Garden State Ale House

The food was good and reasonably priced. They have a nice selection of beers and craft beers on the menu. I went with the broccoli and cheese quesadilla. The Troegs Nectar went along great with that. The place itself is nice, clean and televisions everywhere. Good place. No complaints.

Like all new businesses, they have a few kinks to work out, but, considering my husband and I were here, just about a month after opening, it’s a pretty decent place with great potential!
We stopped in on a Friday night. It is located on a main road, but, don’t let that deter you, they have a parking lot located right across the street! Great thinking on their part!
We walked in and were greeted immediately by the hostess, and within seconds we were seated! Our waiter Tim came over within a minute or two and took our drink order. They have already decent craft beer selection, a few locals (Brix City) and a few not so local! We ordered the sampler for appetizer which came with, fried Gouda (amazing), the Asian nachos, pulled pork and pretzel bites. All in all pretty standard! The pulled pork was pretty good, the nachos were missing something. I can’t put my finger on exactly what, but, something was missing! Dipping sauces that came with the sampler, nice touch!
For dinner we ordered a burger and a wrap, both were good. Nicely seasoned and cooked well.
They have happy hour from 3 – 7, which includes some (not all) apps for $ 5! They also offer a fixed menu option. I thought that was pretty cool. Not many places in the area, do that! $ 24 and you pick an app, entrée and dessert! Just another option, which is nice to have! Also, they offer gluten free and vegan options, awesome! So many people these days have diet restrictions, it’s awesome that they took the time and made sure that they have something for everyone.
The bar is pretty big, from what I saw. The bartenders were dressed in black, with red suspenders and a red bow tie. Kinda cute. One tiny, little thing that I didn’t care for while I was there. One of the bartenders, planted herself in front of two guys (who she clearly knew) and chatted up with them for a good 15 minutes, while sipping away on her Starbucks. It was a Friday night, and they were busy, chug your coffee before you start your shift and help your co workers out.
Stop in and give them a shot!
Enjoy!

Review for drinks only as we came here late on a Saturday.
They stop serving food at a certain point — it was 12:30am that evening but we were told it varies and depends on the night/​crowd.
Good craft beer selection — happy with the menu choices.
Bartenders were friendly and the vibe was good.
They have large television screens and were playing a great mix of music videos (from The Rolling Stones to Chevelle to Kid Cudi to Elton John).

Pretty good ambiance big variety of local drafts. Unfortunately the server wasn’t very knowledgeable of anything he seemed more interested in leaving then serving his tables. We ordered the sampler which came with a couple of wing and a few other things we also order the calamari which was pretty good nothing crazy, and lastly ordered the ghost pepper wings which by the way were extremely hot (I was pleasantly surprised) over all not a bad experience but I’m not to sure if recommend this place, or go back.

Finally made it to check out the new ale house– they definitely have stiff competition with the restaurant next door, but I also think it’s a good place to have it in to build in that area. I’m not a huge fan of Gouda but the grilled cheese was pretty good, a bit heavy for me. I also had the pirogies, which the Gouda in was good, but the ends were a bit tough– some places fry the pirogies versus just cooked through– was a little too salty for my palette but was good. The tacos, did have jalapeños in it, which I guess I was little surprised… Still good after the shock to my mouth.
Big plus on the Moscow Mule! Loved it, although drinks took some time to get to us. We must of come in after the first happy hour–
I also like the the two different settings, bar separated from regular dining.
Liked parking across the street.
I hope they add or adjust the menu in the coming months, possibly making a seasonal menu– I visited an ale house in Houston few months back and went with friends who are vegetarian. The whole menu was super meat based, and I felt terrible that they wouldn’t have any options. Not that case at all, my friends asked for the vegetarian menu, and it was an entirely whole different menu. I opted to try something off that menu because it wasn’t just swapping a meat with beans type of deal… And I would also say, you’re in jersey, so maybe highlight Jersey tomatoes?
I’ll be back in a few months.

So the wife and I decided to try Garden State Ale House after reading so many reviews and just wanted to try it out for ourselves. Let me just say, the customer service here is what saved the day. Everyone from the waitress, to the cook, and finally the manager coming out to see if we were okay was a big plus. Now on to the details…
For an appetizer we ordered the Asian Nachos. Who ever came up with the recipe, great job! Wonton chips instead of tortilla chips, covered with sesame garlic chicken, cheese, scallions and a ginger cream sauce — the real winner of the dish. The only problems with the nachos was 1) not enough ginger cream sauce and 2) the wonton chips were stale.
For dinner, I ordered the Das Burger. This burger is a MONSTER — seriously, leave your diet at home, in fact leave anyone on a diet at home as well since they may gain weight via osmosis just sitting next to this thing. It’s this huge burger topped with fried gouda cheese, an egg, pork roll, bacon, an onion ring, and chipotle mayo, which oddly enough works. You’d almost think with that many toppings, the flavors would just sort of be lost or overpower each other, but that thing was yummy.
The big problem with the burger (and of the night) was, when the burger came out the first time, it was burnt to the point it tasted and looked like charcoal (I ask for Medium/​Medium Rare). I told the waitress, and both she and the cook came back out and apologized profusely. At this point he offered to cook me up a new burger and it will only take a couple of minutes, which I accepted.
While waiting on my new burger to come out, I continued picking at the parmesan truffle fries that came with the burger. These were not quite as crisp as I would have like them and definitely could have used a little more truffle oil. At the same time, the cook sent us an appetizer on the house, the Taste of Thanksgiving (think that’s what it was called). Basically turkey, potatoes, stuffing, rolled into a ball, breaded, and fried, topped with cranberry sauce. Definitely tasty, but I gotta say heaaaaavy. Do not order these and the Das Burger together! I only had one, then when the new burger came out, was only able to take three bites before giving up and having it wrapped to go.
So, as far as I am concerned, this is a new place that is still learning if you ask me. It’s in a great location that has parking, and has some great concepts on the menu, which if/​when executed properly will raise the bar for this place easily (and in the end snag it an extra 1 or 2 stars in my book). But once again and the moral of the story — it was customer service that saved the day. Not only did it raise the amount of stars it got on this review, but it also has me wanting to come back to try it again and hopefully give them more stars.

FINALLY MADE IT HERE… so here’s my honest opinion for this restaurant that’s been opened for 5 weeks.
I give it a solid 3… and this was based mainly on service. Marissa was great… food was average for me.
Private Parking Lot across the way… that’s always a plus! Once you walk in, lots of TVs to the right of the restaurants… can ya guess? YUP the bar area… and then walk to the left side… it has tables to be more intimate like on a date or just hang with group of friends… cute décor… there’s TVs on this side too.
I noticed a room with wooden double doors… really cute… and there was a modern long table inside that probably sat about 10 – 12 people. Definitely a cute area to setup a group birthday dinner.
NOW the food…
App: Asian Nachos — are you familiar with the fried noodles the Chinese restaurants hands out for their soups? Imagine them shaped as tortilla chips but not so flat… bit airy, and when you bite it, it has a perfect crunch. They are called wonton chips. Some nachos tasted stale… but the ginger crème, sesame garlic chicken, cheddar cheese sauce and scallions was such an amazing combination. We demolished it… if it wasn’t for some stale chips, it would of been perfection.
I came on Taco Tuesdays but I wasn’t too pleased with it. The grilled fish taco has jalopenas in it so be careful if you don’t like hot food. It didn’t wow me.
All tacos come with shredded lettuce, Pico de gallo, & cheddar jack cheese. I thought the Pico was a bit too tangy.
It says on the menu for Taco Tuesdays:
$ 3 Pulled Pork & Fish Tacos
Translated to: 1 Fish Soft Taco cost $ 3 each
Also $ 4 Shrimp Soft Taco — again it was just ok. Shrimp was cooked good, but I hardly ate the taco stuffings and the outside except for the shrimp.
My husband had an issue with his burger… he ordered it medium and it was burnt on one side. The chef came out and apologized and came back with a brand new burger and fries and I must say, I took a bite and it was pretty damn good. I thought it was nice for the chef to come out but I had no idea he was the chef. He had jeans and a white t-​shirt on… Usually chefs have like a white jacket, so I found that odd.
The manager Rob was nice enough to check on us. I definitely wouldn’t give them a nasty review even if a few things weren’t perfect, but the service made up for it.
I definitely would come back. They have great specials throughout the week. Also
has offers for this place, but they don’t accept it on the weekends.

Great specials and I love the décor /​friendly staff. French onion soup is on point! They had a limited menu during my first try as they were brand new and getting to know the demand /​logistics.
Jalapeño margarita is wonderfully spicy.
Their sandwhiches got me excited based on their descriptions but upon arrival they left a little something to be desired. Certainly not bad but slightly underwhelming. (We tried their version of a Cuban wrap and their horseradish steak sandwich).
Their fried pickles are raved about but are far too heavy for my taste– LOTS of batter.
Way better than your typical sports bar chain but the bar area with all the TVs fills up quickly and the regular dining area is really more for just dining. Consider this if you plan to meet a large group for a game.
We will be back!

I really like this place. The food is good, the drinks are great and it’s a way better option than Taos. The wait staff are still finding their rhythm, but I’m confident that they’ll do well.
The «bangin’ shrimp» are fantastic!

One star is too much perhaps. For experience it’s a 0 star. For possibilities, I give it a star.
Joint opened Dec 28^th, they may need to be more consistent if they want to survive.
Visited Friday afternoon 3:00 pm for the first time. Bar located at entry and there was almost a full bar of peeps, we thought «a good sign «. No hostess in sight, tap tap wait wait. Bartender let’s us know we can sit anywhere. We cop a squat on the bar side. No Server in sight, tap tap wait wait… wait wait. Get up, grab own menus by POV.
Menu looked great, tons of options and we were looking forward to it. Waiting. Server comes over and wonders how we are looking at menus because… No menu service, only happy hour menu is available. No drink order, she’ll be right back.
Wait wait. Tap tap … Happy hour menu is an anorexic version of regular menu.
Wait. Wait. Forget it! We left.
Upon exit, not a word from staff.
Perhaps try again late night when full menu is available. Maybe not. They missed out on a good word of mouth recommendation and repeat of locals.

Happy hour review
Brand new spot with friendly bartenders and good beer selection. Don’t come here for HH tho because the only beers that are discounted are Blue Moon and Cider. Seriously! Even the smaller bars in the area can discount their craft beer during HH.
Food is not good and their menu is pretty standard. I agree with the other review they really shouldn’t consider themselves a gastropub.
Maybe they will turn themselves around, maybe not. Too many other options in Bergen to try again.

Really 3.5 stars. Totally serviceable bar food. Friendly waitress. But unfortunately its not really a «gastropub.» I’d say its more of a sports bar with bartenders dressed like hipsters and some craft beer signs on the wall instead of Giants swag.

Good craft beer selection. The food we ordered was only ok, but we did go here the first week it opened. Looking forward to trying the pizza from the brick oven next time.

Came here for Sunday Funday with a friend to watch football. Even though our team lost I consider this place a win. LOTS of beer choices on tap. I had the Stout and Siracha BBQ wings which were fantastic, and my friend had the Adult Grilled Cheese which she really enjoyed. The service was average (one bartender was more attentive then the other) but no real complaints. I will definitely come back to this spot!

The service wasn’t the best and the prices are a bit steep.
I came here for happy hour. They have some food items and drinks for $ 5. Some things appeared to be a good deal, but $ 5 for a blue moon… yea not that great. I tried the fried Gouda and liked it very much. The fried pickles were good too. I didn’t care for my Tilapia sandwich — the seasoning tasted weird and it was very mushy.
I didn’t like the fact they charged me $ 2 for substituting a salad for fries. I was shocked that I had to pay extra for a few pieces of lettuce and I didn’t get any fries. I can see them charging $ 2 for adding a salad, but for swapping it out for fries — it definitely felt I was nickle and dimed a bit. Plus the dude never even told me it costs extra…
Despite the negatives, I did enjoy the laid back atmosphere and loved the 90’s videos playing right over the bar. Good music.

Another American style Gastropub (sigh). this seems to be a new trend.
Came in last Friday night to check it out around 6:30pm.
Food:
Ordered the hummus, a buffalo chicken wrap and fries, and a salad. Food was nicely prepared, everything tasted great.
Atmosphere:
Pretty cool design, nice bar area with tables as well as ample bar seating. The other side of the restaurant is all tables and seems to be a bit quieter. The design is contemporary, very new and clean which is great. Tons of TVs everywhere so you will have plenty to watch no matter where you sit. I like the fact the bar tenders all had matching outfits, made them look professional. Seems to be a lively place but not overly crowded, at least while i was there.
Service:
Our waitress was very nice but it seems like the kitchen suffered a bit. We asked for our hummus appetizer to come out first but it seems there was a misunderstanding and it did not come out at all. We had to ask for it after our meals came out. They were running about a 35 – 40 min ticket times which is pretty awful, the place was definitely full but not really an excuse in my opinion. Still not the waitresses fault so i cant be mad.
Overall a pretty cool place. They have a lot of beers and a nice size bar. Looks like a great spot to catch the game or hangout with some friends. The food was pretty good. Honestly its a nice quality place but nothing you cant find at many other places popping up in neighboring areas. I’m feeling nice today, 4 STARS.

I want to start saying that this place is amazing! We went there over the weekend and unfortunately there was no sitting due to that all the table was booked, So we met the restaurant manager Robert Medina and he told us that whenever we need to reserve a table to contact him and he gave me is business card. Very nice! So we stay and check out the bar scene and they had several beer selections. Due to the fact that place just recently open they had issues in the kitchen but the food menu and prices are decent price.
They have plenty of Tv’s behind the bar and the wall. I’m definitely coming back in the future and I wish them great success to this place! I also gave the Manager my DJ card for future gigs if possible and maybe Karkoree there!
Everyone should check out this place for sure!!!
#DJwil

My husband and I were happy to see that work started back up on this place, it looked like they had stopped construction for a bit.
We went for dinner on New Year’s Day around 7pm. There was complimentary valet which I would guess was for opening week, that was a nice touch.
The bar was packed and there were several tables seated but we didn’t have to wait for a table. The beer list was massive which is awesome and I was happy to see they also carry bottles of domestics (Bud, Corona Miller Lite etc.) The beer list was great because it told you the type of beer, alcohol content and the flavor profile you could expect. The Bolero Snort ‘Variabull 003′ was my favorite!
For our apps my husband ordered wings and I got the fried pickles. Wings were excellent, we got hot buffalo and they were tasty and big wings. The portion of the fired pickles was huge, good to share and they were so fantastic. The dipping sauce was A+ too.
Dinners were a Horseradish cheddar burger with chips for me and my husband had the ale house burger but subbed in grilled chicken or the burger which is one of the many ways you can customize their burgers/​sandwiches. Both were really tasty, my burger was cooked perfectly and all the flavors worked well. My husband doesn’t generally eat mayo so he asked for the sauce on the side for his and then tasted it and wound up adding it to the sandwich anyway, it was that good.
Also of note, our waitress was awesome. She was always there but never hovering and she was friendly and kind. And the hostess who greeted us was also very warm and friendly, great vibes.
All in all the food menu looked good, plenty of options for whatever you’re in the mood for. They advertised a lot of specials for each day of the week and their Happy Hour looks good.
We will definitely be back and told a bunch of local friends and family about it :)

Went for lunch on opening day and came back for dinner a few days later! We’re so happy it opened up bc that area of town has been in desperate need of some newness ever since Jerry’s closed down. Try the fried Gouda appetizer! That sauce is ridiculous! Also, both Christian and Rebecca were friendly and attentive servers. We’ll be back!

first lets start that its really nice inside and the staff was very attentive. I had the peppercorn steak and it was perfect, really delicious. My friend and I also ordered the nachos, guacamole and fried Gouda, which came with a tomato fondue sauce, i wish we could duplicate it at home, you guys definitely have to try it. for drinks, we both got butterbeers… they were creamy and just the right touch of alcohol. cheers to ordering that again :)