Date Night | BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse in La Jolla

Date Night’s are always something to look forward to. This time we decided to go back to BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse in La Jolla. If you recall, last week we were going to eat at BJ’s but the wait was 30 minutes too long so we ended up at the La Jolla Strip Club. This time we called ahead, we were told we’d still have to wait fifteen minutes when we arrived, but we felt better knowing they knew we were coming.

Ambiance. For those of you in San Diego, Friday was a cold and wet day so we opted to wait inside to be seated. I’ve never been to a BJ’s before but from what I read on the yelp reviews, BJ’s La Jolla is the smallest and most odd location of all. I’m not going to lie, it is small, but it wasn’t that bad. There’s not much room to wait inside. The restaurant is literally just one big room. The lighting isn’t too dark like at Gordon Biersch Brewery which I appreciated; and I liked that you could see what was going on in the kitchen, at least from where we were sitting.

Customer Service. As I mentioned, we called ahead, but still had to wait about fifteen minutes. Daddy was anxious to sit down and eat so I finally asked how long the wait would be. When the manager saw me, he immediately told the hostess to seat us. He seemed a little irritated, but nonetheless, we were seated right away so I couldn’t complain. Shout out to our server Mark! He did an amazing job! The overall service was good, something that should be expected wherever you go, but don’t always get.

What we ordered.

Drinks: BJs’ Hand Crafted Root Beer tasted delish, a bit liquorish for my taste, but it was very smooth and not too carbonated.

Appetizer: Piranha Pale Ale Nachos* I loved the nachos. We were about to order the Ahi Poke, but after deciding to split a burger, Mark suggested we order something heavier. Good call, because we were starving. Daddy thought the nachos were salty, but that’s what I loved most about them. They were so flavorful, yet so light. A scrumptious blend of chili, beans, sour cream, salsa, fresh tomatoes…truly a nacho lovers dream.

Main Dish: California Burger on Sourdough, eh…not the best burger. Just glad we shared it as it was a bit disappointing. The skinny fries were tasty with ranch dressing.

Dessert: The famous PIZOOKIE!** Aww…fianlly! This is what we ultimately came for. This warm, gooey, soft, delicious over sized chocolate chip cookie topped with vanilla bean ice cream is to die for. I must go back and have another one. They have a few different versions and Daddy wants to try every one.

Helpful Tips:

1. Call ahead. Get your name on the list and find out how long the wait is. We still had to wait even though we called ahead, but not too long.
2. While you’re waiting scope out the menu. This way you’ll be ready when your waiter comes and you can minimize the wait time on your hot meal.
3. Save room for the Pizookie. We almost didn’t order dessert because we were so full. But we couldn’t leave without trying the famous pizookie. It was worth the wait.
4. Buy some sweets for later. If it’s not too late walk on over to Sprinkles Cupcakes! They’re only a few doors down, but close at 7pm!

Overall, Date Night went well, despite the fact that the little girl sitting across from us made us miss our little Pinky. The food was great, we experienced BJ’s together for the first time, and like most dates, the conversation was engaging, entertaining and refreshing!

Stay tuned for next weeks Date Night! If all goes well, we’ll be blending in with the college crowd at San Diego State to support the Asian Pacific Student Alliance at their Fashion Talent Show.

Leave a comment and let us know if you have any great Date Night ideas!