For all you complainers, Well... Great place, best service you could ask for. Food is incredible. But I'm pretty partial. I've been going there for 40 years +. Enjoy.
Kelly
Excellent food & ser vice.
Avinaash K
Great steaks and cocktails!
Cloyce Dickerson
Still the Best Steak in the World – 40 Years Later at Jack’s
In 1988, fresh out of training and suited up for my very first day on the job, I found myself sweating through a worsted wool suit in Redding, California—on what turned out to be one of the hottest days on record at a sweltering 118 degrees. A young African American kid from the inner city of Flint, Michigan, I felt completely out of place. My boss gave me one piece of advice before I called it a night: “Promise me you’ll grab a steak at Jack’s.”
So I did.
I walked into a packed Jack’s Grill, and the first thing I saw behind the bar wasn’t a wine list or a maître d’—it was bull riding on TV. Bull riding! I nearly turned right around. But a promise is a promise.
The host told me the wait would be 45 minutes to an hour—a perfect excuse to retreat to the comfort of my hotel and order room service. But something made me stay. When my name was called, I discovered Jack’s had a policy I’d never heard of before: if you were a party of one or two, they seated you with other solo diners to fill a table. Yet again, I almost bailed. But everyone had been surprisingly friendly, so I stuck it out.
And thank God I did.
That night I ordered the filet mignon—and it wasn’t just good, it was life-changing. Perfectly cooked, seasoned with something magical, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. It was hands down the best steak I’d ever had. That night marked the beginning of a love affair. For over a decade, every time work took me to Redding, Jack’s was my non-negotiable dinner stop. And when I no longer traveled there for work? I’d still occasionally make the 2-hour drive from Sacramento just for that steak.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of dining at some of the most renowned steakhouses in the world: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Miami, Hong Kong, Tokyo (even Kobe), Montreal, Vancouver, Rome, Paris, Saint-Tropez, you name it. The only place that even came close was a little gem in Rome’s Jewish Ghetto—but even that couldn’t quite top Jack’s.
Fast forward nearly 40 years later. I took my father to the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, and mid-track meet, a wild idea hit me: “If we head out right after this ends, we can make it to Jack’s before they close at 10 PM.” Five hours later, we pulled into Redding.
Jack’s looked almost exactly the same. And the steak? Still flawless. Still the best I’ve had anywhere on the planet.
Funny thing is—I can’t recall what happened on that first day of my now long and successful career. But I remember every single detail about that first steak at Jack’s.
So here’s my advice: if you’re ever within 100 miles of Redding and love a great steak, don’t miss Jack’s. Trust me, it’s not just a meal—it’s a memory waiting to happen.
Jack’s isn’t just the best steakhouse in Redding—it’s the best steakhouse in the world.
Nate McGuire
The vibe, the aura of this place, it’s all incredible. The steak was out of this world. We stumbled upon jacks from out of town on a roadtrip and couldn’t stop thinking about it after.
This should be a pilgrimage for men who like steak
Mike Riddle
Get there at 4:30, stand in line. First in seated? Sit in the back! Enjoy!
Ebony Noelle Hunter
I asked the concierge at my hotel for a great steakhouse and they recommended Jacks. First, it took about 25 minutes before anyone even came and took my order. I ordered a medium rare steak and received what was probably the most poorly cooked steak I’ve ever seen. The internal temperature looked OK but the outside was completely burnt and black. Absolutely appalling. When I brought it to the waitresses attention, her response was “This is what you asked for”. WHAT?! I’ve been to a plethora of steakhouses and I cook myself. I know what at medium or medium rare steak is supposed to look like. Will never dine here again.
Jeff Anderson
Food and service was amazing. I was in last night. I witnessed about 4 people watching Thursday night NFL football on their phones. I asked the bar tender to please put on the 49er game. He told me he was sorry, but the owner won't upgrade the channels. So we had to watch poker. Owner! Please order more channels to watch nfl games. Thank you.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rusty Huffines
Great food and service. Keep it like it is!!! Simple, easy and delicious! It's nostalgicly wonderful. Jack's is a great escape from the computerized, digitized rush,rush of today's society.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak and Fries
HalfDozenFlowers
Best steak you ever have but it's an old place so be prepared
Family feeling atmosphere, first time getting some grub and it was fire all four meals we got . Thanks for the love that’s cooked with this food you can always tell that food is cooked with love . Because you fall in love with lol ? thanks Jacks next we will come in and sit down instead of to go , will be back !???
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Chicken Dinner, Garlic Bread, Top Sirloin Steak and Baked Potato, Tips in Gray
Hailey Smith
We had heard good things about Jack’s, but this is Redding so we had realistic expectations, unfortunately our low expectations weren’t even met. We were hoping for just well cooked, well seasoned steaks, nothing more nothing less. We waited for well over an hour after the waitress told us it would be 35 minutes, which like, okay no big deal we had some drinks and enjoyed the atmosphere etc. The bar was charming and the drinks were passable, we were chatting, it was not bad. But, by the time we were finally sat & ordered that’s when the real disappointments began. The salads were DROWNING in dressing, unfortunately from reading the other reviews on here I know now that’s the norm… All they consisted of us chopped up, soggy ice burg & slimy canned vegetables, which was unappetizing to say the least. We both ordered our steaks medium rare, a filet & a New York. They came out with good crusts, decently seasoned, but completely raw all the way through. Like raw raw, cold and dark and RAW. The cook was so off on our food. It was just honestly ridiculous and beyond frustrating to have waited for everything to build up to that. We immediately asked for the check, the waitress and the hostess didn’t ask if they could take them back or offer any sort of compensation—nothing. Whatever, they don’t have to do anything but riddle me this: why go out and pay for someone to wildly undercook your food when you can make something 10xs better at home. It was not worth the money we spent at all. I genuinely don’t understand why Redding is unable to figure out how to have a decent restaurant scene. Personally I’d go back for a drink, but I definitely wouldn’t stay for dinner.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Wily Williams
To noisy to think
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 4
Sub Sub
OK it's been there for donkey's years doing what it does really well. The place was full when we were there with local people obviously repeat custom. The steaks were brilliantly cooked and tasty. The ambience you can only describe as 'authentic' Just go for good steak and to say you've been there.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Cousin Dave
Yum good coma food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Deep Fried Jumbo Prawns, Top Sirloin Steak and Baked Potato
For all you complainers, Well... Great place, best service you could ask for. Food is incredible. But I'm pretty partial. I've been going there for 40 years +. Enjoy.
Excellent food & ser vice.
Great steaks and cocktails!
Still the Best Steak in the World – 40 Years Later at Jack’s
In 1988, fresh out of training and suited up for my very first day on the job, I found myself sweating through a worsted wool suit in Redding, California—on what turned out to be one of the hottest days on record at a sweltering 118 degrees. A young African American kid from the inner city of Flint, Michigan, I felt completely out of place. My boss gave me one piece of advice before I called it a night: “Promise me you’ll grab a steak at Jack’s.”
So I did.
I walked into a packed Jack’s Grill, and the first thing I saw behind the bar wasn’t a wine list or a maître d’—it was bull riding on TV. Bull riding! I nearly turned right around. But a promise is a promise.
The host told me the wait would be 45 minutes to an hour—a perfect excuse to retreat to the comfort of my hotel and order room service. But something made me stay. When my name was called, I discovered Jack’s had a policy I’d never heard of before: if you were a party of one or two, they seated you with other solo diners to fill a table. Yet again, I almost bailed. But everyone had been surprisingly friendly, so I stuck it out.
And thank God I did.
That night I ordered the filet mignon—and it wasn’t just good, it was life-changing. Perfectly cooked, seasoned with something magical, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. It was hands down the best steak I’d ever had. That night marked the beginning of a love affair. For over a decade, every time work took me to Redding, Jack’s was my non-negotiable dinner stop. And when I no longer traveled there for work? I’d still occasionally make the 2-hour drive from Sacramento just for that steak.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of dining at some of the most renowned steakhouses in the world: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Miami, Hong Kong, Tokyo (even Kobe), Montreal, Vancouver, Rome, Paris, Saint-Tropez, you name it. The only place that even came close was a little gem in Rome’s Jewish Ghetto—but even that couldn’t quite top Jack’s.
Fast forward nearly 40 years later. I took my father to the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, and mid-track meet, a wild idea hit me: “If we head out right after this ends, we can make it to Jack’s before they close at 10 PM.” Five hours later, we pulled into Redding.
Jack’s looked almost exactly the same. And the steak? Still flawless. Still the best I’ve had anywhere on the planet.
Funny thing is—I can’t recall what happened on that first day of my now long and successful career. But I remember every single detail about that first steak at Jack’s.
So here’s my advice: if you’re ever within 100 miles of Redding and love a great steak, don’t miss Jack’s. Trust me, it’s not just a meal—it’s a memory waiting to happen.
Jack’s isn’t just the best steakhouse in Redding—it’s the best steakhouse in the world.
The vibe, the aura of this place, it’s all incredible. The steak was out of this world. We stumbled upon jacks from out of town on a roadtrip and couldn’t stop thinking about it after.
This should be a pilgrimage for men who like steak
Get there at 4:30, stand in line. First in seated? Sit in the back! Enjoy!
I asked the concierge at my hotel for a great steakhouse and they recommended Jacks. First, it took about 25 minutes before anyone even came and took my order. I ordered a medium rare steak and received what was probably the most poorly cooked steak I’ve ever seen. The internal temperature looked OK but the outside was completely burnt and black. Absolutely appalling. When I brought it to the waitresses attention, her response was “This is what you asked for”. WHAT?! I’ve been to a plethora of steakhouses and I cook myself. I know what at medium or medium rare steak is supposed to look like. Will never dine here again.
Food and service was amazing. I was in last night. I witnessed about 4 people watching Thursday night NFL football on their phones. I asked the bar tender to please put on the 49er game. He told me he was sorry, but the owner won't upgrade the channels. So we had to watch poker. Owner! Please order more channels to watch nfl games. Thank you.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and service. Keep it like it is!!! Simple, easy and delicious! It's nostalgicly wonderful. Jack's is a great escape from the computerized, digitized rush,rush of today's society.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak and Fries
Best steak you ever have but it's an old place so be prepared
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Family feeling atmosphere, first time getting some grub and it was fire all four meals we got . Thanks for the love that’s cooked with this food you can always tell that food is cooked with love . Because you fall in love with lol ? thanks Jacks next we will come in and sit down instead of to go , will be back !???
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Chicken Dinner, Garlic Bread, Top Sirloin Steak and Baked Potato, Tips in Gray
We had heard good things about Jack’s, but this is Redding so we had realistic expectations, unfortunately our low expectations weren’t even met. We were hoping for just well cooked, well seasoned steaks, nothing more nothing less. We waited for well over an hour after the waitress told us it would be 35 minutes, which like, okay no big deal we had some drinks and enjoyed the atmosphere etc. The bar was charming and the drinks were passable, we were chatting, it was not bad. But, by the time we were finally sat & ordered that’s when the real disappointments began. The salads were DROWNING in dressing, unfortunately from reading the other reviews on here I know now that’s the norm… All they consisted of us chopped up, soggy ice burg & slimy canned vegetables, which was unappetizing to say the least. We both ordered our steaks medium rare, a filet & a New York. They came out with good crusts, decently seasoned, but completely raw all the way through. Like raw raw, cold and dark and RAW. The cook was so off on our food. It was just honestly ridiculous and beyond frustrating to have waited for everything to build up to that. We immediately asked for the check, the waitress and the hostess didn’t ask if they could take them back or offer any sort of compensation—nothing. Whatever, they don’t have to do anything but riddle me this: why go out and pay for someone to wildly undercook your food when you can make something 10xs better at home. It was not worth the money we spent at all. I genuinely don’t understand why Redding is unable to figure out how to have a decent restaurant scene. Personally I’d go back for a drink, but I definitely wouldn’t stay for dinner.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
To noisy to think
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 4
OK it's been there for donkey's years doing what it does really well. The place was full when we were there with local people obviously repeat custom.
The steaks were brilliantly cooked and tasty.
The ambience you can only describe as 'authentic'
Just go for good steak and to say you've been there.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Yum good coma food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Deep Fried Jumbo Prawns, Top Sirloin Steak and Baked Potato
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