This place was great. Good location in downtown Lawrenceville. Sat outside on a nice Saturday afternoon. Got seated right away. Beautiful set up. Drinks on the menu sounded good even though we didn't have any. Ordered the spicy chicken eggrolls by the waitress's recommendation. Very different but good. I had the California burger, and my mother had the southwest chicken quesadilla. Both were very delicious. Will definitely return. Good service and good food read more

Universal Joint - Southwest Chicken Quesadilla - New American Near Me - Lawrenceville, Georgia

I visited here on a rainy Saturday with my wife and parent in-laws. The service was quick, the food was good, and the setting was comfortable. We enjoyed our experience. As a bigger guy, I will note that we were sat at a booth and limited my experience a little bit - however that was MY experience and not likely going to be the same for smaller people who can sit more comfortably at booths. Also, my beer was frozen when they brought it out. It was kind of cool, but it did make me have to drink it slower and with a straw. Nice and cold though. And since the food didn't blow me away, that's why I give it a four. But, for a stop in place to grab a bite with friends and or family, it was a good time. read more

Visited on 2 separate occasions. Had a burger and quesadilla. The food was really good. The service wasn't too bad either. The seating inside is a little tight, but there is outdoor seating as well. read more

Great environment. Outdoor area has a great view of downtown. The Universal Fries appetizer was delicious. The Philly Cheesesteak and seasoned fries were very good as well. My kids loved the burgers. Tater tots weee crispy. All in all a great experience. read more

Cool local bar/restaurant. Food was great and drinks were pretty good too. I recommend the salmon club with the greek salad. Perfect place to chill on a nice day, great patio space & outdoor seating read more

Excellent service, food was yummy, and servers were very accommodating when we switched tables. It was a nice place for lunch with friends. Definitely coming back. read more

Having grown up in Lawrenceville and always passing by Universal Joint, I thought it was high time to try it. Recently, my boyfriend and I visited for a quick lunch day on a weekday afternoon. It was busy but not overly packed. Parking is limited but we both managed to get spots in their lot. Come in and seat yourself. Someone checked on me immediately once I found a comfy spot. We had many attentive and warm waiters as some were training and floating around during this casual lunch time. John was especially helpful. Unfortunately, they did not have nutritional facts about their foods listed on the menu but once I ordered and asked if any of it had dairy, he immediately said he would take off the chipotle mayo and optional cheese from my chicken tacos. Food wise, I really enjoyed my chicken tacos. They felt like a healthy option and were a reasonable portion size. I'd definitely recommend and order it again. On the other hand, my boyfriend tried something new and ordered a philly cheese steak. He didn't enjoy it and left most of the plate full as he noted it was bland if anything. He prefers the burgers and would recommend those to anyone coming here. Overall, a decent local spot to get a quick bite with friends and family especially with the cute historic Lawrenceville backdrop! read more

Universal Joint - Philly Cheese Steak - New American Near Me - Lawrenceville, Georgia

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Coming back from mall of ga I was stop to stop in UJ and no surprise the food staff were all on point !! Here my Brussels Yum !! And my UJ burger and again yum My Greek salad was so on Point ! Brussel read more

The wife and I wanted a burger for lunch so I called to find out they are open for in-person dining. Burgers & tots were awesome as always and the patio was a great place to enjoy lunch in between the rain bands. #SupportLocal read more

Universal Joint - New American Near Me - Lawrenceville, Georgia

Good deal, great atmosphere. It's a good place to retest from the downtown bussle of lawrenceville read more

Universal Joint is a family favorite. Tasty burgers, nice selection of beers and solid patio. I have been here many a times and my favorite thing to order is a burger. Namely, the steinbeck. But I have sampled most of their burger options and haven't found one I didn't like. The Steinbeck is my favorite because I love their creamy pimento cheese, crispy bacon and jalapenos. Yum! And I usually get it with the tater tots because they are always perfectly crispy and lightly seasoned. The only thing that could make them better would be a dusting of ranch seasoning! The beer selection is always changing and they have a great list. My personal favorites include Bell's Two Hearted and Creature Comforts Tropicalia. They have a rotating tap and cheap house/domestic beers. Something for everyone, ya know? Their cocktails are pretty tasty as well - I have been known to enjoy the Moscow mules! The service is typically good here. It's a laid back kinda place and there aren't a ton of tables, which makes for attentive service. There's a bocce area, cornhole and plenty of room for the kiddos to run around. UJ does have their own parking lot but spaces are limited. There is parking around the Lawrenceville Square or it's a short walk (a block) from the parking deck. read more

Universal Joint - Steinbeck burger with tots - New American Near Me - Lawrenceville, Georgia

We decided to come here after our games as everyone was tired, hot, and hungry. We were told they cannot split the check for a group of 10 or more, so we decided we would do 9 at one table and 2 at another (as these were girls we knew, but on another team). Initially they told us that it's not possible to seat us near each other because that'd mean we can't split the check since it's the same server. I don't understand how that logically makes sense. So all tables for a server has one check?! ABSURD. Finally have some time, we were like just seat us where ever in the 9 and 2 as long as it's in the shade because we had been in the sun ALL day. The group of 9 gets seated outside... in the sun. Literally the only thing we requested was not in the sun. We ended up moving our table (like physically picking it up and moving it) to a shaded spot and finding an umbrella and setting that up on our own. Definitely things that should be done by the restaurant. The food was average at best. The service was slow and our waitress seemed VERY stressed. I asked for a side of jalapenos 4 times before receiving them and at the point they did come out, our nachos were finished. Same thing happened with extra pita for the buffalo dip (which was probably the only thing worth ordering). I would have given this place one additional star as the food wasn't the worst, but it also wasn't really that great given the prices. The buffalo dip was their redeeming quality. The brownie a la mode was out of ice cream so we got a ton of whip cream instead *rolls eyes... I hate whip creams so it pretty much ruined a semi decent brownie for me. If you are out of ice cream, fine, but no need to sub something like whip cream for it. We probably had more whip cream than brownie. read more

Great service thanks to Sawyer, the manager at the restaurant. Great food. Serving staff needs to be more attentive. Sat at our table while the serving staff solved the world's problems. read more

The waitress was cool, liked her a lot. Loved they had a movie for us to watch as well as the basketball game. Their set-up is unique, really liked it. I had the six wings and tots with a frozen alcoholic drink. The wings tasted like dish water, the tots were made crispy and not oily. The frozen drink was made to perfection. The wings was the only thing that I didn't like. read more

Place is going downhill trust me. It seems cool and all but don't waste your time or money. A lot of better places around this area. Also portions for most food is small. read more

Came here and tried the Patty Melt... it was good. It came with french fries... they were good. Wife unit ordered the Black Bean Burger... it was good. It came with Quinoa & Brussels Sprout Salad ($1.50 extra)... it was also good! Service was good too. Server looked like Wolverine without claws. Told server and he said "Yeah, I get that a lot." Sweet tea tasted somewhat bitter. Cup is huge! Said to self: "Self, you should come back here again." So I did. Day was Wednesday. - - - Came back and tried the Patty Melt (again)... it was okay. It came with french fries... they were good. Wife unit again ordered the Black Bean Burger... it was okay. It came with Quinoa & Brussels Sprout Salad... it was still good! * PAUSE - We are not creatures of habit. We order the same thing sometimes with the confidence that we already know we like it and that it won't disappoint us. We were wrong - UNPAUSE * Son unit ordered the Blue Cheese Burger... it was okay. Son unit rated it a 5.5 out of 10. Son unit doesn't understand yelp rating system. Son unit didn't eat it all. Son unit wasted my money. Service wasn't as good. Wolverine guy was NOT our server this time. Sweet tea still tasted somewhat bitter. Cup is still huge! Said to self: "Self, not as good as the first time, but you should still come back here again." So I will. Day way Sunday. Self would like to note EVERY employee seemed unhappy and gloomy on second visit. Self wonders if something happened behind the scenes. - - - Self rated it 3.3546817 stars between two self visits. Self thinks it matters who's in the kitchen. Self hopes 3rd time is a charm. 2019/35 read more

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Updated review. The past couple experiences here were much better than my first review that I posted. The service was better as well as the taste of the food. We got everything we needed on time and did not have to wait forever. read more

Terrible service. Restaurant has gone down. Sat for 45 minutes after we ordered. When we asked about our food they said their printer was down in the kitchen and they didn't notice. So nothing had been cooked and no apology. Servers seem more interested in socializing with each other than helping customers. Used to love this place but the service is so up and down. We won't be back. read more

Shakira has such a positive attitude. She made me feel so welcome. I ordered to go but decided to dine in just due to her great demeanor. read more

Universal Joint - Salmon BLT with fries and ranch - New American Near Me - Lawrenceville, Georgia

I am from out of town but this is my third or 4th time at the UJ and always have a good time and good. We sat outside for brunch today with in laws who are local. First I noticed other people whose server was much more attentive than ours. Took a long while to come by first time so we ordered food and drink. Unfortunately out of Sweetwater beer- which she didn't know so I ordered an Unsweet tea. Good came out fast, really fast before anyone got a drink. And the food was good, that's why give it a few stars. So everyone's drink comes except mine bc they didn't have it so when a tea, finally comes we are almost done eating/ yes it took her that long! Then it's a sweet tea which I can't drink- but she never checks again until it's time for the bill which of course it was charged. I wouldn't have let them do that but my father in law doesn't want confrontation so he pays for a tea which I never drank and wasn't offered a replacement. I did let her know it was wrong and she seemed confused. Congrats you swindled my in laws for $3. I didn't get her name but I know the face and if I see her working if I come back I will leave. Don't let this become the norm. Get the Local beer and have decent people working. read more

Came here for lunch with my mom and left very happy! The service was really good. We were sat quickly and our food came out shortly after ordering. Everything was delicious! The fried Brussel sprouts were super crispy and yummy. I loved the arugula mushroom quesadilla the best! It was a nice lunch and I definitely recommend coming here. Next time I want to try the black bean burger :) read more

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Food was great I had the ravioli and the service was even better. The young man that severed us enough the perfect sour beer. The wings as an appetizer were great as well . We will be back read more

Picked up the tops of my sandwich to look at it and there was a piece of plastic, possibly tape and a hair on my sandwich. Gross! She offered to remake it but I passed. read more

Universal Joint - Cuban sandwich with tape - New American Near Me - Lawrenceville, Georgia

Burger was good (Steinbeck). Service was not good at all. I can't tell you the last time I left a 10% tip. Probably over a decade ago. But honestly? Ok his was generous for the service. This is based solely on Samuel G's service. What did he do, he wasn't very friendly. Certainly not attentive and most importantly he just left all the plates to be swarmed by nasty flies as we tried to just talk. Needless to say, this guy is not cut out for this type of job. Ambiance was good. Over all they've done a very good job, my only issues with the ambiance is more of a personal issue because of the flies which you would expect if you are sitting outdoors, so won't knock them for it. read more

If you like movie theater quality food with no movie then this is the place for you. The tables were filthy and I had to ask for a dish rag to clean it myself. Asked for a simple water, sweet tea, coke and sprite what I received was water water coke and sprite served with untouched wet straws off a serving table. The servers are trying their best but the staff as a whole definitely needs more guidance. I'll come back another day and hopefully they'll change my mind. read more

Universal Joint - This is Queso Dip that we got for our nachos - New American Near Me - Lawrenceville, Georgia

If I could give this review 0 stars, I would. I came here with a group of friends and we waited at our table for 20 min and finally walked up to the bar to order a drink. The HOSTESS brought us menus and grabbed a waitress for us. Any time we asked for anything (additional drinks, sauces for food, etc.), it would be an additional 15 min wait for the server to come back. Yikes is all I can say.... read more

Great food and amazing service! Great drinks and monthly specials! Allison was our server and she was beyond great! She told is all about the specials and made great recommendations@ read more

Really disappointing. We were looking forward to trying Universal Joint. But, it took them over 30 minutes to make our orders (our server claimed there was a lunch rush, but there were many empty tables). Both of our orders also came out incorrectly once they finally arrived and we had no time to wait for them to be corrected. The food was ok, but not great. The server did comp our bill for the meal that was completely wrong (which I appreciated), but the receipt listed "unhappy customer", which seems kind of rude (although accurate since I was sad that I couldn't enjoy my meal). Even with the comped meal, the bill was over $30 for two people. We will skip this place next time. read more

We had heard great reviews about this place. So we thought we'd have date night and try it before we moved out of Lawrenceville. VERY DISAPPOINTED in the quality of service and the quality of food. All I ordered was the fries with bacon, jalapeño and cheese. My fries were cold and crunchy (not cooked all the way through) and my cheese had congealed and was hard and the bacon was over cooked. Basically my simple appetizer was made well before my fiancé's burger was made and sat under the heat lamp. My fiancé's burger was over cooked and there were two skinny wimpy bacon slices and three pieces of jalapeños when it was a spicy jalapeño, pimento and bacon burger. One straggly piece of lettuce and a tomatoe that looked like a bite was taken out of it. What was even worse, we had one beer each because the bartender never came back to ask if we wanted another one. He walked past us at least five times to serve a young girl who sat down and to pick up a tab. Needless to say, food was mediocre and service was poor. It got two stars because of the ambiance and outside but that's about it. We won't be coming back. And the food and service is definitely not worth it. They are trying to copycat Local Republic and they don't even come close! We went elsewhere for another beverage. And the couple next to us waited over 20 minutes for a patty melt. read more

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Well I came here because I have a puppy I didn't want to leave at home and the are dog friendly. We got seated right away and the staff was friendly but then we waited about 20-30 minutes for someone to take our drink order. Several members of the staff were aware we'd been waiting for a while and just said I'll go get your server several times. So basically I got my food and drinks at the same time. Food: Southwest chicken quesadilla -was good, the chicken was very flavorful and the salsa on the side was good. Fish tacos- they were out of tilapia so the substituted with salmon- they were good. Drinks Grapefruit sangria -okay, tasted watered down. And a Moscow Mule -partner said it was good read more

Universal Joint - New American Near Me - Lawrenceville, Georgia

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Great burgers, I had one with pimento cheese and jalapeño's and it was fantastic. My wife had a cheese burger. The interior is nice and not to loud at lunch. They have a covered area outside that I think is open air in the warmer weather. Great beer selection and ton of pub grub on the menu. I'm certain you will not be disappointed. I would expect this place to get crowed during weekend dinner and football games read more

Universal Joint - Hope this is a new burger joint, so far I like the atmosphere. - New American Near Me - Lawrenceville, Georgia

I would not recommend this restaurant for large groups. My team of educators chose this restaurant for its close proximity to our school. We called ahead to see if they could accommodate us (party of 12) and we were told sure. It would have been nice to know that it was neither possible to split the check nor get separate checks. Second, once we ordered and the first four meals came then next four meals did not come until the first 4 people were completely finished. We were asked if we would like drink refills and we stated no we would like our food please. This is when we were told that the kitchen could only make 4 orders at a time. So we at in groups of 4 and the last 4 people had to take their food to go. This was less than desirable. Third the food was just ok, but definitely not worth the wait. So if you have more than 4 people in your party choose another spot in Lawrenceville. read more

Where to begin parking is available, and if you can't find a spot there is plenty of street parking within walking distance. Seats were available inside, on a covered patio and on the lawn.(the tables have umbrellas, to block the sun ) They have a corn-hole game set up on the lawn for you to enjoy a round while your food is being prepared. The server was very attentive, he was quick to provide answers regarding the menu and even checked if the kitchen could make a substitution to one of their dishes. The salmon bruschetta was phenomenal! I will be back when in town! read more

Awesome spot right on the square in downtown Lawrenceville! I went with a group of 7, large group seating is a little limited inside so heads up if you go in the summer. But on a nicer day their outdoor seating is plentiful and great! We had the salsa/queso appetizer and the grilled avocado. The grilled avocado was 2 halves of an avocado that had been grilled then topped with tomatoes/onions and a really delicious sauce. Between the group we had a Universal Burger, buffalo chicken sandwich, buffalo chicken quesadilla, fish tacos, chicken tacos, and wings. Everything was great and highly recommended! But if you take anything away from this review, ORDER THE TATER TOTS! They'll change your life. They're the best!!!! read more

Universal Joint - Menu - New American Near Me - Lawrenceville, Georgia

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Very good beer and bar food. Good selection. Hip place. Would come back. Burgers, tacos and many options. But main it's good. read more

Universal Joint - In the greenroom - New American Near Me - Lawrenceville, Georgia

Brussel sprouts and spicy egg rolls here are great! I would not recommend the Buffalo chicken sandwich or tater tots

My second visit to Universal was the worst. Julie our server was confused and accusatory with items we didn't order and made our experience horrible. All over a $5 beer we didn't order. We paid our discounted bill (we didn't ask for a discount). Thank you but no thank you Universal. Very dissatisfied customer. read more

Universal Joint - The drink that killed Universal Joint for me. - New American Near Me - Lawrenceville, Georgia

I've been here a bunch of times now and have never been disappointed. Come here understanding that it is an extremely casual environment designed. The inside is basically a greasy spoon/gastropub fusion with patio and outdoor seating. They have craft beer options and specialty cocktails, including Mules of the Month. The Mules do come in copper mugs, but there have been times where customers have stolen so many of them that they didn't have enough to serve every customer with. Their burgers are their signature items. I've had a bunch of them and they have always been cooked exactly the way I've ordered them, including today, which was the U Joint burger. The bacon was crispy, too, which doesn't happen a lot on a burger, so bravo! The jalapeños were also fresh with a nice crisp pop to them. The fries were hot and crispy and well seasoned. My girlfriend was also very happy with her California burger, and was particularly enthused at getting a lettuce bun with getting fresh, crisp lettuce. Also, this is during the pandemic- a time when most restaurants are hurting for service staff. As such, I am very forgiving of the service and only mention unforgivable missteps when reviewing. Nothing to report here. read more

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The food here is surprisingly good. Their salads are fresh and tasty. The Universal fries are great paired with a cold beer. Drinks are good too, and this is one of the few bars open late in this area. It can get really loud and rowdy late at night, and the limited bartenders can make service a bit slow (not their fault because it's also busy), but it's still a good place to go grab a drink and hang out, meet new people. read more

I TOTALLY enjoyed dinner! I had the salmon BLT and the hummus appetizer. Everything was delicious and the food quality was excellent. The service was good and everyone is very friendly and professional. Im going to make a special trip just for the hummus!! read more