Girls' night rule #1: pick a place with a vibe. Girls' night…read morerule #2: the food better back it up. Burke's Tavern understood the assignment. None of us had been before, so we walked in blind, except not really, because the second we stepped inside the vibe hit us. Dimmed lights (but not "can't read the menu" dim), candles glowing, plants everywhere, music just loud enough to feel cool but not loud enough to ruin the gossip. Cozy. Chill. Cute. The holy trinity. It wasn't packed, so we had seating options and landed at a round table in the middle: elite positioning, honestly. Door and front windows on one side, bar view on the other. Prime people-watching real estate. Now let's discuss the important part: the food. We ordered strategically (read: everything we wanted). Lamb meatballs - 10/10. Holy crap. I don't know who is back there doing what, but please continue. Burrata pizza - absolutely delicious. Gone in record time. Gochu-Crispy-Chikin - no notes. Million Dollar Chicken - appropriately named. Fish 'N' Chips - zero complaints across the table. And that's the thing: not a single person in the group had an issue. No side-eye. No "it's good, but..." Just clean plates and happy energy. Now. Parking? Disrespectful. It's on a corner (love that), but finding parking took effort (do not love that). Would I let that stop me? Absolutely not. Parking be damned. I will circle. I will walk. I will manifest a spot. Because this place is such a vibe that it's already secured a return visit -- brunch is calling, and I need to see what this place feels like when the weather warms up. Girls' night/date night/ANY night approved.

We were in Newark a late afternoon on a Sunday and looking for a burger. Went to another famous…read morelocal place and it was closed so decided to try Burke's Tavern. The atmosphere and restaurant look great. It has a good vibe and the service was great. Let me tell you about the burger, not the best, they give you a slider size patty, overcooked and served on a bun that comes apart when you grab it. I'm not sure about the rest of the menu, but not a burger place. Now the chocolate cake with the raspberry ice cream--wow! This was the best part of the meal. I'm giving this place 4 stars even though I didn't like the burger because that's all I tried. I'll come back and revise this rating up/down if I come back and try other menu items. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

Tops is the tops of all NJ diners. We had a special event…read morenear by, needed a good place to celebrate and eat well. Based on prior experiences, we made a reservation which saved us. Place gets packed despite the many tables. Service was amazing, food was great (slightly higher prices than others, but the quality execution and quantity balanced it out). We had cornbread (very good), fries (was fine), chicken parm with pasta (we asked for vodka sauce which they accommodated for small charge), fried chicken (must have), churrasco steak breakfast and turkey club. No false notes that we could tell. Some standouts were mashed potatoes (really good), cornbread (toasted and slight sweet, with strawberry butter which was wild), whole wheat bread toasted (it was good I tell you) and fried chicken (it will haunt me in my hungry moments). Didn't think a diner would impact me as much, but they over delivered. Go, but make a reservation unless you want to wait.

READ FULL REVIEW!!!…read more March 2026: First time at this establishment was just ok. Hosted a very small get-together here (5 guest). Atmosphere was nice. Music was wayy too loud to hear the person you're sitting next to. Food was tasty and fresh. Coffee was good with great creamer selection (at the time). Our server was my least favorite part of this experience. He was over the top with his energy and upscale tactics (pushy with getting us to order extra drinks and appetizers despite declining). I was hosting this event and did not need him selling us after already being told "no, thank you" twice. It was awkward and ultimately changed the vibe. He hardly checked on us after that encounter and we constantly had to remind them about request that were never brought out to the table. Staff needs to be trained better. This was just an ok experience. April 2026 : What ultimately lead me to write this review was my 2nd experience at this diner. The server was a lot better than our first experience, but we did run into a few too many problems. First, we ordered coffee and are informed that per managements request, we can only have half-half or cream with our coffee. Previously they had French vanilla creamers and other flavored creamers but I guess management decided to save on the additional cost. This was a bummer especially realizing that they could easily afford creamers. This restaurant easily pulls at least $150,000 per week in revenue, so I didn't understand cheapening out like that. I still ordered the coffee. When it came to the table I added the cream into the cup only to find something floating in the coffee. I send it back and ask for a new cup, which the server politely provided. We order our meals and all goes well. Eventually two of the three meals come out and we wait for the final plate to come out. It's common courtesy to wait for everyone to have their meal before eating, so we wait. We wait about 6-7 minutes and the final plate comes out only for it to be cold. All of us ordered breakfast, so you can imagine trying to eat cold egg, potato, and sausage. We ask for the waiter, but before he could get to us the manager passes by and we let him know the issue. He takes the plate to the back and about two minutes later he comes back with the same exact plate. Before the manager arrived to take the plate away, I saw the guest split the egg half and add black pepper on everything so we knew it was the same plate and food she started eating off of that was reheated onto the kitchen grill where other food is being prepared for guest. The manager informs us that he had the chef heat the food up on the griddle and that it should be a perfect temperature. We refuse to accept the plate because it was reheated and not remade entirely. We were shocked that this was the solution even being offered. Reheating food on the griddle seemed unsafe (contamination risk, diseases, illness, etc) and offensive. No one pays these prices to have reheated breakfast served to them. I could've just made that at home for a fraction of the price. We politely refuse the reheated plate and he apologized and took the plate to the back. The server comes over to see what the issue is and we explain everything. He says that he will look into it and take that meal off the bill. Now I'm frustrated because one out of the three of us aren't eating anything and the experience was off. At this point, I'm not eating my meal but the 3rd guest is eating. So the guest who sent their plate back and myself are waiting for the 3rd guest to finish their pancakes. He ordered a stack of 4-5 chocolate chip pancakes and was happily eating away at layer by layer. Eventually he gets to the last 2 pancakes and before he adds syrup he notices what appeared to be an eyelash or short piece of hair imbedded in the pancake. Picture of the clearly imbedded hair included with this review. He immediately stopped eating and looks sick. He had already eaten 3-4 pancakes by then and the idea that he ate more of whatever that was felt unnerving, to say the least. We both start looking to see what he's looking at and long behold the hair was there. At this point we are extremely frustrated and completely over this experience. Management did not make this experience right even after addressing all of these issues both separately and together. I felt like my money was not valued and my business certainly wasn't. They did nothing to remedy these issues and I will NOT be going back to this establishment. This restaurant may look visually beautiful but the service is not. Staff needs more training, music needs to be turned down, chefs need to wear hairnets and everyone needs to follow safe food handling skills. You're putting your guest and your business at risk ignoring these issues. I really really wish I had a better experience.

This is one of Newark's oldest continuously operating bars and is an iconic staple of the city. I…read morelove the fact that it is directly next to the train station. The ladies that run this joint are awesome. Peg served me buffalo chicken tenders with a side of fries, and even though my mouth was on fire, I enjoyed every moment. Peg was intrigued by my love of trains when she saw my video camera and so I started telling her about various different types of trains and how we can improve them for a better tomorrow. I run a YouTube channel in which I film trains with my Sony CX-405 and I have been doing so for the past 10 years. My channel handle is @ih8kone, so go and check it out.

10/20/2025 We came to Newark just to revisit Bello's & They didn't disappoint! My gosh this…read moreestablishment has the *best employees & customers! "Thank you PEGGY!" Another wonderful experience! I ordered the Gnocchi and Sausage (again) it was spectacular, highly recommend! Bello's is a vibe!

Great time here. The food and its new extensive menu was amazing. I was able to try a few things…read more The drinks is what really got me though the bartender ins well informed and knows how to make the perfect drinks! Nice welcoming environment as well.

The service is usually great here. In the past on game day the usual menu is available at the bar…read more Today while there are special Incentives buying a ticket to the game (Gotham FC) and a drink one server told us she wasn't making specialty drinks. While I understand the bar is busy. It wasn't much busier than many other bars I visit. Let's hope my next visit is better.

We were looking for a quick dinner before watching a show at the NJPAC and the chef/owner…read moregraciously acquired us a table - by chance! Chef Kai was super welcoming and engaged in convo with us, including with our 8yo daughter - he set the tone for a cozy dining experience that felt like we had entered his home. Everything was fresh, quality, and obviously made with TLC. The dipping sauces were each characteristically delish and I loved that they gave all of them at once so we could try them all. Best ground chicken burger I've had - juicy and worked well with the brioche bun. The oxtail burger was super flavorful and tender. Next time I need to try the shrimp burger. I went with the side of sweet potato tots and oxtail gravy, and it was the best tots I've had especially in the gravy - again, quality and fresh. The pink lemonade was perfection - fresh lemons, real sugar, and not overly sweet at all and check out the container it comes in! Plus lollipops with the check - such a cute added touch. The location is in a park, walking distance from the NJ Pac and train stop. If we had more time (and could take a to go bag with us) we would've absolutely ordered wings and tried another burger - so that'll be for next time! Love having this kind of dining experience in NJ and supporting a community gem like Chef Kai!

I really wanted to support this restaurant, but unfortunately our experience left us feeling…read moreuncomfortable. When we arrived, the owner/chef told us the wait would be about 10-15 minutes. Shortly after, another couple came in and were told about 20 minutes. We were the only two parties waiting. When a table opened, the waitress began seating us, and the chef stopped her and asked the other (AA) couple if they were there first. He then told the gentleman, "I see you with family, and I'm not trying to start any problems." This was said while we were literally being seated, and nothing was said to us. It put us in an awkward and embarrassing position, as we would never intentionally skip ahead of anyone. As a Hispanic couple, the interaction also left us wondering if we were being treated differently, even if that wasn't the intention. Then the drink order added to the frustration. I ordered a hibiscus lemonade and my boyfriend ordered a regular lemonade. The waitress repeated it back incorrectly as strawberry, and I corrected her. About 10 minutes later she brought a strawberry lemonade anyway. When I said that wasn't what I ordered, the chef took the drink and handed it to the other couple who had just ordered a strawberry lemonade , saying it was freshly made and "they didn't want it." That was uncomfortable because I never ordered strawberry to begin with. Overall, the interaction felt dismissive and awkward. Mistakes happen, but the way this was handled -- especially the comments made -- left us feeling unwelcome. I hope this feedback helps improve communication and customer experience moving forward.

A great bar with bar food. They have no entrees. But the jalapeno burger and seasoned fries were…read morevery good. Antonio is a very good bartender.

Placed an online order, but the bartender didn't now they took online orders. He had no idea how…read moreto check and basically told me I was beat, even after I showed him I placed the online order. Customer support is non-existent, along with the atmosphere of this place. Steer clear of The Junction, this place is a joke

I doordashed chicken parmigiana and loved it. The quantity was enough to feed atleast 3 ppl.. i was…read moresurprised.. and it tasted so good, one of the best i have had! Will be ordering again for sure

How unfortunate to update this review, came here around the spring at first and had nothing but…read moregreat things to do. Came back now being the fall and I'm not sure if they changed their cook-- but they did not cook my T-bone correctly. I asked for medium rare, and this is extremely rare. So, I brought it to the servers attention whereas one told me I couldn't get it cooked a bit more because it was already cut. Then another came to me saying they're able to now cook it more for me, but didnt hesitate to also explain that this is indeed medium rare, and I just didn't know my meats temperature. You be the judge-- all I asked was for it to be cooked more and rather then comply as is, got gaslit into believing I, the customer was wrong. In the end, I noticed tables beside me ALSO claimed to want their meat cooked, where they faced to same fate in being gaslit once more that the customer was just wrong. Wish the cook, and service was better, with less explaining, and more quick action to meet the customer needs. How can a steak house ever have a cook who can't cook meat correctly ? Would never come back.

First time visiting Charley and the staff was very pleasant! The cocktails were delicious and the…read morefood was very tasty. I loved the vibes with the music playing and nice aesthetics! Will be back soon!

Great food, mimosas, atmosphere, and music!! Nice chill brunch for a Sunday afternoon. Sorry for…read morethe picture I already ate through half of it lmao.

PROS: Amazing place to go to, especially before a devils game! Staff is nice, menu variety…read moreplentiful, prices are good, and the food comes out very fast. Spacious inside and the food is good CONS: No parking; which means you have to get a paid parking lot spot or test your luck with the street OVERALL: I highly recommend coming here next time you're attending a game. Doesn't make sense to go without the game, due to the parking issue, but if you're already there than just head on it

My friend and I stopped here before a Devils vs. Rangers game. We were greeted right away when we…read morearrived and were seated at a high-top table near the bar, which was a good spot with a nice pre-game atmosphere. We decided to share the calamari and the mac and cheese. The calamari was okay, but nothing special. The mac and cheese was better... it was nice and cheesy and had a breadcrumb-style crust on top that added a good texture. The service was just okay. At one point my beer was empty and our waitress walked by the table without checking in. I wish she had asked if I wanted another drink. Overall it wasn't a bad stop before the game, but the service could have been a little more attentive.

The food was really great and so was the staff…read more Highly recommend! Only bit is that the choice of music does not match the vibe and it's too loud. The lights need to be dimmed down a little bit more as well... Other than that, it's a great place and definitely would go back.

Wonderful food and mocktails. What a surprise on a last minute find. Not fast but enjoyed every…read morebite and sip. And they do mocktails right. I'm from LA so I'm sad I won't be able to try anything else here again but next time I'm visiting I'm making a trip to Qtal! Special note there's a small parking lot on the corner if you can't find street parking.