Robin's Nest Restaurant — Restaurant in Mount Holly Township

I rarely ever give reviews good or bad but I just couldn’t let this go!

So we recently moved here and saw this place while driving around and it looked cute, had lots of people there, and the menu looked really good as well so it was on our list of places to try...and as soon as we had family come visit we decided to finally eat here...first off I made a reservation online and opted for a regular table (not a high bar table) and were seated at a high bar table. Didn’t want to be a pain and we are an easy going group and they were a bit busy so we did not make a big deal out of it and opted to stay and not say anything ...The waitress came by and asked for our drinks and I have to say she was not the friendliest. Not the best first impression...Next we ordered our food and after a long wait, I finally got my salad . Just some leafy greens piled on a very small plate that made it very hard to eat off of by the way, with a few carrots and cheese and two small tomatoes with blue cheese dressing and it just wasn’t good (a few bites and I was done) so not a great start to the meal...next came out our food and it was honestly very odd. I had the pecan cranberry chicken and I honestly can’t describe how it tasted...My friend had the chicken as well and felt the same way I did where he said it was edible but not good. (We honestly kept looking at each other confused by the flavors) My husband had the Braised beef rigatoni and was also wasn’t impressed. Again.. Edible but not good. Certainly not what we expected to say the least. My sister had the filet and seemed to be the only good thing on the table. We were so hungry and waited so long by that point we weren’t sending anything back! So next we were done with our food for a good half hour (at least) before the waitress even came over to check on us and clear the table and ask about dessert ( she was rude again and we really were being so patient about everything because the service was definitely lacking and her attitude sucked)...The dessert tray was brought out and they had lots of choices which we were happy about! We read that dessert was amazing here and we had to try it so we did!

SIDE NOTE: ( right after dinner we noticed that they had a tarot card reader there and my sister was so excited and asked if she could have it done, apparently there was someone ahead of her but was told she would be next in line and they would come get her as soon as they were ready for her, (so another reason we got dessert and hung around as long as we did)

Dessert came and looked amazing... can’t say it tasted that way unfortunately and again we had such high hopes and were disappointed AGAIN... Cannoli cake tasted nothing like a cannoli and lacked flavor and was a bit dry. The Peanut butter cheesecake was like eating peanut butter out of the jar.. so intense and thick and tasted nothing like cheesecake honestly. So here we are still waiting on the tarot card reader and finally saw the person we were waiting on get up because she was done and my sis was supposed to be next and they quickly brought over someone else and sat her down! I was in shock! We just got up and left at that point... (used restroom on the way out and it was NOT clean.). It was really one disappointing thing after another...I think we are still just in disbelief that the experience was one of the worst we’ve ever had. . So for a first time in Jersey with our family for a double date night and spending almost 200 dollars on dinner, dessert, and tip... we were EXTREMELY unhappy and will never go back or recommend this place to anyone. Not worth it for the money that’s for sure and just poor...

Wanted to like this place. It has an Early America vibe which some may find endearing.

Comfort: Seats were a small bare wood bench, which make you hurt after 15 minutes in them. 2 top table was wobbly which made everything annoying of course. We were sat right next to a noisy kitchen in a relatively low population restaurant, which was fun. There is old hardwood floor so sound is magnified. Imagine being next to a kitchen like that? For me the interior just felt depressing. Also, I've never seen chefs come in and out of the kitchen before. As if they were servers or bussing tables. Usually that means a strange process or nonchalant staff. To the informed it screams mismanagement, as they were not speaking directly to customers to encourage them.

Service: Server was a stoic woman who didn't engage in much small talk. Which would have made the interior feel more inviting and accepting, if she would have been more involved. Rustic places need a rustic down to earth staff to me, it makes all the difference. She was going through the motions of us, more interested in prepping for the real money at dinner service. I left a 20 on a 50 check to aid her education in that failed logic. The hostess did give me a 10 dollar off coupon for the next visit for apparently no reason, I didn't complain at all. Was she aware? 🤷🧐

Food: Well, maybe it was because it was lunch but pretty much all frozen microwave meals. The brisket was 100% microwaved which was a big letdown as it was a higher priced meal. The menu wasn't terribly big, so I had hope that they excelled at their chosen dishes. I was told the brussel sprout appetizer was good, but I didn't feel brave enough to climb into that mess.

Conclusion: The bakery items looked top notch. Maybe go there for the baked goods? Don't touch the menu, microwave at home instead for the same result with a chair that has a cushion. 👍 This is probably a family business-handed down or something. The owner is just going through the processes and using it to pay the bills. Hopefully some passion and some money get infused into this business to make it right.🤞🤞It...

The food is good and fresh. A little under seasoned though especially for the price. I've eaten at Robin's Nest twice. I've had the following: 1st time Truffle fries- these were really good. Everything was perfect. Fries were crispy, got that great garlic, parmesan and truffle flavor. Short Rib Rigatoni- this was good but it was just a little under seasoned for my taste. Could have used some salt. Pasta was well cooked and you could tell it was fresh, homemade sauce. For dessert I shared a slice of coconut cake and peanut butter cake. The peanut butter cake was very good. But the coconut cake was average IMO. 2nd time Roasted Onion pepper and goat cheese pizza- this was well executed I'm not a huge fan of goat cheese, but this was good. Duck breast with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables- pretty much everything on the plate could have used a little more seasoning. The duck was cooked well it came out a nice medium rare. It was also tender. Lesagna- this was actually one of the best pieces of lasagna I have ever had. The meat was like delicious crushed meatballs. Sauce was tomatoey and garlicy, good cheese. Well executed. Oreo cheese cake- this as the best one. It as a huge piece and there was an amazing whipped vanilla topping. Mud pie- this wasn't very good. There wasn't a whole lot of sweetness to it, and the walnuts didn't help the situation. The filing was also hard. Wasn't like mud. Chocolate truffle cake- this one was good. Very chocolatey and sweet. Price wise you are looking at about $10 per app, and$20 per entree. We had a couple drinks and after tip it came to $56 per person. I might go back. I give 3 stars in terms of value for the money. When I am posting those prices for food I...