Makes sense this place has been open since the 40’s! So much character and hospitality. Margaret was so kind & treated us like family. This place was the highlight of our day, we’ll be back :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
lee leal
I read reviews that they have a great beef dip sandwich. Well it depends on what makes a great beef sandwich for you. While the beef itself is really delicious, the meat was very fatty. I took off about 1/3 of the meat because it was fat. The dip isn't that great. It's more of a homemade beef gravy.... not very very or flavorful like au jus. Didn't even use it and it doesn't pair very well with the pastrami.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Crystal E.
Mom n pops shop grateful food and drinks. Service is great, homie feel. You feel welcome when you walk in.
Tony P.
This place truly is a gem. Basic fundamentals of a good restaurant: good people and good food. I want to keep this short as possible but so much that needs to be said about this place. This place is literally the representation of the American dream. I grew up in this neighborhood since elementary, left into my twenties all over the place. I was originally looking for a quick bite at Maria's Bakery down the street but they were closed. Decided FINALLY try this place on a whim. Me and my buddy always told each other we would try it out one day but man ... if I had known such great people were running this place, I would have came sooner. Me being Asian American myself and in the restaurant industry... I felt it the moment I stepped foot inside... Best way to sum it up is "Real recognize Real". You can tell that they really love what they do and they do it well. It's something special to keep a place going for 77 years. Most restaurants now outsource products from big companies, everything pretty much tasting the same... but the moment I tried my food, I can tell a lot of it is done the old fashioned way. The beef for the sandwich, the pickles, the peppers ... does NOT taste like anywhere else. I've never been to Philippe's in LA but I would probably safely assume this can go toe to toe with them no question! Beef dip gravy you can tell made from the drippings and not purchased from SYSCO and the coleslaw was well balanced. Simon and Margarette really make the place what it is, a true mom and pop Asian American owned Restaurant with the heart and soul of Los Angeles food culture for what it was, is and should be!
Keenan Chu
Food is very good, Margaret is great, it’s a hole in the wall. I would highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gabriel H.
The service was good. The beef dip.... was tasty,better than philippe. Place has been in the city of El monte for years
Nate S.
Seen this place for years and decided to stop by for breakfast while I was in the area. I really like diners/dives like this. I usually judge spots on how they pull together certain classic dishes. For this day, it was corned beef hash. Some places give you the canned version. Not this spot. I really enjoyed their version. It leveraged their sliced beef with shredded potatoes. I asked for their housemade spicy salsa that paired with it well. The server and service were great and friendly. On tume with the refills of coffee and water. I also felt the coffee was a little better than usual diner coffee, too. Look forward to getting back here to work through the rest of the menu
Glenn L.
I've past this place many times, not feeling any urgency to try it. First impressions is that it looks like an old diner and bar, that time forgot. Then I read a story about this place online, it had a lot of historical history about the restaurant and it's old and new owners. It was enough for me to put this place on my must try list. So my Son and I showed up to give it a try. Entering through the back and through the bar, continuing around to the front, greeted by a very lovely, friendly female, that turns out to be the owner. The dining area, a little smaller than what I expected, older booths and decor, has character. Area was clean. Order two sandwich plates, one beef dip, one pastrami sandwich, both coming with fries, coleslaw, and a small bowl of dipping gravy. The gravy tasted and had the consistency of beef gravy, which pair perfectly with the beef dip sandwich, the pastrami sandwich would of been better with more of a clear, light au jus. (beef broth) The fries were perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, perfectly seasoned, coleslaw was nicely chilled, flavored nicely. The owner was super nice, very attentive and helpful. Interacted with us, enough to make us feel welcomed, but not so much as to keep us from eating. Can't wait to come with the whole family, to try other items on the menu. 4 stars from me.
Abraham Flores
His Lordship, Sir Abraham of the House of Flores, and his honorable deputy, Joshua, have thus visited this fair site and deemed it satisfactory.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cecilia O.
Food was great. We ordered the pastrami and corned beef - kosher style. The bread was a bit soggy at the bottom but it was delicious! Did not have mustard in the sandwiches but they brought some to the table. Coleslaw was fabulous. Also ordered the Mimi and Deana's with chili on the side. Everyone was happy with their food. Asked for extra pickles. Service: was very attentive and friendly. Will definitely come back soon.
I am ashamed to have not left a review here sooner. The Jolly Jug is a gem of the San Gabriel Valley and one of the very few places left to get a great beef dip sandwich. Margaret is amazing and keeps her historic 1946 restaurant just as it should be. Don't hesitate, stop in to the Jug for a beef dip with gravy and some of their amazing house coleslaw!
Maria Rodriguez
Food was great ?
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Paul Lucido
Great night down memory lane at the Jolly Jug in El Monte. Beef Dip sandwiches were off the hook delicious and the service was great! Thank you Alissa and Simon for making our night memorable! We loved it! Paul & Darla and Margie & Jerrytakefivewithpaullucido
Food: 5
Service: 5
D L.
I very much wanted to give them more stars, but I just couldn't. I ordered a vegetable omelette, hash brown potatoes and sourdough toast with coffee. They used some sort of vegetable oil to make the eggs & they used copious amounts of it. It was slick & shiny & the oil added nothing to the taste, just grease. The potatoes were perfect - I like mine crispy, so to me they were perfect. The toast had so much butter on it that I couldn't taste the sourdough. I always forget to order the butter on the side & that might have helped. The service was OK, not over-attentive, but I only saw one staff member, so, for all I know he was cooking, too. I made a special request, which he forgot at first & then rushed over to fix without me saying a word. One family came in, sat as far away from me as possible & I was still overwhelmed by the volume of the video they were playing on someone's phone. No one asked them to turn it down. It stood out especially because the place was so quiet, everyone speaking in hushed tones, as if it were a library. The reason I won't be going back to give them another try is that about 45-60 minutes after I finished my meal, I developed very bad intestinal pains. I can't think what else it was except this meal. I think if I had taken more control over how much fat was in my meal I might not have become so uncomfortable, but I don't think to do such things when I first visit a restaurant.
Robert Kyle
A lovely little diner with the kind of food you get with years of experience.
Makes sense this place has been open since the 40’s! So much character and hospitality. Margaret was so kind & treated us like family. This place was the highlight of our day, we’ll be back :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I read reviews that they have a great beef dip sandwich. Well it depends on what makes a great beef sandwich for you. While the beef itself is really delicious, the meat was very fatty. I took off about 1/3 of the meat because it was fat. The dip isn't that great. It's more of a homemade beef gravy.... not very very or flavorful like au jus. Didn't even use it and it doesn't pair very well with the pastrami.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Mom n pops shop grateful food and drinks. Service is great, homie feel. You feel welcome when you walk in.
This place truly is a gem. Basic fundamentals of a good restaurant: good people and good food. I want to keep this short as possible but so much that needs to be said about this place. This place is literally the representation of the American dream. I grew up in this neighborhood since elementary, left into my twenties all over the place. I was originally looking for a quick bite at Maria's Bakery down the street but they were closed. Decided FINALLY try this place on a whim. Me and my buddy always told each other we would try it out one day but man ... if I had known such great people were running this place, I would have came sooner. Me being Asian American myself and in the restaurant industry... I felt it the moment I stepped foot inside... Best way to sum it up is "Real recognize Real". You can tell that they really love what they do and they do it well. It's something special to keep a place going for 77 years. Most restaurants now outsource products from big companies, everything pretty much tasting the same... but the moment I tried my food, I can tell a lot of it is done the old fashioned way. The beef for the sandwich, the pickles, the peppers ... does NOT taste like anywhere else. I've never been to Philippe's in LA but I would probably safely assume this can go toe to toe with them no question! Beef dip gravy you can tell made from the drippings and not purchased from SYSCO and the coleslaw was well balanced. Simon and Margarette really make the place what it is, a true mom and pop Asian American owned Restaurant with the heart and soul of Los Angeles food culture for what it was, is and should be!
Food is very good, Margaret is great, it’s a hole in the wall. I would highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The service was good. The beef dip.... was tasty,better than philippe. Place has been in the city of El monte for years
Seen this place for years and decided to stop by for breakfast while I was in the area. I really like diners/dives like this. I usually judge spots on how they pull together certain classic dishes. For this day, it was corned beef hash. Some places give you the canned version. Not this spot. I really enjoyed their version. It leveraged their sliced beef with shredded potatoes. I asked for their housemade spicy salsa that paired with it well. The server and service were great and friendly. On tume with the refills of coffee and water. I also felt the coffee was a little better than usual diner coffee, too. Look forward to getting back here to work through the rest of the menu
I've past this place many times, not feeling any urgency to try it. First impressions is that it looks like an old diner and bar, that time forgot. Then I read a story about this place online, it had a lot of historical history about the restaurant and it's old and new owners. It was enough for me to put this place on my must try list. So my Son and I showed up to give it a try. Entering through the back and through the bar, continuing around to the front, greeted by a very lovely, friendly female, that turns out to be the owner. The dining area, a little smaller than what I expected, older booths and decor, has character. Area was clean. Order two sandwich plates, one beef dip, one pastrami sandwich, both coming with fries, coleslaw, and a small bowl of dipping gravy. The gravy tasted and had the consistency of beef gravy, which pair perfectly with the beef dip sandwich, the pastrami sandwich would of been better with more of a clear, light au jus. (beef broth) The fries were perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, perfectly seasoned, coleslaw was nicely chilled, flavored nicely. The owner was super nice, very attentive and helpful. Interacted with us, enough to make us feel welcomed, but not so much as to keep us from eating. Can't wait to come with the whole family, to try other items on the menu. 4 stars from me.
His Lordship, Sir Abraham of the House of Flores, and his honorable deputy, Joshua, have thus visited this fair site and deemed it satisfactory.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was great. We ordered the pastrami and corned beef - kosher style. The bread was a bit soggy at the bottom but it was delicious! Did not have mustard in the sandwiches but they brought some to the table. Coleslaw was fabulous. Also ordered the Mimi and Deana's with chili on the side. Everyone was happy with their food. Asked for extra pickles. Service: was very attentive and friendly. Will definitely come back soon.
Restaurantji Recommends
I am ashamed to have not left a review here sooner. The Jolly Jug is a gem of the San Gabriel Valley and one of the very few places left to get a great beef dip sandwich. Margaret is amazing and keeps her historic 1946 restaurant just as it should be. Don't hesitate, stop in to the Jug for a beef dip with gravy and some of their amazing house coleslaw!
Food was great ?
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Great night down memory lane at the Jolly Jug in El Monte. Beef Dip sandwiches were off the hook delicious and the service was great! Thank you Alissa and Simon for making our night memorable! We loved it! Paul & Darla and Margie & Jerrytakefivewithpaullucido
Food: 5
Service: 5
I very much wanted to give them more stars, but I just couldn't. I ordered a vegetable omelette, hash brown potatoes and sourdough toast with coffee. They used some sort of vegetable oil to make the eggs & they used copious amounts of it. It was slick & shiny & the oil added nothing to the taste, just grease. The potatoes were perfect - I like mine crispy, so to me they were perfect. The toast had so much butter on it that I couldn't taste the sourdough. I always forget to order the butter on the side & that might have helped. The service was OK, not over-attentive, but I only saw one staff member, so, for all I know he was cooking, too. I made a special request, which he forgot at first & then rushed over to fix without me saying a word. One family came in, sat as far away from me as possible & I was still overwhelmed by the volume of the video they were playing on someone's phone. No one asked them to turn it down. It stood out especially because the place was so quiet, everyone speaking in hushed tones, as if it were a library. The reason I won't be going back to give them another try is that about 45-60 minutes after I finished my meal, I developed very bad intestinal pains. I can't think what else it was except this meal. I think if I had taken more control over how much fat was in my meal I might not have become so uncomfortable, but I don't think to do such things when I first visit a restaurant.
A lovely little diner with the kind of food you get with years of experience.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5