. I love that they have reasonable small plates for sharing. Very nice choices and friendly service.

I spend quite a bit of time here. The people are great and the food is wonderful!
The pork wraps and Gnocchi are my favorite appetizers. and the scallops! (I think I might be hungry now because I also want a Kentucky Eggroll and Shrimp and Grits!)
Hope’s desserts are amazing! Her fried apple pie and house made ice creams are little bits of heaven!
I would be happy to send all of my friends here and so frequently bring people in from out of town.
Go Chef Tavis and Sous Chef Alex! You guys rock!

I wanted to give this place a four but the service was so terrible I could not bring myself to rate it any higher. Group of 6 for dinner. We ordered everything from the burger to salads to apps to entrees. Things were delivered at an odd pace and we had to wait for some to be served. The server bought duplicates of one of the apps when he brought the main course. The floor manager stepped in to help but since he did not know the orders it became a game of BINGO when he approached the table with a plate. The group tried the duck fries, shrimp & spinach wontons, and gnocchi. The salads were really nice and a good mix of ingredients. Service definitely needs some fine tuning to match the food.