Rat's Restaurant

Had the buffet today. Really nice place, ate outside by the pond. I can't describe how enchanting this place is. You need to visit to comprehend. The menu today was 75 per person and worth it. The staff is really nice and the menu items were high-end and excellent quality.

Went for brunch. Bread was good but wish it was warm, butter was good. App tuna was excellent but not enough. Smoked salmon was fine. French toast nothing special but overpriced. Chocolate cake was disappointing. Great atmosphere and service but the front staff girls need to smile when greeting guests.

First time here for a birthday celebration, unfortunately it is probably our last visit as we felt overall it was a very expensive meal that was overall disappointing. We had an outside table - beautiful setting, probably the best aspect of our visit. I would recommend bug spray if you're sitting outside, as you're right by the water and there's bugs. We had a 5pm reservation, and it took about half an hour and a neighboring table's server's help to get our server to come take our order. The other server explained that our server is new, so maybe that's why he took so long and we saw him helping several other tables that were sat after us before coming to us. We were told that the kitchen was out of braised short ribs and quinoa, which was disappointing because the short ribs sounded delicious and we were looking forward to trying it. Weird though, after we placed our order we overhead the neighboring tables' server say to multiple tables that the only thing the kitchen was out of was their squash soup. The bread and shallot butter was delicious. We ordered the escargot with puff pastry, which was tasty but the puff pastry seemed a little hard. Flavor was good though! We also ordered the octopus, it was the smallest tentacle we've seen at a restaurant. It felt very overcooked - it was dry, but not crispy. It took about an hour since ordering to get our main courses out, which seemed ridiculous as it was not a packed restaurant. In fact, our server had to "check with the kitchen" and another ten minutes went by before a food runner literally went to two other tables with our meals asking if it belonged to them. I actually watched him pretty much ask outloud who ordered the fish and the scallops and the table behind us (that he was offering the plates to) tell them it's our food. The barramundi was overly salty, looked like it was burnt to a crisp except the skin was soggy. It was basically disappointingly inedible that my husband, who is by no means not a picky eater at all, sent it back to the kitchen and had it taken off our bill. My scallops were ok, but the "seared" part of it was also soggy. It felt like our food was ready for a while and sat around before it was served to us. Our child's kid's meal of chicken tenders was probably the better food of the evening. We understand that our server was new, but he barely came to check on us in the two hours we were there. We probably saw him a total of 4 times at our table. Very nice person, but definitely felt like the service was lacking for what you would expect of a highly recommended restaurant.

Enjoyed our meal. Great food. Busy place! Great atmosphere. Best to go on a nice day for outside seating. Get reservation!

It‘s a very nice location with calm views overlooking the pond and the playing Coys. The food is average - good but really nothing special. But when it comes to service it went terrible! We reserved a table - weeks in advance but they weren’t able to place us because we were early - maybe 10 min. So we grabbed a drink at the bar and waited until they place us. Nothing happened so we had to go back to the front desk to be placed. Once placed at the tranquil outside, the service then started with a very inattentive waiter. He forgot my boyfriends drink, my aunts wine… Then they also forgot my boyfriends burger - we had to wait about ten minutes after it appeared… unfortunately with onions and truffles he explicitly asked to not adding! It took then another 30 minutes to finally order an espresso. It’s really long ago I experienced such terrible service!

French cuisine on offer here at Rat's. Reservations are a requirement, or so we've been told by the staff. Sat at the bar and had some drinks and an appetizer. Fancy food so be mindful, also on a higher price point, so bring a full wallet.

We’ve been here before. They don’t seat you until your reservation time so I expect to be seated when it’s our reservation time. But we waited more 10+ minutes. It could be a busy day for them. The waitress was friendly and professional but the service was slow. We didn’t get our first course of meal until 25, 30 minutes after we were seated. I ordered the Night Form prefix and my husband ordered a la carte - salad and trout amandine. The squash soup and the short ribs were delicious. The pumpkin bread pudding was good but it’s like a pumpkin bread with a scoop of ice cream on top and some sauce on the side, different from what I was expecting. My husband enjoyed the salad and the trout amandine. The restaurant was beautiful and the surrounding was wonderful.

Phenomenal food, been here multiple times and i’m never disappointed. Great cocktail menu too. The ambiance inside and the outdoor seating is amazing. Just go, you will not be disappointed.

One of my favorite restaurants in Jersey! Beautiful decor! Gorgeous grounds! With sculptures. Our Server Marco G was outstanding!! Highest compliments to the Chef and Kitchen Brigade! Loved the plum salad! Warm bread served right out of the oven! Seared scallops so delicious! My husband enjoyed the short ribs! Chocolate tart with popcorn and icecream! Actually really good combination!! Parking on site. We made reservations on line. Highly recommend!

For a once in a while experience of fine dining, Rats was pretty nice overall! The venue was stunning, even in the dark. I will say that we did have some frustration with parking. The we went must've had some wedding or ceremony taking place. The venue was on the smaller size therefore it make the parking very tight. We ended up having to park down the long, winding driveway that lead off from the main road. The atmosphere of the restaurant is incredibly homey and cozy. It gives the same vibes as a small cabin nestled in the woods. Our waiter was incredibly accommodating, as I believe that is the party was occupying the kitchens time. We did not receive our food until nearly an hour after we ordered. There was also some confusion about a reservation when we entered. So the restaurant was definitely a little bit in disarray during our time there. The food, however, was quite good. However, I do think it's a hit or miss on what you decide to order. For instance, someone in our table ordered a chicken dish with mashed potatoes, which was according to them absolutely delicious, but my experience with the French onion soup was a little more on the lacking side. All the bread and brie that we had ordered it was excellent and I highly recommend getting something with them. Our experience with Rats has not deterred us from returning though. I would like to visit during the warmer months where I could experience both the summer menu and the beautiful gardens that surround the outside. I'm looking forward to visiting again, and hopefully retaining a better experience .

UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE 5 CUISINE 5 SERVICE 5 AMBIANCE 5 LANDSCAPING/GOUNDS 5 SCULPTURES Grab a cocktail and walk the grounds and be prepared to stroll around for an hour or two. You will feel like you are in Europe and want to take photos! The sculptures, landscaping and setting are all very different from what you might find in a museum. Cuisine is pricey but top notch with impressive presentations. Happy hour is always a great way to enjoy the views and try a light bite menu for a quick snack or lunch.

We stopped by Rat's while visiting grounds for sculpture. It seemed to be a busy day as they were holding a private event ( a wedding ). We weren't sure upon walking in if the restaurant itself was closed , if we could sit down and order or if an rsvp was needed. After speaking with a few staff we finally sat down to order. We weren't impressed with the menu and decided to grab just drinks. The drinks were good. I wish we could have sat outside to take in the beautiful grounds.

This restaurant is so beautiful! My friend and I came to dinner with our reservation and were sat outside right next to the water with a perfect view of the bridge, which I loved! The food was definitely pricey, but the short rib I had was very tender and everything on my plate was flavorful! Took off some stars because our server was not very kind or attentive. He took long breaks in between checking on us and even jokingly admitted he forgot about us at one point. He also refused to give me a takeout container for my extra food, which I didn't appreciate.

Rat's Restaurant has a stunning decor inside , everything is very old and with such a chic touch . The food was very good , however the fact that they close between lunch and dinner is a little bummer . There is plenty of parking . Service was ok but it could definitely improve , we felt a bit rushed by our waitress , I wasn't even done with my drink and we already had the check . We don't ask for one because I planned on getting another drink , but I guess she was in a rush .. The grounds around the restaurant are absolutely beautiful , just beware you have to buy tickets online in order to explore . All in all I would love to go back and explore more of the grounds and maybe not feel rushed at the restaurant . .

Reservation was at 7:15pm. It is 7:40pm now and still not seated :/ The smoked cabbage was horrid, the core was not removed and inedible. I was really disappointed with everything. My meal was bland and soggy. I've seen a better assortment of cheeses at Aldi...

Very interesting place. Made a reservation on a Sunday night. It was busy so make a reservation. Cool place. Good vibe. Food was ok. Shared a humus platter and had the Halibut. Both were good. Nothing special. The waitress recommended the Rum runner. It was good. Prices were not insane. The attraction was a sculpture park near by. Glad i went. Not sure if i am coming back

Went there by "accident" cause we were visiting grounds for sculpture, and we decided stop by, saw a lot of "bad reviews " online, but place was beautiful, antique and unique on the decoration, bartender was fast and friendly, sangria was on point.. the food I think they need to work more on that, burger was a little bit salty but I still ate it because I am not a complainer, but maybe the kitchen could work more on the menu since that's a lot of bad reviews on that, do not recommend just go for the restaurant, if you are at the area yes, but do not go expecting a fine dining.

Sad to say, the quality at Rat's has definitely declined over the years. Rat's used to be our go to special occasion restaurant, and we especially loved their brunches. Ever since COVID, the brunch buffet disappeared, and the menu it has been replaced with is underwhelming. Worse, the food itself has not been terribly good either of the last two times we've dined here. The dining area itself is still whimsical, interesting and absolutely lends itself to being "Grammed," and the service is still generally above average, but the experience is just not worth the price anymore, even when on site to see Grounds for Sculpture. It's been sad to watch the slow decline of such a culinary titan happen in real time, but here we are.

I stopped by for a bite and drinks with my husband. We sat in the bar area. The space was very cozy. After we were done with our food we sat by the fire place which was nice. I had the winter sangria. It was alright, I felt like it was missing something. We shared the Mezze. It had a nice spread of different things to pick at. I really loved the greek olives. The bartender was really friendly and welcoming. I would return.

The food here was just OK, $30 for a plate with cucumber, pita chips and some dips seems an astronomical price to ask. Menu was small and nothing that stood out as a must have or unique to the restaurant. The service was slow and impersonal. 20 mins for cocktails from the bar, another 30 mins entrees. The only thing I enjoyed were the Blood Orange Smash cocktail and the beautiful garden. While it is convenient to eat here when visiting Grounds for Sculpture, I would recommend trying somewhere local. This place has potential but fell short.

It's a beautiful restaurant with a wonderful garden. We have been here before They don't seat you before your reservation time so I expected to be seated right away but we waited 10+ minutes. The waitress was friendly and professional but the service was slow. We didn't get our first course until 25, 30 minutes after we were seated. My husband order a salad and trout amandine. I ordered the Night form prefix. My husband enjoyed his salad and trout. The squash soup and the short ribs were delicious. The pumpkin bread pudding was different. It's like a scoop of ice cream sitting on top of pumpkin bread with sauce on the side. It was good.

Not sure why so many negative reviews lately-we had a lovely stop-by for lunch after a hot & humid walk around Grounds of Sculpture park (and this was our second visit to-date). Yes,the lunch was busy and we had to wait a couple of minutes until the table was ready for us,but we were otherwise served quickly and our server Mike was friendly & efficient. Loved our food choices-my husband ordered their signature burger whilst I devoured my salad (you can win me over with blue cheese any day!). Prices was also reasonable,enjoyed the quirky interior. No complaints!

This place is magical!! The architecture, statues, portraits and fish-pond are unique. Food was tasty and pretty big portions. The staff is friendly and attentive. Beautiful place for all occasions.

Very interesting place! Reservations are a must! We lucked out & got seats at the bar for lunch on a Friday. We have been here twice now for lunch. Menu is very small - that is my only gripe but at least they execute it well! Service is good at the bar & I love the wine by the glass selections! We have tried the charcuterie platter, cheese platter, carpaccio & chopped salads. All were very enjoyable. They have very nice tables outside - next time I will try to get one of those seats.

I had a very pleasant lunch here the other day. Went on a weekday without a reservation and was able to be seated with a short wait. The restaurant has a very unique atmosphere with being situated near the sculpture garden. There is not shortage of scenery or ambience. The food was decent. I felt like we got good value for what we ordered off the lunch menu. I had the turkey croissant and my dining partners enjoyed a French dip sandwich. Everything was prepared as ordered and service was good. I may come back at some point to try dinner.

My boyfriend and I came here for our anniversarry and it was honestly one of the cutest places he's taken me! The ambiance of the place was tranquil, however, there were times when people from the park would just walk towards the back of the restaurant where we were seated, which is honestly understood because it is connected to the Sculpture Park (you can also get tickets into the park by walking a little ways down by the water) The food was great, can't complain, but I wish they gave us mkre of the bread! I loved the bread so much lol!

Food pricey but excellent. Limited menu though. Grilled octopus was smaller than what I had in Nashville...

Very slow service. Enjoyed the French dip but the octopus and cauliflower was not worth the price. Very small and taste wise will pass.

We came in for lunch on 7/22/23 with a large group - Son, Daughter-in-Law, two grandchildren (visiting from California), Sister-in-Law (our private docent), Sister-in-Law and her husband and my wife. Having made reservations, we were immediately seated in a small dining room to the let of the hostess station. Sorry to have to take away one star due to our wait time. There was a private event that day and I would guess that they were short staffed or the kitchen was overwhelmed. This is something that should not happen at a restaurant like Rat's. Without going into all of our choices, suffice it to say that everything was delicious - especially the burgers! Rat's provides a unique dining experience adjacent to a world class collection of sculpture along with superb landscaping. Rat's is a place to go to for that very special occasion.

7/17/23 Monday Visit: We had a 1:45 PM lunch reservation at Rat's Restaurant. Check in went smoothly. The restaurant was crowded. We were immediately escorted to our outside table. Water was served along with bread. Since the weather was hot, we were happy the water was continuously replenished. Our primary female server was lovely. At approx.1:55 PM, we placed our entire drink and food order. The drinks came out somewhat quickly. The three of us ordered a Strawberry Froze and two Honey Ginger Grapefruit Mocktails. Drinks were delicious! Appetizer came out within a reasonable amount of time. The three of us shared a large Mezze Platter. It was absolutely delicious! Here's, where there was a big problem. Approx. 2:45 PM, we were still waiting for our lunch order. (Thank heaven we ordered an appetizer). My friend asked several times when the lunch order would be coming out. We didn't get a clear answer. At 3:00 PM, the lunch entrees of Croque Monsieur and two Chicken Sandwiches finally came out. The food was excellent. The manager came out and apologized profusely. He gave us 10% off the bill. Unfortunately due to the slow entree service, I'm only giving a 3 Star rating. In the future, we'll eat in the Peacock café where there's grab and go.

This place is strange. The service was average and our server was strange. All the food was average. But I think it is a great spot to take someone because of how the decor is. it's simply unique.

5 stars for outside seating view/ambiance, but service and food quality is so bad as to drive this rating down to a 1 overall. They should be embarrassed to charge what they did for what they served us last night. $18 for a stale piece of bread with a small smear of cheese and a few pieces of raw veggies on it. But it did have a pollen sprinkle... whatever that is. $21 for 4 escargot in hard/stale micro biscuits they have the nerve to call puff pastry. $59 for what was one of the worst ribeye steaks I've ever eaten. I think it had been cooked properly, but server left it sit and get cold, letting the too abundant fat to congeal. The cold and rubbery 1"x2" mushroom piece was inedible, the potatoes cold and mostly over boiled, and a flavorless romesco sauce were other lowlights. $41 for a halibut meal that was mostly flavorless and lacking any reason to recommend. It also came out cold from being left sitting too long before the server got around to bringing it out. The desserts were equally disappointing. A tasteless carrot cake and a deconstructed lemon pie. Deconstructed meaning a cup of lemon pudding, some whipped cream and a sprinkle of Graham crackers. Needless to say, we won't be back.

This is my second time coming to this restaurant, today I celebrated my birthday here with my family . It's very accommodating with our extra member that came and they were very nice about it. Our server was very nice and made me and my sister feel special on our day. The ambiance of the place is definitely unique since it's a little ludicrous to have rats in a restaurant. I quite thoroughly enjoyed my burger that I ate it pretty quickly, the alcoholic beverages are pretty refreshing too as well. If you're ever in the grounds for sculptures, I recommend stopping by to get a nice cool drink and a very delicious lunch.

Beautiful old building, nice environment by the pond and near the artsy park, the service is good, but the menu is quite disappointing as far as the food choice quality and price, with the exception of their housemate ice-cream

came here yesterday with my boyfriend for a little date day and he reserved a table for 2 at 2pm. we came through the grounds for sculpture back area as opposed to the main entrance (we didn't know the difference). we tried to grab the attention of some waitresses who would barely gave us time of day. once i was able to finally talk to someone she was clearly annoyed and guided me with her finger (rude). it wasn't just my boyfriend and I that were confused, we met a random couple who was equally as confused. when we finally got to the front i already had an annoyed feeling from the rudeness of the waitress prior and then we were met with the front staff ladies who were just as rude, if not worse. they didn't smile, barely looked at the guests and clearly were miserable. i observed every interaction and it made me cringe how rude and clearly unhappy they were. we got seated around 2:15-2:20pm for a table (not bad of a wait) but we waited more than an hour for our main entrees to come out. we got soup and a french dip sandwich and for the wait.. you would think the food would be exceptional. it was not. our waiter himself was super pleasant but that was probably the best part of this whole experience. very disappointed. probably will not come back or recommend to anyone.

We had the best experience here from the fast service delicious food and wonderful ambiance!! Make reservations! Afterwards go see the Night Form only till April 7.

I celebrated my June birthday with lunch at Rat's after a visit to the sculpture garden. My birthday lunch couldn't have been in a more beautiful setting! I am not aware of a more beautiful restaurant setting in all of NJ. If you sit outside during the summer, you have a direct view of the Monet Bridge, lily pads and all. There are beautiful koi fish swimming in the water, plus mallards ducks on the restaurant patio jumping in & out of the water. On one end of the patio, you can see the Leucantha sculpture and flowers and on the other end of the patio, you can see the Portal Rest sculpture and a waterfall. I would've given Rat's 5 stars if it weren't for the 30-minute wait despite a reservation I'd made (and this was on a Tue afternoon, not weekend!). Also, service was okay...not the best.

Always wanted to go here, unfortunately it was disappointing. My wife ordered a drink (which tasted like cheap vodka and no mixers), we ordered a Butternut squash soup, Bacon cheese hamburger and French Dip sandwich with the aioli on the side (about the only thing on the menu we'd eat). The hamburger was good (hence the 2 star rating) but they forgot the aioli on the side, the French Dip came with the horseradish aioli on it. We would have told the waiter, but we didn't see him until we were done eating (never checked on us). The waiter wasn't the person who brought the food. Got 1 glass of water and never came by to refill! The place runs on reservations, so they were not overbooked (3 empty tables in our section alone. Speaking of reservations, really weird that we checked in for our 1:30 reservation and we waited 15 minutes! Again, 4 open tables in that section, many other open tables on the way back to ours, and no one left between arrival and seating. It was almost like they plan the wait just to be pretentious. Seating was also sub par. It was about 90 degrees, and a door that people would come in and out of (at least it cooled it down to 40 quickly). They took the drink and French dip off, but no one even came to check what was wrong. Waiter brought the check, dropped it off, picked up payment, returned it to the table, all without saying a single word. We eat out A LOT, three fancy restaurants this week alone. I would not go here again.

I got the crispy duck salad. I was greasy, chewy with fat and tendons not to mention tasteless. My partner got 3 scollops that were served alone for 45$ and definitely underperformed. The food at this establishment is so substandard I will suggest if you are going to enjoy the ambiance make sure to go when it is still daylight because the food and prices are horrid coming from a foodie. Was it worth it, not for me.

I came here for my birthday and was not impressed. Given that this restaurant shows up as $50-$100 per person I expected a higher quality of service. We had an 11:15am reservation. For starters, we had one host who walked us halfway to our table, only to turn around and tell us to wait. We stood there for 2 minutes and then another hostess walked us directly to our table (?!). Not a crime, but definitely felt like they were not ready at opening. My boyfriend has a gluten allergy and they sort of accommodated. Our waitress offered him bread, which he declined as obviously he cannot eat gluten and told the waitress that beforehand. There was no alternative for him, so he just watched me eat my bread. He ordered a chicken salad with baby potatoes as an entree, but they left the potatoes out. Quite the oversight. He eventually got his potatoes, although he had to ask twice. The lack of staff training took away from the experience, but the food was alright. A reviewer said that if you want French cuisine with good service, you should go to Kristine's in Princeton, and I agree. Plus, if you are gluten free, they provide you with crackers so you don't feel left out.

Such a fun spot for a lunch date or business meeting! I went here for a lunch get together with business colleagues and I have to say the decor makes Rat's an incredibly unique place to eat. Nestled right inside/next to the Sculpture Park, it brings all of the artistic, avante garde stylings into the restaurant. The service was exceptional. Incredibly friendly and attentive, they were outstanding throughout the entire meal. I also really appreciated how the service allowed our discussion without interruption after our orders were placed and we received our meals. Aside from a friendly check in, we were only passed by a couple of times for eye contact which is perfect. I ordered the burger and potato wedges. The burger was cooked perfectly and very flavorful. I'd rate this burger as a 7 out of 10. It was very solid but not specifically memorable for any particular reason. Their potato wedges were delicious and crispy, but I wish there were more of them... My colleague ordered a similar meal with the wedges and combined I think we both barely got a full potato between us. The reason I gave Rat's 4 out of 5 stars is pricing. Typically I can understand paying a little more for an upscale style place, but $22 for a burger and a quarter of a potato was a little steep for me. I would have gladly paid $16-18 for this burger with some more of their wedges. Overall, definitely worth a visit and walk around the sculpture park (make reservations for that). P.S. The parking lot filled up quickly for lunch during a weekday. Try to arrive early for less stress with parking if possible.

12/28/23: First and last visit. Very disappointed but on a positive note we couldn't stop laughing at the continuous series of unfortunate events. Arrived 30 minutes early-- no accommodation for early patrons who visit the park-- so we took a seat at the bar. Bar - ordered the wedge potatoes side dish. It was ice cold. Sent back to be warmed up, not enough time in the microwave... still cold upon return but at least warm on the outside. Positive note-- the side order took so long we used up all of our extra time which otherwise would be used staring at the walls. Seating- "Fireplace seating" stashed in the corner on the second floor near the stocked firewood unfortunately due to our seating arrangement the fire could not be viewed nor fed. On a positive note, we had a lovely view of the log pile. Main Course - water glass had mysterious hard food items attached (gross). We ordered the chicken and a chopped salad with steak. The chicken was impressive--it was chewy, crispy, soggy and tender depending on the bite. I don't know how all four textures were accomplished. The chopped salad with steak: the steak had to be rehydrated with water; the chickpeas tinged against the plate, the composition between the steak bouncing and the chickpeas was an unexpected musical feature. We propose, however, a new installation... the piece is called, "Hunger pains." (See attached photo) Praying for a better turn around for future patrons.

What adorable decor. Views of the koi pond and beautiful bridge. Looks so very romantic and lovely. Service is delightful. Food is nice. Mezze , I enjoyed. Delicious cod and the best (fresh) iced tea.

Very attentive service. Great way to end a visit to the beautiful gardens. Pretty setting. Good food.

What .. an .. experience we had! There were ups and there were downs, but everything ended up absolutely PERFECT. For my wife's birthday, we decided to travel down into South Jersey for dinner at a "French-village"-like restaurant called Rat's. With a name like Rat's, you would probably think twice or three times before eating there, but, fear not, this restaurant has no rats inside and is right up there with some of the best experiences we ever had at a restaurant. I made a 5pm reservation for dinner, which is the earliest available time for dinner. We arrived here after spending the previous few hours at the Grounds for Sculpture (highly recommend). When we arrived, we were promptly seated in a perfectly quiet corner of the Giverny Room, but it wasn't going to be quiet much longer as I will explain. Many of the items on the menu sounded delicious and it was really hard to narrow it down. Since it was my wife's birthday, it wasn't hard to go all out though and we just decided to go for it! Here's a quick rundown of what we ordered: APPETIZERS - French Onion Soup - Escargot ENTREES - Braised Short Rib - Beef Tenderloin with Risotto SIDES - Roasted Brussels Sprouts - Creamed Spinach DRINKS - Pomegranate Lemonade 6 x2 - Pear and Ginger Fizz DESSERTS - Creme Brulee - Banana Bread To summarize, all of the food was great! We loved the appetizers, entrees and, especially the sides! No complaints what so ever. I probably would have given it all 4-4.5 stars. They weren't perfect, perfect, but very close to it. Where I do want to commend the restaurant and staff was the AMAZING, AMAZING service for us. As the evening wore on after we arrived, the restaurant got more and more crowded until it was completely full. There were large groups, small families and dates around us, so noise picked up quick. We had our 2 children with us, including an infant who, unfortunately, did not stop crying her lungs out starting at the middle of our meal. We felt guilty that we were a disturbance to the restaurant patrons (who kept on looking over), but, more importantly, I felt terrible because it was my wife's birthday and we really couldn't proceed with her dinner/night out without trying to calm our child. Honestly, I didn't care much for the stares we were getting though and I was more concerned for my wife and baby's wellbeing. THANKFULLY, the restaurant manager that evening came by and asked if we wanted to take our dinner to a more private area. This was already after she had come by once to see how we were doing, either because she saw we were a family or maybe because she knew my wife was celebrating a birthday. At first, we were confused as to where we would eat, but she led us to our very own private dining room that is reserved for large groups! It was exactly what we needed and she really rescued the evening for us. Not only that, but the staff kindly brought all of our personal belongings and food over to the room as well. Unfortunately, we never got the manager's name because the waiter told us the manager was new and they didn't know it, but she was a woman that looked to be in her 50-60s. And, we never got a chance to thank her at the end of the night because we never saw her again, but we will never forget her kind gesture and what she did for us that evening! She turned a potential nightmare of a celebration to an unforgettable day and evening. And yes, the food was fantastic and so was the lively atmosphere. The restaurant is great for groups, family meals or even romantic dates, but we will never ever forget the kindness we were treated with and we will definitely be back one day to hopefully have a smoother dinner!

Pricey, even for lunch . Nice staff. Friendly manager. They make a great Old Fashioned! They kids each had the kids burgers, fries and a cookie (well actually two since the manager came around and gave them another). I had the turkey sandwich which was good. Wife opted for the pasta dish (huh) but she liked it. We skipped dessert. Make reservations especially on Sat/Sundays (we learned our lesson when we tried to walk in weeks before and they were booked). If you are coming from the actual Grounds, you kind of enter through the back and you have to walk through to the front to be seated... ENJOY!

Try to get outdoor seating if possible. There is a tarp covering the outdoor patio with heaters so that you can stay warm even on a rainy spring evening. The restaurant was charming, inside and out. We enjoyed reading the story of how the name came about. If you didn't get a chance to sit outside, walk out before or after your meal to enjoy the beautiful garden. Everything we had last night was great, but a few dishes stood out: stuffed calamari as the appetizer (it was the special of the night), duck breast as the main, and grilled kale. The duck breast was so tender (medium rare) that it almost melts in your mouth. The portion was generous, which makes it easy and perfect to share. Don't forget to save some room for the chocolate cake!

We went for lunch. We had French Dip, Caesar Salad and I had the Turkey& Bacon on a croissant with an arugula salad. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal. My sandwich was amazingly good. Highly recommended.

We visited Rat's today for the first time for lunch. The ambience is beautiful, both inside and out. The inside feels like you are in a warm, cozy cabin. As for the service and food, it was very underwhelming. We started with ordering a few drinks from the bar: a wine and a beer. It took a good 15 minutes just for the drinks to come. The wine glass was small, but the beer was delicious! First, we were given a piece of thick multigrain bread with chive butter. Very good. For an appetizer, we got the tuna carpaccio. When you put all of the ingredients in your mouth together, it was very good. The reason I am giving three stars is the entrees. We ordered the French dip sandwich and the ham croquet. Both were no big deal at all. The prime rib was lacking flavor, and the ham sandwich tasted like one you would make at home. Next time we visit grounds for sculpture we will be dining somewhere else!

I will preface this with - I was here several years ago for dinner and it was great and the view, the decor is just stunning!! It's a very beautiful restaurant and romantic and picturesque! However, I came during happy hour and it left alot to be desired I guess. I made a reservation based off recommendations, the 2 hostess's were awesome as I was super confused, I was told I could sit outside and I did then a waiter, in an embarrassing way told me I couldn't sit there (mind you I was alone and waiting for friends), then back to hostess, told to sit in high top chairs, my group as well as others sat out there, they were also confused, then again told we couldn't sit there. Finally after moving twice, I found where I was allowed to sit haha. So the restaurant closes after lunch until Dinner and is only open in the bar area for happy hour only. It's confusing but if you go for happy hour, you now know, haha. Literally the interiors of the bar, no where else is allowed. Moving forward, it was only one waitress and she was great but busy. We didn't get water until an hour in, the drinks we did get and the special of the day- bourbon kiss was delicious. Plates came out very slowly, some an hour after ordering? Most of the dishes were delicious. The poutine, is unseasoned potatoes with cheese on top , definitely not "poutine" but everything else is good. I would go again but during lunch or dinner, not happy hour.

This was my second time dining there and the first time was great. I love the ambience - it's a unique and special place that is just lovely. The bar is cool and they have a great wine list. The prices are definitely in the upper range ($30+ entrees) so we expected a higher level of quality and service. We got neither. It took 45 minutes to order our entrees and didn't get our food until about 90 minutes after we arrived. We are not looking for a rushed experience by any means but having to constantly flag down the server isn't fun. We watched other tables get water and checked on as we sat mostly ignored. When the food finally arrived it was luke warm at best. I have no idea if it sat so long it just got cold but none of us finished our meals. It's just super disappointing as we really were looking forward to this dinner. Management didn't really seem to know any was going on and we honestly just couldn't wait to get the check and leave. I really hope this was a one off but at those prices I'm not sure I want to risk coming back again.

Had reservations and got seated late. Took 1.5 hours to get a burger and mussels. Told staff we had an appointment at the grounds and still couldn't get them to get our check quickly. Burger was overcooked, bun wasn't toasted. The guests next to us had a waiter drop a glass near them that shattered and landed in their food and the other neighbor had issues with the croissant. Overall terrible experience. Would not go again. Poorly managed.

How is this place so beautiful yet so disappointing? Main host at front desk was ABSOLUTELY MISERABLE. Stared at everyone like they had 5 heads. Couldn't hear a word she was saying. Made us wait by the desk for 10 mins because she couldn't walk us to our table, a different host had to that was no where to be found? It would have taken her 1 minute to seat us. Was so put off by her attitude. Watched multiple other parties also be confused by her vibe. You can't put your worst employee at the front desk for first impressions...? A waiter (not ours) made weird comments to us when we were walking to our table about needing to pay extra for a "good seat"... i guess he was trying to make a joke but came off very rude. Mussels made me sick after eating, and i have an iron stomach. Food lacked flavor and was overpriced. Who is the chef? Who are their food suppliers? Who trains the hosts? How could a high traffic restaurant in the suburbs be SO bad?? Yikes.

Came here today for a bridal shower luncheon. I remember years ago being at Rats and considering it a special, albeit pricey, treat as the setting is inventive and the food was good. Not today! Portions were almost microscopic, and the salmon was not fresh. Service was pleasant, but food was disgraceful. I felt embarrassed for my hosts.

Lovely setting and facility. That is where the favorable rating ends. Food, awful. Medium-well burgers ordered. Received first plates and the twin burgers were virtually raw with red juice driping onto ciabatta roll. Asked for return for the burgers to be cooked as ordered. Restaurant manager delivered (unsolicited) cheese platter with apologies, assuring us the executive chef was overseeing our order and it would be straightened out quickly. Another 20+ minutes later replacement burgers were served to us. The burgers themselves were cooked longer (likely close to medium), but were so greasy the roll again was acting as a sponge instead of a roll for the burgers. This was one of the most disgusting food presentations we have ever received. Notably, the party of 4 next to us seemed to be experiencing the same thing.... 2 undercooked burgers and 1 undercooked chicken on a salad. Waitstaff asked how everything was and walked away prior to hearing the patrons responses. We could hear the neighboring patrons noting the waiter apparently did not want to hear their responses. 5 people out of 6 at 2 tables lunch time yesterday. Very disappointing.

It's so amazing restaurant in New Jersey. I recommend everyone has to come here! It's Very nice view nice service. I order onions soup so delicious and Waffle is so good . we'll be right back!

Decided to go here for my 54th birthday...big mastake. Outside seating was nice and the visits from the ducks made it even better. Then the food arrived which was absolutely shameful and had not one single redeeming quality. Cheese platter arrived with stale bread. I ordered their French Dip sandwich which had no taste whatsoever. I was grateful for the small cup of salt the waiter provided upon request. I used almost half of it to bring my sandwich and the raw potatoes to life. Regarding overall food quality, this was hands down the worst meal I've ever been served in any restaurant anywhere on earth (22 countries as of this post). Lastly, we brought our own wine that were saving for a special occasion and were surprised by their $35.00 uncorking fee!