The Chapter House is an underrated gem of a restaurant in Howell, NJ. The menu is terrific with no shortage of well-made, fresh options to choose from, and the service staff is outstanding, friendly, and attentive: a rarity in many local establishments in the area. Additionally, the happy hour menu is full of great, delicious deals, as is the lunch menu. A well-deserved five-stars... read more

If you read my other reviews, you will see that I don't like to give poor reviews to locally owned businesses. When something is wrong, I try to correct the problem with a manager or owner. However, when that person simply denies away the issue, it may be good to warn others. My wife got violently ill, and was immobalized for two days, from something she at or drank at Chapter House. She got sick while we were still in the restaurant, which forced her stay in the ladies room for over an hour before we could get her into the car. At first, we though she had too much to drink. It was only two martinis. However, she stayed sick in bed, and had to miss work, for two days before recovering. It was clearly food poisoning. When I realized that something she ate or drank made her sick, I call and spoke with the manager. He simply denied that anything was bad at the restaurant. We have been loyal customers for about 20 years. Now, we won't go back and we've told this story to our friends. read more

sick of going to ladies room and almost falling down in the stall because the tolit not screwed in the floor wtf been like that for years now been going there for over 20 years was great good food drinks where did that go after 9 no more food sucks when you don't get of work till 9 and your hungry the bartenders are great though they always make you feel at home fix the tolit read more

Just ok. Salad was starting to brown. I ordered their special, Bubba Gump that was included 3 shrimp, 3 shrimp scampi and 3 stuffed shrimp, plus one soft shell crab. The crab wasn't really soft shell and I couldn't eat it; the shrimp should have been broiled, but was steamed and the scampi was 3 steamed shrimp tossed in a sauce that was not just butter and garlic. Scampi was gross. If I go there again, I would order a burger and fries, but that's about it. I brought it to server's attention and the manager discounted the bill of $7.00 (for the scampi?), but I was still just disappointed with the food, overall. My husband ordered the Zuppa De Pecse. Seafood was cooked fine, but pasta had an overwhelming amount of olive oil, which is odd, because we are certainly not afraid of adding EVOO in anything, but this was just too much for our deep Italian roots. We've been here on several occasions and are ok with the burgers and fries, pizza and general bar food, but I've given up on just about anything else. read more

I think I was here once before...many years ago...very busy at 5:30! Huge rectangular bar...lots of TVs...large dining area...comfortable at the bar...happy hour 4-7 (4-6 Fri.)...also a late night happy hour 9-10 (sometimes 11:00)...ordered from the happy hour menu...crab meltaways and pizza...both very good...lots of beer selections (IPAs, local brews, crafts, etc.)...the bartenders were all very attentive...many locals...overall very good! read more

I called to let them know the delivery that I received was incorrect and missing parts that I paid extra for, and the woman HUNG UP ON ME after insisting I was wrong. I called back and She hung up on me again. This was my FIRST time ordering from here and will NEVER do so again. Your oiergois are great, but customer service is key, guys. read more

Denny's quality with red lobster prices. Have a huge menu. A lot of things to choose from. Fish n chips were overlooked. And don't order chips as a side. They serve the bottom crumbles of a ruffles bag. read more

A local spot that I frequented every so often, I enjoyed the bar (the back el), the food was always good (pub fare), a comfortable spot...then they remodeled. Upon walking into the bar I was shocked to see the change, the floor struck me as a vinyl looking hard wood, the recessed lighting, the tables, the place was loud (way loud)...ugh. There is no character, its a square room with a square bar, with TVs hung around the wall, all on the perimeter so you have to turn to see them. A ton of ceiling speakers were cranking out music, could not converse with my friend, a gentleman two seats away tried to talk to me, nope, couldn't hear him. The bartender even had to yell. I think the demographics should be checked, the crowd on this night could not have enjoyed the atmosphere. Something to absorb the sound needs to be added. I found the bar uncomfortable, no bar foot rail, the setup made it tough to eat at the bar too. Even finding the mens room, I walked into a couple alcoves before finding it. The food was fine, good burger, the beer selection was nice (you can do a flight of the not so craft beer), the staff was professional. Just hanging tvs in a huge room doesn't make it a sports bar. Hope there is a punch list to further the remodel. read more

Service is slow, drinks are decent and the food is well meh. Ive been here about 3 times and didn't write about it because each time i had different experiences so i will combine all into one. The bar drinks are good but not great. The seem to have a nice variety of beer especially seasonal. Service is always slow which is sad cause each time they were not very busy. Lastly the food is well plan "meh". Sandwiches are ok, appys are better but the dishes that should be good are gross. Ribs are like jerky and meatloaf is hard. Each time i went i was with 5-6 people. 4 of us always get entrees so when 3 of the 4 say they had better at taco bell, its an issue. I personally am not picky but when rib meat is so tough it hurts thats an issue. Soooooo if you go here maybe eat appys and drinks. Stay away from the entrees. read more

Chapter House is an average bar and grill type restaurant but with a huge menu and a burger club. They even have a few craft beers both on tap and bottled. I'd prefer more craft beers on tap but the food makes up for the meh beer selection. The warm crab dip is great! The french onion soup is great and everytime I order an entree, I love it! I can't wait to try the Elvis Burger read more

I've been in this area for 30 years and the best local bar/ restaurant is Chapter House. Love this place.

Strong drinks, food is okay, wings are good and its local- We obviously didn't know anyone but seems there are a lot of regulars.. Parking is easy read more

I've been the Chapter House twice and some of my family members more. In the past it's been ok. Last month I attempted to book a group of thirty for a Saturday lunch. I was told someone would get back to me about menu choices, but no one called me. I then called back and was told that there may be a conflict in their schedule but someone would get back to me, but no one called me. I then called back again, this time speaking to Tim the manager and was told that there was no way my party could be accommodated. So, now after losing many days on Chapter House I had to find another restaurant. Then, on the Saturday of the party Tim the Chapter House manager left multiple messages on my cell phone asking "where I was" because he was holding for my party. Unbelievable! When I finally called them back and reminded them of the whole story they apologized and blamed the scheduling mistake on Hurricane Sandy. read more

I had never been here before, and my understanding is that they've updated some things with this restaurant recently. So I guess keep that in mind if you haven't been here yet either and you're reading old reviews - because this place is pretty good! I came out here last night with my boyfriend and his friend who are both from this area. It's definitely your average bar and grill type of place. I ordered a burger (the Chapter House with cheddar cheese). The burger was cooked perfectly to medium. It was massive, but I must have been hungry or it must have been really good because I finished the whole thing. Big beer selection, looks like they have some daily specials for food and drink (just not on Saturdays), and the service was good. They even have a juke box in the bar that you can order songs through your phone with - so you don't have to worry about getting pointed out when "I'll Make Love to You" by Boyz II Men mysteriously starts playing. read more

For a steak house, the pasta is amazing and that is usually what I order when we go there. Very nice, clean atmosphere with lots of people coming often to either just watch the games or to dine out with their families. The place has ample amounts of seating also. read more

Chapter House - American Near Me - Howell, New Jersey

We go to the Chapter House when we can't decide on anywhere else to go - mainly because their menu has a little of everything - seafood, steaks, burgers, pastas, etc. Their regular menu is pretty short - but their specials of the day menu is usually about 20 entrees or so. The food is sometimes pricey, but not terribly so. Their mussels marinara appetizer is HUGE and fresh every time we get it, and I love their shrimp scampi. read more

Nasty bartenders and horrible service when dining. Somethings not right in the kitchen over there. read more

Never had a bad meal Price good Katlin is the best !! Good local food had just about everything Soup,chili, prime rib,fresh fish,wings read more

They have one of the areas best happy hours. The food and drinks are good and well priced. We have been going there for well over 15 years and never had a bad experience. An occasional buy back would be nice though. read more

Chapter House - Bar life - American Near Me - Howell, New Jersey

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I'm only giving it a 1 star because I have to give it something in order to be able to post this. I don't even know where to begin. I think the layout is inconvenient and can be confusing It's just very odd and awkward. The place has a very musty smell and the rugs look dirty. Personally I am not a fan of rugs in a restaurant, they hold a lot of crumbs and dirt that sometimes cannot be picked up with a vacuum. They also contribute to the the stale musty smell. That being said I was completely unimpressed with the inside of this restaurant. Moving on to the food... The food was absolutely horrible that there was not one good thing I could say about any of the entrees that we ordered. We order the pecan chicken salad. The noodles in the salad were stale and the pecan chicken was absolutely horrible. The chicken was encrusted with pecans which were greasy and actually tasted like it was cooked in old oil and reheated... Certainly was not fresh. The crust was so dark that the chicken actually looked gray. The dressing was thick and sugary... tasted cheap. My husband had a burger which was cooked the way I ordered it, however, the meat tasted dry and it was tasteless. The bun was stale and the bacon shouldnhave been cooked a little longer. The coleslaw looked old and it didn't have a nice bright white look it was almost off-white and I didn't even touch it. The order of chicken wings were undercooked. The avocado turkey club was not fresh, the bread again was stale and the avocado was dark (maybe expired). There was no mayonnaise or dressing on the sandwich or on the side leaving it dry. I would definitely not recommend the Chapter House to any of my friends, family or anybody reading this review. They truly need to get better quality food and update the inside of the establishment!!!! read more

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Hello all, Been going to chapter house for 27 plus years, all great until they remodeled but worse when they changed staff. justcame back from newawark after a 14 hour shift expecting the same treatment i always get from my regulars that serve me. unfortunately it was the duo that's ther mid week,shame on me. same issue. wrong order,close but no cigar. sent back buffalo wings deep fried that i asked for grilled . brought me in seconds someone elses order they screwed up.4 th time for this.I losed it . told them you wont see me on week days or possibly weekends till you straighten out ur issues. dont understand, weekends , the employees barely know me for a year or 2 and know exactly what i want and take care of me like im their only customer. you want someone elses food and bad service ,stop in for a treat during the week. brought home cold over cooked wings and hope they weren't spit on when they bagged them. I miss the old crew soooooo bad! Cory or Rory -you are the worst! ypur partner the the short chucky girl has no personality to save her life until she bills u. why? guess? read more

Great neighborhood bar. Lighting is a little bright but the atmosphere is good. Colleen is a great bartender, very attentive. read more

Chapter House - Bar at Chapter House. - American Near Me - Howell, New Jersey

The Chapter House has been a favorite of ours for many years. We always enjoy the atmosphere and the service is always great. Consistently delicious food. read more

Chapter House is down the road from me and good for a burger & a beer. ALWAYS sit at the bar if you want good service when busy. Waitresses are good for normal seating, I think, but the kitchen must back up. I have had a wide array of experiences :) but for some reason keep on coming back. My wife hates the place. One time we had the all you can eat whole crab special and didn't get our first dish of crabs until an hour after being seated (Friday Night) and I had a 3 year old. Needless to say, it was a bad experience and to top it off. When the crabs came out they had extra seasoning and my wife didn't order that. We both lost it. Anyway, sit at the bar and try to get there during happy hour for some good deals. I'll be back for the burgers read more

Fantastic! 3 of us thoroughly enjoyed every bit of our meal. Ethan was a wonderful attentive waiter. 2 of us ordered the Special Short Rib dinner. Delicious!! All the wait staff would ask if we needed anything the entire night. I would highly recommended this restaurant. Great for family dinner, date night or even appies at the bar watching the Tvs! We ate our dinner so quick I forgot to take a Pic! read more

Downloaded yelp just to warn you not to come here! Restaurant was almost empty at 12pm on a Saturday and somehow food took 45 mins to make... and it still tasted terrible. read more

Fun pub in Howell NJ. Good atomosphere, friendly staff. Much better than the copy cat Ivy League down the road. Ton's of specials and pretty decent selection. Lot's of beers on tap and entertainment on weekends. The food is typical pub fare with occassional creative specials but it is all very tasty read more

Extensive menu. Food was good. Service was good. Waiter was friendly,attentive & attractive. read more

The service here was poor, it took over an eternity to get our food, the didn't give us spoons, the also gave us chipped plates

The bar pie was really good and they have good happy hour specials. Bingo night was a blast. They have plenty of parking in the back. I like the layout of the bar, plenty of room so you're not on top of other people. The bathroom stall door was broke so if you have to poop plan on someone walking in. read more

We have been here a couple of times. the service was always horrible..you had to flag down the waitress for everything..the food is sub-pare.. the prime rib was all fat.. never again read more

I love this place . Great for dinner and cocktails and hang out with friends. Fair prices and great staff! read more

Took my family to dinner tonight and I should have read the reviews first. First off, in the middle of July, it was an absolute meat locker in the restaurant. I'm never cold and it was cold for me. The wait staff was hard to find. The food was mediocre. Nothing special really at all. Pretty pricey for just three dinners, two kids meals and some soft drinks (no alcohol). I will think twice about going back. read more

I had not been here in quite a while. Maybe Friday night was not a good time to come. They were busy. I saw that the restaurant was busy so I decided to go to the tables by the bar and sat down. Right away a young lady came with a bit of an attitude to ask as to why I sat myself and told me next time I must tell girl in front of restaurant. Well, I never!!! Then I ordered a pea soup which was so salty I will be drinking water all night. I also ordered their cheeseburger medium well. It was totally raw. I ate around the edges and could not eat the middle. Meanwhile I had 2 different servers coming around asking me questions. Weird. Lastly since I was so disappointed with my burger I figure I would have a nice dessert. I asked for their NY style cheesecake. Bad again. It tasted like it was refrigerator too long and not creamy at all as a NY style cheesecake should be. I ate most of it because I was hungry from not eating my bloody burger and because hell at $6.00 I better eat it. Bad experience all around. That was my last Chapter at The Chapter House. read more

Stopped here for a bite and beer with some friends the other night and the place had a good crowd going. They recently redid the place and it looks good. We had some nachos which were good, decent beer list and the iron skillet was good. I would go back to try some other foods. read more

Nice place with friendly service. Started out with a beer and an appetizer. Beer was ice cold......that's a good thing. The Buffalo Calamari were pretty tasty. Good Buffalo sauce which leads me to want to try their wings next time. Next up....French Onion soup. WAAAAAAAY too salty!!!! I love salt and I couldn't eat this soup. On to the main course. Broiled seafood combo. Tilapia, Shrimp, Crabcake, Scallops, with a side of mashed potatoes. Pretty bland and swimming in oil and butter. I twas friday during Lent so I was stuck with some sort of fish order. I ave a feeling that their other menu items might be better. It was at least good enough to warrant a second chance. read more

I have been coming here for over 15 years. I would say 95% of the time the food is excellent and their hot crab dip is to die for. My wife hates most seafood and orders this dip every time we go. I tend to go on prime rib night when it's on the special and its always good. I occasionally ask them to put it in a pan with blacken seasoning for just a minute and it is a spicy delight! I would recommend this place to anyone who wants a warm, casual, and comfortable dinning experience. read more

Tonight I walked in to get a beer from a long day of work, unconsciously hungry. I was greeted by one of the friendly bartenders and offered a menu which I happily accepted. Immediately I saw the Sunday prime rib deal and was intrigued. It took no more than the basic instruction of " medium rare more on the rare side" to receive the a best dinner I have gotten from a bar and grill in ages. Must visit. Nuff sed. read more

I was taken out for lunch and enjoyed my black bean burger. Nothing fancy, but comfortable with plenty of seating and plenty of food to choose from. Clean place and our waitress was very sweet. read more

Waited almost 2 hours just to get food. 20 minutes for drinks is unacceptable. Stop charging extra for things that other places include! I'm talking about the sides on wraps and sandwiches: not everyone likes that gross pasta salad with their buffalo chicken wrap. Think of your guests first. Menu is in need of adjustment. Food is usually good however. Used to go here all the time. I never go to this place if I'm not dragged. It's places like this why I don't eat at mom and pop restaurants. Standards all over the place... read more