Jake's Bistro and Bar

There is always a fear that just when you go out and find that hidden gem of a restaurant, sometimes you might end up being disappointed as the restaurant will just vanish as it has become so hidden that no one else could ever find it.  We were invited to Jake's Bistro and Bar up in Richmond Hill where the restaurant served crab legs, seafood, steak and ribs.  Although the restaurant faced a major street in Richmond Hill and was conveniently located at the end of a busy strip mall, the restaurant itself appeared somewhat hidden to the point that I would never knew that it would have existed if my friends never mentioned anything about it.

When we got inside, the restaurant itself was pretty packed for a Friday night.  Oddly the only person that I could see working was the owner himself and no one else.  I was told the owner was the waiter, the chef and the bartender.  He had let go most of his staff, however my friends had eaten there all the time and it was pretty much their hangout place. They recommended the King Crab ($21.00) and the 12 ounce medium rare New York Striploin Steak ($24.00).

King Crab

The King Crab came out and it looked like everything came out as advertised.  The crab legs were all previously cracked however the owner did give us the cracker just in case we needed it.  The crab itself was surprisingly fresh as the meat tasted really good.  The crab was steamed to perfection and with a some garlicky butter added to it, the king crab actually tasted very, very good.  We were all actually taken aback at the quality of the crab as it certainly was unexpected.

New York Striploin

The New York Striploin steak was equally good.  I had asked that the meat to be medium rare and seeing that there was one person working all night, I thought for sure my steak was going to be well done however when the steak arrived, we were all pleasantly surprised to see that he had made it spot on.  It was nice and red and the meat itself was not chewy at all.  The only disappointment were the waffle fries which were highly recommended by the owner but just came out a little cool and mushy. 

With a couple of Caesars and a couple of beers to go with the meal that night, I thought it was quite the treat. Because it was a one man working crew, don't expect service to be snappy.  There were also some beers that were missing on tap despite being advertised in the restaurant.  It would not hurt to have one extra staff member to help with the overflow.  The food was excellent and I certainly will give it a second go around as long as it is still standing.  Overall I give it a 4 out of 5.


Jake's Bistro and Bar
138 Major MacKenzie Rd East
Richmond Hill, Ontario

905 237-9192