J’s Restaurant and British Pub

Erin and I headed here after my younger cousin’s wedding reception at Seagle’s a few blocks away. J’s is definitely a dive, but in its own unique way. Any time you have a table tennis setup, you will get a thumbs-​up from me! There was a kickass sleeper chair that the bartender admitted to having nodded off in while on duty. There was a projection screen (I think) showing football, which made me wonder how full this place may get for sports viewing. There was a fire pit outside with ample seating… watch out for wet seat cushions after a recent rain though. There’s also a path leading out back to an outdoor live band stage, but no one was playing. Oh, and Guinness was on draft… ding ding ding! I’d love to see this place during a busy time to see what it’s capable of… just wish smoking wasn’t inside.

We only dropped in here for a drink, so I can’t tell you what the food is like. But J’s did have a few English specialties on the menu such as fish and chips, bacon butties, Welsh rarebit, pickled eggs, and London hot dogs (sausages), as well as Guinness and Boddington on tap.
The place is clean and nicely decorated with British memorabilia. They also have electronic gaming machines, Keno tickets, and even a beer pong table. We were here in the early afternoon so it wasn’t busy, but apparently they have live music and DJs on certain nights. I bet the place hops on weekends.
Apparently the former owner was actually from England, but it’s now run by his son and daughter. The son was bartending the day we were there (he’s lost his English accent from years of living here), and he was so friendly we stayed for a second round, even though the smoke was starting to get to me.
J’s seems like a great neighborhood hangout. We’ll definitely stop by again the next time we’re in the area.