AJ ‘s Press “Tasty Eats” – 182 W State Road 434 Longwood.
Our love for family owned and operated restaurants is not diminished after a visit today to AJ’s Press in Longwood. This is a second location for AJ’s and builds on the reputation and success of the first AJ’s in Tampa. Owner of the Longwood location Andy Hesman, after a career in corporate restaurants, has taken those years of experience in hospitality and put them to great use by opening AJ’s. Supported in the business by his family, the six weeks since they opened have flown by with customers singing the praises of AJ’s and smashing Andy’s expectations to the delight of the Hesman family.
For us the stand out AJ’s items are the pressed sandwiches, lightly pressed on locally baked fresh “Torta” and served with Lattice potato chips, these sandwiches really let the ingredients do the talking, with simple presentation but BIG flavors.
Our favorite was the Crunchy Chicken – Crispy coated chicken with a sweet & tangy chili sauce, Jack cheese, tomato and arugula. Really crunchy coating on a succulent, perfectly cooked piece of chicken, paired well with all the ingredients for a delicious mouthful.
A close second was – AJ’s Cuban – Fresh sliced smokehouse pit style ham, Cantimpalo chorizo, slow roasted pork, Jack cheese, mustard, mayo and pickle. As good as any we have had on Calle Ocho, in Miami!
For the brisket lover, you can’t go wrong with the Beer Braised Brisket – Succulent braised brisket with jack cheese, pickled jalapeno, cilantro sour cream, house made salsa and arugula.
Everyone in the restaurant seemed to have a portion of the Jalapeno Bacon Hush Puppies and understandably so, dipped in their tangy, sweet chili sauce, they could get addictive!
AJ’s also have a selection of Bowls, specialty sides, coffee and breakfast items, they can also provide catering for your event or meeting.
So huge congratulations to Andy and his family, with a special shout out to Samantha who also bakes some serious cookies and smores brownies, may they continue to build on their early success.
Please support your local business, give them a try.
AJ’s can be found at the address above and are open Mon-Fri 8:00 am to 4:00 pm and on Saturday 9: to 3:00 pm.
