The Irving Social — Restaurant in Rahway

Zero stars. Slow service, cold food, small portions. This looks like a place to hang out and drink. Since we didn’t order drinks, they blew us off. Forget about eating. Too many other good restaurants on nearby Main street. Seems to be the sad Lonely Hearts Club for commuters just getting off the train. I don’t understand how out of 73 reviews, 69 are 4 stars and above, so maybe I just got the one terrible experience ever.

We were staying at the hotel next door (Watts), looking for a cool place for dinner. Found Irving Inn online, nearby, great Google reviews, liked the menu, knew what we were going to order. Got there at 745-ish on Thursday 11/15. Place was 75% full. We appreciated being seated even tho we were doing takeout. The already busy Bartender doubled as our waitress. Never a good sign. We gave her our order at 8. A waitress came by to check on us, realized we had placed an order with the bartender, never saw her again. Water glasses were topped off constantly by another girl, but she had no idea about orders. The bartender came back at 8:25-ish, apologized, said she checked on our food and it was “almost ready”. She went back to the bar and that was the end of that.

At 830, we kept flagging down waitresses, no luck. At 845, I put on my coat to leave. My wife was starving, and did not want to start over at another restaurant. SHE HAD TO FIND THE KITCHEN HERSELF AND ASK ABOUT OUR OWN FOOD!! At 850, it was brought out, zero apologies. OVER AN HOUR AFTER ARRIVING!

Our receipt shows “ORDER TO GO” right at the top. Below that, it was put in at 808, even tho we ordered at 8. Our card was not run thru until 854. A tip would not have been appropriate. Transaction 810159.

Got back to the hotel, tore the containers open. Room temperature. My wife, starving, just started laughing. She had ordered the “Blackened Butternut Squash” of which there were 2 (TWO) pieces of squash, each the size of a postage stamp!!! On a thin bed of some kind of salad. This was a MAIN, not a Starter!!!

While not expecting much for $16, we have thrown larger food scraps in the trash. My fish was $25, small, but not tiny. Couldn’t tell you what kind of fish it was, other than cold.

We should have left at 830 and gone...

Visiting the Performing Arts center I located this restaurant and liked the reviews. I had high hopes for this place but it was a noooo gooooo. When we arrived there was a 20 minute wait. We wanted first available (inside or outside) while we waited we sat at the bar and ordered drinks. None of the drinks were good. They were pretty but very weak and not flavorful. I wanted to add grenadine but they didn’t have any. We waited out our time and was seated outside. I ordered the social dry aged burger. I didn’t want fries and asked for an alternative like veggies but they didn’t have any so I got potatoes. Also ordered was the sriracha wings, lobster tacos, shrimp and asparagus pasta, and the Irving dry aged burger. I feel like we waited Wayyyy to long for our food. I was scared the food wouldn’t come in time for us to leave for our show. We waited so long it started to get windy and cool outside. A friend ordered a Long Island iced tea. It was a big miss. Not good at all. Food finally comes out and we immediately ask for the bill because we are pressed for time.

The food. Omg as delicious as it looked this was the blandest food I EVER tasted. The sriracha wings was the absolute worse. All you taste is heat. How does that happen. The shrimp and lobster pasta was noodles with sauce and shrimp. Absolutely no flavoring at all. My friend said the lobster tacos were good. The burgers were pretty good but lacked on flavor as well.

Between the wait for a table, the wait for our food, the horrible drinks, the horrible food, no substitute sides, all I can do is give one star for the service. I will NOT...

The burger came with oddly textured meat and burnt bacon, while my husband's risotto was unpalatably bitter. An attempt to address these issues only led to an uncomfortable dispute with the waiter over a discount, marring the evening further. This experience starkly contrasts with my positive visits on quieter days, suggesting the restaurant struggles with consistency during busy times. Regrettably, this has led me to rethink choosing The Irving Social for a future night out.

Here's my revised review based on my latest visit:

Returning to The Irving Social on a quiet Wednesday afternoon, I decided to give their burger another chance and I'm glad I did. The experience was night and day compared to my last visit. The burger was prepared to perfection with perfectly cooked patty, delightfully crunchy bacon, tastefully grilled onions, and aged cheese that added a rich, creamy texture. The ambiance was peaceful with the restaurant almost empty, allowing for a much more enjoyable meal. This visit highlighted what The Irving Social can offer when it isn't overwhelmed. It's restored my faith in their kitchen's capabilities, and I'll certainly consider returning for more of these...