The J Bar

Nice atmosphere, and the appetizers were good. Slow service (despite a lack of a crowd) and they had to look up cocktails on the Internet. Entrees really brought it down… The potato chips were so greasy they were translucent, and both the Korean Pork burger and Turkey burger were below average. Most of our group didn’t feel so great afterwards because it was all so greasy. Pass…

This is my second time here. The first time I had the BBQ Carnitas, which were delicious but overpriced. This trip stayed consistent with pricing, but the Cobb Salad was bland; Not enough dressing, bacon, what else… flavor? Yeah, that was it.
I love the wine selection (VERY pricey), the ambiance, the creative menu (who else serves a slider in their Bloody Mary ?), but in the end it’s too pricey to be hit or miss.
Probably taking a miss on future visits.

Food was exceptional. Service was slow. Drink prices were very high for this market. Will not go back.

Food was absolutely exceptional. Wait staff was friendly and professional. All for a very modest price. A real gem of a restaurant here.

I went here for lunch with co-​workers for the first time. I read others’ reviews about service time and it was slow even though they weren’t very busy. I ordered the ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ burger and home chips. The burger was good. I ordered it medium rare and it was closer to medium (not a huge deal) and although the burger is touted as 50% beef and 50% bacon, it’s more like 90% beef and 10% bacon. I was wondering how you can make a burger with 50% of it as bacon. I don’t think it would stick together. The home chips were descent and I ate them all. If you have some time on your hands, eat here as the food is descent but the service is lacking.

Went for dinner once on a Saturday night and was VERY excited about the new and trendy atmosphere. Service was pretty good, food and prices were not so good. That trip made us not too worried about going back again soon.
Well, went back on a Sunday for a drink at the bar, and to possibly have lunch. While sitting at the bar, and looking over the menu, our thoughts were drowned out by the 4 WAY TOO obnoxious customers on the other side of the bar, 1 of which seemed to have worked there and just gotten off of her shift because she was talkative with all of the servers that weren’t busy, and she kept going behind the bar. Being a bit loud at a bar is one thing, but these people were YELLING their entire conversation along with «SUNDAY FUNDAY» and an F*Bomb every other word. The bartender wasn’t loud with them, but he was joking and carrying on with them. After 10 or so minutes we had to go sit outside, and then we left.
For being an upscale place, it seemed like a rowdy hole in the wall bar with the clientele that day. It left a bad taste in my mouth, and I won’t probably go back.

Service has been slow and pretty much non existent the two times we have come here. The least they can do is after they seat you, acknowledge your existence and drop off a water. Problem is, they weren’t even busy and aren’t understaffed. Everything is a little pricey for a so so ambience.

Really cute & trendy! I stayed at the Holiday Inn so I had 2 free drink coupons — winning! Great «craft cocktails!» The skinny jeans, spiced cider & cats eye = AWESOME!
I had 2 tasters for dinner. The shrimp ceviche and dumplings! So good! My colleagues got the ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ burger & didn’t seem to have any complaints. I tasted the apple turnover dessert and it was delicious!
Service was good too! Our waitress was very knowledgeable about the menus and very attentive without being annoying! I’ll definitely be visiting again!

Stopped in for appetizers while out shopping. Atmosphere was very modern and clean. Ordered the Philly steak egg rolls and the seared tuna tacos. They were excellent! Our server Mike provided above average service compared to most servers in the qca. Would eat there again!

Disappointed. My girlfriend and I went to The J Bar on a Tuesday evening for dinner. We were quickly greeted and seated in the dining room. Our table was in a far back corner and it was fairly busy. Immediately we noticed how uncomfortably hot our table location felt. The atmosphere overall was sophisticated and modern.
Our server greeted us right away and introduced us to the menu, explaining that the concept was smaller portions and plates designed for sharing. The service was timely and friendly.
We ordered beers and were impressed with the selection of a dozen beers on draft.
For an appetizer we ordered the Spicy Sczechuan Lettuce Wraps which came three to an order. We thought this was strange because most tables usually have 2 or 4 people. With 2 you either share or fight over the third and with 4 someone gets left out. The wrap was good and I would recommend it.
For our entrees I ordered the Gaucho Steak and my companion ordered the Saltimbocca. I ordered the steak medium but it came rare and cold. The outside of the steak had a good sear but the center was cold to the touch. The side of mushrooms were good and the fries were fries. The Saltimbocca is a chicken dish with potatoes and prosciutto. The chicken had a very peculiar texture. Imagine biting through fresh mozzarella. Very spongy and squishy. It tasted like chicken but did not feel like chicken. The menu said it came with with red potatoes but they were russet potatoes. The flavor of the steak was mediocre; my dish was just ok — not great, not bad. The flavor of the chicken was good, just had to enjoy with the weird texture. It seemed like the chicken had been pre-​cooked and frozen to create that texture.
In summary, we were excited to try the new J Bar, but we don’t think it lived up to our expectations. The atmosphere is good, the service was good, but the food left much to be desired. Overall it was just OK.

Walking in, the atmosphere sets itself. Very tastefully decorated, modern vibes. A host greets you, they have this really convenient check in called buzztable; you give the host your number, and can sit in soft seating and enjoy a cocktail or two and you will relieve a text when your table is ready. We sat out on the heated porch in December around the fireplace, it was great! Service was great, the chefs are very involved, the pretty in pink drink was the
and I recommend the cheesesteak eggrolls and the gaucho steak! I’ve heard some complaints about the plate sizes and the pricing, but you don’t walk in thinking you’re getting out under $ 40 for two, it’s a high end «gastro pub» setting. Also, our server told us ahead of time that their menu was small plates made for sharing, so we know what we were getting into! 5 stars JBar!

Great place. Finally this hillbilly city gets it! It’s just like Chicago and to food is awesome. I can’t wait to come back!

Meh. Not impressed. Clearly the emphasis here is on atmosphere and not on service or food. We waited at least 15 min after being seated before anyone approached us (not because it’s busy… And then a second server came over), at which point we were asked if we’d like a drink… But had no drink menu. Iced tea, thanks. Oh, and here’s our order because we’ve been sitting here long enough to figure out what we want.
My other half had the gaucho steak. He said it was fine but nothing amazing. The fries were ok… They needed more of the advertised sea salt. My ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ burger was not «awesome,» as described. It was overcooked and came with some spicy sauce (not advertised). The chips were ok.
Overall not an experience we are remotely tempted to try again.

Interesting. The ambiance is the focus above all. We came at 7:30 on a weeknight. It took 15 minutes after being seated to have a waiter visit us. I got the impression of disorganized more than busy, as we were seated immediately when we arrived.
My girlfriend ordered the ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ burger (half burger, half bacon) and it was overcooked and honestly pretty bland. The kettle chips were soggy and uninteresting.
I had the gaucho steak and it was room temperature when served. It was undercooked, but that’s okay by me. The house cut fries were okay, but not very interesting and needed more sea salt.
Overall. The price was very inexpensive and the wait staff was good when they got there. I probably won’t bother coming back. There are many other options in the QCA that are far more impressive.

If you wanna feel like downtown Chicago. J Bar is it! But this is the Quad Cities. We do our own. We do them right.
But after waiting 20 – 30 mins for a beer. Well my money was better waisted on saving it. Look elsewhere. BEWARE OF BAD SERVICE!

Let me start by saying service is the reason I will return. The server was always checking in. The manager checked in when my wife sent her steak back to get it warmed up. I got the Korean noodles but man it was salty. She asked if I wanted to try something else. I don’t normally do that but this time I took her up on her offer. I got the ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ burger. Half burger and half bacon. This I would get again. The gaucho steak was good but could be warmer. Finished the evening off with banana bread pudding. You could skip dinner and go straight to dessert. Like most of the other reviewers, I agree the J bar atmosphere is great!

Mixed experience at The JBar.
We were greeted with a friendly smile and a choice of high top or table, we opted for table and were immediately led into a hip & swanky atmosphere. Sadly, it took forever to get service. We knew it wasn’t a good when the 2 tables next to us were getting up from their tables to get their bills.
When we finally did get service & drink menus-​we enjoyed a Bells Two Hearted & the Skinny Jeans cocktail (delicious & refreshing). Dinner was good but not great. I had the Korean noodle bowl, & while the pork belly was great, the rest (in my opinion) lacked seasoning-​my husband Got their ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ burger and ate the whole thing!
Waited forever again for our bill, but overall did enjoy ourselves.
This place is beautiful & different, but It’s obvious it’s a new restaurant working out the kinks. Hoping the service was just an off night & I can talk my husband into trying it again… their small plate choices sounded yummy.

Went to the Jbar last night. Great atmosphere. Great cocktails.
Portion size for the price are way over the top.
Very disappointed.
Not even close to enough for the price.
Had to wait a very long time for service and finally went to find a server.

I’ve been to the J Bar three times now.
1^st trip– We were there for opening day and was very impressed. Tried the cat eye mixed cocktail (fantastic– included one perfectly round icecube infused with mint and fig leaves), and had a few appetizers (the avocado eggrolls were great, as was the smokehouse flatbread). We were impressed and excited to come back.
2^nd trip– stopped by for happy hour. We sat outside at the bar overlooking the construction site due to no other seating available and waited. And waited. And waited. They were busy, so gave them the benefit of the doubt and went inside to the bar to order my drink. Not only did I watch the bartender accidentally let go of the shaker while making my cocktail and spill everywhere (accidents happen, whatever), he poured the remnants into my glass and then served it to me. I paid cash and never received my change. Left J Bar a little disenchanted, but chalked it up to growing pains of any new business.
3^rd trip– went with a girlfriend for drinks and dinner. The waitress couldn’t answer basic questions about the menu or drinks, and repeatedly had to leave the table and come back to relay messages, and it would take a long time for her to return with the answer. She never refilled our water glasses in the 2 hours we were there, and it took her almost 20 minutes to pick up our bill. And on top of that, the «full» glasses of wine we were given were not what most places would even consider half glass pours.
Ultimately, I think I’ll wait awhile longer before giving J Bar another shot. I really would have expected better service for the prices of the food and drinks.

Great ambiance and energy. Upbeat. Fun place. Enjoyed a variety of «Tastes». Good and unique variety. Reasonably priced.
There was a wait on Saturday night but it was worth it. You can eat at the bar.
Food is prepped quickly but not delivered as fast. One of our guests food was cool. Brought it to our servers attention and it was corrected promptly and professionally.