USVI-On-Line

One of my family's favorite tings while on STJ was to start the day at Chilly Billy's for a great breakfast, Bloody Mary, some laughs with the Trivial Pursuit cards, to trade a couple of paperbacks and generally love life. I darn near wept when we discovered that they had closed.

How is the new breakfast place "Jake's" that took over the spot? Is it the same vibe? I haven't heard much about it but am really looking forward to trying it.

I second (or third?) the pancakes.

We ate at Jakes this past July. It was fun sitting at the "bar" that overlooked the street. We watched all the flurry of St John waking up. The French Toast is REALLY good, too.

Thanks so much for the good word. Can't wait to try it.

My husband and I tried Jake's as well this past October. I had the California Omelet. I definitely recommend giving it a try. It was really good.

It sounds like their breakfast gets rave reviews, but we went for dinner in October and it wasn't good at all! Nice people and good service, just the food wasn't good.

Hi Nic in KC!
This October was your Hurricane Omar visit. I remember that it was quite the adventure! When you say "the food was not good", what do you mean exactly? Anything specific that a conscientious business owner could possibly remedy? Please tell us more!
- Ruth
Here you are, Hurricane Omar on St. John:

I can vouch for the tastiness and potency of the Bloody Mary's. The breakfast was good and the prices reasonable, too.

I can vouch for the tastiness and potency of the Bloody Mary's. The breakfast was good and the prices reasonable, too.

Well, that just sealed the deal.
I'm surprised to hear that they serve dinner, according to the info on the web they close at 4:30? Is it a different menu for dinner or a "Breakfast All Day" thing?

"Watching STJ wake up" is definitely part of that location's charm IMO. I also read that they knocked out the wall between the open space and the old bar making the dining area more roomy. Good idea.

Oh how I wish I were drinking my coffee there right now.
School cancelled today because of icy conditions.

Hi Ruth,

Yes, it was the Omar trip! I'm always planning a trip this time of year for May and this year we aren't due to my brother's wedding happening then. It's about to make me crazy!!

As for Jake's food, the meat was very dry and not seasoned well, I had either pasta or potato salad with mine and it had no flavor. Basically, nothing had any taste. It was kind of sad actually. I wanted to go up to the person cooking and be like, can I show you what I'd do if I owned this restaurant. A little salt on the fries, cooking the meat a shorter time period, more seasonings, etc wouldn't cost a ton and would make a world of difference.

And, when we were there, Jake's was open all night and didn't close but a few hours in the early morning.

I think it could definitely be fixed. It just tasted like a meal that someone with little cooking experience might make.

Hope that helps!!

Nic, just curious, was it the same breakfast/lunch menu that is served in the evening or is there a separate dinner menu at night?

As far as I know it was just a dinner menu. I don't remember seeing anything for breakfast on there, but my memory is a bit sketchy on that. I would definitely give it a try for breakfast since it sounds like that's their specialty!

The link to Jakes menu is on this page:
http://www.stjohnspice.com/stjohnrestaurants.htm