BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse

Location: The Shops at Tanforan, San Bruno, CA
Cuisine type: American, Brewhouse
Atmosphere:  lively (noisy too)
Meal: lunch 
Price range: $10 (appetizer), $15 (entrees)
Overall grade: 7.2

Ben

BJ’s is a brewery / sportsbar that offers more creative twists than run-of-the-mill bar/brewery food. The avocado-rich egg roll appetizers were delicious and the mushroom pizza was average, a little skimpy on the toppings. The drinks had a good value and selection though the in-house brewed IPA I had was pretty weak in flavor. The walls were covered in big screen TVs playing the Giants game and Sportscenter, and despite being in a mall the place seems like a good place to relax and catch a game. The food was slightly pricier than expected, particularly the pizza, a bready thick crust with somewhat skimpy sauce, cheese, and toppings.

Food             7 

Drinks          8

Atmosphere  7

Service         6

Value           6

Nina

We stopped here on the way to the city for a quick lunch and to run a couple of errands. Upon seeing BJ's Restaurant we decided to try it, since the place had been recommended to us before and we had not tried it yet. 

Even though the menu was generally classic American pub fare, among the appetizers there were some creative surprises, as I've come to expect at many Californian restaurants. We picked the avocado cream cheese egg rolls, which did not disappoint - creamy yet not too heavy filling in a thin, crispy wonton shell, served with a tangy sweet sauce. 

It might have been a trace of Midwest melancholy which drew us to the deep dish section to the menu, though their interpretation of "deep dish" does not really compare to classic Chicago Style pizza - they merely bake their thick crust pizza in a deep pan. I also didn't appreciate how skimpy they were on the toppings - our mushroom and onion pizza with balsamic drizzle probably contained less than 3 mushrooms and a few strands of onion. That being said, the flavor was rich and the cheese was gooey without being too greasy, which left an overall positive impression with the food.

Overall, this place seems like it fits perfectly in a mall setting, with an atmosphere ideal for a casual meal with friends, chatting over a drink of locally brewed beer.

Food             7 

Drinks          8

Atmosphere  8

Service         7

Value           8