For those who love dive bars, this is your place. I was here on business and the reaction from a couple of locals was the same: dive bar in every sense of the word. With that being said, I loved this place. We went on a wednesday night around 11 and it was pretty dead but we got drinks fast and they wee pretty good.
They have one of those buck hunting arcade games and a touch screen juke box on the wall along with knick-knacks and silly stuff all over the place. The bartender was friendly and the people in the bar were pretty chill.
Horrible and unfriendly. I generally don't trash local businesses and always try to support them but in this case I'll make an exception.
This place is nothing more than a glorified Gin Mill and local dive bar that caters to a local crowd.
The food is pretentious, inedible and over priced, the beer selection is minimum and packaged goods are outrageously priced.
Avoid at all cost, there are 4 local bar restaurants within walking distance, you'd be better off spending your time and hard earned cash at anyone of them.
Shakey Jake's: Â A real-world "Dalton's" [see Dalton's Columbia Inn review for joke]
Preparing for the loss of being so close to such a wonderful establishment (Dalton's Columbia Inn), I felt it necessary to recapture the general feeling of Dalton's, in the town I'll be living in, with another Yelper, my WTB (wife-to-be for those who've not read any of my previous reviews- AND YOU SHOULD). Â While waiting for her to arrive from where she works, I made my way over to SJ's. Â
I've read all the other reviews, hers included. Â But I was there a few hours prior to her, and took more time to take things in.
What I really like about the place is that, though divey (and yes, the lavs are... well...) it's quiet, cleanish, and not too far removed from Dalton's. Â And yes, I'll make more comparisons, and will do so fairly. Â
Thier menu is simple and small. Â Their cajun clams are very tasty and the bread they supply is 100% necessary to suck up every last drop of the broth left behind in the bowl in which the clams are served. Â The pub menu looked tasty, and I may work my way through every item, one night at a time.
Nancy could easily fit in with the staff in Columbia. Â Attentive, friendly, helpful in finding you a good beer and making food recs. Â Sadly, it would be quite confusing, as a Nancy already works at Dalton's. Â
Tap choices were ordinary, and included Stella, which I appreciated seeing. Â I wager there are better thinfs in bottles in the cooler, but I did not ask, as I wanted to test the draught lines first. Â She let me sample something, to see if I actually liked it. Â I did not (Mich Amber). Â However, I saw plaques touting Chimay and Sam Smith, so I figured it's under there somewhere.
The buffalo burger (meat- not style) came out "medium" even though I asked for "still screaming from slaughterhouse" rare. Â I ate it nonetheless, I was hungry. Â I'll know not to order that again. Â fries were coated, hot, and tasty. Â
As for music and sights- classic rock piped in (or should I say beamed in) through XM station. Â And yes, there is a dart board, and odd arcade machines boasting golf and big-game hunting. Â Odd combination if you ask me... though you didn't. Â Plenty of HD tv screens set to sports channels. Â I bet I can convince them to change one to Jeopardy on a slow night. Â
I passed on dessert- nothing thrilled me. Â I almost tried their tiramisu, but thought for a minute. Â I asked Nancy, and she admitted it's frozen. Â Even though one of the regulars put hand to a stack of bibles about how good it is, I passed. Â I'm spoiled, know what good tiramisu should be like, or both.
And yes, we'll be back. Â It's close to my future home, and I know I can rely on Nancy to get me a cold beer and a decent meal. Â The real fun will start when we're considered regulars... anyone know if there's an application process?