Red Oak Diner & Lounge

Reviews 5

JO

Joseph Pennacchia

Where should I begin? Just returned from here after "dinner" though, Id call it a mistake. The diner was good, ONCE, but as many people will tell you, as of late it just plain stinks. I had the "Cuban Burger" and it was bland, thinking back to when I was in the hospital, my week of food there had more flavor and taste. The Miss had a "Vashey Sandwich" and again, no taste at all and I would not suggest either. The fries were soggy and tasteless as well as the soda. "Pickles and coleslaw upon request" will have you end up with three pickle chips, no flavor, and a small watery cup of shredded greens that will not resemble a coleslaw. The real request should be for them to get the real stuff, at least a warning of bland and meager offerings. The Matzah Ball Soup was OK, and thankfully did not spend a dime on an App or dessert. The waiter, who never introduced himself, suggested a special or asked how we were, quickly made his way through the process. He never asked once how the food was as his conversation with coworkers was more important, then only returned at the end to suggest a coffee or dessert, but I quickly asked for the check, which brandished his name finally. Our four year old son was with us also, though his drink was given in an adult cup, without the offer of a kids cup. Before most reading this react, we asked for one, but that request was denied. The entertainment? A muted game of football, the female wait staff sitting at the counter screaming and carrying on about the male staff, as I recall one bragging about giving one a ride, multiple sentences of cursing and pure "street" attitude, without us forgetting the 50+ year old male worker getting ready to leave, but instead stuck around to brag about his money, hours worked and The Grammy Awards, as if the young kids cared, as they quickly continued to bad-mouth him once he exited. To say the least, foul language and careless staff fill the night shift. My fiance and I have backgrounds in food service and retail, but thankfully worked our way into the careers we wanted, we are in our 20s and know the many basics of "what to do" & "what not to do" while working, especially in the dining setting. They all failed. Upon paying the bill and leaving, the female worker who checked us out did not bother either, leaving us waiting for the all mighty question; "How was everything?" and "Hope to see you soon." but asked nothing, just wanting us to pay and leave, just unprofessional. She quickly scanned our check and moved on back to her cell phone. We will be calling to speak with a manager, hopefully they will see the many errors to be fixed and take care of these manners quickly. On a positive note, the breakfast rush is decent and never had a problem. The staff must know the food is terrible, especially since nobody asked how anything was. Other than that, well stick to the original plan and eat elsewhere next time.

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UH

Uhm Noahhh

Gross, Overpriced, gross, overpriced. Went there yesterday (Sunday, 2-23-14) as I was doing a job in Holmdel and figured Id give it another try after going there a few months ago and having a decent ($6.00) plate of eggs.... Yeah, $5.99 for a plate of eggs.... The same thing you get at ANY diner in America for $3.99. So, I decided Id come with a coworker for a quick take-out lunch as we had to get back to our job site. I will say, the food was out quick, but it was outrageously awful. $7.99+tax ($8.55) for like 4 extremely small chicken strips that tasted fishy. The portion must have weighed 5 or 6 ounces. When they handed me the bag, I opened the take out container and nearly fell on the floor after seeing such a ridiculously small portion for close to nine dollars. Unacceptable. So my coworker got a $9.99 Chicken Cheesesteak. As it is $9.99 is already laughable for a small chicken cheesesteak. Added bacon to it- $1.50, what a joke. Just under THIRTEEN DOLLARS with tax for a bland chicken cheesesteak. Never again. Never. Never. I debated contacting the management online or via telephone to try and either get a refund, or maybe a replacement meal on the house but Ill just write this off. EDIT: I forgot to mention the staff who worked at the front counter- hot little woman, but big attitude. She needs to calm down and stop banging on the damn screen when inputting orders.

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MA

Marie DeMarco

My family and I were there about a year ago, and had to walk out after ordering and receiving Sunday brunch. There were flies floating around the salad, the chicken strips for our children were undercooked and pink on the inside, the coffee was cold and the floor was dirty and sticky. We absolutely did not finish the meal, and asked to see the Manager. He apologized and gave us a coupon for free complimentary meals, but we never used them. Last Saturday I decided I wanted to try the place again only to find again there were fruit flies/or gnats flying around my meal. I ordered the hot roast beef sandwich on garlic bread, which came with fries and gravy. The roast beef was ok, however, the gravy was cold, seasonless and lumpy. The fries had a taste of much-reused-oil. The flies were really annoying and made me wonder if they were here at the booth I was in, what was the kitchen like? ALSO....I was in one of the front booths facing Rt 35 and as I looked out the window, the blinds were down and they were filthy. They were greasy with tons of food stains on them. For an EXTREMELY VISIBLE Diner right on Rt 35 at a VERY busy location Its amazing to me how they cannot take care of the place better. Holy Moly, I will never ever go there again. VERY disappointing

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NA

Natalie Norman

10/17/2013 One word: Dirty-- This diner used to be really good until recently. My last 2 dining experiences were not enjoyable (to say the least) Had lunch there in August and spent the hour waving off flying bugs. October 16th had lunch and was given dirty utensils (twice) The second set appeared to have not been washed at all. With that, lost appetite and left (without paying bill as we did not eat what was ordered) Needless to say I will not be going back there [ever]. And based on several of the other reviews, neither will others: i.e. Robert M. 10/1/2013- The Red Oak used to be our favorite diner until my wife spit out a cockroach that was in her omelet! Now we know as gross as that is that it does happen but the response from the waitress when we told her was, honest to GOD, "thank you for not making a scene because last week a woman found a roach in her food and started screaming at the top of her lungs"!!! Uh really...how about getting a better exterminator? The manager didnt make us pay and thanked us for not making a scene! I will never step foot in that place again!

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BE

Bettie Page

Extremely disappointed. Havent been to the Red Oak in a few years, but they used to always be a great place to go and get really good diner food. Unfortunately, today was not one of those times. Called in an order to go and it was ready when I arrived and the staff was friendly too, so that gets them one star. However, when I got home I discovered one of the meals I ordered wasnt what I ordered even thought the receipt was correct and I wasnt about to drive all the way back there in a thunderstorm (started right after I walked in the door to my house). That aside, what we did get was mediocre at best. The Red Oak Sandwich is similar to something that I get at another local restaurant, but was NOTHING like it. The bread was stale, the chicken was tough and bland, and there were supposed to be fried onions on it, but I didnt see any. The Mexicali burger was also nothing to write home about. All-in-all, for a place that is now under new management I think the old managers need to return because when they were there the food was great. Now, not so much. Wont be going back.

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