The Shepherd & the Knucklehead of Haledon, NJ
| Address: | 529 Belmont Ave, Haledon, NJ 07508, USA |
| Phone: | +1 973-942-8666 |
| Site: | theshepnj.com |
| Rating: | 4.6 |
| Working: | 12PM–1:45AM 12PM–1:45AM 12PM–1:45AM 12PM–1:45AM 12PM–1:45AM 12PM–1:45AM 12PM–1:45AM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
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Tyler Lund
Very good beer selection and great food, though clientele can be a bit "townie" at times. We ate dinner at the Shep at the recommendation of "Real Housewife of NJ" "star" Caroline Manzo and actually really liked the place for dinner. Their big claim to fame is the vast selection of craft beer on tap, 60 taps, which seemed to puzzle most of our fellow patrons as they didnt have bud light or Sam Adams. Being huge craft beer fans ourselves, we were in heaven. They had a few German beers as well which suited my wife well while I was drawn to the huge array of New England craft beer. From a beer selection standpoint, you cant go wrong here as they have several beers to suit any taste. I was also impressed by their California wine selection, though we didnt try any as beer is definitely their strong point. We began in the steakhouse, which is an intimate, casual trendy setting. Their menu is fairly small, but has a pretty vast array of choices. We passed on the appetizers, but will definitely be back for the pork poutine fries and chorizo tacos. We instead went for the burger and the deep fried Poussin. The burger was very well cooked, and definitely of a fine cut of meat. The bun also stood out as it was not your typical run of the mill soggy hamburger bun. I also liked the bacon and fried egg it came with. The fries were absolutely off the scale. Nice chunky homemade fries seasoned greatly, Id come back for just these. The deep fried chicken was also very good. I wasnt hugely impressed by the initial presentation with a giant fried half bird on my plate with an odd cube of corn bread and a small dab of chutney, but once I crushed the fried shell on the chicken I was in love. The chutney seemed to continue to expand and mix in perfectly with the fried shell and underneath, the chicken was cooked to perfection, somehow still juicy. The corn bread, though it looked quite dry, was actually very well done and soaked up the chutney exquisitely. The best part was how well the beer we picked paired with each of our dishes. I believe they will also help with this, which we might try next time as we happened to accidentally guess well. After dinner, we moved over to the bar half and were a little less impressed. I dont know if it was the time of day or we were just unlucky, but the patrons seemed very strange and turned us off a bit. The beer selection in the bar part was even better, this is where the 60 taps are. the staff was very nice and attentive though. I think we would have had a much better impression here if we didnt happen to come at the same time as some weirdos and were definitely willing to give it another chance. As a place for dinner though, I would recommend it highly.I think as they are current experiencing growing pains, the restaurant portion is pretty new, and they were more known as a college bar, they are working out some kinks. You have to look past the area and the outside as this is really a pretty upscale (though not expensive) treasure in northern New Jersey.
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Kyle Mastro
Right away lets all acknowledge that this is possibly the best name for a bar ever. Also we should further acknowledge that a cool name alone is not a reason to visit an establishment. HOWEVER, in this case, the cool name is backed up by one of the best bars/dining experiences in New Jersey. The Food Simply put, the food is simple bar fare, but extremely delicious. My fiancee and I each had a burger and agreed it was one of the best wed had in a long while. This is due in no small part to the beef, that carries the kind of intense, satisfying flavor one only finds in really fresh beef. Additionally the fries were RIDICULOUSLY GOOD. Finally, the appetizer menu includes a huge, Delicious German pretzel that goes great with the their beer. Beer The beer in this place is a reason to go by itself. They have a shocking number of taps, and its good stuff. Youll find a number of taps from quality microbreweries. I found the selection to be reflective of some who has excellent taste in beer. Personally I indulged in a tap of the Anderson Valley Summer Solstice and Brother David Ale, both were wonderful and Ill note its hard to find this brewery on tap. Ambiance This place is clean and without frills. Personally I loved it!!! Dont get me wrong, it wont impress you with the decor, but thats not its goal. Rather this place succeeds in impressing you with its awesome food and great brews. You can sit back, relax and enjoy a great evening. While this definitely has a bar element, we were there on a friday night and its was rather noiseless. Shockingly this place wasnt filled with the typical loud, obnoxious bros ones come to expect in such establishments. Service Let me be clear, I hate to say a place is good in every category, it just seems to fanboy. But I have to give credit where its due: the service was excellent. The waiters and waitresses with whom we interacted (curiously we interacted with a total of 3) were all extremely friendly and seemed really genuine. Its a good atmosphere and it shows in the waitstaff. Price: Very fair . . . that is all. Overall: There are alot of places that do good bar fare, but the Knucklehead does it better than nearly anyone. Do yourself a favor and drop in for a burger and beer.
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Mike Magda
The Star Ledger gave them the title as the best Craft Beer Bar in NJ and I certainly believe they can take the reigns. Cloverleaf Tavern is certainly a great alternative, but I feel the Shepherd & the Knucklehead had a better selection. Here, they had just about 90 beer taps all neatly broken down into the types of beer they are. So many options for across the state plus beers across the country. It is really hard to sit down and just pick a few beers that you want because all the sought after beers are available here. I cannot comment on the lunch/dinner options as I only had an appetizer, but I can say they had the best Bavarian pretzel that I have ever had. Extremely soft, good portion, and delicious beer cheese to go with it. Overall, the pub area is not very large. Just about 12 chairs along the bar and 4 booths, but it does expand into a bigger area where the restaurant is. I will certainly be coming back here.
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Stefan Waldron
My fiance and I had our wedding rehearsal dinner in April 2016 at the Shepard and the Knucklehead and we were very pleased! The food and service was amazing and the owners gave us amazing prices! They let us use pretty much the whole dining area for our rehearsal which was great since we had about 25 people. The pub was the perfect place for our rehearsal dinner because we wanted something fun and different for our rehearsal. Our wedding party also really liked the food and the location of our rehearsal dinner. We definitely recommend the Shepard and the Knucklehead for any type of rehearsal dinner for weddings, or any type of occasion. The Shepard and the Knucklehead went above and beyond to make our experience there memorable and fun! Beth and Stefan
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Michael Szorentini
I Love this place!! The beer selection is unsurpassed in the NYC area. 90 crafts beers on tap!! NO mass produced "water with a head" beers here. Their menu keeps getting better. They recently switched to all homemade products and the chef is producing some very interesting and delicious items. The burgers are great, as are the Asian style wings. The pulled pork is tender and loaded with flavor. The nachos are a great choice as a starter. Chris, the owner, is great. Joe, his son, knows his beers. Ask for them when you visit. Caesar, the head server always has a smile and is very helpful. The Shepard.and the Knucklehead should be near the top of your list to visit in the near future, especially if you are looking to try out some great beers.
