I remember going there with my family when I was a kid. It was located on 17th street, just a block east from the corner with Bristol St. It opened up in It had sawdust all over the floor, and they indeed made some great chicago-style pizza.
The lighting was always dark inside, and my parents would always get a pitcher of beer. I want to say that they used to have red and white checkered tabled cloths. In , BJ's began offering their own line of beers, and then switched their name to "BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse". I remember in the late 's seeing BJ's springing up everywhere, but it never dawned on me this was the same "chicago pizzeria" that my family went to in the late 70's.
Our family would pack up inside my dad's Chevy van, with some friends of ours, and we'd have a great time there. Interestingly, BJ's no longer operates a restaurant in Santa Ana. I sent an e-mail to the people at BJ's and asked if they had a photograph of the original Santa Ana restaurant, and I got a reply from Rob DeLiema, the President, that they did not.
If any of you happen to have one, contact me, and I'll put it online. Otherwise, click on "Post a Comment" if you remember going to the original BJ's. We lived in the neighborhood just behind BJ's. That neighborhood is now called Washington Square. After BJ's left, the place was a sports bar for a long time. When we left Santa Ana 8 years ago, it was a British pub. We ate there a few times, and different friends worked there over the years, but we were partial to Rene's Pizza on Main St.
I lived in that area and drove it all the time, and I don't remember a pizza place The "Sweet Pig". OMG that was the best pizza back in the day. I tried it recently at a newer BJ's Brewery restaurant and it's changed.
