Jack’s is one of the longest-lived cafés in Cusco.

That’s saying a lot in a tourist town like Cusco where the turnover rate is high. I first went to Jack’s in 2017 with twenty hungry high schoolers from Seattle. They all found something they liked and the portions are big enough that even those “hangry” teenagers were satisfied at the end of the meal. The all day breakfast was a big hit at 9:00 p.m. when the kids had gotten up at 4:30 a.m. that day to finish the Inca Trail, visit Machu Picchu and come all the way back to Cusco. If you can make all twenty teenagers happy after a day like that, you know the food is good.

Jack’s is the place to go if you need a break from Peruvian flavors and want something American, without going to a chain fast-food place. Yes, Cusco has KFC and McDonalds, but Jack’s has burgers and sandwiches that are so much better in every way. The prices are good, considering the size of the portions. It’s easy to order one of the “Big Toasted Sandwiches” for lunch and save half for dinner. The bread used for the sandwiches and the French toast is homemade by a supplier that only bakes for Jack’s. (I’ve tried to get a loaf of her bread to make French toast at home, but she bakes exclusively for Jack’s. In over two years I’ve been unable to find bread as good as hers for French toast).

It’s hard for me to recommend a meal at Jack’s because I honestly have loved everything I have tried. Both the Tuscan Veggie and Roasted Pumpkin soups are fantastic. Every one of the sandwiches I’ve tried has been excellent. I loved the all day breakfast. Again, everything I’ve tried on the breakfast menu is delicious. You really can’t go wrong with any of the breakfast options.

The sauces and sides are also very good. I appreciate that the French toast is served with real maple syrup. The pesto and hummus served with the soup’s accompanying pita bread are great. The hummus is a bit different than what I was used to in the US, but I still really like it.

The Thai stir fry, the “Curry really hot” and the Thai sauce on the veggie burger seem a little out of place compared to everything else on the menu but they both work really well when you get them on the table in front of you.

I love the lemonade with mint and the ice tea. If I’m really hungry I’ll get the Mean Green Smoothie, which is delicious. I haven’t had coffee here but I’ve had dining companions who ordered coffee and they said it was good.

My most recent visit was on a Sunday, late afternoon as the bulk of the lunch crowd was leaving.

1 minute: It took less than a minute to be seated and given menus.

5 minutes: The server took our order: Mediterranean salad with mint lemonade and cheese burger with a Coke and ice.

10 minutes: Our drinks were served, though the waitress had to go back for ice.

25 minutes: The food was served.

50 minutes: We finished eating.

55 minutes: The server brought the bill.

57 minutes: The server went to get change.

58 minutes: We got the change and left in just under an hour.