On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Loading...
I have a love-hate relationship with this place. I really do think it has some of the better bar-style food in West LA, but it's the service that really takes it down a notch. They have a few flat screens that aren't well placed, but you can still follow whatever game is on at the time.
BJ's is a solid chain that I can rely on for cheesy, chewy, thick, deep dish pizzas. I've been ordering the BBQ chicken pizza since I was a kid and it's always been solid. The spinach and artichoke pizza is good as well, which can also be found in dip and calzone form. If you like doughy bread, the pizzas and calzones are for you.
The also have a good line of starters: nachos, spring rolls, chicken tenders, etc...
For a sandwich, the turkey cobb is solid, again with the doughy, cheese bread, bacon and bleu cheese sauce.
Their list of microbrews has been the same for years and offers a great variety from a light blonde ale to the dark porter and stout. The Piranha Pale Ale is a past favorite.
They recently started brewing their own root beer which is made without high fructose corn syrup and actually tastes very good. Free refills on this too.
The pizookie (deep dish cookie) desserts are easily the best item on the menu. Save room. They have many flavors available, but I always go with the classic chocolate chip cookie with scoops of ice cream on top. It's very very good.
They seem to have UCLA students staffing the place and the service is slow and many times I have had my food served incorrectly. However, if you make no substitutions or alterations you should be fine.
BJ's is always a safe option when I am in unfamiliar territory, loooking for some bar food. Rarely will I go there if I find myself hungry in Westwood.
The 3 star rating is just for this location. I love BJ's usually, but the westwood one, though is the one i most frequent, is always too crowded, wait too long and thus food not so good (cold/ luke warm). Also i feel rushed everytime i eat here. maybe i go on bad nights, maybe I should only go when the UCLA kids are on break, and the town is quiet. Who knows.
Otherwise, BJ's offer great food, especially their deep dish pizza. You can order individual sizes or a large one to share. Burgers and sandwiches come with wedge fries which are perfectly seasoned. One of best wedge fries i've had. I like their pulled pork sandwiches especially, and blackened chicken s'wich and blackened chicken pasta.
Also, you can get your many kinds of brews here. Def a good place to hang out with your large group of friends. Oh.. share a pizookie (pizza thin cookie topped with ice cream). You need to. It's an obligation to your sweet tooth.
I always seem to end up at BJ's when I'm home in LA and out with a particular group of friends. Why? I guess it's a neutral choice with the multitude of menu items, and it's also in the neighborhood ... and, they serve that delicious chocolate chip pazookie.
Recently, I had the chance to try one of their new pizza menu items - the Southwestern: chipotle tomato sauce with spicy blackened chicken, green chilies, cheddar cheese and diced tomatoes topped with fresh cilantro. It tasted much better than what I was expecting - sort of like a spicy supreme pizza with chicken and no olives.
I haven't tried any of their brews yet because I usually order their root beer. IIRC, it's made by them also. I'd suggest trying it if you're a root beer fan.
The aforementioned pazookie is awesome. Each spoonful of warm chocolate chip cookie with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top = yum.
I have noticed that service tends to be slow here. On this visit, I only remember our server coming to our table three times during the entire meal - once to take our drink order, once to take our food order, and once to deliver our check. I guess that leaves something to be desired. But then again, most of the servers are college students running their hustle.
On average, it's probably one of the most popular restaurants in Westwood so plan ahead if you're coming on a Friday or Saturday evening.
BJ's is always good. I often come here with my friends since everyone loves the all-around American food. Also try their pazookie, I love it!
I really don't get why some people love this place... I'm assuming it's because they haven't branched out and tried other non-chain restaurants who serve the same type of food, but better. There is nothing particularly remarking about the menu, other than that it's big. Some of the pizzas are alright, but they tend to be greasy. Went here last night with some friends from college who were "in the mood for BJ's", whatever that means.
Allow me to say something about the beer. It's just OK. Sure, it's better than bud light, but I think the main reason that people like BJ's beer, is because for most people it's the only place that they try styles other than your awful bottom-fermenting-bullsh*t lagers of American megabreweries. PEOPLE! Please stop by BevMo or Beverage Warehouse and pick up real, good craft brews that are exemplary of their styles, this beer is much better. Or check out Father's Office, the Daily Pint, Library Alehouse, just go to some beer bar that has a decent list. If you think you like beer, but don't know much about it, go look for a place that has a bunch of beers you've never heard of, those are the good ones!
Whew, ok, I'm done ranting about beer. Just know, there are much better restaurants of this style out there for roughly the same price.
The food is alright, which was expected. We got three medium pizzas (bj fav, buffalo chicken and southwestern). All were okay - heavy and flavorful. They were expensive at $20 each...can't I get three med pizzas at Pizza Hut for $15 total?
Service was EXTREMELY slow. We were sitting there for thirty min before our waitress came to take our orders after we had already asked 5 waiters that passed by to do so. And then we waited another hour before the food came. This place is busy with all the college students.
We got out appetizer comped bc of the slow service but I think the waitress was upset that we requested it. However, we did feel the experience was better bc of the comp.
The pizookie is delicious, but just go to Diddy Reese's across the street...
First of all, to the people who say "there's not much for vegans".. No shit? Are you serious? OH MAN I thought the signs on the front of the restaurant that say "pizza" and "grill" meant that they only have lettuce pizza and grill tofu and walnuts. They cook meat here? I must alert the local media.
So anyway. This restaurant is nice for casual dinner. Like I kind of already said, maybe not a lot for vegans (but really, what is there in the WORLD for vegans?), but my vegetarian friend found a meal alright. They have a huge menu otherwise, including those pizookies everyone talks about, which I am a huge fan of. I'd rather order the pizookie than wait in the giant line across the street at Diddy Riese.
Negative points- they don't accept reservations for parties smaller than 10, so if it's just you and that cute girl you just met, you should probably go somewhere else so you're not waiting for half an hour.
Also, it's kind of a small place so seating is rather limited. Their bathrooms are limited to one person at a time, so the ladies have to wait (like always). And both times I've gone is been freaking cold, so bring a jacket.
I'm a fan of any restaurant that can take all my loves of bad for you food like hamburgers, pizzas and decadent desserts and combine them in one large menu. BJ's of course is that place with tons of things to order and a different take on each.
With a full drink menu, including quite an impressive list of wines given that BJ's is kind of like an Applebee's or Cheesecake factory (aka. Chains), a concoction of liquor filled drinks and of course beers (to compliment the sports playing on the flat screen TVs) you'll never go thirsty here. Add to this their extensive menu of pages upon pages of different appetizers, salads, soups, pizza's and of course hamburgers.
Their pizzas are classic Chicago deep dish style and while I'm not sure I can speak with any authority on classic Chicago deep dish pizzas I found these to be rich and yummy. The crust and dough almost melted in my mouth along with the cheese (which was a little too salty for my taste and where they lost that desired last star) and tomato sauce. Their wedge french fries are large, in charge and perfectly seasoned to make you want to keep eating even when your stomach may scream to stop.
And speaking of stomach's talking, yours should most certainly ask for the pizookie dessert, a trademark of the BJ's franchise. With a huge recently cooked cookie (of the chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, oreo or peanut butter variety--your choice) ice cream and flavorful adds on on the very top you'll be in sweet heaven, literally. So save room because this dessert is huge, meant to be shared but definitely fulfilling after only a few bites.
Go with friends after a night out, as they stay open late and enjoy what drunk eating or merely late munchies can be satisfied here.
I must say I love BJ's food! But this location seems so pale in comparison to all the others I have been to. It must cater to the local UCLA students, because the standards just don't seem the same. These reasons will not stop me from going to BJ's! Just maybe not this location.
It's a chain. The food is good, the menu offerings are vast, and the portions are large enough. The service is up to par. I like it, I guess. This particular location doesn't have a bar, unlike other ones, and it is relatively small.
With Diddy Riese's $1.50 ice cream sandwiches just 15 steps across the street, it's a lot harder to order that $5 pizookie.
What more can really be said about BJ's? It's a chain, with mediocre food overall.
I used to eat and drink here all the time in college - back when it was just a stumble away from my apartment so I could binge on all the beer I wanted and not have to worry about how I was going to make it home. This location also made for a popular meeting spot for all kinds of UCLA club/group activities - I remember holding a Hapa Club Welcome Back dinner here at least once. Back then I would stuff myself silly with pizookies (Are they even that great? They have ZERO appeal to me now), the potato wedges, the pizzas, burgers and of course it was all about the beer sampler! You actually get a good amount of beer for what you're paying.
Flash forward a couple years to now. For some reason we receive about 1,000 "Guest Appreciation Cards" at my office good for either $5, $10, or $500. Even with the promise of basically unlimited free meals until the expiration date I didn't make it over to BJ's until one day before the end of the promo. Showed up for lunch and I think the only really positive thing I have to say about this last visit is that we were seated immediately and we had an excellent table upstairs with a view of the floor below so we could people watch...oh and our waiter, Blake, was real sweet.
So, my lunch companion's wedge salad and baked potato came out within a few minutes...yet I sat there for a good 10-15 minutes longer with nothing in front of me but my lemon water. Finally my cheddar broccoli soup came out, but not my BBQ chicken salad. I tried to eat the soup but in all honestly it was disgusting. It tasted like burned cheese for one thing AND there was wayyyyy too much cheese thrown on top. The cheese-to-broccoli ratio was atrocious. I don't even think I found a solid piece of broccoli in the entire bowl. I tried to stomach the soup because I was so hungry but I just couldn't do it. It took another 10 minutes for my salad to arrive and it was just meh...not very much chicken in it at all.
So after a very dissatisfying lunch I still managed to walk away not feeling TOO bummed - I only had to shell out about 5 bucks to cover the tip!
I came here one night because I didn't know where else to go. To be honest, nothing else looked good so I thought I'd give this place a shot. I ordered the one of their stuffed potatoes, a cider, and a white chocolate chip and macademia nut pazookie.
The potato wasn't the most awesome thing on earth. Which is sad thing, I think. It had all the elements necessary for fantastic salty engorgement: potato + cheeeeeeeese. I kind of shrugged the whole thing off as.... a-ok. Not godawful but it didn't seem like I was having a revelation either.
The cider was great. I really loved it. It was smooth, fruity, and not too carbonated. I'm not much of a beer person, so it was nice to have this alternative available to me.
The pazookie is where it's at. Hot, melty, gooey goodness in a tiny deep dish plate. Now, to those who are not in the know... it would seem like the pazookie is large enough for sharing between 2 people. So not true. I swear you'll be dueling to the death with your spoons and forks for the last bite.
So, I can understand the negativity when it comes to the food in general. I would say don't come here for dinner. This place is just right for an after-dinner drink and dessert.
I've been to 3-4 different BJ's locations (West Covina and Irvine among them) and never had a problem, so I was excited to come visit my local BJs in Westwood Village. I saw that the Yelp reviews were pretty lackluster, but I chalked it up to people not liking chain restaurants and went anyway.
Unfortunately, it was a complete disappointment and I won't be coming here again. I know their food is supposed to be better than this!
The biggest issue was the very "meh" food. Two of the pasta dishes ordered in our group were completely flavorless and dry. Mine in particular - the Chardonnay Shrimp Pasta - was supposed to have a creamy Chardonnay wine sauce. There WAS sauce in my pasta, but it was surrounded by a huge ring of sauceless pasta. Even when I tossed it all together, the pasta was just barely wet with very bland sauce.
The strawberry lemonade was also overpoweringly sweet. I love my sweet drinks and especially strawberry lemonade (I will down the stuff at Red Robin!) but this was terrible. I made it through halfway before asking for an extra cup of ice to water it down with. I ended up pouring ALL of the extra ice in to dilute half a cup of lemonade, and even then it was too strong.
We also ordered three pizookies for the table and one of them came out with a minimal amount of ice cream, most of which was melted all over the cookie (which means it must have been standing around longer than the rest, which had more ice cream and were not as melted).
They also brought out the wrong drink and the wrong food order, although they immediately rectified it as soon as we pointed it out to them. Not a big deal, but it just added up to a lot of bad things.
Nitpicky things aside, it was the ridiculously bland pasta that ensures me that I will never return to this BJ's again. I will give other locations a try before I give up on this chain entirely though - I still have hope!
Pros- Call ahead seating means we were seated immediately at 7:00pm on a weekday evening, exciting menu, $5 parking lot across the street since Westwood parking is a nightmare
Cons- Flavorless/bland pasta, strawberry lemonade too sweet
I used to love eating here - but after spending one summer working on campus with a bunch of people who wanted to eat here 4x's a week - let's say it gets old fast.
5 years after that summer and I still haven't gotten over my aversion for BJ's pizza. The only reason I'll come inside is for a pizookie and even that only happens once a year.
EDIT:: Wait, I still come here for beer.
Being one of the few restaurants within walking distance of UCLA, this branch of BJ's is usually crowded with an assortment of co-eds and their visiting parents. The menu is no different from any other BJ's, and I felt the food was prepared just as well as I've had at other locations. I had the fresh basil and italian sausage flatbread appetizer pizza as my entree and was pleasantly surprised, as I have only had their regular deep dish pizza before. Two of my friends raved about the minestrone, and the last member of our group said his pizza was pretty good. This location seems to run out of their berry cider whenever I'm there, but luckily this time there was enough left for me. We ended up staying at our table way after we paid the bill and we never felt rushed by the waitstaff, which was nice. And the best part is if you didn't gorge yourself on a pizookie, Diddy Riese is right across the street!
I'll let the voted-Funniest Anh make the dirty jokes about BJ's. If you like deep-dish Chicago pizza, you might prefer to go to another franchise to avoid the college kids, whether they be Bruins looking for an alternative to dorm food or Trojans who infiltrate Bruintown and wearing their cardinal and gold.
On this particular Good Friday, there were many collegiate sports teams wearing their team jackets and digging into great pizza. There is always a wait for BJ's, but not all was lost when a waitress pulled a C&O's and offered us generous slices of cheese and tomato pizza while we were curbside http://www.yelp.com/bi... (for those of you unfamiliar with C&O's, they offer garlic rolls gratis to patrons waiting for a table in the cold)
We were served by a Korean guy named Richard on paper but called himself Jin. He's the new Ed at this BJ's.
We had a medium Vegetarian pizza, spotted with tomatoes, black olives, mushroom, bell peppers and onions.
The mozzarella cheese sticks, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, are served with marinara sauce but you can ask for Ranch if you like
BJ's Favorite is the vegetarian + meatballs, pepperoni, Italian sausage pizza.
The Buffalo Chicken pizza is like buffalo chicken on pizza. Such a simple yet ingenious idea. Tasty too.
Strawberry lemonades were super cool here back in the early 2000's before other restaurant chains started offering them so skip them and order the BJ's Sampler: http://www.yelp.com/us... Be prepared to get tipsy.
If this is your first time, save some room for the Cookies 'n Cream Pizookie (like a cookie in a pan with ice cream on top). Old-timers can save their money by going across the street for some Diddy Reese ice cream sandwiches for dessert.
See what I was talking about all right here: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
The service is really nice, but expect to wait for a REALLY long time! I've been here three times; once for a birthday party that had reservations we waited over an hour from the time they gave us. Also this place has very little for vegans.
This is the smallest BJ's I have been too and it was so jam packed like sardines in a can I couldn't tell and wouldn't believe this place had a bar like the other BJ's I have gone too. Would I return? Nope
Sorry this place is a no go in Westwood
I've never been to another BJ's but I've done it all here... takeout, small tables, and a party. The party was most disappointing. There were about 20 of us, we all had to pay $15 to cover the food and renting the upstairs, and I only managed to get a single slice of pizza and a bit of salad. Maybe we had too many guys eating more than their share, I dunno. But no one was satisfied.
That brings me to my next complaint, it's too expensive for what you get. Pizzas are small, food is just ok. As someone else said, you can make the Pizookie at home.
BJ's is just okay. Everyone can find something they like on the menu, which is why it's always packed. My only real reason to go is if we have a picky eater who won't agree to any other place in the Village. Even Chili's is more worthwhile and less crowded.
After having a stunning dinner salad for $5.95 at Senor Fred in Sherman Oaks, it made me realize even further how pathetic my $5.25 dinner salad at BJ's was.
The dinner salad at Senor Fred had fresh mixed baby field greens plus tons of chopped tomato, chopped cucumber, carrot shreds and tasty balsamic vinaigrette. Senor Fred loaded on the veggies. The salad was filling and almost spoiled my meal.
In contrast, the BJ's dinner salad was iceberg lettuce and barely anything else (2 disgusting translucent, water logged cucumber slices and a few greasy croutons). BJ's probably spent 25 cents on my salad. Senior Fred probably spent $2 on my salad. That's the difference between a good restaurant and a slop house.
And I forgot to mention why all I had was a dinner salad (and part of my friend's diseased potato): the waitress gave me incorrect info about my entree when I was ordering. When it arrived, it was something totally different than she told me it would be so I couldn't have it. The dinner salad which should have been only $2.95 as an add on, turned into $5.25 (I was penalized for sending back my entree even though the waitress described it wrong due to lack of knowledge).
Side Salad + Simple Baked Potato + 2 Beers = $30
Dunno about you, but that ain't no bargain in my…
Read more »
I don't consider myself a restaurant snob, and I am certainly no foodie, but for some reason I was hell bent on avoiding this place.
I was picturing a glorified TGI Fridays or Garfields (aw, remember Garfields?), filled with undergrads whose proximity to the place made it seem more appealing than it actually was.
I think the main reason for my apprehension was that I remember the restaurant/bars in my college town and the excitement of Being-An-Adult-at-a-Restaurant-Unaccompanied. That was fun at 18, but it's a high that wears off pretty fast.
Which is to say, the fun of "yay, no parents!" has turned into "shouldn't someone be looking after those kids?"
Turns out, BJs is pretty much exactly what I expected, crowd-wise, but it was still kind of awesome.
They've got an extensive beer menu, not too expensive. Not a lot of vegan options, but first of all:
- what self respecting vegan would allow themselves to be dragged here, anyway? and second of all,
- the greasy-delicious seasoned fries were plenty serviceable at taking the edge off a couple especially flavorful pints of stout on an empty stomach.
The waitress was sweet and pretty and friendly (and I am a sucker for good service.)
Actually, every customer at every table almost without exception was fresh-faced and wholesome-hot. It was like a sports bar in Desperate Housewives. Thanks, Los Angeles!!
I'm not sure I'd go back -- I'm just not really a beer and fries kind of guy, and Native Foods is right around the corner -- but I will happily admit that, while my impression of this place was pretty much dead-on -- it's a sports bar with a lot of undergrads -- I was wrong about it. It made for a fun evening.
The service at this BJ's beats the BJ's I eat at back home in Cupertino. The waiter was attentive and the food was pretty good. My dinner date and I tried the California Club flatbread which turned out great. They forgot the applewood smoked bacon though...so they gave us a bowl of the bacon bits. =[ I was hoping they would take it back and bake it again with the bacon, but thought that was asking for too much considering we ate 1/4 of it already when we finally realized the missing bacon. I ordered the fish tacos which were bland, but great with the given sauces. It was a light entree because I didn't feel like eating something heavy. The date ordered a burger which was decent. We finished off with a pizookie, cookies and cream style. Never disappoints.
Oh lordy. My grad school program takes people here for recruiting, so every September thru March, I eat here once a month. It's a great place to go with a big group, with decent service and a good selection of food and beer. After eating here literally dozens of times, here's a rundown:
1. Full meal must include (no more and no less) appetizers, pizza, and beer. And Pizookie for dessert. Don't waste your stomach space with salads or pastas or random salmon entrees--the pizza here is so massive you need to save room!
2. Order avocado eggrolls. They are amazing: fried, and avocado--the best things in life.
3. In fact, you should get at least 2 orders of avocado eggrolls. They really are good.
4. Best pizza flavors: Barbecue chicken and BJ's favorite. Worst flavors: Buffalo chicken and Mediterranean (the toppings feel too "light" for the pizza).
5. Best pizookie flavor: OREO. If you like cookies and cream ice cream, you will never want to eat anything else.
6. The beers are pretty much all good. A handy beer sampler is available on the menu!
7. Ok fine, you wanted a salad? The BBQ chicken chopped salad is excellent.
I've always been in groups of 20+, and the wait staff has generally been great with getting our orders right, bringing drinks, and changing the TV channels so we can watch our favorite sports teams. The food is ridiculously heavy and greasy, so eating here will definitely be a caloric splurge. The pizza claims to be Chicago style, but it's more like a generic deep dish, with generous toppings, not too much sauce, and a nice chewy crust that's crispy around the edges. I might have given this place 4 stars, except that I always feel slightly ill after eating here (probably because I have no self control).
Overrated. Pizookie's are good but I can't help but feel the "I can make this at home" thing. Everything else here is "meh." I may be biased though as I'm not a huge fan of that whole American/family food thing (Burgers, Pizza, etc)... though I like burgers... just not like this...
Have not tried the beer (last time I went was before I was 21) but next time I will.
Buffalo wings, if I can recall correctly, were pretty good.
I don't care that BJ's is a chain restaurant because their deep dish Chicago style pizzas are still damned good.
Thought this would be a decent enough place to eat at after watching a long boring movie. The wait wasn't bad for a Friday night. Then, fter we'd been seated, one of the servers tripped and spilled a container of red sauce, which splattered all over the table, my hair, my jacket, and my dinner companions. They brought over the manager, who offered to dry-clean my hoodie (which I declined, because, um, it's a hoodie). She then offered to comp the drinks we'd ordered, and we were okay with that. Too bad they forgot to do even that in the end.
To top it off, the pizza we ordered took forever to arrive. Also, they gave us napkins for us to wipe the table with, but didn't really check to make sure all the damage had been cleaned up. When the 4th member of our dinner party arrived, he sat in the empty chair, and it was only when we got up to leave that he realized he'd gotten red sauce all over his wool sweater. We asked for the manager and she offered to pay for HIS dry cleaning. I hope he remembers to let them reimburse him.
Thanks for letting me vent! Needless to say, going to this BJ's is a mistake I won't be making again.
Ditto to everyone who mentions that the location makes this BJ's kind of a bomb. A bunch of college kids trying to be cool, but unfortunately not quite old enough to order beer yet... What didn't help was that going last night there was a table full of high school kids who must have been out for a dance.
Waitress had this annoying habit of speaking really slow, made it feel like we were in nursery school. Then again, maybe that's because it's in Bruin country.
The food and beer were good. Sucks that we didn't get to try the Belgian beer as they didn't offer it in a pitcher... The pizookie definitely gives Diddy Riese a run for their money. This evening we opted for the pizookie. If only Diddy Riese microwaved their cookies for a quick moment to warm them up... it'd be a pretty close race.
For the college kids... the lure of free food abounds. Looked like those waiting were given little slivers of free pizza. Back in the day, may have been worth it to keep sitting on the waiting list, and keep getting free food....
small, slow service, and too many people.
I have never been a huge fan of BJ's but this one is the worst one i have been to. NO BAR! they usually have a bar you can hang out at while you wait for your drinks. Yup not at this one. The food isn't great either. The pizza is ok...but nothing i cant get at Von's and cook it myself.
went here tuesday night in a group of 15 to celebrate my roomie's acceptance into USC's MBA program :)
although our reservations were at 845, they weren't able to seat us until about 910ish. but they gave us 2 full appetizer combo trays to make up for it. very appreciated.
food is standard BJs - good prices, yummy blackened chicken pizza (why did they take it off the menu??!), fabulous cider and AMAZING pizookies.
yum yum yum. :)
I was hungry and wanted my food right away. It ttok about an hour to get my food, so I was seriously raging! It wasnt busy in there at all. On top of it, the waiter made me feel bad about getting a refill on my refillable soups..it was only my second round -- geesh!
Okay food, bad, slow service = bad review.
P is for Pizzookie
Okay this review is for BJ's in general, but since this is the one I live near and have been to once, they are getting the review. In my mind they are all equal.
These places are ONLY good for VERY casual lunches with people from the office. I would never go here with my friends. The music is generally so loud that I can't hear myself think it's very irritating. This pizza is sub-par in my opinion and none of the other dishes are really very exciting. It's mediocre at BEST.
Now let me tell you how I REALLY feel...about the pazookie... or whatever it's called. When I was in high school everybody was ALLL about the pazookie. "Let's go to BJ'S!!!" "omg yes i love the pazookie!!!"
I don't get it. It is literally a cookie. With ice cream on top of it. I call that "a cookie with ice cream." What's the BFD? Over. Rated. Done.
Thumbs Up!
I vouch for the deep dish pepperoni pizza, pizookie party platters, and alliteration!
Westwood on a summer Friday afternoon was not as crazy as I anticipated. What made it even better...$5.95 salad and mini pizza lunch special at BJ's.
Throw in a chocolate chocolate walnut ice cream sandwich from Diddy Reese across the street, $1.50, and you have lunch for under $7.50. (I know, I know, BJ's does have pizookie but, c'mon, it's Diddy Reese)
Bonus. 2 hour parking in the garage for $0.00.
My family can't get away from BJ's since I was a kid. If it's not Indian food, it's somehow BJ's. I don't claim to understand. And after years, I've become intimately acquainted with multiple locations of this place.
This location is very small, even if they have an upstairs. And the service is nice, but very slow. I really don't care for the the deep-dish pizza, so I always get the Spicy Spaghetti (which has a spicy tomato cream sauce with chili flakes) and Santa Fe Salad without chicken (the combination of the dressing and avocado is yummy). These dishes are just okay at this location. I think the best location of BJ's is in Brea. I've had the same things there, and they just tasted so much better.
Desserts-wise, I really like their root beer float, which comes with their signature draft root beer. The pizookie, of course, is a famous highlight of BJ's. I would come here just to get that sometimes, but the service is so slow that I just go across the street usually to Diddy Riese and get one of their fresh cookie ice cream sandwiches, for my ice cream and cookie fix. At $1.50, Diddy is much cheaper too.
Me: Hi. Can you seat us somewhere with the view of the upcoming Lakers game?
Hostess: Oh, don't worry. If I have any say in this, every television will be turned onto the Lakers game. Come on now, it's the LAKERS.
...It's so good to be home.
***
My friends and I were visiting a friend of ours at UCLA, and we chose here so we could 1) be in Westwood 2) eat something other than greasy bar food 3) watch the Game 4 of the Western Conference Championships.
And while I wouldn't eat here if it weren't for the exact combination of the three reasons listed above, I have to admit that eating here wasn't as painful as I'd imagined, and actually did enjoy my time here.
I mean, it's a BJ's-- it's like the TGIFs of pizzas with a funnier name.
You've probably already been to a BJ's and don't need my words telling you how the pizza tastes (satisfyingly mediocre; insulting if you're a pizza purist, damn good if you're pizza ignorant, and simply edible if you're somewhere in between). The salads and pastas tastes exactly like every other salad/pasta at every other chain restaurant.
The only thing really note-worthy about the chain is that they have their signature beers, which aren't so bad considering the prices. As someone who ordered the Piranha (hoppy American pale ale), there are better and worse beers out there, but it's at least worth a drink. But do skip out on the ciders, unless you enjoy ciders that taste like Smirnoff Ice.
Anyways, here are the Westwood location specific notes:
-No bar (though they still serve alcohol)
-Mixed drinks (hey, my friend ordered it, not me!) named after UCLA and USC (Seriously, is this what the great SoCal rivalry has turned into? The Bruin-ita versus the Trojan-tini?)
-A much younger crowd (Duh. Right around campus)
-Super awesome staff that was patient with us even though we finished our food by the first quarter
-Kinda disgusting bathrooms with no toilet paper
So... it's like a 3 star place, but the one extra star is because the Lakers won the game and are going to the Finals. But seriously, as someone who is more used to getting snide comments whenever she shouts "MVP" during a Lakers game, I really loved the fact that every TV was turned onto the game, so many people were decked out in yellow and purple, and that even the waiters would stop and stare whenever Kobe made his beautiful fade aways.
It makes me sad that I won't be in LA for the Finals... though... I am sort of excited at the prospects of trash talking with the Boston folks in New York. Bring it on, Massholes. Bring it on.
If you know me at all, you know I would never come here on my own free will. It's just against my religion. Chain restaurants to me spell out unoriginality, dine in food disguised as fast food, chockfull of calories, and an atmosphere just as depressing when I see EXTRA on tv.
So when we were invited to go for a special occasion but low budget buffet meal. I had no choice. I did hear of the pizzookie, so I was a little curious.
We had an array of deep dish pizzas and Caeser salad. The salad was alright, but I don't like the dressing premixed! The pizzas reminded me of Pizza Hut. Actually not a bad thing since it brought back childhood memories. I didn't like that there was so much bread and sparse toppings. The endless pizzas were later boxed for us to take home, nice! And finally, the pizzookie... I don't think it could have been any sweeter. Fully sugar saturated, it was a cookie baked as a pizza, mix of chocolate and raisin "slices", topped with several scoops of vanilla ice cream. Good for them, bad for me, I LOVE sugar. It was NOT a good idea having this enormous plate sitting in front of me.
So I am admitting that I liked the food. Having a buffet for a large group of people is worth the price. Cramming us into the tables upstairs was probably not the best choice, but they totally catered to us.
Pros: Good for large groups, cheap buffets, all considering you know exactly what kind of restaurant you're in for.
Cons: Loud, hard to hear conversations, not a lot of healthy options. And this location is a bitch to find parking for. Especially when there's a film festival.
Okay I use to LOVE this place. This was before BJ's started popping up everywhere. I will still give them credit for the great pizookie... but I hate this location now.
I had the most horrid service this one time. While I had a break from classes, I popped over with a friend to catch lunch. Okay, you all know that we don't have that much time between classes. The service was great in the beginning and then our server left... and nothing. I sat right in front of the cash register and no one helped us. Eventually we got our bill and food packed. I was in a hurry to get back onto campus for classes, but they just didn't care. It wasn't like they were busy, they were just lazy! I kept trying to get someone to come take it but they were all nowhere to be found or taking a break. Eventually I got up and stood at the cashier area/front desk and waited. The manager rang me up. I took a comment card filled it full of nasty comments and handed it straight to her.
They of course eventually sent me a letter of apology and gift card... but it was too late... I don't like BJ's anymore and I am so over the fad. My sister had to drag me back to use the gift card almost 4 years later.
I agree with some of the reviews; the wait is excruciating slow. But gotta give it to the manager there, (I think it was him), he tried to alleviate it by bringing out some free pizza. You can complain all day, but you know that the food there is great. I guess what my point is that they are trying their best, give them some credit. I never had to ask for napkins, utensils, or my water to be refilled; for how busy they are, give them some credit.
They have the best buffalo wings, I think. I didn't realize how much more tastier they are if you don't dowse the wings entirely in buffalo sauce. At BJ's they drizzle the sauce on and give you the rest on the side. So if one decides later to dowse their wings with sauce; they can do so. Someone else actually wrote that they can duplicate BJ's pizza at a supermarket...I would like to see that.
Great place to grab a burger, salad, or a pizza when in westwood out for a flick!
Its always slammed in the evenings on weekends as its seconds from UCLA. The service is usually pretty good. Expect to wait for a table. Come to think of it I don't think I have ever not waited at least 20 minutes for a table here.
Parking kind of sucks, typical westwood. Free lot (2 hrs free entering before 6 pm) is your best bet.
Neighborhood: Westwood
Category: Burgers
Neighborhood: Woodland Hills
Category: Pizza
Cerritos, CA
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Westwood
Category: Thai
I graduated from UCLA, my lil bro goes here now, I…
I'm the SoCal local, and yet my Trojan buddy from…
Walking distance restaurants, snack shops, markets…
where you are most likely to find me between the…
Not completely vegetarian. But good vegetarian…
The best place to find good Pizza that fits the…
This socal girl has fallen in love with the bay…
