Jackbit and Joltz: down under Lark Street
The horseradish sauce on the "Horse'n-A-Round Sanger" was OK, but there was a lot of it.
Jackbit and Joltz was kind of a curiosity months before it opened. Washington Park and Center Square dwellers have been wandering past the former Bryn Mawr Book Shop on Lark Street since last spring, wondering about the franchise-style "coming soon" signs. "See you in June", "See You in September" and finally "Hoping for Australia Day." Well, Australia Day (January 26th) finally came, and the Aussie themed sandwich/energy drink bar (yep, really) opened for business. And pretty much every day since we've noticed people coming to AOA in search of information about the place. So we grabbed our dilly bags, hopped in the bog and set out in search of tucker. Here are a few tips we picked up for those venturing "down under"...
1. Get the sauce for the sandwiches on the side. There's a LOT of it!
2. All the sandwiches come with potato chips. Skip the fries. You won't miss them.
3. Napkins. Lots and lots of napkins.
Things we liked:
-You can get Vegemite.
-The energy drinks - kind of like grown up slush puppies with caffeine.
-The fireplace and overstuffed chairs - a cozy place to sip your Red Bull laced slush puppy.
-The big window. It's like a big screen TV where you can watch the whole Lark Street show.
Concerns:
-The whole "Aussie" thing is a little much. (Although the Dingo to English dictionary is fun to play with while you're waiting.)
-The chain restaurant feel. It's pretty obvious they've gone to great lengths to establish a
brand here (it's maybe the most chain-like non-chain restaurant we've ever seen), but a little more focus on the food might have helped. It's not that the food is bad -- it seems to be fresh and made with quality ingredients -- it's just kind of... average.
The Bottom Line
Cozy spot with fun drinks but a very "chain like" feel. The food's OK, but it's not likely to send us on walkabout looking for it.
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Comments
rachel ray is out...molly katzen (moosewood), weight watchers cookbook, heart healthy foods, anything but rr
hey,dudes,
i liked what i saw, interesting stull, good format, photos, user friendly....cept rachel ray cooking, for fat content
col
... said colleen sullivan on Feb 15, 2008 at 11:58 AM | link
Uh... It was the Lark Street Bookshop after it was the BM bookshop, lets not forget....
... said H R GREEN on Feb 16, 2008 at 8:11 PM | link
We visited this cafe for lunch the other day. We walked in, never having heard of it before but thought it might be interesting from the looks of the menu. The atmosphere inside was pretty appealing, equipped with free wi-fi and flat screen TV's. The menu had a number of different options but took some time to decipher with the "Australian slang." The food was nothing special. It was basically a toasted bun made soggy with all the meat they slop on. The sandwiches came with a pickle; no fries or anything. Would we go back? Probably not...
... said Mark on Sep 21, 2008 at 8:37 PM | link
According to the signs in the windows, they've gone on a "walkabout" and are closed for the season. Anyone have any info?
... said Croc Dundee on Oct 29, 2008 at 9:39 AM | link
Did anyone notice if they are veg. friendly?
... said Caffeine on Oct 29, 2008 at 10:35 AM | link
Rumor on the street is that The Jackbit and Joltz is closed for the "winter". Management sent an email to the condo people to that effect. Some of their people were reported to have said that they would reopen in the spring since winter is the slow season...There is a hand made sign on the door saying: "CLOSED" in addition to the pretty computer Gone on Walkabout Mate signs
rumors before this was that they were doing less and less business....
Whatever... you close for the season if your business is on Cape Cod, Key West or even Lake George... not Lark St..
... said Linda Kozlowski on Oct 29, 2008 at 6:37 PM | link
Whatever, the owner has never even been to Australia. This is not aussie food. This makes outback steakhouse look authentic.
... said Australian girl on Jan 22, 2009 at 2:02 PM | link