What: Bar
and light meals
Where: Downstairs, near Islands Dining Room
Hours: 2:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., "late nite" menu from
11:00 p.m.
Price Range: $$
Reservations: None
Jake McNally was quite a guy, a sea plane pilot for Royal Pacific Airways who won the “World Series of sea plane racing” in 1927. Jake’s exploits in love were as dismal as his airborne feats were glorious. Dumped by the love of his life, Jake disappeared and is rumored to be flying from one backwater dive to another trying to forget. This bar is a tribute to his memory by his friends, who have donated memorabilia to help decorate the joint. It’s all made up, of course, but this fanciful story forms the basis for one of the most successful themed restaurants in all of Universal Orlando.
The decor is colonial men’s club and casual, echoing the open architecture of the South Seas, where any breeze is welcome. In fact, it’s worth peeking into Jake’s just to marvel at the ceiling fans. Also a great deal of fun is the Jake McNally memorabilia and the framed love letters that grace the walls. There is something ever so slightly mysterious about Jake’s that I can’t quite put my finger on, but it makes you feel like a minor — but dashing — character in Casablanca, not a bad feeling at all.
The food is as jaunty as the decor with the accent on casual bar fare that won’t overly tax the wallet, another reason Jake’s has become so popular with guests. The “From The Hangar” section of the menu ($6 to $13) consists of appetizer-like nibbles such as peel and eat shrimp and chicken quesadillas. The Royal Pu Pu Platter is well worth sampling, certainly not the cliche its name might suggest. For veggie lovers there are salads like Caesar and Cobb, with the mixed garden greens a light-bite winner, especially with the ginger soy dressing.
Slightly more substantial are the club sandwiches and burgers, with the most expensive item on the menu ($20) Brandi’s Baby Back Ribs, melt in your mouth guava-glazed ribs served with baked potato and steamed corn.
Of course, Jake’s is a bar and dining is not mandatory. Jake’s would make an excellent choice for drinks before (or after) dining at Islands. Along with the usual, the bartenders here whip up a variety of lethal “South Seas” concoctions with don’t-tell-me-I-didn’t-warn-you names like Tsunami. Setting new heights for exotic concoctions is the flaming Mt. Kumuneyewana-drinkya, a 32-ounce behemoth with at least eight ounces of rum and other booze lurking in its depths.
If you stop by for a nightcap, I recommend the small outside seating area under the bridge that forms the entrance to the hotel. Here you can enjoy the lingering warmth of a summer night with a waterfall providing a romantic soundtrack. A limited “late nite” menu will take care of those midnight munchies.
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