TJ’s on Cedar Bar and Grill

Service was SLOW and scarce. Barely saw our server. The food was okay, but definitely not worth the wait.

Bartender was awesome — came in on Father’s Day — they offered free shot — had west coast burger — hit the spot and great beer selection. Great stop for those parents waiting between hockey games at nearby Newington Ice Arena only 3 mins away.

I ate here many times soon after they opened, then not again for several months. I came for lunch with a friend – we arrived shortly before 1 and were seated promptly. Our orders were taken; we both ordered burgers. After about 20 minutes wait, we had to flag down a server to inquire what had happened to our orders. She gave the excuse that they had a full bar and patio so the kitchen was busy. She asked if we wanted anything while we waited, but since she said it would only be a few minutes more, we declined.
When the orders came out about 10 minutes later, my burger ordered «medium» was more like «medium well» and my friend’s ordered «pink on the inside» was definitely «well done» with no pink at all. The sweet potato fries, while crispy, were cold. We were reluctant to send anything back since we had waited half an hour for our order already.
We ate and paid our bill. We complained to the person at the checkout.
I’m putting this down to a glitch, but if service is like this on my next visit, I won’t return.

Happy Hour goodness! I’ve been wanting to try this place for a while and recently a fellow reviewer posted something about the loaded tater tots and that was it… I needed to get some of those.
Turning into the road where this is located garnered a fiercely dirty look from a fellow driver (no left turn off of Cedar street) so mind your Ps and Qs or else!
We got there around 5 on a Wednesday and there were plenty of seats both inside and out. Normally we’d have taken a seat on the patio but it was an unusually hot May day so we parked it inside. There wasn’t a draft list (which suckled) but the waitress rattled off a list of about 10. We settled on 2 Blue Moons and she asked «regular or tall?» Tall please! We ended up with two huge 22 oz drafts. We just ordered the loaded tots and the baby buns (burgers, though they also have pulled pork, chicken and mozzarella sliders to choose from). Everything was really good but the BEST PART was the bill. $ 22 and change. It appears that all apps are half off during happy hour and beers are $ 1 off. If I had a complaint it would be that the happy hour isn’t really promoted on the menu or by the staff. I was thrilled that our order applied to the happy hour specials but come on, sell it! I also appreciated that you could sit anywhere to get the happy hour specials. Nothing chaps my arse like a place (hello, Max Burger) that only offers their HH specials «at the bar».
I will surely be back to get more stuff off of the menu. Everything looked tasty, from pizza and calzones to sandwiches, burgers and other entrees.

I’ve eaten here about a dozen times. It is the go– to lunch spot amongst a group of us coworkers. Their soups are my favorite– roasted corn shrimp chowder, lobster bisque, Mexican meatball, clam chowder, chicken enchilada– they are all delicious. Their house made chips are also spectacular– get these over their fries. I’ve had their pizza a few times– good, but not my favorite pizza. The pizza sauce is great and it’s neither thin or thick crust.
I’ve also dined there with my family, which includes 2 babies– they were very accommodating. Highly recommend!

This place is just okay. We sat outside for happy hour on a Friday and it was a nice patio area. The service was really good and our server was really attentive. However the happy hour was not really a good deal. Half price starters but only $ 1 off beer and wine for drinks. We paid $ 8 for a glass of happy hour wine… That is not a deal. And the food was just okay. We ordered the spinach dip, Reuben rolls and the steak crostini. The Reuben rolls were good, the steak crostini was alright, the steak did not have a lot of flavor and the spinach dip was overly creamy with no cheese flavor. Overall it wasn’t that great of an experience and the happy hour was not a good deal at all.

We came here on the reccomendation of my Grandfather for a quick lunch. He told me that they had great sandwiches and it’s very close to the retirement home where we were going to visit my grandmother after lunch. It was myself, my two year old daughter and my grandfather on a Saturday afternoon.
Unfortunately we experienced the worst service I’ve ever had. After 10 minutes the waitress came over to take our drink order, I ordered an ice tea, milk for my daughter, and my grandfather had water. I also asked for a couple crayons for my daughter since they provided a paper kids menu to draw on. She returned with my ice tea, a water in a kids cup, and water for my grandfather. I asked politely again for the crayons and milk for my daughter. She was patiently waiting and I couldn’t find the waitress so I was able to locate some crayons at the hostess stand no big deal. At this point she returned to take our order, I asked again for the milk for her, said we were all set with the crayons and that I needed lemon and sugar for my ice tea.
We ordered a meatball paninni, sausage paninni, and kids burger for her. Two with fries, and mine with house made chips. It all sounded great and I was looking forward to our meal as it was past lunch time and we were all starving.
Now we are 20 minutes in, still no milk, but the sweetner had arrived. I was glad it did because she was past coloring and had moved on to organizing the sugar packets by color. Menus were still on the table, no big deal we put them on the booth to be picked up later.
My daughter’s milk finally arrives 25 minutes in, how do I know this you ask? I had texted my mother who was waiting for us at the retirement home when we sat down and let her know we should be there soon.
Now things are starting to get rough, I’ve got a hungry two year old and 86 year old, and we’ve been waiting 35 minutes for two sandwhiches and a kids burger. We finally flag down our server and ask again how our order is looking. She proceeds to tell us that the kitchen is very busy and there is a party of 25 in the other room and they are really backed up. My daughter asked to go for a walk and we went in a loop around the bar area. There were 15 people in there tops! A party of 15 and 3 tables in the dining room none of which had received their food.
After another check in and a couple more walks, our lunch finally arrived. 55 minutes after ordering, to make matters worse they forgot my grandfathers french fries. We gave him some of my daughters, and I cut up her cheeseburger to eat because the buns were completley scorched and inedible.
I asked for a side plate for my daughters food, and she never came back, another server brought one for us and she returned half way through us scarfing down our food when we no longer needed it.
No manager came over, no one actually apologized except for making excuses, and It was the first time in my life I considered leaving less than a 20% tip. I still did based on principle but the entire experience was absurd. I can’t review the meatball paninni because I ate it so fast I don’t remember what it tasted like. I do remember that the house made chips were wet and not crispy.
Unfortunately we will not be back, and were very late for our visit to see grandma.
*times in this review were not exaggerated, I texted my mother when we sat down for lunch.

So this is only based on a late evening snack and drinks with the boyfriend, but it was enough for an impression. It wasn’t busy around 9:30pm on a Friday night. We sat ourselves at the bar and got a couple mixed drinks: Jack and Coke and a Long Island Iced Tea. The bartender started working on them immediately and asked if we wanted menus. My boyfriend was there for the loaded tots having already reviewed the menu and I went with it. When it came out… I was actually really surprised. It wasn’t your standard chili cheese or nacho toppings. It was a really creamy/​melty cheese and shaved beef that was really moist and tasty. The topping was better than the cheesesteak I had in Philly! The tots were perfectly crispy. I was just really loving it (yes, I was sober, this wasn’t the drunchies talking). Oh, and the Long Island Iced Tea was perfect.
TJ’s wasn’t the loud and crowded impossibilities like West Hartford center (where I couldn’t even get a bar seat at a restaurant on a Thursday). It was the right setting for what I was looking for — good drinks and food and to have a decent conversation without straining my voice.

This place was awesome! Try the cheddar poblano pepper soup!

Great place.
Diverse menu and great food.
Friendly staff.
I would definitely recommend for lunch and or dinner.

Best place in the center of town hands down. Great food, great service, excellent management. Super friendly staff and welcoming environment. Would and do recommend everyone to this place every chance I get. Absolutely fabulous pizza. Let’s not forget about the fried pickles as an app amazing. Steak crostini were fantastic, not much of a fan of horseradish but I didn’t even taste it. All and all a great place for the boys or the girls night out, and a lovely place for the family to come enjoy themselves.

Nothing about TJ’s is bad, but nothing really stood out either. I’ve only been once, but it seemed very average all across the board.
They have a few entrees, salads, burgers, and some bar bites. The tater tots were average. I tried the burger between 2 grilled cheese sandwiches which was interesting in theory, but really nothing to write home about. It practically begged for a spicy sauce, or something to make it more memorable.
I’ll give them another try at some point — maybe I just haven’t found the sweet spot of the menu.

well, i enjoy this place more than vito’s, which used to be here.
i have only been here a few times, but from my experience the bar area is clean, the polish girl that works there is very nice (there might be more than one, bonus points), and the food is quality and fairly priced.
mozz bites, meatball panini, and grilled chicken tuscan panani were all great and i would order again.
update — have been back since, fried pickles very good, and this sliced steak appetizer thing also very good
*** only really non-​pleasant thing i have to say was all the kids/​babies that were allowed in the bar side of the restaurant. i go there so i dont have to be in the family atmosphere, or having to listen to crying/​screaming/​noise.
and it wasn’t just one family, multiple with children ages baby-​4ish. i definitely blame the family first, as they should know better and have respect for other patrons there.
i like the occasional f-​bomb, unfiltered talk. i dont want to have to feel guilty, watch what i say or some horrible parent eyeing me down because some little shithead is sitting next to me.

Mm! It’s friggin cold outside, and I’m not used to this weather since I’m road tripping from Southern California. The service is definitely warm and excellent. They are very friendly and the food is delicious! I’ll definitely come back here next time I’m in Connecticut. Hopefully, in warmer weather! Thanks for being great!

Mixed reviewed again tonight. The Cajun chicken wrap was bland both from the cajun perspective as well as the spicy mayo that should have been included. The hummus appetizer was a little weird — how do you dip feta and cut small tomatoes in hummus — there were no carrots? Why was there so much feta? Instead of pita they included baguette –no big deal there. Also the broccoli was not fresh today –the cut points were spotted and I cut them off.
Successes — the chowder was good as a substitute to fries and the pulled pork had a great flavor. Also, the bartender was attentive and friendly
Will try again to determine what Iill and what’s a miss. Always try to support the local businesses.

We travel for hockey a lot and often end up eating out more than I like. After a game, about 31 of us landed on these lovely people with10 minutes notice. I have to give them huge props for accommodating us at such short notice. Considering how invasive this must have been for them, the wait staff was efficient and gracious, the food came out fairly quickly and it was delicious. Most importantly, the food was fresh and super tastey. I ordered the spinach and strawberry salad. Fresh, yummy and the dressing was to die for. Others in my party ordered the Tuscan panini and the hummus and eggplant panini. They both enjoyed their meals and the sides were awesome (home made chips and fries).
I’m a stickler for a clean building and this place was spotless. In October, the place still looked brand new. The bathroom is past the kitchen and the kitchen looked very clean (there was a window through which I could see inside).
The owner has obviously put much thought into presentation. The sides come out in parchment lined little tin buckets. The drinks come in canning jars, they use cloth napkins and the place looked cosmopolitan with gray walls and dark tables. Dark wooden floors add a nice ambiance.
I could not have been happier to find this gem of a place after having eaten at other, less clean and not nearly as good places nearby. Very refreshing, clean and a wide menu to choose from. Loved it!

This place hasn’t been opened for long time. I had so many people saying good things about their food, so when my husband’s friend visited us from out of town, we went over to try this place. People weren’t lying at all! The food was great!!! My husband had Clam casino pizza, I had their mac & cheese, and our friend had their signature dish, filet madallion. All of them were really great!
We are def going back! And half off on appetizers during happy hour!

A big group us went in for Happy Hour on Friday. They had an Onyx Moonshine infusion going that was to die for… strawberry and lemon! By the end of the night, we polished off whatever they had of it… seriously tasty. The glasses of wine were oddly expensive for the type of restaurant it is ($ 11 – 15), so I would probably steer clear of them.
We ordered fried pickles, nachos, red pepper hummus, and wings for apps. The pickles were yummy, but the rest of the appetizers were just okay. The red pepper hummus was clearly homemade, but it didn’t look or taste like hummus. The nachos were lacking. I didn’t try to wings, so I can’t comment on them.
The staff was definitely attentive, but settling the check was probably the most confusing restaurant experience I’ve had. They tried to sort out the items that each guest ordered, but it turned into a fiasco and no one could figure out what was what.
I’ll give their food another try and will definitely be back for drinks!

I really wanted this to be a good experience because there is nothing Newington needs more than a place to enjoy a good meal and downtown views. Little did I know that I would have, only the greatest burger I have ever put in my mouth!
Now that I got that out of the way…
You might know this location as the old Vito’s in downtown Newington. I was happy to see that they made some upgrades to the location. There is definitely a fresh and lively feel inside which is refreshing.
The restaurant has only been open for 3 weeks but the place was packed, when we went, and according to the bartender, was one of their slower nights. What was nice was the fact that not only did it not feel over crowded, but the staff easily handled the work load.
We chose to sit at the bar while we waited for seating outside. The bar is first come seating which is great. I was also pleased to see that they had a solid list of wines available. This is a big deal for me being a wine-​o and TJs not being a wine bar.
We figured we would get the calamari app while we waited. TJs does calamari right. The right amount of batter, slices of jalapeños, and two sauces. A marinara sauce and a spicy mayo (?) based sauce. Just to nit pic, I wish it came with lemon wedges, but I can be snooty.
After a reasonable wait we were seated outside. Unfortunately, mid-​May can still be a bit chilly, but totally worth it. I really enjoyed being able to sit outside in downtown Newington. Know that there is not a lot of seating so if outside is a make or break deal, you may be out of luck.
Now the most impressive part of the experience, the Bourbon Bleu burger. I have done my share of travel and I have enjoyed burgers from all over the country. I have eaten at Louis Lunch, home of the burger, I have had fancy pants Kobe beef burgers, I have even had the fully loaded Port of Call burger in New Orleans. This burger however, is the #1 best burger that I have ever had. Could the chef have had the best night of their life cooking? Yes. All I know was it took me about 2 – 3 minutes to take my second bite. I just didn’t want the first one to end. That and I couldn’t stop myself from saying wow. Never would I think that Newington CT would be home to a burger that would top my all time favorites list, but boy am I happy that it is.
I am sure that I will be seeing a lot of this place in my future. I truly hope it keeps living up to the bar it has set.

In the heart of town across from Carvel lies TJ’s Bar and Grill. I came upon this little Gem while searching for a quick Lunch spot.
The outdoor seating was inviting unfortunately it’s still a bit cold to enjoy.
Upon entering it’s obvious that this Grill is farely new with fresh paint and undamaged seating. The Bar is to the right and you will find about 10 booths comfortably seating 4 and a larger booth in the back.
In a slight rush I ordered the Bourbon Street Salad accompanied by chopped bacon, red pepper and sliced tomatoes along with a boiled egg and spiced pecans with a side of blue cheese and 3 generous sirloin tips. It was delish.
The menu Consist of starters like fried pickles steak crostini among favorites like fried mozzarella and calamari etc. Soup wraps and sandwiches among the lunch special. A good selection of pizza, calm casino and chicken gorgonzola stood out the most, call ones and entrees. I was told the Honey Pepper is the most popular.
Basic list of red white and cocktails. I didn’t have a chance to try. but you know. it’s not 6 o’clock yet so perhaps I need to pay this place another visit :)
Service was prompt and friendly, looking forward to coming by for dinner.