Jacks London Grill at 1050 62nd Ave N., won best authentic English pub food in 2023, and we at I Love The Burg understand why. Owner and head chef, Peter Leonavicius, is from Surrey, England, and he prepares British staples so properly, the food is fit for royalty. Enjoy customary dishes like beer-battered fish and chips (the best in St. Pete, perhaps), shepherd’s pie, steak and ale pie, scotch eggs, and bangers and mash. But there’s so much more to ogle on the menu.
Owner and head chef, Peter, says that of anywhere in the US, the ‘Burg has a character more reminiscent of England. So, then, how are locals of the ‘Burg taking to Peter’s English pub food? Well, a couple eating here moved to St. Petersburg from Lutz, FL, just to be closer to Jacks London Grill.
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“We compare all restaurants to this place,” one says, “It’s really unfair.” She then whispers, “you know, Peter used to cook for royalty.” Peter quickly interrupts, “I never cooked for royalty—unless you mean you!” In fact, Peter did cook for royalty, though he humbly adds “as part of a team.”
Blue cheese chardonnay to write about all-day
I certainly feel like royalty eating here. Not in a haughty, aristocratic way. But in the way a proper home-cooked meal bestows the power of contentment. This is simple, English pub food made right. Work your way down the menu, and be assured that whatever you order will impress, because Peter and his chefs make everything from scratch, down to the potato chips and bread.
I pair the homemade potato chips with some of Peter’s homemade blue cheese chardonnay dipping sauce. Then I start pairing everything with the blue cheese chardonnay dipping sauce. The bread. The fish. The bangers. The Scotch-egg. My finger. The sauce seems a mysterious, magical elixir that can bind with anything—complement everything.
As for Peter’s English bread, he makes it the proper way, using natural whole wheat and white blends of flour, then ferments the loaves slowly. You can buy freshly baked loaves to bring home, which I highly recommend for further consumption.
A must-visit British pub in the ‘Burg
The only thing that isn’t made from scratch at Jacks London Grill are the “bangers” in the bangers and mash. Fun fact: the term “bangers”, Peter tells me, comes from this: if sausages are made with ersatz (inferior fillers), as they too often are, the sausages explode—BANG—when cooked. Hence, “bangers”. Luckily, none of mine exploded, so I know I’m gorging high-quality, non-incendiary meats.
Put Jacks London Grill on your list of must-visits. Order more food than you rightly should…because you’ll eat it all eventually. Probably the same day. If Peter is around, try to recite this rhyme he recited to me: I’m not a pheasant plucker. I’m a pheasant plucker’s mate. And I’m only plucking pheasants, because the pheasant plucker’s late. If you’re feeling sporty, try to say that three times fast after having at least two pints of Old Speckled Hen or Guinness. I’ll bet you a cup of that blue cheese chardonnay you can’t do it.
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