Utterly terrible service. We have given the place several chances, since we visit the area frequently, but we've had so many problems that I felt like I finally needed to leave a review. For one, the wait times are terrible - Over 45-50 minutes wait for the food many times. The fish items on the menu are often dry, are small portions, and over-cooked. On more than one occasion, when I have asked the waitress to help with even the smallest request, she tells me that she will not fix any problems whatsoever. Twice I have been told 'I can't ask the kitchen staff or they will get angry'. Even for items that were completely forgotten and would normally be components of the dinner. This is ridiculous. For $22 for two tacos, how is it such a big thing to ask that the normal fries and sauce be included if they are forgotten?? I don't understand how they are running a business this way. I don't plan to return until they have addressed these issues - or at least until they teach their wait staff to have more skill with customer service and mend relations with their kitchen staff. read more

It was Labor Day weekend, we stopped in for lunch. The patio was very busy so we chose to sit inside at a booth. The first thing I noticed was how stained and dirty the fabric booth backs were. The wall that was along the side of the table was incredibly splattered with sticky brownish gunk. (Not appetizing). The menus that were given to us were all sticky as well even my kids were complaining. The server was pleasant and no problems there. When the silverware was brought to the table 3 of 4 forks and steak knives appeared hard water stained and tarnished, 1 fork had gunk still stuck to it. One of our children ordered a sliced tomato as a side, it was delivered on a triangular black plate. This too was covered in a film of sort, which easily wiped off but again made us all cringe. I started questioning what the kitchen must look like if all the serving pieces are dirty, filmy and not sticky. Our meals came and did look and taste delicious. Although my youngest one ordered Mac N Cheese, which was appeared to be boxed Kraft Mac N Cheese with extra cheddar melted on it. The French fries were delicious, probably the best I ever had! I had the Mediterranean flatbread and it was fabulous. Long story, short... food was good but management and staff need to pay attention/ take pride in their workplace and add cleanliness to their required side work to create a better dining experience. The food was pricey. If I'm going to spend $14 on a hamburger I want clean utensils and a clean table/booth to dine at. read more

Great service and the food..... WOW!! The burgers are amazing, ground steak! Who does that? The fish and chips were delicious. Thanks to all the staff especially Andrea. read more

We stopped by CJ's for breakfast on a sunny Sunday morning. Happy to see the staff in masks and the tables socially distanced. We first had a really good Bloody Mary with just enough pep, vegetables and seasonings. For food we ordered the Cali omelet with shrimp, pepper jack, cream cheese and pico. It was one of the best omelets we've had! The other order was Crab Benedict. Also amazing. The only thing I would mention is the crab was in crab-cake so it had some breading on it but didn't see that mentioned on menu. Regardless, it was great. The potatoes that came with both meals were also spot on. We hope to be able to try their lunch & dinner menus soon! read more

The crab cakes were really good like another review said so were the calimari. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Right across the street from the water/beach. read more

Wow!!! There are several great selections for breakfast here, but I feel we chose the best!! The biscuits are hands down best biscuit I have had outside my Grandma's kitchen and everything from Bloody Mary to egg yolks finished perfectly! read more

This is a great place to done. The service is great. Our server Kayla was very attentive and made a great beer recommendation. My wife ordered the Jack burger which was big and juicy. Her only complaint was it needed a bigger bun. I had the fish and chips after seeing a picture of it earlier in the day here on Yelp. One of the best fish I've had in a while. We will definitely be back in the future. read more

I have been going to CJ's for about 4 years. I love their crab cakes. Over the summer, when COVID was new, I was there for pick-up pretty much weekly. However, they no longer seem to offer the crab cakes. Maybe it is seasonal. I understand that COVID is impacting the business of many restaurants. However, my experience today was pretty disgusting and could not be blamed directly on COVID. Someone who has the 'power' is making bad decisions about what they are offering AND how much they feel they can charge for their options. My daughter wanted her favorite - a salmon burger with bacon and coleslaw. That has always been a bit pricey and is now over $25. Because of the absence of the crab cakes, I had to get their 'chicken burger' or that is what I thought. I specifically asked for it grilled because I cannot eat things that are battered - not even their fish and chips. (Their chips are usually lightly battered with something, too.) About 7 minutes after I had ordered, I called to ask that they not put onions on either of the sandwiches. The woman who answered the phone repeated back what I said so I KNOW she understood my request. Then we started on our way to go pick up the order - about a 20 minute drive. The meal - two sandwiches with slaw and an extra order of slaw cost me over $50 ($60 with the tip). When we got home, and I opened my sandwich container, the chicken was heavily battered and had some sort of greasy/soggy dried, shredded onion stuck to the outside of the batter. I cannot eat grease (which is why I ask for grilled chicken). I pulled off the crust from one side in one large piece. I had to scrape off the crust from the other side in bits because it was soggy with grease and the onion stuff. What was left was a very thin slice of chicken breast - about a half of a centimeter thick. I called them and complained. It turns out they do not do grilled chicken - at least not for Monday lunches. They only do that battered, soggy option. No one mentioned that when I asked for grilled on the phone. I do not know what happened to my request for no onions. If you go to this restaurant, make sure you know what you are getting for your money. I won't be going back. The crab cakes were the only attraction. They seem to be gone. (I can provide a picture of the batter I peeled off. Because of the 35 to 40 minute drive round trip, I only had about 20 minutes left to eat my 'lunch' before I had to get back to (remote) work. I grabbed a slice of chicken from my fridge and threw that and the thin slice from the sandwich back on the bun to eat. I took the picture after that. I could still 'taste' the grease when it was giving me indigestion 4 hours later.) read more

They always do a great job. Caesar salad, ribs, shrimp, it's all good. A must stop if you are near Birch Bay. It won't disappoint.

We had a big birthday to celebrate and I was looking for a place a little more fancy, but I could not have been more pleasantly surprised. The food and service were fantastic! I'm very happy with our selection. Go! You will be too!! read more

Had a mini family reunion dinner at CJs and it was great. The food was delicious with a good selection. The prices were reasonable and the location couldnt have been better. (Sitting on the deck enjoying the sunset while eating was the best) However the service was a bit slow, but it could have been because of our group size. We enjoyed the drinks, the food and the company. Try at least once and you won't regret it. read more

My mahi mahi tacos were cooked to perfection. The fries were out of this world tasty! The host was extremely friendly and service was quick. The view is nice. I couldn't find anything to really complain about other than it was a bit chili inside. read more

Really good food! My family was so impressed, we went twice in one week!! The first time, we enjoyed a beautiful view of the bay from their outdoor seating arrangements. It got a little chilly, but fortunately, they had blankets to keep us warm. Our second time around, we decided to I tried the wedge salad and lobster and shrimp Mac and cheese (my personal favorite). I can't wait to vacation in Birch Bay again! I'll definitely come back to CJ's! read more

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We used to go here a lot on a Friday night but in the last year their prices have gotten much higher. If you are there for the happy hour you can get their basic hamburger for $9.00, which is pretty good, but if you miss this time slot you get to start at $12.50 & up depending on the cheese you choose etc. There dinner prices are much higher. For these prices I would rather go to the bar/lounge at Semiahmoo. read more

I love this place! It has such a relaxing atmosphere. The staff is friendly and the food is always great! It's a little expensive but not outrageous by any means. Will continue to be a patron. read more

Disappointing service today. We have been multiple times and never had a problem. Today's female server was inattentive and seemed put out doing her job. Came in around 4 pm. After we got our food she never came back and asked how it was or if we'd like refills on our drinks. Took forever to get the bill and had to flag down another waiter to get it. She handed it to me and walked off without a word. Frustrating to pay 100 bucks for a meal and be ignored and thirsty. read more

I don't know about the food yet. I just ordered a Mango smoothie without the alcohol like the menu said they could do. The drink is $5.95 and the glass is only 3/4 full. It's 83 degrees outside, the drink is expensive fill my damn glass read more

Mom, brother and I came here at 8:00pm on a Wednesday evening in late June. Lots of seating, so it seemed less busy, but there were plenty of patrons. We sat inside, in a booth, but still had a good view through large windows. Until, 3/4 of the way through dinner, the host placed a couple at the two-top directly between us and the window. There were a total of 8 other empty two-tops along the windows that would not have obstructed anyone's view. I understand that certain sections are set up for certain servers, but even putting the couple one table to the left or right would have kept them in the same immediate area, but not in our view. Mom got Tempura Shrimp with rice pilaf - plate looked very nice. Taste and texture of shrimp was not very pleasing, a little overly fishy. Also ordered an alcoholic smoothie. Brother got Jack burger - enjoyable. Bun was not burnt, but fries did look a little dark. Also ordered a beer. I got French Onion Soup and a side Caesar salad - Soup was very salty, like most French Onion soups. Lots of cheese and bread. Caesar was typical. Mediocre food, but not a corresponding price - $72 YIKES. Service was fine and timely. read more

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My wife & I saw this restaurant driving into Birch Bay and it looked nice. Folks at the Worldmark Birch Bay told us, "Oh, for good food go to CJ's down the street." So we did. The wait staff was nice enough, although easily distracted. But - Sorry! The food was Awful! Can you mess up a seafood Cobb Salad? With old wilting greens, an under cooked quasi-hard boiled egg, 1 greasy strip of bacon, a handful of tiny shrimp, and "blue cheese crumbles" served as an ice cream scoop of cheesy stuff on the side, Yes You Can! I finally mentioned that my salad was pretty bad & my wife said, "Oh good, I thought it was just me!" Neither of us wanted to finish it. Worse yet, we had ordered 2 "Cadillac Margaritas" at high end prices because we were on vacation. They were bitter, and clearly lacked any evidence of the Grand Marnier floater advertised. They were so bad that they were completely undrinkable!!! Folks - in my entire lifetime, this is the first Margarita I ever recall just flat out walking away from. That's Bad!!! There are so many excellent choices for food here I don't know why anyone eats here at all... We certainly won't make that mistake again. :-P read more

Great spot for a quick, delicious fun lunch! Great music and vibes. Crab cakes were delicious along with the beer! Our server was very nice and working her butt off! read more

Went today based on fairly good reviews. Had the mahi mahi tacos, yummy. The place was clean, and observed the State 50% rule and did space customers well apart. There was, however, something a bit unsettling...the hostess/waitress was not wearing a mask, and did not observe a 6' distance. We asked her about the no mask and she mentioned a medical exemption. Ok, fine but I would have expected the management to insist she keep 6'+. At first I think she noticed we were a bit unsettled by this but then suddenly she had to water the plant at our table (seriously?!) while we were eating. Clearly, that does not allow for even 1 foot distance. Odd! read more

We visited CJ's on Saturday the 6th of April. My grandson asked for a burger without pickles and mayonnaise. We were told that they could leave the mayonnaise off but not the pickle. They could, however, leave all condiments (lettuce, tomato, onion etc) off or none at all. I asked if they could just them on a separate plate. No was their answer. I was told that it was their policy. I can tell you that my policy is to never go there again. read more

Food is okay. Had the burger and clam chowder. Prices are too high for this area. $17 for a burger is what I would expect from Seattle not from a small town in Washington. Service was lacking. The food was slow. Also it was almost empty and our waitress left the dessert menu with us and didn't come back for over 15min. We gave up and had to ask for our check by interrupting a conversation she was having in the back and the waitress looked annoyed we interrupted. read more

Everything we ordered was mediocre. Fish Tacos, Mac & Cheese, and Fish & Chips were all about what you'd expect from a middle school cafeteria. The fries were particularly awful. They got one star back for supporting local live music. Maybe go to drink there and skip the food? read more

Really Disappointed! Poor Customer Service. I called CJ's Beach House in March '18 to discuss a reservation for 12 on their deck prior to our son's wedding in July. We've never spent time in this area, we'd heard good things about CJ's and we were looking forward to a wonderful evening outside enjoying a good dinner with family before the wedding festivities kicked in. The host was more than accommodating at that point and said that it wouldn't be a problem and to call back in April when the reservation calendar for July was available. Today when I called back they changed their story and said, "No, we don't take reservations for the deck. We'd be happy to put you in our banquet room instead." Needless to say, this was extremely disappointing and frustrating. Had we wanted to be a in banquet room we would have booked a closed in room at a hotel. It probably doesn't matter to CJ's as they apparently have plenty of business in the busy summer months, however they did lose the opportunity to leave a good impression on a group of 12 and instead have left us frustrated and disappointed. Little do they know there would have been another 20-25 guests joining us after dinner for cocktails and good times together at CJ's. read more

Poor service from Steve for it being such a slow night towards the end. I think the guy has 3 tables and yet it's taken forever to get the check and then we should've just given him the card when he was here to drop that off cuz then it was another 10 minutes to pick it up. Great bread and spreadable butter. We had the chowder and French onion soup, both very salty, French onion too salty to even eat. I wish We would've ordered 3 crab cakes instead of any soup, those were awesome! Disappointed overall. Also thought there'd be more on the menu. read more

The beach house restaurant theme shouldn't come with such high prices. Service and quality more reminiscent of high end diner food. The old Stephanie's Restaurant at this location was a much better experience. No restaurant or business seems to be successful in Birch Bay and the new owners of CJ's (the Neimann family of the Black Forest steak houses) probably need to adjust the menu and prices to draw in more local traffic read more

CJ's Beach house in Birch Bay: The WORST service I've ever seen at a restaurant before. My family and I waited 15 minutes before seating, that's about average. The table was completely soaked with water along with the floor being full of crumbs and food and soaking wet. The waitress refused to even wipe up the table or sweep the floor for us. Upon ordering we asked repetitively to have her bring us our drinks. Let alone bring out rolls. After waiting 50 minutes, the waitress FINALLY brought out rolls. Following the rolls, 30 minutes later we finally received our salads. Although, our salads did NOT come with forks because there was not "One single clean fork in the whole entire restaurant" according to the waitress.They expected us to eat a salad with our fingers. Meanwhile the waitress would not refill any drinks because she was too busy. The restaurant was not packed or extremely busy. Almost 1.5 hours of waiting after we sat down the waitress finally came back to our table and told us that there were no more chicken strips for the kids meal. She has no answer to when asked why it took an hour and a half for her to come and tell us that. Another 35 minutes went by and our food finally arrived. All while a party next to us who came 40 minutes after we did, received drinks and food before we even have, even though we had ordered our food directly after drink due to knowing what we all wanted. Then our food was either mixed up or wrong. While we were eating we asked the waitress to speak with the manager. Then our bill came and the kids meal was still on our bill. While we were loudly discussing how it was still on our bill the waitress came back and fixed it but once again we asked to talk with the manager. The waitress came back and had said, "She's just too busy back in the kitchen to come out and talk with you". We then asked if she could go back and ask if we could have a discount on our bill or something for all of our waits and issues and poor service at the restaurant. Waitress came back and said, "the owner said no she will not discount anything on your bill." As the waitress followed with saying, "And if you refuse to pay we'll just call the cops on you" and proceeded to tell us how the environment in the back of the kitchen was quite "hostile" and disaster like especially with the ticketing system. We were all appalled to know that the Owner had refused to come out and speak with a customer let alone have such crappy service from a waitress/hostess. Even if the owner would have told us she would come out to talk to us after cooking whatever she was back there would've been fine but nope she didn't care. I would not ever recommend this place to ANYONE with a company that has such terrible service knowing the owner doesn't even care about her customers. read more

Good for what it is. It's not too expensive and you get a LOT of food (much of it deep fried and/or covered in thick sauce). You can't get just grilled salmon with veggies, for example, which is what I was craving. I wound up getting lobster mac and cheese (for the lobster) and taking a lot of it to go. Very casual and fun atmosphere. Nice roomy booths. All in all, I'd probably opt for a place with more non-artery-clogging basics on the menu. read more

Horrible food and service. Sent Peel n eat shrimp back it was tasteless and red sauce was vinegary n carbonated. Both were lukewarm. Wait staff I'll see what I can do. Then brought our check out with shrimp on it. No explanation. Asked about it. She said I'm just the messenger do you want to talk to the chef? Yes! He was indignant. I made that shrimp n sauce this morning! So? It's wasn't good. Refused to remove or adjust the charge. Said we won't be back for a $10 chg and we are local. He walked off and said fine. Bad food. Bad service. Never again. Fish n chips were greasy. Plus coleslaw was warm. read more

"It's Still a Mystery To Me...." Birch Bay, WA is a relatively small town so I figured it would be easy to query the locals to find which of the 2 or 3 restaurants was best. CJ's appeared to the be the consensus-great food and good service I was told. We drove up to what appeared to be a fairly busy restaurant--that's was good sign right? We walked up to the door at 8:05 pm to find that the doors were locked! There were no hours posted on the door, but we were able to signal the hostess through the window who was just a short distance away. She eventually made her way over to the door and told us they closed 5 minutes ago and indicated that the kitchen had already been cleaned up so they couldn't seat and serve us. Really....? I mean I wasn't looking for them to conjure up an original dish to satisfy Chef Ramsey, just something off of their standard menu. Having worked in restaurants before myself, I fully undertand that the pilot light on the stove is on an autotimer that shuts off exactly at 8 pm in small towns like Birch Bay. You couldn't get one to work at 1 minute past if you tried to start it with rocket fuel... Well, maybe at 1 minute past, but 5 minutes past is a complete impossibility. I asked the hostess if the manager was available to which she responded she was in Saudi Arabia.....Well, she had me there; it's pretty hard to make an appeal to someone who's in Saudi Arabia. I guess my real beef here is that when you have willing customers who are looking for quality food at the recommendation of people in the community, who are willing to pay a good price for it (and typically tip 20%+), 5 minutes shouldn't be that big of a factor. I wasn't kidding about working in restaurants. I know good ones and I know bad ones. I'm under the assumption however, that businesses existed to make a profit. My observation is when a business isn't really interested in providing service to willing customers, it's probably not too far off before they don't have any. I'm not saying CJ's isn't worth trying--clearly I wouldn't know; but I would recommend those of you who are their customers let them know they took some major steps backward from being the high quality place you all have come to know them as. read more

Hadn't been here for a long time so decided to give it another try; used to be very very good in past years. Not many people there on a Sat. nite which seemed abit surprising. The service was slow & disorganized; dinners served with wrong "sides". Food was ok ut nothng special. Cocktails were acceptable but not great. read more

Just went to CJ's with a large group. We had some great service with awesome food. The French onion soup is a must on a cold Birch Bay day. The fish and chips were crispy and the breaded fries were unique and amazing. A little pricey but what do you expect in a resort town! read more

We went here Memorial Day evening for dinner. The place was pretty much empty so I expected a good experience. My husband ordered the bacon cheeseburger and I ordered the cheeseburger with swiss and a side of au jus. The burgers were cooked great but the buns were burned, mine was black. We both ordered fries with our meal and the fries were over cooked with a slightly burned taste to them. I asked for some A1 and was told "the owner doesn't believe in steak sauce" and doesn't serve it in his restaurants. Which was a lie ~ I asked if the owner of CJ's was the same as the Black Forest in Blaine and the waitress said yes and also the owner of the one in Bellingham where they DO have A1 sauce. It would have seriously helped with the burger as well as the burnt taste of the fries. Service was so-so and the buns and fries were burnt. As an after note, after using the bathroom which as you come out you see straight into the kitchen one of the employees was shoveling a mouthful of something into his mouth... not something you'd expect to see in a "nice" restaurant. Really so very disappointed that the Blaine (Neimann) restaurants (LOCAL restaurants) can't seem to pay attention to detail. It would make all the difference between 2 stars and 5 stars. One other thing ~ the menu said the burgers were 1/2 pound burgers but I don't think that's true. My homemade burgers are measured 1/3 pound burgers and theirs were no bigger than mine, seemed a bit smaller to me. All in all I will give this place another try but I will tell the how to cook my food ~ "don't burn the bun and the fries". One more time like that will be my last. read more

Staying at Semiahmoo but the restaurant had a 30-40 min wait for seating or take out. Drove 3 very tired and hungry kids here who wanted burgers and seafood. It was perfect! Sat immediately, so comfortable, relaxed, amazing view watching water and people bike by. Food was great, fish tacos, burgers, clam chowder, peel and eat shrimp- way better quality than expected from the reviews. Loved this restaurant and its easy atmosphere, such nice staff. Highly recommended!! read more

The best and hottest French onion soup! They bring you fresh baked rolls with dinner, service is always good and so is the food.

My friend and I had the calamari, wedge salad and drinks and it was all fantastic! Fresh, quick and delicious!

The wedge salad and clam chowder are amazing!! Food came up quick with a party of 4, despite the dining room being mostly full on a Saturday night. Great view and really good service, as well! read more

Best food in Birch Bay and great staff. Always fresh and high quality. Try the steamer clams and some of their homemade yeast rolls.

BF and I went to Birch Bay for a night, a short get-away. We went here for dinner, and boy did we go all out. Drinks and a spendy little dinner. Approx $80 w/tip. I had the crab boil, had been craving it and was delish. BF had steak. Everything was delish and service was wonderful. This restaurant would be a reason to go to birch bay, there is not much else... read more