Black Oyster Cocktail Company — Restaurant in Newark

If I could give this establishment 0 stars I would. I had a terrible experience here and will NOT be returning. To start, my server was drunk the entire time. I placed a food order with her 30 minutes before the kitchen was expected to close but she forgot to place the order because once again, she was intoxicated. Almost an hour later, she then proceeds to bring me a check with just cocktails on it and that’s when I asked her about the missing food. At this point, she lies and says that I placed the order too late which was impossible because she told me the kitchen closed at 11:30 and I ordered a little before 11. I would have respected her a lot more if she would have just admitted that she forgot to put the food in. But to stand in my face and lie to me when I was fully aware of what time I placed the order was extremely insulting to say the least. Clearly I’m very frustrating because I was starving and after waiting that long for food, it was now too late for her to put anything else in. I then asked to speak to a manager and that encounter was just as unpleasant. Instead of being apologetic, his initial response after I explained what was going on was that he needed to check the cameras to see what time I placed the order as if I needed to lie about that. Only for him to come back and say he couldn’t get a good view. He didn’t do anything to make up for his employee’s mistake, nor did he try and make me feel better as a paying customer. He took $5 off my bill and kept telling me he would take care of me on my next visit which was extremely irrelevant because I told him I would never be back. It’s very sad because I love supporting black owned businesses but unfortunately this is one I will not be returning to. Once again, 0/10 do...

Happened upon this place a couple weeks ago after the Elton John concert and it was THE post-event hidden gem. The music is what brought us in (90s-2010 rap and R&B) and the people, food and vibe kept us there for the rest of the night! When we walked in, the hostess was taking care of other people so the owner was up at the front to greet us. He walked us to a table and stayed and chatted with us for a while (but not in that cheesy small talk kind of way that restaurant and club managers do) but in an easy, super chill, genuine way. When the server came up it was no surprise she was the exact same way. She sat down at the table with us while taking our order and got to know us, asking us questions and then introducing us to other staff when they walked by. It was the most unexpected, most refreshing club experiences I've had in a long time. At one point, I whispered to my friend "Do they think we're famous? Should we tell them we literally know like, no one?"

The food was great. My friend ordered the cauliflower bites and raved about them (not my thing.) I really liked the sliders, they hit the spot. My fav. part had to be the downstairs. It's setup like a speakeasy and has a really vibe. Would be a great setup for a private party (my friend is an event planner and she wouldn't quit talking about it.) I just really like the exclusive feel of it.

This place really is a hidden gem. It's not that everything they do is next level, they just do it on a human level - which is what most places seem to have forgotten.

All this to say, 10/10 would...

Came here on Sunday afternoon a couple of hours before a concert. This is the perfect place to eat prior to a concert. It is right around the corner from the Prudential Center. There was no way for me to make a reservation online so I took my chance. I was there with two other people and we were lucky to get enough to get there when we did. The place started to get packed quickly. We got a table on the top floor (there is a bottom floor).

Our waitress/bartender CiCi was great. She was busy but still attentive. We got Louie Char Grilled Oysters, thai chili wings Catfish nuggets, fries and burger with fries. For drinks, we got blueberry lemon drop martini and margaritas. Both drinks were tad a bit too tart and not strong enough. Our food was delicious. Though I wish the fries were shoestrings fries and it they had a parmesean truffle option.

Great place to listen to music, have some good food and drinks before a concert at the...