Jimmy’s Bar & Oven

I went here a while ago solely for the reason that the wait at Publick House was 45 minutes, and boy am I glad I did! I’ve walked by this place more times then I can count and have always thought about stopping in to try it, but just never got around to. Now it’s one of my go to places in my neighbor hood. I’ve never gone and been unable to find a seat, so that’s a plus. And the food is really, really good. I would highly recommend the bbq chicken pizza. They also have gluten free crust!
One thing I don’t like about this place though is that a lot of parents think a place with «Bar» in the name is a good place to bring your screaming child for dinner. Spoiler alert, it’s not. I was in here one night around dinner time (6 – 7 pm) and it was full of families. So come a little later and you’ll miss the families that think it’s okay to bring their kids to a bar.

«you don’t know me… you don’t my life» exclaimed the bar manager. I am not sure, but i do believe that she was on some kind of narcotic.
This happened. On a Wednesday night. I have the receipts to prove it… our party gave your establishment far more than you were owed.
The staff is aggressive and frankly, trashy. I was with industry people… and we all say — STAY AWAY.

Good eats, but fairly pricey pizza pie. We ordered take out and were happy with all three pizzas we ordered — margarita, pesto and chicken parm. Three pizzas easily fed a hungry (and I mean HUNGRY. Maybe this is where that funky word «hangry» comes into play?) family of four. Looking forward to checking out the patio seating next year when the weather warms up again!

I’m really surprised that Jimmy’s only has 3-​stars. Is it the greatest place around? No. But their food is tasty, their drinks are reasonably priced and it’s large enough where you actually have a shot at getting seated (something that many places here in Washington Square struggle with). There is outside seating and garage-​style doors for windows, so it’s a nice spot to be when it’s warm.
Probably the only thing that is really holding this place back is the limited menu… I’ve yet to order a dish I haven’t enjoyed (a number of different pizzas, burgers, gnocci) — but unless you want pizza, your options are a little limited.

Nothing more disappointing than spending money on becoming sick. I was in Brookline with my sister who was visiting from out of town, and we were looking for a place with good lunch options that was open and serving lunch at about 2:00 on a Friday. There were many options, but it was unbelievably hot out, so we stopped here. We probably should have kept walking because we were the first people there, even though they opened at about 11 or 12. I had a chicken caesar wrap with their french fries. I always have the same issue whenever I order a wrap anywhere– it’s always huge. It was a generous wrap (or roll-​up, as they call it), but it was so awful. The chicken and the lettuce in the wrap did not taste very fresh, so I hardly even began to eat the wrap. Also, the french fries had an odd flavor to them. They were not soggy or anything, but they definitely tasted like they had rubbed some meaty entrees. I would encourage people to play it safe and go somewhere with consistent reviews and many accolades if looking for lunch in Brookline.
I give it two stars because I reserve «1 star» ratings for absolutely awful places with terrible service, terrible food, terrible décor. Jimmy’s had a pretty good server– the bartender, actually, who was working alone in the middle of the day and was doing a great job of keeping up with the four tables (eventually three other parties joined us) that were eating there.
I couldn’t really eat for the rest of the day because the food left me feeling so sick. My sister, who does not normally get sick from eating, also had that experience. We just couldn’t stomach the food at all.
Who pays all that to be served a Coke in a plastic cup? (I did, oops)

I really like Jimmy’s. They have solid pizza options with nearly everything made in house, dough, sauce, even the mozzarella! And they use very high quality ingredients, I can tell because cheap pepperoni will give me heartburn, but they are among a select few restaurants where I can eat peperoni without fear. And yes, get the chicken parm pizza! It’s delicious!
In addition to their delicious pizza, they always have a great rotating selection of local brews on tap. The service is always friendly, but not always very timely or informed. I once had to show our bartender the menu the menu while trying to order the wedge salad. And when seated at a table instead of the bar, sometimes the wait staff are a little slow to really get into a groove with the table. But again, that stuff is so minor by comparison that its easy to look past.
My only real complaint about Jimmy’s is the noise. It’s a concrete box. They play their music way too loud and should have some sound buffers installed. I brought my parents here and even sitting out on the patio it was too loud for them and we moved next door to The Abbey. My boyfriend and I even went on our first date here, and I think we were sitting in the quietest section of the restaurant, the corner of the bar by the windows. And I remember we had to talk a bit loudly over the noise of the packed restaurant and music.

I really don’t like bashing places, it’s not fun and can hurt the business… but in this case it is unfortunately well deserved. My buddies and I went to Jimmy’s on a night when we weren’t up for our normal jam (Publik House) to have a few drinks and pizza. We arrived and were seated promptly outside… that’s the end of the positive…
It took 15 minutes to be greeted, 10 minutes to receive our first drink, 20 minutes for our second drink and food order and then a whopping 35 for the food to arrive. When we asked what was going on they simply said «it’s busy tonight.» Totally unacceptable, as a restaurant you want to be busy. apologizing for the poor service or delay would have helped but not acknowledging it made it 10x worse.
Go across the street to Publick House for far superior food, drink, and service.

Chicken Parm Pizza and wedge salad= Excellent. So good it’s the only thing I’ve ordered.
Great pizza. Authentic Italian style– not greek or bar pizza.
Also, the food is much better than some of the other spots in Washington Sq. (Washington Sq Tavern excluded– that place is great).
The service can be spotty. I’ve had excellent. And I’ve had very less than excellent.
But the pizza is that good.

Came here with a group of friends on a quiet afternoon. The poor server was apparently acting as bartender and server for the entire place. The menu was a bit all over the place — pizza, sandwiches, and salads and an assorted bunch of apps. First issue — they serve beer in plastic cups? And water in plastic cups?! Sorry, no thanks, not for the prices here, and also, I’m not in college anymore.
Although I felt bad for the server, he couldn’t answer questions about beers on tap, and didn’t know how to mix a dark and stormy– white rum? I think not, it’s a «dark» and stormy for a reason. Also, didn’t know how to mix a basic cocktail — baffling, because there is a fairly substantial bar.
Restroom was so dark, I could barely see my reflection in the mirror! It was also out of soap and hand towels.
While the fried pickles and zucchini were ok, the zucchini was a bit too oily, and there were only give or take fifteen small pickle chips — dipping sauces were over seasoned.
Jimmy’s boasts homemade bread, and it was good, sort of like a challah, but there was not enough roast beef in my sandwich, and the bread was too doughy and it dominated. The beef was overcooked, not rare, and very tough. The horseradish mayo was watery, and if you squeezed the sandwich, it oozed out in a watery, unappealing white mess.
Big pass, here. They should seek to define a better identity as to who they are as a restaurant (wine bar? craft beer? pizza?) and train their staff better. They can only rely on Public House’s scraps of people who didn’t want to wait two hours for a good dinner for so long.

I came back here with friends a few weeks ago, and was very disappointed. The drinks used to be really good here, but not so much anymore.
We asked for a drink menu, and the waiter explained that they were changing the menu/​cocktails, so there was no drink menu anymore, but we could order whatever we want. All 3 drinks we got were horrible. I asked for a bourbon cocktail (I don’t like fruity drinks), and got something that tasted like pure syrup. One of my friends had a similar problem with her cocktail. The other drink was the most drinkable– dirty martini, but it tasted pretty bland.
The food was still decent, but how do you have a bar without a drink list and with ³⁄₃ drink failures? Chances are, we won’t be back.

Unimpressed. Like many other reviewers, we ended up here for drinks and snacks when Publick House and the Abbey were too full. The atmosphere is pretty cool, with a darkly-​lit industrial feel and an 80s soundtrack, but that’s the only pro for me. Our waiter wasn’t attentive at all, and it felt like we were inconveniencing him with our presence despite the mostly empty restaurant. Beer selection is eh, menu is all over the place, pizza seemed mediocre (OK but nothing special). Wash Square has some awesome eateries and bars, but Jimmy’s is definitely not competition.
On a sort-​of related note, there seems to be a few reviewers who were unhappy with Jimmy’s apparently non-​kid-​friendly atmosphere, and that’s fine. But when you’re walking into a place called «Bar & Oven» (key word BAR), why would you expect it to be kid-​friendly in the first place? Just because an establishment exists within an area with lots of families– like Brookline– doesn’t mean it should automatically be kid-​friendly, yet I keep coming across reviews around Unilocal that insist the opposite (someone’s rant about a small coffee shop’s one-​person bathroom not having a changing table was the best/​worst… apparently the quiet-​adult-​coffee-​drinkers-​on-​laptops atmosphere is an ideal place to hang out with a child nowadays?).
For the record, there are pleeeeenty of non-​parents (by choice!) who live in Brookline too, and many of us prefer an adult atmosphere and would expect going somewhere called a bar (or a coffee shop) would not, in fact, be a place you would find children. PSA: stop expecting establishments to cater to your children simply because of location, unless it is a legitimate child-​focused establishment (e.g. Magic Beans). It’s like expecting the chicken dish to be amazing at a steakhouse: it’s unfair and unrealistic.

I’ve eaten at Jimmy’s a few times now. Let me start by saying that the pizza is very good, so good in fact that I never seem to order any of the other entrees. The starters are pretty decent as well, I especially enjoy the fried pickles. Overall the restaurant has a cool relaxed atmosphere and they have outside tables when the weather is warm.
The main drawbacks that I have experienced are that the service tends to be fairly slow and that the beer selection is not the greatest. The do carry Slumbrew which is a good local beer but the menu is usually too heavy on mass market and Sam Adams products. With many other options in the area for better beer selection a bit more variety would do them well. All in all a solid place that could be worthy of 4 stars if they made some minor adjustments.

I have to give an update because we order pizza here regularly. We still do not order any of the other entrees because when friends tell us its not that great we stay away :)
Anyhow, the Cheeseburger pizza and the Brie and Artichoke are our absolute favorites!

I wish I could say something nicer about Jimmy’s, I really do. The pizza I’ve had here has been very good to excellent, I really like the way the whole place looks, and outdoor seating is always nice, but… there are a few buts.
The service has been pretty spotty all three times I’ve been here. I understand things get busy, I understand cooks call out sick, but come by and acknowledge it. Come by and see if I want a beer. Just come by without me having to flag you down. If I’m standing at the door, obviously waiting to be seated, I don’t expect you to drop everything you’re doing… but come by and acknowledge me.
I can’t comment on the rest of the menu, but everything looks tasty and I like the general makeup of it. They’re really sticking to home-​y, solid, simple food and I can appreciate that. If they get the service working just a bit better, I’ll be inclined to try more of it. The pizza is crispy, thin, and chewy though, and that’s the kind I like.
The beer menu needs some work though, especially given the area and the other bars around here. It doesn’t need a drastic overhaul, but I’d like to see more locals than they have, although I’ll give them kudos for having any.

Throughly and completely unimpressed.
I was excited to try Jimmy’s. One of my BFF’s said it was good and I trust her opinion. I went with three friends on a Saturday night around 8:30. They got there first and had some drinks at the bar. When I arrived we were able to be seated so naturally they tried to close their tab. No one could get the bartender’s attention. She was eating dinner.
Once we got seated, the service was spotty throughout the night. We ordered calamari to start. It was ok, nothing to write home about. It tasted rather fishy. For entrees, we ordered the Haddock, which they were out of. They offered to substitute swordfish, which I thought sounded even better. In addition, we had a veggie pizza and a clam pizza. The guy who had the clam pizza said it was good but very, very salty and the veggie pizza girl said it was good but didn’t blow her away. The swordfish was blah. It was very thin and covered entirely in gristle, so it didn’t have much taste.
Maybe it was my fault for ordering fish at a pizza place, but nothing about my Jimmy’s experience was that great. The waitress messed up the credit cards, so I ended up paying way too much and my friends too little.
The owner was there and he seemed to be more interested in flirting with customers and putting on a show than running a business.
Would not go back.

Decided to try Jimmy’s after walking past a couple of times– It seemed nice enough for a casual dinner date and the prices were reasonable.
I love the interior of this place — for me, it’s done just enough, with the cool dim light lighting and clean lines. Definitely helps the atmosphere.
After looking over the menu, I decided to share a salad and pizza with the BF and split an app with the rest of our party. I have to say, I wasn’t impressed with the app list. Nothing sounded amazing to me, but someone else decided on the fried pickles. They were good (I mean, anything deep fried is probably going to be good: D), but nothing special.
The pizza, on the other hand, was really delicious. We settled on a pesto pizza. I wanted to try some of the more exciting options, like the brie and artichoke, but I’ll save that for another time. The pizza was perfect. I don’t know how a thin and crispy crust can hold that many toppings without falling apart! The crust was delish, the toppings were really well-​roasted, and the whole thing came together just so. MM.
And it’s really filling! My boyfriend and I couldn’t finish the entire thing, and ended up taking some home.
The service seemed fine to me, but the servers did seem a little busy, even though the place wasn’t as packed as I’ve seen it. They took a long time with a beer we ordered since they were changing the keg, and they gave it to us on the house! Not what I was expecting given the reviews, so maybe they have been working on it.
I would go here again if I was planning on a night in Washington Square. It’s a good place to start and there are a couple of other good bars nearby for afterwards. Solid 4 stars.

I feel really mixed about this place.
On the one hand, they have a prosciutto, arugula, and truffle oil pizza which I enjoy, as well as great salads with delicious goat cheese. On the other hand, depending on the evening, it can be impossible to get in (too much hassle given that the food’s good, but not amazing), and the service is lacking.
The poor service in particular can be frustrating. On one occasion, we requested dirty martinis– when we received dry martinis and mentioned this to the bartender, he admitted he just hadn’t felt like opening up more olive juice because the previous bottle ran out… even though the place wasn’t at all busy.
And some of the waitstaff is pretty bad, as well. One waiter, after switching us over to the bar because his shift was over, confronted us after we paid the bill because he was unhappy about how the tip was handled. My friends and I always tip over 20%, but given that he switched us over to the bar, we had no clue how the tip was divvied up between himself and the bartender, and if he had been that concerned he should have just asked us to settle his tab before passing us over to the bar. It really soured my group’s evening since we always tip well and meant no ill will.
Given the inconsistencies, I keep this place as a last resort, mainly because the waitstaff can be so difficult.

Sigh.
Jimmy’s — I want to love you. I DO. You are so close to my house and I love your concept. I even enjoyed your pizza.
However.
Strike 1: It’s LOUD. Yes, it’s got a decent bar and lots of TVs, but the music was pretty loud on a Wednesday at 7 — I could barely hear my friends.
Strike 2: Our waiter, although SOOOO nice (Hi Jeff!) was scarcely around. He greeted us promptly when we sat down, and again when our last friend joined us. And he brought me a generous taste of wine. But it took a really long time for him to reappear to take our orders and then only once we were almost done with our food did he ask how everything was. We waited FOREVER for him to come by with our bill — in fact, we had to eventually grab another waitress to ask for it. They were really busy — especially for a Wednesday, but this was a bit extreme.
Strike 3: We were using a Groupon, which I was upfront about from the beginning. When the other waitress ran our bill, she didn’t tell us that the Groupon would not cover the full amount — she just ran it. That left a sizeable amount left on the Groupon, which would have gone to waste. We wanted to get something to cover the difference. She wasn’t coming back, so again we grabbed the first person we could find — who happened to be Jimmy — and got some attitude. Jimmy was almost rude to us. There was a lot of confusion as to whether or not we could get something else and when the waiter finally came back and explained that we couldn’t, we paid the remainder of the bill and left. LOONG story short, we did get a cheese pizza to go (which was tasty!), but the entire kerfuffle was such a bad experience.
It wasn’t all bad though.
Hit 1: The bottle of water they put on the table. The glasses are teeny, but you don’t need to ask for refills often, because the bottle is right there! (But why is the wine served in the same lil glasses?)
Hit 2: The food was good. My husband & I split a plain Mixed Green Salad and — since they have 3 dishes with Chicken Parm on the menu — we tried the Chicken Parm pizza. Which was really tasty! Our friends got the Grilled Chicken entrée, the Stuffed Mushrooms and the Eggplant Parm (which was also good). We all split the only 2 desserts they have (not on the menu): chocolate cake and tiramisu. Both were very good.
Hit 3: Jeff (our server) was VERY nice, when he came by the table.
None of the starters are typical apps that are great for sharing. It’s an interesting selection, but none were really speaking to us.
So, will I go back? Sure — if friends want to go. Perhaps I’ll try them again after they’ve been open even longer and get their «groove» more…

WHO knew this place existed! Garage door opens to tables outside and the street. Great people watching. Great chardonays. Great service. We had White Pizza
Figs, Pears, Goat Cheese, Baby Arugula — out of this world!!! The chicken parm needed salt but was good. Great antipasto w/​fresh mozz and tomatoes. Good fried pickles with a spicey dip too. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I like everything European. Men, Food, Clothing, Shoes, Liquor, Beer, …the list goes on. I’ve ever turned down a good Euro. I really am a fake American I swear. I don’t like boring beer, I hardly eat pizza or wings and I couldn’t tell you the last time I was searching for a chain restaurant.
Which leads me to tell you about my incredibly generic experience at Jimmy’s Bar and Oven
After being frustrated without a seat at Publick House, my friend and I decided to try this place. Yes, open seats, open air bar… we thought this would be fun.
What did we find? Well, only 5 beers on tap (Seriously?! Why even go here if you’re in Washington Square AKA Beer Square?) Generic menu of pizza, wings and miscellaneous «American» food. Let alone, the service, just plain old generic. Non-​engaging bartender and with a WALL of amazing liquors I thought at least they might make a mean cocktail… but upon request, the bartender said «Oh, we have a few» — Then hands me a list of five drinks on a sheet of paper. (And no, this is not a craft cocktail place, I wouldn’t trust these bartenders) Everything about this place is American, and generic. Maybe you are into that? I’m not. I like hidden gems and unique experiences with exciting menus!
With the Abbey and Publick House next door, I would hardly see myself choosing to go here.