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The name promises oysters, and Jake's delivers them — but half the kitchen is given over to a natural hardwood grill, and that split is the whole idea. A raw bar runs the front of the menu; behind it, fire does the rest, sending out Certified Angus beef and beer-braised ribs with the same seriousness the shuckers bring to a cold tray of shellfish. Jake's Grill & Oyster House sits on Walkers Line in uptown Burlington, and it has never asked a table to choose between the two halves. A seafood diner and a steak diner can sit across from each other and both order well.
Most visits begin at the raw bar. Fresh-shucked oysters rotate by whatever came out of the bed that day, and they return hot as BBQ'd Oysters under garlic butter, red chili and parmesan on grilled focaccia. The seafood tower called Le Grand Jake stacks a dozen oysters, shrimp cocktail, scallop crudo, a chilled Cuban lobster tail and tuna poke into a single centrepiece. From there the menu splits cleanly. The Lobster Roll loads PEI lobster onto a grilled Saving Thyme brioche bun; the Black Cod arrives miso-marinated and oven-roasted over shiitake and enoki in a ginger-cilantro broth; the Snakebite Salmon comes off the wood grill glazed in the house BBQ sauce with sweet potato gratin. The grill answers with a sixteen-ounce bone-in ribeye and a full rack of beer-braised, wood-grilled ribs.
That range points to a kitchen unwilling to pick a single lane. Alongside the oysters and the steaks sit Tuna Tataki seared rare with ponzu, Korean Steak Bites in gochujang, and Sushi Nachos piled on fried wonton — borrowed flavours the menu folds in without apology. The breadth is built for a divided table: one person orders a dozen oysters and a lobster tail while the diner beside them is happy with a Kansas City burger or a French beef dip. The plates stay specific enough that no one feels they settled for the compromise option.
None of it reads as fussy, either. There is a Lake Erie pickerel dusted and fried crisp or pan-seared with fingerlings, haddock and chips in beer batter, and a New England-style seafood chowder that has been on the menu long enough to count as a regular. The beverage list keeps pace — house cocktails, zero-proof options, local wine and draft beer — so a meal can be built around a dozen oysters or a ribeye without the table reaching for another menu. Desserts are made to order, down to the Chocolate Vesuvius soufflé that has to be decided on early. In warmer months the patio extends the same order outdoors, dog in tow if it comes to that.
Jake's opened in 1985 under Jamie Myers and took its current form in a 1998 remodel, which is when the Grill & Oyster House name arrived. The dining room still runs nautical, the look a Burlington seafood house grows into over four decades rather than installs overnight. The natural hardwood grill and the Canadian AAA aged beef have stayed put through all of it.
The raw bar doesn't clock out after the dinner rush. Weekend brunch carries its own seafood point of view: fresh-shucked oysters by the dozen, a Lobster Grilled Cheese of PEI lobster under Havarti and Gruyère on sourdough, a four-egg Seafood Omelette with shrimp, scallops and blue crab, and a Shrimp & Scallop Benny under lemon hollandaise. That is the clearest read on what Jake's actually is — not a seafood restaurant that also grills, or a grill that happens to shuck, but one kitchen that decided a Burlington table should be able to start with oysters no matter what time it walks in.
Jake's has operated in Burlington since 1985 and still puts seafood at the front through fresh-shucked oysters, PEI lobster, raw and chilled plates, seafood towers and composed fish entrees.
The natural hardwood grill gives the menu a second lane beyond seafood, with Certified Angus beef, ribs, burgers and grilled fish making it easier for mixed groups to order confidently.
The official brunch menu gives Jake's a source-backed weekend timing hook through Fresh Shucked Oysters by the dozen, seafood omelette, lobster grilled cheese and shrimp-scallop benny.
This is Restaurantica’s own read — synthesized from publicly available sources across diner signal and editorial research, last updated June 2026. It’s our interpretation of the evidence, not a crowd average — and placement is never for sale.
The raw bar is a defining part of Jake's, not a side note. Fresh Shucked Oysters, BBQ'd Oysters, Tuna Tataki, Sushi Nachos and Tuna Poke Stack give diners several ways to start with seafood before moving into grill plates.
The Lobster Roll is the most direct casual signature. PEI lobster, a grilled Saving Thyme brioche bun, fries and slaw make it easier to order than a full seafood tower while still feeling specific to Jake's.
Jake's has been part of Burlington dining since 1985, and the current menu still feels built for repeat use. Oysters, lobster, wood-grilled mains, brunch and familiar handhelds give regulars several reasons to return.
Weekend brunch has a seafood point of view instead of just breakfast standards. Fresh Shucked Oysters by the dozen, Lobster Grilled Cheese, Seafood Omelette and Shrimp & Scallop Benny make brunch a real Jake's use case.
Jake's works for occasions because the menu can scale up without becoming stiff. Seafood towers, lobster, king crab, steaks and the wood-grill side create enough ceremony for birthdays, family dinners and planned nights out.
Restaurantica’s write-up above is synthesized from broad public signal — community reviews add the first-person layer. Share the nuances of your visit to Jake's Grill & Oyster House in Burlington: the standout dishes, the room, the service.
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