TJ's Restaurant & Drinkery

leftmindedrighty

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +10.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

My old review was when TJ's was merely a stop on a pub crawl. I felt it needed to get updated to the Landmark bar and eatery I actually consider it.

First off, the beer selection is second to none. I always find a local or near-local beer I haven't had on tap. They also keep a steady selection of sought after craft and imports that keep me on my toes in terms of what to expect. And trust me, that's saying something with a beer-snob in recovery like me.

The food, as I really like food, is some of the best when it comes to good-beer bars. Anything served on a roll is going to delight you, as are the appetizers. But keep an eye on what specials are on that day. The kitchen really shines at putting unique spins on pub favorites. Hell, even their popcorn is freaking awesome!

I kick myself often that I used to live 20 minutes from here, and now live an hour and 20 minutes away and never gave TJ's the patronage I should have. Whenever I am within 30 minutes of here I stop. I have even met a business client here who I knew didn't drink, just so I could tip one back and have some of the best nachos in the area.

Don't be like me. Appreciate TJ's if you're in the area. Good people serving good beer and good food.

Very OLD review:

Stopped here on day 2 of a pub crawl with BA Phatz

Took a little longer than I would have liked to get here, but I took the route I knew would get us there, in lieu of trying to save time by taking an unknown route.

Layout of the place is quaint, 15 or so seat bar area and 10-15 4-person tables set up in the middle of the place

We grabbed two seats at the bar and started day 2 of a drinking binge that would have made Dudley Moore cringe. The tap line up really didn't impress me all that much. A handful of Flying Fish taps, a wheat beer I have forgotten, Allagash White, and few others that don't come to mind. What I loved, and had three pints of, was the Sly Fox Pale Ale on cask. It was fresh, good, and served right up when I asked. The food was also very good, with every dish having a suggested beer pairing. I thought this was a grand idea, and way ahead of the curve.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable trip. I would go back here anytime, and will keep an eye on their draft list, as it seems they get in some hard to find brews.

03-03-2013 02:09:01 | More by leftmindedrighty

BeerDetective

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +10.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

What can I say, this is my local pub, I can get here within an easy 5 min walk from my apartment in Paoli, the 200+ beers in bottles and 25 taps has just about every other place in the burbs beat for selection.

The food is also a big drawing point for myself and my roommate who is not a drinker. The Saison Dupont Chicken is awesome, and the got roast beef sandwich on a LeBus bakery roll is to die for, also the stout brownies are very good and choclatey. They also change up the menu quite a bit and sometimes have cool specials like the massive bison meatloaf dinner a few months back.

Yes it gets smoky at times but that does not bother me. I really have nothing else to say but that it is one of my favorite places in the area, the employees are friendly and they know your name after you have been in a few times, even if I can't. (I am really bad with names.)

After having spent the better part of 4 years with this as my local pub, it doesn't get any better.

12-31-2007 02:42:24 | More by BeerDetective

KYFriedChildren

Pennsylvania

4.95/5  rDev +9.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

TJ's is basically one of the greatest bar/restaurants on planet Earth. This is the place I frequent either the most or the second most because of their fantastic tap-lists, delicious food, unbelievable service, and clean comfortable atmosphere.

I only started coming to TJ's probably a year ago and in that time we've gone out to dinner there upwards of 25 times, for full meals and beer. They do a great job of getting beers from all over the country in and on tap, they have a great happy hour as well . What really stands out to me though, is that they go out of their way to make sure they have a variety of local brew on tap mixed with the national stuff. There are always six or seven great local brews to go with the almsot twenty others. The food believe it or not is as delicious as everything on tap. They make a great rauchbier burger, and everyone I have ever gone with has praised their (fresh, homemade) crab cakes, and shepherd's pie.

The staff there is always knowledgable and attentive. Pretty much everything there is perfect. If TJ's were ever to close or go away I would be beyond devestated. Every decent establishment could take notes from TJ's.

09-16-2010 07:02:01 | More by KYFriedChildren

dehay

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +8.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

This place rocks! Fantastic draft and bottle selections (they have a 30+ page beer menu), and the bartenders are very knowledgeable and friendly (they shake your hand when you pull up a stool, and can accurately describe the beers they serve). No problems getting samples of the drafts. The food was very good, and the menu lists a suggested beer to compliment each entre' and appetizer. Take out selection is over the top...the cooler is filled with hard to find beers you've heard about but have trouble finding. Their website lists their draft selections with links to Beer Advocate. Beers and food are fairly priced. It is located next to the Paoli Train station. I am telling you, you have to check this place out.

03-16-2008 04:12:55 | More by dehay

Source

Pennsylvania

4.88/5  rDev +8.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

Writing a review for TJ's is like someone telling you that your mother is hot. Somewhere in the the back of your mind you know it's true, but you never, ever want to think about it, let alone write about it. ;)

In truth, I'm a regular at TJ's and I generally don't write reviews of places unless they are exceptional in some way. I am pleased to say that TJ's is one of those places.

From the food, to the beer, to the well trained staff, to the fun, sports bar atmosphere, TJ's has it all. I've literally eaten almost everything on the menu and have consumed far too many beers at their bar (in a good way), so when I'm giving TJ's good grades, it's for a reason.

I could go on and on about their food, beer selection, and events which other BA's have thoroughly reviewed. Instead I'd like to focus on the management. Terri (the T) and Jeff (the J) run an tight ship. Their perfectionism is apparent in the exceptional quality of the product they deliver. Their staff is always well versed in the menu, the beer (there are 25 taps plus a handpump), and how to serve it in a consistently professional way. T&J are constantly striving for ways to improve the experience for their customers. From changing the menu seasonally to the new electronic beer boards, everything is designed and constantly tweaked to elevate their already high level of service.

Kudos to Terri and Jeff (and Amy!). You guys should really write a textbook on how it's done.

11-23-2010 18:19:11 | More by Source

Casey3236

Pennsylvania

4.86/5  rDev +7.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 5 | food: 4.75 | $$$

Great place! Small enough to feel cozy but big enough that I've never had to wait for a table. High-end bar food (duck confit tacos, mah mahi salad, etc.) Tap selection is varied and top-notch. Good blend of hoppy and malty at any given time. Also, their website is informative and constantly up to date.

05-12-2013 03:17:52 | More by Casey3236

roan22

New Jersey

4.85/5  rDev +7.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

I went to TJ's Everyday for the first time recently. I don't really live close to here, nor do my Mom and Stepdad anymore, but I went to high school around here so I know the area. I heard good things from BA NolanGTI and Lew Bryson about TJ's, and was pleased overall with the experience.

They had about 7 taps of local/regional craft accounts but only six were being used. They had Oskar Blues Gordon, Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA, Legacy Reading Pilsner, Southern Tier Jah-va Stout plus two more which have escaped my mind. I was pleased to see they had a beer guide book featuring bottles and styles. I drank two bottles of Green Flash so I was quite happy. I didn't eat the food but the menu looked good. The food choices were newish and trendy. Nice!

It was pretty quiet in here but it was a Tuesday night. There was bingo tonight, and the guy's voice calling the numbers seemed to get louder and louder but he took breaks between rounds so it wasn't too annoying. Other than that, they had a few TV's with games on them and an internet jukebox. The look of TJ's Everyday's bar was nice, but it appeared to lack a personality and was just a bit too shiny and bright for me. The place featured exposed brick, a couch/coffee table setup, dark wood tables and chairs, and mock stone tiles on the floor.

*update 5/29/07
Visited TJ's everyday a second time with a friend last night and ate dinner. First of all, the selection score goes up for the sheer reason that they had a Founders beer on tap--the dry-hopped pale ale, Nice!! First time I ever had a Founders on draft so this was a big deal. Also they had Bells Oberon for those of you who like that beer.

For dinner, I had the chipotle/framboise grilled chicken dinner. It was two chix breasts, super-tasty mashed potatoes and perfectly cooked carrots cut into strips. What tied it all together however was the wonderful sauce, which was a little robust/spicy like chipotle, but tart sweetness from the framboise made the combination of tastes almost orgasm-worthy. I told the bartender that it was the most exciting meal I'd ever eaten at a beer bar, literally! Thats why the food score goes up to a 5. Cheers!

*Update 12/23/07

Been to TJ's many times since my last update, and Jeff [and T] have worked hard to make improvements...changing their glassware, training staff, and the best part...kicking out all the taps of macro crap therefore seriously increasing their craft selection! In the fall, they went seasonal, with an impressive offering of pumpkin ales and Octoberfests. Plus, TJ's hosted a great event, 'The Belgians are coming!" offering belgian beers on tap I've never heard of before, others I'd seen but never tasted. Kudos, you deserve a 5 rating for selection and superb service, fine work!!!

04-25-2007 21:19:39 | More by roan22

Retail1LO

Pennsylvania

4.83/5  rDev +7.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

First time guest at TJ's today. Very clean place. Well decorated, music that you don't have to s team over, digital taplists, 26 beers on tap...this place is fantastic. Touch Tunes, beautiful neons and beer signage, and some nice LCD TV's add to a nice scene. They had some really unique offerings including Dogfish Bead Red & Black, and Sierra Nevada Hop Smack. Bottle selection is minimal. Oh yeah, the bartender was absolutely gorgeous. I definitely plan on putting TJ's into my rotation of frequented establishments.

08-20-2011 18:16:12 | More by Retail1LO

SpeedwayJim

New York

4.8/5  rDev +6.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

Was here for the Anniversary party and got to try some amazing amazing stuff on tap. I'm a bit biased here but hey, I figure a bit of a positive bias is a good thing.

Atmosphere is nice. I'm used to places that are a bit quieter but the crowd here was very friendly. There was no obnoxious music blasting, which was definitely a plus and the ambience and the way the bar, lounge, and seating area were set up worked very well.

Quality of the beer and food was amazing. Everything was served out of nice glassware and the food was just right. All the furniture and just the whole place in general seemed new and in top top shape even with a huge number of people sitting and standing around.

Service was quite amazing. Even though there were tons of people sitting and standing around, the bartender still managed to come around regularly and serve drinks and food. All in a timely manner.

Selection is relatively self explanatory here. As I said, I went during the Anniversary. Where else along the east coast can someone find RR PtE AND Temptation in one place? Unbelievable.

Food was relatively good. Got a plate of beer-battered onion rings and a plate of sweet potato fries. Nothing to complain about, but nothing to rave about either.

Considering the quality and selection of TJ's. The prices are really unbeatable. The bar food seemed a bit expensive at times but the beer was a bit less than I'm used to pay at a NYC bar.

Highly recommended. Friendly people, great service, great selection, great atmosphere, and all at a decent price!!

12-06-2009 04:36:05 | More by SpeedwayJim

davide169

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I try to get to TJ's once a month or so. I am lucky that it is right around the corner from my work. Unfortunately that is not close to home so I usually just stop in after work for a beer or two.

They always have a great tap selection to choose from. Plus you can take a look at their website before you head over to scope out what you may want to drink. The website is updated almost immediately after a keg is kicked and a new one is put on. The beers are always very fresh and anything that is served as a pint is served in a real pint glass. The bottle selection is also very stellar. Whenever anything new makes it into the market Tj's seems to have it.

I've only tried food once or twice when and when I have it has been very good. There is something on the menu if you are just looking for a bite or to have dinner. Plus much of it is cooked with beer as well.

As for the atmosphere.... They do tend to cater to the people who love sports if you are going to stay in the bar. You can see a tv from every angle when you are in the bar. When times you walk in during a early to late afternoon and it is very quiet in there though. If you feel like playing Bingo, Quizzo, or Texas hold em, there is a night for each.

The bar area does tend to get smokey if anyone at all is smoking. If this bothers you, you can always sit in the dining room and not have to worry about it. Plus coming up in March they are going to try out a few non-smoking nights so go out and show your support if you want to see them go non smoking.

This is really a great place to eat or drink and I wish it was much closer to my house as I would spend much more time here.

02-07-2008 15:51:01 | More by davide169