Jake's is great but today (4/28/18) I'm a little irked. Went in a little after 2 to buy a family pack for our dinner this evening. I also ordered a large green salad at $8.39. Got home 20 minutes later and found the salad drenched in ranch dressing and unbelievably soggy. I've been going to Jake's since they opened and I've never had them put dressing directly on a to go green salad, it's always been in a container. Everything was packed up so I didn't see the salad before we left. I did not call to complain either, it would take me 40 minutes round trip to replace the salad. Next time I will make sure I tell them to put the dressing on the side. Just also realized we didn't get salsa (that I asked for), butter for our rolls or plastic ware. Jake's dropped the ball today. read more

The cheesy potatoes are the bomb.com Had the beef plate delicious! Thought it was a sit down restaurant. You order your food as soon as you enter read more

We love to support local and we eat hear at least once a week. Today was terrible I ordered nachos and the tortilla chips were soaked too long in oil and I could not even chew them, when I told one of the employees his response was the chips were made this morning. The chips should not of been served to any other customer read more

I have been eating keto for a few months, and Jake's Tex-Mex was a great choice. Today, I had the tri-tip and the deep pit with salsa with their Parmesan broccoli and classic coleslaw. The meets were fantastic but I expect nothing list of Jake's. The broccoli Parmesan side was lacking flavor. For a person who doesn't eat carbohydrates and sugars they do tempt you with their cheesy potatoes and Texas sheet cake. I did not have but the others in my party did and could not raven up about them. I will be heading back to Jake but next time think I'll get the salad instead of the plate with two sides. Also, very popular place to eat so there will be a line don't expect to just walk in. read more

So disappointed. Won't go ever again. Got a family pack, one extra salad and 2 pieces of cake for $71. Really fuck you. And I'll share my disgust with everyone I know. Just discussed and disappointed. read more

Saw this place when I got off the freeway. Very good service and no long wait. The food is delicious and they do t skimp on their portions. I left a happy customer. read more

Jake's - Tex-Mex Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Jake's is a great place to eat healthy, go hog wild and everything in between. They have quality meats, fresh produce and delicious baked good. The reasons Jake's doesn't get 5 Stars..... parking, seating, price. The parking at Jake's is frustrating! There is never a spot to park any where near the resturant. You have to park down the street and walk to the resturant which isn't a big deal in the fall/winter but in the summer time, yikes! The seating is sad. If you want to dine here for lunch you'd better bring a friend to stalk the dining area while you order food. A meal here will run you 15-20 bucks per person. For a "cafeteria" style resturant that's a tad over priced. GET THE CHOCOLATE CAKE read more

We love the food of course! But it's a bummer that we drove all the way over here only to find that they are closed on Mondays. They should update their yelp page to reflect that change. read more

So good I keep coming back. I got the chicken taco salad for forever because I loved it so much. When I finally started ordering from the rest of the menu I realized everything they have is delicious. This is some real American eating. The only thing they could improve is be open Sundays. read more

Jake's - Tex-Mex Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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Not impressed at all. Not only is it expensive (almost $9 for a sandwich!) the BBQ isn't all that great. I got the tri-tip which proved to be as dry and with a bark that was a bit too peppery for my taste. If pepper counts as flavor than I guess it has a lot of it because other wise it was bland. I guess I'll get the deep pit next time. From the reviews I'm guessing I picked one of the not-so-great sides. I got the beans which were bland and almost tasteless, it wouldn't hurt to add some bacon or brown sugar to add some flavor. I also got a salad which was really nice. The salad was really fresh with delicious good quality tomatoes and I really love that you could pick what you wanted on it. It was the best part of the meal, unfortunately. As for the environment I didn't mind the sort of cheesy sort of decor. Avoid the backroom seating (make a right before the menu, past the bathrooms) because not only is the AC loud but there's a door that employees are constantly going in and out of. Unfortunately that's the only place where a large party can sit together. The service was friendly though and pretty fast, which was nice. Over all I'm giving it a 2/5 because of the good service and relatively fresh ingredients. The food wasn't great but I'll be back again to give another chance. read more

Jake's - Tex-Mex Near Me - Bakersfield, California

We used Jake's to cater an event. They were respectful in how they packaged food making everyone feel safe amidst current health concerns, yet still delivering a hot meal. The food was incredible and the portions were more than generous. Every participant raved about the meal. Use them for your next event! read more

Been coming here for the great food for years. Maybe today was just an off day, but my Salad Lite was terrible; price up and portion size down. Lettuce was wilted and watery-yuk. Broccoli salad was also watery... maybe the cooler wasn't working. Won't be going back any time soon. read more

Would loved to have tried the food but while waiting for my partner I was told to get out of my seat by the manager. Apparently no one is allowed to seat down until they have the food in their hand. I think I'll go some place that doesn't embarrass me. read more

I went in and got it to go. When i got home, the meat was dry, the beans were hard and the bread was harder. My salad was a cup of dressing and 3 pieces of lettuce. I ate half and threw the rest away. I thought a local "mom and pop" restaurant would stay true, but nope. I can get garbage like that from a restaurant chain for less. Bye bye Jake's. read more

It's good....but I don't know I'm not a huuuuge fan of this place. Some people make it seem like it's a MUST GO spot. But I'm more of the mindset of "i'll with you if you want"....as in it's not going to be one of my first choices to go to but i'll go with.. if that where you all are going. LOL I've had the lunch chicken sandwich combo which usually comes with a side salad and a desert. All of which have been on point and pretty good. If you're coming here to get authentic Mexican food go somewhere else because really it's like going to one of your white friends' house and their mom is making a stab at Mexican food. VERY edible but far from authentic. Lunch can be a bit crowded. Order ahead of time. read more

I haven't been to Jake's Tex-Mex in years. It had been so long that I had almost no recollection of it. I hear everyone tell me how amazing the chocolate cake is and some days a girl just needs some cake so I went there for lunch (but mostly cake) today. I feel like I am the odd one out here cause no one else but me hates this place. The cake was terrible. Sequoia has a way better cake. My cake was dry and the frosting was too sugary. Like Gingerbread house frosting. It was yuck. I didn't even eat the whole thing. The prices are crazy! I assumed based on my total that the portions would be huge. Of course they would cause why else would I pay $20 for half a sandwich, beans and chocolate cake? read more

I enjoy this local pit beef restaurant. The menu is great and I usually have the taco salad with pit beef on it. This is a local favorite for a quick tasty meal and also offers take away. Try the pit beef plate or pit burrito,so yummy!!! read more

Jake's - Tex-Mex Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Light salad with deep pit Italian broccoli with corn chips and ranch and bbq sauce killer and get some greens in .

I'm only giving 3 stars because I have been craving this place for weeks lol.. especially for the best known chocolate cake!! I ended up going today, and I was so happy I ordered the chocolate cake but I didn't even get it!! I paid for it and everything and by the time I got home I didn't have it. I guess I should of looked better but they usually don't forget & I was paying while the guy was bagging it all up for me. Overall, I'm really upset because I was craving this forever to just get home and it not be in the bag read more

I was dragged back again. I told myself that I was being too harsh with my earlier review because my friend Whitney really enjoys it consistently. Man, I just can't win with Jake's. First of all, that is DRY deep pit beef, and it's not Texas style. It's cooked too long and the natural juices have drained away. I realize regional variables can influence flavor but if you're gonna say something is Tex-Mex, it should be flavored like Tex-Mex food. This is like saying Japanese food is Chinese food. More accurately, it's like saying St Louis BBQ is South Carolina BBQ. It's just entirely different and while a bite of beef isn't a *bad* experience necessarily, it's just annoying when it's not what I'm told I'm getting. This is probably bothering me more than everyone else who thinks it tastes fine? I'm thinking this is why people keep giving Jake's high reviews. They're like "hey, it's BBQ meat - that's yummy" and just moving on. If I told you that I was gonna cook you a Chicago style deep dish pizza, and then I served you a New York style pizza, but I did a kinda mediocre job with even THAT, you'd be doubly disappointed. So I didn't make you the pizza style I said I was gonna make, and then I didn't do a good job with what I did make. That's what Jake's is doing. I'm confused. Have they ever eaten Texas BBQ? Where? Someplace in the panhandle or Dallas? There's a way to do Texas BBQ and then theres...this. I had the cornbread again, also thinking I probably wasn't fair and could have just had an old piece. Nope. Same thing. Dry. Guys, you're cooking everything too long! Moisture is your friend. This BBQ needs significantly more smoke flavor, spice and savory notes. It needs to smell like it was cooked with mesquite wood, and it needs to be juicier. Especially for that price. As I said before, it's like a cafeteria did Tex-Mex day. read more

Excellent place and food. We both ordered the chicken nachos and were both surprised at how good it was. The chicken was tender and flavorful. The salsa and pisco was great. Already making plans for a return trip. Highly recomend that you give them a try read more

I thought that I reviewed this already but it's asking me for another review all I can say is that the food here is great it has always been that way when I lived in this city. I moved away for 15 years and it's still great!! I eat vegetarian. There's so much for me to eat here. :) very happy. read more

So we came across Jakes and it looked interesting from the outside and appeared busy so we decided to give it a whirl. Well, needless to say, the service was great, the food, not so good. When you arrive, you stand in line like a cafeteria and then go through the line, get your food, pay at the end and find a seat. So, where did this go wrong? The main dish's were terrible. The Tri Tip was well done chopped up bits of dog food. You needed BBQ sauce just to choke it down. So over done with very poor QC. The chicken was chopped up chicken that was as dry as toast on a hot summer day. REALLY BAD!!! The salad you have them put together was ok as was the Jalapeno Muffin. What was good? The Au Grattan potatoes were outstanding! I would have them with any meal! Lastly, the Chocolate Cake was really good. Tasted like box cake, however, it was moist, light and airy. Really decent. The Vegetarian Burrito was also not bad and a lot better than the Tri Tip and Chicken. Also, the service was really good. Always taking items away and very friendly. Chicken dries out so fast on its own, how can you chop it up and let it sit. It just get's drier and drier. Ugggggg!!! Being from Los Angeles and having Tex-Mex there and also in Texas, this establishment does not belong in the Tex-Mex category. I was given salsa, but for what? I had no chips.LOL. This is a place that needs its QC reviewed as it could be a rockstar in the area. Anyone who believes this is a 4-5 star establishment on the main dishes, please go get your taste buds checked as you could be flavor blind. LOL. read more

My wife and I were out running errands and decided to stop and grab a bite to eat. Since we are rarely in the area, we decided to stop at Jakes. We ate here once before and loved it. We were looking for a great meal. For some reason it was better the last time. We both had the pit beef plate with potatoes. The beef had a little too much garlic and the potatoes were bland. I had to drown the beef in BBQ sauce to try to tone the garlic taste down, but it was too much. I took my leftovers home and you could still smell it. If I wanted that much garlic, I would have ordered the garlic chicken. read more

Jake's - The best part of this meal was the jalapeño corn bread - Tex-Mex Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Doesn't look like much but it's a must go to. Reminders you a little bit of high school cafeteria but fast service and good food. Must try the bbq tri tip, chili beans and the cookies read more

I think this place is my new favorite place in Bakersfield! The people are super friendly, it smells like heaven before you walk in the door, and the food was perfect. Who puts cheese on tritip??? They do!!! And it's amazing! This is hands down one of the best tritip sandwiches ever! I had it yesterday and I promise I'll have it today! Thanks Jakes, I'll never forget you! read more

Tri-tip 3.3 Jalepeno cornbread 3.3 Cheesey chunky potatoes 3.3 Salsa mixed with BBQ sauce 3.8 Macaroni salad 3 Potato salad 3 read more

I am a long time regular. I have gone to Jake's a few times every month since the 90s... I will never go back after today. Yesterday we placed an order to go. Unfortunately there was a mishap and we left with the wrong food. Naturally we didn't realize this until we got home. THIS WAS NOT EVEN A BIG DEAL. But their bizarre response was. So my wife and I call call Jake's on speaker phone to let them know that we did not receive the food that we paid for. We were cool about it. The lady wasn't the nicest, but she told us to come by tomorrow to pick up the food. So the next day my wife goes to Jake's as per the conversation and waits in line to get the missing food. But the teenager at the register not only does not give my wife the food -she reneged on her offer ***STRANGE but she is extremely, extremely, extremely RUDE. So my wife just leaves and calls me on the way out the door. She doesn't need to deal with some teenager giving her crap. Who does right? I am shocked to get this phone call because (1) I paid for the food (2) I have been a regular for 15+ years so you would think that they would take care of us. I have spent thousands on Jake's to cater family parties. I have spent over $10,000 total at their restaurant. So I call and ask to speak to the owners or a manager. Jakes has 3 managers. How do I know this. Because I am a regular. So I talk to Candice. I try to let her know what has happened. But Candice keeps talking to someone else while we are on the phone. Shouting in my ear. I am getting frustrated, but I try to keep the mood light so I make a joke out of it and ask if she can just talk to me. So I try again to explain what has happened. But Candice keeps interrupting me and asks me WHICH UNHAPPY CUSTOMER ARE YOU? My natural response was a playful 'well how many unhappy customers do you have today?' That was the last joke I made. I tried to make the confrontation as pleasant and comfortable as possible. ***At this point I no longer care about the food that I was charged for but did not receive. I want to let the owners know that (1) my wife and I were mislead on the phone (2) this lie resulted in my wife waiting in a line for 20 minute line after an 11 hour shift nursing which resulted in my wife being treated rudely by an abrasive and extremely rude 19 year old with a bad attitude. Candice would not give me the name of the 19 year old with tude. Its pretty strange when people wont even tell you the name of someone. Candice would not allow me to speak. She kept cutting me off. Candice told me that talking to the owner was a waste of time. And that the owners do not care about just one measly customer. IMHO Candice should not speak for the owners. Candice keeps talking to another person while I am on the phone with her, yelling in my ear before saying mumbling something was not clear and she just flat out hangs up on me while I am trying to talk. Disrespectful and rude. Frankly, I value my time. It takes a lot to make me write a bad review. This experience was that awful. I feel that they wasted an hour of our time trying to get the food we paid for. So going forward I WILL VOTE WITH MY DOLLARS AND SUPPORT OTHER GREAT BUSINESS IN OUT COMMUNITY such as Lengthwise ***their tri-tip sandwiches are awesome, Coconut Joe's and Dewar's. These fine establishments have managed to be successful and have kept the quality of the food and service up. I liked Jake's for many reasons. The food use to be excellent a few years ago. I have had many warm family memories at their restaurant in the mid 2000s. But I have also dealt with many issues over the years from finding long brown hair in my food to being overcharged on several occasions. In the past I looked past these issues. But I have had enough of Jake's. It's a shame. The prices keep going up and the quality of their food has gone down hill. The food has really gone down hill since the fall of 2012. And the service is terrible now as documented above. We were respectful and we deserved to be treated with respect. Instead (1) we were lied to (2) you made my wife wait in a long line only to be treated rudely and (3) the manager yelled in my ear. You would think Jake's would treat a nurse in our community with respect after they messed up and gave us the wrong food. read more

The no-meat taco salad is one of my favorite vegetarian dishes in town. The chocolate cake is great too. read more

Jake's - Tex-Mex Near Me - Bakersfield, California

HELLO chocolate cake!!! My fiance was the one who first brought me here several years ago. I'm not a die-hard Jakes fan, but I have to say, sometimes the Nacho's are really what I'm craving! Everything is fresh and nothing tastes bland. It's all very consistent. The garlic chicken is my absolutely favorite. The nachos are usually large enough to share, especially if you each grab a piece of cake! Don't forget to try the homemade pickles at the salsa bar. Pretty darn good! My only complaint is the price. This place is not cheap and can definitely get expensive for a large family if you don't intend to share. The cafeteria style doesn't bother me so much, but scoping a seat around lunchtime always does. A few times I've found myself standing there with my warm nachos and cake waiting for a table to open...now that is a sad sight. read more

A very simple place to eat fresh good food. This place has a lively vibe and friendly staff. Its fast and casual which is nice when you only have an hour. I had the garlic chicken plate and it was excellent. If your in a hurry, you can't go wrong with this place. read more

Amazing! Wonderful Tex Mex BBQ! A must when passing through my hometown Bakersfield! You must come in and get the cheesy potatoes, jalapeno cornbread, and deep pit beef! Oh man, Oh man! This place is heavenly to me, especially since I've moved to San Francisco where you just can't seem to find wonderful Tex Mex places like this! --Also there is a lack of Basque food too :/ If you are passing Bakersfield, you MUST stop in to eat at Jake's Tex Mex! read more

I order on behalf of my business when my bosses want lunch. I have ordered around 5-7 times at this point from Jakes. At first the person taking the orders was friendly and helpful, however, I've experienced increasing rudeness and an attitude each time. I'm met with this every time. Today, I talked with Sarah who was just outright rude in her tone and attitude over the phone. The problem? Saying I wanted lettuce on a nacho salad(no lettuce). They have it listed as a topping and isn't a difficult concept. I want nachos as the base with lettuce on top. Easy. Nope, she was condescending, telling me it doesn't make sense, and couldn't seem to grasp that I didn't want a bed of lettuce with lettuce. If it's that difficult to understand, then take off lettuce as a topping off the menu! She also stated that there was a choice of onions (nope) and that another topping, parmesean cheese was no longer an option. She acted like I should know this. I checked the menu on their website, and nothing has changed. What a waste of time for the company. They will end up losing business over the long run due to bad customer service. If we decide to take our business elsewhere, that's at least $200/month. It's not much, but multiply that by even 5 other companies who choose not to deal with that unprofessionalism, it's $1000 dollars lost, $12,000/yr. Hopefully this will be taken care of by management. If they protect an attitude like this, it will drive down business. read more

There were so many choices and I can't decide what to try first. So I decided on a large chili ($7.99), chocolate cake ($4.25) and a small tropical iced tea ($2.29). The tri-tip chili came with a piece of corn bread. It was hearty and I was soo full afterwards. I could have ordered a small chili and an addtl corn bread but it was my first time here so I didn't know. I still was able to take a few bites of the chocolate cake. It was big enough to share with a family member. It was good and a great end to a hearty meal. read more

Jake's is a great alternative to the standard fast-food-fare along Hwy 99. Their tri-tip is fantastic!! My fave sides are cowboy potatoes and chili beans...yum!! You shouldn't leave this place without having a piece of their famous sheet cake. You choose your eats cafeteria-style, which means you can see all the sides, eats, and selections as make your choices. They'll construct anything on the menu exactly the way you want it. Yeah, you have to carry your own trays, but for a great, fast meal at between $5-$10 a piece I'll take it! Jake's is less than a mile off of Hwy 99. Take the California Ave exit and proceed east. Jake's is on Oak St., right near the intersection of Oak and California. read more

I visited this place yesterday with my husband, he got the tri tip sandwich and I got the tri tip nachos, it was good however for the price of the nachos (11.00) I wish they were bigger. The size of it was just a standard size plate with not much on it. The flavor was alright but the size and sogginess wasn't the best. I would try them out again but with a different menu item. 6/10 read more

First and last time. Tex-Mex, this is not. Not even close. We stopped in due to high review ratings and we were able to forgive the cafeteria style line situation. This place is manned by a bunch of high school kids, one that would not stop wiping her nose on her bare arm as she served us. We got a salad to try as well as a burrito. (the works) The portions are good but the food was not. It was a mishmash of all things in both dishes that separately may have tasted ok but not all together. Bland. Pus it was expensive to boot. The eatery was cute but the tables are tight close together. There was an annoying fly that was all over the tables. Ick. We went in with the hopes of a quick, satisfying meal. We were hoping for fajitas as this is the first thing you think of re Tex-Mex.... just an odd, limited menu. (Salad, 'plates' and burritos) If you like this style of dining and food, it may be a cool neighborhood spot for you but we left wishing we had gone somewhere else. read more

Chicken: Dry and bland - I could barely choke it down. Pit Beef: Juicy but, bland. BBQ Sauce: Meh. I was expecting a flavor kick...I got a minor tap. "Lite" salad - my a**. A lite salad shouldn't have fritos and a mountain of cheese. I'm pretty sure dry, bland meat and less than stellar sauce is a Texas sized fail. read more

Great local flavor and fun lunch choice if you have a few extra minutes. Now and then I NEED the Fritos "salad" filled with pit beef, chicken, and awesome salsa. The tri-tip sandwich and Texas sheet cake is worth a try too read more

It's almost a requirement for a Bakersfield resident to like Jake's Tex-Mex and I fall in line. The food is pretty consistent and can fill a real comfort food craving. The taco salad is perfect for tricking yourself into thinking you're eating something healthy and sure is delicious. The popularity of this cafeteria style restaurant can clearly be seen by their packed parking lot and sometimes hard to find seating. I have driven over for lunch before only to leave because there was no parking available. I think the location makes it a popular destination for lunch so try it during the less busy dinner hours. read more