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Restaurant Guide

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Key

  • B - Breakfast
  • L - Lunch
  • D - Dinner
  • Br - Brunch
  • P - Private Dining
  • - No Smoking
  • - Kid-friendly
  • - Outdoor dining
  • - Wine and beer only
  • - Late night dining
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Price categories indicate typical cost of a dinner entree for one:

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Jax Café

$$$$ | Steak/Seafood/Seafood

Of the remaining heritage restaurants in the Twin Cities, Jax Café often seems the most frozen in time. But that would be a misimpression. Jax bills itself as a steak house, but there's a very large menu, and most of the food is competent, some of it excellent: the hash browns are some of the best in town, buttery, with a nice ratio of crisp to soft. Jax's food, more often than not, is classic but up to date-ingredients are respected, modern preferences taken into account. And because it's out of the way for most of us, a meal at Jax just feels special. And it is.

  • No Smoking
  • Kid-friendly
  • Outdoor dining
  • Late night dining
  • Entertainment
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • No personal checks
  • Notable
  • P | L M - Su /D M - Su /Br - Su
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1928 University Ave. NE
Mpls., Minnesota 55418
Phone: 612-789-7297
84
out of 100
0.0
out of 10
  • Critics’ + Eaters’ Ratings »
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  • Map »

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY

Critics' Scoring

Scores will be assigned based on a 0-100 scale broken down as follows:

100 = Perfect
90 = Excellent
80 = Very Good
70 = Good, not Great
60 = High Average
50 = Average
40 = Low Average
30 = Disappointing
20 = Nearly Without Merit
10 = Poor
00 = Worthless
85
Mpls.St.Paul Magazine | Adam Platt
09/08
If you've left Jax off your dining circuit because you see it as your parents' or grandparents' restaurant, well it is, but mostly in those great retro touches and trappings of an era when hospitality seemed more genuine. Where it isn't, though, is that Jax's food, more often than not, is classic but up-to-date-ingredients are respected, modern preferences taken into account.
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84
City Pages | Rachel Hutton
09/08/08
If I were prejudiced against such traditional foods-and sometimes I am-I might complain about them being mushy, overcooked, and indistinct. But at Jax, I was surprised to find the shrimp toast paired with a dipping sauce that was actually spicy, trout so lightly cooked as to seem almost sushi-like, and a side of fresh veggies with an al dente crunch.
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80
Gayot
Though the Kozlak's Northeast Minneapolis palace may seem hip now, with its dark wood paneled walls and lusty steakhouse menu, it's the world that has caught up with Jax and not the other way around.
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75
Renee & Steve
12/22/01
My food as usual was ok, it is not going to make you swoon, in may even disappoint you, but you don't go to Jax for food, you go for atmosphere and to celebrate some special day or to watch others celebrate that special day.
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BUZZ

Pioneer Press
Top 25 Restaurant Patios
This institution is not only known for its steaks but also for its backyard patio with a Zenlike garden and trout stream.
Read Article
Minnesota Monthly
Best Patios
05/07
The quaint hideaway features a stream from which patrons can catch their very own rainbow trout. A Jax staffer will even snap a Polaroid with you and your soon-to-be dinner.
Read Article

EATER COMMENTS + RATINGS


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