Great Jones Cafe

54 Great Jones St., NoHo, NY

5.9

map & more

Neighborhood
NoHo

Cuisine
American
Southern

Nearby
Joe's Pub

212-674-9304

Official Website

By Andrew Steinthal
February 23, 2010

Although it has since re-opened, when word spread a few months ago that a fire had closed Great Jones for the foreseeable future, we were concerned. It wouldn’t be right for the lights to go out without an Infatuation review. Having lived on Mulberry and Houston for a couple of years, Great Jones served as a perfect Neighborhood Hang, reliable for a quick burger or Chronic Brunch in a pinch. While the food isn’t saving lives or changing the world, it’s satisfying enough and reasonably affordable. In a NoHo area flooded with sexy “it” restaurants, an Old New York style hole in the wall is nice to have in your back pocket. Respect.

Food Rundown:

BurgerTen years ago, Great Jones Cafe might have been in the best NYC burger conversation. Times have changed, stakes have been raised and unfortunately, this guy can’t compete anymore. While it’s still generally enjoyable, we’ve had a couple of duds here in recent memory. Too much bun, dry bacon and a tendency to slightly overcook have plagued Great Jones burger lately.

St. John’s GumboIt takes balls to do a New Orleans style gumbo in New York. While the $18 price tag may be intimidating, it’s worth it. Loaded with chicken, sausage and an assortment of seafood, this is an acceptable representation of how the south gets down.

Roasted ChickenA heaping plate of food, this looks more like something that would come out of grandma’s kitchen than a Noho restaurant. Not that Bobby Flay is going to show up for a Throwdown or anything, but we’re not complaining – we’ve got leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Pulled Pork SandwichShredded pig getting all kinds of sloppy in their BBQ sauce. You’ll want to remove the top portion of the bun (again, too much bread) and use a fork and knife. While i usually like my pulled pork sandwiches topped w/cole slaw, this slaw didn’t add much to the mix. For a better visual, check out the tweet photo.

Sweet Potato FriesThese are some of my favorite sweet potato fries around. Thin, crispy and crunchy as opposed to the typical thick and mushy variety.

Creole Hot WingsI know some people like to come here specifically for the wings, but to me they’re too small and don’t have any flavor aside from the sauce. If you’re a wing person though, it can’t hurt to try them once.

House SaladStandard cafe-style starter salad. Every veggie is neatly placed in its own little corner and it’s dressed with a quality Italian dressing.