Madison Modern Social - Old Bridge NJ — Restaurant in Old Bridge Township

Madison Modern Social: A Visually Stunning Spot with Disappointing Substance

Madison Modern Social (MMS) immediately impresses with its breathtaking ambiance and a truly stunning bar, evoking a New York City-style sophistication without the commute. It's the kind of place you'd proudly bring out-of-town guests, as I did with family from California, hoping for a memorable culinary experience to match its gorgeous setting. Unfortunately, the substance fell far short of the style.

As our evening began at 6:15 PM; we were seated and handed menus for Drink Specials, Food Specials, a Sushi Menu and the Main Menu, we noticed “club music” playing loudly in the background, so much so, that we could not hear each other at our table. We mentioned it to our waiter and he claimed he would have it lowered. That passed and the music continued to get louder as our meal progressed. As our cocktails arrived, which, despite their attractive presentation, were a significant letdown. They lacked the quality expected from a standard bar, tasting so off that we resorted to adding club soda to two of them, still without achieving the desired flavor. This was particularly frustrating given that drinks at another establishment in the same shopping center were notably superior.

The appetizers continued the trend of disappointment. A "tiny loaf of bread" with two small logs of butter for $10 felt exorbitant. The Caesar salad was passable, though having to cut it ourselves was an unexpected annoyance for a prepared dish (unlike a grilled Caesar where it's more common). The fried calamari was nearly inedible, marred by excessive saltiness and grease.

Main courses presented a mixed bag. The Chicken Parm had fantastic flavor, but the chicken itself was surprisingly tough, leading to considerable disappointment. The Skirt Steak was unpleasantly fatty, and its accompanying French fries were overcooked. On a positive note, the Filet Mignon was cooked to perfection, though the side of French fries ordered with it was a massive, equally overdone portion that could have fed ten. The two dishes of Blue Crab Gnocchi were arguably the low point: tasteless, with pasty, mushy gnocchi and barely any sauce. This dish is best avoided.

The meal concluded on a high note with the desserts. The Pistachio Gelato was fantastic, and the Churros were, without a doubt, the absolute best part of the entire dining experience. If you find yourself at MMS, seriously consider just ordering the churros and calling it a night.

Finally, a minor but irksome detail: our 6 PM reservation was unilaterally changed to 6:15 PM by MMS via text, claiming it was "at our request." This uncommunicated alteration, combined with a $500 bill for five people (tip included), makes the overall experience feel significantly overpriced for the quality received. MMS is a feast for the eyes, but sadly, not for the palate.

Note: we understand when the DJ arrives music gets loud, that is why we chose to dine at 6 PM. We love all music, but when having dinner, a classy restaurant should have classy music!

When MMS first opened, we had cocktails at the bar. They were Awesome. Our bartender was knowledgeable & personable. Unfortunately, we will not be returning for dinner. We Love "Over Easy Kitchen" and we wish MMS the nothing but the...

I strongly recommend against this restaurant. Last weekend I went to Madison modern social with my fiancé, her sister, and her fiancé for our anniversary dinners. The resturant itself was incredibly beautiful and spacious, but Unfortunately this was simply one of the worst experiences we ever had going out. We had arrived at 9PM for our reservations at said time, but were told “tables were paying” and they would grab us shortly. After 30 minutes we reapproached the host table confirming our 9PM reservation to which we were once again told tables were paying and it would be a short wait. I had questioned if we would be able to be offered a round of cocktails on the house to which a fully suited maitre d/manager assured us this would be no issue and he “had us covered.” After waiting an additional 20 minutes (now 50 minutes past our reservation time), we were finally seated. While attempting to order our seemingly complimentary cocktails, the manager came over with marginally filled glasses of Prosecco stating he told us he had us covered. Frankly this gesture was more insulting than having given us nothing. After ordering our food and having bread service, our plates were cleared and our two waitresses assured us our food would be out momentarily. Over the course of the next 45 minutes, zero additional food was brought out and we were never once checked on so we could order additional drinks. While I opted to bite my tongue instead of complaining for the second time during our night at Madison, my soon to be brother in law was not as willing. He approached the same manager to ask why no food has been brought out and why our wait staff have not checked on us once. The manager chose to simply get in our faces and ask what drinks we needed instead of offering any form of an apology or consolation, seemingly annoyed that we wanted to be given any shred of service in what presents itself as a luxury resturant with high end service. After what was now well over an hour into us having ordered, our food was finally delivered. Unfortunately both our beef wellingtons and both orders of steak frites were lukewarm, with one of the steaks being very overcooked. What we expected to be a beautiful, memorable, and delicious anniversary dinner was ultimately a very disappointingly tasting meal with non-existent service. In the end we were also charged for additional bottles of water which we hadn’t opened or drank and were never offered an apology in any form. I cannot in any good conscience recommend even my worst enemy to dine here. This was a miserable experience with incredibly forgettable food and awful “service” for having...

First, it is impressive when you walk in the entrance with the massive door in front of you. We were seated at the table by the front door and by the bar. Since it was a Wednesday and not so busy, there were other tables open and we asked if we can have another table. We really didn't want to sit right there. Later the bar area became busy and people were standing over us when we were eating. Anyway, we were told no we couldn't change tables and that everything was reserved. That was not true as I watched and saw that other tables remained open. We sat at 7:01 someone came by poured water and said our waiter would be over in a minute. The waiter came by at 7:25. He apologized and said he was not told he had the table. After that he could not have done a better job. He was a great server. We ordered 2 martinis - the Madison & Lemon Drop. They were both good. On to the food. We ordered the bread service, calamari, caesar salad, steak tartare, and some sushi items. I was expecting some great flavors. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way. Food was ok. Nothing said "wow". Bread was ok the butters were good. The calamari lacked some type of dipping sauce, the salad was bland with just a lot of cheese, the steak tartare was good. I was expecting crema under the potato pancake there was none but when I lifted it there was a simple smear of crema...probably about tablespoon full of crema. It didn't match the photos posted online. BTW the crema made the dish. My kids each ordered the chef's crudo and both orders did not include the kaluga caviar. We also ordered 2 entrees and 2 sides. The branzino and pork chop and the creamed spinach and cauliflower au gratin. The branzino and the creamed spinach were both ok. The fish was cooked nicely but no other flavor other than a lot of lemon. The spinach had hardly any cream. The puff pastry was a little greasy but it was good - light & airy. The pork chop and cauliflower dishes were very good. We all agreed these are probably the only 2 dishes we would come back for. We ordered the olive oil cake for dessert and that too was very good. Also the time between courses was long. We didn't leave the restaurant until after 10 pm. Between the drinks, food and tip it was over $400 and pricy for the quality & quantity of some the dishes. The restaurant atmosphere is very nice, service was great. Kitchen needs work. Hopefully since they are a new establishment they can work out the kinks and improve. We may try them again in 6 months to a year. Everybody needs a second chance. Best...