Cafe Jack

Went there just because it is supposed to be one of the weirdest restaurants in LA. And indeed, it was!
The restaurant has a lot of private rooms and it’s like a maze in there. Although it’s shaped like a ship from the outside, the inside is just a lot of poorly constructed rooms stuck together. I could see insulation foam between the walls. Lots of patching in the building structure, not sure if they were attempting a vintage feel or it’s just old and not well-​maintained.
Food was ok, just like any average 3-​star restaurant. Service was great though.

Slow. Very slow.
Our food took almost an hour to get to us.
It was good just a long wait and the waters didn’t really come back to check on us, getting the check took forever because she didn’t come back! I had to go look for her!!!

Café Jack and I have a love & hate relationship.
Here’s why:
LOVE: that it’s on a «ship»
HATE: it’s rusty, y’all need to renovate.
LOVE: the server was kind to us
HATE: the food took 35 minutes. It’s empty. I don’t know what takes so long.
LOVE: the titanic roll is amazing!!!
HATE: the pork katsu was way too crispy, barely had any meat on it
LOVE: Generous with sauces for the sushi rolls
HATE: the sushi roll portions went from 8 pieces to 6 from the last two times I’ve been here. (I know because I took a picture for Unilocal then and then I forgot to review)
LOVE: they have private divided sections to dine in
HATE: it’s so empty that it’s kind of creepy, and the parking lot is tiny
I’d be back for the titanic rolls only…
But in all seriousness, Café Jack is going downhills… The owner is super kind and always has a smile on his face. I hope he reads these reviews and revives his restaurant.

It says noon to 1am right ??? Got there at 12:30 gates closed called them and he said they don’t open until later and hung up -.- rude. Don’t even want to try it anymore.

Shaped like a boat on the outside. Titanic themed throughout. Tarot themed karaōke room. This place is great.

Going down with the titanic!!! …I can’t believe we got on that boat… this is a sinking ship!
Ha ok sorry… but really it was that bad. Took about 40 minutes to order and another hour or probably more to get our food which was sad looking and not very good (wings were def frozen then microwaved and was chewy and weird, sushi was ehh). They were also out of things on the menu.
It would get four stars for being super odd/​memorable though. There are several bizarre junk piles out front. And it IS a boat which is just the weirdest.

Oh, Café Jack… I wanted to love you so. I had heard so much about you, and was intrigued by your kitschy nautical exterior and creepy Titanic (movie!) –themed memorabilia. But alas, your prices were high and your food sub-​par. That having been said, I do not regret our short time together — it was most unforgettable.
It was 7:30 on a Saturday night, and we were the only customers in the entire boat. Only, it just LOOKED like a boat, from the outside. On the inside, however, it seemed more like a Korean hostel. Small, partitioned rooms — dark wood, mismatched furniture. Two of my party members stopped by the front to use the restroom while I was seated at the table… and needless to say, it was hard for them to find me. (It’s like a little maze in there!)
I only saw one woman working the entire time we were there — she was both our hostess and waitress. She was really sweet, but it was obvious that English was not her first language. She told us to push the button on the wall for when we were ready to order. (Hey! Service buttons! Neat!)
The menu says they had «Beer and Sake» but when we inquired about a drink menu, we were told that THAT was it. Apparently, Beer = Coors. And Sake = ‘you-don’t-get-to-pick-there’s-just-one.‘
We ordered the Rose Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Sticks w/​Fishcake) and the portion size was enough for 4 – 5 people — the flavor was ok — not spicy enough for my tastes, but a little overcooked and slimy. I had saved room for some sushi – (we ordered the Titanic Roll) — but after trying a piece, I didn’t care to eat another bite. I didn’t eat that much, but I felt like I had lost my appetite somehow. I thought about ordering a drink — but at $ 5.95, I’d rather wait and go elsewhere. Which is what I did.
The pictures of the shaved ice looked amazing. Perhaps this is better as a dessert venue? Perhaps we ordered the wrong things? Perhaps we should just come here for the karaōke? ($ 25/​hr on weekdays, $ 30/​hr on weekends — for as many people you can fit into a room) Who knows.
To be honest, I was disappointed I didn’t find more Titanic-​themed items. There was a few poorly illustrated boat murals, some framed still pictures… and that was it. The room I was in had a painting of clowns playing instruments. Clowns aren’t Titanic-​themed. (And neither is that Marvel slot machine at the front!) — What’s the point in having a ‘theme’ if you’re not going to follow through with it? Sigh.

I first discovered of this place because my brother took me here to eat a while back.
As soon as you walk in, you are literally in a boat. The servers are very kind and lead you to where you go.
Most people get on the fun side of the boat, with the singing and bars, but I was taken to the left side of the boat, where it’s very private and very quiet.
I found myself ordering some fried chicken pieces with a rice mountain and a wonderful tasting salad on the side.
I loved that I had a lot of privacy, and whenever I needed something, I could just press a button and a light would turn on, so they would come over and help me with whatever I needed.
Now I personally love this place because of the great privacy, however there are some things that need to be addressed and as to why this place didn’t get 5 stars.
Pros
Free Parking
Lots of privacy
Good for interesting thoughts with a friend or a date
Cons
Unfortunately, they do take a while in just making the food for you, about a good thirty minutes. Even to wait to be served was about 10 minutes, and this was with literally almost no customers when I went. Now here is where I need some clarification. The first time I came and I finished my food, I rang the light, they came and brought the check and I made the payment. However the second time, no one ever came for about 20 minutes, so I felt compelled to go to the front and sure enough, I made the payment there. There is a lot of waiting time once service is requested and I believe that needs to be changed.
If when I ring the light, and they come within 5 minutes, I believe that can be a major plus towards booming the business. I don’t mind waiting for food, but if I have to wait for 20 minutes to get my check, then you might as well tell me ahead of time to pay it up front at the register and not have to wait.
So why did I give them a 4 star and not a 3 or 2?
The pricing is decent, the food is delicious, free parking, wonderful and kind servers, and above all, what I loved the most, was the privacy that came with the rooms that they place you in.
So if the service could be just a tad bit quicker, and paid more attention to, especially when the customer requests help via the light service, then I believe this place can become so much better than what it already is.
I have high hopes for you Café Jack.
Until then, I still think you’re really awesome. :D

They have a freaking UNI-​PRICE menu. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. You want katsu rice? $ 5.95. You want oreo shake? $ 5.95. You want fresh squeezed juice? $ 5.95. What the hell? Why can’t they make the drinks cheaper and dishes reasonably priced, don’t get it.
Upon arrival of the receipt, we find out the rice was in fact a bit more expensive than the drinks, but still bad representation of prices. The menu was very unprofessional: a lot of the prices were wrong, and ¹⁄₃ of the items they «didn’t have». Why have it on there? Extra items were handwritten on there with labels. My friends and I went at 12 ish, whole place was empty and took 30 min for our oreo shakes to arrive. Friend ordered a katsu rice the same time, but took an extra 20 min to come. Never coming back here again. Reassures how I feel about non-​American Asian-​owned restaurants. We should’ve gotten our car, and drove through the Carl’s Jr. across the street, at least we would’ve saved time, and half our money.

Worst service ever. Ordered oreo cookie shakes and katsu. Place was empty and took 30+ minutes to get our food

First lets talk about the random décor — its TITANIC the film themed. COmplete with photos from filming everywhere.
I have been here several times — I have had good sushi and coffee drinks. (Note — good not great and yes the food and coffee are over priced).
Next — they have converted part of the boat to kareokee rooms!
Now to be clear they don’t have a good selection of songs, some of them cut off half way through but with a group of tipsy friends we had one hell of a good time. They only serve beer, though they did manage to find some wine.
We all had a BLAST.

Not sure if their management may have changed or something, but I remember coming here a few years back and everything was better-​kept and so much tastier. These last few recent times I’ve gone I found myself resenting spending my money here. I feel bad saying this because I used to be a big fan.
I’m gonna speak on my experience from last night. Maybe I came at a wrong time (5pm) where dinner was too early, maybe they were understaffed, I don’t know. Whatever the case was, I wasn’t feelin’ last night’s experience, almost to the point that I may not return. Granted, the person serving me was very sweet as their servers have always been. but their food quality, even the location itself sometimes, their service… not so great. I used to LOVE their sushi here. I think I even made the same exact order I fell in love with years ago and it came out completely different. Sushi used to come with a small serving of arugula salad with a crazy yummy sweet champagne dressing. Sushi itself was amazing. But now… sushi was pretty bad. Fishy aftertaste was horrible. Had to drown my sushi in soy sauce to remove that frozen fish taste. No salad. My boyfriend’s sushi was pretty horrendous too. Ambiance used to be so romantic, chill, and comfortable. Dimly lit and so very quaint. But now… I guess the server knew I was on a romantic date, but instead of taking me to the themed part of the restaurant (the outside OR inside tables – whichever), she took me into one of the private rooms. No hint of Titanic theme in that room whatsoever, which was the main reason why I wanted to show this place off my boyfriend. Anywho, the private rooms (which I remembered USED to be where the karaōke/​card games/​billiard sets used to be) are now actual tables for customers to eat in. Ambiance is now almost prison-​cell like. Smelled gross, mixture of different aromas of foods from previous customers and hookah and cigarettes and BO. She kept closing the door on us so we were stuck in that smelly room. Menu changed. Our sushi came 30 minutes later…(and we were their only customers at that time!!!) It was a pretty long wait and I was getting quite upset. Overpriced for what it’s worth. Won’t come back for that anymore.
If anything I’d come back for their spicy seafood ramen, only based on my previous experiences hoping that it’s still the same quality as before. At a different time of day, sitting in the outside patio. Don’t get the sushi.

Only one word can describe this sinking ship: ‘Kitschy’
Take your girl here if she’s into pink pants and kitten calendars because the the style is almost as foul as the food. Better be you to scoot on over half a block to Iota or Mr. Coffee to coral your ktown coffee cravings.

I first came to Café Jack a few years ago to catch up with a friend over some boba, bingsoo (shaved ice), and pasta.
Let’s just start off with the parking. The parking is HORRIBLE — the lot is extremely small and requires vehicles to park tandem-​style (one car in front of the other). Very, very inconvenient.
The interior is cute, but a bit dated. They have rooms outside that you can smoke in. The seats are uncomfortable. The bingsoo and boba were meh, but the pasta was delicious.
I returned a few days ago to get some school work done, but the lighting was so dim, I could barely read my textbook.
So, go if you’re a smoker who wants to enjoy some pasta. Do not go if you’re a procrastinating student who likes boba or bingsoo.

I’m not sure if this is a fair review… you all can let me know —
My man and I like kitschy, so when we were driving in K-​Town and there’s a fucking boat — we stopping.
So, we park, and jump out under the «Eat Sushi at Café Jack» banner, and are almost immediately bitch-​slapped with the smell of very fishy fish. Like, disturbingly strong.
So that means no sushi for us. But the very nice owners were upon us before we could get back into the car and, in all honesty, my guy knew it was gonna be a shitshow and wanted front row seats.
So, we gingerly try to get inside. There’s an «outside» and an «inside» section and are a bit confused as to where to sit. Now, I don’t want to be labeled a hater but hot damn this place is a hodgepodge of crap. Slot machines, plastic grapes, hand painted pictures of whales that look more like dolphins. Booths with fabric hand stapled. It was horrific is a kinda wonderful way.
The menu comes and we are seriously at a loss — pasta, sushi, meat dishes. And with that majorly fishy smell I didn’t want to take any chances, so I ordered some vegetable tempura. The very nice, slightly stranger server said that they didn’t have that menu item… or several others for that matter.
I was spooked. Two iced oolong teas just so I didn’t feel guilty about not wanting to order any food.
But here is the best part. We choke down what is the worst tea I have ever had and what is the total? $ 15! Are you fucking kidding me??? I paid over six bucks for ICED TEA???
Yeah, sorry, this place was a funny story, but much like the famed titanic that sunk, this place won’t last long.

This place just screams failing business… so depressing.
My coffee addict friend needed one cup of black coffee and we were looking for a place… this little café was closest to us, so we decided eh, why not?
She got her black coffee, I got some pacific paradise tea. We split some ice cream. My friend asked for the NY cheesecake on the menu, but they didn’t have it. All they had was ice cream.
The cabins were cool and the ship thing is really cool… but the tea pot was dirty. There was like, coffee residue on it or something. They could have at least rinsed the shit out… the tea tasted pretty meh. I had to add sugar to it… I asked for splenda and they didn’t have any. Wtf? You’re a café… you’re supposed to have options.
Then I asked for a hot to go cup for coffees and teas and shit… they didn’t have it. Wtf again? You’re supposed to be a café… they gave me my leftover tea in a regular cup with insulators on it… the insulators were like a Friskies cat food ad. Kind of odd…
My friend said her coffee tasted old, too.
The ice cream was good… it was the one brand of ice cream from the korean markets with like green tea flavor and vanilla flavor. I forget the name. They have plum wine flavor too, I think. So the only good thing was the ice cream, which was store bought… the fruity pebbles on the ice cream were stale though…
The server was nice, though. Not her fault that she works at a shitty place.
Go to Yellow House Café…

Ordered spicy seafood pasta ($ 10) and combo katsu ($ 13) horrible.. . I should have taken pics…
Went there for a dinner after looking at the pictures.. . Unilocalers have fooled me, fooled me well. I don’t know if the pics were from some years ago when this place was busy. Well, it’s nothing like the old days now.
Our orders were just disappointing… nothing spicy about the pasta, nor any seafood about it neither. Combo katsu was the same. Dried up donkatsu and biscuit-​like fish katsu (I didn’t even know it was a fish katsu).
Oh, the salad tasted like it was prepared some time ago and store in the fridge.
Or, it the dressing was. Dressing was old.
I went there for the first time and had a shake and decided to come back and try dinner… FAIL!!!
so disappointing…

Take a Fantasy Cruise at Café Jack! It’s a fantasy /​all in your head that this will be a cruise, or that this is actually food.
Food: reheated frozen meals that you can find at the nearby Korean grocery stores. Safe to eat, nicely arranged on a plate, but not that great.
Drinks: pretty good freshly made (ice cream? from a mix? who knows) blended stuff. Unfortunately you may get sick from drinking one. Stick with the microwave stuff.
Amusingly kitschy. Come for ten minutes to see a shrine to Titanic. And the kid who’s everything from waiter, hostess, cook, bus boy, and entertainer play Chopsticks on the grand piano that greets you as you walk in. They seem to also do Tarot card readings — by the same kid? Maybe.
Worst AND Best place ever.

#25. The boat looked awesome. That was pretty much it though.
I ordered a rose tea. Turns out they didn’t have it. Or something along those lines, cause the server came back and spoke in Korean, so I wasn’t sure what he was trying to say. I ended up getting a citrus chamomile tea. Let’s just say that it didn’t taste as good as it sounded.
The drinks are pretty pricey. I did get to sample the medicine tea, which is probably one of their better items. At least you know it’s good for your health. But that section of the menu has no English translations, so you’ll have to ask the server for suggestions or bring a Korean-​speaking buddy along.

The drinks are expensive and service can be a bit slow even when they are not busy. However, the servers are very gracious. You can have fun with the little service request buzzers at the tables that Korean places love to have haha! Just don’t get carried away :)
They also serve food here!
I heard about this place on LA Weekly and knew I HAD TO come in at least once!
CHEESE, OH PERFECT CHEESE! SO CHEESY HERE!!!
The place is in a ship that looks like a bathtub Titanic! The décor inside consists of several stills from… you guessed it… the BESTEST movie EVER… TITANIC!!! OH, JACK!!! GLUB, GLUB, GLUB!!! If that doesn’t get you über sentimental, well, maybe this detail will… they have little red heart shaped pillows with syrupy sweet messages embroidered on them like «I LOVE YOU». HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY BEAT THAT? Plus you get to hear lots of GREAT Korean love tunes:)
Sadly you rarely get to drink in the ship. I have always been seated outside of the ship in an area that is behind it. What’s worse is you can’t go to the tip of the ship and reenact that OH SO COOL scene in the movie where one of the characters oh so cinematically spreads out his or her arms to show the utmost elation of being on the world’s greatest cruise ship EVER!!! GLUB, GLUB, GLUB!!! Jack, I will eternally love you!!!