Library IV — Restaurant in Monroe Township

I want to start off by saying that this is a review on MY personal experience and MY taste buds. Please go and experience it yourself.

With that being said, let's start the review.

We just moved into Mantua, New Jersey from North East Philly and heard about "Library" from Friends and family. About how good the food was. So me, my wife and 2 boy decided to celebrate my wife's birthday there this Sunday. Just the 4 of us.

But the only good part of the experience was the hospitality. Everyone was very friendly and my waiter was AMAZING! She explained the menu to us and did not seem annoyed by my questions. She also always had our cups filled and was asking us periodically how everything was going.

They also set us next to a electric fireplace and that was nice. But that's as far has my good experience goes.

When it came to the place, it had a smell to it. It wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. But if I had to explain, it smelled like a retirement home when you first walk in.

When it comes to the food. IT WAS NOT Werth THE PRICE! It tastes like normal dinner food. But the price of a high quality establishment. Don't get me wrong. The interior looks nice and the food looks delicious......but it wasn't, it wasn't AT ALL! This is a perfect example of "LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING". My wife steak was a 16oz and it cost $39. Not including the mushroom topping. The steak tastes bland. As a matter of fact, It tasted like the water that it was sitting on. No flavor, just color. My wife needed the A1 sauce to help give some flavor and honestly, I should never have to put A1 sauce on a $39 steak. The on positive I'll give the steak is how tender the meat was. But I believe that due to the type of cut we got. Not the cook.

I got ribs and chicken combo, smothered in barbecue sauce. When I got my rip, they tasted like reheated pork meat. Super dry. So dry that not even the barbecue sauce they had on it could give it moisture. Luckily or unluckily my wife convinced me to return the ribs. The waiter was super nice and they bring it back and sent me a new one. But tell me why the new rack of rips look dryer than the one I sent back. At that point my family was just about done with there meals and I just ask them to put my rips into a to-go plate and left. But the chicken and fries was good.

My kids didn't like there food either so.............ya.

Overall. When it comes to good food, I'll pay whatever there asking. As long as it's worth it. But this place is just not worth the money.

This was a huge disappointment. Everyone was telling us how good this place was, and maybe it was at one point. But not anymore. All you have to do is read other people's reviews here and it...

I really debated leaving this review as we have always enjoyed the place. However, since I'm still angry about our latest experience over two weeks later, I just can't let it go. First off, our waitress (a woman who has over 20 years of experience at this establishment) was very inattentive. After getting our drinks and taking our order she never returned to our table. I needed a refill on my drink right after our food arrived. I placed my cup at the edge of the table and I was nearly done my meal the time she got me one. Mind you, she walked by several times but didn't get the drink. Granted, it was busy but with over 20yrs of experience you'd think she would know how to manage her tables better. She also seemed to have plenty of time for her other tables but for some reason we were ignored. Keep in mind she had to walk by our table to get to her other tables. I also didn't receive the Berniase sauce I asked for it since she never stopped back at our table to check on us I was unable to ask again. Secondly, I ordered surf and turf and my husband ordered a ribeye. I was shocked when the poor excuse for a ribeye was served. It was served on a plate so full of au jus that with every cut there was a risk of splashing the au jus everywhere. And the steak was less than a half inch thick. My husband loves a steak with some crusty caramelization. That's not possible with a thin steak. To me, that's not a ribeye especially for a place that specializes is steak. Neither of our steaks, while very tender, had any flavor whatsoever. That Berniase sauce I never got would have been a great help. The steaks were just so plain and so disappointing. Had we been blindfolded and fed this steak I don't we would have been able to tell we were eating ribeye and filet. On a good note, my lobster was perfect.. .tender and sweet. We still love the salad, bread and cheese bar even though it has changed, too. It's important to know that going to the Library IV is a special treat for my husband and I. We went to celebrate our birthdays and anniversary (all in the summer of 2022) and had waited a long time to go (unfortunately I was and still am undergoing chemotherapy and those days I feel well enough to go out are few and far between). To be so disappointed with our experience broke my heart. Overall, for the prices they charge and based on previous experiences, I was expecting so much more. I will not return any time soon. And I know they won't miss me and my money but word of mouth is powerful. Do...

It's been many years since I've been to this location, and I left tonight's dinner pleasantly surprised. I was surprised because I enjoyed the food. I was surprised because, in my opinion, the food was high quality and reasonably priced. The parking lot was packed when we arrived at 6:15 p.m. for our 6:30 p.m. reservation for six. We we're happily greeted by the hostess and sat immediately, zero wait time. The interior is cozy, not very big, but they do not have the tables close together, so you do not feel like you're being packed in on top of the other customers. All entrées come with their salad bar. For me, it's been many years since I've been to a restaurant that had what I consider a "classic 80's/90's" salad bar. True to the description on their menu, every on the salad bar was fresh. The lettuce was crunchy and firm, and there were many of the classic toppings such as whole hard-boiled eggs, beets, chopped olives, pasta salad, potatoe salad, and more. Five out or party of 6 ordered drinks from the bar prior to selecting our entrées. We had a total of 4 steaks, 1 order of pork chops, and 1 order of Bar-B-Q ribs. I ordered a 16oz Ribeye medium temperature, Oscar Style. I enjoyed every bite, my steak was cooked perfectly, the Crab meat was plentiful and fresh, and the hollandaise sauce was tasty. Everyone else told me they were very satisfied with their meals, no complaints just complements about their dinners. I ordered cheesecake and one of their specialty coffees for dessert. Others at my table ordered peanut butter pie and creme brule. My cheesecake was not homemade. I could tell it was from a box by they way it was cut, the taste, and the texture. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't order it again. I got favorable reviews about the other dessert orders and those of us that ordered coffee we were satisfied. Our waiter was professional and knowledgeable about the items on the menu. He wasn't overly friendly or talkative, but for me, that's not a necessity. As I said earlier, we were sat at 6:15 p.m. and our meal was concluded at 8:30 p.m. I was happy about the total length of our dining experience because it was a night out with old friends, and he had ample time to talk. I do recommend you make reservation if you are planning to go on a Friday,...