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Pj Whelihan's Pub
Categories: Nightlife Bars Pubs Restaurants American (Traditional) Pubs, American (Traditional) [Edit]
4595 BroadwayAllentown, PA 18104
(610) 395-2532
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Music:
- Background
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Daniel H. said: "No idea why people have written so many bad reviews thus far. I have a feeling they are comparing it to the old Rookies restaurant that used to occupy the same space. However I never had a chance to visit Rookies before they bit the…" read more »
23 reviews for Pj Whelihan's Pub
Review Highlights
"I actually crave their hot & honey wings."
(in 4 reviews)
"And now they also a Chipotle Lime sauce."
(in 3 reviews)
"I am loving Pjs now that it is smoke free."
(in 3 reviews)
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23 reviews in English
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Review from Kc S.
Allentown, PA
10/16/2011
Great bar and food. The wings, and sandwiches are awesome. Try it if you are looking for a bar with great food.
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Review from Amy R.
12/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Well, when the Yelp reviews said that any wing connoisseur has to come here because the hot and honey wings are to die for....I had to oblige.
Lunch with my husband and mother on a Friday afternoon. We got there around 11:45, which was perfect because by 12:15 the place was PACKED!
Did the honey hot wings live up to my standards?
Yes. OMG yes. They were fried in such a way so that the skin peeled off in crispy shell revealing the juicy chicken underneath. The sauce was thick and with so much sugar, glazed over the wings as they cooled to make the crispy skin thick and savory. Truthfully, I have never had a wing that had this sort of texture and it was amazing. The taste of the honey hot sauce was also quite good.
My mother had a barbeque burger, which she said was quite good. We also got bacon cheese fries, which, of course, I asked for a side of ranch because ranch is good on everything. They were good, but not the best I've ever had. Sadly, the best I've ever had was at a restaurant that is no longer with us.
I'd definitely go back. In fact, I kinda want those wings again right now. -
Review from Bill S.
Allentown, PA
1/29/2012
Great bar food. Old building atmosphere. Friendly staff. Quick service. Popular place with lots of people.
Have to wait to be seated some times.
Consistent.
A regualar place to go.
Needs WiFI. -
Review from Kelly B.
Macungie, PA
1/6/2012
This one, of several in the chain, is located just off of Tilghman Ave, this is a real pub, in a quaint old building. They have a bar, but don't expect fancy bar drinks. The food is pub food, from burgers to cheese steaks, and even a huge salad. Their chicken wings are better than most in the area. The food and the service are very good. I personally enjoy this place so much better now that smoking has been banned in PA restaurants. They do have a few TVs visible in each room, so you can watch the game. The bar is in a separate room, away from the table area. On the weekends, the parking lot fills up quickly.
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Review from Rob V.
Philadelphia, PA
4/10/2011
I was part of a group of 7 people venturing out to PJ Whelihan's for a casual dinner last Monday night. I had no idea that the place was a chain with 16 locations, and part of a larger restaurant group based in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The company apparently has some other, more upscale restaurants called The Chophouse, The Pour house, and Treno Pizza Bar.
From the outside and even from within, this place looks like your ubiquitous neighborhood Irish bar. Five flat screen televisions in the bar, another television or two in the dining room.. lots of beer and sports memorabilia.. very typical ambience. I did note a tin ceiling in the bar, but neglected to notice if it was the same in the dining room or not. I thought it to be a nice touch.
The service was excellent, and would certainly be one of the things to draw me back here. Food was okay to just average.. depending on who you ask. There were no shortage of beer and drink specials and the bar food appeared the most appetizing.
We started off with PJ's Super Nachos ($9.49) which were cold, lacking in cheese, and just overall quite substandard bar fare. Even though there were seven of us eating them, there were still plenty left on the plate when it was removed.. I think that says it all.
The WINGS must be what people come here for! You have your choice of seven signature wing sauces ( Hot n Honey, Chipotle Lime BBQ, Drunkin BBQ, Mild, Shanghai Sesame, Hot, and Inferno) and our waitress informed us that we could order any size and any combination of the wings. We ordered about forty Hot Wings for the seven of us, and I think I probably downed fifteen and boxed up another 8-10 to take home. These were the highlight of the meal, at least for me.
Entrees, like the appetizers, were hit and miss. I ordered a Blackjack Burger ($7.99) which came out medium-well when it was ordered medium-rare. The burger came with pepper jack cheese and a side of Creole mayonnaise, but it was so over-seasoned and overdone that it totally blew out my palate and I couldn't eat more than a few bites. My other dining companions ordered the 'Shroom n Swiss Burger ($7.99), the Crab Cake Sandwich (7.99), Tuna Melt ($7.99), or soup ($3.99) and everyone, save for one person who thoroughly enjoyed their Crab Cake sandwich, either had some of their meal boxed up or left on the plate.
Our waitress Lisa, was on the ball and must be commended. She let us know about the many drink specials, guided us through the menu, suggesting specific appetizers and beverages, launching an impressive spiel regarding the wings, and was just a pleasure to have as a waitress.
However, the food I found to be overcooked, over seasoned, and for the most part, mediocre at best. All the sandwiches are served with chips (from a bag I'm told, not freshly made) and you can upgrade to fries for an additional ninety-nine cents. Our appetizers and entrees were very hit and miss, but the wings were delicious and on top of Lisa's service, would be enough to draw me back if I was in the area, at least for a beer and some wings.. and sometimes that's all you need. -
Review from Megan W.
2/22/2011 7 Check-ins Here
GREAT place. Amazing wings, friendly bartenders and a great crowd.
I haven't had wings this good since O'Malleys in Palmer Lake, Colorado. And I can eat the HELL out of some wings.
It's always so great to walk into a place for the first time, and the bartender and staff treat you like you've always been there. They were friendly, attentive and quick-witted.
I can't wait to go back!!! -
Review from D. J. H.
Fresh Meadows, NY
5/31/2011
P.J. Whelihan's is a chain of pubs with several locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The pub serves the standard Irish pub fare: beer, burgers, sandwiches, munchies, and, quite noticeably, wings (they dominate the center portion of the placemat menus). Promoted proudly as as the "Official Wing of (Sports Radio) WIP Wing Bowl", we went in hoping they lived up to the hype.
P.J.'s offer their wings served with any of seven different sauces: Hot n Honey, Chipotle Lime BBQ, Drunken BBQ, Mild, Shanghai Sesame, Hot, and Inferno. Before ordering, I asked to sample the two hottest sauces, Hot and Inferno. I found the Hot to be a standard buffalo-style sauce, based on a hot sauce (Tabasco or similar), and found it pretty much "normal". Consistency was a little thin, the color was a Tabasco-ish reddish orange, and it wasn't all too hot, making it safe for sharing with those with lighter lingual constitutions. The Inferno sauce was a dark red, and much thicker. It had a bit of a smokey flavor, and considerably more bite to it, though not so much for the chile-heads out there. I chose to order one basket with the Inferno sauce, and just for something different, ordered another with the Hot n Honey sauce, which the server explained was "three parts honey to one part Hot sauce".
First up were the Hot n Honeys. These wings were crispy and meaty. These were fried up, with out a batter, so there was a distinct crunch as you bite into the skin, but the meat itself wasn't dried out. I'm not a fan of really "juicy" wings, so this suited me just fine. The size of the wings were a little bigger than the average size I've found in my travels. As per the server's description, I tasted the honey pretty clearly, nicely balanced with the flavor of their Hot Sauce. As a result, the sauce was neither overly sweet nor too hot. Heat-challenged wing aficionados will find these tasty, with just a little kick to pique their taste buds, but not so hot they find themselves in pain.
The Inferno wings were similarly crispy and meaty, but carried with them a nice bit of heat. As I said before, the sauce is darker, smokier, thicker, and hotter version of their Hot. It's by no means the hottest sauce out there, but after polishing off a basket, there was clearly some noticeable heat. Overall this sauce works well. I'd hate to draw comparisons to some other venues, but I would compare this sauce vaguely to Hooter's "911", but have to conclude this is a much more polished version. In fact, if you even remotely like the Hooter's version (naked, not with the breading), you will find these a vast improvement, both in terms of the quality of the wing itself and the sauce.
My conclusion? The quality of the wings is well above that of your typical "striped awning" chain restaurant, and they have enough of a selection of sauces to cater to most palates. Although the Hot n Honey was tasty, it would probably pass on it in favor of trying the other sauces. On the other hand, the Inferno sauce was quite enjoyable, and I would definitely make sure to order it again on a return trip. If you have a P.J. Whelihan's within driving distance, they make a worthy wing.Listed in: The Chicken Wing Diaries
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Review from Shayla W.
Yonkers, NY
1/2/2011
You need these wings. I'm not messing around here.. you NEED them. Well, at least after the first time you try them.. that's what you're going to be saying.
If you fancy yourself a wing connoisseur.. and you're going to try to tell me you can't get good wings outside of buffalo.. I'm going to write "Eat at Pj Whelihan's" in Sharpie on your forehead so you never forget making such a big mistake.
I would swim in buffalo sauce if I could.. yet the hot and honey wings at Pj Whelihan's are the best I have ever had, easy. I've never tasted anything like it. The wings themselves are both crispy and juicy with the perfect amount of sauce on them so you have plenty of the flavor without making the wings soggy! I really just can't say enough about these wings.
When the Mighty Mighty Bosstones scheduled a show in Allentown, I was initially very unhappy about the idea of having to travel to such an out of the way place. Now, I'd drive to Allentown to see Brittney Spears if it meant I had an excuse to go back for these wings! -
Review from Milee S.
3/5/2007
I have only been here twice, when I visited friends who lived in the Bethlehem area. I just went back this past weekend and was so happy because they have a great selection of bar food. I remember having great wings here, so that's what I settled on. There are four choices, mild, hot, suicide and hot n honey. I went for the hot n honey. A basket of 10 was more than enough and the wings are HUGE!
They also serve burgers, cheesesteaks (although they come with marinara sauce-weird), salads, fries, chicken sandwiches. Food is fresh and tasty. Crowd is a mix of sports folks, young area residents and large groups. -
Review from Christina F.
Belmont, CA
9/12/2009
Every time we are in Allentown, there are a few food items that are on the permanent rotation list. Palace Pizza. Yocco's Dogs. And PJ's Hot and Honey Wings!
Best wings ever. And now they also a Chipotle Lime sauce. Second to best wings ever.
And like someone else said, thank goodness for smoke free laws! I can now enjoy these wings without having to worry about my dry cleaning bill! -
Review from Dino S.
Savannah, GA
6/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great local bar
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Review from Kris G.
Allentown, PA
6/3/2009 2 Check-ins Here
I am loving Pjs now that it is smoke free. It has made this pub so much more enjoyable. They have large flat screen TVs all over the restaurant. You can see the game from every table. I am not a huge sports person, so I try to go when there isn't a big event. It also is very loud in the restaurant when it is full.
The cheesesteaks and crab cake sandwich are good. The salads are huge! I go to Pjs for the wings. I usually get the hot, but I also like the inferno, good heat and good taste. The spicy fries make a perfect side to any meal. -
Review from Katie D.
Virginia Beach, VA
7/13/2009
Hot & Honey wings. Wow. My brother and sis-in-law live near PJ's and I INSIST on going there when I visit. I actually crave their hot & honey wings!
GO TO PJ's if you're in the Allentown area....you WILL NOT regret it!
Oh..and LOTS of beers on tap! -
Review from Tom B.
Bethlehem, PA
7/28/2009
PJ's is known for their wings....Hot and Honey as well as the Chipolte Lime are some of the better ones around....but other items on their menu are pretty good as well (their burgers get kudos as well).
The staff seems very friendly, yet busy at this and their other operation PJ's at the Walbert.....the only problem I have is the shear MAYHEM outside caused by all the of the local high school students who are out with friends looking to get wings.......you can however escape in the bar as they are not allowed i there.....
At Christmas, they actually took away wing night and charged full price due to the numbers of HS and young college people...and gave you the discount price if you got them to go........but then again, even youngsters know a good thing when they see it.
Their "homebrew" is a nice full flavored brew.....kind of reminds me of HONEYBROWN if you've had it..........as for the other food.....the shrimp are so so, but the salads and cheesesteaks I've had great experiences with. Wing night is Tuesday........a great night to get some fresh ones!
The wait staff has ALWAYS been friendly and seem to rush around and work as a team as it is typically busy. -
Review from Ed S.
Allentown, PA
4/15/2009
Hot and Honey wings are excellent. Burgers are good, juicy and big.
Wait staff and hostesses are smokin hot! -
Review from Peng X.
Macungie, PA
7/2/2011
Their wings are great, but their bruschetta steak was the best cheesesteak I've ever had. It was perfectly juicy without making the bread soggy. Melted cheesy goodness at the bottom. The tomatoes with olive oil added a bit of flavor that really made it stand out from other cheesesteaks. Party. In. My. Mouth.
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Review from Sharon B.
Allentown, PA
1/11/2011
My 20-something daughter's love the food here. I finally tried the takeout on a snowy weekday eve. Hostess was helpful, informative, service was quick, and food- chipolte lime and hot n honey wings, and Alice fries, was very good.
H n H was a bit too spicy for my taste, but I'm a spice wimp.
C L had nice flavor.
I live close bye though doubt I will eat there because it's a bit too cramped and noisy. However, I will put this on my 'take-out' list. -
Review from Robert B.
Williston Park, NY
9/8/2010 1 Check-in Here
Great food, great staff. Place to be if you're a hockey fan in Lehigh Valley.
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Review from Joe L.
Allentown, PA
Updated - 10/20/2008
My previous review stands, but PJs is now smoke free courtesy of a complicated state law. (Smoking/non-smoking requirements are determined by the amount of business derived from food sales. Ridiculous? Yes. Welcome to PA.)
Listed in: My Neighborhood
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/9/2008
PJ's is a good place for a casual dinner, and nice for a hang out with friends. The food is quite… Read more »
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Review from Andy B.
Hershey, PA
12/28/2008
It has been a little while since I was last there, but this is one of the restaurants that I will go out of my way for when I am in the area. Mostly, because I LOVE their wings! A fun place to go with my college buddies late in the evening.
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Review from Mary T.
Macungie, PA
4/6/2009
I'm not sure if the other reviewers are eating at the same place, or maybe had a few drinks at first arriving. We've been maybe three times, once at PJ's at the Walbert, which is a different location but the same menu, same everything. All three times our service has been terrible, slow, not pleasant, forgetful. And all three times the food has been mediocre at best. The fries are good. I've always gotten the burger (this was our place to go for a burger and fries until the last trip was the worst of all, now we won't be back). It is a basic bar burger, burger king is about as good. The reason it was our burger joint of choice was because they offered a veg burger for the BF, who is a vegetarian. But guess what - as of our last visit a couple months ago they dropped the Veg burger (why?, just keep a few in the freezer for goodness sake!). Only thing Veg on the menu was a salad and it was just about the worst looking salad we've seen.
There is officially no place in the lehigh valley to get a decent burger and fries!
Go to PJ's to hang out with friends at the bar and order some fries or sides. Don't go for dinner. -
Review from Jen A.
Allentown, PA
2/23/2008
The waitstaff is friendly and personable, the atmosphere is intimate, and the food is excellent!
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Review from Greg A.
Concord, NH
8/18/2009
One of my favorite places in the valley, and the best place for wings. Nice big food and bar menu.
