We had a table for 7 and everyone cleaned their plate! I had crusted filet mignon. It was great! Scalloped potatoes and asparagus came with it. They were delicious. I had rice pudding for dessert. It was ok. My date had rack of lamb, which he said was great. My daughter enjoyed the sliced steak. The servers were friendly and efficient. Its a charming spot. read more

I had lunch today at the Emerson hotel and I was pleasantly surprised! I ordered a cheeseburger and sweet potato fries and it was so good. The service was great as well, very friendly and attentive. The decor could use a little love but it's charming in its own way. read more

Originally named Etna when it broke off from Washington Township in 1903, Emerson is the southernmost of the valley's eight communities, located 11 miles away from the George Washington Bridge. At what is considered downtown, the train station sits in a triangle where Kinderkamack Road meets the tracks and other roads branch out. The Emerson Hotel began feeding and housing travelers 150 years ago after the railroad came through. Today it's a rambling restaurant and bar that has been an old familiar hot spot for the locals for decades where my colleague, her husband, and I came for lunch. They have eaten here before, and it is my first time. Upon arrival from their parking lot in the back, the interior reflects a casual vibe and takes one on an old-school restaurant time trip. It is divided by a spacious dining room to the left and the bar to the right from the separate room for private events and the outdoor covered deck, weather permitting. We were greeted by the staff and immediately seated in the main dining room by the fireplace. The menu featured a large selection of classic continental cuisine with specials and their famous sliced steak open-face sandwich. For starters, we decided on their crock of French onion soup and a garden salad. For our main, we opted for the Margarita Pizza and the 8 oz. Center Cut Sirloin Steak with Asparagus and Onion Rings. The food was well seasoned, tasty, and delicious. The margherita pizza had a very thin, European-style pizza crust and was crispy. The prices are reasonable, the service is very good, and our server, Gulsah. If one is looking for a quick meal and a few drinks, give this place a try, which we can recommend. read more

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Stopped by the Emerson Hotel for lunch Saturday with my wife and 7-year-old daughter. Had never been in before. Amazing lunch and an even more amazing waiter. Could be our new go to place!! GREAT JOB!! read more

Went there for the first time and food was delicious. Service was great as well. Can't wait to return

PROS: This place is amazing! The atmosphere is rustic, there's a bar and restaurant components of this place that are separated, the staff is nice, prices are unbeatable, food is amazing and comes out quickly. Menu variety is nice and loads of parking CONS: As funny as this sounds the only issue I had are that the urinals in the bathroom do NOT have a divider in between them which is uncomfortable OVERALL: I highly suggest coming here if you're in the area, this is an amazing place to come and eat at read more

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It was a snowy Sunday night and didn't want venture out to far but was on the mood for a good steak and baked potato. We decided to try the Emerson Hotel Restaurant. We arrived close to 7pm so the place wasn't busy. The decor is said to be rustic, I would say terribly outdated We were greeted by a very pleasant hostess who seated us by the active fireplace. Our server Katherine was extremely polite and sweet. We ordered wo hanger steaks and one ribeye steak, all with baked potatoes. A fresh garden salad accompanied our meal. Our steaks arrived exactly as ordered with potatoes, string beans and broccoli. The portions were very respectable. I ordered the ribeye and it was juicy and tasty. The hanger steaks looked fantastic. I'll order that next time. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal. There were three glasses of wine in total ordered and the entire meal was just under $150. Amazing for three steak dinners. The service was great, the food was great. Highly recommend. Yes the place could do with a face lift but great place to eat. read more

The sliced steak platter was very good the other person had a fish dish and she said hers was very good also. the service was great our waitress was very friendly. read more

Be sure when your spouse checks your spending accounts that he/she is full aware this place actually isn't a hotel. It may just save your marriage. The exterior is retro cool but sadly the interior is worn and tired, even with some recent renovations. The burger was surprisingly delicious as were the clams! I was pleasantly surprised, surpassed my expectations. Wait staff is friendly BUT kinda inattentive. read more

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G R E E D Y !!!! $3.75 for one soda. No refill. The sliced steak platter isn't what it used to be. I don't mind a thin sliced steak, but it should be enough to make you feel like you ate well for $27.50. The two bread slices the meat is covering are so thin that you'd be hard-pressed to find it. The onion rings are from frozen bags, not homemade. The cole slaw swims in it's dressing. The prices for food are steep enough that the addition of a credit card usage service charge is pathetic. Shady waitress service of giving me only the customer copy of the receipt hoping I wouldn't notice that they kept the blank unsigned merchant copy. Why did I have to ask for the merchant receipt so I could fill it out? We've been coming here semi-monthly for several years for luncheons with friends. They should know us. Never again. $3.75 per soda. No refill. Greedy AF. read more

I went there for the first time for lunch on Saturday with my wife and adult children. The service was good as was the food. We ordered a variety of appetizers and mains (Calamari, Chicken Parm, French dip, Salads...) They have decent beer choices. My only disappointment was they don't have Guinness on tap. That tragedy needs to be rectified. Cost them a star . read more

Great rustic style restaurant. Food was delicious. I started with fried calamari which was excellent. Also had shrimp scampi over linguini and a Caesar salad. Delicious! Also had a sangria. Others had chocolate martini. Waitress was wonderful! Will definitely be back. Oh... love that I can dress casually. If you are looking for comfort plus great food this is the place. If you want fancy...move on. read more

Emerson Hotel is a cozy, hometown bar with a very relaxed vibe. I went with friends to grab a beer and a pizza. We took a high top table in the bar area. Although the bar was busy, the bartender was still efficient and able to come out to serve us. It was difficult to choose a pizza!! They all sounded delicious read more

Emerson Hotel - Beer on draft menu - American Near Me - Emerson, New Jersey

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Brian (bartender) was, as always, the best server ever! I meet my best friend regularly and we always enjoy a wonderful experience! He is so attentive and friendly. It makes our visits so worthwhile and make us want to keep coming to the Emerson Hotel. Til next time, Brian! read more

I used to go to the Emerson Hotel 40 years ago. Had excellent cheesesteak sandwich sandwiches and open face sliced steak sandwich. I went there a few days ago and it was absolutely awful. $29 for steak-um on white bread. Used to be a real steak seared cut into quarter inch slices now it's a thin sliver of something seems like it was steamed. The white bread wasn't even toasted. It just popped up all the grease. read more

The Emerson Hotel has been around for many years and stepping inside takes one on an old-school restaurant time trip! On this visit we only stopped in for takeout, but I would return to sit on their large deck area. While waiting for my order I was able to see an order of their specialty, sliced steak and fries, being served to tables and it look delicious. The burgers looked great also. I will definitely return to try these two items. On this visit, we tried the margarita pizza, which is a very thin/European style pizza crust. We all thought it was very good. The Greek salad had large with chunks of feta, pieces of stuffed grape leaves, tomatoes and olives. The only issue is the olives are not pitted. This is just one of our pet peeves when dining out where whole non-pitted olives are served in a dish. The wings we ordered were also good and cooked very well. All the employees I interacted with during this visit were very friendly and helpful! read more

My grand parents took me to The Emerson Hotel more than 50 years ago. Then I went every New Year's Day with my parents. Our recent visit was filled with anticipation and nostalgia. It did not disappoint. The dining room was as I remembered but the real test would be the sliced steak platter. It was phenomenal. The salad to start was generous and fresh. Lots of blue cheese in the dressing. When the steak platter came it was accompanied by lots of memories and it was delicious. A pile of steak on toast points dripping with melted butter and covered with onions and mushrooms. The loaded baked potato could have been hotter but it really was loaded and quite good. This was a really good trip down memory lane. read more

Food is good. Large portions of comfort food. Nostalgic feel. But tell your employees (older brunette with blond streaks) not to vape in the dining room while customers are dining. Lost a star for that. read more

Tired establishment. Wait staff tries, but needs training. Probably wouldn't have dined here had it not been for mom coming here on one of here first dates with dad in 1958! Food was ok and sitting near the fireplace was very nice. A place you need to try, even if only once. Train the staff! read more

Delicious food, nice atmosphere. Glad to see vegetarian option and the portions were generous. read more

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Tried the pizza from The Emerson Hotel last night. Thin crispy and tasty. I've ordered food on 3 occasions over the last few months and enjoyed everything. French Dip and French onion soup were both good. I also enjoyed the fried clams. But they're known for their sliced steak and it's was buttery good. read more

Emerson Hotel - Bar pie - American Near Me - Emerson, New Jersey

Haven't been here in awhile but the food was very good and the service was very good as well. We definitely need to come here more often. If you like sliced steak this is the place to come too. read more

Played golf until 7pm and wanted something to eat. remembered the Emerson and itsAs a sliced steak. I sat at the tables in the bar area (best place to eat there). the bartender was very nice took my order and with in minutes I was slicing into a delicious and decadent sliced steak meal. fries were good and coleslaw excellent. Ran me $42 with tip and a club soda. good deal good food. Good place for the guys to go after a round of golf. read more

Zero stars if I could! Big sign Outside that says MASKS REQUIRED EVEN IF YOU ARE VACCINATED! Walk in and the hostess is sitting behind the counter with her mask on her chin- entire face exposed. She pointed us to a table, which was in a corner and didn't give us menus. The table was dirty, had dirty wine glasses on it. Waited at least 15 minutes watching about 18 people standing shoulder to shoulder maskless at the bar. Finally, got the bartender, who was rude and had no interest in serving us. He did wipe the table, with a wet bar rag.. covid protocols call for sanitizing, right? I am disappointed at the rudeness , lack of service and extremely confused about the mask policy and covid protocols, clearly they are too. read more

Just ok. Place is Dated - just a pub with locals. Tables were not clean so when we walked in

Have not been here in years. Food was good. Server was very friendly. Entrees came with salads and good sized portions. Old style atmosphere. Prices are reasonable. Not a bad place. Average at best. read more

Soggy, greasy, disappointing. The steak sandwich was awful, just awful. They must have changed owners of chefs. I only ate a few bites and I'm sick from all the grease. read more

It's been a long time since we've been to the Emerson Hotel. They have a menu, but we came here for the sliced steak platter, and all 5 of us ordered that. 2 folks had alcoholic drinks and 3 of us asked for diet soda so the waitress suggested a pitcher. Not sure it's a good deal as we needed 2 pitchers for the 3 of us, and the soda was $22. I know diet soda has gotten expensive at the store but for $16 retail, you get 36 cans at the supermarket. Back to the food... all 5 of us ordered the sliced steak platter and we each got a house salad with it. The salad was fine but a bit sparse of a portion barely covering the plate it was on. The steak platters arrived and after a first bite, everyone reached for the salt and pepper. There was almost no flavor as if it was boiled or baked beef with no seasoning, sliced thin and placed on toast and drizzled with butter. It needed garlic or onions or anything that would be considered seasoning. 3 of us did finish it as we were hungry and 2 others ate half of theirs. What a huge disappointment. 2 ice cream deserts were shared and they were enjoyed by the group. No reason to go back there. :-( read more

Great outdoor dining area wait service is very good Food well prepared would go again read more

Little inside upgrades make a world of difference. Love the new floors and the food and service excellent

A little divey for my taste, but my parents love their bar pies. I started with their soup of the day: split pea. I loved it, but a little under salted for my taste, and normally split pea is salty. It was recommended by a friend that I order their Emerson's Own Famous Sliced Steak Platter that comes with a salad, with thinly sliced steak, over toast points, with "sizzling" butter and fries. I ordered my steak medium rare, and it came prepared well-done, as you can see by my attached pics. I didn't love my meal. Additionally, I had a piece of my parents pie, and it was soggy in the middle- another downside. The crowd here was mixed- families, and singles over 40-50ish. The restaurant weaned out as the night progressed to just locals that were there for the preforming band. Would come here again to try other entrees! read more

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I came to celebrate my anniversary, we ate here the food was great. Friendly atmosphere, Mike did an excellent job as soon as we sat down he came and introduced himself to my family and I, asked us if we wanted an appetizer and drinks. I highly recommend this place. read more

We made reservation and showed up on time. Choice of seating was limited. Choice was a table in a louder room or to be seated next to an opening door to outside. Because of my limited hearing (Military Service Connected) we chose the table by the door. While walking to our seats, I asked my wife if she would like to go elsewhere. Well, my wife heard a server, by the name of Michael, who was at a server station telling another server " I don't care, go somewhere else. I'll throw a drink in her face" My wife heard this statement and immediately told the hostess we will not be dining there. My wife confronted the server as he tried to walk away. The hostess even apologized for what was said. We asked to speak with the owner or manager. We spoke with Ken and though he looked disappointed, he said he will address it at the next server meeting. Not good enough ! I then confronted Michael, who denied it and accused me of being under the influence. He threatened to call the police. I said sure no problem, I'll wait. He ran off like a child. Ken and another employee came to me and said nobody was calling the police and repeatedly apologized for Michael's remark. Keep in mind, the hostess and the other server, who Michael made the remark to, never came to his defense. Needless to say we will never dine there and the server should be fired. read more

Our first time visiting this restaurant. Food was very good and tasty - service was excellent. It was early Saturday so not too busy. Would recommend the cheesesteak sandwich, steak melted in your mouth! Definitely going back again. read more

The Emerson Hotel is a great place to eat lunch or dinner with your family. I've been to this restaurant 3 times in a row with my Grammy & Poppy for dinner. Sometimes, I order a cheeseburger, pizza, pasta, Caeser Salad, and a dessert. The Emerson Hotel is just like the Allendale Bar & Grill. read more

We didn't even eat here. We weren't greeted immediately when we first walked in. We felt very awkward just being there. Like we were walking into a private club we weren't members of. We were eventually seated, and overall, the place was filthy - dirty floors, sticky tables. Menus were dirty - had food all over them - had to go wash my hands because I accidentally touched whatever was on them. We waited a while, but when no waitress came to our table, we decided to just leave. With the state of the dining room and the menus, I don't even want to think about what the kitchen is like. No go for me. read more

Feels Like Home -- Many Memories and Good Meals Shared Here Comfortable, homey restaurant that's been around since 1946! Been coming here since I've been born and my father since he was a baby - also born in 1946. Sliced steak sandwich is a must get. Only complaint is that they no longer serve the amazing, beer battered, flaky onion rings I remember from my youth. My family's favorite local restaurant. Had my mother's repast here too -- before she passed away, she had long to come here one more time since having moved to Florida. I'm sorry she didn't get the chance. It's that special. read more

Very disappointing. The Emerson Hotel restaurant was a place with good food. Tonight, I probably had the worst chicken dish I've ever had. It was their piccata dish where I couldn't see the breading. If it wasn't for the sauce, the chicken would have been as dry as a desert. Salads were part of my dish and received. The baked potato was dropped in the piccata sauce with the packets of butter. I will say the restaurant was clean. Sad to see a place with the history of being a quality decline. read more

Have not been here in 20+ years. Prob won't return for the next 20+ years. Ordered the sirloin tips and the waiter asked if I wanted them the "New Way" or the "Old Way". Old way is with Maggie seasoning, the new way is with a sherry wine sauce. I chose the New way. Mistake #1. A dish of chewy, gray meat sitting in French onion soup. Terrible. $19.00 for boiled chewy flavorless meat. The waiter apologized over and over and over for the kitchens lack of speed. Finally dinner was delivered, (by the food runner), and our waiter disappeared until the meal was finished as my family had no drinks. Foolishly we ordered dessert. PLEASE have the foresight and respect for your customers to THAW OUT your tiramisu before serving it. It's one thing to sell low quality frozen food but for gods sake at least don't serve it frozen. I've attached copies of the receipts showing an illegal debit surcharge. If you notice they punched the numbers in by hand,( it says contactless), so they can add the additional fee as if they took a CC. They did not have any notices up, nothing mentioned on the original receipt, all of which is illegal, no debit cards can be surcharged by law, and any CC surcharges must be disclosed to customers prior to any charges. A far cry from the place it used to be. read more

Emerson Hotel - Original receipt - American Near Me - Emerson, New Jersey

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The place is jumping. Food always decent. Love the sliced steak sandwich, with fries. Excellent rice pudding. The outside deck is nice to eat on, when weather cooperates. Good food, good service. read more