Jack’s Wife Freda

So I’ve heard really good things about Jack’s Wife Freda. That’s why I was so excited to go when my friend from LA came to town. I can finally go and have a looksie!
I have to admit that its décor is really cute. Small and intimate (some might say claustrophobic) and cute waiter.
However I was a bit disappointed with the food. Maybe it’s because I’m a pig and always want large portions and shove it all in my face…
We both ordered their green shakshuka with challah toast. It was flavorless! And only 2 tiny eggs swimming in unusually colored sauce (which was why I ordered it in the first place). It just wasn’t enough to satisfy my hunger and taste buds.

Food: Interesting selection of Mediterranean dishes for lunch and dinner although you’ll find American dishes for breakfast and brunch.
There aren’t too many entrees to choose from and isn’t necessarily vegetarian friendly (only one choice, the veggie curry bowl).
Portions are a little on the small side, so you may need to order a side.
The miso-​glazed salmon and kale bowl is amazing!
Ambiance: Quaint, cozy and charming. Very small venue with no waiting area.
Service: Fast and friendly service. Servers know the menu/​ingredients very well. They accommodated our large party with no reservation and seated us within 10 minutes despite how busy they were.
Price: $$
Things to know: No reservations. Not vegetarian friendly.

Not much to rave about here, TBH. Service was spotty and our table had a lot of misses in terms of the food. Food deserves a solid 3, service deserves a solid 2, and yes I’m rounding down this time.
FOOD:
Chicken Prego Roll + Fries — Thinly pounded grilled chicken breast nestled in a ciabatta like bread with paprika aioli and watercress. The paprika aioli and watercress was what won me over when the scanning menu, but nothing delivered. I could not taste the aioli or watercress at all. Heck, I was barely able to see the aioli spread in my sandwich. Not a bad tasting sandwich by any means, but there’s nothing exciting about it. The thick cut fries were incredibly good though. Not oily, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and just the perfect amount of salt.
Jack’s Breakfast — Skirt steak portion was generous and delicious! Delicious yes, but special? Still no. What made the whole dish for me was the little bit of spicy green dipping sauce on the side. I doubt I would’ve enjoyed the few bites of steak as much I had if not for the sauce.
Rosewater Waffles — I would’ve said its just me based on others raving reviews about this dish. BUT!!! My table of fours’ verdict was this dish sucks. I’m a fan of Rose flavored drinks/​food when done right. When done wrong, things go really wrong. This dish was way too perfumey tasting and the amount of «rose» flavor was way too intense. This literally tastes like my Fresh Rose Face mask I have at home. My friend said it tasted like cheap air freshener.
Green Shashuka — I did not try this dish, but apparently my friend really likes it and it looked great. I can comment on the portion size though. This thing is TEENY TINY. I can’t see how a smallllll dish of shashuka (which is basically just sauce and eggs) and two slices of bread can fill a hungry human up.
Duck Bacon — Alright. I guess.
Flourless Chocolate Chipotle Cake — Good and extremely heavy. Takes quite a lot of effort to finish one serving if not sharing with people. It was very disappointing that no one in our table was able to taste a hint of chipotle in the cake. Another disappointment was the temperature of the cake. It was cold. Is the word Chipotle just thrown in there for the cool name?
Malva Pudding — A moist sponge-​like cake with a warm pudding-​sauce poured on top with a side of whipped cream. This dish was THEBOMB. I don’t know how else to describe it but say it resembles tres leches but not as sweet.
SERVICE: HELLO BLIZZARD 2016! Although I truly appreciate the employees at Jack’s Wife Freda for braving the storm and going to work. I’m still a paying customer at the end of the day. It took half an hour after we were served 3 out of our 4 drinks to get creamer and the fourth drink (OJ). We asked twice for the creamer after the OJ arrived. It wasn’t until I threw some shade at a waiter and told him to take back the cold brew with melted ice cubes in the cup and make a new one. The cold brew became a diluted brew because we were waiting for some freakin creamer. He took the drink and agreed to make a new one, and this is when things got weird. A waitress came back and slammed the creamer on our table telling us the kitchen was backed up hence the wait. BUT HELLO? IT’S JUST CREAMER. Our food already arrived! Her pathetic attempt of an excuse had me fuming. Duck bacon also came after we ordered dessert and finished our entrees. Lol. Ok.
It’ll be a while til I come back here.

When in NYC, you must brunch.
While it might sound like something a hipster would say, quite frankly, I could care less. It’s practically a noun/​verb ‘brunch’ in the city that never sleeps or rather has a hangover on any given day. I was only in town for five days, but I knew I had to find the king of all spots in town and sure enough, one of my instagram friends pointed me out to Jack’s Wife Freda.
Already upon walking by, people were spilling out the door. There was a 40 minute wait, so we had a glass of wine (yes we live in Euroe — day drinking is ‘A-​Ok’) and made our way back to the most crowded place on Lafayette.
The place itself is bright and bustling, filled with tables squeezed together to maximize space and every spot is full. The menu is small and inviting. You have your classic eggs and sweets, coffee and juice. But of course everything is NYC-​fied. Which means you are having that egg poached, over a bed of quinoa, next to a side of freshly-​sliced avocado. And of course the coffee is fair-​trade. They are also have more interesting menu additions such as sweet breads. Just ask what they are, I dare you!
Everything my husband and I ate was amazing, and I only wish I had discovered this place sooner because we would have gone more than once. This is the brunch of all brunches…

I’ve been DYING to try this place. However, I could never justify waiting over an hour for brunch on the weekends. I was in the city this past Wednesday afternoon, so I decided to eat here with my dad. It was still packed but the wait was at most ten minutes, which was quick for Jack’s Wife.
The place is pretty tiny and they sure pack you in making use of all the space, but what’s new in a NYC restaurant right?
I ordered the green shakshuka since that is the most common thing I see via Instagram or through Unilocal.I’ve had the typical shakshuka, which I believe is tomato based, but I wasn’t really a fan. However, I enjoyed the green shakshuka, it’s nothing spectacular but it was pretty tasty and got tastier when I added some of the green hot sauce (ask for it!!) The hot sauce has just a little kick to it so if you can’t take spicy, I don’t think it should be a problem, but the flavor is just on point, I can’t really describe it so just try it, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Back to the dish, the challah bread was so yummy and soft, one thing I hate is when restaurants give me bread that’s super hard and uncomfortable to bite into.
My dad ordered a side of the chopped salad, which we did not expect it to be what it was. We were expecting a regular salad with lettuce, but I think it was a Mediterranean-​styled salad with cucumbers, peppers and onions. It was alright. It tasted good when I threw it into my shakshuka and ate it like that. For his main dish he ordered the poached eggs with grilled halumi and tomatoes. He said it was okay.
I’ve read and heard a lot of good things about the cantaloupe juice so I knew I had to get it. In my and my dad’s opinion, it was just meh. But my dad said it might be because cantaloupes are not in season right now. We both shared one and only drank half of it.
One thing to know is that the portion sizes are on the smaller side. I don’t have a big stomach so I almost never finish my food, but I was able to finish all of my food and I still wasn’t FULL, I was full but not fuuuullll, if you know what I mean. My dad was still hungry after.
Overall, it was a good experience with enjoyable, tasty food but it wasn’t too filling.

Yes! Loved it! We had great service and could even sit outside with our dog.
They have some cool breakfast dishes to try. I ordered the green shakshuka and fell in love. Such a delicious and interesting take on the dish. And the perfect size. Not too huge. The grilled haloumi cheese app is also a must try. I loved it, although didn’t particularly like the grapes with it. The Mediterranean Breakfast entrée is also solid.
The fresh cantaloupe juice was quite amazing, but my favorite is the Nana Tea with fresh mint.
Only downside was the location. Right on a busy street. A little crowded and noisy with road construction and lots of cars flying by.

I personally think that Jack’s Wife Freda lives up to the rave reviews it gets on Unilocal.Jack’s Wife Freda is one of those ‘trendy’ New York brunch spots where basic girls go to take Instagram pictures of their food. Unlike their rivals Two Hands, or the Butcher’s Daughter, I feel like this place is actually WORTH IT.
The menu has reasonable prices and the meals are always super flavorful and never disappoint. I like the selection of breakfast/​brunch foods they offer. Jack’s Wife Freda serves food that most people CANNOT make at their own home (ahem Two Hands I’m talking about you here)… The service is friendly and prompt. The only things I don’t like about it is the communal table which you have to rub elbows with strangers and the waiting time. However, the wait is worth it.
The vibe/​ambience in here is minimal and clean cut. It’s super cheery and besides all the basic trendy people, I really like this place. I will be back sometime!!! This is probably one of the only trendy brunch spots worth going to.

Worst brunch experience.
I ordered the Green Shakshuka because of all the hype on Unilocal.What is so great about this? It was just an expensive green sauce dish. My brunch buddies enjoyed their food though — they had a sandwich and the duck dish. I ate the arugula salad and bread that might have been with my dish and I tried the fries from their dish. I was starving and probably at a hangry stage — this dish escalated my mood.

We came on a Thursday morning for brunch and got seated immediately for 3 people! (very impressive and probably lucky considering how crowded the place was). 5 minutes later, a line starts forming outside (phew).
The seating is small and packed, but kind of intimate in a cute and comfortable way. We had the latte, which was amazing! The rosewater waffles was exactly what I expected. I personally love rose-​flavored anything, so this hit the spot. I’m not a huge syrup person, but this syrup was light and made the waffle a «rosewater waffle». We also got Madame Freda, which actually exceeded my expectations – it’s definitely a must have! It also comes with a side of arugula salad, so thats a plus.
Will come back again when I visit!

This place was way smaller than I thought it would be. I came here at night with a reservation so I was seated once I arrived. My friends and I were seated at the long table which was in the middle of the restaurant. It was pretty cold since we were near the door and people kept going in and out. It is a good place for casual dinners or brunch. It is cozy but really loud with peoples voices over lapping each other.
I ordered the Peri Peri Chicken which came with a salad consisting of diced cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and green peppers. The chicken was cooked to perfection, very tender and juicy. I would definitely get it again.
The rest of my table ordered off the sandwich section. When the waiter came to take our order, she suggested the options of avocado or cheese with their sandwiches. However, she did not inform us of the extra costs for each item. To add on avocados to your sandwich is $ 3 extra and to add on cheese is $ 1 extra. Other than that, the waiters were very patient, agile, and affable.
Overall, I give this place 3 stars because of the waiter situation and the loudness of the restaurant other than that I would have given more stars.
I recommend this place for their food and coziness.

Eat like a pauper, pay like a king. Tiny bottle of Evian is $ 8. Be prepared to rub elbows with adjacent table.
Service is horrendous. Waitress asked if we were ready to order before telling us about the specials. After we already ordered another waiter came over, ready to take our order. When the food arrived I had to switch plates with my friend because they didn’t remember or care about who ordered what. After I finished eating, the waiter took my plate away but then took my dirty utensils out of my plate while the plate was hovering above my head, put the dirty knife and fork back down in front of me and caused egg yolk to drip over my sweater in that whole process, before coming right back to take them away from me again (!!!).
Food is grossly overpriced. The arugula is wilted and tuna tastes no better than canned. I would not have paid half the price they charge. The cantaloupe juice is really tasty, but costs $ 5 for a small cup filled with ice.

I’ve come here twice, once for lunch and once for dinner. Lunch was a 1.5 hour wait, but I was seated immediately for dinner.
Seating is pretty cosy and it’s overall pretty loud. There’s a large communal table in the middle for larger groups, but the place in general is pretty small so try and come with 3 or less!
Food wise, the green shashuka is pretty great. An interesting twist on the shashuka I’m normally used to. It’s green (pepper based?) but not spicy, and quite thin. The bread that comes with it is amazing.
I’ve also tried the lamb and eggplant lasagna. I tend to like both those ingredients, but I wasn’t particularly blown away. Lots of flavor, lamb was minced and eggplant came in large chunks. Side of arugula that was quite bitter.
Dessert — the malva pudding is awesome. Must try! Comes with whipped cream and is nice and warm.

Stopped in for brunch with two friends and had the steak, duck bacon, and poached eggs. The food was fantastic!
The Great:
The latte was amazing
Perfectly poached eggs
The OK: The place was PACKED. And because it’s the winter, everyone was bundled up in coats and scarves. Not much room to move.
Overall — a solid 4 stars. I will absolutely be back.

I really want to give Jack’s a higher rating, but this place just seems overhyped and overpriced. I came in on NYE around 4pm and luckily there was no wait. We were seated in the communal tables and usually that doesn’t bother me, but this time it sure did. Wasn’t the restaurant’s fault though. The party next to us was obnoxiously loud and kept shaking the bench which everyone on the same side was sharing. My time here would’ve been a lot more pleasant if it wasn’t for them :|
I got the green shakshuka and cantaloupe juice, my friend got the chicken kebab entrée and bottomless drip coffee, and we shared the rosewater waffles. The green shakshuka was something I’ve never had before, and I highly recommend this if this is your first time here. However, like many Unilocalers stated, the size is small for the amount you pay. My cantaloupe juice was delicious, but again, not sure if it was worth $ 5 lol. My friend’s chicken kebab entrée came with chicken, couscous and chopped salad. It was your typical Mediterranean platter, but a way more healthy version and was so so. I’d skip out on this and rather go to Whole Foods to get this there. The rosewater waffles was interesting. Both the waffles and syrup were sweeter than usual, and I’m assuming its from the rosewater. I really liked how the syrup was very thin and complimented the waffles well. My friend’s drip coffee was very light, not the best coffee.
Aesthetically, you would want to go here to get your instagram photos in. Its definitely a good brunch place, but not sure if the price is worth it.

Sooo busy during brunch on the weekends.
This establishment gets a ⁵⁄₅ for hospitality because as I was waiting for a table on a hot summer day, the gentleman behind the register brought me a cup of fresh watermelon juice. And so I fell.
For the juice. I ordered another one immediately.
I also tried the cantaloupe juice.
Equally yummy.
Well played, aforementioned gentleman.
DON’T FORGET TO TRY THE MALVA PUDDING.
It’s basically a spongy bread pudding in magical sauce.

I was pretty excited about brunch here, but left feeling a little disappointed and hungry. First off, be prepared for a long line, especially during the weekend peak brunch hours. My group of 5 people came here around 1 pm, and waited over an hour for a seat. However, our waitress was very accommodating so there were no issues with the wait.
I thought the food was just alright. It was nothing to be wowed over. I thought the ingredients were fairly simple, some of the preparation was unique, but the flavors were nothing memorable. I ordered the green shakshuka, which I was really excited about, but it was just baked eggs and a green chili sauce, with a side of toasted challah bread, nothing too exciting. I was also not impressed with the price ($ 12) for that small of a portion. I could have ordered more, but I didn’t want to pay even more for small portions. My entire group agreed that the food was alright, but overall the small portions and high prices were not worth it.

Adorable little place for breakfast! Everything is presented nicely and is very picturesque :)
Came here on a Friday at around 2pm and it was still very crowded. The wait was about 40 mins. The café gave off a very Parisian feel because of it’s décor and the upbeat atmosphere.
Ordered the Rose Water Waffle and the Green shakshuka.
— The Rose Water Waffle was pretty good. The rose water made the waffle fragrant and the honey syrup was a perfect addition. However, you definitely need coffee or tea with this because it was pretty dry and hard to swallow without drinking anything.
— The Green shakshuka which was amazing. I loved the green sauce… (cilantro? and a little tangy). However, the portions are TINY.

I had the Green Shakshuka. My friends ordered the Poached Eggs with Grilled Tomato and Haloumi and the Madame Freda (Pressed Sandwich with Duck Proscuitto, Chedder Beschamel, Gruyère, and a Fried Egg). Overall the food was good at best and it’s reasonably priced for the quality! It’s a great brunch option (some may even say a staple!) when you’re not in the mood for an American brunch. The shakshuka is on a short-​list of must-​try items in New York. And duck bacon is always fantastic!
I’d come every so often, but it’s not going to replace your go-​to brunch place. The food is good for your first few visits, but the wait time makes it not worth it after a visit or two, especially for food that meh to good. I docked a star for the wait time. There’s always a line and because the location is so small, the wait is always atleast 45 minutes to an hour. It’s a little ridiculous.

There is just something good about simple and clean food.
The food here looks that.
Just a few ingredients nicely displayed on the plate.
Clean.
It seems like they went frolicking through a meadow before deciding to cook the meal they present you. And breakfast for lunch? Good stuff.
I had a Mediterranean breakfast which they scrambled eggs for me and placed on a plate with a little slightly but not that much vinegar tossed diced tomatoes and cucumbers, sliced avocado, and little slices of pita. The hot sauce they bring reminds me of the green sauce you cover your Peruvian/​Columbian chicken with. I’m not food savvy enough to know what exactly that is. Tomatillo? Its a little spicy but not overpowering which makes it delightful.
The Malva pudding which is apparently a flour based moist/​wet cake with honey and a side of whipped cream is amazing. More bread pudding like than pudding itself but it was scarfed down in seconds.
The soho location guarantees that the service is a little detached but friendly enough. We got served by basically all of the wait staff at random times although only one picked up the check in the end. We also sat outside which is probably clutch during the weekend but during the Lafayette construction moment it was part loud, part quaint.

In the long list of must try brunches in NYC, Jack’s Wife Freda was amongst them. So I decided to head here on a Sunday late morning to give it a go.
First and foremost, it must be said that they strictly enforce the no alcohol before 12pm rule. Since we were seated at 11:15, this meant no booze for us! So take note before coming.
So back to the experience… After a 20 minute wait, we were seated in what was a upbeat and lively atmosphere. The restaurant itself is fairly small, so they put the tables close together, making it really cozy with your neighbor.
I went with the chicken kabob as it seemed to get good reviews. After an extremely short wait, it arrived looking all kinds of delicious. Unfortunately though, the taste didn’t match the presentation. I found the chicken to be surprisingly dry… So much so that it was really hard to gauge the actual taste of it. The saving grace was the side of duck bacon that I had, which was delicious.
All in all this place is cool, but the food wasn’t impressive in my opinion. The service was great and I definitely enjoyed the overall experience. But when it came down to it, I was fairly disappointed in my dish.

45 min d’attente mais le brunch est vraiment pas mal. Ambiance très new yorkaise, très bruyant les tables proches avec un staff très friendly.
J’ai choisi la gaufre, les œufs avec la shashuka ainsi que le toast à l’avocat et en boisson un jus de melon. Le tout est très bon surtout la gaufre et le jus de melon, le prix est correcte. A faire une fois si l’attente n’est pas trop longue.

En plein Soho vous né pouvez rater Jack’s Wife Freda parce que la queue devant le restaurant vous intringuera. Si cela m’a découragé durant l’été, la queue est toujours présente mais moins longue en hiver (comptez environ 20 minutes d’attente avant d’avoir une table.)
Rien à dire sur le personnel, tout à fait cordial et agréable. Le restaurant est assez étroit, on est limite collé à nos voisins de table mais au final c’est pas si dérangeant.
J’ai testé le haloumi (une sorte de fromage) frits accompagné d’un filet d’huile d’olive et de raisins, c’était pas mal même si la quantité est assez petite.
Pour les mêmes prix vous avez droit à une gauffre à la rose, croque-​madame et autres plats plus rassasiants. Ici les saveurs sont assez originales, on sent le côté un peu méditérranéen des plats, j’aurai bien voulu goûter les oeufs en cocotte mais ça sera pour une prochaine fois.
Les sachets de sucre sont juste adorables !!