beet salad ..; insane pizza! highly recommend.. great service... love it here! our favorite
Heather H.
I paid over 40 dollars for shrimp scampi plate and I got a saucer size plate with 6 shrimp and then on the side a child size plate of pasta with nothing on it. I've been coming to Jays forever and have never seen the shrimp scampi come presented in this way. Also, the water tasted like bleach. None of us drank it.
Bree B.
Probably will not come back they were cleaning the floor with bleach while we were eating and smelling bleach while eating. Toxic chemicals. Not fun. Need more common sense not to use harsh chemicals while people are eating and it was well before closing.
Stan S.
My wife and I loved it,,, food, service and laid back atmosphere. Brandy was super nice with excellent service. Enjoyed clams cooked with White wine and garlic. Juices so good the soak up with the garlic bread. Shared the special of swordfish, jumbo prawns, and artichokes over angel hair pasta with capers and mushrooms. What a fantastic taste treat. Plan to go back in a few days before we leave.
Brian R.
Came for a quick beer. Topped off perfect. (I don't want that foam) Cold crisp Italian lager. Vibes are heavy Quick easy spot enjoy yourself enjoy your time Great service by the ladies
Jenna Nicholson Borg
We picked up pizzas and took them to the beach. The pizza was great and the staff was friendly- would definitely visit again!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pizza
Cody Fausett
Bro Devil!!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Andie C.
This is the BEST RESTAURANT IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. Me and my family have been coming here for 20 years and every single time it's the best food we've ever had. It deserves ALL the Michelin stars but is probably overlooked because it's somewhat of a hole in the wall. It starts with the most amazing breadsticks (used to be made from fresh pizza dough but seems like they made a little update with some kind of pretzely garlicky bread - both amazing) which I love to douse with Parmesan. Then comes the incredible house salad with creamy Italian dressing made in-house (DRESSING OF THE GODS!!) (I have bought jars of it before to bring home lol). Then comes the entrees. I always order the Linguini Imperial with white cream sauce. I dream of this dish. Me, my mom, and my dad always order this very dish and refuse to share one bc it's so good. But beware it's a lot of food for one person. I bring it home and enjoy it the next day. The food always comes out really fast and the wait staff is always hustling to refill everyone's drinks and make sure everyone is comfortable. The food is divine. You won't regret coming here.
Bev Z.
Very accommodating as we came just before closing. The Italian breads were delicious, thin crusted and cut like breadsticks. I'm sure pizza was delicious. Instead we had chicken with artichokes, lemon. It was juicy and delicious. If we had had more hread we would have sopped up the juices. I had linguini Imperial with clams and LOTS of small shrimp in delicious red sauce. Huge portions. Enough for another meal. And others in restaurant had leftovers they took home too. The minestrone was so a lot of tomato sauce but with a lot of veggies. We will definitely be back. We come yearly fir Carlsbad 5000 run but our first time at Jay's. If I could rate I'd rate it 4.5
Pedro C.
the chicken was amazing the sea food was so good and almost everything was home made. The service was amazing they were able to say what we would like and they were fast too. It felt so comfortable and cozy everyone was nice.
What a disappointment on SO may levels....writing this review to help others who might think about eating here.....my advice...DON'T. Our friends have been talking about this restaurant since we moved here last year from Los Angeles(lots of great Italian food there) so we accepted their invitation.....big mistake. 1. When we arrived we were seated at the table by the front door which continued to be ajar throughout the entire meal....freezing. Asked if we could be moved to another table if it became free....we were told that once we ordered food we could NOT move???? 2. I asked specifically for separate checks as our friends like to indulge in wine and we do not....check came..not split..so we ended up paying and extra $40...not happy. 3. 3 of us ordered linguini with clams...one of my favorites...and were all disappointed in both the way it was prepared and the fact that it wasn't hot...it tasted like a can of clam broth was poured into the skillet and the clams were heated until they opened.....very watery and salty...AND $38.00....are you kidding.....really?? My favorite Italian restaurant Amalfi Cucina does their linguini with clams for $27.00......why is yours $38.00. 4. When the check came our share was over $115.00 and WE had no wine...our friends did. Then we saw the last straw.....you added an additional 3% to the bill for the staff. I'm sorry, it is not my responsibility to help pay yht wagws for your staff.....it is YOURS. You can't raise your prices to cover it because they are already way too high. We have eaten all over the world in all types if places but this was one of the worst experiences we have had and sadly for you.....will not be back. I am sure we are not the only ones who have experienced this....Good Luck
Elvira A.
Food outstanding for the price they offer, we've been two times and came again, service super quick, very nice people
Matthew R.
Will recommend to locals and tourist a like, thanks! They serve a great pie, phenomenal mozz sticks, and complimentary garlic bread with no drop off.
BEWARE! Tourist trap in the middle of Carlsbad! We were in town visiting family and we have passed by Jay's numerous times so we decided to try it out. We ordered Fettuccine Alfredo,eggplant Parmesan and a pesto dish. The fettuccine came out and smelled disgusting. My husband took one bite and couldn't eat it. It's a pretty simple recipe,and it definitely didn't taste like garlic,butter,cream or Parmesan and the smell was awful. The chicken on top tasted like it was boiled. Absolutely no taste. Then they brought out a side of pasta with red sauce and I was confused because I ordered eggplant Parmesan. We tried to get the waiters attention and he didn't look our way for over 20 minutes. The rest of my family had their food and my eggplant finally came out and the pasta was cold. What we had planned to be a fun night out ended up being a disappointment. We also went to use the restrooms,which are outside next to the kitchen and the cooks were cutting bags of pasta and pouring into the water. Definitely not fresh food is being served here. I wish we could have seen the kitchen before we chose to eat here. We complained to the waiter/manager and he said "do you have Covid,and lost your taste" we couldn't believe he said that instead of addressing the issue. The bill came and for 4 adults and 4 meals it was over $300.00. To make things worse when we got home and looked at our credit card statements, they added a 39% tip! They changed the numbers and added to it! We tried calling numerous times and nobody has called back. We are furious. This place is taking advantage of tourists,charging a fortune for inedible food.
beet salad ..; insane pizza! highly recommend.. great service... love it here! our favorite
I paid over 40 dollars for shrimp scampi plate and I got a saucer size plate with 6 shrimp and then on the side a child size plate of pasta with nothing on it. I've been coming to Jays forever and have never seen the shrimp scampi come presented in this way. Also, the water tasted like bleach. None of us drank it.
Probably will not come back they were cleaning the floor with bleach while we were eating and smelling bleach while eating. Toxic chemicals. Not fun. Need more common sense not to use harsh chemicals while people are eating and it was well before closing.
My wife and I loved it,,, food, service and laid back atmosphere. Brandy was super nice with excellent service. Enjoyed clams cooked with White wine and garlic. Juices so good the soak up with the garlic bread. Shared the special of swordfish, jumbo prawns, and artichokes over angel hair pasta with capers and mushrooms. What a fantastic taste treat. Plan to go back in a few days before we leave.
Came for a quick beer. Topped off perfect. (I don't want that foam) Cold crisp Italian lager. Vibes are heavy Quick easy spot enjoy yourself enjoy your time Great service by the ladies
We picked up pizzas and took them to the beach. The pizza was great and the staff was friendly- would definitely visit again!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pizza
Bro Devil!!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
This is the BEST RESTAURANT IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. Me and my family have been coming here for 20 years and every single time it's the best food we've ever had. It deserves ALL the Michelin stars but is probably overlooked because it's somewhat of a hole in the wall. It starts with the most amazing breadsticks (used to be made from fresh pizza dough but seems like they made a little update with some kind of pretzely garlicky bread - both amazing) which I love to douse with Parmesan. Then comes the incredible house salad with creamy Italian dressing made in-house (DRESSING OF THE GODS!!) (I have bought jars of it before to bring home lol). Then comes the entrees. I always order the Linguini Imperial with white cream sauce. I dream of this dish. Me, my mom, and my dad always order this very dish and refuse to share one bc it's so good. But beware it's a lot of food for one person. I bring it home and enjoy it the next day. The food always comes out really fast and the wait staff is always hustling to refill everyone's drinks and make sure everyone is comfortable. The food is divine. You won't regret coming here.
Very accommodating as we came just before closing. The Italian breads were delicious, thin crusted and cut like breadsticks. I'm sure pizza was delicious. Instead we had chicken with artichokes, lemon. It was juicy and delicious. If we had had more hread we would have sopped up the juices. I had linguini Imperial with clams and LOTS of small shrimp in delicious red sauce. Huge portions. Enough for another meal. And others in restaurant had leftovers they took home too. The minestrone was so a lot of tomato sauce but with a lot of veggies. We will definitely be back. We come yearly fir Carlsbad 5000 run but our first time at Jay's. If I could rate I'd rate it 4.5
the chicken was amazing the sea food was so good and almost everything was home made. The service was amazing they were able to say what we would like and they were fast too. It felt so comfortable and cozy everyone was nice.
Restaurantji Recommends
What a disappointment on SO may levels....writing this review to help others who might think about eating here.....my advice...DON'T. Our friends have been talking about this restaurant since we moved here last year from Los Angeles(lots of great Italian food there) so we accepted their invitation.....big mistake. 1. When we arrived we were seated at the table by the front door which continued to be ajar throughout the entire meal....freezing. Asked if we could be moved to another table if it became free....we were told that once we ordered food we could NOT move???? 2. I asked specifically for separate checks as our friends like to indulge in wine and we do not....check came..not split..so we ended up paying and extra $40...not happy. 3. 3 of us ordered linguini with clams...one of my favorites...and were all disappointed in both the way it was prepared and the fact that it wasn't hot...it tasted like a can of clam broth was poured into the skillet and the clams were heated until they opened.....very watery and salty...AND $38.00....are you kidding.....really?? My favorite Italian restaurant Amalfi Cucina does their linguini with clams for $27.00......why is yours $38.00. 4. When the check came our share was over $115.00 and WE had no wine...our friends did. Then we saw the last straw.....you added an additional 3% to the bill for the staff. I'm sorry, it is not my responsibility to help pay yht wagws for your staff.....it is YOURS. You can't raise your prices to cover it because they are already way too high. We have eaten all over the world in all types if places but this was one of the worst experiences we have had and sadly for you.....will not be back. I am sure we are not the only ones who have experienced this....Good Luck
Food outstanding for the price they offer, we've been two times and came again, service super quick, very nice people
Will recommend to locals and tourist a like, thanks! They serve a great pie, phenomenal mozz sticks, and complimentary garlic bread with no drop off.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mozzarella Sticks, Pizza, Bread Sticks
BEWARE! Tourist trap in the middle of Carlsbad! We were in town visiting family and we have passed by Jay's numerous times so we decided to try it out. We ordered Fettuccine Alfredo,eggplant Parmesan and a pesto dish. The fettuccine came out and smelled disgusting. My husband took one bite and couldn't eat it. It's a pretty simple recipe,and it definitely didn't taste like garlic,butter,cream or Parmesan and the smell was awful. The chicken on top tasted like it was boiled. Absolutely no taste. Then they brought out a side of pasta with red sauce and I was confused because I ordered eggplant Parmesan. We tried to get the waiters attention and he didn't look our way for over 20 minutes. The rest of my family had their food and my eggplant finally came out and the pasta was cold. What we had planned to be a fun night out ended up being a disappointment. We also went to use the restrooms,which are outside next to the kitchen and the cooks were cutting bags of pasta and pouring into the water. Definitely not fresh food is being served here. I wish we could have seen the kitchen before we chose to eat here. We complained to the waiter/manager and he said "do you have Covid,and lost your taste" we couldn't believe he said that instead of addressing the issue. The bill came and for 4 adults and 4 meals it was over $300.00. To make things worse when we got home and looked at our credit card statements, they added a 39% tip! They changed the numbers and added to it! We tried calling numerous times and nobody has called back. We are furious. This place is taking advantage of tourists,charging a fortune for inedible food.
Best pizza.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Minestrone Soup, Pizza, Bread Sticks