Eats: TJ’s Place in Monmouth

Fresh and homemade every day.

A favorite stopping place for pizza lovers traveling along Route 202 in Monmouth is TJ’s Place. The restaurant is known for traditional hand-tossed New York-style pizza, which can be ordered with 25 toppings, as well as a host of other homemade items.

TJ Quinn, one of the owners, says it’s all about freshness.

“We make our pizza dough fresh every day in our kitchen,” says Quinn. “All our pizzas are individually prepared and baked to order in our stone-decked oven.”

Specialty pizzas on the menu abound, including Aunt Krisy’s Greek Pizza, Brayden’s Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza, Josh’s Texas Chicken BBQ Pizza, Dary’s Taco Pizza and Bubba’s Butcher Block Pizza (all meat pizza with sausage, ham, pepperoni, hamburger, bacon and kielbasa).

While pizza is one of their most popular items, co-owner Kelly Webb says many of their other homemade items are becoming favorites. For instance, all of their breads and their desserts are made at Apple Valley Bakery and Cafe in Monmouth, which Quinn and Webb opened last fall.

“We make white bread, wheat bread and biscuits at the bakery,” says Webb. “We make a special bread for French toast. We also make desserts there, such as whoopie pies, cheesecake and brownies.”

For those customers who are looking for something other than pizza for lunch or dinner, the restaurant offers up everything from homemade lasagna and pasta dishes, to meatloaf with mashed potatoes, homemade macaroni and cheese, and seafood.

“We serve fried scallops, fried shrimp and fried haddock when available,” Webb says. “It’s all fresh, not frozen.”

Every Wednesday from 4 p.m. to closing is Wing Night. Chicken wings are available to dine-in customers for 50 cents each.

“We sell a lot of wings,” notes Webb. “We make several special sauces — hot, mild and garlic parmesan. Our house G-money honey sauce is one of our most popular sauces.”

Every Thursday night is Taco Night — available to dine-in customers for $1 each.

According to Webb, other favorite menu items among customers include the smoked chicken salad wrap, the pulled pork sandwich, the steak and cheese sub and the signature Reuben panini (made with corned beef, pastrami and bacon).

“We smoke the chicken and pork ourselves,” says Webb. We buy rib-eye steak and shave it for the steak subs.”

For the health conscious, TJ’s salad menu features a number of specialties, including buffalo chicken salad, taco salad, grilled chicken Caesar salad and Sylvia’s loaded steak salad.

“We make our own Thousand Island and blue cheese dressings,” Webb notes.

For those familiar with the area, the building TJ’s occupies was formerly the home of Wing’s Ice Cream and Hi Hat Pancake House. It was expanded in 2008 to seat approximately 40 people. A big-screen TV was also added, which, according to the owners, has made the spot popular with sports fans.

TJ’s Place

965 U.S. Route 202

Monmouth

933-3400

https://www.facebook.com/pages/TJs-Pizzeria/56245397314

Open six days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sunday and Tuesday 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; Wednesday through Friday 7 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Takeout also available.