CJ's Italian Restaurant

Deep dish pizza is always delicious! This was our first time trying the dessert (we planned to take them home, hence the containers), they were delicious! They didn't make it home, we ate them right there!

Super cool place with absolutely top notch pizza. Get the deep dish with the crispy edges! Spaghetti and other dishes also fantastic. Service is by people who actually care about the restaurant and its reputation. Get the small pizza dough to play with for your kids. Great experience all around. Its a little small but maybe tha'ts just part of the deal.

Well this place was surprise find! It’s a hole in the wall in Pier Village - easy to miss. Probably the best gluten free pizza I’ve had anywhere which is crazy to say because I consider myself a gluten free pizza connoisseur. The hubs has chicken artichoke pasta and he loved it. Service was great. Atmosphere was quirky and fun. Good vibe. Very busy.

Excellent meal! We visited the Golden Isles the weekend after Independence Day 2023 and the kids wanted pizza on the last night. You would drive right by the place never knowing it was there and inside it is like an Athens, Ga college town restaurant: quaint and quirky! The cooks and owner all said Hello when we came in and our server was friendly. Our pizza was exactly how we ordered it and our drinks were refilled when needed! I would to try a calzone in the future when we return to this hidden in plain sight gem of a restaurant!

The place was lovely and they have done a lot of decor in a small place. The food was excellent but I found the service a bit slow and not very polite. Go there for good Italian food which is freshly prepared.

We’ve been eating at CJ’s for nearly 12 years. I chose it for my Mother’s Day dinner. We sat at a table for nearly 15 minutes before we were acknowledged! Mind you, there are only 10 tables in this tiny restaurant. Our waiter finally came over and looking at his tablet asked what did we want to drink. Got our beers and he didn’t return for another 15 minutes to get food order. Ordered a large Greek salad, to share, as we have dozens of times before, and a pizza. All of it came out st same time! Salad was about 1/3 of its previous size. I remarked I had ordered a large salad. The guy said that is large and walked off. The Greek salad dressing consisted of oil and not much vinegar. It used to be olive oil, red wine vinegar and Greek herbs. The pizza was supposed to have olive oil and garlic all over the crust. Oops, they totally skipped that element. Pizza was so dry and tasteless you could hardly eat it! We had to ask another server for water since ours never returned until he wanted money. WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!!

Awesome deep dish pizza. Really the best I’ve had. And Lizzie did an awesome job of serving us. Very friendly, attentive and customer focused. Highly recommend.

My wife and I love CJ’s. Cozy and eclectic little pizza joint. We love to split the breadsticks starter, and the mushroom pizza is always great. Draft beer served in a hefty cold mug is a nice touch on the experience.

The deep dish pizza was incredible! Service and prices were also great. We will definitely be back!

Wow, walk in and it smells delicious!! We got seated in the back (it's a tiny narrow restaurant). Food is super tasty! We ordered 3 different pastas, all were well-liked by their eaters!! I had the chicken artichoke, which was tasty, but the sauce was too oily. The bread and marinara they served with it were delightful. I def wanna go back and try the pizza. The interior is quirky and fun, def a light hearted meal. Very loud, fun, energetic. Our sever was a delight!

I've been on the island for a while now and this is one of my new favorite spots. It's tiny and seating is awkwardly amazing in the tight quarters. Staff was friendly and quick. Wine available as well as delicious draft beer in ice cold mugs. We split the small house salad which came with a ton of amazing bread and marinara sauce. We also split a small deep dish pasta which had us feeling like we were back home with a fresh Detroit style Za. Zero complaints, love everything about this small and cozy Italian joint.

Heard so many people tell us to go eat at Cj's so we did! It was like walking into CHEERS! A small quaint lil Pizzaria with great people who run it!! You can tell locals know about it! We ordered a calzone and a small deep dish and their sauce is PERFECTION!!! So delicious that we ate it all up! We will be back to try sandwich and the appetizers!! They looked awesome!

What a fun surprise. We thought we were going to the restaurant next door, but we ended up here instead and we were so very happy about it. The place next door appeared a bit stuffy anyway. This is a family owned business that has been there for a while. The smells were amazing. I had the stuffed shells and my friend had chicken Alfredo with broccoli. Both were delicious. If you find yourself on Saint Simon Island, make your way here for lunch or dinner.

Amazing food at a steal of a price. Let me start with the "deep dish" pizza. If you are from Michigan you will know this as Detroit style. The buttery crust stole the show but the marinara was legit as well and you could tell it was homemade. A small deep dish with a small salad was more than enough for two people. Not sure why we waited so long to try this but now that we know how good it is we will be back and will bring our visitors from the Mitten.

They were PACKED when we arrived, so I was worried about service. They did not disappoint- great service by both waitresses, food came out piping hot. All of our meals were absolutely delicious. We all ordered small size pastas, less than $60 for four people and we have leftovers! The marinara sauce was seriously some of the best we have had at a restaurant! This is a small restaurant, so take out is a great option if you don't want to wait on a table.

I would've rather eaten at the gas station across the street..First time and hopefully only time having to leave a review because it was just that bad. The pizza was dripping grease and we got two pizzas..a medium and a large. When the pizza came out, one was wrong and they brought us out a small to replace it because only half was of it was wrong, which would've been totally fine, but they charged us for their mistake..When we got the bill it was 77 freaking dollars! Our drinks were empty half the time and our server was rude.

The restaurant is small and narrow. Despite the size of it, the food makes up for it. The taste of it is delicious. Waitresses are busy yet try hard to see if you need anything. - Ill return anytime

A group of 6 of us stopped by for dinner and we had a great meal. One person in our group wanted Italian and I noticed their reviews here on yelp. I wouldn't call this place an Italian restaurant, really just a pizza place that has some good pasta dishes. Overall we were extremely pleased with everything. I had the lasagna and it was the most unique version I've ever had. Everyone in our group ordered a pasta dish and they all enjoyed it. If you're looking for a casual meal in a smaller restaurant then you'll like CJ's. The service was also great and the food came out quickly.

Hostile Environment from Chef and Staff Employees I had a terrible experience at this restaurant and I want to warn others not to waste their money and time here. Here is what happened: - The chef was incredibly hostile to us because he had messed up our order three times. We ordered meatball on marinara with sausage on angel hair. We were provided with spaghetti noodles. When we received the replacement order it was missing sausage. The chef argued with us on the order even though the ticket was written correctly. Then the chef ripped the order straight from my hands and was incredibly rude to us. - We were provided only one side of bread for four orders of pasta, and the chef argued with us also. So everyone gets a small quarter size of bread? - The pasta was terrible as the meatball was dry and tasteless. The large south end BBQ pizza was incredibly dry and chewed like bricks. - The only decent thing we had was the margarita pizza and the calzone, but they were not worth the price or the hassle. This restaurant has no respect for its customers or its food quality. I do not recommend it to anyone and I will never go back there again.

Visited while on vacation and was kind of disappointed. They were out of Italian sausages and the pasta was SO overcooked. My husband was also not very happy with his food. Probably wouldn't return

Wonderful real Italian sauce & garlic allergy gels, Simply charming Italian family doing their everyday cooking's ENJOY! Bbb bbb bbb GT.

I'm not sure how this restaurant has so many stars. We ordered cheese bread and pasta dishes to go and everything was disappointing. The Alfredo sauce was easily the worst I've had in my life which an overall odd flavor. The baked spaghetti with sausage was fine but was very cold. The cheese bread was hard as a rock and we even picked up our order 5 minutes earlier than we were quoted. We likely won't be back next summer when we visit again.

The best deep dish pizza! It's fantastic! Service was great, the restaurant is super cute! I can't wait to get back to the island for some pizza!

Well, I had pretty much given up on pizza in this entire area....Brunswick, St. Simons Island, etc. UNTIL we tried C.J.'s Italian on St. Simons Island. OMG, it was amazing. This was a Sunday evening around 6:30 p.m. They were busy, now doubt, but we waited at the three bar stools and in a few minutes we were seated at a table. The food was great! Salads ( we got 1) antipasta, 2) spinach and 3) greek. We got the sausage and meatball appetizer,...awesome. The Supreme pizza deep dish,,,,,oh my gosh. we will be back there is no question. I'll pass probably 5 pizza places on the way from our house to c.j.'s, about 30 miles to c.j.'s from our house. No problem.. I'll drive it to get to C.J.s.

Holy Cow!! These rainy days are getting me down! So happy to see the sun today, decided to give CJ's a try with pizza delivery!! I got the medium special deep dish, AMAZING.

Quaint & Yummy restaurant our friends who live on St Simons suggested. We knew it was going to be great when there was a wait and some friends we met staying at the same hotel ended up showing up there as we were almost done. Expect to wait, expect to walk in and it look like no one recognizes your waiting to ask if they have space because their busy up in there waiting on guests already seated but don't worry as soon as they have a moment they'll grab your name, party number and put you on the list. They aren't too worried if you get upset and walk down somewhere else because patrons are coming in every few minutes to be added to the list and almost all the good restaurants on the island are going to have a wait around dinner so if your are the type that gets hungry and needs to eat immediately when your hungry you may want to go early to these iconic spots because you're going to wait no matter where you go if you went good authentic food being prepared and served at each.

CJ's is a St. Simons Island staple. Other pizza places come and go. CJ's has remained. Chicago Style PizzaChicago Style PizzaDeep Dish PizzaIf dining in, you will find it cozy and eclectic. Take out is fast and convenient. The thick crust pizza is delicious. Salads are fresh. The chefs are in full view and do an awesome job as they have been for over 25 years.

Been coming to CJs my entire life and it is some of the best pizza I've ever gotten. The space is incredibly small so we typically just pick it up. My wife had it for the first time in her life last trip and was skeptical of how good it would be. Safe to say we ended up having it twice on our last trip and she said it will always be the first thing we get on future trips. I think she's a fan.

The pizza has A LOT of crust. Also their calzones are just a folded pizza... a calzone isn't supposed to have sauce inside of it, it's supposed to have a ton of cheese inside with a side of marinara. They were just... folded pizza.

Super cozy place. Food (Magic Mushroom Dip Dish Pizza and Lasagna) and service were great. A must try if you are in St. Simmons Island, GA.

This place has amazing Chicago-style deep dish pizza and their pastas were great too! We are here once while visiting SSI but ordered takeout two more times. Their salads were good as was their tuxedo bomb. The staff was friendly despite being slammed and super busy! Highly recommend CJ's!

Descent deep dish margarita pizza, ice cold Peroni beer and Tiramisu for dessert! Good thing I walked here...

Large deep dish chicken Athens add basil... it's been 5 years since I lived in St. Simmons and I still remember my order. Great food! Give it a try. There is nothing like it where I live.

Came in early to eat some pizza.... Got a thin crust pepperoni and mushrooms... it was excellent... great service and with Arthur's recommendation we bought a DEEP dish crust of the same to take home... great conversation with this young man, very personable...

CJ's has somewhat picked up where Sal's dropped the ball. Take/out order was correct, on time and very tasty. Prices are market appropriate. Inside is a tight squeeze. But I would recommend for pick-up pizza, salad.

Update!! Contacted owners and they explained they use a 3rd party delivery company that lost our order. They were very nice, refunded the charge and gave us a coupon for a free pizza. Great follow-up and customer service. Wr'll give them another try next trip to St Simons. Ignore the message below. I was hangry.... Ordered food at 7:25 and got a notice delivery would be an 1.25 to 1.5 hours. Started getting notices at 8:45 delivery was on its way. Got notices that food would be delivered in 5 minutes at 9:00. At 9:30, called and got a ridiculous message about them being busy. Food never arrived. No call. No notice. No show. Bad busines

This pizza is soo delicious! Probably the best on the island! The pizza is made with fresh ingredients and the Detroit style deep dish crust is crispy and delicious! Highly recommend sausage with garlic, but really anything would be good with this fresh dough and sauce.

This was our 1st time eating at the restaurant and we were extremely pleased. This is a tiny place but the food is authentic. The staff work together as a team to make sure the orders are completed and served to the customers. We left there so full that we had to go for a walk. Thank you for our great meals (lasagna & stuffed shells, homemade bread and salad..)

I think its the best pizza in Saint Simons, family business with wonderful service , the family had 2 pizzas and some side salads, ALL FANTASTIC!! My 16 year old daughter said that the pizza @ CJ's made pizza at our home taste like garbage, ah, out of the mouths of babes!

Waited 45 minutes,after we place our order, for only 2 small pizzas. Waited 20 minutes to place an order. The rude waitress told us twice that she would take our order she never did. She was on her phone at the counter. Finally the manager took our order. Then waited for food. Pizza was overpriced and overrated. Lesson learned.

Sat for 45 mins before getting food when it wasn't that busy, soo beyond crowded. i order fettuccine Alfredo and it was the WORST alfredo. It was like watered down "sauce" tasted like I was eating plain noodles. never once got a refill and finally had to ask. The waitress was rude and never checked on us ever. Cleared everything and stacked stuff when we were done and waited 10 mins while they noticed we were finished and had to ask for the check.

Apparently we "ruined their night" by ordering 188 dollars worth of food via door dash..mind you we ordered at 330pm off their website to be delivered between 7-30..got two calls from door dash about the issues and delivery driver even said the restaurant made a big deal out of the order..marinara taste like pizza hut..ordered 135$ worth of pizza hut Saturday and they delivered with a smile..skip this place..

Great people, great atmosphere. Baked Spaghetti was wonderful and so was the service!!

Great hole in the wall place. Some of the best pizza on the island! Such a whimsical space too. The marinara sauce is incredible - highly recommend you try the breadsticks.

The BEST pizza in the region. I'm here in SSI visiting for 4 weeks, and unfortunately I just found out about CJ's in week 4. Unfortunately I've tried the other pizza places and mediocre at best, some worse. CJ's deep dish has the best crust, and I hate crust. Great cheese and pepperoni. Baked perfectly. Going back to back nights. And I will probably hit it one more time before I leave. Highly impressed.

I wish I had this place in Woodstock ga we have been coming to this place whenever we go to st Simons. They have the best deep dish pizza ever. The people are very friendly and great service.

Based on two visits I'd say there is no reason to ever go back. The pizza was mediocre -- crust "just OK" and the toppings didn't seem to be of high quality -- like canned mushrooms. The service was adequate but not real good. And, there were certainly no great beers available.

Spot on restaurant for Covid safety! Pick up only. Staff accommodating to Covid and contactless pick up Food was good and hit the spot! Definitely will be back

Cj's is one of our favs here on the Island. The Pizza is delicious and there is such a variety of toppings. The meatball Sub was more like meatballs in a bread boat topped with gooey mozzarella, so tasty! They also, have an awesome Italian dressing for the House Salad!

I really loved this place until the last 2 times my pizza was delivered cold. Delivery isn't cheap on the island either. First time I let it go because we all have off days but the second time it was just as bad or colder. I rant to so many people to try, but I have to stop and go elsewhere. I don't know if they stopped putting pride in this place or what, but how sad. You lost a true customer.

A definite hole in the wall joint. The music and atmosphere is amazing. The Italian food was pretty good, I have no complaints. I think I've had better pizza, pasta and cheese bread before but the experience itself made the outing more enjoyable. We ended up sitting across locals that eat there regularly every Sunday night. They had great things to say and recommend the thin crust pizza even though they are known for the deep dish pizza! Great stop, great atmosphere and great time!!

A small family owned neighborhood restaurant known for the pizza. I had the specialty pizza with thin crust and a mug beer costing less than $20. The pizza is better than the chain restaurants. The service was prompt and attentive. The location is great, not far from the beach. The restaurant is small, pending on time of day there may be a wait.

I had high hopes for this place after reading a few reviews and seeing pictures of the interior. Unfortunately, it was a complete letdown. To start, my wife's meal included a salad which was nothing memorable. That came with some focaccia bread and marinara which was a decent start. I ordered the small margherita pizza for $11 which was nothing but the free focaccia bread with cheese, burnt basil, and a whole sliced tomato. The basil was so cooked it didn't taste like basil, which is key to a good margherita pizza. My wife ordered the chicken pesto pasta special for $15. When it came out, the first thing we noticed was whole pine nuts and a ton of oil on the bottom of the dish. It was essentially all of the pesto ingredients but they were not blended together. It tasted nothing like pesto. I don't know what you'd call it. Service was fine, which is less important than the food being good. Not much else to say. Cute atmosphere with tons of hanging lights. Reminescant of New Orleans dives, including the restroom. Avoid it.

Burnt pizza twice! Locals are nothing special even tho we support them year round. We have to wait when the temporary tourist come in to order pizza. No more CJs for our family! Wheres your loyalty CJs???

My wife and some of the kids tried C Js tonight. The pizza was good, staff was friendly. Penne pasta was good but nothing special. Lasagna was good but not outstanding. The restaurant is super tiny and difficult to eat in. Tables are very close which make it difficult to manage especially with a small child. I would suggest ordering takeout.

We wandered into CJ's a little late one evening and were greeted by a friendly server and seated. We ordered a pitcher of beer and pizza to go. Asking her what time they close she replied they closed "5 minutes ago" and we apologized about keeping her late, but she was friendly and told us that it was fine that she had other closing side work to do while we waited on our to go pizza. She even served us a 2nd pitcher while we waited. We made sure to tip her graciously for being those people that show up at closing. We took our pizza home and it was delicious. We had the "Water Pizza" with pulled pork from Southern Soul, pineapple, mozzarella, and sauce (CJ's mixed with Southern Soul's). The best part of ordering this pizza is that 5% of the sale goes to World Water Relief. Overall, great service and great food. Looking forward to getting there on time next time and trying some of their pasta dishes.

The crust wasn't floppy, and the flavor was exquisite. Our server Emily was outstanding. The entire experience was - in the words of the late, great Chef Carl Ruiz - beyond reproach.

My brother in law brought is here for the deep dish but we were in the mood for pasta which was cool because the make small size pizzas ( which like more than enough for two average adults ) My wife got the pasta marinara and I got the the pasta with two meatballs. We both got the small size and it was more than Plenty. Oh and the bread sticks with marinara are AWESOME! The place has a nice young eclectic vibe, you're kind of packed in there but just makes it feel like a great local place. FYI my brother in laws deep dish looked deliciously made, he of course loves it.