BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse

Great selection. Good mix of house brew and beers from other breweries on tap.

We did not have any food during our visit.

Nice place with their chain beers (which are good) and many solid guest taps. Has the vibe of an of an Uno's or Iron Hill, not bad not great. Beers and food are good and service was above average. Recommended.

BJ's just recently opened in a brand new shopping area in West Allentown. We went to a BJ's one time on a trip to Texas so decided to give this location a try. Any business travelers coming to the area, there are several hotels close by so you may want to consider staying in that part of town and check this establishment out. Business seems to be steady every time I drive by, the parking lot is always pretty full.

The interior has a pretty cool feel and mixes some industrial style together with contemporary design for a pretty cool feel. Three large TV's behind the bar with sports (what bar doesn't these days?) What impressed me most was their collection of bourbon which also included Elijah Craig and Buffalo Trace. (I know, this is BeerAdvocate ... 'jess sayin'!)

What's cool about this place is they had (when we were there), 41 taps, I never checked on a bottle list so I can't speak for that. The selection was good in several styles including their own trademarked beers. 4 mild pale lagers, 3 mild pale ales, 2 wheats, 6 amber beers, 6 pales ales and IPA's, 3 seasonals, 3 porters and stouts, 3 ciders, 1 framboise, and 9 local beers. Most notable in the selection: DFH 60 Minute, Troegs Perpetual, Weyerbacher Merry Monk's, Saucony Creek Hop Suplex, Fegleys Hop'solutely Triple IPA, Vicvtory Golden Monkey, Green Flash Soul Style IPA, Stone Arrogant Bastard, and an assortment of "yellow fizzy stuff". I decided to give their Tatonka Imperial Stout a try and it was very solid. It's very cool they are pulling taps from local breweries and was very glad to see that.

Ordered a Mahi Salad and it was excellent, the food menu is huge and if you can't find something interesting then something's wrong! Great selection. Between the two of us, for an appetizer, salad, a shot of Buffalo Trace, and four beers, the total bill was around $65 without the tip. Excellent selection of food and it came out pretty quick!

The one thing that needs work is the service. We sat at the bar, two bartenders, and with half the seats empty, it took a good 5-10 minutes before we were waited on after arrival. (They were even serving the three guys sitting next to us ... felt invisible!) My salad was served without any silverware so I had to sit for several more minutes just to get that and only because I had to ask - I can be caveman-like but wasn't in the mood to eat with my fingers this time around. Our empty beer glasses sat for a period of time (possibly 5 minutes?) before being asked for a refill. We got there around 9:30 and it wasn't that busy and the place was gradually clearing out and only a handful of us were sitting at the bar, with two bartenders. (Maybe eight people total?) It was our first visit and walked away annoyed because it was pretty obvious the bartenders were much more focused on getting things cleaned up and getting out of there as soon as possible.) I only gave them a two for service and that's pretty generous, perhaps it was just a bad night? We've had several friends go there already with no complaints at all so this was probably an isolated incident. We may give them another try but not anytime soon.

If you sit at the bar, Just bring a neon sign with flashing lights so you'll get their attention. That being said, only my experience ... stuff happens. I would still recommend giving it a try and draw your own conclusion if you're in the area.

I like the vibe of the place, it's moderately fancy looking but you don't have to dress formal to be there. The service has been good the couple times I've been there. The selection is decent, but nothing crazy. The food is enjoyable too. Not a bad place to check out if you're nearby.