PJ Skidoos
Want to go where everybody knows your name? Here in Fairfax City, that is PJ Skidoos! Opened in 1978, it was Cheers before there was a Cheers.
PJ Skidoos is lively, fun, and entertaining, yet traditional and family-friendly. Come here to relax with good food and friends, or reserve a private room to celebrate a memorable event. Meet Cosmos, Sabrina, or Dimitri, and let them tell you their amazing family’s immigrant stories and explain all of the fascinating artifacts adorned on the walls.
Start your family memories here at PJ Skidoos, as generations of other loyal customers have done!
Tell us a little about PJ Skidoos.
We are a family-owned American restaurant and bar in Fairfax City since 1978. We provide great quality food at an affordable price. We pride ourselves on giving great customer service and providing a “Cheers” atmosphere for all of our customers. We offer a large variety of items on our menu. Our house specialty is our Prime Rib, which is slow cooked all day. The price can’t be beat! Our Prime Rib is $18.95, while competitors are $35+. We offer a Saturday Brunch Menu and an All You Care to Eat Brunch Buffet on Sundays. PJ Skidoos is truly for everyone. Not only are we a restaurant and bar, but we also have a large private banquet room in our lower level that can accommodate parties from 30 to 150 people. It features a private entrance, dance floor, bar and more! The best part – no room rental. We also offer outdoor seating in our covered patio and a wonderful Happy Hour, Monday-Friday, in our patio and in our bar area. Our lively bar area usually always has something fun happening – from Poker Night on Mondays to Ladies Night on Tuesdays to Trivia Night on Wednesdays to College Night on Thursdays and a DJ and Dancing on Fridays & Saturdays to Karaoke Night on Sundays. We are truly a place for everyone!What makes PJ Skidoos unique to Fairfax City?
PJ Skidoos has truly withstood the test of time. We have been here for such a long time – we just celebrated 43 years in business. We have seen restaurants come and go and we feel so lucky to still be here today. We make people feel at home when they walk through our doors. Many of our customers met here, got married in our Banquet Room and now their kids and even grandkids come here. We strive to go above and beyond for our customers. We work closely with our Fairfax City community and its residents. We work with our Schools, the Police Department, the Fire and Rescue Department, Kids and Adult Sports Teams, Churches and more. We are truly a restaurant for everyone.What encouraged you to take the leap to get started?
We have been here since 1978 as PJ Skidoos Restaurant. The original owners wanted to bring a fun and lively night life spot to Northern Virginia. They knew Georgetown was a hopping place and they wanted to bring that Georgetown atmosphere to Northern Virginia. They saw a need and wanted to fill it. The space was available in Fairfax City and PJ Skidoos was born.What inspired you to open your business in Fairfax City?
Cosmos Bells had previously owned the Black Baron restaurant in the current PJ Skidoos space. After many years in business, Cosmos sold the Black Baron Restaurant to a gentleman and, unfortunately, that gentleman eventually couldn’t pay rent, so Cosmos re-possessed the restaurant. During this time, Cosmos met Steven and Pip Thomas, and the idea of PJ Skidoos was born. The Black Baron closed and they renovated the space into PJ Skidoos.What do you enjoy most about having a business in Fairfax City?
It’s a small community feel where everyone works together and supports each other.How has PJ Skidoos changed since its opening?
Our restaurant space has grown. We added our front addition in 1987, increasing our dining capacity by double. We added on our outdoor patio in 1999 and had it covered in 2008.Besides that, not much has changed. We like sticking to our roots.
What has changed is our community. In 1978 when we opened, there were 3 or 4 restaurants around us. We now have so many competitors. We strive daily to stick with what has worked for us – good quality food at a reasonable price with a friendly smile in a comfortable setting.
What do customers say they love about PJ Skidoos?
We get to know every customer that walks in our doors. We learn their names and their preferences. Again, we provide great food for a great value with a friendly smile and we think that’s what our customers love best about us.What are some of your fondest memories or biggest successes since PJ Skidoos has been open?
Our fondest memories are having the restaurant completely packed with customers with everyone having fun.Many people met their spouses here, many of them got married here and now their kids come here. We have been here so long we get to see many generations enjoying our restaurant!
What’s next for PJ Skidoos?
To survive the pandemic and welcome our long time customers back.Are there any fun facts you would like residents and visitors to know about PJ Skidoos?
Many people ask us about our name. PJ Clarke’s is one of the oldest bars in NYC so we got the “PJ” from that popular bar. “Skidoo” was a fictitious name that people used on flags at carnivals at the turn of the century to get people excited. PJ Skidoos was put together and it had a nice ring to it!PJ Skidoos is currently owned by an uncle (Cosmos Bells) and a nephew (Dimitri “Taki”Paraskevopoulos).
We have a Saloon vibe with beautiful tiffany lamps throughout the restaurant. Our walls are decorated in vintage signs and memorabilia from all across the country.
We host fun events for all the holidays. Be sure to check out our website and our Instagram/Facebook for details on the following events throughout the year- New Years Day Brunch, Valentines Day Specials, St Patrick’s Day Celebration, Easter Brunch, Mothers Day Brunch, 4th of July Party, Brunch with Santa and more.
When you’re not working, where in Fairfax City do you like to spend your time?
We work many long hours and days taking care of our customers so on our off days, we enjoy time with our families at home. When we get the energy, we do enjoy trying many of the new businesses that come to the city while also supporting the old ones.
