Stopped in yesterday for the first time to check this place out. Â Wanted to find out what kind of atmosphere and what they were offering for St. Patty's day. Â Sat at the bar and I beleive his name was Brian, the bartender did acknowledge us and even offered a taste of a beer I was asking about. Â We ordered our drinks and were served and that was the last we saw of him. Â He was very engaged in a conversation with his mother, catching up on what's going on and not at all interested in the other patrons at the bar. Another couple came in and were waiting to be served and he finally waited on them. Â His mother and father left and then friends of his came in and he waited on them immediately and engaged in conversation with them and shared that he was hungover from the prior evening. My husband sat with an empty beer and was never asked if he wanted another, or snacks, or food. Â I finished my beer and we knew that it was time to go. Â We're from MN and there are great Irish pubs there that welcome you whether it's your first or fiftieth time there. Brian's message was very clear, they have enough regulars to support business and do not need new people to join in. Â Very disappointed.
Review Source:I am surprised and encouraged by the number of positive reviews of PJ's on Yelp. Â I will give it another shot. Â But this review is based on the handful of visits I've made since moving to the area, and those have been shabby at best. Â The other reviewers are right that this is a quintessential little Irish pub, and that's great for decor. Â But it stinks for comfort -- the place is way too cramped, especially the bar area. Â (Why not knock down that dividing wall up front and open up the bar area ? Â You wouldn't even have to lose many tables to do it. Â Sorry -- just my inner Robert Irvine). Â
The food and drinks are fine -- whatever, a burger is a burger, a beer is a beer (though I agree with a few of the other reviewers that it is sacreligious for an Irish pub to fail the test of properly pouring a Guinness). Â
The really disappointing thing about this place is the vibe . . . that sounds really stupid and vague, I know. Â But this is an unmistakably unwelcoming place if you aren't a regular or a local. Â It's often tough to get a seat at the bar, so you are relegated to a table in the back even if you came in to socialize. Â And, even when you do get a seat at the bar, the other patrons and bartenders and generally uninterested in new people. Â The thing is, you can't become a regular if you are always treated like crap for not being a regular . . . Â
Given the generally positive reviews of this place, I am going to try again (and maybe again after that), but PJ's has a hill to climb with me: Â there nothing that is so special about this place to make it worth the unwelcoming atmosphere.
This place is simply great. Â It's definitely my favorite place in Westwood to get some good food and a few cocktails. Â The food is very good and tastes amazing. Â The sliced steak sandwich with the mustard sauce is unreal! Â You have to give it a shot, I think it may even be mandatory to some degree. Â
Inside, the bar area is not very big and it is usually full, but it is worth the wait for a seat. Â I have never waited for more than one drink to get a seat at the bar. Â Speaking of the bar, it is a very nice, old school wooden bar, it just looks and feels right, just like the rest of the place. Â
The bartenders do a great job of keeping everyone satiated. Â These are not some 20-something year old punks that would rather be texting their bros or some babe. Â These guys do a job, and they do it well.
Give this place a shot, but just don't do it on a night when I am heading down, I don't want to have to wait for you to leave so I can grab a seat at the bar. Â Just kidding, well only a little bit.
The help was friendly but screwed up our order and forgot to bring the soup; the server did not offer to keep the entree hot while we waited for the soup.  The crab cakes had the consistency of hockey pucks -- clearly straight out of the freezer bag.  Ditto the french fries with my fish and chips.  I'm English; fish and chips is mother's milk to me, so I'm a hard marker but you don't have to be a food critic to identify  This  dense and flavorless batter on who-knows-what-kind of fish. I reserve judgment on the decor.  Really, this is a matter of taste and many people seem to like it.  I found it cluttered and overbearing.  I would not go back.
Review Source:You may think style of a local restaurant sporting banners of local school is exclusive to chains like Applebees and such, but PJ Finnegan's creates that local home atmosphere without the stamp of a chain restaurant.
All of the food items are pretty good and I loved the Dublin steak sandwich. Â Pair that with a draft of Palm and you have a great meal.
If you want a casual dinner in a friendly spot, don't overlook PJ Finnegan's.
I love Finnegan's. Â I've been going there for almost 20 years, and every time I wonder to myself why I don't go more often. Â They have a large menu of fairly standard and traditional pup food, with some "standard American" stuff too. Â It is usually crowded in there, the kitchen does and consistently good job, and the bar - although it is small - is nice too (and usually crowded). Â This is one of Westwood's top choices.
Review Source:This is the quintessential neighborhood bar. Â Great pub food and a strong selection of Irish beers makes this a great night out. Â The atmosphere is eclectic, but not forced (the decorations range from college pennants to Irish wall art, but it isn't contrived like some major chains). Â The snacks at the bar are semi-addictive, but the menu is standard pub food with a few Irish specialties.
Review Source:I've only been here in the afternoon for lunch or a beer while waiting on a friend. Fell in love with their chicken sandwich that's on the lunch menu... dissappointed when I tried ordering it late one afternoon because it's not on the dinner menu. The atmosphere is great - really a pefect Saturday/Sunday lunch spot.
Review Source:Thank you fellow Yelpers for your recommendations. Found this little gem because of you.
Cute and cozy are definitely the two words that best describe this authentic Irish pub. PJ Finnegan's consists of three small rooms. The entry room with the main bar, and then a dining room to the left and another small dining room in the back. Homey (not homely) is the best way to describe the decor. It's a really comfortable, at home kind of vibe with old paintings hanging on exposed brick walls, shelves of books in the small hallway, old college pennants hanging over the bar area. It reminded me of the pubs that I used to go to when I lived in the UK, but at the same time also the literary pubs that I've been to. You feel like you want to grab a drink, a table, a notebook and a pen the write the next great novel. Maybe because the place has a certain Dickensian (as in Charles Dickens) feel to it. My friend said it felt more like Manhattan than NJ.
We arrived at 8pm on a Saturday and had to wait about 20 minutes for a table. I noticed that when we left about 2 hours later, there were half as may people as when we arrived. I made a mental note that it might be better to come back a little later and only for drinks.
Their signature dish, the Red Reuben, is definitely very good. Basically, it's a typical reuben sandwich but with red cabbage instead of sauerkraut. And it's not open faced. Two slices of bread. Served in a basket on top of a pile of potato chips. I don't understand why they would serve their signature dish like that as it's kind of anti-climactic. Chips are kind of degrading to the sandwich and putting it in a basket doesn't really give it a chance to shine as it would on a nice white plate. It's also kind of hard to eat that way as there is nowhere to put the sandwich so you can access your chips. PJ's if you're reading this, please rethink your presentation.
I had the crab cakes which were served with french fries, tartar sauce, and cole slaw. The cole slaw was kind of a throwaway in a little paper cup. Kinda tasted like the Sally Sherman food service cole slaw that cafeterias get in large plastic tubs. Same taste and consistency. The crab cakes looked like dark fried hockey pucks. Definitely deep fried, but quoting another reviewer "crispy on the outside; steamy hot and moist on the inside!" Â They were better than I thought they would be, however, I really didn't see or taste any crab. So overall, they were disappointing. (I like my crab cakes light and flaky with chunks of crab.) Fries were good.
This place has a good location in kind of a higher end area. The crowd is middle and upper middle class, seemed like mostly folks from the Westwood area. With a little improvement in the kitchen, this place could easily go from pub to gastro-pub serving culinary delights in a cute and cozy atmosphere. Then it would be 5 star worthy. Right now, it's your typical pub fare, so they lose a star because of the food.
Staff was very nice, friendly, and attentive.
PJ Finnegan's looks like it has potential. Â Unfortunately, I wasn't given an opportunity to experience it. Â
My boyfriend and I had traveled by bus and train from Boston to New Jersey to attend a funeral. Â It had been a long few days and we decided that a couple of drinks would soothe our souls. Â It being 11:30 pm, and considering the complete lack of watering holes in the neighborhood, my boyfriend insisted upon PJ's. Â So we went.
We checked the business hours before leaving the house. Â Having grown up in Westwood, my boyfriend knew that our options were slim. Â Being from Boston, I knew the moment I walked through the doors that this bar and I were going to get along; antique books lined cluttered walls covered in framed photographs of famous moments in sports history and a portrait of Samuel Beckett. Â The place was small and cozy and there were about 7 other people sharing the space.
As soon as our asses hit the bar stools, we were informed that it was last call. Â "Hm", I thought to myself, "I DID think it was awfully bright in here."
Clumsily reaching for our phones to check the time (I have been wrong before) I mention gently that the hours online said the bar was open until 2am.
"I'm not staying open for a few customers."
Oh. Â Alright then.
(This coming after a locked door at Goldberg's bagels earlier in the afternoon and me complaining about businesses that don't keep the hours they post. Â It drives me CRAZY.)
My boy ordered a Guinness. Â I'm sorry, but I am from the land of "Irish" pubs and while I now understand that the bartender wanted to go home, the glass made it from tap to bartop in 15 seconds. Â Anyone who has ever ordered a Guinness before knows that it takes a good 2 minutes to pour it properly. Â
I ordered a Smithwicks.
The German girl and her boyfriend who was drinking water by the gallon were offered another round. Â When we tried getting our bartender's attention, he diverted his attention to the rubber floor mats and disappeared out back, never to be seen again.
So much for that. Â Thank god I live in Boston where bars stay open as late as the city will allow them and realize that without customers, you have no business. Â If you keep your hours, patrons will follow. Â I'm not going to go out of my way to hit up a bar that closes when it feels like it. Â No wonder the place was empty.
Sorry, PJ's, but Lou's is where we spent our money and where we'll be doing it when we want last call in the future.
Stopped in Saturday afternoon with some friends after a disappointing meal at the Iron Horse. They were all very excited about the bar having Palm on tap, and while a decent beer, Palm isn't really anything special to me. None the less I ordered one as well and I must say it was the best tasting Palm I've ever had. This place certainly takes good care of their lines and keeps them very clean.
Overall a great Irish pub (and a nice feeling Irish pub, not like it's trying harder than hard to come off Irish or overly authentic) just off the main drag in Westwood. They pour a great Guinness, have friendly bartenders, snacks on the bartops. Can see it getting pretty crowded later on, but so it goes, it IS a bar afterall. I've yet to have the food but I hear good things. I'll haveta try that sometime soon. Cheers!
I love this place! I never eat here, but I come here for a drink with friends sometimes. Everyone is polite and they make good drinks. Mostly I love the feel of the place. It's cozy and cluttered, which I like. Tons of college pendants and stuff from the town on the walls. It feels like home and I guess that's why I like it so much.
Review Source:Warm, friendly, cozy, exquisitely cluttered, and always surprisingly entertaining. Â I went here for my first drink at midnight when I turned 21, then somehow never made it back for many years. Â I've been to a lot of bars since then, and now PJ Finnegan's is about my speed. Â
There's always a bartender giving someone a good-natured hard time, and there are always bowls of snack food on the bar. Â And it's small enough that you're bound to just about be in the middle of someone's conversation, which fosters talk between strangers, a very good quality. Â There are often teachers in here talking about the ins and outs of teaching life after a long day, which always cracks me up.
I second the Reuben recommendation -- I think of them often. Â Some years back I had a very nice bowl of onion soup here as well. Â There seem to be some intriguing specials on the board, but I haven't taken the time to try them.
I remember when PJ Finnegan's opened, so it still feels like a johnny-come-lately to me. Â But that was 30 years ago now, so I guess you could say they've got a good thing going. Â I am glad I finally ventured back to find out why.
This requires repeating: RED RUBIN. No questions asked, my favorite meal. If you are PMSing and need salt, fat, carbs and just a stick to your ribs meal, order the RED RUBIN. PJ always has a beer special or wine of the month to chill with. Cool vibe, no rush pub atmosphere. Yum yum PJs!
Review Source:I've always remembered this place for it's tasty chicken fingers.. and also how small it is. It's pretty much a closet. There's a pretty good chance that you'll be standing up to get a drink. They do have a pretty good beer selection and everything's at normal prices. It's worth a shot to check out.
Review Source:
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