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Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
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To start it off, its hard to take someone seriously when they suggest to go to happy hour at BJs. There's always an awkward giggle and an inappropriate joke.
I've probably been to this location a dozen times or so over the last year, give or take. Ive also been to BJs in Cali a couple of times over the years.
Name aside, I think the place is pretty good. I usually end up getting the cuban burger with the skinny fries or the pizza. Both are pretty phenomenal. The burger could be a little less greesy, but then it would probably suck. I really like their take on pizza - in fact, Id put it up in the top 5 places in Austin.
Their beers are "OK," but its a bit of an expensive place for happy hour. I think their pints are like 4 bucks each, but thats off the top of my head, so dont quote me on that.
The atmosphere is nice... the waiters and waitresses do their job well and it comes across a bit more "upscale" than traditional chain brewpub-ish places. I think its a good thing that this place can stand on its own rather than going the "hooker" outfits that many similar style restaurants do in town.
Overall, its good. Not great, but good enough to go back now and again.
I love their beer selection. They have a bunch of home brews, as well as a large selection of other brands. I would avoid their mixed drinks, thats not what they're known for.
The food is decent, but nothing exciting. It's comparable to the Cheesecake Factory or Grand Luxe Cafe. Sandwiches, salads, some specialties, and dessert.
You know, the food really wasn't that bad and the prices weren't bad either.
It's not my kind of place. There was so much going on here that it's hard to tell whose kind of place this is, actually. Is it a sports bar? Brew pub? Applebees? I don't know. I felt like it was a little too much of everything, but too generic at the same time.
The hostess was too efficient bordering on rude. The decor was too overstimulating. The waiter was too eager and talked too fast. The music was too loud. The air conditioning was too cold. The manager that came around checking tables stuck to a script that was too canned. The menu was too extensive. The bill came too quickly.
I left feeling stressed out.
First let my start by saying that I expected this place to be bad. I came in took a seat and took one look at the novel of a menu complete with pictures and just knew this place was going to be bad. The menu was like a novel which is also usually a bad sign. My fried ordered the Calamari and it was so good, I was shocked that a place like this had such good Calamari. The beer selection was excellent! I had the chicken fried steak, living in Texas all my life I've learned that if you not sure about a place you get the chicken fried steak and sure enough it was a winner. I tried the seasonal pumpkin ale and it was better than most pumpkin ales. I loved the porter it was rich and chocolaty. I'll go here from time to time, its a good place.
So I went to BJ's a couple of days ago with some buddies. I've been wanting to check it out for a while. We decided to go on a Sunday so we could catch some football as well. The place was pretty packed but luckily we were able to get a table.
As far as the food goes, the appetizers were pretty decent (although the avocado rolls were a bit too oily). We got a couple of the pizzas for the main course and these were alright as well. They were deep dish style so left us pretty full. We still made room for the pizookie dessert which was probably the best part of the meal.
Overall, the food was above average, the service was good, and the environment was alright. Definitely not a bad choice especially if you're in the mood for some deep dish.
I've been to BJ's three times now and every experience was excellent. The staff was friendly and fast with our food, but it's true we usually go during off-times to avoid waiting lists.
The first time my mom introduced me to this place, I had a very satisfying salad with corn in it (can't remember the title of the dish) and a top shelf dirty martini. Wowza. The next time I took my husband for a date night and he loved the flat panels even though they keep the volume down. He had a chili baked potato and Piranha, and i had the minestrone in a sourdough bowl in the Pumpkin Ale. Everything tasted great and again the service was excellent. That lunch trip cost us $22 before tip.
Our most recent visit was last night and we were celebrating my stepdad's return from a year and a half tour in Afghanistan. The manage paid for our drinks in honor of the occasion, and this time the restaurant was much busier. Our server brough each dish out one by one which was kind of awkward for a table of four + one kid. Then my mom sat there for about five minutes without any salad dressing. Once those things were resolved we ate happily. The guys didn't like the Pumpkin Ale, since it's kind of a fruity sort of chick beer. I certainly had my fill. The total came to $45 before tip for all of us, and we weren't charged for drinks.
Ate here last month and it was still pretty average. in the past, pizzas don't usually have enough toppings or sauce when I have tried them in the past, but I have had a decent one a couple of times. the most recent visit I tried the sliders/mini bugers and they were dry and nasty. Also it took forever to get any condiments. My guess is once the waiter knew we had a coupon, he stopped giving a crap. He was MIA much of the time. Little did he know I ALWAYS take the coupon into consideration when tipping. I was probably TOO generous during this outing.
Beer (sampler is a neat concept) is enjoyable here when I am allowed to drink it. Gawd . . . marriage . . .
If this restaurant were in central Austin, I would never choose to go, and it would get three stars. But luckily for BJ's, the other choices in the vicinity (which is where my office happens to be) are very limited, so I've bumped my 3.5 star assessment up to 4.
So if you're out south in the Sunset Valley area, and you're looking for a experience that is more or less non-controversial amongst a crowd of average Americans, BJ's isn't half bad. They have a menu the size of Webster's (unabridged), so there's a little something for everyone. They have home brew, a terrific selection of other beers (hello, Pyramid Apricot), a full bar, and homemade root beer and cream soda. They have pizza, and chicken, and salads, and meat loaf, and burgers, and pasta, and stuffed potatoes, and flat panel TV's, and tall ceilings.
They have parking.
It's overpriced. You may have to wait a while for a table - and you may have to wait twice as long as they say you will, as we did today when a group of us went for lunch and had to wait 30 minutes when they said 15 (however, they did come out with some free slices of their homemade pizza to appease us, which did help). Then you may have to wait an inordinately long time for your food (lunch today took two hours, and it was not because we were eating slowly). Service is basically cheerful, but nothing here seems to happen quickly.
Portion sizes are ginormous. YMMV on the food. I thought the pizzas were pretty tasty; I tried both the deep dish and a thin-crust, appetizer-sized one. The parmesan crusted chicken was plentiful, moist and delicious, although I found the white cheddar mashed potatoes that were served with it to be utterly bland. I've also tasted the meatloaf (yum), the bruschetta (yawn), and the shrimp tacos (actively disappointing - not enough shrimp, and the tortillas were too strongly flavored and too dry to stand up to the shrimp).
Basically, a step up from Bennigan's, with homemade beer. You probably won't go home and rave about anything that happens here. But there probably won't be any wringing of hands or gnashing of teeth, either.
Being from California makes me put BJ's with the same category as Chili's, TGIF, or Olive Garden. Completely unspecial, but you can always find something tasty. I am a particular fan of the giant stuffed potatoes, pizookies, and their own brewed root beer.
The service at this BJs however makes me give it 2 stars. Everytime we go we are treated with outright rude people. They seem to know they are being rude and just don't care.
No thanks, take me to somewhere local.
It's like Chili's or Fridays or any of those other "one step up from fast food" restaurants, but with the best root beer I've ever had in my life.
I don't really need deep dish pizzas or onion strings or burgers, all I need is a frosty mug of freshly-made HFCS-free root beer and keep it coming.
First the good: Service was excellent, food was fresh, ice tea was clear & foamy (my #1 indicator that they maintain cleanliness). My wife's root beer was tasty. The restaurant was clean with plenty of big screen TVs.
I ordered the Spinach/Artichoke heart individual pizza. It was below average, especially given that BJs features pizza. It was deep dish featuring mainly bread, very doughy. The toppings were finely chopped, not chunks like I would prefer. They were good, there simply wasn't enough. The artichoke hearts were fragments, barely enough to capture the flavor. My House salad was fresh, but was mainly iceberg lettuce (at least I got my fiber for the day!). The Balsamic Vinegarette dressing was tasty.
The bar area had plenty of sports with multiple screens. There were also screens in the dining area, but were mounted a little too high, so this wouldn't be my first choice tor watching a sporting event.
Overall Great Service & below average food results in an average rating. Note BJs offers 7 different home brews that looked interesting, but my wif, err I wasn't in the mood for a beer.
Cheers, Joe Mac
Can somebody explain to me why I keep agreeing to come here?
It really is a shame the food is so mildy decent that it holds just enough draw to make me go "Yeah, I'll give 'em another shot."
Never have I been to BJ's where the waitress hasn't taken at least 10 minutes to bring back our drink order (whether there is alcohol or not).
I have also never been asked if I wanted a refill without asking first.
The waiters/waitresses seem to think people fall into two categories: those who know exactly what they want when they walk in the door, and those who are such dullards they need AT LEAST 20 minutes to look over the menu to decide what they want.
I am also going to recommend to anyone reading this that you DO NOT try the Pumpkin Ale. It might taste like pumpkin, but not the pumpkin pie-y deliciousness you would imagine (and they advertise). Instead it goes over your tongue with almost no effect on your taste buds whatsoever, except for a horrible aftertaste similar to pumpkin pie that has been left out of the fridge.....for a week.
If you're in the mood for dinner to take at least two hours, aren't really that thirsty, know exactly what you want to order when you walk in the door and like being ignored, come on down to BJ's - where the waitstaff hates you, and they aren't afraid to show it.
Bj's was better a few years ago. The roostbeer is still yummy and I like that they don't put it over ice since they don't give you free refills on it. I ask for a glass of ice on the side. I ordered the deep dish pizza and a wedge salad. The pizza was predictable but good. I cannot say the same thing for the salad. It was a hunk of iceberg lettuce without the hearts. Basically instead of a crisp and firm wedge of iceberg it was a pile of big leaves. The blue cheese dressing was VERY watery and a bit sour tasting. Very little chunks of cheese and bacon crumbles on top. I ate about 1/3rd and had a yucky sour milk taste in my mouth. This was very disappointing because I don't get iceberg often since Jim L. is the lettuce dictator of Oak Hill. I don't know yet if I will bother going back.
The Good:
Beer Selection (Their own brews and the larger commercially produced)
Food (I've had several things and none have been bad. I've even ordered things not on the menu and accommodated pleasantly
The Bad:
Service outside of the bar area can be slow and refills are hard to come by
The Ugly:
The Abercrombie-esque "art" in the women's restroom. I've also found only one stall with toilet paper on several visits (on busy nights)
I would give this a 5-rating but sometimes service is a pain.
BJ has really delicious beers which they brew on-site. I'm really glad to see more microbreweries in Austin. Personally, their happy hours are fantastic because they have their early and late happy hours.
I strongly recommend trying their tasty pizzas! I love deep dish and they do it really well.
If they're really busy, sometimes service can get bogged down or they're just unmotivated. Overall, they're all nice.
I've been to BJ's twice and they were totally different experiences...sigh...
The first time I went, I was with my boyfriend and teenaged son on a Saturday night. Our server was great. She brought our drinks and appetizers out very quickly and was overall quite attentive. My son had the homemade root beer and my boyfriend had the stout beer. We had the avocado eggrolls and they were really good. For entrees, my son had the buffalo chicken pizza, I had the barbecue chopped salad, and my boyfriend had the parmesan-crusted chicken. We all enjoyed our choices. I tasted a bit of the pizza and I wasn't too impressed, but my son loves anything with buffalo sauce, so there you have it. For dessert, we had the "pizookie", which is a big cookie in a deep dish pizza pan, topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream. Oh. My. Lord. I think this might have been one of the best desserts I've ever eaten. Seriously. It was that good. Mind you, I'm a big cookie fan, especially warm cookies. And with ice cream on top??? Heaven.
I think that dessert left me with a sense of "Wow, this is an awesome restaurant!"
Then I decided to make a return visit.
You wouldn't think a Wednesday night would be a busy night and that it would be hard to get a table, but we waited longer to be seated than we did on our last Saturday visit. We ordered some potstickers and waited. And waited. And waited. A runner brought them out, but we had no plates, so we both had to lean over the giant table and hover. I made sure to order our entrees the next time the waiter zoomed by, and it took quite a long time for them to arrive. My son got the buffalo chicken pizza again and loved it. He did not receive a plate (again) with his order. I got the balsamic-glazed chicken this time, and it was actually quite tasty. As other reviewers have stated, the portions are huge. Since there were only 2 of us this time, and since my son said he would NOT have room for dessert, we decided against the pizookie, and I'm still regretting that decision.
All in all, quite a mixed bag here. I think the pizookie is the saving grace for this place, from my sweet-toothed standpoint. :) Wish I woulda had one on that second visit.
Pros: beers, dessert
Cons: service, prices way too high
It's so weird, I had never read Jessica S. review and I said, "It's like The Cheesecake Factory if it were a brew pub" when we walked in.
I can't think of a better way to describe it. It's nothing great, and there's a little too much going on in the way of stuff on the walls, too big a menu and just too much.
The food was fine. Nothing horrible, nothing outstanding. I did like the shoestring fries, and the lunch special (half a sandwich, fries and a salad) was a lot of food and a decent price (7.95).
I'm pretty sure our waitron was 11, so I'm not sure how she got around those pesky child labor laws. I'd go back if I couldn't decide what or where to eat probably. At least, I would for lunch. Maybe not dinner.
I wasn't eager to retry BJ's, mostly by virtue of the fact that my other experience here was sort of lukewarm at best, but at the behest of a friend, we rolled in here today at lunchtime. I remarked earlier that there's so much going on at BJ's that they seem to suffer a little from a lack of clarity, and I certainly think that assessment still holds true. But the thing about hit-or-miss menus and dining experiences is that sometimes they miss.
And some times, like this time, they hit. Kind of. Admittedly I ordered something simple, and it does seem like if you sit closer to the bar (which I did this time) you're likely to get more attention from what turned out to be an eager waiter. I tried a roast chicken dish that was a) pretty massive and therefore impossible to finish and b) pretty decent, actually.
The hefeweizen I paired lunch with worked out fine, thanks, and I do think that some of the home brews here aren't half bad. It's just putting up with some of the other stuff that can be a little problematic.
The phrase 'jack of all trades, master of none' comes to mind, which is sort of all the more reason… Read more »
All I can do is agree with everyone else that they try to do a little bit of everything and don't really do any one thing really well.
I actually liked the Pumpkin Ale, and so did my boyfriend.
Some othere things I like:
1) Fish and chips. Though they aren't awesome, they're good and serve their purpose. We actually came in right after the main kitchen closed but the manager let me order this dish because I came specifically for it.
2) Avocado rolls. These are so yummy!
3) Nutty Brunette or the Blonde.
Yes, the wait staff is slow. I don't think I've ever been there and got spectacular service. There is too much going on, and it's usually a little too loud.
Once my boyfriend moves out of South Austin, I probably won't make the drive back.
QUICKEST REVIEW EVER: BJ's blows
Fish Tacos = Mrs. Paul's fried fish stick in stale tortilla
Yet another reason to eat local!
Not really sure what to say about this one... Please read all the way through...
I went in and was seated promptly. My boyfriend and I both sat and the guy who sat us asked what we would like to drink. I chose Sprite ( they have sierra mist) and the guy ordered some sort of berry cider (alcoholic). We were promptly told that the guy who asked for our order was not our waiter and he did not have his TABC certification (Texas required to sell alcohol).... He told us we would have to tell our waiter. He comes back with my and the boys non-alcoholic drinks an we continue to look through the menu. About 25 minutes later we are still sitting there... waiting... waiting...
No one comes to get alcohol orders. No one asks anything. My boyfriend went to the host stand and sought out a manager. The manager came back and brought back Evelyn a really nice server. She took our order and everything came out pretty prompty.
I think everything tasted well enough. I wasn't impressed like this was the best meal ever, but it was better than more than 90 percent of the chains out there. We also had the giant cookie that was baked in a pan.
When everything was said and done, we were satisfactory, but still saddened about the LONG wait for someone to address or take care of us.... Needless, the manager comped the entire meal. It was above and beyond what was necessary. As a manager myself, I know something free is nice... the entire meal is crazy. Thanks for the meal. We tipped the server on what the meal would have cost, so she made a good chunk of change... I will try it again to see what I think about a return visit.
Gag. Chef burned my fish salad. Refired it. Brought out a burned fish salad. Comped it. Two stars for the free salad. Never going back.
The beer is worthy of another couple of stars, but I'm docking them a bit because the service was poor on our last visit.
I may have confused the poor fellow with my When Harry Met Sally Meg Ryan inspired menu choices, asking to go light on the cheese. What I got was a potato drowned in cheese with the chili on the side. It launched some laughter and hysterics from my dinner companions, which was memorable in a good way. I think they confused my potato with my sisters potato (Meg Ryan's sister) who asked for her alfredo sauce on the side. That being said, the potato was really, really good (despite the fact that it was just warm not hot.) Total comfort food. The server brought me some extra hot chili to warm it up and that did the trick.
I had some sips of my hubby's beer. Yum.
Our waiter was not attentive. He got sidetracked with someone else's ticket confusion and pretty much neglected us. We sat, and sat, and sat waiting for our ticket so we could leave. My husband had to get up and stand at the bar for a good amount of time (the server was hunched over the computer at the bar, oblivious to it all) so he could tell the boy that we were ready to go. He was a little "checked out," I believe.
I actually really enjoy this place...a little overpriced but their microbrewed beer is tasty! And last time my husband and I were there, we discovered they have $2 Brews on Tuesdays. He likes the Jeremiah Red, and I'm a big fan of the Hefeweizen and Nutty Brewnette.
We did their Wheat Beer Dinner at the end of August and had a blast--tons of food, plenty of beer, and a hilarious "brewmaster"/MC known as "Mufasa" because he talks like James Earl Jones. We already have reservations for the next beer dinner--Winter Warmers on February 3rd!
I guess I should talk about the food too--the lunch specials are pretty cheap but it's hard to find something inexpensive at dinner. Everything we've eaten so far has been pretty decent though.
WAY way overpriced for the food. Poor service. Never ever going back to that place!
First off, BJ's does a few things really well (the beer list is a perfect example) but it's about one piece of flair away from your average chain. You know, one of those places with the multiple big screens and the gigantic menu? The place you don't want to admit you like? But you secretly like the deep-dish pizza so much you keep going back every single weekend? And you look around and see other people like you also guiltily enjoying the pizza and you give them the little head nod like "I can't believe I'm eating here!" and they nod back at you like "I know! Crazy, right?" That kind of place? I'm just saying.
I knew it was going to be a frustrating experience when the wait staff looked like they were having too much fun hanging out than actually working.
We ordered: drinks, app, 2 dinners with salad.
We received: drinks, 2 dinners
We didn't receive: app, salad, silverware
I was personally impressed by the busser who delivered our food and then blew off my request for ketchup. It wouldn't have been so bad if he wasn't actually watching a game and laughing about it 10 feet from my table while ignoring us for 5 minutes.
When my husband decided he wasn't going to wait any longer or just eat dinner with his hands, he got up to find silverware (think 10 minutes). Of course the manager was all over us at that point when you have a customer poking around a serving station. I probably wouldn't have been so bothered by it if the servers and bussers weren't camping there socializing and watching the game themselves and couldn't be bothered with a thing like a job.
The manager was nice and apologized quite a bit, and offered us dessert on the house, but after you have already forgotten to deliver half my meal, I don't exactly trust the kitchen.
I think my favorite part though was the server who pretty much ignored us after that incident possibly from embarassment, but more likely because the bill was significantly less now and thus her tip would be less as well (20% but out of about 25 bucks instead of about 40-45).
The food is okay and I agree its on par with Cheesecake factory but I think they need to clear house on the staff and hire people who need their jobs a little more than the ones they have currently.
My first experience with BJ's in Austin was not a pleasant one: About 2 mos. after the restaurant had opened, my man, my kiddo and I decided to go there for an early-ish dinner on a Friday evening. And OMG, y'all! There was a 1 1/2 hour wait, and people packed in the waiting area. Really? You're going to wait an hour for chain restaurant food? Um...okay. I suppose it was initial excitement caused by a new dining option in SW Austin (case in point: the ridiculous wait times at the new Chuy's at MoPac/Wm. Cannon), because the craziness has died down since then.
I've been three times now--all at lunchtime--and have had very good service and tasty, well-prepared food. The menu offers lots of options, but unlike Jessica S., I didn't feel like it was ridiculously overwhelming (like Cheesecake Factory--man, their menu is INSANE), and although I haven't tried their homebrew, I hear it's very good.
My only real complaint? TOO MANY T.V.s all over the place. It's sensory overload city, and detracts from the dining experience.
Usually I'm sort of embarassed to admit enjoying chain restaurants, but I dig B.J.'s Restaurant & Brewhouse and am glad it's moved into my hood.
I really enjoy their pizzas which is what keeps me coming back.
What doesn't keep me coming back is their god awful cocktails. I've ordered a cosmo, martini, margarita and some fruity thing here and every one has tasted so disgusting I've only managed to down 2 or 3 sips before giving up. I don't know if their bartender enjoys sending out shitty drinks to tables just to mess with people or what but I'm tempted to take it back to him and ask him to take a sip and tell me if he thinks it's a satisfactory cocktail. There are so many clashing flavors it's like he just splashed a little bit of everything behind the bar into a glass and called it good.
On the other hand my boyfriend loves their house ale and when we have our "couple's night" on Fridays we always eat at old people dinner times like 5:30 so we get seated pretty fast.
It's like a brewpub version of The Cheesecake Factory. (I can't take credit for that one, said I wouldn't). My friend's comparison of BJ's to TCF was a perfect one.
It's food that they probably don't make in house, in a big, huge room with lots of big booths. The menu is huge and overwhelming. Yup, just like TCF that serves lots of beer.
There's lots of brew on tap, and you can have a sample if you ask--that's a plus for the indecisives like me!
Our waiter started out really good. As the night wore on, though his charm wore off. Once our plates were cleared, he came back to ask us how we were. We said we were good; then he left. No offer for dessert, no offer for the check. Weird.
I finally decided on a baked potato. My description: Well, it's a baked potato. I should have known it'd be so plain, but I couldn't decide on much else. The avocado egg roll appetizer was good, the rest of the meal seemed just blah.
I may go back for apps and cocktails, but probably not anytime too soon.
And they DO know what the initials stand for, don't they?
Wish I could give a bit more love to BJ's. However, it is mediocre verging on 'boycott-able'.
BJ's menu is huge, they offer a selection of special beers (note: they imply that it is made in-house but this is not a 'true' brewpub from what I can tell), and the atmosphere is "huge sports bar" with TVs blaring various games from around the restaurant. Kind of schizophrenic in a way: plush wood panelling with romantic lighting overwrought by NFL bleats and bleeps from the huge plasmas.
I have to admit that I like the side Ceasar salad and the Turkey Cobb sandwich lunch special (half sandwich and salad for $6.95). However, the baked potato entree is huge and mealy - definitely seemed like an Archer-Daniels-Midland mutant genetically-modified 'product' rather than real food. The topping on the potato was non-existent; I had to ask my long-absent waitress to take it back and 'do it over.'
The beer was so-so which is disappointing for a place that makes a big deal of its beer. I had the 'kolsch" which at "BJ's" (eh hem...snicker) is really more of a pilsner. Kolsch is not common in the USA so I can forgive them on their mistake, I guess. The cookie like thing they serve with ice cream for dessert is good but a tad pricey (I think it was like $7!).
They worst thing about a visit to BJ's is that the service is a total mess. It takes FOREVER to get acknowledged by a waitperson. More often than not, they screw up your order, overcharge you and/or forget stuff like silverware, water, refills, etc. This has happened on ALL four visits I've made to this place. The thing that REALLY pisses me off is that I ALWAYS get my salad course served WITH my entree. What gives with this? I can either send back the entree (where it sits under a heat lamp) or just accept the horrible service and eat on. Maybe it is a new MBA-manager way of turning over tables more often?? This SUCKS!
It would be one thing if BJ's were cheap (...snicker) but, hey, this is a place where it can cost $20 for a beer, side salad, and sandwich with tip. They need to train their staff to at be at LEAST as competitive as other chains, like Chili's, Chuck E. Cheese, or the hot dog stand at Costco's.
Two stars (barely). Avoid going unless your boss is paying. Be prepared for waitstaff that can't do their job. Management seems to be MBA-types who care more about 'metrics' than customer service. Be warned that the chances for disappointment here are high. Bad sports bar feng shui. Good break up or last date venue (too loud to hear complaints).
My husband and I tried this place for the first time this past weekend. We were seated promptly but waited a while for our server to greet us. She was helpful once she was at our table and suggested a few drinks and food since it was our first time there. She seemed to be a bit in the weeds that night. I'm not sure if it was because the kitchen was behind or maybe she just had too many tables.
I ordered a pomengranate margarita and it was fantastic. I could have had a pitcher full of them but they were a bit pricey so I resisted. We ordered an appetizer which took about 20 minutes to come out of the kitchen and it was only spinach and artichoke dip. Once we ordered that took an additional 30 minutes for our food to come out. I ordered meatloaf and my husband ate shrimp scampi. Our food was OK, it wasn't anything to write home about but it wasn't something that would keep us away either.
Overall, we will try it again and maybe go during the week when they are less busy. The screens on every wall is a bit annoying because you constantly have your better half staring at the tv. In a way it's almost like being at home.
I'll keep it short and sweet. Amazing range of choices on the menu; my choices so far (avocado rolls, sliders, meatloaf, chicken fried steak, fish tacos) have been excellent. I can't drink much anymore, but my dining companions tell me the beers rock. Service was fun and cheerful. A winner!
it's almost as though B.J.'s is suffering from multiple personality disorder. i have experienced some great visits, some o.k. visits and most recently, a terrible visit.
i went with a large group this past weekend and although they don't take reservations, you can call ahead to be placed on the waiting list. so we called an hour ahead, showed up 10 minutes before we told them we'd arrive and STILL had to wait at least 45 minutes to be seated. we even watched as they seated another large party who arrived after we did. very frustrating!!
the waiter took our drink orders immediately, but then it took 10-15 minutes for us to get them--even water. the amount of time it took for us to get our dinner was about right considering there were about 12 of us.
overall, i'd have to say the service that night was definitely lacking and we will probably think twice before returning.
i have come here quite a few times, with almost always positive results. a couple of times our… Read more »
Went here for lunch today, and it was ok. Not bad, not great, but ok.
Back in LA, I used to head over to BJ's all the time with friends, but this one feels much more like a corporate behemoth than a neighborhood pizza joint. We sat at the bar and ordered a pitcher of their Nutty Brew-nette and a medium Barbecue Chicken Pizza. They call the pizza's deep dish, but they really aren't, they're just really fluffy foccacia bread with toppings--still, very tasty. The beer was also tasty. It's just a little pricey. $40 to split a pitcher and a medium pizza--when you could go to Rockin Tomato and get the same thing for about half the price.
We sat at the bar and stared up at basketball games and (interestingly) The Smurf's on the several big screens. The bartendress was loud and kept shouting at servers from across the bar which made for a less than an ideal meal situation, but then again, we did choose to sit at the bar.
So yeah. It was ok. Not really much else to say about it I guess.
Five star food with one star service, so I'm giving this a three.
We really enjoy the food. My husband loves all of their beers (especially the Pumpkin Ale) and we always get the Buffalo Chicken Pizza.
When we lived in LA, we started going to the one by UCLA. This is back when the chain was a pizza chain. Now their menu is approaching Cheesecake Factory size proportions! It's too much. Stick to pizza.
The service is horrible, which is pretty much what others have said. Both times we went, the wait staff was inexcusably bad.
Yeah, it's yet another West Coast chain restaurant.
Whee!!
But, at least they make their own beer. And it's not half bad. I recommend their Nutty Brewnette. Good stuff. Red beer isn't much. Pale Ale is pretty tasty.
Eats? Two words Avocado Eggrolls.
Eat them. You will be addicted.
Pizzas are okay. Nothing special. Deep dish has that spongy ness to it that Domino's, Uno and other large-scale pizza places use for their Deep Dish.
Thin crust pizzas are better, if I remember correctly.
I agree with Jessica S. Cheesecake Factory that's a pub.
BJ's needs to be put on some Ritalin. Seriously, it's all over the place. Huge tv's with several games on, some old-fashioned light fixtures, about a 50 page menu, and it's oh, so loud!
Did you hear that? I SAID IT'S LOUD!
I was impressed with the beer selection, which is why I am giving 2 stars. It has the vibe of a giant chain restaurant, which really isn't my taste, but they do carry several beers, many of which are local flavors. (Fireman's 4! Wahoo!)
I need to try more items on the menu before I get back to you on the food. Our mozzarella sticks for an appetizer were perfectly fine, but my meatball sandwich was terrible. I rarely say that anything is terrible in a review, so you know it's bad. Also, our waiter was very nice, so that helped a little too. However, our final bill was around $40 and I left feeling a little ripped off.
Experience #1 at BJ's was subpar.
I walked in a little before 10pm on a Thursday night....place like that, I figure the kitchen will still be humming, and I'll be able to get out of there with some takeout pretty quickly. Mmmmyeeeeaahh.
There was a takeout counter right inside the front door, stocked with menus...perfect. Quick glance at the menu, I'm thinking sandwiches are the call - quick and tasty, hard to foul up. I'm standing there, eyeing the digs....not bad, but definitely with a chain feel. New and clean, so that doesn't hurt...pretty good size bar with plenty of TVs around and one huge screen in the middle. So far, so good.
Five minutes later, still standing there, drumming my fingers on the counter, not so good. I was beginning to wonder if the sign around my neck that said HUNGRY CUSTOMER READY TO GIVE YOU MONEY FOR FOOD was readable. Was I....clean? Check. Fully clothed? Check. Sober? Meh...it's a "brewhouse", so that shouldn't matter.
A little waitress finally wanders over and says..."Do you want to order take out?" I resist the urge to say the first 10 things that come to mind, and instead reply with an affirmative "yeah." "Oh, well you can do that at the bar."
Bitch, if you would have told me that 10 minutes ago, I could have been 2 pints deep by now.
So, I head over to the bar and sit down right in front of the huge screen to watch a little Thursday night NFL (props for having the network, but I couldn't care less about the Skins-Bears...no fantasy implications, and my season tanked with Larry Johnson anyway). After a few minutes of watching two bartenders fart around wiping things and whatnot, I stand up, lean forward, and bust out the evil eye. It worked, and I got the sampler...4 beers, dark to light, all decent, none great, favorite was the pale. Ordered a couple of sandwiches and the avocado egg rolls. Mmmmm, avocados deep fried. No deals. They're out of the avocado egg rolls. So, I read the blitz and audible at the line to Southwest spring rolls, but the blitz got through and my arse got sacked.
I finish the sampler about 10 or 15 minutes later, but still no food. So, I thrust the pale ale glass at the tender and tell him "MORE". I had already paid, but he understood the unspoken "you will give me more beer now without charging me, and continue doing so until my food comes, and like it." He complied (+1 star).
The food finally came out 25 minutes after I placed the order. Sorry, but I could have gone into the kitchen, figured out where everything was and made two sandwiches myself in less time. On top of that, both were $9.25, and both were just okay (turkey cobb and blackened chicken)...I was hoping $9.25 would get me a big ass kick ass sanny. Not the case. The seasoned wedge fries and southwest egg rolls ($8.25) were totally unmemorable, and in hindsight I really should have audibled to something else, but my mind was set on avocado egg rolls, so I went with the next closest thing.
When all was said and done, I was out $40 with tax and tip...kicking myself for not just going home and chewing on some celery with a cold Newcastle. I'm sure dining in would be a different experience, and granted, it's tough to judge by the limited dip into the menu I took, but BJ's seems pretty overpriced for what you get. I stopped here based on convenience and curiosity (okay, thirst too), but if I'm going to spend that kind of dough, I'd way rather do it somewhere locally owned with better service, better beer, better food and a better vibe.
Lesson learned.
Yes! This is a guy place. Decor is dark sport bar theme. This place reminds me of the Los Gatos Brewery in the bay area of CA. for the interior not the food. The menu selection reminds me of Cheese Cake Factory for its variety and quantity (less the advertisements). The food is very good if you remember that this is a chain and most entree items are not going to be fresh (Frozen). The formula in the kitchen must be the same as Cheese Cake Factory (CCF). All items have the similar ingredients and prep as the other menu items. They must have 50 food preps and a handful of chefs working in the kitchen. Portions are large but not CCF large. So you can eat it and still order dessert.
Busy and popular since they opened. Lunch is fast paced and no long waits but if you plan to bring in a large party, reservations are suggested.
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Neighborhood: 78704 (South Austin)
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Neighborhood: University of Texas
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Category: Sandwiches
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