I remember first going here about 14 years ago and was very impressed then. At a recent dance event (Liberty Swing) it was clear that it was still THE PLACE to go, especially with a large group of foodies. Bottom line: no matter what you order it will be excellent. Even with a dozen people on Saturday night, we managed to get seated. With the wide variety of menu choices, everyone was able to get exactly what they wanted. One very interesting dish I hadn't thought of was the chicken pot pie, which sounds very pedestrian, but wait until you see it. Amazing. I ordered the Ahi Tuna salad and it tasted every bit as good as it's picture-perfect looks. Superb service, plus literally everything that came to the table looked like a magazine picture. I cannot recommend it highly enough. read more

Old Man Rafferty's - Chicken Caesar Wrap with fries. - Bars Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

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I've been coming to this restaurant on and off for about 15 years, which makes this review disappointing to write. Over time, I've noticed a clear decline in quality at the New Brunswick location. In contrast, the Hillsborough location has remained relatively consistent, which makes the difference even more noticeable. To be fair, I'm willing to give a pass on the slower service during this visit since we were seated outside and it seemed like they may not have been fully staffed for that area. That said, the bigger issue was the food. We ordered ravioli and chicken parm with pasta. The ravioli sauce was extremely watery, to the point where it resembled soup rather than a proper sauce. The chicken parm was overcooked, as was the pasta. It's disappointing to say, but based on this experience and the overall downward trend, I don't see myself returning to this location anytime soon. read more

The quality of the food here is always great, good portion sizes with affordable prices, and a great happy hour menu from 3-6pm every day where all of the food dishes are $10! Plus $3 beers and $7 mixed drinks. The outdoor seating area is like a beautiful little courtyard with string lights that you'd find in New Orleans. It does get quite busy and loud inside the main restaurant around dinner time and on weekends, and the service slows down quite a bit. If you want everything to be wrapped up in a timely fashion, just avoid visiting during peak hours! read more

Old Man Rafferty's - Bars Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

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First time I've been to this place in years. Everything is just as good as it used to be to be. I was at a show on Saturday and we decided to eat after it and the time was about 2pm. Not very busy which was nice considering the weekend. We did have to wait for a waiter a little longer than we should have. He was sweet. He took our drink orders and food. Service was good we didn't wait long for our meal. Our food was excellent, a little pricey but worth it. My only complaint was there were only 2 tables occupied inside we were one of them and our waiter had to go outside to wait on those people, which made us wait for service. Otherwise I would definitely come back here in the near future. read more

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Enjoyed a nice dinner here! I ordered the chicken parm sandwich, which came on garlic bread. It was absolutely massive and not really possible to eat as a sandwich, but was very tasty. I also got one of their zero proof cocktails, a blueberry mule. It was quite good. Service was very friendly as well. read more

Old Man Rafferty's - Bars Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

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Tomato Basil Soup! We went for the Tomato Basil Soup (which was delicious) and enjoyed our entire meal. The cocktails were unusual and tasty (and reasonably priced). The Garlic Bread Chicken Parmigian was very good. The Pesto stripe added flavor and the portion was generous. The room is large and comfortable. The service was attentive. There is a 2.75% fee for credit card payments. read more

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As soon as I walked in I was greeted and seated promptly by the hostess and then the waitress came along and greeted me and took my order quickly as well. The place has a nice sports bar vibe to it with a touch of upscale dining in it. I started off with mozzarella planks it was very good the breading was perfect and the dipping sauce wasn't bad. My main course was the jumbo burrata cheese ravioli. It wasn't bad although I would have liked a thicker sauce because it felt too watery. But other than that it was very good and it filled me up. Overall it's a nice restaurant with plenty of parking and also within walking distance of the train station so it's very convenient for meet ups and dates read more

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Came here after many years. So happy it's still the same comfortable, spacious place with cozy food, healing portions, and friendly service. read more

Old Man Rafferty's - Half corned beef sandwich with tomato soup special - Bars Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

We stopped by Rafferty's for dinner and drinks before heading to a show at the Stress Factory, and it was a fantastic experience. Even though it was very busy, the service was outstanding! read more

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A Rutgers institution, Old Man Rafferty's is just what my cousin and her husband requested when returning to visit their Alma mater from the west coast! Their portions are generous and the prices reasonable. Perfect Nostalgia eats! read more

Old Man Rafferty's - Chicken Parmesan on garlic bread with zucchini fries - Bars Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

After seeing mixed reviews here, I was happily surprised for lunch today here. Table of 4 sat right away around 1pm. Service was friendly and they have an extensive menu. Apps for the table were good, I especially liked the cheesesteak egg rolls. I had the grilled chicken sandwich which was plain but fresh. Their fries definitely stand out! So unique read more

Old Man Rafferty's - Bars Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

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Saturday night Not easy to park in a lot at 6:30 pm on a Saturday Trying Cuban Sandwich special with sting fries read more

Whenever I travel for work, I always look for places to eat. My coworkers and I stumbled upon that cute restaurant, and I was glad that we selected that particular one as the strip has several restaurants. Although it was a little dark, I loved the decor. You add books to your decor, and it will be a 10 for the book lover that I am. Street parking is tight, but we used the parking garage nearby. They sat us right away as it was not busy on a Wednesday night. Our server was great and recommended the lobster Mac, which was absolutely delicious, but I didn't like the fried brussels sprout (my taste). My coworkers were satisfied with their meal choices. Our drinks were amazing as well. It was a nice dining experience, and I will come back next time I'm in NJ. read more

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Pleasant meal and service. We were in NJ for a few days. The only time that we could get to get together with some friends was Valentine's Day. The restaurant was able to accommodate us at the last minute. Even though it was a busy evening, our server was really pleasant and efficient. Out table had various drinks. 2 people had the blood orange Manhattan special which was very good and only$10. The table ordered: Shrimp and scallop risotto Chicken parm Chicken Franchese Chicken pot pie Fish and chips We ordered a couple of mini cheesecakes and some carrot cake too. Everything was very good. Even though it was a crazy busy day for the restaurant, no one rushed us out at the end of the meal. read more

We were there for lunch recently. The menu is extensive and also featured daily specials. The food covered a wide array of cuisines, from burgers, Italian and Polish. All were very very well prepared and delicious. read more

Wifey and I went down to New Brunswick this afternoon to take our son to lunch at Old Man Rafferty's. Since it was a holiday...and a Monday, the place wasn't packed. We were seated at a table near the front window so we could also do some people watching. Our server gave us a couple minutes to check out the drink menu and Wifey had the Blood Orange Gin and Tonic and I had an Ommegang Three Philosophers (an excellent beer). They have a great menu here so don't think this is just pub food (though that's what we got). Wifey decided on the 1/2 sandwich (chicken salad) and tomato soup combo, my son had the Nashville chicken sliders, and I had the Rueben sandwich (with corned beef). We also ordered the Bavarian hot pretzel for an appetizer...it comes with a stone ground honey mustard and a cheese sauce. I gotta say, the food was simply great. My wife's tomato soup was honestly one of the best I've had and my Reuben was just about perfect. The corned beef was moist and tender and really flavorful. My son's sliders were really tasty, but he was hoping for spicier. We finished up with some coffee which was also surprisingly good. Overall, a solid effort. The service at the end was a little slow, but the food and the vibe here were great. read more

Old Man Rafferty's - Bars Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

Nice variety of food options to fit every tastes. I requested a side of sweet potato fries which were good but wish it were crispier. In fairness, I had to wait a while since the server missed bringing it originally so it could've been resting too long. The risotto had ample portions and was very good. You can even make it dairy free. The salmon was cooked well and had requested it to be rare since most places over cook and dry out the salmon. The restaurant was empty when I arrived at 5:30. Street parking was readily available at that time. Food was certainly worth it but service was slow, not really knowledgeable about the menu, and not the friendliest. read more

Old Man Rafferty's - Vegetable risotto with salmon medallions - Bars Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

We were in town for a show at the theatre and chose this as our pre-show restaurant. The website seemed like it checked our boxes- kid friendly, big menu, close to the theatre and not too expensive. The service was okay, the decor was a little worn out and run down but all in all it was okay. The food.. it ranged from meh to inedible. The chicken strips and fries were just okay but they were the best thing on the table. The Kraft Mac and cheese that my picky eater was counting on, had "run out" despite our early dining time. The margarita flat bread.. tasted and smelled like a pizza had been left on a hotel carpet under the air conditioner vent- with the curtain blowing all over it and adding flavor. Then there was chicken parm sandwich. It was neither a sandwich or chicken to my knowledge. It was one piece of rock hard garlic toast with a large unseasoned slab of meat on it. I could not cut this thing with the silverware provided. It was like trying to cut a Thanksgiving turkey with a plastic spoon. I ate a single bite. My wife ate a single bite of the hotel carpet pizza. Even the soda was bad. AVOID THIS PLACE. It was worse than a school cafeteria. It was worse than hospital food. It was like eating a meal of plastic food from my kids play kitchen- but at least THAT would have been cheaper! The waitress was nice enough, and we didn't try sending anything back since we were rushing to make the show.... But wow. We noticed the bus boy seemed to be collecting plates full of food from many tables not just ours. Save yourself, there were plenty of other options nearby! read more

What happened to Old Man Rafferty's? empty on Friday night? I just thought well I don't know what I thought. I should've walked out when i saw There was nobody there. My tacos were cold and tasted like they put Old El Paso salsa on them . The corned beef, and cabbage, spring rolls were just tasteless an On a greasy plate ! with mustard. I hate to talk bad about mustard. I never met a mustard I didn't like until last night. It must have been very old . Time to close the doors an start something new. read more

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We went there for my birthday. Everyone enjoyed the look of the restaurant. We got lucky and there was no wait to be seated. The food was all very good and there is enough variety in the menu to make everyone happy. read more

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This place is a fun bar scene but dining is difficult if a game occurs that day they can't handle the crowd . Service was under par with no utensils or napkins on table and trying to track our waitress down was nearly impossible . Food is average. Sandwiches came with home made chips which were overcooked and cold . Vegetable stir fry was much too salty with undercooked rice . Pretzel was good yet a bit chilly as well . Have had better meals here but tonight sub par and probably due to more crowded due to game . Bathrooms were filthy with empty paper towels and toilet paper not on rolls . Hope they step back up to the place it used to be read more

Old Man Rafferty's - Pretzel was a bit cold and would be better with sauce on side as soggy with it under maybe sat in back too long? - Bars Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

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Stopped into the restaurant this past Sunday. It was about 5pm and the restaurant was not very busy Seated right away Server came by within a couple of minutes and took our drink order. 2 ice teas and 2 shirley temples. Took a while for her to return with them. She did apologize for the delay. Took our dinner order Orders came back in a decent time. Food was good. My wife had chicken Parm and i had the fish and chips The grandkids had the Mac & Cheese. The menu states it's kraft Mac & cheese which the kids like so i am fine with that. A box of mac & cheese costs less than a dollar. They charge $7 dollars for it so I figured you would get something with it. Maybe a couple of pieces of fruit, but nothing that a small crock dish Once food was delivered our server never came back. I needed ketchup and wanted a water. She di$ have a table near us but never looked over to our table even though i was staring her down and even raised my hand. She came back later and i asked for ketchup and water. That took forever and she only came back with water. We asked for take out boxes and the check. She came back with the boxes and asked if she could get us anything else. I informed her again that i wanted the check. She was very pleasant but not much of a memory read more

Had a great lunch with friends here! Servers were pleasant and we were able to sit right away on a Sunday afternoon. We ordered the wings they were tasty not too spicy (on the small side) and had the fried chicken sandwich, it was huge fresh cutlet! The french fries were also great. read more

Outdoor seating in the alleyway, nestled along the side of the building between the brick wall and a gated park provides welcome solitude from the bustling dining room inside. read more

Old Man Rafferty's - Cheesesteak Egg Rolls - Bars Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

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If we could give this zero stars I would. It has gone so downhill over the years. We were a party of 10. Three people got their meals 15 minutes after the others, one person had a hair in theirs, two people who got the fish and chips said it was un edible as was the prime rib dip, was super fatty. Waitress was very inattentive. read more

Several of us went to Old Man Rafferty's in New Brunswick a week ago, a Tuesday night for dinner. We have been there many times over the years, but not recently. It has generally been good no matter what was ordered. I expected the same this time. But, this time was much different and extremely disappointing! Two of us had chicken sandwiches, one in a grilled panini and 1 in a wrap. Neither of us complained during the meal, but I could barely bite through the chicken it was so dry. Afterwards we both noted how the chicken was both dry and chewy. Clearly, it was grossly overcooked. I don't know if the cooks have become afraid of undercooking, but chicken should never be served dry, as this was. This experience has turned me off to going back in the future unfortunately. read more

We went with friends on a Friday night. The place was extremely busy. It took a while for the waitress to help us which I understand due to the volume of people there. When she got to the table she was very pleasant and helpful. All the dishes we had were very good. The only complaint was the soft shell crabs had a ton of breading on them and you couldn't really taste the crabs. The restaurant was very quiet and no loud music playing so we were able to have a nice discussion. read more

All I can do is laugh at the absurdity of how horrendous the service was here. My husband and I made a reservation a couple of weeks back for a casual date night. When we showed up at the time of our reservation (6:30pm), there was a woman in line at the host stand in front of us and soon a line formed behind us as well with no host in sight. We started to count how many servers walked by, made eye contact with us, and said absolutely nothing -- not even a "someone will be by to help you soon." After 20 minutes (yes, we counted) of waiting at the front, a host finally came by to seat the woman in front of us and then us without ever even asking if we had a reservation. We sat at our table for another 20 minutes without so much as water in front of us, servers passing by yet again with no word or acknowledgment. Finally, we decided to leave and head to Harvest Moon across the street (which had 1000% better service fyi). Without ever even trying the food here, I know I'll never be back. If you have all the time in the world to wait on a college kid who's clearly never been trained in the art of customer service then this is your place. Otherwise, I highly recommend avoiding it. read more

Ordered our usual prime rib sandwichs & was looking forward to the wonderful curly fries. But no we got really crummy thin fries worse then McDonalds. And when we found out why we got the crummy fries was even more disturbing. Been going there for a 100 years but at $25 a sandwich the least they could do is serve good fries. Let me know when you get them back or we won't be back. read more

I came here on a business trip. First, I bought a fair amount of items in their shop. On the plane home I bit into one of the RX bars which tasted sorely expired. Upon closer inspection, I saw it had a cobweb on the package and was expired by a long time. Upon examining my other groceries, saw that they were also all expired by up to 9 months. I called several times, was told each time that the manager was busy but would call me back and they never did. I also ate lunch here and ordered a salad with shrimp on it. The salad was mediocre at best and the shrimp tasted old which I told the waitress who said she was sorry about it but that was all. There are much better places to eat and shop in the area, don't waste your money here! read more

This is a fail safe. I have been here a few times and I will say I like this location much better than the Hillsborough location. I was with a group of 8 and we had absolutely no issues. Food came out fairly quickly and everyone's order was made as they requested. It is a go to and a staple of New Brunswick. I will say it wasn't as busy as I expected but it was good. I personally ordered the wedge salad and it was really good. No one had any complaints. Will definitely go back here. read more

Old Man Rafferty's - Steak wedge salad - Bars Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

Food was disgusting! I didn't dive deep into their menu, but Banging shrimp - gross and to spicy Garlic bread is toast not bread Mac n cheese - was bla Loaded potato was disgusting and made with Broccoli and gross Desert - you have to get up walk to another room to pick your desert, the Tiramisu looked good in the case but was the most disgusting I've ever tasted. The ingredients were way to far away from what Tiramisu is supposed to be If you love disgusting food you'll love this place read more

I got the bread appetizer and the burger with sweet potato fries. The bread itself was good and very fresh. However the spreads were disgusting. Especially, the hummus. It was almost laughable. The burger was undercooked and chewy. It was so bad I sent it back and didn't order anything else. The sweet potato fries were solid but I have had better. The best thing was the waitress, she was very sweet. I would never go back. Burger - 1/5 Sweet potato fries - 3.5/5 Bread - 4/5 Spreads for bread - 1/5 read more

Old Man Rafferty's ended up being the pleasant dining surprise of our trip to New Brunswick. Despite it being during dinner, we received quick seating. Interior at first makes you think "high class" dining, but you quickly realize there are well-dressed older and college student diners all mixed together, so it's more middle of the road. Interior can at times be dimly lit. They have a reasonably extensive menu with many options, but be aware it's not the cheapest dining option you'll find in the area. I ordered the Steak Taco's, which were large and filling, with the only complaint being they could have come out warmer. The accompanying Rice and Beans were very tasty. Another in our group had a French Dip that was good, with the only surprise being it came out medium rare, and a baked potato. Our last group member had a Corned Beef Ruben with unique thick cut spiral French Fries. Overall, I'd come back here to dine again as Old Man Rafferty's was a nice surprise. read more

Old Man Rafferty's - Steak Taco's. - Bars Near Me - New Brunswick, New Jersey

Perfectly serviceable town pub. Ambiance and staff were both great! But, the food was a large disappointment. I don't know if it's because I got their specials, but their jalapeño poppers were soggy, and the chicken was bland and flavorless aside from the gravy on it. read more

Old Man Rafferty's!! First time I came her was about 25 years ago and many times since. My wife and I are Rutgers alumni (where we met 20+ years ago) and were visiting for a college tour for our daughter, bringing back all the memories and feels. Raffertys hands down never fails. The food is great pub/bar grub. I didn't get the pizza this time, but if memory serves me correct, it's a super thin crispy bar pie. Drinks are always flowing. The shop attached always has great gifts (or desserts) to take home. Parking is usually not too bad with all the decks and spots around, but you may walk a block or two, so watch for weather. I ordered the Prime Rib French Dip and it did not disappoint - definitely worth the $22. We went for lunch right at 12 and sat immediately for a party of 6. Excellent service, everyone loved their food, and the nostalgia factor hit home. read more

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Came Saturday at 5 pm. Waitress was very attentive and friendly bringing our drinks and taking our order as soon as we were ready. I ordered grilled chicken breast on brioche roll with delicious fries and my wife ordered fried chicken sandwich on a brioche roll with mixed vegetables. Both were delicious and cooked to perfection. Service was excellent and the restaurant was cool and comfortable. Absolutely will be returning. Wish they had a Long Island location. Only negative was difficulty with parking but the food more than made up for it. read more

Food was horrible Everything was either overcooked or undercooked someone we went with the chicken pasta and the chicken was nasty. It was absolutely raw and then one of our friends who came along and ordered a burger, and it was over cooked absolutely horrible 1 star. read more

On May 24 2025 Old Man Raffertys catered our wedding. There are no words to describe how delicious the food was and the care that was taken to make this day perfect. Mark , Rachel, and Roger saw to every detail making everyone feel special especially us the Bride and Groom. If you're thinking of a catered affair from Raffetys. GO FOR IT! Many thanks, Richie and MaryAnn Santa read more

We went for lunch with 9 people. It was just prior to a play at the NJ State Theater. The food was very good and perfect for the 6 adults and 3 children. Price was very fair and the portions are quite generous. I highly recommend the restaurant for a nice meal in a good setting read more