This location of P.J. Whelihan’s Pub is located in the
Reading/Wyomissing area in the space previously occupied by Toscani (next to
the Giant grocery store and near Austin’s restaurant). Note that the actual street
address of the restaurant, Rocky Road, did not appear on my GPS; instead, I
used Van Reed Road. The PJW Restaurant Group owns approximately 15 locations of
P.J. Whelihans. PJW also owns three locations of the Pour House: North Wales
(Montgomeryville, previously Romano’s Macaroni Grill), Exton (previously
Cheeseburger in Paradise), and Westmont NJ; a steakhouse called the Chop House
(Gibbsboro NJ); and Treno Pizza Bar (Westmont NJ). The Reading/Wyomissing restaurant
space is completely open and cavernous with high ceilings and a good number of
windows. The restaurant offers seating at high-top tables, low-top (regular)
tables, and booths. A large bar features prominently, and many TVs are positioned
throughout the space, so you can always keep up with the latest sporting event.
Al fresco dining is also available on a covered patio, with a second bar
serving outdoor customers. Unfortunately, the music volume was terribly loud on
the night that we visited; our group requested to move to the outdoor patio for
some relief, but part of it was closed for their monthly fun run. Instead, the
hostess said that she would request to have the music turned down, but that
never happened, so we had to shout to hear each other.
P.J. Whelihan’s offers American cuisine. I ordered the fish
tacos (as did several others in our group), and they were very tasty; however, they
did not look particularly enticing. Also, the menu listed “taco” singular, but
they came three to an order arranged in one of those metal slotted holders. The
soft flour tortillas were just a tad too large for their contents (generally
when I order fish tacos, restaurants use smaller diameter tortillas), which
included red cabbage topped by grilled and slightly crispy (but not breaded) white
fish, which was then topped with a dab of salsa (I think that it was the salsa
that made the tacos look unappealing). Others in our group ordered salads, a
Reuben sandwich, a burrito bowl, and crab cake sandwich, and the salmon, all
which looked appealing. A special seasonal food menu is also available. P.J. Whelihan’s
is well-known for making great chicken wings, as well as cheesesteaks (both
beef and chicken), although no one in our group ordered them. The restaurant
offers $5 drinks at Happy Hour; I ordered a drink special called the “Butterscotch
Sundae”, which was delicious (although it seemed like it contained no Butterscotch
schnapps whatsoever), topped with whipped cream and garnished with a thin Oreo
cookie. Whelihan’s also offers an extensive list of beers on draft, which are
detailed on a paper handout so that you can read more about them (including the
alcohol content); however, the type was nearly too small, especially for aging
eyes without reading glasses! Two special events were occurring on the night
that we dined: a second-Tuesday-of-the-month fun run, and a spirits tasting.
Our server was attentive and understanding, especially when we sent her away
repeatedly without ordering because we were busy chatting and catching up with
old friends. Intelligently, the restaurant did not add an automatic 18%
gratuity to our tab because we were a large party, which benefitted our server
because we tipped much more than that. Prices are reasonable: drinks and casual
entrees for our group of eight barely cost $150 before gratuity.
P.J. Whelihan’s is a good choice for pub food and
sports-watching in the Reading area!
