Jack’s Café in Sparks’ Victorian Avenue has been serving delicious and hearty meals since 1985. Their breakfast, lunch, and Tex-Mex offerings draw a full house seven days a week.
The café itself is large with a long dining counter inside the spacious main dining area. A smaller secondary dining room is usually just as busy as the main dining room. The walls are adorned with photos detailing the restaurant’s passage through history, some old cars, the American flag, and bits of Americana. Watchers of the television series “Supernatural” and “Parks and Recreation” will instantly feel at home at Jack’s as it closely resembles the mom and pop diners featured in each show.
Home Is Whenever I’m with You
I’ve been coming to Jack’s Café for many years. My introduction to the restaurant came when my dad would treat me and my great grandpa to the occasional weekend breakfast. The men in my family, myself included, are not huge talkers, but we always enjoy getting together for a good meal. It wasn’t what was said during those meals that made them special. It was just putting our busy lives on hold to spend some time together. My great grandpa has since passed, but I carry his memory and salty demeanor with me every time I dine at Jack’s.
Jack’s Café does not serve food on the edge of molecular gastronomy. They serve unassuming and well-executed breakfast, lunch, and Tex-Mex staples. The tables at Jack’s always seem to be full, but there never seems to be a wait. The restaurant is well-staffed with some of the friendliest and hardest working people in Nevada. Your coffee cup will never run dry at Jack’s.
It’s All Gravy from Here
My fiancé and I ordered our two favorite dishes: the Victorian Special ($8.99) and the South West Home Fries ($8.99). Compared to other breakfast restaurants in the area, I think the value at Jack’s is difficult to beat. The portions are generous, and the meal options are plentiful.
The Victorian Special consists of home fries topped with two eggs, a split biscuit with country gravy, and your choice of two bacon strips or two sausage links. My fiancé selected over-medium eggs and sausage links. She commented that her home fries (chunky hash browns) had a crisp, well-seasoned exterior with a fluffy potato interior. In her words, “They are truly perfect.” The sausage links were a touch less browned than she prefers. The eggs were beautifully cooked with just a bit of yolky goodness running out of them. Eggs are arguably some of the most difficult things to cook exactly right, and Jack’s does an outstanding job.
The South West Home Fries dish is one of my favorite plates of food in all the world. Every bite has some intangible quality that reminds me why I love Sparks, Nevada, and the United States. It’s probably the gravy. The gravy at Jack’s might be the key to world peace.
The meal consists of home fries, andouille sausage, onion, peppers, and a split biscuit all topped with thick, toothsome, country gravy. I ordered my home fries extra crispy, because crunchy foods nourish my soul. Most diners, my fiancé included, enjoy the home fries without the extra crispy request.
The onions, peppers, potatoes, and sausage all received a hearty treatment on the griddle giving rise to tasty charred bits. The sausage offered a touch of heat. Due to expert cooking, the flavor of each vegetable shined in the dish without becoming homogenized. The biscuit was light, airy, and held its own under the well-seasoned country gravy with bits of ham in every bite. I smother most breakfast dishes in classic Tobasco, and the South West Home Fries are no exception. Jack’s has all the breakfast accoutrement necessary to doctor your meal up to your liking.
Ana and her staff serve diners from all walks of life, and they do it with professionalism and smiles. The staff all wear shirts that say, “Jack’s. Est. 1985. Great Food. Great People.” I couldn’t agree more. You can ask any employee at Jack’s for more coffee, a side of this, an extra that, or whatever your heart desires, and more likely than not, they will kindly oblige. Whether you’re wearing a suit and tie, a sleeveless t-shirt, a MAGA hat, or a Bernie Sanders beanie, everyone at Jack’s receives respect and tasty food. The reunification of our country begins with breakfast.
Jack’s Café in Sparks is located at 2200 Victorian Avenue on the corner of Victorian and 22nd Street. They also have a second location in Reno located at 605 N. Wells Avenue. Both locations are open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call in your take-out order to the Sparks location at (775) 331-8184 and call (775) 470-5811 for the Reno location.
