J. Alexander’s opens 1st Northeast location
The landscape along Mall Boulevard changed dramatically recently when the structure that had been built as a Bally Total Fitness back in the 1970s and had dominated the scenery for decades was replaced by a newcomer to the King of Prussia restaurant scene.
Nashville-based chain J. Alexander’s Restaurant has launched its first Pennsylvania outpost at 256 Mall Blvd. across from the King of Prussia Mall and next door to The Capital Grille, becoming a strong contender for folks’ eating-out dollars with its high-end but casual dining experience.
Billing itself as “a collection of boutique restaurants,” J. Alexander’s Holdings, Inc. operates more than 40 restaurants in several states under the imprints J. Alexander’s, Redlands Grill, Lyndhurst Grill, Overland Park Grill and Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill.
“We’re a collection of restaurants and we don’t want to be known as a chain. Each restaurant is a little bit different, from the architecture to the menu. They’re all tailored to the markets, noted general manager and Doylestown native Steven Borriello, who started his career with the publicly owned company in Nashville, where the first J. Alexander’s opened in 1991.
“J. Alexander’s has wanted to open a restaurant in the Northeast for some time, and when they mentioned they were going to open in King of Prussia I let the regional manager know that I’d love the opportunity to come home and bring J. Alexander’s to King of Prussia,” he said.
With its streamlined contemporary design, open kitchen and bar — which features an extensive wine inventory and regional favorites like Victory and Yards beers on tap — plus a chicken sandwich that pays homage to the nearby Main Line, the King of Prussia location embraces a host of the classic J. Alexander’s aesthetics while exerting its own unique identity, Borriello said.
“I would say we’re similar to some of the other restaurants in King of Prussia but there’s no one that does what we do,” he noted. “I think our wood-fired grill is unique to the area. And we’re fine casual dining with an upscale feel, high-quality food and high-quality service, but not the high price point. If you want to come here and have a cheeseburger, you can do that. But if you want prime rib and a $400 bottle of wine we will have that too,” Borriello added. “We don’t want it to be stuffy, that you feel you have to be really fancy, but if you want it to be that it can be. We want to cater to everybody but still offer the upscale feel like a fine dining establishment.”
Fitting in snugly in a space surrounded by several hotels is helping the restaurant to amass a strong following, Borriello pointed out.
“Crowne Plaza, Faifield Inn and Hyatt House have been sending a lot of their guests our way — those people who travel for business who want to come in for a quality meal, so that’s been good for us. Some of them have been to J. Alexander’s in other locations and already know the name.”
Lunch and dinner offerings range from Old Fashioned Cheeseburger, French Dip and Carolina Crab Cakes
to Slow Roasted Prime Rib and Barbecue Baby Back Ribs.
“Nobody has ribs like ours … they’re tender, falloff-the-bone ribs. We’ve only been open a week and a half,” Borriello said, ”but I’m confident that we have some of the best ribs you’ll find in the area.”
J. Alexander’s Restaurant, 256 Mall Blvd., King of Prussia, is open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.