Address: | 1 S Orange Ave, South Orange, NJ 07079, USA |
Phone: | +1 973-762-2683 |
Site: | aboverestaurantbar.com |
Rating: | 3.8 |
Working: | 11:30AM–1AM 11:30AM–1AM 11:30AM–1AM 11:30AM–2AM 11:30AM–2AM 11:30AM–2AM 11:30AM–12AM |
MI
Michael Dodge
Summary: Avoid food. Only order drinks. First time here and was looking forward to a great birthday dinner. Started with great drinks on the patio and while the service was slow (party going on upstairs) they were understaffed so we understood the situation. Ordered a bunch of seafood apps (Octopus, Crab&Avocado, and Oysters) friend orders Linguini and clams. Octopus rings looked more like calamari and was not well grilled, doused in balsamic which was the only way the "whatever chewy meat was served" to be eatable. . The oysters were just an overall mistake. Dont do it. Tasted like theyve been sitting in a bath of dirty water for hours prior to being served. The crab and avocado is really what put me over the edge. The crab is not lump crab and is served in a snowball looking ball on top of a ROCK HARD avocado. The crab meat is the only reason I wanted the dish so I wasnt too disappointed with the rock. After our meal I mentioned the inedible component and he kindly said hed take it off the bill. Get the bill and we get a discount of two dollars, he states is the price of the avocado... I couldnt believe it. Been around the block and this was a new one for me, to just get one component taken off the bill- especially where our total bill ended up. Asked for a manager because this obviously got me frustrated. "Manager" came out and barely even looked at me and didnt seem to care. I politely complimented him on the drinks and atmosphere but described the food situation that went down. He quickly stopped me and just talked about the avocado. He then proceeded to argue with me that it was just a garnish and why he only took 2 dollars off the bill. He then proceeded to tell me that I had too much to drink and that was the excuse he gave himself why I was complaining. He obviously saw the check and over the course of an hour and half- had a glass of wine and a martini, hardly enough to accuse anyone of being drunk. Then without any further comments laughed patted me on the back and walked into the bar under his breath saying "get the f**k outta here". My friend and I were speechless. The server came out and apologized as much as he could but unfortunately what else could we do... This was the OWNER of Above who did this. We were both really disappointed to have this kind of experience at Above. We hoped for a great first time but had by far THE WORST restaurant experience weve ever had. Will never be going here again and will make sure anyone I come across will also not patronize Above. How could anyone support a restaurant with an owner not fit to be able to deal with the most important part of the business, the guest.
TU
Tu-Shonda Lake
I have never experienced any place like this ever! My friend and I were served by a disheveled waiter, with lint in his beard, when I brought it to his attention he instantly became annoyed. We were then punished by waiting an hour for our food. To add insult to injury I ordered lamb and was served beef. When i complained the manager came to the table and while texting on his cell phone, he insisted that I was served lamb and proceeds to give a lesson on lamb and how it tastes "different every time it is cooked." He also stated that despite me only taking a bite of the food before sending it back that he was not going to remove it from the bill. Once I insisted that I only took a bite and was shocked and appalled at this behavior he left the table. When he returned he advised that although he would take the lamb off of the bill that the waiter had told him "Id been there before, didnt pay for the food, and left a note." It gets worse: I confronted the waiter who lied. He couldnt come up with a complete story and started to stutter. Seeing that his coworker was drowning in his untruth the unkempt one--follows behind us and starts an argument. At no point did management intervene. They instead smirked and watched from the sidelines. I have never in my life received this type of treatment at any establishment. This staff--from the manager down to the serving staff--lied, humiliated, bullied, and disrespected us. Apparently they are the mafia of the South Orange food establishment; who dont take kindly to complaints. Their goal clearly is not customer service, it is instead to take your money and attempt to make you shut up and eat; and God be with you if you complain. If you are looking for a respectable establishment who cares about their customers and prides themselves on their service then The Above is truly below that standard.
JA
Jay Hiza
I live in South Orange, and shop at Eden, downstairs - my shopping experience has already been great, so when they opened up the restaurant, I was definitely going to try it. By the look of the place, youd expect a top notch dining experience... It looks like a great date spot. Unfortunately, the ambience is about all Above has to offer. The servers are attentive, but not annoyingly so; they do their job, and do it well, and as I mentioned, the decor is really nice. However, their food portions - in relation to the price - are outrageous at least, and offensive at worst. I paid $24 for my (6) lobster ravioli, and while the presentation was nice, the entire dish was under seasoned and bland, and never came close to justifying its price tag. My date went for the lamb burger - something I was very interested in seeing, because I buy the same burgers at the grocery store downstairs for $3.50 for a package of two. Well, her $18 burger came, looked beautiful, and... Just like my ravioli, fell woefully sort of expectations. The burger was dry (lamb should be medium at most, medium rare is best though) and not seasoned at all, other than the herbs that the butcher puts in them downstairs. Ive made the same burgers for my friends and family, and theyve been lightyears better. These days, the only thing I go to Above for is a drink after work. Sitting on the patio is a nice experience on a nice night. Ive had drinks with a few women there, and they always ask why I havent taken them there to eat, and I tell them everything I just described. If I want to pay NYC prices, Ill get on the train and go to the city.
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dsabahtino
The owner of this place is ABSOLUTELY RACIST!!!! He is very DISRESPECTFUL & was very RUDE 2 my party to the point where he called me, my 16 yr old daughter & her friends "CHEAP BITCHES"!!! I couldnt believe he went there! The staff didnt inform us when I made reservations that they charge $2.50 to cut each slice of cake EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDNT PROVIDE THE CAKE! When my sister asked to speak to the owner AFTER WE ALREADY PAID THE BILL IT WAS JUST A CONCERN the waiter just happened to go to the table right across from us where he was conversing with some people. The owners attitude and demeanor was immediately unprofessional where his back was turned to us & proceeded to tell the waiter " OH WELL THATS POLICY" without even turning around or get up and come over to address our concerns. When he finally did come over is when he got really combative and basically told us something that I know for a fact his staff didnt do. It was my daughters birthday & I was completely HORRIFIED when he called us "CHEAP BITCHES" as we were leaving! Ive been here a couple of times and have recommended them to a couple of people but after this Ive called the Better Business Bureau!