You are reading

Uncle Jack’s Meat House to Open on Ditmars Boulevard First Week of December

Uncle Jack’s Meat House, opening at 36-18 Ditmars Blvd. on Dec. 4. (Photo courtesy of Uncle Jack’s Meat House)

Nov. 22, 2017   By Nathaly Pesantez

Uncle Jack’s Meat House, the spin off from the national steakhouse chain, has an opening date at last as it prepares to open its doors in early December.

The restaurant, located at 36-18 Ditmars Blvd.,will begin to serve patrons on Dec. 4, almost two years after initial plans for an Astoria site were announced.

Willie “Jack” Degel, a Queens native and founder of Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse and other restaurant projects, developed a design for the low-key eatery—where servers will wear red Converse sneakers—that includes a grill and speakeasy, the latter which is said to be accessible through passwords sent out to the Meat House’s mailing list and social media accounts.

The new American grill restaurant was supposed to open last year, in the fall of 2016, but issues with the Department of Buildings slowed the process, as the single locale was once two distinct buildings, which the city wanted Degel to adhere to. In addition, most of the building’s interior had to be redone, said Robert Smith, director of operations for the restaurant.

Menu items at the moderately priced, casual farm-to-table restaurant include entrees like long bone pork chop, seafood based dishes, steaks, burgers, sandwiches, and other grill staples. Appetizers and sides include mashed potatoes, roasted mushrooms, collard greens, mac and cheese, and a variety of seasonal salads. A custom dessert menu will also be part of the dining experience.

A cocktail menu will also be available, along with a selection of scotches, bourbons, wines, and locally brewed beers.

The Meat House can seat up to 90 people in its 1900s-style dining room and 32 people at the bar with room for an additional 40 to stand. The Roaring 20s speakeasy bar in the basement can accommodate up to 30. An outdoor seating area for 30 is also in the works for the restaurant.

The first Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse opened in 1996 in Bayside, Queens. Degel, who is also the host of The Food Network’s Restaurant Stakeout, opened the first Meat House brand of restaurants in Georgia, which promises to bring quality, prime steaks and meats to patrons in a low-key, informal environment.

The Astoria location is already taking reservations on Open Table, and will initially open for dinner, from about 4 p.m. until around 11 p.m. The restaurant will open for brunch and lunch soon after.

email the author: [email protected]

15 Comments

Click for Comments 
Guy from FlushTown

DOB needs to get their shit together. They work slower than molasses. Delaying this for years and delaying Mothership Meat Company for going on 2 years now too. Its ridiculous. All the while the owners need to keep paying rent. Like opening a business isn’t hard enough. Its ridiculous.

Reply
meatetarian

The more meat the better. If you want to subsist solely on kale and quinoa move to San Francisco.

Reply
Vasso

Is there an elevator for accessibility to the speakeasy in the basement for patrons in wheelchairs?

Reply
Anonymous

People are overly jealous and it’s very very upsetting to see human nature falling to new lows. The man building this had worked smart and very hard and also taken risks which is why he’s successful. The low people disliking your statement have done none of this so far in their meager lifetimes. And no I am not affiliated with this establishment.

Reply
Anonymous

Depends what you consider successful. Success to people isn’t always the same, that’s very objective. You can be very rich (successful) in your terms but be broke when it comes to real values in life. You can’t bring money with you, but you can bring a legacy. Money nowadays is a number on a screen. So when you’re talking about success and belittling people who don’t have as many commas in their bank account, maybe they’re richer than you are at heart, because they’re values don’t correlate with yours.

Reply
Anonymous

Never in my comments did I belittle anyone with less commas in their account, as I myself an not financially wealthy either. What does bother me is that people not willing to take risks, make sacrifices, and work hard in life criticize those who do. Those are not the values our great country was built on. America became strong and the envy of the world by embracing those attributes and not the opposite. I find it dissapointing and scary these days the fact that young people are so against capitalism and a free market these days. It seems as if so many more people are just looking for a handout these days as opposed to getting out there and getting it. Money may not be everything but it’s good to have it. I don’t think anyone can argue with that…

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Manhattan bouncer charged in New Year’s Day fatal stabbing in Elmhurst: NYPD

A Manhattan man was arrested on Saturday and charged in the fatal stabbing of an East Elmhurst man during the early morning hours of New Year’s Day in what notably became the city’s first homicide of 2024.

Torrence Holmes, 35, of St. Nicholas Place in Hamilton Heights, was taken into custody at his home and transported back to Queens, where he was booked at the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst on manslaughter and other charges on Saturday afternoon.

After surge of traffic violence, Queens leaders demand safer streets especially for children

Following a tragic week on Queens streets where three pedestrians — 43-year-old Natalia Garcia-Valencia, 58-year-old Elisa Bellere and 8-year-old Bayrron Palomino Arroyo — were fatally struck by unsafe drivers, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced that he has allocated $1.5 million in capital funding for street safety improvements on three of the borough’s most dangerous roadways.

Richards made the announcement at 82nd Street and Astoria Boulevard in East Elmhurst on Monday morning, about a mile from where the 8-year-old boy was struck and killed by an impatient pickup truck driver from Flushing on Mar. 13 as he walked in the crosswalk at 31st Avenue and 101st Street with him mother and brother, who was injured.