Garlic Rose Bistro CLOSED

GARLIC ROSE MADISON CLOSED AND GONE FOREVER. We rarely went in the summer because it was so busy but last week we grabbed our bottle of wine and head to our favorite spot. When we arrived it was clear they had closed. I felt a sense of loss.

Looks like I was right along with other people who said this place has gone downhill. This area needs GOOD restaurants

Bummer. We’ll see you in Cranford Mark
I still can’t get over this unfortunate turn of events. This place was a fixture. Whatever happened to community goodwill?
Bummer.

Unfortunately they went downhill over the past few years, and now they’re closed for good… what a shame :(

This place is now closed. I work a few doors down and walk past it every day. They pulled out last week.

Just received an email saying the Madison location is closed due to loss of lease.
I’ve always loved Garlic Rose, and esp the Madison location as it is BYO. Food has been consistent and I recommend the Escargot appetizer.
A bit bummed that the Madison location is closed. Cranford location is still open for business.

Garlic rose; I love you! Note to self; BYOB-​and there is a liquor store just a few doors down. Wasn’t sure what to expect here — the staff was sooooooo nice — I was in a group of about 20 and they were super attentive and fun! They brought a bulb (?) of roasted garlic to the table to compliment the bread that looked amazing (since it was business I didn’t try it and totally regret it because everyone was raving about it)…the other concoction they brought was yummy too. I had the fish (not the salmon) oreganato and it was flaky, light and flavorful. This was a great experience and will go back when not on business and will order everything smothered in garlic (and will try the garlic ice cream)! Ps you can order anything ‘vampire friendly’-sans garlic:)

I don’t frequent Italian… this place was a last minute decision. A decision I regretted after the fact. It pains me to give it such a low review after one visit but another try is not going to happen.
We were seated promptly on a weekday. Place isn’t all that big and lacks charm (although on the outside it has a little). Either my smelling was off or there was no overwhelming scent of garlic. My wife agreed.
Our server was young kid. Lacked organization and was MIA most of the time. We were there for 1.5 hours… most of it waiting for our meals. It wouldn’t be so bad if the meals were good… unfortunately they were disappointing.
They bring out their bread dip which everyone talks about… it was ok… bread tasted like it had been out for while then reheated…
We started with salads (house). Dressing on side but they brought it out on top… brought it back to kitchen and it came back with dried, whimpy greens. Strike 1.
Strike 2, 35 minutes for entrees to come out after the salads (which took 15 minutes to come out). I understand everything is prepared to order but seriously?
Stacked Chicken — Boneless breast sauteed with sun-​dried tomatoes, fresh garlic & basil in a lemon veloute sauce, topped with melted brie. Served with our famous Gilroy potatoes. It was flavorless… the Gilroy Potatos, which they rave about, actually earned them an extra star.
It was such a frustrating meal. Service was way off. Food was way off…
If you are in the area… skip this place… head to Marie’s in Chatham… that’s quality food!

If you hate vampires and love a little extra garlic in your food then this is certainly the place for you! I think every item on the menu comes with garlic or is based primarily out of garlic which is a very interesting idea. Went here for a family dinner and it lived up to expectations, great service, small cosy atmosphere and most importantly deliciously garlic meals!

If you love garlic, like me, this is the place for you!
The minute you even walk past the restaurant you smell delicious garlic. The inside is a little dated but the food is so good I don’t consider the ambiance in my rating ;)
Went last night again. Service is attentive. They give you really good bread with a delicious garlic dipping sauce as you look at the menu. Im thinking of buying some in a jar that they sell as gifts for family members-it’s that good!
Yesterday we got the Brie to start (so good). My husband also got the garlic onion soup. It is huge and comes in a bread bowl with lots of cheese. We were saying the soup alone would be a great meal!
Side salads come with each entrée. The dressing is good and the veggies fresh, my husband got the filet and I got the harvest garlic chicken. The steak looked good but my chicken was amazing! Very rich and flavorful! We were thinking of dessert but we’re so stuffed from eating so much, we had to resist. We have gotten the garlic ice cream before, however, and it was shockingly delicious!
The place is small, definitely make a reservation and it is a byob. There is a liquor store on the block.

Awesome food! I tried all of Madison’s restaurants. The first time im compelled to write a review. This place is the best in Madison… Great service. Cozy ambience.
Their bread served with cilantro, Parmesan, rosemary in olive oil is delicious! Their garlic onion soup served in a bowl of bread was amazing. The house salad is awesome.
The harvest chicken stuffed in blue cheese and cranberries was heavenly
The angelhair pasta with shrimp and olives is very good! If you are looking for specialty dishes and real good food to treat urself. Thats the right place to go. 5 stars and more! I will definitely come back.

Made a reservation a week in advance for 7:30 p.m. tonight at this BYOB
We were seated at a back table. Bread and their awesome garlic dip was brought to the table. Very tasty. They actually sell it in a jar. Definitely good with fresh bread for a party.
For an app we had the Buca Mussels. I always worry about mussels being sandy and not thoroughly cleaned but these were perfect. The sauce they used was slightly thickened and great to dunk bread in.
Salads come with the dinners. They use thick grated cheese on their salads which I LOVE and the dressing was also very good.
For the entrée I had the whole wheat penne primavera and my friend had the gnocchi with sausage and hot peppers. The primavera was loaded with veggies in a white wine garlic and oil sauce (not cream) and was rather large in size. I have another meal for tomorrow! My friend finished his dinner and said it was delicious. I’m not a fan of gnocchi.
For dessert we shared the chocolate cake with the white moose and it was decadent.
It had been about 5 years since I’ve been here. The only negative I can say was we weren’t told of any specials. I don’t think there were any but I can’t say for sure.

We started with the Eggplant Rollatine which was delicious! Sauce wasn’t to runny or overpowering. The entrees were even better. I got the
Stacked Chicken with a sauce that was very rich, but paired nice with the sundried tomatoes in it. The other guest got the Filet Mignon Saga Bleu and wouldn’t stop saying how well cooked and melt-​in-​your mouth it was. Overall it was a great dining experience. I strongly recommend making a reservation. The setting is very intimate and the staff couldn’t be nicer.

Garlic galore! You really have to be in the mood for some garlic (actually, more than just «some») because once you walk in, you’re hit with the smell of garlic in the air. Actually, just walking up to the restaurant you can smell it already.
We tried some soups and got different entrees, their specials sounded really good. Like everyone else says here, their bread and garlic dip is amazing. basically pesto with 10x more garlic than you would typically put. Our waiter also gave us two roasted garlic heads which were delicious and we spread them on our bread and just threw them into our entrees. BF got the steak and I got the stacked chicken, both came out good. My garlic chowder was a bit on the cold side, but tasted alright. The food is definitely good here, nothing crazy amazing, but definitely a must-​try for garlic fans.
And even if you want to bring your date here, don’t worry because you will definitely both be stinky by the first appetizer.

Sadly, this is one of the most regrettable dinner decisions I’ve ever made. Went tonight, and first wondered how a place this cheap-​looking (fake exposed brick wall decals, cheap novelty pictures I’ve seen everywhere else) could get such good reviews. The seats were also cheap and uncomfortable, the ceiling ugly, and the place was carpeted.
The bread and famed «dipping sauce» came out. The bread was average, the pesto dipping sauce tasty, but nothing to write home about. I would have been just as happy with a standard olive oil dip… even happier if the bread was the least bit interesting.
I got the «stacked chicken», which is really a pounded-​flat chicken smothered in cheese, with some cheesy potatoes, and a tiny corner of unseasoned broccoli. It wasn’t horrible, but it reminded me of food plates one gets in an airport restaurant.
Cheese seems to be the answer to everything here. That and absurdly high prices.
Yes, the place smells like garlic and the food has a lot of garlic. I like garlic, so I’ll count that as a positive. Everything else made me and my wife — who surveyed the menu and wisely just ordered a Caesar salad (which was overdressed) — very anxious to leave and forget the whole night. Choose one of the nice Italian restaurants on the same street instead.

This is my third time at Garlic Rose, although I have not been here in years. It is a cozy restaurant with good service and good food. I was a little disappointed that the menu was not the same as the menu on the website. I had pre-​picked what I wanted to order from the website menu and it was not on the menu. They did have my favorite which was the French onion garlic soup in a loaf of carved out bread. I ordered a veal chop off their specials menu and I liked it. We were the first customers in the restaurant but it quickly was filling up.
They should update their website to reflect the menu that they actually have. And I’d love it if they put back the Portobello appetizer that they still have on their website menu. I had it years ago, and it was delicious.
This restaurant is not local for us and we made a special trip to go there. It is worth the trip.

One of my favorite restaurants in North Jersey! Almost every dish on their menu is made with garlic. Don’t worry, there are no vampires here! They can accommodate dishes to your garlic preference. They will even serve you roasted garlic bulbs upon request!
Garlic Rose Bistro is a BYOB! So grab that bottle of wine that you’ve been dying to drink and bring it with you. There is also a liquor store a few doors down that has a decent wine selection. We’ve stopped in there on a few occasions when we weren’t coming straight from home.
They serve bread and their «bread dipping sauce» once you place your order. The «bread dipping sauce» is absolutely delicious. It has pesto, grated parmesan cheese, garlic, and oil in it. Don’t be bashful, ask for more when you finish. They are happy to refill. They also sell their «bread dipping sauce» for $ 7 if you want to take some home with you.
All entrees are served with a salad, so I usually opt to skip out on the appetizers because between the bread, salad, and entrée, I still have leftovers. The salad is mixed greens, sliced tomatoes, red onions, ground black pepper, and I think a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. They do have a tendency to overdo the pepper though.
I am a creature of habit and have a tendency to order the same dishes over and over again. My absolute favorite dish at Garlic Rose is Garlic Angel with Shrimp. It’s shrimp over you guess it, angel hair pasta. It’s served with tomatoes and olives (but I skip the olives). I posted a picture of this dish. I also quite enjoy the rack of lamb which is served with a vegetable (usually broccoli) and their Gilroy potatoes. These potatoes are fantastic! They are thinly sliced layers with a cheesy sauce on them. My husband ordered the Chicken Madison special on our visit this weekend, and his deciding factor was that it was served with the Gilroy potatoes. I kid you not! But in all seriousness, the Chicken Madison was a solid dish. The chicken was extremely soft and tender. It had Marsala demi-​glacé with some cream for the sauce and was topped with red peppers, mushrooms, and spinach. It was served with broccoli and those Gilroy potatoes that I keep raving about. I have also ordered many other items here over the years and they have all been wonderful.
Garlic Rose has a rewards program called Garlicious Rewards. I highly recommend signing up for it. They swipe your card each time you dine and when you accumulate 150 points, they send you a coupon for $ 15 off your meal. They also send coupons for your birthday, half-​birthday, and anniversary.
Make sure to make a reservation if you will be dining on a Friday or Saturday night because during these peak times, a table can be hard to come by.
I love this restaurant, but I wished I lived closer. We usually make it here about once a quarter.

What’s not to love? Everything the BF and I had here was amazing. Service was GREAT. Friendly, attentive, everyone we had contact with had a great personality. The asparagus app was cooked perfectly. We both had the filet and it’s been awhile since I’ve had it quite that good-​seriously tender. There’s so much to choose from on the menu I really think we’ll be back next weekend. *Reservations are recommended, it was very busy, but they were able to get us a table.

Well I finally made it to the Garlic Rose after driving past it a million times, and I was not disappointed. Super friendly waitstaff, cute little location, and the food was quite good. The onion garlic soup was excellent, as well as the bread dip! I wish I had gotten one of the other dishes, as my chicken was just ok, but someone else who was with had an amazing pasta entrée. Good experience all around.
Try the baked brie!

I got something to go because I was in the area. I wish I remembered what it was, but I recall thinking the food was average but, my appetizer was pretty good. I had the baked fried en croute. Yummy! That cheese!!! Yes!
The place seemed small, but I didn’t enter the dining area. It was a weird set up. When I walked in, I felt as if I were intruding because people stopped eating and looked at me as I attempted to walk in. This includes the waiter/​host. Too much of too little. I sat in the waiting area, but I felt like I was in someone’s indoor porch and wasn’t aloud in lol. I guess I expected more because I love the Cranford location. No bar at this place. I will stick with Cranford.