PJ's Burger Barn — Restaurant in Town of Arbor Vitae

My dad and I went today for the last Fish Fry of the year. We each ordered the $12.95 fish fry (2 fairly large pieces of beer battered deep fried fish - about 1.5"x1"x5.5") and ordered an extra piece for an extra $2. With included fries and a bowl of clam chowder I could barely finish it all. Dad couldn't even eat all of his.

The fish was excellent. Cooked perfectly and very mild flavor. The fries were solid. The chowder had good flavor but consistency was really thick, more like homemade jam than soup, which was a little off-putting but in the end the solid flavor won out for me.

Service was excellent. Really friendly, fun, and polite waitress who checked in with us frequently. Food came quickly.

Atmosphere was Northwoods perfect. Very casual. The interior is all knotty pine and rustic. We were seated in a booth in the back with a perfect view of the lake behind the restaurant. Got to watch a gorgeous sunset as an eagle flew by (not making that up) while we waited for our food. It was November, but there is a patio out back with horseshoe pits for summertime. There is a bar but we didn't take advantage of it.

Overall I really enjoyed my experience and it was a great value. $33 for 2 meals and a beverage, plus another meal from the 2 pieces we took home as leftovers. Note: the place is obviously a burger joint first and foremost and had like 15 different burgers...

Never had bad food at this place and been there twice since the remodel. Always great service from owner as well as staff. Lara was our server last nite and we laughed and enjoyed some quick banter and she took good care of us. Had the fish fry of course, for Friday and a darker amber beer Riverside (?) that was very smooth, almost like a honey blend in it, with no bitter aftertaste. The fish (cod) was excellent and even sweet potato fries were crispy (some places have them but they're soggy). 2 piece fry is $13.95, 3 pc $15.95. Served with choice of soup or cole slaw and choice of potatoes. 2 PCs are filling enough if you have the soup as they also serve warm soft bread sticks with butter. Or get 3 pcs and split the third between 2 people. Remodeled nicely inside with option to sit on a small deck to view Brandy Lake or sit at the bar and watch sports, or a nice booth/table. We also had a $15 certificate to use, bought off a dining discount site offer. We sat down right away as it was a later than usual, time for us, at 7:30 pm. We are locals so rarely go out to area restaurants in the summer months. You either go very early or later after the busy period of 5-7pm, esp on a...

Stopped in for lunch today, first time customers and had heard a good review to stopped in. Place is currently being remodeled inside and out, the new finishes and design is really nice and done well, that’s a plus. Service was incredibly slow, I felt bad for the waitress as she seemed to be the hostess, waitress, and bartender for the whole place and was very busy. Unfortunately we ordered drinks, then came incorrect, and we didn’t get the waters we asked for. The food, wasn’t good food, took about an hour from ordering the food till we got it, some food was cold, some didn’t have correct toppings, and just in general was not impressed. Owner happened to walk by and could sense we didn’t exactly love the food, asked multiple times why, almost begged us to explain what wasn’t right and said would make adjustments to our bill. She admitted she doesn’t have a large grill so sometimes orders can take awhile.

I hope with the remodel finished, and additional staff they can make corrections and offer better service and food, just unfortunately today they weren’t at there best and won’t be getting us to return...