Jack of the Wood
| Address: | 95 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC 28801, USA |
| Phone: | +1 828-252-3445 |
| Site: | jackofthewood.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 4PM–1AM 4PM–1AM 4PM–1AM 4PM–1AM 12PM–2AM 12PM–2AM 12PM–1AM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
BA
Baxter Wells
There we were, a hungry group of 20-something year olds looking like an REI commercial decked head to toe in ironic plaid button downs and "my family doesnt love me" knit tee shirts from the GAP. We had just conquered Catawba Falls earlier that fateful day, and were desperately looking for the vittles our stomachs demanded. We tried every inn in town, and alas their 2 hour waits left us out in the heat. Mother Mary must have felt the same way carrying baby Jesus in her anointed womb. Or maybe not. Regardless, a slight shimmer on the horizon caught our collective eye when we had all but lost hope. It was a pint glass held by the de facto leader of a group of gypsies. It felt bad, but it felt good. Like being aroused to a picture of a really hot 3rd cousin. When does it become wrong? But I digress. We entered the sanctuary that is Jack of the Wood, and found ourselves in the saddest waste of money since our college loans went into collection. We surveyed the inside, and despite a patronage numbering only 20, could find not a single clean table in the joint. We sat at a table with what could only be described as a paupers inheritance worth of tips. This should have been our first clue, but our hungry stupor left us vulnerable to anything short of armed robbery. After the average lifespan of a house fly had passed, a middle aged waitress who had last bathed when there was such a thing as two world trade centers approached our table and collected the tip money. She then thanked us for coming that night and asked if we needed anything else. Do you understand how high you have to be to wait on a table for an hour, give them their checks, watch them leave the table, a new party come in, and then forget any of that happened? Ive seen high, but this was like concerning high. This was a high that almost inspired us to encourage she get help. But that wasnt our place; not then; not there. We placed our drink order and our food order at the same time because something told us they had to raise, slaughter, butcher and then cook any meat we wanted. Thirty minutes later, she returned with half our drinks, explaining the other half had left town out of protest. No, but she did say they were out of half the beers we ordered, which lead me to believe the menu had been designed by someone pulling from memory what a pub was supposed to look like on their 21st birthday. Our food came out piece-meal and instantly disappointed. The waitress setting the food on the table forced me to flashbacks of opening up the board game "Risk" as my 9 year old birthday present. That was the least subtle way my parents supported my virginity all the way through high school. I ordered the nachos, because I am a twelve year old. What was set in front of me was a collection of chips covered in the cheese sauce you get on movie theater nachos. Only this was the cheese that had been left over one night after the theater closed and the manager took it home and reheated it the next day to feed to his cat. There were a few pieces of meat on it, which was nice of them. I wasnt planning on experiencing life in cold war Russia, but they forced my hand in that arena. I cant tell you what the food tasted like, because it is hard to taste anything when you are choking back tears. All in all, I rate the experience a 5/5 except for the service, food, drink selection, and sorry attempt at creating a Celtic ambience that managed to insult the entire British Isles without even trying. If you hate your in-laws, talk this place up and then take them there. They will never want to eat with you again.
DA
Daniel Zorawicki
This is a busy place, but you can get a table fast. Great choices, wide selections of burgers, also offer fish and chips or tacos. Ordered a Scotch egg it is a very good appetizer. Good beer selection I tried two different local brews the first was from, Hi-wire: A brown Ale, Bed of nails brown, good in-between beer good flavor then one from Wicked weed: A Belgian pale ale, Lunatic Blonde, a spicy with a hint of apricot, a real good idea. Also tried a bowl of potato soup, good serving, hot creamy and hearty. Device was great. The server Matty though always on the move, was very attentive checking on me. I will come here again.
MI
Michael Jolley
I love this place and try to visit each time Im in town. My favorite times to visit are when they have local musicians doing their jam sessions. These folks just show up with instruments, then hop up on stage and play together. Theres nothing else quite like it in town. If you require a domestic beer, go somewhere else. They have a great selection of craft beers and always have several Green Man brews on tap. The food is fairly standard bar food. I dont go there to eat. Usually easy to find folks to strike up conversations with, especially on weeknights.
C
C Daniels
Pretty good beer selection, albeit a little narrow scoped. Service is good, if you are a regular, a bit aloof if you are an unfamiliar. I have never gotten greeted within a few minutes, when seated at the bar with bartenders walking back and forth right in front of me. Ive considered leaving more than once after being ignored. Food is decent pub food. They did away with cask ales, I suspect they were losing a lot, due to poor sales effort by staff. Ill go back, but it isnt among my favorite places. Sadly. I love the atmosphere.
BR
Brit G
Wide selection of beer. I like the idea of sitting with random people (tables are really long so you just sit wherever). Burgers are good here due to the variety of toppings available. Usually they have a band and its never too loud so you can still enjoy music and socialize. Only thing I did not like is we got there before the band (not knowing there was a band) and towards the end of our dinner the door guy came around practically demanding money or that we eat and leave as soon as we were done.
A
A Private User
The bartender was very standoffish and blatantly ignored my girlfriend and I when the bar was not busy at all. When I asked for a recommendation, he wordlessly filled a glass, charged me five bucks, and turned without telling me what kind of beer I was drinking. The overall ambiance and comfort of the place is the only thing that saves it, but if its your twenty-first birthday and you dont know much about beer, dont go here, because youll be treated like a cretin.
MI
Michelle G
I have every bit of respect for busy bartenders and am a very patient bar guest. But the bartenders at this establishment are terrible. We were completely ignored while we sat with empty drinks, trying to order dinner. When we finally got food it was pretty delcious, although we couldnt even get the attention of someone to ask for ketchup for fries. Jack of the Wood has a great atmosphere, its a shame they dont have bartenders that actually want to bartend!
AN
Andrew Kurdelski
Food was very good: I grabbed the buffalo nachos. It was way too much for one person (same for my wife who had the cheese fries) but both dishes were very tastey. Also the beer selection was pretty solid. Decor was alright. It was a bar for sure. Could probably rock the woods theme a bit more. Service was great. Waitress was prompt and cheerful. This was a very nice place. Decor was quite generic but the food and selection were great.
