J. Alexander’s Restaurant

If you want to freeze to death and eat your dinner in three minutes and possibly even lose your car in the valet area visit J Alexanders. We are not old people but we were rushed through like cattle in a booth. I totally forgot how bad it was last year but I will not forget again. The valet parker left the stand on attended someone could’ve stolen keys and gotten cars right out of the lot. The waitress never asked how to cook the food so the salmon was raw.

I’ve been her about 4 times now, and my lunch yesterday left a lot to be desired. Drove quite a distance to go there. Waited an awkward amount of time for a person to seat us while the hostess stood there. The food was SO average and swimming in butter & oil. I like to eat clean, fillet of fish and a vegetable hence my choice to go there. What a waste. It gets one more chance then it gets scratched for me.

This is one instance where the service was the star of the show. More on that in a second. The menu was a bit pricey, however extremely fair when compared to its nearby competitors. Our orders came out promptly. When one of our steaks was overcooked, Taylor and her staff literally bent over backwards to accommodate us for the remainder of the dinner. We left there (almost) feeling guilty! All in all a very enjoyable dining experience for a fair price.

I dine at J Alexanders frequently but won’t be back for a while after this weeks experience. Had a waitress that just didn’t care. My friend and i odered unsweetened tea. We asked for splenda because there was only 1 left in the seeetener bowl. She came back and tossed about a dozen on the table, leaving the empty packet and lemons on the table. I always order the Asian tuna salad. When it arrived she hadn’t yet removed our apperizer or plates and kind of just shoved them around. This week the lettuce had brown spots all over it. Couldn’t tell our waitress because she never returned until the meal was over. I ate the tuna but the lettuce was disgusting. She asked me if i wanted it wrapped and i said ‘why would i wrap wilted lettuce?’ she shrugged and walked away. Maybe it’s me but I’m expect better service when lunch for 2 is over $ 60 before tip.

Soup, salad and a sandwich were all good. What they do, they do well. Always consistent in their presentation and food quality. Service is always the wildcard and on this visit it was cool and rather unengaging. Not rude or arrogant, just perfunctory.

If you are looking for good food at a good price then this is the place. Very similar to Houstons/​Hillstone with a bit more toned down prices. Service was very good (tx Riley) and the food was too. Get the crab cakes as they were some of the best we’ve had recently. Very relaxed dining in a nice atmosphere.

Another year has come and gone (sigh.) We rang out 2015 at J. Alexander’s in Palm Beach Garden’s Mid-​Town on New Year’s Eve. I had made a reservation through Open Table about 2-​weeks in advance. Don’t ya know, I got a call from the restaurant on New Year’s Eve to reconfirm my reservation. I really don’t particularly care for that practice and my doctor, dentist and golf course starters tend to the same thing. I suppose that we now live in a non-​committal society. If something were to have developed at the last minute, I would have the good decency to call the restaurant and inform them, or make a cancellation via Open Table. Regardless, I re-​confirmed our dinner reservation with Bekka.
I love the atmosphere and food here. Also, it is clean throughout which makes me feel even better. We arrived a little early to have a drink in the back bar and recap some of the events of the year. Around 8:00, a hostess came to get us. A perfect start. I have ordered the prime rib before and it has always been very good. A since it was the end of the year, I ordered «the Flintstones» portion along with another glass of Cabernet Sauvignon! Our waitress took our dinner and drink orders… and that was about the last time that we saw her. No kidding. I got up twice to go to the back bar for some glasses of water. I flagged down a busser to place an «APB» for our waitress. To this young man’s full credit he asked what we needed and offered to help. When we completed our dinners (which were fantastic,) we placed our plates to the side where they were promptly picked-​up. And there we sat for another 10-​minutes before our waitress asked if everything was OK. When I asked where she went for 45-​minutes, she replied that she was waiting in line at the front bar getting drink orders and that «they were kind of busy.» Anyone could plainly see that the restaurant was exceptionally busy. I am a patient person, but it was obvious that other tables were getting their drink orders without delay, so I am a little suspicious of the genuineness of her answer. I also noted that when I returned to the back bar to get the glasses of water, no ice was included. The same bartender that waited on us less than an hour before indicated that she would have to go up to the front bar for ice. Huh? I noticed that each of the four patrons seated at the back bar counter had cocktails with ice in their glasses. No bar-​backs on a busy night? That just does not sound right.
Let me bring my experience to a conclusion. The reservations were honored at the correct time, and the food was delicious. Both are huge positives. It was as good of a meal that I have had in a long time. However, the service was the absolute worst that I have ever experienced at a restaurant of this caliber. I am not sure if it was really under-​staffing as our waitress and back bartender indicated, or if that was just their way of saying «oh yeah, so what?» That leaves me with a rather qualified opinion. For food quality and cleanliness, I would rate J Alexander’s at a solid 5-​stars. For service and maybe the possibility of bad attitude during a busy holiday evening, zero-​stars. If in fact it was just an unexpected «tsunami of people» without reservations then my message to the management is to schedule more staff during major holidays, if only for the peak dining times. Having a full house during New Year’s Eve is 100% predictable. If there were an adequate number of waitstaff and bartenders on duty, then I humbly apologize to the management for my suggestion.
I would still recommend J Alexander’s for food quality, and will likely return after the winter season ends. I am in no hurry to return to another self-​serve restaurant during busy evenings.

We have missed J Alexander’s & were so delighted to have such a perfect dinner! We started with the calamari, which is the best anywhere;, haddock $ swordfish specials were perfect. & completed our dinner with the best carrot cake on earth & cappuccinos! Service was best we have ever had there! My favorite is the Steak Maui but I will always order the swordfish& smashed potatoes when it’s on the menu! A special place to dine, don’t miss it!

The best damn club anywhere. Rich with meat and all is fresh. Second time partaking in this delicious sandwich. Oh, and don’t forget they serve these fries that are quite addictive! Wow!
So the next time you enter J Alexander’s get the country club sandwich.

Almost exact opposite of Seasons 52 where we ate the night before. Not as glitz as S-​52 but wait staff and receptionists were much better dressed. They were courteous, efficient and warm. They made us feel we were very welcome there. Waiter listened intently. Our food was prepared individually from fresh ingredients. I told our waiter, Riley, I was recovering from some medically issues. My order came exactly as I specified, no surprise there. The waitress at S-​52 did not give me that option. I had to order what was on the menu at S-​52. The surprise was the waiter wished me well and a speedy recovery when we left. All four of us had different dishes and were all happy. Next time we are in town we will be here.

Lipstick on a pig. Another overpriced venue lacking quality.
They offer valet, the interior is classic dark with white tablecloths, servers all decked in black. Signs of a high end restaurant. The prices do scream «I’m so fancy»! Personally that is not the issue. Back up the numbers with the food.
Party of seven we were. Bread did not arrive unless we asked. Our waters were not filled often enough and they did not follow instructions when they served our drinks.
We ordered the Calamari and Mexico City Spinach con Queso to start. Nothing special. The calamari was oily and not crispy. The chips should be homemade but they are not.
My dish was the Steak Burger which I requested to be served medium rare but was told the patty falls apart at that temperature… which means the patty is too thin… Or not molded properly. I still ordered it. I was also told it is served on a French baguette… to make the sandwich look taller by piling on thick bread. Still ordered it…*sigh*
Tue server recommended the Not Your Ordinary Mac and Cheese for my side. By the way, sides are A la carte. Nothing but a lonely sandwich on your plate if you do not order a side at an additional cost. The entrée was costly enough. They can at least serve with a garnish so to trick our minds into thinking there is more to the dish.
My burger was overpowered by the baguette. The patty was small. The mac and cheese was tasty. Too rich and creamy but definitely worth the taste.
For dessert we ordered the Key Lime
Pie and Carrot Cake. The pie was excellent. Tart and extra fluffy cream with a crunchy crust. I feel like he cake was microwaved to make it warm… unimpressive. They do serve a large piece enough for sharing.
If you skip this place, you are not missing anything.

Delicious food… Very organized staff & friendly waiters. We had the spinach & cheese dip which was amazing — comes with a side of tomatoes chopped up & has slight taste of jalapeño that gives it just the right flavor. The filet mignon was awesome, taste texture & quality of meat, the only down side was the chocolate molten cake — was to gooey for us & we returned it but all in all great dinner & wine selection… will be back soon.

Great spot for a business lunch. It is a little pricey but very good. I had the Ahi Tuna Salad. For the $ 19 price tag you think they would give you a little more of that incredible tuna, but nooooooo!
Seriously it is a wonderful venue and the staff are extremely professional and good. Easily could have been 5 starts, but again a little pricey for what you get.
I will be back!

Worst restaurant experience… Ordered the ribeye steak medium rare and the stake came out closer to medium well. I asked the server to take the plate as the steak wasn’t cooked well and the manger came back with the same plate explaining the steak was cooked right and wasn’t red because of the marinade (this was just the topping). The manager was so rude even the server Stephen came to apologize.

Stopped in for happy hour with a group of friends last night after work. It was a bit stormy outside, but we decided to sit out on the patio because we needed the extra space for everyone. The appetizers and drinks started filling the table and we all enjoyed the evening. I had a taste of the burger and the chicken fingers-​nothing overly impressive but tasted pretty good. I ordered a pomegranate martini, and although the serving size was decent for the price, the taste wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for. I’m spoiled by the pomegranate martini at Ruth’s Chris, and just nothing I’ve ever tasted around here can compare.

Ok so I have a lot of good things to say about this place (yummy food, great servers, nice fancy place) BUT that’s the boring part. Let’s talk about what bugged me:
I couldn’t see what I was eating. It was so freakin dark in there that I was really getting upset that despite how good the food was, I didn’t get to see much of it. It was all eaten on faith. I was ready at one point to just take out my iPhone and use it as a damn flashlight. It just creams my corn how some fancy places leave you in such darkness. I love food and would love to see the color of my steak! The one I’m paying $ 45 for!
Second: the noise. There were quite a few of us and it was so loud there that I had a hard time having a conversation with someone not sitting directly next to me. Honestly! So frustrating. The place was packed and at many of the tables I noticed people were literally shouting things at each other. Kind of took the specialness out of the event. Couldn’t enjoy myself as much as I would have liked.

J. Alexander’s has been a pretty solid Palm Beach Gardens staple for me for a long time. The food is American, which means I don’t really have to think about it that much.
I’ve had a variety of dishes here over the years. Their vegetables are always really delicious — seasoned just perfectly. Their couscous is out of this world.
In appetizers, some solid choices are the spinach dip and the queso. I’ve also gotten the onion rings and the artichokes. The artichokes aren’t really meaty but are seasoned really well so they have a lot of flavor.
The onion rings are quite possibly some of the largest I have ever seen in person so be prepared if you order them. It’s not a Burger King-​sized portion.
On a recent trip to J. Alexander’s, I decided to branch out and try the ahi tuna steak. The seasonal vegetable was a red cabbage and the meal also came with some tomatoes.
I have to admit, I was pretty surprised by the quality of the steak and the sides. They were all actually very good! The wasabi mayo was perfect with the rare tuna and the red cabbage was to die for. Seriously, I’m still thinking about it a few days later.
One thing I will note about the meat is that it does tend to be a little tough if you order a steak. This doesn’t seem to be a problem with the French dip sandwich, though.
Service can really be a hit or miss. The last time I was there our server basically rushed us through everything. She asked if we wanted appetizers way too quickly IMO — literally as we sat down and before we even really had a chance to look at the menu.
Definitely some consistent food and a good choice if you’re looking for something a little bit more upscale but not too fancy.

One of the more reliable places for a quick meal on the very busy PGA strip. The room is dark and woody with an upscale feel, but the menu reads more like Friday’s or Houston’s.
Prices are moderate and the selection is very varied. Always seems to be busy with lots of happy people. If you don’t expect an intimate, fine-​dining experience, you won’t be disappointed.

I walked in here and was immediately biased to give it a good review. I really liked the layout, the servers, and SMELL. It smelled so tasty. It reminded me of the up-​scale chain restaurant Houston’s
I wish I had posted their Buttermilk Onion Ring appetizer picture, but I never took one. It looked really cool.
So, the onion rings were huge, and they came with both a spicy mayo and a side of ketchup. I really liked it, however as I continued to eat it, and without any of the dipping sauces, I realized that the onion rings had a little too much heat on them. Now, I like hot stuff, but the breading of an onion ring should not be spicy, and it was, it was weird, but I still would give the rings a 3.5
My SIL got the Prime Rib and mac and cheese, which she liked, however, she said she didn’t really know it was Prime Rib until she put the plate under the light, it’s as if she had to tell her mind that what she was eating was Prime Rib. She gives it 3 stars.
My wife got the crab cakes and they did a good job on it, very little filler, but there was still something about, given how much crab they used that I felt they could have done more to make it fresh. I would give it a 3, the wife gives them a 4.
Now, for my Salmon sandwich and my wife’s uncle’s Burger… Both of them were dry. AND, he got his steak burger medium rare (pink inside) and he said it was still dry. My Salmon was certainly dry and there wasn’t enough dressing on the bun of my Salmon sandwich.
Another complaint about the burger is the bun. This is a nice place and the bun was so lame (pictures say 1000 words).
Last issue I had was with their fries. I understand that the fries were/​are shoestring fries, but it tasted like I was eating fried food and not fried potato. I wish there was more taste of the potato in the fries than just oil.

I had gotten in touch with a college girl– friend of mine from NYU and she wanted to see me really bad– so we flew her down and she stayed with me, as she was only going to be visiting for about two days.
When looking at the nearby places to eat, she told me that she had stumbled upon a place called J. Alexanders online, and saw their menu had Vegan Burgers and while on her laptop looking over the menu, we both noticed a Unilocal review that offered a photo, of what appeared to be … get this… «Bubbles and Squeaks». Now, most people that I’ve told about Bubbles and Squeaks, have not the foggiest idea about what I’m referring to.
Bubbles and Squeaks: It’s originally and English (and later the Irish fell in love with it) dish, that my mother would make me when I was a little girl. The dish made me happy and giddy and she knew if it was served to me, that I would actually sit still long enough at the dinner table to eat before rushing off to dance practice. The dish is really complicated, but I’ll break it down into the very simple American version really. It’s smashed potatoes made with an exotic french cheese, corn nibblet’s and peas or carrots. This is also mixed in a vegetable stock broth and then baked. There is also a touch of garlic and white wine in there but I’m not sure where.
My girlfriend called J. Alexanders immediately (remembering how good it was when I introduced it to her) and asked them if the photo on Unilocal was indeed ‘Bubbles and Squeaks”. They said no, but we went anyway, and once we got there we gushed all over our poor waitress about this dish, to the point where we must have seemed excited and annoying.
The great thing is, that this waitress said she could work with the kitchen and make us a J. Alexanders version of our desired dish. We then both got even more excited and said really??? (we were clapping like little 7 year old school girls)
What resulted is our new ‘smashed’ potatoes with a little creative help from the chef in the back. They really went over the top for us, and we are forever thankful.
The Vegan Burger is really delicious, but what I got more excited about were the ‘smashed’ potatoes. They were delicious and I will be back for more…