Parkside Eats — Restaurant in Metuchen

We didn’t even get a chance to taste the food because we ended up walking out because of the terribly slow service. Came here on a Sunday morning for brunch, it wasn’t even packed around 10 AM. There was one family at a table other than us. When we walked in, unlike most restaurants where a waiter/host will greet, take you to a table, and ask if you want anything to drink while you look at the menu, we had to ring a bell at the front desk to call someone over because no one was there, only be told to find our own seat. We took a seat and scanned the QR code for the menu as we waited for a waiter to come and take our order. The small family sitting at the booth were waiting for their food before we came and ended up waiting quite a while after we even took our seats. I don’t know what the staffing is like here, but the one waiter kept bringing each of their order one by one. One cup at a time, one plate at a time it felt like the order was never going to end and it wasn’t even a big group. I’ve never seen such service in my life, and I’ve eaten many restaurants. I ended up going to the front desk to ask if someone was going to take our order or if we had to place it at the desk, the guy sent us back to our seats and told us to wait, he will be over soon which he never came. We sat there for about 20 minutes, waiting for order to be taken while people continue to walk in. The people who were there before all of us didn’t completely even get their meals. Considering the time it will take for a waiter to come take our order and the time it will take for food to be ready we couldn’t wait any longer and ended up leaving to go to another brunch restaurant in downtown Metuchen I would not be returning, which is sad because the pictures of the food look great, but we didn’t get the opportunity to taste it because of the...

I can’t rate the food so this review is for service only. I actually changed my mind last minute because initially I was going to patronize another local brunch spot but I really liked the menu for Parkside. I called to inquire about making a reservation later in the morning for a party of 8, as I was looking to celebrate my birthday brunch. The man who answered the phone seemed decent enough but I found it odd that he did not take my contact info for a reservation, saying, “we’ll see you at 11:30.” That red flag should have been enough, but still I called back maybe 10 minutes later and had to prompt him to take my name and number. We got that sorted and I arrived with my family. Immediately, it felt like we were bothering the employees. We were not greeted kindly and there was an air of reluctance in getting our table set up. We finally sit down next to the rowdiest group of people, who were slinging profanity, laughing obnoxiously and just generally acting unpleasant. I’m not a prude by any stretch but please try to have some decorum in public. It’s not even noon and this place doesn’t serve booze, what was the reason??

We all tried to make the best of it by studying the menu since we couldn’t even have a conversation due to the other group but when a server had not arrived after 10 minutes to take any orders, we called it quits. We already felt unwelcome and our feelings were validated because as we were walking out, we encountered one of the hostesses/servers on her way out to the patio and there was not even an inquiry from her as to why we were leaving. She couldn’t be happier. And honestly I’m glad I did not spend...

Likes-

Food: Definitely an A for the food. Small portions big flavors. Recommendations- Ube Float, Pandan Waffle (so good), P.S Grits, Korean Fire Wings.

Options: There's something for everyone. There's a bit of Korean influence in a lot of dishes, little bit of Mexico and Central American flavor profiles, with a smidge of Southern Comfort in cooking techniques and rustic stylings.

What Could Use Some Improvement-

Layout: The place is small so I give them credit for fitting 9 tables in the space, but the layout is awkward and seats are uncomfortable to sit in. Invest in some padding for the bottom and chair backs and/or chairs with armrest. The ergonomics of tying to eat comfort foods in an uncomfortable sitting position is not fun.

Food preparation timings: Our side dishes came out a lot earlier than our mains and they needed to be reheated. When you know there's different cook times for things try to make the item that takes the longest first and then the shorter options. I do sympathize with the small kitchen and do realize how much work goes into preparation, but I do think some efficiency changes can be done.

Pricing: I do think they're a little overpriced on some items, especially the empanadas. $15 for 3 tiny pastries is highway robbery.

Overall a solid 4.275 outta...