most of the better items from the Pear Tree have been retained. AJs is one my favorite places to eat - even though it is a 60 mile drive for us. If you are on a budget, they have some very good sandwiches and other lower cost entrees but you can still get Lobster and good steak cuts. read more

I visited AJ's mid-late lunch rush today (3/20) with my husband and was instructed to wait for tables to be cleaned off so we could be seated. Within five minutes we were seated. After being seated and our orders taken, the server took the order of the couple next to us. The server visited the area often to wait on a particular table in the area but didn't come back to us until the couple who had ordered after us was half done with their meal to let us know that it would only be "A little longer". After this she started hovering around, avoiding to get too close to us but I think at that point whatever interesting individual that had her attention left and she had figured out we were getting mad. We received our meal only minutes before the other couple had finished their meals. The order was a cheeseburger and fries for my husband and a grilled pork tenderloin, fries and a side of mayo for me. Without a beat she asked if I needed mustard or mayo and I frankly told her that I had ordered mayo that she had neglected to bring and at that point I wanted her to go away. My order? Typical mechanically tenderized pork that should survive cooking well to be tender. Yet it was slightly dry and very tough. By the time I was done my jaw was hurting. As there were no burn marks on the meat itself I have to assume that this was left under a warming light until it was overcooked. The waitress became irritating over drinks at this point (as she hadn't touched them before we got our food) coming back every few minutes to refill them. Other items - lightbulb was out in the bathroom - dirt and grime on the bathroom stall doors and bottom molding, enough to make me wonder how often it's cleaned. - last time I was there I had a battered, fried, turkey breast (3/4 in slices) which was much better than my order. In conclusion: Whoever owns this might want to remind the staff that they are there to work, even if you don't like how they look or dress or whatever about them most will still tip and pay your wages. This place is definately going on my list of restaurants not to visit again. read more

AJs did not disappoint!! I went for lunch and ordered onion rings while waiting on my chicken salad sandwich with the side salad (chilled plate). The food was absolutely amazing!!! Onion rings were to die for. And the chicken salad sandwich was the perfect combination of Texas toast and creamy chicken salad with some cheese to top it off! Service was fantastic, the place was very clean and we were in and out of there in no time. I will definitely be back and I will most definitely ask for the onion rings before I even sit down! read more

There were 40 of us that dined there. Not sure of everyones opinion but my family of 4 had ribeyes. They were so fatty they became inedible. More fat than meat!!! Way to expensive for that. Poor quality. Very disappointed. Onion rings and salads were awesome though. Service was good also. read more

Excellent food. Great service. Try the crab Rangoon. Amazing. Awesome salads. Very friendly and efficient staff. I can't wait to go back.

You just can't get a good pork tenderloin sandwich in the Pacific Northwest. So every time I'm back visiting my folks in Missouri, you can bet that going out for this breaded-and-fried-until-golden-brown-delight is a top priority. There are two top contenders for the best tenderloin sandwich in Linn County: AJ's in Macon and Tall Paul's in Bucklin. AJ's is a lot of fun. It's a little fancier, it's always packed and there are more servers there to help you than you can shake an onion ring at. It's the right place to go for an event like a birthday, anniversary, or just celebrating being back home with Mom and Dad. But I gotta say, Tall Paul's has the better sandwich. It's a small town tavern where the clientele are just as likely to be in overalls as they are wrangler jeans. The ambiance is authentic farm town Americana bar/cafe compared to AJ's, which is a little more upscale Sizzler (do they still have those?). The serving at Tall Paul's is just as generous as AJ's, and there's a sense that someone put just a little more effort into making it - it's just a little more flavorful, a little crispier and a little hotter as if it came right out of that heavenly deep fryer right onto your bun and then onto your table. Pair that up with a cold Boulevard Ale and that's heaven. read more

I ordered the Chicken Carbonara and was less than impressed. The dish was drowning in cheese, which I strongly suspect was not actually Parmigiano-Reggiano as listed in the menu and had very little else to it. I didn't see any evidence of a carbonara sauce. The chicken and bacon were in short supply against the overwhelming amounts of cheese. It was served with a side of burnt garlic toast that looked exactly like what I buy at the grocery store from the New York Texas Toast brand. I won't order that again and probably won't bother with AJ's again either--it certainly wasn't worth the drive. read more

Lots of mediocre food served at a snail's pace by a very overworked, friendly waitress. She appeared to have the entire dining room on our side to herself. I ordered a club and it came with a huge mound of old, cold, limp bacon. When one of the owners came over to deal with a complaint from the table next to us, I took the opportunity to ask him why the bacon was not hot or even warm and very soggy. He said - and I quote, "We like to cook our bacon in the morning and leave it out so it will be room temperature when served." What is this? I actually thought he was joking but no indeed. He meant what he said and he made that very clear. Prices are far too high for this type of restaurant and specifically, what one ends up getting on their plate. Very loud. More like a sports bar than a local restaurant. Everyone at our table was way less than thrilled with their entrees. Oh yes - in addition, the bathroom was not clean at all. In fact, it appeared not to have been checked or cleaned in a long time. Would not return. read more

Onion rings are amazing with the smoke sauce. I've been here three times now & have not had a bad meal or experience. Nice staff, clean, nice bar to order drinks from. Option of upgrading to a salad instead of fries with sandwhiches is nice. What was had by myself & people I was with. Bacon Cheeseburger, BLT, Swiss mushroom burger, fried chicken sandwhich, house salad, fries, onion rings, crab Rangoon & ravioli are all good. Wouldn't recommend the fish & chips little to heavy of a batter for me. All their burgers are actually double burgers, a side salad is enough for two people so I've brought left overs home for next day. My next try will be the orange roughy, we usually stop here for lunch while traveling home on Sundays. 1/2 price on some appetizers during happy hour, blue noon on tap. Small area with a nice restaurant. Only issue I can see is steaks are very high but they are high everywhere. King filet is almost $40 which us crazy but the sandwhich prices are very reasonable for portions & the steaks look amazing so I may have to try one one day. read more

yummy food!!!! Server was a lady named Sheyenne, very friendly and helpful!!! will be back again!!!!

We took a large group to AJs for a birthday dinner, and it was one of the best birthday meals in recent memory! The staff was very accommodating and friendly. The food is a little on the pricer side for northeast MO, but you are paying for the quality of ingredients and food. I had the fried lobster, it was amazing. Others ordered steak (mouth-watering) and pasta. Everything was wonderful. They have a great alcohol selection, and the house wine was nice and affordable. Overall a restaurant that I would expect to flourish in nearby Columbia, St. Louis, or Kansas City. A very nice addition to the area! Make it a regular spot! read more

My husband and I are foodies and this is the best restaurant in the genre for miles and miles. We drive from Kirksville, 30 miles, to go to this restaurant. We love the wedge salad, pizzas, Ribs, and BBQ pork sandwich. The desserts are also delicious. Also to note the ambiance is fantastic and so is the staff. Compared to restaurant choices in Kirksville this is a real step up- not a chain and quality delicious food for a great price. Love it. Its father restaurant The Pear Tree is also wonderful! read more

We eat here whenever we are in Macon, Missouri. Sure prices may run a little high on some items but everything is very good quality and delicious. Delicious bar drinks as well. Nice place. read more

Avoid! Rotten beef. We had a large party of about 20 people. None of the six people that ordered a burger was able to eat the burger because of it's terrible taste. Something had gone terribly wrong. You might expect an apology from a manager? No. No apology. Terrible service. read more

Used to really enjoy going to AJ's when visiting Macon. Went the other night and prices have increased to Pear Tree prices while place has stayed the same. Very disappointing. You dont go to a pub and grill style stting restaurant and pay $33 for the cheapest steak, you pay that at a nice upscale steak house/restaurant. Also the service was worst ever. They didnt know who got salads with what and brought big community bowl instead of everyone having their own. Then people that should get bread didnt and didnt know it. Just a mess and ridiculous pricing for same food yet worst service. :( read more

Went to AJs Friday night and had the best Dover Sole I've had yet... it was a special but even the dover sole on the menu every day is also great! I just love this place. We drive an hour there and an hour home at least once a month... if you are in the area it is a must! read more

Just traveling through and hotel clerk suggested this restaurant. Saturday night and it was extremely busy. We waited about 25 minutes. It was worth the wait. Great onion rings! We both had the pulled pork and Missouri mopping sauce...yummy. Prices seem high, but orders include a great salad and bread. read more

How do they get away with passing the health inspection?!! Let's start off with this, they COMBINE & REUSE the following items: BUTTER (served with bread and baked potatoes), SOUR CREAM, & SALAD!!! Just so you are clear on this...after a table has used the butter, sour cream, and salad (served family style) they then clear it away from your table, bring the items back to the appropriate food station then the used germ filled items are then combined with other leftover items to give a look of being fresh and brand new then RE-SERVED to another innocent group of hungry customers! After knowledge of these disgusting practices I will never return and will spread the word as much as I can for the sole purpose of warning innocent customers that honestly pay for an atmosphere, service, & food that is highly overrated & over priced. Moving on with the next thing, I witnessed when staff cleaned a table after people were finished some used a wet cloth with what looked like a surface sanitizer (which is correct) then to see other staff members only using the same cloth with no cleaner or sanitizer of any kind! I hate to see how many guest leave from there effected during flu season and have not a clue that a trusted food establishment was the leading cause of their sickness! Now to the service they provide. Which I have to say is one of the better things about this place, however...while the servers and bussers come off as friendly and helpful the young man that I suppose who calls himself the GM was more concerned about his phone, the television, then the customers and sadly his staff. I overheard a few comments to his staff and not only was he loud, but he seemed to care less about any thing being addressed to him he quickly in return answered them in a very rude and almost hateful manner. I witnessed this several times in my stay. I would be ashamed to call the young man GM at anything with my name as owner on it. So here's the last thing. This one is sorta funny in a sad type of way (embarrassing), the owner "Mike" strolled around the dining area and going to guest and asking them what they thought of the food. Then to go quickly into taking about the PEAR TREE (which was destroyed by a fire) and then loudly boasting with EGO ooooosing about his "fabulous" culinary ideas and skills. Ok man we all get it, the food is mostly excellent...but greatly ruined by misconception, awkward atmosphere, LOUD MUSIC, overpriced food, and health & safety issues that are repulsive. Don't even think twice about going here unless you have a sense of humor and find things like this so sad it's funny! read more