Union Jack’s of Columbia – Thursday Night British Invasion

So if you haven’t yet heard of this new HoCo hot spot, don’t be too hard on yourself. Union Jack’s of Columbia first came into business during the spring of 2010, staking its claim off of Little Patuxent Parkway. We visited this British-themed restaurant/bar hybrid for its popular Thursday night drink specials. They offer $1 Miller Light bottles from 7pm until 2am, half-priced bottles of wine and a Power Hour with $1 U-Call-Its (any drink but top shelf for a dollar).

The Night
With such great atmosphere and drink specials, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Union Jack’s was bustling that night. This might be true of any major bar in Howard County – but expect to see anyone and everyone on these popular nights. It’s like the Ghosts of HoCo Past up in there. From former teachers to former lovers, long-lost childhood friends to long-lost sworn enemies, it would be quite the feat to not recognize someone you know at Union Jack’s. [Afraid of those kind of awkward moments? Have no fear – it was easy to stay pretty secluded in one of the private pub booths].

Our server, Darryl, was awesome. I’m sure many other servers would’ve scowled at our relocating and cheap requests (“Why, yes, we will continue to drink only Miller Light until the Power Hour, at which point, we will suddenly reveal that we actually want Stoli Raz and Captain Morgan.”)  Yet, Darryl was a champ and made our night very enjoyable. He even brought us warm tortilla chips to munch on,  although the kitchen was closed.

Also, DJ Chris Tharp was there to spin from 10pm until close, getting all the wild young ones to hit the dance floor. You could feel the heavy bass in your seats.

Some Lows
Come to find out, Union Jack’s has decided to no longer offer a late night menu (at least on Thursdays). It was a little disappointing to discover that we couldn’t get hot pizzas to accompany our cold drinks. There was also some confusion over the time of the Power Hour. Although the website says it’s from 9-10, our server informed us that it was actually from 10-11. Even though we think 10pm is a better time for the Power Hour, we wish we would’ve known beforehand.

Despite the hot beats, the dance floor situation was a tad awkward. There was a lone table of older customers on the dance floor, which likely minimized the freakiness that could’ve ensued.

Memorable Moment
Brief background – Linda recently had a party at Union Jack’s, complete with a giant green dinosaur pinata. Upon impact, it sprayed about 20 pounds of candy throughout the entire pool room. The manager stopped by our table on Thursday night to inform us that Linda’s party resulted in the adoption of a strict new policy forever banning pinatas of any kind from Union Jack’s.

“Linda’s a legend.” – UJ’s Manager

Union Jack's pub area. Credit: http://bit.ly/hYnhnn