TJ’s Restaurant

Heard great things about the food. Last night a friend and I ate here and to say the least, it wasn’t very good. The food was not entirely hot and didn’t seem all thoroughly cooked in my opinion. But, the beverages were swell, as was the gluten free bread.

1^st visit and was very impressed. Quaint place with a friendly staff. Sat at the bar and Renee was great. Recommended the Blackened grouper and it was wonderful. Lots of flavor. Highly recommend.

Wonderful wait staff who stayed late for our family in from out of state to enjoy dessert. Delicious desserts! There were more than 5 outstanding choices and we enjoyed them thoroughly.

ate there last night for the first time and loved it! I had the crabcakes and they were very good. My husband had the strip steak and it was also very good. Everything was hot and we loved the atmosphere! Our server was great and the prices were reasonable. Will definitely go back!

Blackened grouper tacos were great. Big cuts of fish! Homemade veggie burger was very well received by a friend as well. Great water service.

My wife had lunch with colleagues at Tj’s today. Our 7-​month old son is allergic to dairy, and since my wife is nursing him, she can’t eat dairy, either. My wife ordered one of the few menu items with no cheese: a fish sandwich. She asked the waitress if the bread had butter on it. She said «no.» My wife made it clear that she cannot eat any dairy. The waitress assured her it didn’t have butter (she seemed confused that butter would be on the bread.) When she brought the sandwich, it was clear the bread was buttered. When my wife asked the waitress again, the waitress only then asked the chef who confirmed that there was butter on the bread … and the fish was cooked in butter!!! My wife waited over 30 minutes for a second sandwich. After waiting so long, my wife told the manager about it. She only said, «oh, ok». Not an apology at all! When the second sandwich finally came, it looked like it also had butter on the toast. She ate half the sandwich because she was hungry and her colleagues were waiting on her. As they went to pay their bills at the register, my wife suggested to the manager she shouldn’t have to pay. The manager waived it rather reluctantly and never apologized! Now our son can’t sleep tonight and is crying. His nose is running, and he’s having a hard time breathing. Thanks a lot «Tj’s». If you have food allergies, DONT’ GO HERE. They don’t care!

TJ’s is one of our favorite places to eat. OK, I know their phone number by heart. With three different eating venues and accompanying (but frequently changed) menus, there’s something here for every palate.

You know what? Melvin’s is so much better. And, um, they’re in the same building. Just go to Melvin’s.
And if you’re all, «but I want something nicer than Melvin’s,» go to City Square or South Market.

Fresh things at TJ’s aren’t (fresh). Somehow they’ve mastered the art of making everything taste the same. Over the period of a year, six different visits, the food never climbed beyond mediocre and the service matched the food. At best, TJ’s is forgettable.

I’ve been to TJ’s quite a few times, and it is definitely one of the better restaurants in Wooster. The only thing that has ever bothered me is the service. The servers were not rude or unfriendly, just inattentive. I have only been a lunch patron though, during a slow time. I know how it is to only be waiting on one table (I’m a server, too), but it was kind of overboard.
The food has always been delicious! They even have a VEGAN menu. I can’t remember exactly what I ordered, but it had to do with eggplant, peanut sauce, rice, and vegetables. It was the most original eggplant dish I’ve had at a restaurant. They told me that they were kind of experimenting with their vegan menu, which I think is awesome. The two times I ordered it, it tasted kind of different — in good ways! I’m sure they were fiddling with the recipe, which means they’re at least paying attention to the customers comments.
Off topic, I noticed other reviewers mentioned the owners. I went to high school with one of their daughters (they have quite a few, and their pictures are on the wall — beautiful family!) and though we weren’t friends, I heard nothing but good things about her. So it’s a nice, family owned restaurant. A bonus!

Five very enthusiastic stars. I am such a huge fan of TJs/​Melvins/​CWs for several reasons, in no particular order. I LOVE the fact that its locally owned in a place that is becoming more and more like Fairlawn. Greg and the rest of the Tieches are such wonderful people and they really have done an incredible job with this place. Each restaurant does a fabulous job with their particular type of food, and the quality is pretty awesome! TJs fine dining has amazing steaks and fish, Melvins food is truly innovative and orginal, with really fresh ingredients, and I can say with complete confidence that CWs has the best burgers I have ever had, and the artichoke dip is pretty bomb as well.
Friendly, reasonably priced, and definitely one of the best restaurants around… I only wish I could bring it out to LA with me. Be sure to check out open mic night at CWs and the covered deck outside TJs/​Melvins!
Oh, and they used to have a bartender that made the best margaritas around… I wonder whatever happened to her :)

This place is kinda schizo, but in the best way possible. You walk in upstairs and have the choice of TJ’s or Melvins. Tj’s is the finer dining area, and Melvin’s is the more.. . relaxed [I guess] restaurant.
The truth is, that it all used to be TJ’s back in the day. There’s one kitchen, and you can order off whatever menu you like, but you’re really just picking your atmosphere.
What really sets this place apart for me is the martini menu. I *love* a good designer martini, and this place came through. Not only that, but since it’s in the middle of nowhere, I’m not paying out my nose for one. GO TJ’S!
If they were to change anything though, I’d want them to have their prime rib every night. I used to get it here when I was really little and it stands in my memory as one of the best I’ve ever tasted. Sadly, it’s only offered on weekends now. *sigh*

My mother and stopped in here for dinner after a long day traveling from VA to OH. The hotel staff recommended this restaurant as one of several good ones. We went in about 7:00 pm on a Friday evening. When you walk in — you choose between one of three restaurants.
They had a Tiki Bar/​Beach theme going on in the restaurant for the evening. They even had gone so far to set up a plastic kiddie pool in one part of the dining room, and then were asking diners if they would like «pool-​side seats?»
We were asked if we would wear lei’s (they were fake plastic flowers — but they were having run with it). We said yes. All of the servers were wearing fake grass skirts and other decorative tropical themed stuff. They had strings of lights strung about the place — it took me a minute to figure out that each light was in the shape of a small parrot!
For an appetizer, I ordered a place of Mussels — they were decent. For dinner, I had a Caesar salad with Anchovies, The salad was a bit dry, so I asked for a side of Caesar dressing, adding a bit of that made the salad very good. The Anchovies added just the right amount of kick, flavor, and salt to the dish. I added a bit of black pepper to the salad.
For my entrée — I had Blackened Halibut, with a Creole shrimp topping and a side of spicy Remoulade. Rice and steamed vegetables came with the fish — the vegetables were primarily squash and broccoli. The Halibut, the shrimp topping, and Remoulade sauce were all yummy. The Blackening spice on the Halibut was a bit to salty for my taste — but still good.
My mother had the Char-​broiled Salmon and she said it was good. The service was good and attentive.
I would definitely come back here again when/​if visiting the Wooster area!

i found TJ’s forgettable, but maybe people who love steak, bland american cuisine, cold ambiance, and average service feel otherwise. i’d advise everyone to go downstairs to CW Burgerstein instead.