American Dream — Attraction in East Rutherford

⭐ 3 out of 5 stars

The American Dream Mall is visually impressive and packed with potential—especially for families. Many stores are interactive and fun for kids. That said, our visit (on a regular Thursday night in the summer) left us frustrated and disappointed in several key areas: navigation, cleanliness, service, and overall comfort.

🚗 Getting There Is Surprisingly Frustrating Even with the giant Ferris wheel clearly visible, I ended up driving 20 minutes out of the way after missing the proper exit. Signage is sparse or hidden—there are more signs for the nearby arena than the mall itself. You really have to be watching closely or you’ll miss it.

🅿️ Parking Is Pay-to-Park, No Tech Some spots are paid, and there’s no digital system to show which are available. For such a modern destination, that feels out of step.

🧼 Cleanliness – Below Basic Standards This was a non-holiday weekday, yet:

The kosher handwashing area (netilas yadayim) had three sinks with negel vasser cups, one of which was stuffed with paper towels, and none of the dispensers were stocked.

The kosher food court tables were dirty, with trash and trays left unattended.

No visible cleaning staff were present the entire time we were there. We cleaned up after ourselves, but most others didn’t—and no one was maintaining the space.

🛡️ No Visible Security Presence Though the mall is known for tight security, I didn’t see a single uniformed guard anywhere in the food court or mall commons. I assume they were present somewhere, but they weren’t visible.

🍽️ Kosher Food Court (Level 3) – A Disappointing Experience Marketed as the first fully kosher food court in NJ (maybe even the U.S.), I had high hopes. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t reflect that promise.

Vendors included:

Chickies (which we know and enjoy from Teaneck, so we skipped it)

Pizza Roma (looked great—we’ll try it next time)

Falafel and Chips – our choice, and a disappointment

For over $65, we received:

Stale, hard pita

Warm hummus

Wilted salad The employee seemed overheated and frustrated. No order alert system—just guess and ask. The kiosk is convenient, but service after ordering was lacking.

Michael the manager was very kind and helpful, despite sweating heavily in the stifling heat. He graciously offered a refill on our tiny, non-refillable fountain drink—which helped, but every non-kosher vendor in the mall offered large, refillable cups. That difference is hard to ignore.

🥶 Ice Rink Noise While eating, nearby rink staff were breaking and shoveling ice—very loud banging and scraping made it difficult to relax or talk. It was almost ironic—listening to crashing ice while it felt 105°F inside. Probably rare, but better if done after hours.

🗺️ Navigation Is Not Intuitive Touchscreen directories didn’t help much, and I couldn’t find the mall app despite trying. Even once inside, it’s easy to get lost.

🐶 Dog-Friendly – A Big Plus One major highlight: dogs are allowed in the mall! We didn’t know that, and as dog owners, we were thrilled. Next time, we plan to bring our dog along for date night. Huge plus for pet-friendly policy.

✅ There are other kosher food options not located on Level 3, which we plan to try next time. They seem more like fast-casual snacks and may offer a better experience.

🪑 Plenty of Seating — But Stark Contrasts To be fair, seating was not a problem—there were ample places to sit. But what stood out immediately was the contrast between the kosher and non-kosher dining areas. The non-kosher kiosks were beautifully designed, clean, and offered a wide variety of modern, exciting food options. By contrast, the kosher section felt tired, cramped, and unevenly maintained, with very different service standards.

I’m remiss to write a negative review, as the family behind the mall is known for philanthropy and for building beautiful spaces. And yes, the mall itself is beautiful.

But I simply had higher expectations for the American Dream Mall, especially for the kosher experience. I don’t understand why, for those who keep...

While I generally love the American Dream Mall, and its offerings, there’s a lot of room for improvements. A lot of improvements start with the right hires.

This review is going to cover all that needs to be addressed.

Hi im Diana. I have a background in marketing strategy, IT, developing new processes, and sales with a proven track record of executing data-driven campaigns that drive engagement, brand awareness, and revenue growth.

Let’s unpack the American Dream Mall together.

RIDE-SHARE Too many people are mistaken where ride-share is located. Level 1 for a driver is ground floor for the customer. There’s no signage to help others out. Often I find myself guiding and helping whenever I can. A huge time waster!

PARKING The parking lots are not user friendly at all. I’m big into UX design. The majority of the human population are simple minded. It doesn’t matter if it’s a website or an establishment. Design for the audience in mind. Simplify the establishment, the parking, and all of its processes.

Be aware parking deck B is confusing to get to. It is a well kept secret spot no one wants to really let you in on. Parking deck C has an outrageous amount of bumps without clarified signage of the warning. You could be driving well under 10 mph and hit one suddenly. It would help to see them, but they’re not visible to the naked eye.

PARKING PRICE When I first became a patron of the American Dream Mall, in 2023, the parking lot allowed an hour free of parking before getting charged $5. Then in 2024 it became 30 minutes free and $5.33. Now as of March 2025 it became 15 minutes free. I think we all know what’s coming next.

I have friends who work within the mall and they did not know of the recent parking change. They’ve been employed there for many years. If the employees don’t know how are the guests supposed to know? Big mistake! Thats a communication transparency error. Without external stakeholders you have no business.

Just one little sign out front and a website edit? For a mall of this size that’s not a good look. Social media is just 1 communication channel. It should not be the primary one.

Unfortunately, the parking attendants & customer service are the rudest ones I’ve ever encountered. It’s hard to be nice to someone who is constantly giving you an attitude.

God forbid someone needs to stop by the mall just to use the bathroom, there’s nothing else in the area that allows me to do that AND be safe as a female. It takes up to 15 minutes to park on a weekday. On a weekend you’d be lucky to find one within 30-45 minutes. It’s a nightmare to park here on weekends!

Be aware the price & time to park get hiked up even more on game days. If you want the parking back at a regular price you have to spend an X amount of money or get your parking ticket validated at one of the experiences.

ITS NOT ALL BAD It’s really not. I honestly would argue that the American Dream Mall is the best place to host a plethora of events, and already has which is how I know it is on people’s radar. It has the security aspect, it’s easy to get to, has a parking lot, plenty of space, foot traffic during key seasons play a huge role, and a lot of activities and shops to offer questions outside of events. Why have NYC be the go-to destination of events when the mall literally IS better. American Dream is also home to the ONLY indoor snow dome in America. It’s also pretty decently well-kept for a mall. But I’m giving the MALL a review not the singular establishments within it.

ALL IN ALL While the establishments inside are cool, the one that houses them has to do better, in my opinion. If you want to read more reviews about the establishments within the American Dream, I have a few under my belt already. Overall, they get a 3.5 stars out of 5. But they don’t deserve a full 4. I’m picky...

AMERICAN DREAM OR AMERICAN NIGHTMARE?

Review of American Dream Mall – A Decorated Disappointment

I came to the American Dream Mall with high expectations, drawn in by the impressive variety of stores and the eye-catching decor — and those were, to be fair, the only highlights of my visit. The rest of the experience was nothing short of frustrating, chaotic, and deeply disappointing.

A NOISE NIGHTMARE From the moment I arrived, the overwhelming noise level made it hard to think, let alone relax. Nothing seems to be done to absorb or reduce the sound, making conversations — even with staff — nearly impossible. It felt like being stuck in a loud, echoing stadium the entire time.

HYGIENE: ALMOST NON-EXISTENT The food court was filthy. Tables were left dirty for hours. I personally witnessed a staff member using the same rag with no detergent!!! from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., wiping every surface without any visible effort to clean properly. The floor was just as bad — littered, sticky, neglected. It gave the impression that hygiene is not a priority here, which is unacceptable in such a high-traffic environment.

PARKING DISASTER Trying to leave the mall at 5 p.m. turned into a nightmare because of a nearby game. Traffic came to a complete standstill, and cars couldn’t exit for hours. I was effectively trapped in the parking lot until 8 p.m. — no movement, no communication, no staff direction. To make it worse, the parking system tried to charge me $71, even though I couldn't leave. The line at customer service had at least 50 angry customers, and there was only one employee for the entire mall handling complaints. The issue was obviously known and recurring, yet no proactive solution was in place. The situation was chaotic, dangerous even — I shudder to think what would happen in a real emergency.

THE OREO STORE – A SAD JOKE The Oreo shop was a letdown in every way:

Dirty floors and tables

Understaffed and disorganized

Ridiculously overpriced ($11 for a milkshake)

A handwritten sign on the counter listed everything they were out of, including whipped cream and multiple menu items

And worst of all, you couldn’t even choose your Oreo — in an Oreo store! It felt like a parody of a “tourist trap.”

VACANT STORES & EMPTY PROMISES For a place hyped as a world-class attraction, there were so many empty store units. It gave the impression of a half-finished mall trying hard to pretend everything is fine. It’s not.

Final Verdict: Aside from the décor and store selection, American Dream is a logistical mess, poorly managed, and a disappointing tourist trap. It desperately needs better hygiene standards, noise control, trained staff, parking regulation, and customer service.

Would I return? Not unless major...