Restaurant Review: Jack's Pizza & Pasta

Parts of Route 30 in East Whiteland can seem almost small-town quaint, as evidenced by the lighted sign and unassuming front of in Frazer. Always curious as to what food experience lies ahead, we entered by the front counter and glanced up at the lit menu sign overhead.

The friendly man behind the counter asked if we’ve been there before, then suggested we take paper menus to make it easier to order. We sat down in a booth with a green laminate table and faux wood seat. Some people waited for their takeout orders at the red naugahyde and silver stools along a bar in the front of the room. Several families were already enjoying their food while watching the television in the corner.

We returned to the front to place our order. Sensing a difference of opinion on fried onions on the cheese steak, the server offered to put some on the side. We were given the option of oil, vinegar or mayo on the hoagie, along with hot or sweet peppers. We asked for water and took a bottle from the nearby refrigerated unit. A smaller one contained various ice cream novelties for dessert.

After we picked up plastic utensils and paper napkins from a central area in the dining room, we asked for wine glasses at the counter. The gentleman said he’d bring some. Another server brought us two small Pilsner glasses but no opener. We broke out our emergency opener and wine glass instead.

The Cheese Steak Sub ($7.05) and Italian Hoagie ($7.05) were brought to our table on a red plastic tray by the helpful young server. The steak had a balanced mix of cheese melted into the chipped steak on a fresh traditional roll. The chopped fried onions on the side made it easy to add a few without overdoing it.

The hoagie was stuffed with meat and took some maneuvering to get it all into the crusty roll so we could take a bite. The peppered ham on the top was dominant on our first taste, but we found Provolone, salami, ham, leaf lettuce, tomato slices, hot peppers and fresh onion once we peeked beneath it.

A Large Pepper and Pepperoni Pizza ($17.99) arrived on a metal pan as we finished the cheese steak. We told our server we were planning on taking the hoagie with us, so he took it and returned it wrapped in paper.

The pizza had good, doughy crust—not too thick or too thin—with quality pepperoni and roasted red and green peppers balanced just the way we like it. We got another pleasant surprise of good old, nonbattered French fries with a light dusting of seasoned salt along with the Small Ribs ($8.99). We grabbed a red plastic ketchup squeeze bottle from the condiment area and dug in. The three ribs were falling-off-the-bone tender, but had the flavor of roasted pork and not a smoky barbecue. The red sauce that was served on top had little flavor.

We brought the remaining pizza to the counter and asked for a box, noticing that the takeout orders were keeping them busy. The server expressed his regrets that he didn’t have wine glasses when we returned the beer glasses. We paid the bill and gathered our leftovers as he invited us back soon.

577 Lancaster Ave., Frazer

Telephone: 610-993-8750

Hours: Mon - Thurs, 10:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.; Fri, Sat, 10:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Sun, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Cost: Salads, $4 to $8; pizza, $11 – $21; sandwiches, subs, burgers, $4 - $8; pasta, $7 - $9.

Credit Cards: VISA, MasterCard

Alcohol: B.Y.O.

Special Features: Family friendly, vegetarian options, free WiFi