Cityrub Steak & Smokehouse

Reviews were all over but wanted to give it a try! Was nervous walking in and it being basically empty minus a few people at the bar at 7pm. Inside was nice and relatively quiet however we opted to sit outside. Outdoor seating does sit along the highway intersection so it can get noisy and hard to hear when trucks pass by but it was beautiful outside so worth the intermittent noise. Although service initially seemed to take some time to order drinks, overall our service was great! Our food was mostly delicious. The kids "chicken fingers" which was really a breaded chicken breast that was cut into strips. It was dry so my toddler did not eat it. There was 7 of us and we had a brisket quesadilla, corn bread, the brisket, pulled pork and ribs with Mac n cheese and coleslaw, pulled pork sandwich and the smoked chicken with rice. The pulled pork was on the dryer side in the combo but great on the sandwich! The coleslaw was a little too much vinegar. The soda was not good(too much syrup maybe?) Overall we were satisfied and left with full bellies! However, I can see why reviews seem to sway. Would definitely return.

Food was great they even made shrimp scampi upon request for us for happy hour. It was definitely a vibe and the house music 🎶 added the perfect touch. Haven't been here in a few years but it was worth revisiting.

The staff must have been having an off night or something when we were here. Decided to try it out because the food and reviews looked good but our experience was the opposite. Our server took a looooooong time to come over to us when we sat down, took our drink and food order, came back with one drink instead of two and forgot our waters we ordered, and when the food came out it was not hot. The Mac n cheese we ordered was cold cold and we asked to have it reheated. Mind you we were there on a Monday night and aside from one 10 top table, the place was completely empty. There’s no reason anything should have been forgotten or served cold. I am a waitress myself and I can tell the server we had just simply did not give a f. He was very nonchalant, and as someone who works in the food industry that really bothers me. This was the first time in my life I’ve left less than a 20% tip. The one other woman working there was very friendly and even offered to give my almost 2 year old some balloons to blow up and play with. Overall the atmosphere and interior design of the restaurant is really cool! I can imagine this being a fun spot to go to on a Friday night. My. Husband got a brisket sandwich and I got the pastrami sandwich, which was good but the Gouda that comes in it is overpowering and I eventually took it off so I could actually taste the rest of the flavors. My husband also woke up in the middle of the night throwing up and spent the next day on the toilet and he’s feeling pretty positive it was the food.

First time visiting this place for a nice dinner and live band. The Pagode band was amazing, food delicious, great atmosphere. I highly recommend the salmon with passion fruit sauce. Yummy 😋

Really good food, classic atmosphere, a nice surprise.

Great food. Huge selection.

If I could give 6 stars on the food I would! From the apps to the entrees to the dessert.....A+!!! I'm really impressed with the experience from end to end. Our waiter was also amazing. Wishing the establishment continued success.

Nice place to have a drink after work. I've been visiting the place several times now. Nice fish and pastrami tacos. Affordable prices and lovely customer service

Love it! Hidden gem! I spotted it while getting on the highway! Great location close To airport and airport hotels. I sat inside (been outside all day) . Beautiful out door dining area. The interior has Fantastic rustic look . I ordered the city combo so goood. Pork ribs/ brisket and pulled pork. With wedge potatoes and the brisket beans.. not a fan of the beans but everything else was 2 thumbs up! The bartender was very friendly and explained the menu. I'd say it's a Brazilian Tex mex fusion. I love Brazilian food!

Okay..food wasn't terrible however, LISTEN TO THE REST OF THE REVIEWS. Service is garbage. It's like two servers compared to the 5 bartenders, but it did take us our entire meal to get one BOTTLED coors light. All of our meals came except one, and she didn't get her meal until the rest of us were finished. A good 35 mins passed by the time we got it. Manager really didn't do much. We even has to remind them to take it off the bill. Also the manager waited until AFTER we paid to offer us a "free round" - but why wait 30 minutes for basic drinks for free before you need to go a game. 20% gratuity was already added to our bill, so we couldn't tip the way we genuinely wanted which takes away the incentive to provide good service. I will not return unless I'm desperate - and I ain't THAT desperate.

Blown away by the new airport location Minority-owned/operated and the visiting product owner type from their partner company (Roman) is here getting his hands dirty and expediting everything while educating / supporting the staff. This is peak operational excellence. F&B was phenomenal.

Nice ambiance, music outside was a bit too loud, server was kind about lowering the volume. They are accommodating, and patient. I switched seats twice. My spouse and I shared the calamari which was tender and crisp, sat atop a bed of some edible dehumidifier. Lol The Memphis pork ribs with the dry rub and bbq sauce was flavorful and meaty, would love just a tad more sauce. Veggies were greasy but the subtle garlic and salt flavor was nice. Love the rice, Brazilians make the best white rice! Smoked beef rib. Risotto was salty, meat was tender, and texture of the grain was al dente. Staff should be advised to inform patrons of kitchen closing time, especially if it is fast approaching. Would love to have had a dessert.

The food was absolutely terrible they didn't have color greens instead they substituted french fries I'm not sure how that makes sense the brisket I ordered was just that brisket no bread no nothing. I didn't get my water until I was done with my meal by the time that was it was at least an hour because it took that long to even get the food. There is so many other restaurants that are just right around there I should have just got up and left but I didn't hoping that the food would be worth the wait I was sadly disappointed

Great place. Came here for the first time last month and loved the food. Its like an American smokehouse with the Brazilian taste. Soo good. Staff is great, professional and friendly. Nice outdoor seating. Will definitely be back. Great date-night place.

We were staying at the Home 2 Suites and needed to find a place to eat. What a great choice. The food was excellent!

Food is good. The brisket tasted most and juicy. The sides were also decent. I would definitely come back for seconds

Staff is very good. Bartender was great. Food was good. Will revisit next trip to Newark

I ordered an egg and cheese sandwich. their menu suggests it comes with a fruit cup but then they told me the fruit cup was an extra $8 which wasn't listed anywhere. I got on the airplane to eat my sandwich and it was covered in meat (again, I ordered an egg and cheese). I am vegetarian so unfortunately i paid $11 for something I can't eat and have to throw away.

I came here for the coconut mojitos during happy hour and it did not disappoint. Their happy hour is fantastic w a large selection of food and drinks all under $10. We ordered tacos, beet salad, wings and a quesadilla and it was all good! I think the food was maybe a 7.5/10 (salad could use more dressing and quesadilla was basic but not bad) but the drinks were 10/10. The portions are huge as well! The restaurant is in a random part of Newark, close to the airport and flanked by truck parking lots and the liquor store they operate next door but the restaurant is very nice and spacious inside. I knocked off a star for service because even though our server was nice it was very slow and there were only two or three tables including us. Also, they ran out of lime? When the drink menu is half lime based?? So we couldn't get more caipirinhas or mojitos after our first round so we followed up with guava margs that were good and STRONG. I'll definitely be back especially for happy hour!

The ambiance was cute and laid back. The food was amazing at the least worth the pretty penny. The drinks was pretty good it came mason cups somewhat. It was that whole "Old Time" bar feel still alright at the end of the day. Except the devil eggs, there was no seasoning at all 2/10 but it was still good. The bacon topping is was saved it. I suggest mixing 2 sauces together (Hot and Honey I think).

10/10 by far my favorite place to come too!!! The drinks I've attached to my reviews are super delicious!!! When I say I had more then one I sure did enjoy these amazing drinks! Tamarind-Fall in was fantastic.. beyond 10/10 it has a perfect amount of sweet to this drink.. my taste buds were blown with this one! Pinejo was so different and delicious!!! 9/10 The spicy Thai shrimp is soooooooo flavorful and juicy!!! This is a must have! 10/10 Brisket my goodness what is there not to say but WOW super soft and tasty and still super simple with the creamy amazing mac n cheese.. literally to die for 10/10 Calamari super tasty and crunchy which is great because some places make it soggy! This was perfect... 9/10 Trio Sausages were spot on crisp on the outside and super juicy on the inside!!!! 10/10 The Ribeye cooked to perfection on mediums well.. I know I know there are a lot of people who eat the steak differently.. I love my Meat with some red in it haha and this steak was bomb and had this with the white rice.. 9/10 The vibe is super comfy, fun, rustic, and exciting!! I love this place so much that I am here almost every Friday haha.. There is live music a couple days of our the week and TVs around the Resturant.. If there is a place you want to unwind this is a great place to go! The staff are amazing amazing.. they are all so attentive and make sure they check on you constantly.. they are so polite and know how to treat customers.. Please if you haven't gone you need to try it!! Cant wait for my next visit

Avoid this place food, service is for shit! If you've got a lot of extra time you may get your food before your plane is ready to board.

Such a nice place , decoration is great , vibe is cool and the Flavor was good until I found a bug in my plate felt disgusted, Nobody apologized or nothing about it Server took my plate back to the kitchen and brought it back in 2 minutes. Makes me think They just removed the bug and send my plate back to my table . Definitely never coming back .

My mom and I decided to venture out to Newark today and wanted to try somewhere new. We stumbled upon City Rub around 11:30ish but had such a hard time finding the parking lot. Apparently, I was told to park in the lot in front of the liquor store and not sure if it's allowed or not so double check if you visit. As we walked to the restaurant, it looked pretty nice on the exterior and even better on the inside. We stood at the hostess desk for a while before being greeted and mind you the restaurant only had one table present. As soon as we sat, we waited again (about 10 minutes) for water and a menu. The service was extremely slow and it kind of bothered me especially for a restaurant like this. After waiting some more, our waiter finally gave us water and we placed our orders. We ordered their smoked wings, brisket, ribs, pulled pork, mashed potatoes, & Mac and cheese. The wings were amazing and would highly recommend it. On the other hand, the brisket wasn't good at all. I don't want to speculate but it didn't look nor tasted fresh. It had a very off color, extremely fatty, and kind of rubbery. We attempted to eat it but didn't like it one bit. Honestly, I'd skip their brisket entirely as it wasn't worth the money. Following that, we tried their pork ribs which were ok but nothing amazing. It didn't taste like much so we ended up drowning it in sauce to give it some flavor. The pulled pork was good for the most part and was packed with flavor. The mashed potatoes were pretty basic in my opinion. The mac & cheese was probably my second favorite as it was flavorful, cheesy, and overall delicious. To be honest with you, City Rub food was just ok and nothing really to rave about. I'm pretty familiar with bbq food as I'm a blogger and didn't really enjoy the food as much as I would've expected or at least from the raving reviews. My overall experience was probably a 6/10 mostly because of the smoked wings and the pulled pork. I should also mention that our waiter forgot about us numerous times and we had to ask another waitress for assistance (she wore red this afternoon). For the amount of money we spent, I expected an amazing experience but it kind of fell short.

Walked in for a dinner and was pleasantly surprised with how great it was. Everything was delicious! Lots of outdoor seating and very chill vibe. It is near a busy road so it can get a little noisy. They also have their own parking which is a plus. For appatizers we got the Fried Calamari and baked clams, both were very good. The pulled pork was full of flavor and my favorite part of the meal. The ribs are pretty big and could be shared in my opinion.

The food at this place was truly fantastic... Service was a little lacking there no host to see choose you kind of have to just pick your own table. but honestly if that's my only complaint, that's not a bad time for me ha ha. I started out by ordering the deviled egg appetizer which were the perfect size for one person. I was super hungry so then I ordered the three meats and the three sides;my server was accommodating and let me mix and match brisket ribs and chicken and then for my three sides I picked mac & cheese asparagus and potato wedges. my server josh was super friendly and attentive, brought me refills promptly and was so sweet, definitely will be back !!

The star lost was for service. very nice, but verrry slow, and restaurant was dead. Only one other table. We were a table of 6 and they include gratuity on the bill. We had... Drinks- very pretty and were really good! Apps-beet salad, wings, shrimp wrapped in bacon and deviled eggs. We loved them all. I like they offer 3 different sauces on the table and blue cheese. Dinner-Brisket, pulled pork, burger, and a special of brisket quesadilla. If you need a place close to Newark airport...worth it! Like $60 each all in.

I usually never go one star, but I'm afraid I have to here. Everything about our experience was bad. The food was almost inedible (and not cheap). I got a pulled pork sandwich with potato wedges and both were alarmingly lukewarm. Everyone I was with had similar reviews. The service was super slow and inattentive - for an almost completely empty restaurant. Getting drinks and our food took almost an hour. Just trying to get the check at the end of the meal was a pain. I would never come back. I am put off and confused by the positive reviews. Did I come on a bad night? Am I missing something?

Great place a little pricey but a great time love the live music real busy when the show starts but I was happy with everything strong drinks

We sat outside. It was a bit loud because it's situated on a busy intersection but it felt like a little oasis regardless. The salmon, shrimp & scallop ceviche (special?) was soooo good - I wanted ten more. Our server (Louise, I thiiink was her name) was great as was the man who seated us. We also got a ribeye which had an amazing crust. Drinks were pretty good. Bathroom was super clean. We had a nice time. $182 plus tip for two of us.

This was not our first time having dinner at City Rub. We had a waiter" Jorman" who was awesome. We love this restaurant and would highly recommend it. City Rub thank you.

Waited an hour for our drinks then 40 for food :( food is very good but waitstaff hangs out behind the bar instead of working!! ALL THE REVIEWS ARE RIGHT!! Ambiance 4/5 very pretty outdoor seating there is parking. This place just needs better management

It's a little pricey but the food and service was great will be back again.Beef Brisket

I'll make a long short story. Terrible service! very slow! They can't speak proper English!! That's only about a pretty spot! The food is more and less good!

Service today and food was below standard. I come all the time but tonight WAS AWEFUL. VERY DISAPPOINTED

The ambiance was great. Food amazing and flavorful. Except the Mac n cheese..it was mediocre. Service was quick. The loud music however was too loud and made it impossible to have dinner conversation. I will definitely return though.

This place was very average !!! I intentionally wanted to order the smoked rub chicken which they did not have. So I settled for the salmon. The salmon tasted so bland. My bf ordered the catfish po boy which was very average! No kind of seasoning or savoriness to the food. Outside area was nice, service was good and Restaurant has a parking lot . This restaurant gives me vibes to only order the bbq selection on the menu.

Phenomenal service. Charismatic staff and excellent cuisine ! Bar tenders attentive and the food rocks !

Those who follow my reviews know I am a big fan of BBQ. Yesterday, my wife and I had an event in Newark and had time to kill so we figured we'd go to Ironbound for a Spanish meal. Going to our favorite restaurant, we passed City Rub Smokehouse and decided on a change in plans. We're we ever happy we did. It's been tough post Covid finding good BBQ. We did not find it here. We found GREAT BBQ. I looked at the specials which were a little pricey and decided on basic barbecue. I ordered a sweet tea and smoked turkey. That came with one side. The turkey was moist and juicy with a nice rub. Delicious. The corn on the cob was equally delicious. We also split a side of corn bread. Best I ever had. (Even brought more home). It was more like a cake than bread My wife had pulled pork with cole slaw. The pulled pork was one of the best and was served with pickled cucumbers. It was heavenly. My wife enjoyed the slaw without giving me a taste. Equally impressive was we met a woman who was sweeping the floor and moving the tables for a big party. I asked if she was the manager, and Olivia told me she was the owner. Imagine an owner who cares about her restaurant as well as her customers. Can't wait to go back. We'll worth the trip

Great food and atmosphere. Got really good brisket takeout but will dine in my next visit.

We were here 2 years ago, and it was great. Unfortunately, Monday 6.19.23 was the exact opposite. There were 7 of us, and there were only 2 other tables in play and already served. It took over an hour for the food to arrive, had no chicken that night, or anything that we wanted (even though they told us they did), and the food arrived cold. The Brazilian style beans were horrible! The servers were totally clueless & didn't speak any English. Our good arrived cold after waiting for over an hour. We had to send everything back for reheating. When they did bring the food back, our portions came back SHORT!!! To top it off, the owner did not take responsibility for his servers or the time it took to get our food. And to think, they made extra money off of us because we shopped at the liquor store next door on our way in; the owner has both places and saw us going to the store. NEVER AGAIN. HALF A STAR.

This restaurant was a five star on my list! When ever I travel to Jersey this restaurant was a must on my to do list. My recent visit to the restaurant was a huge disappointment. The ribs was to salty and dry. The corn bread was horrible! I gave it three stars on past experiences... The staff was awesome and attentive! Hope this was just one bad plate and they're standards Are back to the high bar,which,I sooooo confidently brag about!

Worst owner ever! I never so mistreated as i was in this establishment as i was in City Rub which is very sad cause its a fun place but the owner should treat her clients with a little bit more respect. 0 stars for her

I think this restaurant is the most misunderstood place in Newark! There are a good mixture of good and bad reviews and from my experience I think the bad reviews were actually very unfair. The bad reviews came from people who either called ahead and did not listen to the fact that there is live music every night and then complained about it or, came at a very busy times when the place was packed and complained about slow service. This week I was overnight in Newark for business and found this place on yelp and went there and sat at the bar to eat by myself knowing it was a casual environment and a sports pub style restaurant. I found the bartenders were extremely friendly and very helpful and I ordered the city salad and had the salad in front of me in probably 5 to 7 minutes. I also ordered as an entrée - the salt and pepper rubbed brisket - and it was in front of me again within 10 to 15 minutes with a great presentation. And I have to say, the taste of the brisket was exceptional and matched the presentation. It came with a bowl of aromatic rice and I ordered baked beans as a side which were beans in what was clearly a homemade sauce with chunks of meat in it and was delicious. now I have to warn you some of the negative reviews said the place turns into a nightclub. On my arrival there was a small band there warming up and when I asked the bartender the scoop she explained that every night they do have live music. I didn't stick around for the music but in the 90 minutes I was there the parking lot went from three cars including mine to 25 cars with two valets and was filling up fast and I'm sure for a good reason. The restaurant sits in the middle of a very heavy Brazilian and Portuguese neighborhood and I happen to be half Portuguese. All the bartenders are probably mid 20s and are all absolutely gorgeous. Someone walking in off the street may mistake place for a strip club LOL but I can assure you it was not! All of the young women were very professional and of course were very easy on the eyes. The wait staff for the tables were all mail and so if you're sitting in a table and away from the bar it is a very different environment. At the end I asked for the manager who came out and talked to me for a good 10 to 15 minutes and was absolutely lovely and extremely professional and we discussed the good reviews and the bad and she enlightened me as to what triggered the bad reviews and not being worth her while to respond. She also informed me that when she's used open door more recently she's had far better experiences and far more strong positive feedback about the restaurant and from my experience I think she's right. I only get to the Newark area once or twice a year but I would absolutely go back to the restaurant because of the food the environment and what I can tell you is a great and dedicated staff.

Ive been coming to this place for the last 3 years, it just gets better and better, Josh made this old fashioned and it was delightful! Definitely recommend it!!

It's a home run for the area great food from pull pork to the delicious beef ribs. Cornbread,mac and cheese and the bbq beans are a must sausage platter was really good would definitely be back ps rock and roll music was perfect

Was here with a new friend. He has been coming here for the past year, daily, for lunch. He is very close with the owner and staff. He's like family. He convinced me to come and I agreed. The owner, Olivia, is a sweetheart. She works with the rest of her employees! How remarkable is that? The staff are so warm, friendly and ensure that your visit with them is wonderful. It's truly a magnificent experience. I felt spoiled. Anywho, We came tonight, not knowing it was soccer night. They have 4 big screen TVs. 2 by the bar and 2 by the eating area. They have a mini theatre size tv for the soccer game. It's like having 12 50" TV Screen's together to make one. They have a bar, variety of top shelf liquor (not the watered down stuff or generic) plenty of tables, high tables with chairs, booths etc. very nice atmosphere. And the food . My goodness. They have the best buffalo wings (appetizer) I've ever had. They have real buffalo wings. Not the fake kind that are fried and dipped into sauce. This is really different. Its really rubbed with unique spices and are placed on a wood smoker. Omg. When I tell you delicious. I mean it. I'm a HUGE connoisseur of buffalo wings. These are bomb.com. Then I had the pork ribs. These bad boys, when you try to pick it up using a fork, the meat falls off! Amazing. You'll need a fork and hand to pick these juicy ribs up. They also have their own special bbq sauce. It's yummy too. The Mac-n-cheese, to die for. It has like 4 different cheeses in it. Yummy too. I had Disarrano Ameretto Sour mixed cocktails. 2 with one waiting for me to drink. For dessert, chocolate cake with caramel and vanilla cream. I don't like caramel, but this dessert was so delicious. I wanted another one, but I didn't want to be Miss Piggy. The art décor is beautiful! There's plenty to look at as you're walking to the rest room. And there's even a vintage piano. It works! I tried it. The ladies bathroom is very modern, clean, plenty of stalls, sinks and get this ladies! There's a vanity and chair! Like how perfect is that for touch ups on a date night? I totally was wowed about the bathroom. But it was well deserved. This is a great spot for date night, groups of friends, girls night out, guys night out and large groups. I really enjoyed my experience, the food and staff. This will become my staple restaurant for real bbq food. Stop buy this epic BBQ spot in the ironbound. When you go, tell Olivia, I sent you. Enjoy! Thank you Olivia!!!!!

This place is so fun & trendy and the food is amazing! I cannot think of anything I've ever had here that wasn't good. Some of our favs are the Thai Shrimp, Mac & Cheese, Cornbread, Burgers ... you really cannot go wrong here. The drinks are also top notch!

Beatriz was our server and she was very short and condescending towards us. I guess because we had more than 6 in our party she could treat us that way . Auto 20% The food was good except for Mac & cheese.

My daughter loved it and me.... wherever there's meat and it's smoked to an of the bone situation I always enjoy it to the last bite... literally lol Seen my 15 year old leave her phone alone and engage in conversation about anything but her self or her needs speaks volumes The games playing on the gigantic TVs everywhere made the ambience perfect I'll give it ten stars if possible Highly recommend, even for teens!!

I love this place. Great food....good vibe.....lots of room. I only wish they would publish their menu online. If you go to their website, they only list cocktail menus. If people could see what they offer, this place would be overrun with new customers. Anything you order is delicious. And I'm not a go-out-and-eat guy!

I didn't like this place at all. The service is horrible! They saw me waiting and no one approached to sit you even though there are plenty of empty tables. The food wasn't good either. Do not recommend.

Went there for lunch I bought the brisket salt and pepper Rub, it came with rice and mixed vegetables and mixed vegetables were excellent the rice was oily and clumpy and the brisket was dry. sometimes it's hit and miss with city rub. It's a good place to meet and gather and to have drinks. they are not that consistent with their food specially anything that smoked.

The service was on the slow side but the food was tasty and the drink( coconut mojito) was delicious. Strong yet enjoyable. Will definitely go again in the near future because the happy hour menu you really can't beat. Just wished they had faster service.

Friendly staff, amazing food and authentic drinks. Me and my friend had Coconut mojitos and Camarão na Moranga (the Brazilian dish, Shrimp on the Acorn squash) which were outstanding. I highly recommend the Acorn squash as an entre. Mojitos are great too. Gabi was the server of the day, she was very helpful and prompt to give us suggestions, always smiling and made sure we had everything perfectly fine. The Chef Ricardo came to greet us and also Olivia. I'll definitely be back with my friends!!! Ricardo and Olivia, great job!!!

Some of the best smoked meats I've had! And that's coming from a southern boy. The cornbread exceeded my expectations as well. Definitely try any of the mixed cocktails, you won't be disappointed. Josue is the best bartender. Super efficient, friendly and makes amazing, delightful cocktails. He won't let your glass go empty. Coming back here for sure.

Had brunch for my mom birthday, beautiful ambience. Swift service & friendly staff. I ordered the coconut shrimp as an appetizer & the cat fish PO boy as my entree. Margaritas are strong! definitely coming back.