Nektar Wine Bar — Restaurant in New Hope

Terrible first impression, delicious food. This restaurant has a serious flaw that can be easily corrected... My husband and I went to Nektar on a cold winter Saturday night at about 6:15PM. It was the kind of night where you wear your thickest winter coat, a hat, and gloves. I asked for a table of two and was pleasantly surprised to hear that there was no wait. In fact, there were quite a few available tables. The hostess brought us to the back window where there was a counter and backless barstools lining the counter. I thought "okay, not a great seating situation, but this will do." Then, I looked around for a coat hook or purse hook. I saw nothing. I turned to the hostess and asked, "where should I put my coat." She mentioned that there was no coat check and no purse hooks under the counter. When I asked for one of the other available tables (with barstools that had backs), I was told that we couldn't sit there, because they were 4-tops and we were a 2-top. She said "people usually sit on their coats." When I go to a restaurant that charges $20 for many GLASSES of wine and where a table of 2 is VERY likely to spend over $100, I expect to not sit ON my coat for 2 hours. Right away, this left my with a bad first impression. I thought...I refuse to walk out of here spending $150 while sitting on my coat. My husband and I decided to be more modest with how we ordered. Anyway...I moved beyond this issue and decided to be unbiased with the food. We ordered the goat cheese croquette, meatball slider, beef tip flatbread, and italian grilled cheese. We ordered a couple glasses of wine (Rose) and a beer. I have to say...all of the food was superb. The Rose was smooth and delicious. My favorite dish was probably the meatball slider. It was so flavorful. The goat cheese croquette was great, but I was expecting more of goat cheese flavor (it was mostly potato). It was still great, but could probably use a better menu description. I'm posting this review in hopes that the owner(s) read it. I would love to come back to this restaurant, but I truly think it's unacceptable for such a nice restaurant to ask you to sit on your coat for a couple hours. This is a very easy fix with a coat...

One of the best small plates restaurant I’ve ever been to with such an extensive list of wines, spirits, and beers! Lots of restaurants in New Hope/Lambertville that are delicious, but this is a must stop if you’re in the area!

The service was amazing, from the host being incredibly cordial and welcoming to the server being knowledgeable about the wine/menu and recommending some fantastic dishes for us to try. There are wine and whiskey flights if you want to try more than one drink or don’t really know what wine to order. I’d highly recommend it, especially the Spanish wine flight. We also had the scotch flight and it was so smooth and worth a try for sure.

Their inside is very nicely decorated. They also have some outside seating that is shaded by trees and close to the water.

For food, we got a few small plates and some sandwiches. The octopus with the mango really compliment one another and was cooked so that the octopus was soft, not chewy. The Korean fried wings were amazing; the sauce was kind of a soy garlic with some sesame. The tuna tartare was fresh and the chips complimented it well. We also got the short rib and pork tamales. Short rib is a must try.

For sandwiches, we got the truffle burger and the maple bacon grilled cheese. Both were just mouth watering and juicy. I was pleasantly surprised by the grilled cheese and how the apple and cheese compliment each other.

Our server also suggested some other foods. He told us the bacon marmalade bruschetta and the short rib flatbread are amazing. The charcuterie board also looks fantastic and has many options. I’d come back just to try charcuterie and some more wine. Their dessert menu has some good options. We got the ice cream cookie sandwiches and it tasted so fresh.

Overall, I will definitely come back to try more of the small plates and the wine. It’s a great place to stop by for a quick bite and some refreshing wine or have a nice meal for a special occasion.

Out of all the things we had, I would recommend the short rib, octopus, and the Korean fried wings. If you’re feeling it, the sandwiches are also worth getting as well. Again, seriously consider coming to...

I initially rated Nectar last week after commenting that service was not great and my husband and I got sick after the salmon sandwich.

After Nectar staff responded to my review, I decided to come back a few days later (this time, on a Sunday) and give the place another shot.

The positive: we did not get sick this time the view

The negative: both app dishes were visibly dirty with old food yet nobody noticed as they were brought out to us anyway. We're talking not a small and faint speck on the side of the dish, but literally a fairly large crust in the middle of both plates! How do you not notice that!? Ordered the duck salad and was told they are out of duck. Asked for the burger to be cooked without onions (due to dietary restrictions) and was told that special orders will not be accommodated. The waitress told us that even if she asked the cook to hold the onions, the cook would forget because they were busy. We were told to pick the onions out instead, which was reasonable so we went ahead and ordered a burger. When it came out, we found out the onions were mixed into the meat so picking them out is not a possibility. Waitress said she worked there just once a week - should still know the menu! And the most displeasing part of the experience by far is that the three dishes we ordered came out one by one about 5 to 10 mins apart...so my husband and I couldn't eat together. The burger came out before the app! What a joke! The waitress didn't even bring out any of the dishes herself and walked right by our table several times without inquiring why our plates were untouched.

This place makes their money on the view and the alcohol. If you want great food and a similar atmosphere but without the view, go to Blue Moose across the street. If you want a decent view for people watching and exceptional service, go to the Logan Inn. Avoid this place unless all you are looking for is a cocktail...even then, I would advise going to Karla's across the street - you won't be disappointed with their bartender.

For a place that puts out the façade of a swanky bar, they sure do not meet the...