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The Chula Vista Center has gone through some big changes as of late. They have been slowly making some renovations to the mall. One of the biggest changes they have made is by adding a great new restaurant on the west side next to Rubio’s Mexican Grill. The Chula Vista Center, in the past, hasn’t been the greatest food court in the area. They still have a small food court up stairs, but I couldn’t tell you what is still there, if any. Most of the centers newer additions have been along the west side of the mall; Panera Bread, Rubio’s, Subway, and Jamba Juice. Recently the mall introduced one of their bigger additions, BJ’s Restaurant.
BJ’s Restaurant is one of the lesser known restaurant chains in the San Diego area. They also have locations in La Mesa and La Jolla. The Chula Vista location is only their third in San Diego County. When they first started working on the Chula Vista location I had not even heard of BJ’s; I didn’t even know what type of food to expect. I will have to say that the restaurant stands out here in the Chula Vista Center. They did an exceptional job on making this place look inviting. The beautiful facade catches your eye at night; you can see it all the way from H St. and Broadway. On Friday night I got a chance to visit BJ’s Restaurant. After hearing some great things from a lot of residents and friends, I was looking forward to it. There were six of us and when we got there at six the place was just starting to get busy, but surprisingly we had no wait at all to get a table. The interior of the restaurant really makes you stop and take in all the décor. I was amazed at how big it was inside; it had looked smaller from the outside. They have a huge bar area with one of the biggest television screens I have ever seen inside a restaurant. I think they had like 6 games going all at once when I was there. The dining area was equally huge, with plenty of tables for larger parties. No matter where you sit, you are facing anyone of a number of televisions, all playing sports. One of the things I impressed me is the music was not over powering inside. Most of the sports theme restaurants I have visited play their music so loud you can barely hear the person across from you. The menu is thick, with almost four pages of alcoholic beverages. The big thing here is the beer; they brew their own right inside the restaurant. They also have full bar and plenty of drink specials on the menu. I decided to go with their special brewed-right-in-the-restaurant Cream Soda. They also brew their own Root Beer as well. The Cream Soda was sweet and smooth, while the Root Beer had the perfect flavor. I highly recommend them both for the non-drinkers like myself. If you brought an appetite, then this place is perfect for you. BJ’s Restaurant has plenty on the menu for big eaters. Most of the food is pub-grub style; pasta, pizza, sandwiches, and steaks. Kind of the same style of food you find at other sports-theme restaurants. I’m a big fan of pizza, so I ordered the deep dish pizza with pepperoni. One of the great things of going with a large group, like I did, is that you get to try out everything. Everyone had a chance to sample the many dishes we had at the table. I think the best meal at the table was the pot roast. Everyone at the table was remarking on how good it was. The meat was fantastic, and the mashed potatoes were perfect. The deep dish pizza was not the best; I wouldn’t really consider it to be a deep dish pizza. There was plenty of crust, like most deep dish pizzas, but it was mostly doughy. The Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo was good, but a bit on the dry side. I like my Alfredo to be creamy, and theirs had a thicker sauce to it. I will say that the food was delicious, we had a lot and since we started off with an appetizer there was plenty to take home as well. Prices for most dishes were moderate. Average was around $10 per plate, a little pricey, but if you go during the day they have plenty of lunch specials for you. All in all I would put BJ’s Restaurant high on the list of places I would recommend. The food, along with the great service gives BJ’s Restaurant high marks from me. They did get busy as we were leaving, but even with a 20 minute wait it is well worth it. For those who would like to grab and go they do offer a full take-out menu as well. You can call ahead then pick it up; but the only downside is the location. The Chula Vista Center has the worst parking layout of any other mall in the city. Your best bet is to bring a buddy and have them drop you off to run inside. Whether you get take-out or dine inside BJ’s Restaurant is sure to be your favorite.
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