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Jack Astor's Bar & Grill
Category: Restaurants Canadian (Traditional) Canadian (Traditional) [Edit]
107 Shubie DrDartmouth, NS B3B 0C3
(902) 468-6080
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 1 am
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
13 reviews for Jack Astor's Bar & Grill
13 reviews in English
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Review from Bryn J.
Dartmouth, NS
12/28/2011
Before one of our friend's went home for Christmas, my fiance and I went to dinner with him at Jack Astor's, Dartmouth Crossing. It was a Saturday evening, during Christmas shopping season, so it was really busy there. There was a small wait for a table, when we first got there but it was nothing that was ridiculous.
I found the decor acceptable for a bar and grill type establishment except the fact of the hoards of TVs. Everywhere you looked there was a TV, it was odd and boarding on over stimulus.
I ordered a seafood pasta, my fiance ordered a burger with fries and our friend ordered a steak dinner. When my pasta came out, I started to eat it and then when looking through I realized that it was void of scallops. The menu stated it had shrimp AND scallops. I flagged down a server and it was promptly corrected. The dish itself was very, very good. I was surprised how good it was to be honest, considering this is a chain restaurant. Furthermore, the head hostess came over and said because of the error, my meal would be comp'd. I was impressed, as I was not expecting that.
My fiance's burger itself was a good portion,and it was cooked well, seasoned. The complaint with this dish, was the fries was a very small portion. Also, it had frizzled onions on the burger and he did not care for these.
Our friends meal, was a NY strip with baked potato and vegetable. The baked potato was huge, and the cheese on it looked like it was neon cheddar. The potato was so large, that he could not finish it. Also, the vegetable du jour was broccoli it seemed, but the piece on his plate was huge! It was way to big for presentation purposes and should have been cut into more manageable sizes. The steak he said was cooked to what he requested.
Overall, I am not big on chain restaurants, however Jack Astor's was good and they admitted when they made a mistake and fixed it promptly. Also, they went above and beyond my expectations to correct it. We will be visiting this place again in the future. -
Review from Ben B.
3/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
The scene: a quiet mid-afternoon on a Sunday, well between both lunch and dinnertime rushes. Our table of four enters, seats ourselves in the bar after chatting to a friendly hostess, and hope for the best.
The staff: there were about four to six on the bar side, three having a personal conversation, completely unfazed by the repeat eye contact I made in hopes of getting drinks or, at the very least, menus.
The pace: fifteen minutes later, a server arrived, wiped down the table, and said she'd be back with menus. Both tasks at once, I assume, proved too difficult. Drinks came quickly, and then it was another fifteen minutes or so before our orders were taken. It then took 45 minutes before our meals came back, during which other servers occasionally refreshed a fountain pop, none explaining or even acknowledging the wait time.
The food: despite the wait and against all odds, all four meals arrived hot and at the same time. Each meal was considered tasty (although I think the pizza got a lukewarm response) and my veggie burger was actually pretty nice for something I assume was largely reheated in a microwave. Nice barbecue sauce made all the difference. Unfortunately, my fries were flimsy and on the soggy side. The ones around the table were much better.
The resolution: After our meals, the original server must have decided she wanted her tip after all, awkwardly deciding to tell personal stories and retroactively apologizing for the delay (without explanation of cause). For me, this was adding insult to injury. The others were more forgiving.
The food saved the day but this was really rough...Listed in: Discovering Dartmouth, Dartmouth Crossing
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Review from Tarah F.
2/25/2012 1 photo
A few of my coworkers/friends and I came here for a drink and snack after our afternoon shifts at work in the Crossing this week, and it was much needed.
We sat at a booth in the bar and our server was very nice and we had no issues. We all ordered a drink, and I myself ordered the blue raspberry Jacks creation I believe it was called. It was delicious, but my only complaint is that there were actual raspberries put in the drink, so chunks kept going up my straw and I would then choke them down. I ordered the Chicken BLT poutine without onions, because it sounded really interesting. It was a combination of fries, curds, gravy, chicken, tomatoes, lettuce and a garlic mayo. It was very yummy and I would order it again. It was a decent size for the $9 cost as well.
I do not come to Jacks much but it's a good spot for an occasional drink and small meal. I find the other meal options a bit expensive but it could be worse. -
Review from Simon C.
Lower Sackville, NS
1/25/2012
Me and my wife were there yesterday for lunch and it was excellent! The service was great, portions were good, and we will definitely be going back in the future!
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Review from David H.
11/25/2011
Terrible tastes and plenty of fail sauce.
I ordered the fries with poutine as a starter - big mistake. This had sausage that tasted like pepperoni and looked like fake bacon bits (that strange orange-red color than can't be natural). The mix of flavors didn't go together and this upset my stomach.
I followed my unappetizing fries with a huge risk - buttered chicken. I didn't think it was a good idea to order Indian food from a place like Jack Astor's but I disregarded my gut feelings and ended up with literal bad gut feelings.
The buttered chicken was sickly sugary sweet. The "naan" was the same consistency as pita bread. The portion was adequate but it is hard to tell when each bite of food is labor in itself.
My review shouldn't count for the entire restaurant because I think the burgers looked fine. Contradicting myself a restaurant shouldn't serve even a single dish as bad as the butter chicken. I am not Canadian so I don't know if super sweet and lack of real Indian spices is a local take that accommodates the particular taste-buds of the Halifax community. I have been to India, not all of it but parts of the West and North, with a single dive into the South in and around Chennai (Madras). This food I ate didn't resemble Indian food at all.
I will never eat at Jack Astor's again because I didn't get away from the place with only a bad taste in my mouth. I left with an upset stomach and some self loathing.
WHY DID I ORDER INDIAN FOOD AT JACK ASTOR'S? Fool me once shame on you - fool anyone else that reads this review and please comment or re-post this review to try and save other prospective customers from suffering the same fate. -
Review from Philip H.
Halifax, NS
11/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've been putting off their review, because I keeping going back to TRY and like this place... but I can't. I simply don't understand the stacks of TV's looping ridiculas clips. I know they want to have an upbeat, quirky feel, which they get from all the framed far-side comics on the wall and funny chalkboard drawings. Sometimes less is more, and more is too much. If I wanted to look at TV's, I would go to the bar side that has them lining the walls.
Food is mediocre at best. One thing that they do well is the nachos, for the price they are huge and a meal themselves even if they are on the starters menu. My buddies nachos (starter) was twice as much food as my entree.
Years ago they used to have a dish called Chicken Fried Chicken. I loved it. I'm always hoping it will appear back on the menu. Alas is doesn't and I feel a bit disappointed each time.
The staff have always been great, friendly, joking around, letting us draw interesting things with the crayons (they have paper on the tables to draw on... great for the kids and kids at heart). -
Review from Lisa M.
Dartmouth, NS
10/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great place to grab a sit down lunch on a work day. They have lots of gluten free options just ask for the separate menu. Friendly staff and lots of tv's on the bar side to catch the game on!
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Review from Vanessa J.
Halifax, NS
5/11/2011 3 Check-ins Here
I'm not generally a fan of chain restaurants, but on the odd occasion that I go to the movies ar Datrmouth Crossing or Bayers Lake, I typically spot at Jack's for a bite to eat.
The place is often very loud, which I don't enjoy, but if you eat before the early show, on the lounge side it's not too bad. I like that you can draw on the tablecloth, it brings me back to my childhood days.
The waiters are always friendly, but sometimes a little too friendly for my tastes "Hi I'm Jeff and I'm going to be your server and best friend this evening, you should really try the burger, I eat them everyday" etc.
The menus is large and seems to have something for almost everyone, but I can't comment much on the the items, because I always get the same thing, the Honey Sesame Chicken. Small pieces of deep fried chicken, a few stir fried carrots and things in a sweet, honey sauce, served over rice. It's not healthy or gourmet, but I have a weakness for it, when I'm craving junky comfort food.
The other thing I like about Jack's is that I can get in and out really quickly, which is great because I like to get a good seat in the theatre.
Bottom line, I wouldn't eat to eat here everyday, but it's a good place to stop before going to one of the 18 screen movie theatres -
Review from Alouise D.
Edmonton, AB
5/10/2011
My friend suggested going to Jack Astor's because she'd heard good things about it. It's a typical type of chain restaurant. The restaurant wasn't busy when we went, but I'm sure it gets quite crowded. I ordered the smokey Jack burger and the beer and cheddar soup. The soup was delicious and creamy and the burger was one of the best I've had. Before flying back to Edmonton we decided to stop there again just to have another burger. Nothing fancy, or experimental but they have pretty good food.
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Review from Deirdre L.
Halifax, NS
12/2/2010 1 Check-in Here
One of the things I learned during my most recent visit to Jack's is that the original location was/is in St. Catharines, Ontario. Coincidentally, that's the very restaurant that was my fave back in the day - it was always my first choice for a birthday or a date and I loved just about everything - from the brown paper tablecloths and crayons, to the teeny chocolate puddings, the Far Side cartoon covered walls, and yes, the cute waiters.
The pudding is no longer on the menu (though they do offer the "world's most ridiculously small brownie"), and neither is ogling the waiters, but I still dig Jack's. It's not the spot for a quiet, contemplative tete-a-tete, but for a fun meal before a movie, it beats other options (I'm looking at you, Boston Pizza).
My default choice is the chicken fingers, which, for a chain resto, are pretty darn amazing, and I also dig the Beijing beef and Chopstick chicken salads. And I almost never pass up a chance to dig into their garlic pan bread ... sooo garlicky and buttery, not all healthy, and totally delicious! -
Review from T H.
7/24/2009
Checked this place out for lunch during the week. We didn't have to wait too long and the place had a pretty good crowd, looked like the business bunch.
We had the chili chicken tenders with fries. I'm not sure why the name had chili in them there was no chili and the chicken wasn't that spicey. The chicken was very tender and juicy. However, the Coke we ordered was a little on the flat side.
The service was efficient and friendly.
If we were in the area again we'd try the place again since it has a very diverse menu. -
Review from Bethany J.
Halifax, NS
4/23/2010
Normally we visit the Jack's in Bayers Lake, where we are well used to the servers and the set-up and the service is excellent.
My daughter and I stopped into the Jack's in Dartmouth one day in the middle of our regular spring shopping spree. It wasn't too busy and we were seated right away.
The first thing we noticed is that the soda was served in plastic glasses. Ugh - plastic. I detest drinking anything but water out of plastic, but apparently they do things differently in Dartmouth. S'ok - we can deal.
Then we turned our attention to the lunch menu. I was disappointed to see that many of our favourites hadn't made the cut - I had thought that Jack Astor's menus were fairly standard from one place to another.
All in all, for a couple of burgers, we left Jack's almost $50 lighter. That would have gone a long way at Old Navy!
So, long story short, in order to get a real Jack's experience, head over to Bayers Lake and experience the original Halifax franchise. Sometimes, change isn't a good thing. -
Review from cheryl d.
Halifax, NS
3/3/2010 1 photo
Jack Astor's is not a location that you want to go to if you have a headache. Fast pasted, busy and loud. The crowd is your typical lunch time crowd out for a quick bite to eat. Normally if there is a wait it is really not to long maybe 15 mins.
On the menu which has a wide variety to hopefully allow everyone to enjoy their favourite, normally when I go I get the chicken fajitas, I love the grilled chicken and all the fresh grilled pepper and onions, oh and don't forget the sour cream and that green stuff.
This time I actually went for something different which was the spicy chicken strips and Cesar salad. this was not to bad could be a bit more spice for me but as you know I love it hot. Not a bad meal for $12 bucks.
