It's been 12 years since I last went to the Jackson House, and finally getting back there felt like stepping into a completely different life. New me, new experience. like not a single cell from back then made the trip with me. We pull up, deal with Harrisburg parking (a whole separate scam I won't get into today), and walk into this little hole-in-the-wall lunch spot that closes at 2. That alone explains why it's been over a decade. But the second you step inside, it hits you this place has an aura. Straight New York-Philly energy. Metro signs everywhere, burger memorabilia, cheesesteak philosophy on the walls, Italian pride, city pride, just buku love, buku vibes. You order in a separate little room that feels like a classic bodega. Glass cooler with lunch meats, tiny soda setup, 50-cent refills, vanilla and cherry add-ons if you're feeling fancy. Cash only. No exceptions. We actually had to leave and hit an ATM because my roommate forgot. That's the kind of place this is. Feels like there's no internet in there. Like they might still be running a ham radio in the back. The guys working there? Straight 1970s New York swagger. You can tell this place has not changed since the day it opened, and that's exactly the point. And the wait,yeah, you're waiting. 20 minutes easy. But that's part of it. That's Staves of all the instant gratification and doom scrolling. It sets you back to a forgotten time. Then the burger comes out. This ain't no smash burger. This ain't no little quarter-pound situation. This is a big, meaty, juicy, chewy, greasy, gooey pound of flesh. And yeah, keep all of that. I'm staring at it for 30 seconds, salivating, practically full just looking at it. I finally put the bun on and go at it jerking my head around like a dog playing tug of war (making the most carnivorous, bestial sounds) I got the Jackson burger, lettuce, tomato, J-sauce. I need my J-sauce. And it hits and for a brief moment there is no worry in the world. This isn't a place you go every week unless you're trying to test your mortality. But when you go, you go all the way: 22-ounce Coca-Cola, burger, fries. No half measures. And the crowd? Office guys in suits on their lunch break. Capitol crowd. That's the vibe. I'm never in that world, so stepping into it felt like being dropped into a different city entirely--honestly felt like a Manhattan Lunch Break. The burger itself? Timeless. Not chasing trends, not trying to be Shake Shack, not Five Guys. This is some old-school, 1950s, Back to the Future-type energy. I half expected Marty McFly and Doc to walk in, get em one. Only surprise? No shakes. Feels like they should have shakes. They don't do fries with that shake. Now the one knock: the fries. Flavor? Perfection, hand cut boardwalk style fries. But I got a lot of little end pieces, now that's straight up disrespectful to me, how you gonna treat me like that?. I don't want to dig through little nubs to find actual fries. That's where I gotta be honest, dock a point. Overall though? Food: elite Experience: unmatched Vibe: 5/5 Conclusion - 4/5 (fix those bum-ass fries.) read more

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We needed a quick lunch spot in Harrisburg and a local highly recommended the Jackson House. It was definitely not what we expected. This is a small restaurant near midtown that one might just pass by without a second thought. Don't do that. While small, we were able to find a table. But plan ahead because there was a long line tha ended up out the front door. Burgers and fries were very good. No pre-pattied burgers here. Get lots of napkins too because the burgers are juicy. read more

Jackson House - Sandwiches Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

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I try to avoid the lunch rush because the food here is so good that it's worth the wait during its limited hours. It ramps up when people working in the Capitol Complex cross into the lunch hours (11-2), and it packs quickly even now when many state workers telework most of the week. The hours are limited to cater to this interest and get people in and out quickly. Every time I've been there, the seating has been quite limited because the place is small and the queue can extend from the counter out the door. I order and take the food with me. Plan ahead. Know what you want off the menu, including HOW you want things prepared. Order promptly. Keep the line moving. Stay out of the way. I've seen the staff get touchy with people who browse or are indecisive after waiting a while in line. People need to get in, get fed, and go back to work promptly so idle dining is not advised. read more

Excellent hoagies, great Philly rolls, freshly sliced meats and cheeses and veggies are always fresh. The staff is amazing and atmosphere is fun and welcoming. read more

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I've read all kinds of positive reviews of this place and had to try it. Ordered a Turkey sub for $14 and was totally disappointed. It had hardly any meat on it, lettuce and tomatoes (and I ordered extra) was almost nonexistent. Bread, which they rave about was just ok. Not impressed at all. Sandwich man and Fischer deli in Broad Street market are the go to places for sure. Glad I tried it as I'm all for trying local establishments, but the Jackson House wasn't worth it compared to what was expected. Definitely won't go back. read more

When we left Jackson House after having dinner there, we looked at each other, shook our heads, and asked one another why this place is so highly rated, given the fact of our incredibly poor dining experience? Tip: Jackson House is reputed to make the best Hoagies n the city. Based on my experience, I'd rather have one of Jim Gaffigan's infamous "Hot Pockets" than one of the Hoagies they serve here :-( Without exception, we found the service, food, and ambience to be completely lackluster at best. This place is NOT worth the prices they charge; in point of fact, prices one tenth as much would still be too high! read more

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The most consistent and delicious restaurant in Harrisburg! There's NOT even a close 2nd to this restaurant! From the customer service, food quality and inviting environment. The Jackson House NEVER misses a beat!! read more

Jackson House is always a treat. Bread delivered fresh daily. Always super fresh, delicious produce. I almost always get some variation of an Italian sub - though I have probably had everything on the menu over the last 20 years. Never had something I didn't like, though I personally do like my burgers seasoned a little more, and typically won't order a burger here. I've NEVER gotten an incorrect order in all of these years. Cory, the gentleman who takes and delivers orders, is efficient and friendly. Things to know: Open during daytime hours only, weekdays. Closed for state holidays. Grill shuts down promptly at 1:40pm. Limit of how much you can order per person if you don't call ahead. If you have a group order of more than 3 main items, CALL the day before. They operate with only three people and cannot answer the phone after 10am. Know what you want to order before you get to the register. Cash only. read more

Jackson House - Sandwiches Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Incredible burger perfectly cooked. Awesome service too. I can't wait to come back and try something else

Didn't order a maga burger, but the definitely received a maga burger from the strongly appeared MAGA supporters in n the kitchen. I suppose they Noticed I was the only black passion in that day ''my last visit', gave me a Burger that tasted. Like it was dragged across the kitchens dirty floor. Also, couldn't fining finish this inedible EXPENSIVE slop burger. Upon deconstruction of the SLOP BURGER I noticed their were tim tomato ends on my sandwich, I was disappointed and disgusted. I'll NEVER return; I Refuse to eat HATE! read more

Delish. Burger was big and juicy. It was cooked to my temp of medium perfectly. At first they said they were out of mushrooms and asked if they could sub something. Then ever found out they did have mushrooms and came to tell me. I love the will to make the customer happy. Great ingredients. Always great food. Their hours make it very difficult since they are only open for a small amount each day. And they close on federal holidays. If you can try this place.... Please!!! Do!! read more

Jackson House - Burger cooked medium - Sandwiches Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

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The food is awesome. Try it you will like it! Fresh made to your liking. Hamburgers are fresh and the hoagies are on delicious rolls.

Burger (the Lester) was delicious. Fries were terrific. Took home a lb of long cut slaw that am looking forward too. Wife got the Jackson burger and fries which she loved as well. Ambience is straight NE (philly, nyc). Cash only, 3 items per person for walk-in orders and these guys BUST ASS. Am sure they have to go rest after the short shift. Have been here twice and excellent both times. Highlight of this visit was the lady who decided to try and brow beat the man taking orders because he explained to her she couldn't place a large office order as a walk-in. She got loud, he matched and stayed firm and pointed out the sign. She threatened a "bad review", he told her you can order less than 3 items or leave. She proceeded to spit profanities at him and, in general, make an *ss of herself in front of the full place as she stormed out ranting. The whole place was entertained and laughed about her for the next 5'. Gotta love dinner and a show! read more

Jackson House - Sandwiches Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

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Again, never lets down. The register guy is super friendly. Burger today and my coworker got a turkey sub. read more

Jackson House - Medium rare burger and turkey hoagie. - Sandwiches Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

If I can give this place 0 stars I would. It was my first time here, we tried calling before we got there and no one answered the phone. When I arrived I had a decent size order the cook in the back looked at my order and stated "what is this BULLSHIT" my co worker and I were so shocked that he was so unprofessional. Then after we provided our order when it was time to pay the cashier stated they don't take card. The same nasty unprofessional cook yelled " NO CARD..CASH ONLY" as if we didn't hear it the first time. I will NEVER go back there again. The cook was so mean and rude and he wasn't even wearing gloves, yelling and talking over the food he was making, it was disgusting. read more

Excellent food! The sub I got was probably the best that I've ever had. Service was great and friendly.

Exceptional food and service with traditional city sub shop ambience! This was my second time eating here. The first time, I ordered a cheesesteak, which was delicious. I lived in Philly for years, and this was absolutely on par with the ones I had there. This time I had a Turkey Club Sub, and it was also excellent. The bacon was perfectly cooked and they give you so much! Everything from the turkey to the bread tasted fresh. The fries I got on the side were also delicious. I couldn't finish it all, and the busy employee kindly offered to wrap up the other half of my sub! **Cash only! It's important to note that it gets very busy, so give yourself plenty of time and be patient (although they move through the line and fill orders at impressive speed). Also, as other reviews clearly note (mostly out of annoyance), there's a limit on the # of walk-in orders (3 unless you call ahead). This lady made an absolute fool of herself today by throwing a tantrum when the worker wouldn't take her large walk-in order. She got up in his face and yelled profanities in front of the whole restaurant. After she finally walked out and threatened to leave a bad review, I was inspired to leave an honest, positive one for this small local business. Their business, their rules (which are clearly stated in a big sign up front)! Even if you don't agree with them, don't cause an altercation with the worker who's busy trying to do his job. Wild behavior. read more

Burgers is great, nicely grilled and very yeasty, well worth the trip, you will not be disappointed, cool place for lunch, the time open , is short, they are not open to long doing the day, check for times read more

Not my 1st visit. Hugh fan of their Italian subs. This trip I got a Cheeseburger. Oh boy was it great! Drip down the arm good. Service, as always, welcoming and accommodating. Best value around with 1st class food quality. read more

Good old fashioned cash only place that will be packed daily for good reason. They use fresh ingredents and have a nice menu to order from. Another must in the harrisburg area, even worth the travel! read more

I have been coming here for over 20 years, I look forward to getting their burgers especially since we are only in the office a few days a month. Normally there is a line but today there was not.. we tried to call and preorder our burgers but got no answer. When we walked over to order our burgers (8) at a "burger place" , the owner flat out said I'm not making 8 burgers. Seriously you are a lunchtime burger place and don't want to make burgers for your "cash paying " customers. The better answer would have been, no problem as longs as you don't mind waiting. Clearly you don't care and yes you still have the best burgers in town, come winter I hope you don't need our business. Unfortunately you just lost 8 customers, read more

Excellent burger. Know what you are doing and what you want before you get there. If you are one person ordering more than 3 things for other people call ahead. He said you can call as early as 8:30am for call ahead orders. read more

Holy cow for a small business they can really handle the crowd of people that flock here and man the burgers are amazing it tasted like as if I cooked it on my bbq, I ordered the Jackson burger, melted american, crisp smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato and our own special sauce. Will definitely be back! read more

Jackson House - Jackson burger melted american, crisp smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato and our own special sauce. - Sandwiches Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

The food was just awesome. I come up for the Dog Show couple times a year and a worker here told me about the place I tried it and I go every time I come here never had a bad meal highly recommended, but order a day ahead of time if you can. read more

This is a truly a great casual place to grab an incredible meal in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (by the way, which is the State Capitol of Pennsylvania). They have great burgers and hoagies (you might call them subs, I know that I do, but here in this part of the United States of America they are called hoagies). They also have great cheesesteaks. I guess that should not be too surprising considering that they are about two hours outside of the City of Brotherly Love. As an added bonus, the prices are very good and service is friendly. It is a small place, but I really like the atmosphere. Food like this is not supposed to be surrounded by fountains and fine arts, eaten on fine linen. This type of good should be eaten in humble surroundings. This place reminds me of some of those old school places you would find in Philadelphia. I truly mean this as a compliment. The hours here are horrible. At least for the customers. Staff probably loves them. They are only open Monday through Friday from 10;30 to 2:00 and the grill shuts down at 1:40. As I said, if you aren't there for lunch, you aren't there. All in all, a great place and an establishment that I would recommend. read more

Phenomenal burger. I ordered the classic Jackson House burger. The ground beef was super flavorful and juicy. The bacon was thick and chewy but still crisp enough. The bacon was smoky and so savory. The burger was smothered with American cheese and fresh lettuce tomato. This is a perfect classic American backyard bbq burger. It's really good. Go get it immediately. read more

Jackson House - Jackson House Burger - Sandwiches Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Very simple delicious food with fresh ingredients. Fantastic service from the gentleman behind the counter who takes your order. read more

Jackson House - Regular Fresh Cut French Fries - Sandwiches Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

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This is place is widely known for its burgers, and they're very good. But I actually think I like their Italian hoagies even better. The sandwiches are absolutely loaded with meats, cheese, peppers and more. Be prepared to take bites in increments if you want to avoid lockjaw. But man do they have some good choices - namely the Bada Bing and the Bada Boom. If you're lighter eater, seriously consider splitting a sandwich with someone. I've made the mistake of over-eating here a few times; it's not hard to do. Be aware that this is a CASH-only establishment. Also take note that this place can get PACKED. It's not always possible to eat on-site, and the wait time can exceed 20 minutes when you factor in the line to order and the time to prepare your order. read more

Finally.... a decent place to grab a real sandwich and its been a legendary institution since the 80's. While the vibe bedazzles of Italian-Americana somewhere between the charms of New York and South Philly, I couldn't quite possibly change a thing other than to adopt a craft espresso machine to go along. Try it! I always loved The Bronx Tale references. It's still one of my favorite movies! Cash only. read more

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It's always nice when you don't get to visit an eatery very often but when you do make it there, the staff still remembers your name. Can't say much about the food that isn't already common knowledge. Hoagies are some of the best you'll find outside of the immediate Philly area (importing fresh Liscio's rolls every day is crucial). The burgers are what burgers should be, giant wads of fresh ground beef cooked over flames. Cheesesteaks are also very good. Now for the caveats: just make sure to get there early. After 11 there will almost certainly be a line, especially on a nice day. Grill goes off at 1:40 but they usually run out of burgers before then. Walk-ins are limited to ordering 3 items maximum. And bring money, they're cash only. read more

Best hoagies in the city! The bread is what really sets them apart. Everything is always super fresh. It's real food! They used to use stewed tomatoes instead of what's pictured. I wish they would bring those back and were open longer, and on the weekends! read more

Jackson House - South Philly Italian Hoagie - Sandwiches Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

I am new in town and have been searching for a good burger place similar to Tessaro's back in Pittsburgh: big, juicy, substantial, fresh toppings. Jackson House house checked all of those boxes and then some (they're also renowned for their Italian and Philly style hoagies, with their hoagie rolls coming in daily from Philadelphia). The line inside was almost to the door around 1pm on Thursday, with almost every table occupied. Despite that, the staff made sure everyone was attended to, even expediting the process by asking people in line if they wanted burgers, so they could start preparing them in advance. I ordered the Jackson Burger and a side of potato salad to go. It was perfectly cooked and enormous. The potato salad was perfect, slightly sweet and very creamy. The only thing I'd change would be the hours, as they're a bit limited (Mondays through Fridays 10:30am to 2:00pm, with the grill closing at 1:30pm). It'll be a challenge to get there as often as I'd like to, given my work schedule, but I can't wait to go back and try their hoagies and cheesesteaks! read more

The Jackson House has probably the best Italian Hoagies in town. They actually have about 6 or 7 Italian Hoagie on the menue and they are all authentic Philadelphia style Hoagie on Philadelphia roles delivered from Philadelphia daily. And this place also has the best cheese burger in the area. The only down side is that they are only open from 10 to 2 Monday through Friday and the grill gets turned off at 1:30. read more

I went in with an order for 5 people from my office. I called 4 times between the hours of 10 to 11 and got no answer so I went in to place my order. After standing in line for 20 minutes a guy came through the line to ask who was ordering burgers. I told him I had 2 burgers and 3 sandwiches. His reply was, "You can't order more than 3 things." Being sincerely confused, I asked him why? His response was that it was their policy and I should have called. I said I did call 4 times, no one answered. He then told me I should have called at 830 in the morning. I said how would I know that, if it's not your hours and there's nothing online about when to place your order or that you can't order more than 3 things at a time per person? This man began screaming (yes, screaming) in my face in a restaurant full of people that he didn't have time to deal with me or my order. I was completely taken aback by his disgusting behavior. It was unreal to see how entitled he felt to behave like that. I've only ever heard good things about their food. Apparently the service doesn't match. This man behaved like a full blown, entitled scumbag and I don't care how good their food is, I would never patronize such a low life with no service skills. I would like to congratulate him on his burger flipping skills at best. read more

Staple of Harrisburg area for over 30 years. Quality ingredients, cooked and prepared just right.

After living in Philadelphia for 13 years, it is refreshing to see a place in Harrisburg doing hoagies right. Be prepared to stand in a line but it goes fast and is 100% worth the wait. read more

Cannot say enough good things about Jackson House. A must-try in Harrisburg. Incredible staff and food-wow!!

If your a sandwich guy like I am the Jackson House will work for you !! I had the Italian and my wife had the tuna both were great with bread from Philadelphia fresh lettuce, tomatoes quality fresh cut Italian cold cuts and a nice sharp provolone cheese made both sandwiches a big hit. We will be back on our next visit to Harrisburg for sure read more

I've been going to Jackson house for many years. It's my favorite place to get food in Harrisburg. It's not just the quality of food, it's everything. It's the friendly service, always taken care of and treated like a valued customer. It's the vibe. I love that it's cash only. More businesses should do that. Even when there is a line out the door, people will crowd into that place and wait patiently because they know how hard everyone is working and how worth the wait the food is. Jackson house rules. I always get a burger but today I got a burger and a sub for later, my first Jackson house sub. I knew it would be good, it was amazing! We are lucky to have a place like this in our little town. read more

While touring the Capitol Building, which is within walking distance of Jackson House, one of the locals recommended this place. I mean, he REALLY recommended it. He literally suggested it as if he had only one must visit place in Harrisburg, this is what he'd recommend. He said that the old building that it's in used to be part of the Underground Railroad. I'm not sure how true that is. Either way, he was spot on about the recommendation though. We walked there from the Capitol. We exited the back of the Capitol, by the fountain and then the directions took us right to it. It's in a "disheveled" building, is how it was described to us. Not to be confused with being dirty or questionably sketchy, I must add. We arrived around 11am and it wasn't too busy. We only waited in line for about five minutes, and even when it was my time to order, I was undecided. The gentleman at the register was super nice and recommended one of their burgers or an Old School Italian Hoagie. I went with the Jimmy Pizzos "Bada Bing". The strong sharp provolone cheese and the combination of freda gabbagool, old world citterio genda gudageen (coteghino), and pepper ham, were all out of this world! I've literally never had anything like it in my life and probably never will again, unless I come back here. It's only open during lunch hours. If I'm ever in Harrisburg again, it will be during those hours and I will be visiting Jackson House again! read more

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