It's not every day that we get to write about the things we love, but Jack's Cafe makes the list of my favorite places to go eat. Get there while you still can.
As most of my friends and family know, I’m obsessed with food. It was part of the reason I came to Charleston anyway. I had come down a couple of times before I chose the school, and a few more right before I moved in, and my biggest memory of the city after each trip, was always what I had had to eat while I was here. Keeping this in mind, it’s somewhat surprising that it took me a few weeks into writing for The Odyssey to realize I had been handed an opportunity to write about something I loved.
With all that, I’m excited to say that every week I’ll be writing about a different place in Charleston that I think all of us at the college would enjoy visiting. Some will be new places, some will be hidden gems, and other weeks I’ll showcase somewhere that is already beloved by the students here and the community around us.
This week, I’d like to pay homage to Jack’s Cafe on George St. The first time I visited Jack’s was parents weekend of my freshman year. My dad and I were looking for something to eat and just down the street from Caviar and Bananas (another favorite of mine) we stumbled on this diner. I hadn’t been back until my first morning back in Charleston this month. A group of friends and I decided to meet for breakfast that morning after getting together the night before. I listened while they talked about how sad they were that this was the last year we’d be able to enjoy Jack’s while I enjoyed my cheese burger bright and early in the morning. I even remember my dad, sitting with me at the bar, raving about how cool this place was, and how he would've made it a regular stop if he had gone to CofC.Â
This is the type of place we love when we’re in college, and that we visit afterwards to reminisce. Not to mention that it’s right in the college budget. A bacon cheese burger costs $4.75, and it beat almost any other burger I’ve had for under $5. It's exactly the kind of food we all end up craving, and is where many students have ended a long night out, or begun an early day. If you don't believe me, go in on a Wednesday afternoon. You just might run into the dean of the Citadel, enjoying a chocolate shake. Or, you might run into the kid from you class you've always wanted to talk to. What better way to start a good conversation than over food? Or, if you've been a regular at Jack's since you got to Charleston, then be sure to swing in just a couple more times, before this Charleston gem shuts its doors for good at the end of the year.Â