Rockwell's Red Lion Restaurant — Restaurant in Elizabeth

We stopped by Rockwell's Red Lion Restaurant truly randomly. We knew we were hungry, we knew we were sick of the places near us so we just looked for something that seemed interesting and headed over.

I haven't been in Elizabeth in years, and last time I went through it was a little rough. The main street area is beautiful now. The parking is excellent, lots of fun little shops. My wife thought it was fantastic and can't wait to go back again.

Now onto the restaurant. Walking in, it very much is an older style of decor. Nothing bad, just older. I kinda found it comforting. There were lots of tables in a smallish dining area and more than one of them seemed to be a big family or friends dinner (8 or more people). The whole atmosphere was really relax and laid back.

The menu isn't giant, but had a lot of choices. We wound up going with a steak (with the French Onion soup) and the Turkey Devonshire (with the crab pepperjack bisque). The food was dynamite. Steak was cooked perfectly, right amount of seasoning. The French Onion Soup was probably the best I ever had. It wasn't just plasticty cheese, it had a lot of flavor to it.

The Turkey Devonshire might have been the star of the show. Huge portion, excellent cheese sauce and plenty of bacon crumbles. You know it's something good when I kept stealing bites of my wife's turkey while I have filet on my plate.

Staff was super friendly. Service isn't necessarily fast. It did take some time for them to take our order and it did take some time for the kitchen to finish the food but, perfectly fine with me. I only care about the food.

Based off that one time, I wouldn't go here if you were trying to catch a movie and had 30 minutes to eat. I don't think that's the point of this place. Those tables of 8+ people? They were seated before us, and still seated when we left. And we ate slowly. Just tables all around us laughing and drinking and having a great time.

That seems to be the trick. If you really want to just sort of relax, take it easy, have a beer, chat with your friends, have some really good food at really reasonable prices... Rockwell's Red Lion is a perfect...

It's been about a month since my latest visit here since I don't live anywhere near Rockwell's but this place has never disappointed me,

Every time I've ate at Rockwell's I've gotten the Jumbo Lump Crab Meat appetizer ($11.95) and I will continue to do so every time I come here. It comes with garlic butter toast points topped with a bountiful amount of jumbo lump crab meat. I live down near Washington DC and I've been eating Maryland blue crabs my entire life, and while I'm not as snobbish about my crab as some are, Rockwell's has great crab for a place 300 miles from saltwater. I definitely recommend it.

The Creamy Pepperjack Crab Soup is ridiculous, even if you don't get anything else on the menu, you really shouldn't miss out on this, it's creamy and crabby with a bit of a kick. They also sell their soups by the pint to-go. ;)

On my most recent visit for my main course I ordered the Duck Black Forest ($24.95) which is half of a semi boneless duck served crisp, glazed with a raspberry and black cherry sauce. There are full cherries in it, and it's sort of like a pie filling on an entree, though I am not complaining at all because it's soo delicious. I may however be a bit partial because I was craving a cherry pie my entire visit in PA so this satisfied that.

Meanwhile everyone else at my table ordered the Veal Rhode Island ($25.95) which should been indicative of how delicious it is. I managed to steal a few bites off someones plate and I was not disappointed. I don't think there's anyway you can go wrong with the combination of veal, crab, and garlic herb butter.

I've tried their crab meat risotto ($7.95) and its honestly such a fantastic side dish very creamy and delightfully crabby, not to mention a generous portion.

TL;DR: Rockwell's is really great, a bit more pricey than other places in the area, but I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for a special night out or a...

An all around fantastic experience! I've lived in the East suburbs for 50 years and had never heard of this place. We were passing through Elizabeth today and happened upon it...and so glad we did! Complete upscale experience with zero drawbacks. Very nice atmosphere, and though we had no reservations, they were able to accommodate us immediately. The menu is expansive in its options and it was difficult to limit what we wished to try. I started with the jumbo lump crab on toast points followed with a cup of pepper jack cheese crab soup and my wife chose the Asian shrimp tacos. The appetizers and bar beverages were all delivered in very short order which is a refreshing change from what we generally experience elsewhere. We could easily have made a meal of the the appetizers alone as the portions were generous and the flavors were uniquely complimentary. I chose a handheld entrée in the form of a daily special burger featuring caramelized onions, mushrooms, and provolone. My wife chose the pecan cranberry salmon dinner. The burger was cooked exactly to order (medium rare) and was absolutely packed with flavor. My wife's salmon dinner was well plated and prepared with a delicious combination of diced pecans and berries in a rich heavy sauce. Our server, Ashley, was a brilliant ray of sunshine in an otherwise (usually) dismal industry. She was helpful, informative, thorough, and spot on with every aspect of our service. The food here is absolutely amazing and I wish I had known about it sooner. That said, we shall certainly be...