So What is Joey G’s?

So what is Joey G’s Grill & Bar?

One of Hillsborough’s newest additions got my curiosity when it opened just a few weeks ago. I had never heard of Joey G’s before. So, that prompted me to find out first hand what this was all about.

Joey G’s is located where Famous Dave’s use to be; right next door to Applebee’s in the same plaza where Lowe’s and Dunkin’ Donuts is located on Route 206 in Hillsborough.  Before seeing the sign on the door, I had never heard of this restaurant before. I didn’t think it was a chain, and after Googling it, I’m pretty sure it’s not.

As I walked through the parking lot approaching the restaurant, I could smell the appetizing taste of grilled food.  This was encouraging.

Upon walking into the restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised, as it did not look anything like the former Famous Dave’s. The décor is new, all in muted tan colors, and I was greeted by two hostesses that were very friendly and cordial as they asked us if we wished to sit at the bar or in the dining room.

They also asked my daughter if she wanted crayons to color with while she waited for her meal. The old stone fireplace from the Famous Dave’s days was still there, though; but it blended in to the atmosphere.

As we made our way to the dining room, we walked through a very large bar area. The bar expands about half the length of the restaurant and has plenty of seating—and so many large, flat screen TV’s, that I couldn’t count them all. Each TV had something different on, so no matter what your preference or what team you are cheering for, you’ll have no problem viewing what you want to see while seated at the bar.

There appeared to be two bartenders working as I walked through the area on Thursday evening around 6pm. That was good to see, because the bar was more than half full, and no one wants to wait a half hour for their drinks.

The dining room area has been completely revamped with high back booths and there are still the half-booths and whole tables as well, to accommodate those with certain seating preferences.  I personally like the total table option, so I can adjust how close I’m seated to the table, and it’s helpful when I need to scooch my daughter’s chair in, too. There is ample space between tables, which is nice, because not once did I feel like I was in the path of waiters nor close enough to hear someone else’s conversation at the next table over.

Of note, the box of crayons my daughter was given, were not cylindrical – they were triangular – CrayAngles—which have the very useful design of not rolling off the table during mealtime.

The atmosphere is totally casual. You can walk right in and feel comfortable wearing shorts or jeans and a t-shirt. Contemporary music plays over the speakers.

Joey G’s promotes New Jersey wines. Unionville Vineyards is the purveyor of choice when you order wines by the glass. A bottle of their wine is featured on every table, specially labeled with the selections offered and the pricing. The mixed drink menu is extensive, and the ingredients for each drink is listed. Top shelf liquors like Hendrick’s Gin and Stoli vodka are used. I had ordered an Orange Creamsicle on the rocks and it was quite flavorful and not watered down at all with ice. You can also order beers by the bottle or the selections they have on tap.

Kids can select from sodas, birch beer, juices, water, or pink lemonade.  Oh, and this was a first for me—Red Bull is also on the drinks list, if you need that pre-dinner wake-up jolt.

My daughter ordered from the children’s menu, which offers typical selections like macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, sliders, spaghetti, ravioli and chicken fingers.  She chose the chicken fingers which came with a side order of fries. We were quite surprised with the portion size, since it was larger than we anticipated given it was on a children’s menu.

I had Joey G’s Southwestern Cobb Salad. I guess they were out of guacamole and shredded cheese that night, because my salad was served with neither.  (I did look under the leaves of lettuce and the generous amount of bacon crumbles, and black bean corn salsa, but I could not locate any.)  The chicken was not very Cajun either; just grilled. That said, it was a nice salad, and not just a mound of lettuce; definitely entrée worthy.

My husband ordered the Shredded BBQ Beef Brisket Sandwich, which he said was good. Both my daughter and husband liked the fries served with their meals.

The portions were generous enough that none of us had room for dessert. My first reaction was to compare my restaurant experience to that of Applebees or TGIFriday’s.  That’s exactly what the food reminded me of.

Joey G’s Grill & Bar will give you that nice and new impression and it falls within your typical casual family-night dinner price range. However, I was left wondering what it really did to differentiate itself from its Applebee’s neighbor or other similar types of venues in this area, besides the super large bar with  wall-to-wall TV’s and a bit more elbow room while seated. The service was attentive but not intrusive, and the food was average.

If you're looking for a casual night out that fits into your budget, Joey G's may be for you.