The growth and development of the Palm Beach Outlets in West Palm Beach has been fun to watch over the past year. Early in 2014, the majority of the new shops opened, and the crowds went wild. There was one small thing missing though: a restaurant to feed the hoards of shoppers that poured into the parking lots on a daily basis. Enter BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse.
BJ's triple threat: beer, deep-dish pizza and pizookie — Photo courtesy of BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse
BJ's markets itself as a casual-plus restaurant, serving up proprietary brews, pizzas, sandwiches, pasta dishes, seafood and more. The menu is dense – not quite Cheesecake Factory level, but close – allowing you to satisfy any type of craving you could possibly be suffering through.
Starting with beers, BJ's makes and serves at least eight different homemade varieties. Within the menu, they recommend entrees to pair with the different libations. Some of the favorites include the hoppy, award-winning Piranha Ale and the Irish-style Jeremiah Red.
Bartender pours a frothy, handcrafted BJ's beer — Photo courtesy of BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse
For the hungry, start with the appetizers. The calamari and crispy fried artichokes cannot be beat. From there, you have many options to pick from for the main course. You wouldn't think that BJ's has amazing pizza, given that they don't specialize in it and there's no Italian surname in their moniker. But truth be told, their signature deep-dish pies are better than anything in a 10-mile radius.
Some people enjoy eating out, but like to watch their weight simultaneously. BJ's "Enlightened Entrees" are dream meals for these types. Each clocks in at under 800 calories. They include great-tasting dinners like the Bison Burger and Mediterranean Chicken Pita Tacos.
Just think: if you only consume 800 calories at dinner, you will have extra capacity for handcrafted beers!
At most restaurants, the waiter/waitress will halfheartedly sell you on dessert and coffee after your meal, knowing full well you are going to say, "No, check please." At BJ's, there is no need to sell patrons on post-meal sweets. The famous pizookies sell themselves.
What's a pizookie, you ask? Basically, it's a deep-dish cookie served in a tin plate, topped with scoops of ice cream. The cookie comes in varieties like chocolate chip, peanut butter, white chocolate macadamia and Oreo. If you can't decide on just one, you can order a trio, the beer flute of pizookies.
The Palm Beach Outlets continues to grow, and now with a stalwart of a restaurant like BJ's in the fold, the trips over to Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard will only be more enjoyable.
Come out and enjoy a beer and pizookie today.
