Vault Lounge — Restaurant in Newark

The Vault – Great Atmosphere, But Too Many Service & Policy Issues

I recently visited The Vault in Newark, and while the atmosphere was inviting, the experience overall was frustrating. The space has potential—it’s modern, stylish, and the music level is just right for conversation. However, the lack of attention to service, food quality, and basic hospitality fundamentals made it difficult to enjoy the visit.

Service & Timing Issues One of the biggest red flags was the completely disorganized food and drink service. We ordered drinks, appetizers, and entrées, expecting them to come out in a logical sequence. Instead: • The entrée arrived within five minutes of ordering—which was a huge indicator that it was reheated rather than freshly prepared. • A few minutes later, the appetizers showed up—after the main course. • Finally, the drinks arrived last, which meant we had to eat our meals without anything to sip on.

Because everything came out at the same time, we couldn’t even enjoy our appetizers, so we just took them home—only to give them to the dog because they weren’t worth eating.

This level of service suggests a serious lack of coordination in the kitchen and between staff. Even for a restaurant only open 30 days, basic order sequencing should be a priority.

Food Quality I ordered chicken and waffles, and it was hands down one of the worst versions I’ve had anywhere. The waffles tasted frozen, were tough to cut, and arrived cold. When I pointed this out to the server, she acknowledged it but did not offer to fix the meal. The chicken—four small strips, barely larger than buffalo wings—was at least hot, but parts of the plate felt microwaved, with some portions hot and others cold.

Staff & Atmosphere Mismatch While our server was friendly, she was visibly stressed from being overworked. However, another issue stood out—her outfit. I’m not sure if this is the aesthetic The Vault is aiming for, but she spent the entire time serving tables with her ass cheeks out, wearing a miniskirt so short she could barely bend over without revealing everything.

Now, if this is a late-night club vibe, I get it. But this was at 2 PM, and for a restaurant that seems to be pushing a lounge-like atmosphere, the overly sexualized uniforms felt completely out of place—especially if they expect to attract a diverse crowd. Also, if The Vault ever hopes to be family-friendly during the day, this look isn’t going to work.

Forced Gratuity – Zero Transparency This was the biggest dealbreaker for me. A mandatory 20% gratuity was automatically added to the bill, without any warning from the server or mention on the menu. I asked for it to be removed—they refused. At that point, I just paid it because I didn’t feel like going back and forth with management over whether they deserved a full tip.

Tipping is optional and should be based on service quality. Automatically enforcing gratuity—without disclosure—feels dishonest and left a bad taste in my mouth.

Overly Pushy Upselling At the end of our meal, the server asked if we wanted dessert. I clearly said no—yet she came back a second time and asked again. At first, I thought it was just standard service, but after realizing that gratuity was mandatory at 20%, it suddenly made sense why she was pushing us to order more food.

Other Odd Choices • Someone (possibly staff or ownership) randomly changed the TV from basketball to hockey without asking the guests. Meanwhile, another screen played cartoons for over an hour, even though there were no kids present. • The only other TV had a looping DJ screensaver, which felt lazy and unplanned for a venue like this.

Final Verdict – Not Worth It (Yet) If it weren’t for the manager apologizing and offering a free drink, this would be a 1-star review. Instead, I’ll be generous and give it a 2.5 out of 5 because the atmosphere itself has promise.

Is it worth going to? Right now? Not definitely worth it.

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So the first time I came here about two weeks ago, I had a bad experience. I arrived for the “half off” hookah which is normally priced at $45. After waiting over 30 mins for the hookah, when it came out I was shocked when they said the price was $25. I said I thought it was half off and I was told “it is; it’s $25.” I replied really cuz to me half off of $45 is 22.50, not $25 (not because it’s a huge deal but because right is right and I also intended to tip for the hookah as I always do). The response was well that’s what we’ve been doing all night. I said well that doesn’t make it right and I asked for a manager whose response to my discrepancy to the price was “it’s after the hours for the half off hookah anyway.” I said really because your hours say until this time (whatever time the flier said that day). I said that’s the first issue secondly the hookah person wasn’t even disputing the fact that hookah is half off now as per the flier, the issue for me was his math. She looked at the flier I presented to her and said “I don’t know why it says that on the flier, they should have changed that or took that one down.” I said well that’s your first issue you need to address as a new establishment is making sure that your advertisements are accurate time wise and secondly that they are not misleading regarding the price because I’m not sure where everyone else went to school but to me, half off of $45 is not $25. The manager said she would address those issues moving forward but I decided to leave that day. Today I came back to give them a second shot. The music is great, the vibe is great as far as the visual appeal and vibe; however, I can’t say the female bartender was attentive though. I kept trying to make eye contact to place an order. After some time, it seemed to me that she was deliberately not taking my order as some catty females sometimes do towards other women so they probably need secure female bartenders but anyway I continued to try and be patient and get her attention, which I never got. I waited 25 minutes before I could flag down a male server walking by who was able to assist. He took my order and told me to head upstairs for the hookah which was only being served up there on this particular night according to him. The hookah was nice and smooth but it didn’t last that long to be honest. My server was pleasant and attentive. I ordered the citrus “salad” which I assumed had greens of some sort on it as most salads usually do but that was my fault for assuming. When the “salad” came out I realized that it literally was just oranges sliced up with a three small dabs of ricotta cheese on the plate with a few onions. Apparently you have to order the “greens” separately for another $14. Now I know, not that I’d get that again. Other than those issues , I don’t have any complaints for my second time around. I probably wouldn’t come again but who knows maybe I’ll give them one last shot next time and order something different and I may have a better...

We celebrated my sister’s birthday at The Vault this past Saturday, and what was supposed to be a joyful occasion turned into a frustrating and disappointing experience from start to finish.

Food: While the food itself was delicious, it was served cold because our waitress took over 20 minutes just to bring silverware. By the time we could finally eat, our meals had lost all freshness. Something so simple completely ruined what could have been an enjoyable dining experience.

Atmosphere: The décor and ambiance are beautiful — no denying that. But that’s where the compliments end. The bathroom stalls are ridiculously small and clearly not up to code. You literally have to turn sideways just to use the toilet. For a place that presents itself as upscale, this was shocking and uncomfortable.

Service: The service was absolutely terrible. We sat for over 40 minutes before anyone even came to take our order. When the owner/manager — a Caribbean man — finally appeared, He approached my sister in front of everyone, demanding proof of her $200 deposit as if she hadn’t paid. She calmly showed both her email confirmation and her bank statement showing payment made 8 days earlier. His response? “Hold on, I’ll be right back.” He never came back — instead, he sent the waitress over to say, “You’re good.” That level of disrespect and lack of accountability from management is unacceptable. It completely ruined the night.

Music/DJ: The DJs on the second level played only Jamaican and African music from 10 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. While we appreciate cultural music, the playlist had no diversity at all. For a crowd that was clearly mixed, it felt one-sided and inconsiderate. A more balanced selection would have made the night enjoyable for everyone.

Overall, The Vault looks good on the outside but fails miserably where it matters most — customer service, professionalism, and inclusivity. The way we were treated left a very bad impression, and I wouldn’t recommend this venue to anyone looking for a respectful, well-managed...