Jack's Oyster House

We visited 11/11/17 and were surprised, given the name of the restaurant, at the lack of oysters on the menu. There were 2 apps (the seafood tower & on the half shell) that contained oysters, but no entrees. The seafood chowders (we had both) were wonderful with lots of seafood. The tower at $39.00 was over priced. The presentation was beautiful, but somewhat lacking in actual edible items. The small half lobster tail had been frozen and was not served with drawn butter (we asked for it, but it was not brought to the table.) The Steak Diane was tasty, but over cooked. The cod was fresh, but the special was $35.00 ($35.00 for cod??) for that price the dish was rather uninspired. My crab cakes contained plenty of crab and were tasty. The service was unremarkable, but not awful. We arrived after the normal dinner rush, so the restaurant was about 1/4 full. I felt for the quality of the food and the service, the restaurant was over priced. The three of us had the seafood tower, two cups of chowder, the entrees mentioned above and each had a couple of drinks. (We picked up dessert on the way back to the hotel.) With tip, the bill was right at $300.
3 7 years ago (14-11-2017)

Seafood tower was fresh and great quality. Bartender very nice and attentive, while being discrete. Excellent cocktails as well. An Old Towne Albany classic!
4 7 years ago (04-11-2017)

In my family, we've saved eating at Jacks for special occasions. We see ourselves age in polaroids taken at birthday and anniversary dinners over the years. The staff has always made us feel so welcome. I still wear a jacket and tie. Jacks not fancy but it is classy. Twice a year i have my scrod dinner and cheesecake dessert. My family is more curious trying different items. We have never been disappointed. My grown kids still remember my trying to light my cigarette before a waiter did it for me.
5 7 years ago (17-07-2017)

I know... it's an Albany institution. That means squat to me. However, went to their banquet section and was presently surprised by the food. It was really good. The decor is dusty and dated. It's one thing to be of a certain style, it's another to be dirty. Also for dessert, their bread pudding was good, however, I realized it was the same bread (rolls) they served with dinner.
4 7 years ago (26-06-2017)

If you want to avoid the riffraff, this cozy cove is a good start. The respectable prices reflect the quality of the atmosphere and people you'll be surrounded by. Real food with an artisan touch. I had the calamari, clams, and bourbon cocktails; all of which are worth revisiting.
5 7 years ago (02-09-2017)