LJ’s Bistro & Bar

I love this place! Food is great, good drinks, reasonable prices and friendly staff!
It’s really the only nice place to eat in LS
I have taken several friends there for happy our also and its always a hit!
Check it out!

This place is great for being in Lake Stevens. Unique menu. Happy hour is good. We like the brunch on Sunday’s too, wish they’d add brunch on Saturdays as well.

Normally I enjoy this place but had to write it on the meal that I had. I tried the smoked gouda mac and cheese today. Avoid it. It was running and tasteless. They offer many accouterments to the dish and it’s probably a testament to it having no flavor. It was served in a skillet but had no crust or char to the top so was only there for looks or was not properly finished. Most of my dish was still on the plate when I had them take it away most of my dish was still on the play when I had them take it away and they said nothing nor ask if there was a problem. Most dishes I’ve tried here have been great and happy hour is a good time to be there.
It will be awhile before I go back.

This place was pretty good, I was brought here by a friend telling me about the LJ burger, yes it was good but very very small, I could eat 3 of these and still be hungry, for the price they charge it would be a lot bigger

The best chef in the area! able to accommodate food allergies. Food is made from scratch so I’ve not had any problems asking for specific changes to be made and I’m super thankful for that. Also thankful the food is always great! Their specials are for the most part even better than the everyday menu items we’ve found. Just delicious stuff! We dine here about 1x per month but would probably do so more if I could find out the daily specials on your FB page ahead of time.
I would love to see you guys move locations though! Parking is a pain sometimes and waiting for a table can be a while some nights. I think a lot of long time residents (I grew up here and have family here much older that have never heard of you!), they don’t even realize you are a real restaurant now. Not just another bar at this location. It’s a shame! Because YOU are exactly what everyone says we need. They just don’t realize it’s already here!

I don’t have a lot to say about this place since I just had a quick dinner there. I had good sliders, although very small, and fries for $ 1 when we order the sliders. I thought it was not necessary to charge $ 1 for a very small amount of fries. I think it could be included on the sliders.
Place is nice, staff was great too. It seems to be a nice place to hang out with friends.

Who would have thought to find in little old Lake Stevens a lovely little restaurant and bar like this? Excellent food. Excellent drinks. Intimate atmosphere. Very professional and diligent, but not intrusive, staff. What more could you ask for? I’ll be back again and again. Please patronize this bistro; you won’t be disappointed.

Second time to dine here, but this time we came for dinner. We heard so much about their pork chop so we wanted to try it. Came in on a Tuesday night and the restaurant was about half full. Nice cozy, log cabin-​feel interiors. The hostess and servers were friendly and welcoming. We started with the Clams and Chorizo (Penn Cove Manila Clams, fire roasted tomatoes, garlic with focaccia) and the Crispy Pork Belly over cauliflower purée. Enjoyed both apps — the chorizo wasn’t spicy at all and good portion size for two. Loved the pork belly, but the skin could have been a bit more crispy. We moved on to our entrees — Jambalaya and Double-​Cut Pork Chop. The Jambalaya has prawns, chicken, Andouille sausage — be warned… very spicy. The pork chop was good (served with roasted red potatoes, sauteed kale, bacon-​mushroom cream sauce), but it was a bit on the dry side. It was over-​cooked for my liking and needed more sauce… I have had better. Also, it took about 20 minutes to get our entrees from the time our server removed our appetizer plates. A bit long considering the table next to ours got their salads and burgers way before our entrees arrived and we were sat a good 40 minutes before they did. Overall, LJ’s is one of the better places to dine in LS. Prices range from $ 17 – 34 for entrees and between $ 5 and $ 13 for starters.

Driving from Portland to Vancouver, B.C. and needed a place for dinner… Great find! Apparently it’s a new menu as of yesterday (October 8^th/​2015) and it does not disappoint! Happy hour (3PM-​6PM) was amazing! $ 5 lemon drop, dates, sliders and more. The menu itself is also fantastic… Flatbreads, burgers, pasta, fish, soup, short ribs, ect… Everything is made in house and specials change often. Our server Annie gave awesome recommendations and really made our experience great! Would highly recommend this place! We detoured from the I-​5 and it only took about 10 – 12 min. Well worth it!

Went on 1÷6÷15 with my girlfriend. She wanted to see what the hype was about. This was my second time here and I am not very impressed. Overpriced for what you get. First, the service was good. The staff was attentive and service was pretty quick despite the busy night.
I like the atmosphere but beyond that it’s just another gastropub.
Appetizers: we had the stuffed figs. Very sweet of course but I thought the bacon would have offset the sweet. Not so. The bacon bits were hard as rocks. Not very pleasing and tasted burnt.
We both had the Mac n cheese and added bacon. Small portion for 14 bucks. Could have used more cheese. Bacon was needed for sure.
Dessert was crème brulé. I’ve had many and this over was likely the worst I had. Very runny and undercooked. It said vanilla bean on the menu which was NOT true. They used vanilla flavor. Vanilla bean leaves a residue on the bottom and not one fleck was found. At 9 bucks they are cutting corners. Sad.
I might come back but there are much better places to eat.

Took awhile to receive a hello and what can I get you. Got our food and drink but then the drink was empty and no one asked if we wanted another. That’s pretty much lost income… and this isn’t the first time.
Twenty minutes went by, nothing. We finally asked for the tab so we could hit the road. The bartender was very friendly with the ladies who knew him by name, he was giving them samples and making them drinks, asking what they thought etc. He was one of two bartenders who couldn’t handle serving a bar of 10 or so customers.
Just not sure how many chances to give. Make sure and sit in the dining area as the servers there are more attentive.

Great food every time! Had a Bloody Caesar and Lemon drop they were both fantastic! Love the small wedge salad! Have to get it every time. And I had the Chile braised short ribs for my entrée. That is my all time fav! Wish they would put the fish tacos back on the menu.

I had heard about LJ’s over and over from friends — and, finally, I decided to try it out. SO GLAD I DID!
The food is AMAZING! I’ve been three times now and every single time, it’s been just out of this world delicious! The fries with aioli are to die for. Also, the prawn and avocado flatbread is incredible. As well, as the burger! I could go on and on about the food. Every single thing I’ve had has been top notch. All the friends I’ve taken have loved it too!
The first time we went, they gave us bread with dipping oil which was so good! Now that I think about it, I don’t know why I didn’t get bread the other times too? Huh. Maybe I looked more hungry the first time? I don’t know. Ask for bread, I guess!
Also, they play 80’s music! It’s not too loud — but you can hear it. Let’s face it, the 80’s were the best musically! Just admit it.
However…it’s dark. Just a touch too dark. The last time I was there, the people at the next table were using their cellphone light to see their food. I think that’s too dark.
Also, two of the three times I’ve been there — there has been a fly in the restaurant. For some reason, the fly really liked me. I don’t know if it was the same fly or just two different flies that were friends — I’m not sure. But, they were both super annoying! The last time I was there, no fly — so, hopefully, they finally escaped or died.
Really, though, this is a terrific restaurant and it’s a favorite now! Go during happy hours if you can — great deals for some incredible food!

I’m not a big 5 star person, but this was just a surprise. Who would have thought that there could be a gem of a place out here?!! Sorry Lake Stevens, i just didn’t think so…
From the outside, you’re like. yeah, i don’t know… but on the inside, its rustic and warm and the service staff is unbelievably attentive and nice. the atmosphere has great energy and the crowd was fairly eclectic.
As for food, drinks, they have a great porter on tap (had two of them!) and a full bar, and then you really get kerfunkled when you order your food… are there martians cooking back there? Little elves, wizards? who’s making this stuff. I had the Tuna, just seared to perfection along with fennel and the house salad which is not very housey at all, its gourmet salad greens…
our guests had steak and loved it too. It was just impressive all the way around.
hope you have the same experience (for fear of overselling!)
if there is anything negative, i’d say bathrooms need an upgrade…
other than that, super pleasantly surprised!

Bar atmosphere — yet kids are welcome.
I ordered a burger, and I liked it a LOT.
The highlight of my visit, was sitting near a couple on a first date. I eavesdropped on their conversation. I am SO glad I am married!
I don’t miss the days of listening to someone go on and on about themselves, while asking me stupid questions:
«What’s your favorite number?
Do you like taco’s?
Do you like blue?»
Order the burger. Order some beer. Bring the kids. Or… bring a date. LOL!

Stopped last minute. Excellent food, wonderful flavors, very creative! Nice informal yet upscale atmosphere. Great service. I highly recommend this restaurant!
~peter cattle, Everett.

Good quality was great unfortunately we filled up faster then I anticipated and barely finished my dinner at no wrong doing of the restaurant. I’ll be back to try it again but honestly barely ate I think my eyes were bigger then my tummy. But the four next to me looked bomb! Servers were nice and on point

First time visit today. Great stuff on tap and the happy hour little plates? Yes. You will be psyched. The service is good too. One star demerit because the interior needs help. This place is a jewel in the rough.

We had driven by this place several times and just figured it was a dive bar/​pub. Then one of my wife’s coworkers said we had to check it out. We pulled into the parking lot and my wife had to get out and go inside just to make sure it was kid friendly (for our two year old). She comes out and says we’re good to go.
It’s actually surprising how nice it looks inside. Definitely does not match the outside. It was Friday night and pretty busy but we still got a table right away. They didn’t have high chairs but they did have booster seats.
The staff was very prompt and nice. Daughter had alfredo off the kids menu and orange juice. I had the waygu burger with hand cut fries and my wife had a big wedge salad. My burger was delicious and the fries were pretty amazing. My wife said she probably wouldn’t order the wedge again. It tasted fine but it could do with some more toppings. We also both had a drink (I had a beer, wife had a vodka tonic).
When all was said and done, I was dreading the bill but everything ended up being $ 40.xx! We were kind of astonished at how cheap everything was. I think the drinks were much cheaper than we expected and my wife said they didn’t skimp on the alcohol in hers.
We were amazed at how good this place was from the looks of it on the outside. We are definitely going to spread the word to our friends to give it a try and not, as others have said, not judge this book by it’s cover.

As the saying goes «never judge a book by it’s cover» — this place fits the saying.
Pulling into the free parking lot you think a bar such as the Buzz Inn or Hawkeyes in Lake Stevens. Deceiving to say the least.
Upon entering one will find an extremely small bar (maybe 5 tables max) which happened to all be taken.
The dining area is also small (about 15 – 20 tables), dimly lit and intimate. The tables are all rectangular dark wood in the standard height as well as bar height. Most tables seat four people. Napkins are cloth. Tableware is all white. I did see a table with a reserved sign on it and there was also two other groups with about 6 – 8 people in their party.
The staff were friendly and neat in appearance (clothed all in black). The atmosphere didn’t seemed rushed although there were several people standing/​waiting to be seated by the time we left. Since this was our first time here it was nice to personally be addressed by «J» the owner/​manager. J informed us that their menu is set up to be a rotating menu. Since I’m someone who enjoys trying new items all the time, I like the rotating menu concept.
Our group size was four people. Tabs were easily split. Discover is an accepted form of payment.
Since the bar was full we were thrilled that happy hour (daily from 3pm-​6pm) extended the the restaurant.
My wife ordered a few pints of Mac & Jack for $ 4 (hh) and I ordered a couple glasses of Cab for $ 5 (hh).
For our meals we each ordered the Half Wedge Salad for $ 5 (hh). The salad was served on a nice chilled plate. I would say this wedge was more of a quarter wedge than a half wegde. The wedge was topped with french fried onions, a quarter wedge of hard-​boiled egg, a full cherry tomato (halved), blue cheese crumbles and a creamy dill dressing. We each really enjoyed our perfectly sized/​portioned tasty wedge salad.
My wife ordered the Mini Wagyu Beef Burger for $ 5 (hh). This darling little slider was topped with a nice juicy beef patty and crisp lettuce. Hand cut fried were also served alongside the slider with aioli sauce to dip into. The wife was happy.
I ordered the Smoked Mushroom and Zucchini Flatbread for $ 5 (hh). The flatbread had a subtle garlic flavor and was topped with nice portobello mushroom slices, zucchini slices and warm dollops of goat cheese.
Thank you L & J for opening an upscale restaurant with an awesome rotating menu in Lake Stevens. We look forward to being served local ingredients by your personable staff in the future.