Jacksons Bar & Bistro

I’ve been frequenting Jacksons for about 4 years now and I am always just so impressed. I always get the same thing (Pacific panini with fries) and at the end of the meal I wish the waiter/​waitress would bring me another plate so I could do it all over again. Service has always been on point, parking in that area is great, the menu is pretty diverse, and the ambiance is really cool. I should say that in the 4 years that I’ve frequented Jacksons the food is always consistent, which is very impressive for a panini invoking medium/​rare tuna. The fries at Jacksons are my favorite of any restaurant or fast food place in Birmingham. I don’t want to sound like a fat shamer but I like skinnier fries better than fat fries and the fries at Jacksons are the perfect width and are always so crispy. Sometimes fries leave me feeling kind of sick but the oil they use here must be pretty clean because they never leave me with that gross feeling.
My only complaints of this place are minor. Two Easters ago I found a hair in my panini. It was pretty gross and the manger immediately replaced the sandwich with another one (which I didn’t eat with the same gusto as I would normally have) and took everything off my bill. But because of this experience I hadn’t visited Jacksons in over a year. But when I did decide to go back I had a great experience. Additionally, the menus we get are always kind of dirty, which can be off-​putting. Also, since I’ve been there the menu hasn’t changed that much. I saw that recently a few items have been added to the menu but the desserts, appetizers and seasonal vegetables don’t rotate as often as the menus in the area. It would be nice to have some changes to those items. But please don’t take the pacific panini off the menu.

Friendly staff and good variety of food. The pour good drinks! I would say it’s a better lunch/​happy hour place than dinner. Also I would recommend them as a good place to have brunch on Sunday as well. I’ve been to brunch more.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve been to Jacksons, and on our last trip couldn’t believe I hadn’t written a review yet… So here it is!
I’m a fan of deals. I mean, who doesn’t like to save money… And Jacksons has an awesome Monday deal known as Fuego Mondays! Half-​price pizzas and flatbreads from 5 – 10 PM. You really can’t beat that deal! We will usually get a flatbread to split and order a pizza each, knowing that we will take half of the pizza home for lunch the next day.
I think our favorite flatbread is the buffalo — Pulled chicken, Buffalo Feathers sauce, bacon & mozzarella. And for only $ 4 it’s a steal!
Our favorite pizza is the Carne: Pepperoni, Broadbent bacon, ground beef, mozzarella & parmesan for $ 5. You can add additional toppings as well for half price (my boyfriend always adds mushrooms to his).
There’s never a crowd or wait when we get there (usually 5:30 or 6PM). Looking forward to warmer weather and enjoying our deal on the patio soon!

When I think about Jackson’s, I think not about the food first, but about the atmosphere. This is one of the best places to eat outside. Inside, there is an upstairs that is perfect for large groups. It is almost like you have a private room! If you do sit inside on the first floor, it can be loud. I have never had a problem with service and the wait staff has always been very friendly.
The food itself has not made it to the top of my list. This time I got a hamburger which was cooked more done than I requested, and I didn’t care much for the bun– which I think was onion topped. The fries were pretty generic. There were members of my party who raved about their food. A friend just loves that baked pasta, and my husband is impressed with the ahi tuna sandwich. Maybe next time I need to try something else.

The brunch is amazing! This is my second time trying this restaurant. Their burgers are amazing! But I tried their brunch this time and it was amazing as well! I had the breakfast flatbread. It had sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, and cheese on it. And I also I had a side of the 3 cheese grits bowl. That had a different taste to it, but it was so good! Their mimosas are good as well! I will be going back for their brunch again! :)

Love porch sitting here on a pretty day!
Pet friendly
Yummy brunch– I love the breakfast pizza and grits
Good happy hour specials
Local brewery beers on tap here
Sunday~ half off bottles of wine
I find the service on the patio to be 5 stars, I don’t like sitting inside because of the loud, noise level.

Amazing service. The waitress accidentally messed up my order. When I told her this, she immediately looked over the original order, came back and apologized and offered something free on the house. I decided to get a salad while I waited on the entrée. Then the manager came over and apologized for the inconvenience and offered my fiancé and I a dessert on the house. INCREDIBLE SERVICE.
Plus, the food was great. Definitely get the Cookie Dough Egg Rolls.

Following Paul’s review, we wanted to try Jacksons. We went for Sunday lunch. Jacksons is located in the trendy SOHO portion of Homewood right next to City Hall. Unlike Paul, we found the entrance to the underground parking deck quickly :) There were lots of parking spaces since it was Sunday lunch time. The restaurant wasn’t as loud as during Paul’s visit, but we also went for lunch and we sat outside. It was cool and very sunny, but our server Latitsha put our large umbrella up so were hunky dory.
My son ordered the Big Ben Breakfast. I was surprised to see it because instead of the traditional scrambled eggs, ham, potatoes and chees all separated, they were all mixed together into almost like a caserole. He said it tasted good and cleaned his plate.
My daughter ordered the Rio Roll. The chicken was cooked nicely and placed inside pita bread with avocado. She ordered a ceasar salad with it. She also enjoyed her rio roll.
My wife went simple and got the French Pizza with mozarella, tomatoes and herbs. The pizza was about 8″ and she said it was just ok. Nothing spectacular.
My youngest daughter got the BLT with a ceasar. It was a simple sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes and bacon. Nothing spectacular there either and the ceasar salad was your typical salad.
I tried their Ruben Hash with sunny side up egg. Jacksons definitely like to put a different twist on the traditional. Their hash was not your typical corn beef hash. Instead it was large pieces of it mixed with sauerkraut and thousand island dressing. I guess I favor the more traditional corn beef hash minced because I really didn’t enjoy my dish except for the egg. My wife however thought it was delicious.
Overall, Jacksons has a nice atmosphere outside on a nice beautiful day. Our server was attentive and friendly. The food was mediocore in my opinion. I will have to return to try something else. Their menu was very varied.

THIS PLACE IS VERY LOUD… SO, I’M GOING TO SHOUT MY REVIEW!
WE HAD DINNER AT JACKSON’S TO CELEBRATE MY DAUGHTER’S BIRTHDAY. They take reservations, and had our table for nine set up and ready when we arrived. The restaurant is located in the trendy Soho area of Homewood. Covered parking is available, but it took two laps to find the entrance to the deck. The restaurant is popular and was crowded for a Wednesday night.
I ORDERED THE CHICKEN-​FRIED CHICKEN AND A SIDE CAESAR SALAD. The salad was solid; it was the perfect size; fresh romaine, croutons, and the dressing was just right. The Chicken-​Fried Chicken was a good choice. The chicken breast was firm but tender. It is served on a helping of mashed potatoes and topped with a white gravy. It was a nice combination, and very filling.
MY WIFE ORDERED THE MEMPHIS PORK CHOP. It is topped with mango chutney that was flavorful and a little spicy. It was fantastic.

I have not been here in some time so this review is aged for sure. I really like their patio area it’s large and open. I always had the buffalo feathers and a few beers. That is what kept me returning. Although now there are many more patios available I haven’t been here in a while. Maybe it’s time for a visit.

I haven’t been here in awhile and I don’t know what took me so long. We sat outside on that nice Sunday which was great! This is the perfect location. I started off with a peach mimosa which had the right amount of everything!!! I got the bacon burger and fries which was hot and cooked to perfection! I can’t say enough good things about this place. The staff is great, food is great and drinks are great!!! If your looking for something different for brunch or anything else Jacksons is the place!

I’ve come to Jackson’s several times over the years. It’s always a great place to go to, with a wide selection of great dining options — burgers, pizzas, paninis, or pastas. And that’s not including their alcohol selection since I’m not much of a drinker.
Last week, we came here and took advantage of their Fuego Mondays — half price flatbreads and pizzas. We got a buffalo flatbread, which was very tasty and flavorful. We both also got carne pizzas. Total cost was less than $ 20 for 2 pizzas (had leftovers the next day as well), an appetizer, and a drink. Not too shabby. Our waiter was friendly, funny, and knowledgeable.
We’ll be back to Jackson’s.

It’s sad to say, but Jackson’s has become a shell of its former self. When I first discovered it, I was immediately enamored — great, non-​complicated menu, really cool vibe, and incredible patio/​outdoor seating. Unfortunately, the only thing that’s survived my initial crush is the patio, and that’s not nearly enough to pull me into considering it as great as it once was. My wife, a friend and I visited on Saturday night to grab some dessert and were pretty disappointed to discover that Jackson’s has become almost too casual and too complacent in itself. Examples — the hostess that night was completely uninterested in hosting, pretty much showing exasperation in having to seat us or anyone else for that matter; the food wasn’t that great — our waiter, as generous as it was for him to custom-​make one for my wife, brought a chocolate shake that was noticeably *mealy* (think old ice cream from the freezer with a sandy texture), and the vanilla soft serve that accompanied mine and my friend’s gooey butter cake was almost tasteless and completely melted before it even got to the table. It just seemed very much like providing a decent customer experience wasn’t even a consideration — only getting through another evening of service to make it to wherever the staff would’ve instead preferred to be that night. (I didn’t even get the customer copy of my receipt when the bill was paid — merchant copy and, well, good luck patron!)
Again, it hurts me to mention it, but I think our days at Jackson’s are probably well behind us. There are too many restaurants in the Birmingham area that can provide both quality food and appreciated decent service for a similar value. And the really sad thing is, if made privy to our Saturday night experience, I’m skeptical to think anyone from Jackson’s would really even care.
Just my $ 0.02 but give it a shot if you’re willing to possibly receive a sub-​par dining experience.

We heard about Jacksons from a friend, so we decided to go to their brunch this Sunday after church, it turned out to be a disaster. We were so excited to try out this place and could not have been more disappointed, I would compare the food to 3am visit to your local Denny’s, but more expensive. We frequently go to new places and purposely over order just so we can experience a little bit of everything, but in this case we regretted that decision! To start we ordered fried green tomatoes, French onion soup, and spinach artichoke dip. we sent back the fried green tomatoes because they honestly reminded us of a fried cow patty. For entrees we ordered the French toast and steak and eggs. Just to be fair the French toast was not terrible. But on the other hand the steak and eggs… The steak was thrown in a microwave and seemed like it was purchased in an ally way in the back of a van, and the eggs were sunny side up when we ordered over medium. In conclusion we will NOT be coming back. Get it together Jacksons!

Wife and I came to town for the night and stayed at a nearby hotel. This place was close. I had a Rio panini and wife had burger. All our food was hot and tasty. Nothing to write home about but I’d def come back if I’m in the area again. Looks like a cool chill place for drinks too. Oh yea… The ranch dressing was good :)

I have been here many times for lunch and dinner and always enjoyed. Didn’t realize they had brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 10a-​3p and a very paired down lunch menu as a result. I opted for steak and eggs with cheese grits instead of fries. Steak was cooked perfect and flavorful. Eggs were overcooked. Grits were one of the rare times where you can really tell there is cheese and they were cooked well. The toast was so hard it was impossible to eat. It wasn’t burned it was just dried out hard — think Melba toast. Oh well. My companions all said their food was just ok. Nothing special — especially for the price for lunch. Will stick to their regular lunch and dinner menu. They aren’t the breakfast place for me.

Ok Jackson’s bartenders, time for some basics. You NEVER shake a Manhattan. It also does not need to be jammed to the rim with ice. 2 – 3 dashes of bitters suffices, not 8 – 10.
A Manhattan is supposed to feature the whiskey. The vermouth & bitters are for character.
The only drinks you really shake are those with citrus or egg whites in them. Please accept this constructive criticism.
My watered down Manhattan that was overly bitter was disappointing, but hopefully you can make it to standard next time.

The place has went down hill since that little guy became the manager. The servers are inexperienced and the good servers are all gone now which is explainable because someone is messing with the menu and they shouldn’t because not all change is good. Too bad they are ruining a great place.

Maybe I was expecting too much, Jackson’s just won’t do it for me! I went there for brunch, and I order the «Big Ben». Now if something has the word «Big» on the title, it better be freaking BIG!!! From the description it sounded awesome! It was scrambled eggs, bacon, ham and cheese, and potatoes. But the sad reality was that it was just 2 small scrambled eggs with a tiny bit of those ingredients mixed in. I thought they were joking when they brought out my plate. $ 8 is not pricy, but if you’re going to charge $ 8 for scrambled eggs, you better do it right!!! Overall, there was little to no value of what I got. Hopefully, their lunch and dinner is better than brunch…

Jackson’s is a go to for happy hour (half price any beer, wine, or call liquor) and for relaxing on the patio. The large patio is also dog friendly. which we love. We don’t go during the winter for the most part because the interior can be incredibly loud… like so loud that you can’t even hear yourself think, especially if you are seated upstairs. They need to invest in some acoustic tiles or something to lessen the noise. Outside of that, the food is always good (especially like the flatbreads and the grilled chicken sandwich.) The fries are always good and fresh too. We have always gotten really good service here as well. All in all, a really cool place to enjoy drinks or some good food!

The food is great. Happy hour is awesome here. Their happy hour is ½ priced beer/​wine/​liquor from 3 – 6. I love to sit outside on a nice day. The only negative is if its raining and you go inside (if its crowded)… it is so loud that you can not hear yourself think… The servers are always friendly… great place to go and have brunch, have some drinks and sit outside…

The four stars are for the ambience. My date and I dined here on a whim last evening so we could use The Super Deal coupon we purchased about a month or so ago. I’m a sucker for patio/​outdoor seating and Jackson’s has plenty of it. Most of the tables were full on this pleasant fall evening, so we opted for inside seating. Each table was accented with a lit candle (even the outside ones). The ambience was romantic without being overly mushy. Simply put: it’s elegant enough for date night, but sporty enough for a night with your friends.
Our waitress was friendly and bubbly. She promptly came to take our drink order within a few moments after we had been seated. We decided on the loaded fries as our appetizer and the carne pizza for the main course. Both items came out fairly quick and piping hot. While you really can’t go wrong with fries covered in melted cheese and bacon, the pizza was decent. It wasn’t the best… nor was it the worst. It was enjoyable, especially since I was rather hungry by the time we ate.
Our meal ended up being «free» since what we ordered came to the price of our $ 20 voucher. I think we paid about $ 10 to get $ 20 worth of food. Overall, I enjoyed my experience and look forward to returning to try something else. And to sit on the patio on another crisp evening.

Everything was delicious! We sat out on patio on a Sunday morning and it was the perfect brunch atmosphere. Our server, Blaire, was excellent! A tasty Monte Cristo with a side of cheese grits hit the spot and were exactly as described on the menu.

The food is mediocre. Nothing special. The drinks are meh! I tried the Sonara wrap. It was soggy and the shrimps were not all that great. Got the Moscow mule, which was so-​so. Wouldn’t be my first choice.

Service hasn’t always been great, but was subpar tonight. Loudmouth customers in an already loud room made for a poor experience, unless that’s what you want. Food is always good, just difficult to enjoy it.

I tried Jackson’s again for the first time in a few years. The cookie dough egg rolls, as before, were great! However I found the salmon and mashed potatoes way too salty. So much so that I had to have multiple glasses of water just to eat it.
The service was good and the atmosphere pleasant enough. The prices were fair but the wine selection was poor. Overall it was an okay experience.

Very nice location! Staff friendly and knowlegable of menu items, they had very good recommendations. The Happy Hour was perfect! I ordered the Shrimp and Grits, and it was very good. The resturant was a little warm, but the atmosphere was great, and bathroom was clean.
I would eat here again and recommend this resturant to anyone.

Jacksons was located across the street from the Aloft hotel I was staying at while traveling for business in the Birmingham area. I ventured in on a Tuesday, when they offer an all night happy hour. This was the primary reason for my staying after looking at an underwhelming menu selection. I ordered a patty melt that came with a very unimpressive side Caesar salad. (I was so relieved I did not opt for the entrée size Caesar salad I was contemplating). The patty melt was average at best. The beer that was half off was an IPA draft and was tasty. I left feeling a little cheated as this place was a recommended spot; but for my only paid for dinner in Birmingham, it did not compete with my high expectations.
I would not return to Jacksons again unless I was only grabbing cocktails on a Tuesday.

Finally got to try the infamous Jackson’s and overall it was a great experience.
It was in the evening when we arrived and I was really impressed with the night setting they have. It has candlelight but not overly done. It truly was a perfect ambiance for a date, business meeting, or even a couple of friends who want to get together. That is hard to accomplish seeing wise so definately kudos to them. I came with a group of 21 total people and was very impressed at prompt service and friendliness. The waiters seemed on top of it and they really worked as a team.
Set up: Great outside seating with candlelight, plenty of tables, an upstairs dining option, perfect size bar, and high ceilings, the lights inside are dim, the background music is good volume wise so we could carry a conversation.
Food wise: I ordered the half pound burger with no bun and the side salad came with it. I also asked for a side of avocado. As I looked around the table at what my group got I sorta wished I tried something different but it jas been said always judge a place by their burger. Haha. So here it goes… I definately didn’t mind the burger but was expecting more flavor wise. My friend got a burger with the bun and it was huge and looked really delicious. So I do think the emphasis is the bun. It did have a nice smoked flavor but that’s about it. The salad served seemed very fresh and the ranch served with it was a great ranch dressing.
I will definitely go back and try some other food. It was a very good experience

Love their food. I’ve been many times but lately the service is AWFUL. Last time we came (months ago) and we waited forever and manager only discounted the dip we had. And when I say we waited forever it had to be over an hour and a half.
Flash forward to today. There might be 4 tables full inside (patio was pretty crowded) but again, we waited forever. Food was good, not great. But we didn’t get our app until after we got our meal. Manager took app off the bill which is fine but something has to be done about the service.
Jackson’s used to be one of my favorite places to go but sadly will not visit as frequently as before.
Also tonight just waited probably 15 minutes to get our check picked up. And we were told when we sat down that all drinks were half off and now when we got our bill we were told that specialty drinks were not half off. They are not firing on all cylinders and will not be back in the near future.

I tried this place after reading about it on some list of best restaurants in Birmingham… I haven’t had a lot of great food in Birmingham, so perhaps this is one of the best…
It is in a nice location in Homewood. There is ample parking in the nearby parking garage (free) with a very short walk. I went in around 8:30 PM on a weeknight and I was seated promptly and greeted quickly by my server. It has a nice pub feel, kind of dark inside and quite loud.
I started with the white bean chicken soup — it was average, the bowl was $ 6.00 and quite small. I had beef stroganoff for my meal ($ 15.00). The portion was large, served with a side of bread and a side salad. I find beef stroganoff is hit or miss and I can’t decide if this was a hit or a miss… I guess somewhere in between. The (beef) steak was a bit tough and was cut into large strips (there wasn’t a lot of beef). Generous portion of noodles with a sauce that was bit too thin in viscosity and a bit too sour in taste. It isn’t to say that this wasn’t a good dish, but it just didn’t fit my palate. Total tab with a soda = $ 25…a little steep in my opinion.
The menu had a good variety of dishes, sandwiches and pizzas so I might consider a return in the future with a different entrée selection… but the value for money spent would definitely make me think twice.

Sometimes all you can say is «bless their hearts». I like Jackson’s, I really do. It’s close to the house and the food is good but lord, they shoot themselves in the foot so often that the servers all need crutches. Last night they were busy so I cut a lot of slack when staff is slammed.
My side salad came out and we had no silverware. So we wait, and wait, and wait. About that time a collision occurs behind me and plates leaving the kitchen are dropped to the floor right behind my chair. After a period of discussion, the staff finally decides that someone should keep running food while others concentrate on cleaning the huge mess. Nobody asked if anything had gotten on me or apologized for the people crawling at my feet. After several more minutes my wife asked for silverware so I can eat the salad. Our server who was assigned to cleanup duty snaps back «YOU’LL HAVE TO WAIT!» About that time a manager shows up with the nastiest smelling mop ever to clean the floor. She mops, mops and mops some more and I honestly could have tossed cookies. Then the server shows back up asking us why the hostess hadn’t given us silverware. Not having an answer, she says she will be back with some for us. Hey, look! The manager with the stinky mop is back and mopping more! At least ten minutes between salad arriving and getting utensils.
Entrees are run by someone other than our server and all is well except my wife’s salad came without salad dressing. The dude is gone before we realize their error. Our server (who had snapped at us about silverware) is at the next table. Should we ask? Seriously the girl had just gotten testy about silverware so how will she react to the news she has to make a special run to the kitchen 12 feet away? Luckily we are spared making that decision because she slips and spills a pitcher of ice tea over myself and our son. Most of it clearly went towards the other table so nobody apologizes to our table or offers to get us a towel to dry ourselves or the table. (In case you were wondering, wasabi Caesar salad dressing mixed with tea really isn’t too bad. But at least I finally have silverware for my side salad and entrée so why complain? Oh, yeah… My wife has no salad dressing. So she sits, we drip dry and eat while she looks for someone to get salad dressing. My son and I are over half way through our meal and still nobody has stopped in on us.
Alas, the manager is now back with a squeegee to work on messes #1 and #2 and my wife interrupts her efforts to inquire on the ability to get salad dressing. Nearly 15 minutes in to having entrees, the table is finally complete.
Good food, reasonable prices and a incredible floor show for those with quick drying clothes and a good sense of humor. Foibles like this are unfortunately really common at Jackson’s. Food is always on point but FOH needs some work. There are a few really good servers but most are sub average at best.