My spouse and I have
dined at BJ’s Brewhouse for lunch and dinner on several occasions in mid-December
2016 and early January 2017. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily.
It does not accept reservations.
BJ's Restaurant was founded in 1978 in Orange County, California.
Originally known as Chicago Pizza, the company later acquired 26 Pietro's Pizza
restaurants and converted them to BJ's Pizza. Currently, it operates 186 restaurants in 24
states (including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida,
Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico,
New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee,
Texas, Virginia, and Washington). Six locations (Reno NV, Temple TX, Brea and
West Covina CA, Chandler AZ, and Boulder CO) feature an in-house brewery that
produces BJ's proprietary handcrafted beers (although not the location in
Allentown). BJ’s also offers many other beers (draft and bottle), with the
draft selections listed on an enormous colorful chalkboard at the back of the
restaurant. BJ’s offers its ten regular signature beers, several seasonal
beers, and some experimental beers. The restaurant has won over 150 awards for
their beer, including several gold medals from the Great American Beer Festival
(GABF) and the World Beer Cup Gold Medal.
The restaurant space is cavernous, offering seating in several areas: a
step or two up from the main entrance, the bar area offers seating at the bar
itself, at high-top tables, or at (self-seating) booths. Toward the middle of
the restaurant are booth small (for two people) and large (for six people), as
well as some regular tables and a row of semi-circular booths on a raised
platform. The third dining area is somewhat divided by large roll-up glass
garage doors, the type many restaurants now use to join their indoor and
outdoor space. (This location of BJ’s offers no outdoor or semi-alfresco
dining.)
BJ’s serves American food and offers an extensive menu
offering starters, sandwiches, salads, entrees, and several different kinds of
pizza (flatbread, deep dish). We have tried a variety of items such as the
avocado eggrolls, Mediterranean chicken tacos, ham and cheese ??sandwich,
deep-dish pizza, and pizookies, and most have been successful. The restaurant
has a “club” whereby you accrue points for each time you dine, which you can
then redeem for money off your check or complimentary menu items. It also sends
various offers and promotions via email (such as a buy one/get one free entrée
with the purchase of two drinks).
BJ’s Brewhouse is our new favorite chain restaurant; it
offers a comfortable and casual atmosphere with tasty and varied menu items
when we do not feel like cooking ourselves.
