Jack & Nellie's

OK - I never ate here or even noticed it even though I walked by it almost daily since it was in my neighborhood. It's by a real estate company that has changed hands several times and I stop there at lease weekly to see what's available in the neighborhood. So -why am I writing this?

I noticed the White Radish which is in the Jack and Nellie location on day 1. The owner was standing outside and available and they have had exposure. My thought was good location for a restaurant. I thought back and my impression of the location was that is was one of the delivery only places you see around the city. I had no idea there was a decent restaurant in the location. If the owner opens a new location find a place that has some sort of outside ambience or has something that people will notice like a gas light or a nice door or something to get attention. It's a hard, time consuming business and is a shame to not make it because it wasn't noticed by someone like me that frequented the natural grocery store on the corner and walked past it regularly. I only discovered that there was a restaurant in the location before when reading a review for the White Radish and someone noted that it was in the former location of your restaurant.

One good thing the pandemic has done for some restaurants is that many in NYC are now visible because of outside spaces. An invisible business is a problem.

This place was amazing!! We came on a Sunday for brunch and were seated right away (as a party of 2). They do not take reservations - you get seated as soon as your entire party arrives if space permits. I will say it does get pretty packed so make sure that your whole party arrives at the same time. **Parking is hard to find even though it's a residential area**

I thought the brunch foods that we got were amazing. The eggs were incredibly fluffy and soft and the french toast was just the right amount of fluffiness and sweetness. Prices were decent as well for brunch. My friend and I also got a mimosa which were normal prices. I don't recall seeing them have an option for bottomless brunch here.

The staff was attentive and friendly. She came multiple times to check in and see how we were doing. Overall, great food with excellent service definitely warrants this brunch place 5 stars.

Food: 5/5
Wait: 5/5
Ambience: 5/5
Service: 5/5

So I went here for Sunday brunch with my friends. Luckily we found a spot really quickly and very close, I couldn't believe it. We waited for about 25 mins for a table for 4 at around 11:40.

The menu here is more limited and basic than other brunch establishments I've been to. Also if you want an alcoholic drink, juice or coffee included in your price this wouldn't be your place as everything is a la carte.

My friends ordered the steak eggs (which was described as pretty good), the egg plate and the eggs benedict(which my friend really enjoyed.)

I had the french toast. I was afraid to order French toast since a lot of restaurants dont make it well but when I asked the waitress about the french toast and she didnt hesitate to recommend it at all I said done!

The french toast was perfection! One of the best I've had in a long time perfectly crispy on the edges and delicious! The fruit and syrup were on point and I would definitely order it again.

Overall we enjoyed our meal and thank you for having us!

Brunch is for Benedict and Burgers!

The eggs Benedict was spectacular, perfectly cooked and coated with hollandaise. The burger was also cooked to my exact order but I think every burger should be covered in cheese and some aioli or sauce. Cheese makes everything better and it would've made the burger over the top with just a little warm yummy blanket of cheese or even a smear of mayo.

As for the restaurant, I couldn't quite figure out the blocks of wood on the walls but I assumed they were old train sign or part molds? Looked very interesting.

I've been to Jack & Nellie's a few times over the years and always found it to be a solid choice - especially so during cooler weather. There always seems to be a warm glow inside that makes me feel relaxed and comfortable (The delicious wines they serve help with that too, of course). They have an excellent playlist that seems to skirt that Gen X/Millennial Alt rock line which I was into.

Sharing plates here is what I recommend. The caramelized Brussels sprouts are a good choice with thick chunks of bacon that work well with nicely cooked sprouts. The mac and cheese with chorizo, usually makes the top of people's list and it is easy to see why - I like the short little pasta they use, the cheesy sauce topped with browned bread crumbs all come together nicely. I would have liked a little more spicy chorizo flavor.

Usually a burger fan, the Steak and Cheese sandwich seems like a bit of an upgrade. I don't usually get a steak sandwich because I often find most places use inferior, chewy, tough cuts of steak, but not here - it is tender and delicious. The ciabatta roll seems like the perfect bread for this - slightly crispy and with an airy crumb. The shoe string fries were crisp!

I didn't care much for the beet salad. I liked they arranged it with about equal ingredients on either side (since we were sharing), but the onions were more hot than sweet and the dressing was sparse so it didn't feel like it came together.

Service was friendly and efficient. I would avoid the seats towards the window in colder weather - they feel a bit drafty and you will catch a breeze each time the door opens. Hang at the bar or at the tables more inside if you can.

I had brunch this past Sunday at Jack & Nellie's. It was a cute spot that locals visit all the time. It was actually a local who brought me and my boyfriend here. The menu was quite simple. They had your typical breakfast items. I opted for the eggs Benedict, my boyfriend had the steak and eggs, and our friend chose an omelette. We also shared the French press coffee, which was really good. I would've liked more hollandaise sauce on my eggs Benedict and for the potatoes to have more of a crisp, but other than that it was fine.

Our friend who took us here said there's usually no wait. There was a 15-minute wait when we went, but probably because we had a party of 3 and it's easier to seat 2.

I don't know what to say about this. We've talked about trying jack and Nellie's for awhile. So, we were excited to give it a whirl. Sadly it was pretty blah and lackluster.

The menu is average, American. Nothing incredibly new or interesting, which is great, assuming you're going to do it with some flair.

I got a burger that was incredibly blah, blah, blah. Not much taste or flavor and kinda smallish given the price. Mother hubby got a boring beet salad with chicken.

We got out of there relatively fast.

I really enjoyed my dinner at Jack & Nellie's. They don't take reservations on the weekends and we were starving so we opted to eat at the bar. Service was fairly quick.

We started with some Mac and cheese - it was gooey and cheesy and delicious and I would have liked to lick the bowl. We also tried the Brussels sprouts - another good choice. For our main course we had the special - braised short ribs with veggies and cauliflower mash. The meat was tender and Justice and juicy and full of flavor. No knife was needed. The veggies were good but the cauliflower mash was spot on! I love cauliflower and it was well seasoned and prepared. We ended dinner with a nice piece of cake and some Lavazza coffee. I liked the small, individual French press presentation which let me the customer make the coffee to taste.

Overall it was a delicious meal. Service was quick and friendly. It's a fairly small place so we were told a wait for a table would be 30-40 min. Make sure you arrive off peak to avoid the waits.

There was a full bar - lots of wines to pick from and a nice beer selection. Next time I will have to do more wine. Not sure if they do wine flights but perhaps they should.

This is more of a Thank you letter than a review.

Thank you for being the go to place, when we can't decide where to go.

Thank you for always providing excellent customer service.

Thank you for the comfy feeling on a rough work week during those rainy Tuesday nights.

Thank you for the wine selection to be able to enjoy the spirit of Forest Hills.

Thank you for satisfying my bacon cravings, with.... CANDIED BACON! =)

Thank you for just being Jack and Nellie's, over the years you have consistently provided a homely comfortable place that has us always coming back for more.

Good on you sirs and madames.

Stopped by here for a late brunch after reading the glowing reviews on Yelp, really glad they open in afternoons during weekends as they're only open for dinner on weekdays. There was no wait when we arrived around 2 on Sunday but I can certainly see how wait can be up to 20-30 min as most of the tables are best fit to seat two along the long bar corridor. So don't be surprised if you find the place packed for brunch.

Despite being so crowded our little table at the corner was never neglected and they came and check up on us ever so often. Definitely one of the better service I've experienced. Food quality was great! I really quite enjoyed the eggs benedict with a twist of bacon bits. Had a bit of the steak as well and that was cooked to perfection just as ordered. For the price its definitely very good portions.

Its more of a bar atmosphere for me as it does get a bit lively since the place was packed. But I guess its not so different from many brunch cafe places you'll find in the city. Definitely one of its kind in Forest Hills. Very pleasant experience over all and look forward to the return visits to this establishment.