Jillian’s

Closed! Finally! Bad beer, always slow and old games. Let’s hope something good goes in.

We went to Jillian’s on the night of the BCS National Championship with a group of 12 people. I was shocked to see how empty the place was.
They allow you to reserve different portions of the restaurant. We reserved the shuffle board, ping pong and pool tables (Billiard’s East). The group enjoyed it and our server was quick with getting the orders.
The disappointing thing was we had to go looking for the pool balls and the wax for the shuffleboard table. We made the reservation so everything would be setup for us so that was kind of disappointing.
I was surprised to see so many of the video games where out of order.
I’d use Jillian’s again but I wonder how long the place is going to last if they do not get bigger crowds or keeping the games working.

Three large rooms, one has pool tables, the other video games, and the last is a nice upscale bar with a private banquet room off to the side.
I would never, ever even think of going to a place like this. But for a Unilocal event, I’ll make exceptions. It seems like a fun playground for twenty somethings or corporate events. It offers a lot of ways for people to break the ice. I have to admit I was eyeballing the air hockey table and some of the shooter games but I wasn’t there long and didn’t get to take the plunge.
I’m sure it gets slammed on Friday and Saturday nights which is great for them. But small details inevitably fall by the wayside at places like this. Elbows stick to the bar countertop, shoes stick to the floor, the food is Applebee’s-meets-Dairy Queen… Of course they serve booze which is 90% of the point of it all here.
But hey, it’s a unique kind of ambience for the patrons who love it. The servers were very helpful and attentive during our visit. So all three stars are for them.

Jillian’s is where your office goes to have a big event on the cheap w/​alcohol, some fun and some games (e.g. pool, expensive video games, air hockey).
Atmosphere — Warehouse-​ish, dark, woody, open, big, Concord Mill-​ish, dated. Did I say big yet?
Service — Friendly, confused, helpful. The staff here is very friendly and helpful (gave me a tip on coming in early to watch the fight on the cheap). They are confused, as two told me the pool table area was open while three told me it was reserved. I guess it was open reserved? This kind of stunk, as pool was the reason we went here.
Food — Like Chad said, «you aren’t really going for the food, are you?» This place is all about appetizers and booze, but appetizers do not make a meal. So I chose the booze. The mixed drink @ $ 5.75 was not bad, star added!
Overall — Jillian’s is best if your company invites you, you are with a group of 10 + or if there is some special sporting event being televised. Other than that, this is not the best game in town.

Not much has changed since the last time I was at Jillian’s. It’s still huge. As I mentioned to E.F. during the first unofficial Charlotte Unilocal gathering, I seem to recall that the small section next to the dining area had hibachi grills (like you’ll see at Kabuto’s). Does anyone else remember that? Not a big deal — just want to think I’m not going completely insane.
As to Jillian’s itself, there isn’t much to say that hasn’t already been said: It’s big. It’s good for events. When we were there, a fight was getting ready to happen. Not a fight like you might find at your lower-​class places between patrons, but on the big-​screens, of which there are probably 16. Unfortunately, they are the older projection type that are perennially out-​of-​focus or losing brightness. Though it would cost, they should invest in some LCD or Plasma screens. It would really help.
Other than that, you’ll find a small cozy area (where I recall the hibachi grills were), a larger open area for eating, adjacent to the bar, another area behind that for pool and ping-​pong, which can get somewhat smoky, an «arcade for adults», which isn’t that much different from an arcade for kids except you have to go through the smoke and there is a bar in the middle and some small televisions around, and then a cigar bar in back (I don’t smoke, so I can’t speak to that, but you can smell it if you’re nearby).
What I don’t really get is that if this is an «arcade for adults», why do they have tickets that you get at the games so you can get stupid little stuffed animals like at Chuck E. Cheese’s, and only then after waiting for a while for a staff member to show? Yes, you can get your game fix by pre-​loading credits onto cards, rather than tokens, but beware — those credits expire, so use ‘em or lose ‘em.
The other part that stinks about it is that (apparently) private parties can book certain areas — the dining section or the pool/​ping-​pong, for example — meaning if you go, expecting to be able to use them, they can be completely closed off to the public, which makes it good for the group, but bad for the public. Nice access to the light rail again makes it good for the public, but potentially shuttering areas of the place means you could be hit with a bad surprise. Just be ready.
I know this is getting long, but about the food: It is pretty standard bar fare. Nothing outstanding here, but it’s not bad either, and let’s face it — you aren’t really going for the food, are you?

If you’re looking for something different to do, I’d hit up Jillian’s one night. This arcade for grownups has tons of billiards and video games. My boyfriend and I stopped there one Friday night to play some Ski Ball. It was fun, but then the cigarette smoke started to choke us and we left. It seems like a good place to hold large events because there’s plenty of space and plenty of things for people to do there.

This is a great time for people of all ages, there are a ton of games, beer, and quality appetizers. I can spend hours killing time here and enjoying myself. They have a lot of great first person shooter arcade games that you can just keep playing and playing with the swipe of a card.
I always see a lot of business parties being held here, and I think that it is a nice choice. Too many business outings are held in quiet fancy restaurants and it just gets boring sitting around talking about work over wine. I would much rather come here and shoot some hoops with my co-​workers. The only downside is the dent that it puts in your wallet, there is a lot of entertainment and it is easy to get carried away.

Jillian’s is a lot of fun. It sometimes feels a little like a college bar, but otherwise, it’s a safe bet for a good time. There’s lots of different stuff to do, from pool to that air hockey game that men seem to love to the inevitable Charlottean pingpong table. It’s hard to get bored, even if you don’t drink!
The food is also pretty good. It’s standard bar fare (Nachos, burgers, fries, etc.), but it’s done well. The place is huge, so it’s often the first place people think of for special events. If you’re ever trying to get a big group together, and if you’d like to stay in one place instead of barhopping, Jillian’s is a great option.

I must say I have to agree with EVERYTHING Janelle said. I actually went to Jillians for a social event put on by Bank of America as part of the intervewing process. It was definitely a chill time. I spent my time beating people in ping pong, air hockey, and pool. The appetizers were amazing… like they were really good… we had buffalo chicken tenders, some bomb seasoned fries, pizza, and burgers. Everything was really tasty. I even took some back to my hotel in a doggy bag. The waiters were very attentive and were always willing to get us whatever drinks we needed. It was good times… I would definitely go back again.