Light Horse Tavern — Restaurant in Jersey City

Light Horse Tavern sets the bar on food excellence in Jersey City!

I work nearby and have visited Light Horse Tavern many times for lunch and dinner with co-workers over the years. The restaurant keeps impressing with food quality and its consistency every time we come. Whether it's a large group during a busy lunch rush or just a few of us on a quiet weeknight, Light Horse Tavern never dropped the ball. The food is always fresh, delicious, flavorful, perfectly cooked, and well presented. Thank you Light Horse Tavern team!

I highly recommend Light Horse Tavern if you are looking for top-quality American/European/French cuisine in Jersey City!

Appetizers and Sides Tuna Tartare - perfect, delicious tuna tartare with interesting taste notes and beautiful presentation. French Onion Soup - very good. Close to what you get in France. Roasted Brussel Sprouts - excellent! Crisp, roasted just enough to avoid mushiness, perfectly complemented by shaved melted parmesan. Asparagus - expertly prepared! Crunchy, yet not chewy even at the base of the stalk. Perfectly complemented by shaved parmesan. Poutine - delicious! Certainly not healthy, but so savory, comforting, and satisfying! The portion is large enough to be shared by 2-3 people.

Sandwiches and Burgers Grilled Yellow Fin Tuna Burger - excellent. Tuna was cooked perfectly and wasn't dry at all. French Dip (prime rib sandwich) - delicious! Generous amount of juicy flavorful thinly sliced prime rib in a fresh ciabatta, accompanied by crispy onion rings and au jus sauce. This was a satisfying meal! Fresh Fish Reuben - wow! Yet another amazing taste combo created by LHT! Soft warm poached salmon with melted cheese, sauerkraut, and some dressing between two whole wheat multigrain warm toasts! Accompanied by freshly made crunchy chips, that was sooo gooood! And the portion was generous with no cutting on salmon. Very fulfilling! This is a must try! Rib-Eye Steak Sandwich - another wow! Tender, juicy steak bursting with fresh-off-the-grill flavor, perfectly paired with roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, and a well-balanced dressing. The warm, fresh ciabatta brings it all together. After the first bite, stopping for another photo was nearly impossible. This one is a must-have! Cod Burger - excellent! A warm, rightly-spiced delicious cod patty in a soft, fresh brioche, complemented by just the right amount of tangy tartar, roasted tomato, and crisp frisée, adding a delightful contrast of crunch and subtle bitterness. This was yummy! LHT Burger with Gruyère - the burger was juicy, meaty, and generously portioned. However, compared to other dishes I tried at Light Horse it fell slightly short of expectations. Ordered medium rare, it arrived closer to rare with only the edges seared, resulting in a lack of grill flavor. Gruyère and chipotle mayo on the side were awesome. I’ll give this burger another try. Sea Bass Sandwich with Ciabatta and Chips special - excellent.

Entrees Fresh Cod - it was delicious! Tender, flakey, and flavorful! Crispy Fish & Chips - tasted great and fresh. The fish was so soft though that it was falling apart. Fennel Crusted Salmon - a friend of mine had it, and said it was excellent. Red Wine Risotto (+grilled chicken) - this item is passable. While Boucheron Goat Cheese topping is excellent, the risotto itself is quite tasteless, lacking flavor and expression. Caramelized Mushrooms where hardly present and didn't add any distinct taste. It's not worth $25 imo. Grilled chicken was added for extra $6 and it was excellent and flavorful. Best $ spent :) One piece was juicy, the other - a bit dry, but still good. Arctic Char - WOW! This was out of this world salmon! It was so juicy, soft, and flavorful! One of the best salmon dishes I ever had. Duck Breast du Poivre - perfectly cooked, tender, juicy, delicious! The portion was generous and fulfilling. For the sauce/topping I suggest a slight increase in a sweet accent by adding more pears or...

I came here for brunch early on a Sunday with a friend and our waiter and bartender were rude. They also got our order wrong. We came in around 10:20am (not knowing what time the restaurant opened), as the door was unlocked so we thought they were open. When the hostess finally came up, she sat us but you could tell she was hesitant. We told her we could wait until they opened but she proceeded to seat us anyways which we were grateful for. Our waiter was very rude! After he took our order, he snatched the menu's from the table. He said that he couldn't put our order in until 10:30am, which we said was fine. The entire time, he had an attitude and did not come to check-in on us at all. We ordered the spring omelette and there was only zucchini and cheddar cheese (which is not what the menu says online + on the physical menu). When we asked the waiter about it, he looked confused then proceeded to take one of the plate's back. About two minutes later, this particular waiter brought the same plate back saying that was the spring omelette. The omelette did not include spinach, squash, mushroom or feta (which is what the menu states). We decided to keep the omelette because clearly our waiter was not planning to make it right. The waiter was not apologetic at all and was rude the entire time. The hostess noticed everything that happened and took the menu back to the kitchen. She came back to our table, 10min later to apologize and let us know that they did in fact mess up on the omelette. She proceeded to say that the kitchen staff was new so they are still learning everything on the menu. We appreciated the host for at least caring enough to recognize the mistake and apologize. Our rude waiter did nothing and just had an attitude the entire time. We also noticed the bartender was not very helpful either when we came into the restaurant. Overall, I was really disappointed because this was my first time at this restaurant and I was really looking forward to trying their food especially since they have such good reviews. This could be a complete fluke but I think it's important to at least share my experience so that if in the off chance the restaurant reviews these comments they can correct these mistakes going forward! I am giving a two star because I at least appreciate the hostess for acknowledging the mistake and being willing to help. In terms of the food and waiter, that definitely needs some...

Great spot for a nice meal and one of my go-to's in Paulus Hook. First of all, the atmosphere is great. Light Horse takes up an old space on a corner with huge windows to the street. The space has a lot of character, everywhere you look there's portraits and photos. The layout itself is nice as well, with three separate dining areas - the main area by the bar, an upstairs balcony, as well as a separate second room through a door by the bar. It's a nice, open space. They also have outdoor seating.

I've been here enough times to have gone through quite a bit of their menu, and I haven't had a bad meal yet. In fact, everything I've had has been great.

For appetizers, I usually go with the cured meats board or the artisanal cheese plate. The cured meats board has prosciutto, fennel salami, lonza, nduja, shishito peppers, and caponata while the artisanal cheese plate has red wine walnut bread, marcona almonds, fig jam, and membrillo. The calamari is another solid choice.

As for the entrees, you really can't go wrong here either. When I'm being indecisive, or when I'm craving it, I go for the LHT Burger. In my opinion, the best burger in the neighborhood and perhaps the whole city. It's a no-frills burger, just lettuce, tomato, and chipotle mayo, and it just melts in your mouth.

Their drink selection is solid - lots of beer, wine, and spirits to choose from. Staff is always friendly. They also usually have live music, most often piano and / or strings. Can't ask for much more! For the most part, the prices reflect it's upscale casual vibe but they are not unreasonable at all. When I want to go out for a meal that I know won't disappoint, Light Horse is one of my top choices and I'm sure I'll be here...