TJ’s Downtown Bar & Grill

When staying in Nice in northern end of Clear Lake last March we ventured over to Lakeport one afternoon with my sis and mom. Lovely town. While in a local bookstore we did our favorite thing and asked a few of the locals where a good place to eat was. At least 2 people suggested TJs for great pub food.
I have to say they had the BEST BLOODY MARY I think I’ve ever had. We went in around 4:30 on a weekday and opted for a number of appetizers to share, along with cocktails — It seems to me that we may have been there at Happy Hour and got some kind of small discount as well. I actually was there over 9 months ago so I don’t remember all of the details, just that I really liked it and want to go back. We did get the green beans with black bean sauce as well as the nachos. Seems like we also had a dessert to share — they enticed us with a nice looking platter of choices! The only negative I remember was that the ‘whipped cream’ was imitation. For such a nice dessert it really should have been REAL whipped cream in my opinion. I know we had some other appetizer but I can’t remember what it was!
There were only a few other patrons there at the time and we had really great service — I believe the chef even came out at some point.

The food was ok nothing to write home about I ordered a stuffed burger that they forgot to stuff the fries where good I would not make it one of my regulars

I had heard some good things about the food, so my wife and I decided to give them a try. We quit going some time ago because the service was so bad. We both realize that everyone can have a bad day, and maybe we should give them another chance. When we entered, I was a little confused about whether or not they were open and serving. I was about 4 in the afternoon on a Saturday.
There were only two people at the bar, and only one table with people in the corner. It actually took a couple of minutes with us standing near the entrance to get the attention of the bartender and she casually indicated we could sit anywhere. We grabbed a booth. We sat there with no menus, no drinks and no server. After about 5 minutes of being ignored, I thought we should leave, but my wife convinced me to set a timer for another 5 minutes just to see how long it would actually take for someone to come to the table.
During that time, I noticed one of the people from the table in the corner got up and took an empty glass to the bar. Apparently no one thought to check on their table the whole time we were there either. The bartender was yaking it up with the two people at the bar, but didn’t really seem to actually be busy doing anything. She ignored the guy who brought up the empty glasses, and continued to ignore us as well. The guy who delivered the empty glasses eventually returned to his table, and eventually my wife’s timer went off. So, at that point we had been completely ignored for well over ten minutes.
I went there because I was hungry and being ignored is not my idea of entertainment, so we left.
For all I know, maybe the food is ok, but judging from the condition of the place, I tend to doubt it. In any event I guess I’ll never know firsthand.
I’m not sure how much lack of business can justify ignoring your only customers. At this point, if there were negative stars, I’d give that to them. For lack of something less, I’ll give them a 1.

Have been back a few times since my last review (only for a drink) and the woman’s bathroom is still a shit hole. I don’t see how the health department hasn’t cited or shut them down over this. One toilet wasn’t working. When you tried to use the handicap side (only working one) the stall door hit the toilet seat. You couldn’t even open the door all the way, having to squeeze in. Still a leak in the floor of the non working toilet which has rotted out the floor. Still holes in the wall by the sink. Plus it stinks. Sometimes it stinks all the way into the bar/​dinning area. Stopped eating there long ago. Who’s to say their screwed up plumbing isn’t backing up into the kitchen. The food is over priced and not that good, and they are always out of something.

TJs is the best bar and grille in Lake County. I like the way they cater to the sports fan and run specials during games and stuff. Food is pretty good and the menu has a good selection. The wait staff is super friendly and super helpful. Check this place out if you are looking for food and or drink.

Good philly sandwich with amazin clam chowder. Gotta try it if ur in the area. Bathrolms are clean. The waitresses are really nice. Awesome place to even bring children, very family friendly.

So we decide to try this place for a third time…1^st time good, second time ok (but it was valentine’s day and they were busy) third time, this time started out ok then tanked due to very salty entrees. .the nacho appetizer was good but salty amd the cedar planked salmon, which has so many positive reviews, had a very salty glaze that could not be scraped off enough. My boyfriend hardly touched his gorgonzola ribeye which he ordered med rare and was delivered well done. The garlic mashed potatoes were way too garlicky (and we love garlic)…all in all very dissapointed.

Innovative, and delicious bar and grill menu. Excellent service. The establishment on Saturday between 2−4p had less than 5 customers/​tables at one time. The waitress/​bartender was attentive and knew her menu.
I would definitely come again.

What an unexpected surprise! Finding a nice place to eat in this area has not been an easy chore, but we lucked into TJ’s!
The outside is uninspiring and a local told us that they serve typical ‘bar food.’ SO far from the truth!
Service was great, we were served in record time and often checked on. We both had prime rib French Dip… To die for!!! Dinner salads were large and delicious, mine a green and my partners was a Caesar. Portions were good sized, ambience was fun, sports bar like but super classy and clean.
We liked it so much we went back for lunch next day with equally happy results. They even made me a BLT although not offered on the menu. A great selection of beers on tap, as well. Server was friendly and had great advice on local fishing info.

Today was a success and more of what we expect at this place!!! I had the Surf & Turf Pasta which was delicious. Rock shrimp and steak/​roast beef pieces in a spicy cream sauce over linguine. Hubby had a Turkey Grinder; baguette with aioli sauce, artichokes, turkey and tomato with cheese melted on it. Very unique and tasty!!! Now this is what we expect here; fabulous food and friendly service! Of course Mimi was still cooking tonight! She is the best chef along with fantastic waitress Jules :-)!!

Don’t pay attention to the exterior; it’s what’s on the inside that counts.
We had Grinders for dinner. I had the crabcake Grinder and my buddy had the Philly; both were fantastic.
We actually started with some fried green beans with black bean sauce. This was also tasty. But I’d say the best thing we sampled tonight was TJ’s Mac ‘n Cheese. This was even better than the mac and cheese at Homeroom in Oakland.
Kudos to the staff. Everyone is kind and friendly.
Really, stop in for the Mac ‘n Cheese. I’ll be back in a couple of days for dessert.

I was surprised to see that they have 4 stars. Maybe because Lakeport is a small town and they are not used to good food? I recently moved to Lakeport and wanted to try TJs. We were greeted by a nice hostess who sat us and gave us menus. She was great! Then our server comes to the table and she is smug and cold. She never smiled once. We ordered some crab cakes, drinks, and our dinner to-​go. The crab cakes tasted ok but there was hardly any crab. I ordered a Top shelf Margarita and it was horrible. We got our to-​go order and left. WE arrived home and my daughters Chicken strips were burnt. My French dip sandwich was like eating a pre made sandwich that was 4 days old, and my husband gave his food to the dogs. Needless to say we were disappointed. Their pricing is way out of whack. Our bill was $ 55.00 which is the same as we would pay in the Bay area. CRAY CRAY!

Totally ended up in Lakeport on a whim («I wonder what Lakeport is like. I’ve never been there before,» said I, as we whizzed past the sign on the highway. And one hard left turn later, my sweet FH and I were on our way over the hills.) We were both a little peckish after an afternoon of wine tasting, so I checked Unilocal to see what was around the area.
I wasn’t expecting much from TJ’s based on the exterior, but once inside, we were warmly greeted and seated. Service was extremely friendly and efficient, and the variety of dishes wasn’t what I’d expected from someplace so bar-​centric.
My ribeye with gorgonzola was perfectly cooked and really quite amazing. Best steak I’ve had in a while. The garlic mashed potatoes didn’t have a lot of discernible garlic flavor, but they were still good. Obligatory side of veggies was good.
FH’s cedar plank salmon was pretty good, but I kind of hated his green beans. They were cooked with an Asian black bean sauce, and anyone who’s ever eaten one of those beans will tell you that they’re extremely salty on their own. This was no exception, and if they’d been on my plate, I would’ve found them nearly inedible. He didn’t complain though, and said he loved the way they were cooked, so it was still a win.
We’ll go back if we’re ever in the area again.

Five stars! At least for Lakeport… no offense meant but its not the same as a five star rating in SF or Seattle, but its by far the best place I’ve been to in Lakeport.
Great, friendly service (though admittedly I’ve been during off-​peak hours/​days) and a nice atmosphere and interior. Food is fresh and surprisingly creative for a bar.
NorCal salad is nicely put together and substantial… no skimping on the cheese or walnuts or cranberries. The cedar planked Salmon was excellent. The sauce was too sweet/​strong, but the fish was cooked perfectly and a generous portion. Black bean string beans falls into the «surprised to find in a bar category and while not as crisp as you might find in SF, they were nicely cooked and not overly salty or oily.
The bread with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and occasionally mashed garlic they provide for free is outstanding!
A much better choice than Roy’s, Perko’s or Renee’s.

Bar food? Not really…
The interior of the restaurant is actually a bit nicer looking than the exterior. There is a bar in the middle of the room, booths along the walls, a stage for music, and wine glasses on the tables.
The food was just amazingly delicious. Each table comes with free garlic bread and a balsamic, honey mustard, and olive oil dip. I’m definitely trying this at home. The bread’s unlimited!
For dinner, I ordered the gumbo, which was their special that night (huge pieces of shrimp, sausages, and chicken for $ 11!). My bf ordered the 12 oz steak and it came with a soup/​salad, veggies, potatoes (mashed, baked, or with fries). This dish was $ 25. My boyfriend enjoyed it a lot.
Happy Hour 4pm to 6pm and 9pm to 10pm: $ 2 off apps (except for the calamari) and $ 3 house wine and some beer.
Service: One guy was managing everything that night– from host to bartender, to waiter, and to busboy. He was service about 4 booths and a group of friends at a bar. He was calm and collected. Great service.

What can I say? The clam chowder is divine, the salads huge, the service wonderful, and the food reminds me of being San Francisco the city I love. TJ’s has a great bar and it is right in the middle of town. You can go there for a quick lunch, a nice dinner or a group function in the back. There is a stage and a dance floor for rocking or salsa. We have had our anniversary social there three years in a row for Sons of Italy Nice and it gets better everytime! Thanks for the great service and hanging in there with this crazy economy.

I was only in town for the night and we were looking for somewhere great to eat. It was delicious! Great service and tasty beer! My dinner was taking awhile to get out, the waitress came and told me that they had to do something with the bread. Not sure exactly, but it came out fresh and tasted great. Will definitely go back when I make it back to Lakeport!

Not your run-​of-​the-​mill bar food here, even though the location itself does give every appearance of being the local pub/​bar. Comfortable, good service, spacious.
The menu in a nutshell —
Plenty of traditional pub style appetizers you would expect. Even though we didn’t try it, but the appetizers included an unpredictable stir fried green bean with black bean sauce. A curious and creative Asian spin.
Clam chowder every day. While the chowder is a thinner milkier version, it has an amazingly buttery, delicate but herbal flavor, with the ultimate tender clams. That makes it 5 stars in my book! I would gladly make a whole meal off that chowder alone.
High end entrees that included steaks, prime rib (on Friday and Saturday), lamb, cedar planked salmon, and lemon herbed roasted chicken. Mr. B’s prime rib could have been more tender. Good sides– nicely cooked fresh vegetables and a baked potato. The lemon roasted chicken with lemon infused potatoes, wonderful.
Their varied menu tells me the chef is obviously thinking outside the box.
The end results of our meal, very good. We would return to try more on the menu.

Oh My god!!! We loved this place! Great for the vegan, great for the omnivore! Not to mention great service with a smile and hometown welcome =)
Where do I start!!! So the only thing it lacks is a huge sign to let you know it’s there — We actually didn’t see it and were parked across the street at the chinese restaurant looking for a place… and still didn’t see it, but if you are spending anytime in this city, this place is a MUST!!!
Our server was Wes and he was so incredibly nice, personable and gracious! So helpful and had right on recommendations — I hear their chef is from San Fran and made amazing dishes! I had the vegan mushroom soup and vegan mushroom fettuccine and a cup of green tea which all came out delectable! Gerry had the clam chowder and the salmon with garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed green beans — All delicious!
We loved this spot since it is open till 10pm on the weeknights, it has big warm wooden booths, has delicious food, great service and the prices were great! They had imports and micro-​brews and all sorts of drafts for good prices —
We will certainly return!!! Thank you for a great experience!

So a bunch of us were boating in Clear Lake for a bachelor party. After an awesome day, we decided to stay local to eat dinner. We decided to check out TJ’s and were super surprised.
From the outside, its not much. The shades ere closed (probably to keep out the setting sun), and the building matched the styles of buildings around it. We had a couple of friends scope it out before we got there, and they actually were thinking of leaving after taking a peak in. Looked like your typical Bar & Grill. We decided to stay. best decision of the night.
The beer prices were great (the flute sampler is a great deal, and the pitchers were pretty cheap for the beers that we had). The waiter paid a lot of attention to us, granted it wasn’t too busy at the time. But the 5-​stars is for the food.
Friday and Saturday night they have the Prime Rib dinner special. I was blown away. Maybe it was because I expected the typical bar-​quality food, but this Prime Rib was tender and juicy and rivals the Prime Ribs I’ve had at classy places. I had a rib from another plate, and that was delicious as well. The meat just fell off the bone. What perfectly topped it off was the Tiramisu. I wanted to smother my face in it.
Definitely check this place out if you’re in the area!