TJ’s Sports Bar & Grill is roomy, relaxing and affordable

No matter where you go in this country, it seems like there’s a place like TJ’s Sports Bar & Grill — or there should be. It’s comfortable and easy, fun and unpretentious, with just enough local style to make one feel at home.

The bar is well-situated to draw pau hana people from along the Kapiolani corridor or Kakaako. You’ll find it at the intersection of Kapiolani Boulevard, South and King streets, right across Kapiolani from former offices of the Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s current offices are now a few blocks away, down South Street.

The experience

The old TV show “Cheers” set a good tone for a bar, but one thing didn’t ring true. It seemed much too big, with the large barroom and a pool room in the back.

TJ’s surprises in that it actually seems to match that bar in overall size. Although ostensibly a “corner bar,” it stretches lengthwise along the ground floor of the 600 Kapiolani office building, so it has a long, spacious layout. There’s room for several dartboard lanes set side by side — just watch it when you’re entering from the convenient parking area. There’s enough clearance so you won’t walk into a dart, but you might disturb someone’s concentration.

There are three pool tables here, set end to end, with enough room to shoot from most angles without poking the players on the neighboring table.

The spaciousness of TJ’s is really nice. We went during “Monday Night Football,” so there was only one game on the various flat screens, but I suspect that even on Saturdays and Sundays, it’s possible for people to gather around the one game they’re interested in and not be too bothered by others. I’ve been to plenty of sports bars where the chirping and barking of let’s say, Cowboy fans, is enough to disrupt focus on other games.

The decor is simple: team pennants on the walls, a few small round tables and stools, and then booths with high-backed seats, high enough to block out the immediacy of your next-door neighbor’s conversation.

The food

The menu is a mishmash of favorites, some of which seem rather surprising to have at a bar. A grilled cheese ($6) or tuna sandwich ($10) seems more like something to have at home, but if simple is what you want, why not? There’s traditional bar food, from burgers and fries ($9) to wings ($10), but also Asian and local-inspired dishes like fried rice with lup chong ($11), cold tofu ($6), ahi belly ($12) or other seafood items at market rates.

One item caught my eye: Shoyu Vienna Sausages ($7). Growing up on the mainland, I did not grow up inundated with teriyaki, so I was pleased by this combination, the sausages extremely tender and the sauce tasty. It struck a chord with my companion, who grew up on the Big Island, getting this kind of dish in the school cafeteria — and pronounced it “worth coming back for.”

At the friendly food server’s recommendation, I also had the Korean chicken ($10), one of several Asian-style chicken items on the menu. It was a revelation — I thought it would be little more than the usual lumpy, dumpy chicken nuggets with sauce, but in fact it was slightly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a slightly sweet sauce not at all overpowering the taste of the chicken. Yes, folks, chicken actually does have its own taste, and properly prepared, it’s good.

I also had the garlic fried rice ($10), which came in a huge mound, loco-moco style with two fried eggs. One look and I knew I’d be having leftovers for several days — it was so much, and worth keeping.

The drinks

Drinks during happy hour are a simple proposition: everything 50 cents off. The beer list isn’t too fancy, with Stella Artois being the most expensive at $5 regular, which suits this place just fine.

The verdict

If you want a place that combines simplicity with variety, TJ’s is the place. The space works for parties both large and small, and the food is tasty and affordable. The crowd during that Monday night game was both young and old, male and female, some enjoying the game and others just a brew and conversation.

You won’t find anything exotic or highfalutin about it, and I suspect that’s exactly the way patrons like it. After all, one does go to these places to relax.