It may serve beer and burgers, but PJ’s Courthouse Tavern & Grille in Sycamore is not your average corner pub.
Located in a 126-year-old building that once housed the town’s first library–not to mention some reportedly raucous high-stakes card games–PJ’s sits across the street from the DeKalb County Courthouse. When brothers Paul and John Schwartz bought the property 3 years ago, they chose to adopt the judicial theme. A mock jury box contains the restaurant’s designated smoking section; an entryway to an eating area is labeled Jury Room.
Although the Schwartzes scoured the countryside for much of their decor, some of their greatest finds came from within the building itself. The back of the bar is an old cigar humidor; a turn-of-the-century Murphy bed, now a mirror, was discovered in the former boarding house upstairs. Negatives stuffed in a shoebox in the basement revealed customers having a brew at Bergies, a bar that occupied the building in the 1950s.
Besides the 12 appetizers listed, PJ’s boasts a cook-to-order menu ($3 to $6.95), including half-pound hamburgers on dark rye and deep-fried beer-batter onion rings hand-chopped fries, an array of bountiful salads and Your Honor, an 8-ounce rib eye on warm garlic bread. On the wet side, a variety of domestic and premium beers are offered along with an extensive selection of imports and specialties.
At least twice a month, the pub packs the house to live music from polka to rock, and theme parties such as the upcoming Crawfish Fest in February keep things lively.
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PJ’s Courthouse Tavern & Grille
202 W. State St., Sycamore
Hours: 10 a.m.-midnight Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday, noon-10 p.m. Sunday
Phone: 815-895-9253
