JJ's Grill Conway — Restaurant in Conway

Perhaps my favorite place in Conway, JJ's serves up good food, good drinks, and good atmosphere.

The fried pickles are my favorite, nice dill chips (no spears here) served with ranch. The wings are another excellent choice. Burgers are well prepared, but beware of the buns that are a little too soft. Expect to need extra napkins. The chicken salad is an unexpected treat. I don't know if they make it in house or what, but it is really good.

The rest of the menu is pretty much normal American restaurant fare (nachos, chicken strips, etc...) and all of it is good.

The beer selection is nice and the $1.99 margaritas are one of the best in town. They have happy minutes instead of a happy hour (3:00-3:20, 4:20-4:40, 5:40-6:00) with $1 domestic drafts (mainly Bud/Miller/Coors variety) with some appetizer deals.

JJ's started kind of like a restaurant with a bar, now it is a more like a bar with great food. The place is always clean, even during the busiest hours, and seating can be limited on weekends. It never gets rowdy, just fun, and the clientele come from all walks of life.

I am glad they have thrived in Conway and I have made them my local watering hole.

Update 4/26/2014: They have changed their menu and replaced half their tap handles with local selections. Try the fried...

I was pretty impressed by the catfish po'boy I had the first time I went to JJ's. It wasn't super salty or fried to a plank, and it tasted great. Everything on the menu costs about 2 dollars too much, though, and the price of a beer in a bar is insane. The place is noisy and our waitress was definitely faking her smile throughout the service. The place has an atmosphere that's part sports bar and part "who stole my cigarettes". I got a half of a refill on my water before she huffed and stomped off, and then she didn't come back until I hunted another waitress down and asked for the check. The booths are made of solid wood and are really uncomfortable. I've been back a few times since then, and each time the friendliest person I have seen was the bartender, who also looked at me like an alien once when I asked for a menu, which she couldn't find in the space of ten minutes. The last time I went there I had planned on getting some fried mushrooms to go, but the place was so packed when I opened the door that I just let out a loud "nope" and turned on my heel. But they do have good food and live music...

First review here, but a regular here. This is THE hometown bar of Conway. Bartenders remember your name, and your “usual”. Always same staff so that tells me turnover is minimal. I’m writing this review tonight for a specific reason… I walked in after work and the place was packed. I read the room, and saw that the bar was staffed more than usual, but two of them seem tired. They were there solely to support another bartender after working all day due to an influx in business. Manager was there as well to support. I’m writing this review because the culture of the bar reflects directly to the service standard they provide: people first. Worth a visit. It’s the kind of place you can go in, make a friend, and come back a week later and see the same friend. Thanks JJs Conway for being who you are. My visit...