Garlic Rose Bistro — Restaurant in Cranford

4 1/2 stars

I didn't realize I'd brought my Dentyne Ice with me into the restaurant, but it was nice to have on my way out. Garlic Rose has been on my radar for literally years; they had a location in Madison that a few of my friends really liked back in the day, and while I don't have a strong opinion about garlic one way or the other, it seemed like a unique option. The Millennial Chum and I came here for dinner last night; Cranford is a "meet in the middle" area for us, so the timing was finally right for this one. Despite having to rely on the Parkway on a Friday night, both of us showed up uneventfully and were able to secure parking nearby. I parked on the street about a block away and had to pay $0.25 for half an hour of parking before the paid parking situation in Cranford expired - in this inflationary environment, I'll take it.

We made a reservation for 5:45pm. It was pretty empty when we showed up but considerably more crowded by the end, so it probably wasn't necessary but I never see a downside if that's an option. It's a pleasant interior; there ARE white tablecloths, but it still maintained a pretty casual vibe. I was in nicer jeans and didn't feel like I was being naughty.

I loved the way they handled the free bread situation here. The waiter placed a basket with two small rolls, along with roasted garlic to spread (that's a new one for me) and what seemed to be a well seasoned pesto-type dipping sauce. Initially the Millennial Chum was ruffled that we only had two small rolls to share, but it was clear that the basket would be immediately refilled, and the smaller portions prevented us from going nuts and filling up too much before the entrees showed up. Genius if you can keep a close eye on the bread inventory. The garlic and pesto-like sauce were delicious; each was excellent in their own right but I started combining them with my bread and really went to town.

I'd accidentally had some dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets earlier in the day, so pasta seemed like the way to go. I opted for the Cheese Ravioli w/ Vodka Sauce (the website says $23 but I think this was around $25 or $26). Generous serving, and very good. As you'd expect, there was garlic involved but honestly the flavor itself was so subtle that I wouldn't have even known except for the visible garlic chunks in the sauce. That might be my big takeaway for the masses considering stopping by here - there IS a lot of garlic but it's not overpowering in any way, shape or form. The Millennial Chum had the Harvest Chicken and was very content with that, sending it viral almost immediately via her vast social media talents.

The only slight ding I can give this place is that the one dessert I was genuinely interested in sampling, the garlic ice cream, was unavailable. Early on a Friday night, that seemed like a bit of an unforced error but obviously I don't know the background on why that particular item wasn't on the premises. The upside is that because i wasn't feeling the other desserts, I saved a few calories in the long run. I nibbled on the Millennial Chum's Rocky Road (the manager, I believe, stopped by right after she ordered it to tell her it had nuts, which makes me think a ton of people have ignorantly requested it not knowing what makes it Rocky, but I digress).

The service was excellent. Our waiter was friendly, engaging and attentive. I can't speak for all females, but I'll take Miss over Ma'am any day, so hopefully he keeps up the excellent work in that capacity. Everyone was very pleasant and I'd have no issues going back; I'd be pretty devastated though if I missed out on the Garlic Ice Cream for a...

Probably the first time I’ve ever really written a poor review. This place was pretty strange from my experience.

I’ll start off with positives, interior is nice and clean and the servers are friendly if not a bit overly attentive. Portions are large and the bread they serve before your meal is actually really good.

First off thing strange was the lack of a beer/drinks menu. I was only presented with a wine menu. This resulted in a rather sneakily expensive Peroni which is typically a cheapish beer. The menu items specifically lists “Bell & Evans chicken” implying that their food is either frozen or pre-packed and ready to cook. Which is a valid way to save in covid times. But then charging almost $25 for that same entree? A bit strange. Bread comes out with a whole fried (or oil soaked?) head of garlic with garlic parmesan pesto? Kind of strange... I then ordered and asked if I could have mussels in my meal. To which the server says she needs to ask not the chef but the owner? The owner then comes to me and says that “Our mussels come in a 1lb bag so this portion would be too much for just one dish. You could maybe order the pasta and then the mussels (trying to drive my bill up i see) or you could just order the pasta.” I’ve been in the restaurant “biz” and cook quite a bit myself and have family members who run restaurants. It’s very odd to first come explain why you cannot offer something but then give such a strange explanation? My friend, you only have to steam as many mussels as you wish to cook in the dish... Anyway, when my house salad came out it was in a comically small bar-mix bowl with chopped romaine and carrot shavings. No big deal that was free. My chicken and pasta dish comes out swimming in oil but lacking the anchovies I’d asked for. The food was decent though but not worth the price (i’ll get to that) I asked if there was a desert menu (which was verbal) so my tiramisu came out which was very obviously store bought. No biggie. It was alright. the check comes and it was $41. A middle of the road beer, a mediocre plate of chopped up chicken and pasta and little cup of tiramisu was $41. This restaurant was very old school and very obviously needs some updating to either where they source their product or how they serve it because the price...

Garlic Rose Bistro isn't a bar. It is an innovative cuisine restaurant featuring many different dishes which use garlic as one of the ingredients.

It has a bar, which services the bistro patrons during their meals. The bar is not a social hangout as found in chains like Applebee's or TGI Friday's.

Garlic Rose is our favorite affordable upscale gourmet restaurant in Cranford. The service is excellent! If you aren't a big fan of garlic, just ask your waiter. He will have chef moderate the amount of garlic to taste or prepare the order with no garlic at all.

While Garlic Rose is sensitive to all food allergy special needs, they are NOT a choice for those observing vegan diets. There aren't any vegan choices on the menu.

Garlic Rose does do small parties of 30 or less in their front dining area. For larger groups they have a special dining room located downstairs below street level.

They offer three different choices of party menus increasing in price by the number of entrées, appetizers and salad or pasta dishes included.

Garlic Rose is where we held our mom's 100th Birthday Celebration. All the locals in Cranford and nearby towns give this bistro high ratings.

Note: The main dining room is at street level and is handicap accessible from a front street entrance and a rear public (pay) parking lot entrance.

The lower banquet room is only accessible by stairs. This is important if you are planning a party larger than 30 people as the lower room is the only space available for a greater...