Triumph Restaurant & Brewery — Restaurant in Red Bank

Well, Red Bank. It eventually happened. Triumph actually opened after I don't know how many years. It's been a twinkle in someone's eye since I moved to RB, maybe three years ago. But now it's here, it really is. I'm not unfamiliar with Triumph. I've been to Triumph New Hope occasionally, and Triumph Princeton is as close as I've ever been to a "local" as I have ever been in the US. Okay, disclosure time. I'm a Brit. I know what "warm" beer is. A pint of mild in the snug. Real bitter. Black and tan? Melton Mowbray pork pie ploughman's, Walker's Salt'n'Vinegar with a pickled egg, Cheddar cheese and onion bap looking like a doorstep... Pork scratchings? Scotch egg? Yummy! So, this is a review, right? RB Triumph is a triumph of post-industrial design. Nice bar, the guts of stainless beer production looming over your head. It's all on show. The beer just migrates from those tanks up there to the taps along environmentally controlled pipes... Well, mostly... But it really is a nice place to sit and sip and chat to your friends... and loved ones, of course. Look I've never written a bad review, right? That's why there are a couple of other breweries in RB I haven't mentioned... But I need to go back to my point about Brits liking "warm" beer.

NO THEY DON'T LIKE WARM BEER!!! We're talking "cellar temperature" here.

Cellar temperature is the temperature you’d measure in a British cellar. Nothing too technical about that. Depending on the season it will vary between 45F to 55F. I’m being kind here and not using “C”s. But the degree is vital. Back in my old country my favourite pub spent years, coming up with a solution to serving cask ale at “cellar” temperature in an old, like as old as the US, building without aircon, or a cellar. They managed it… Anyway, on my first two visits to Triumph RB, they really were having a problem with this. “Warm” beer isn’t actually warm, OK? The proprietor of Triumph was kind enough to have a word with me about this, and it turns out the pipelines are long. Blah! Blah! They were pouring into the glass at 68F! But they were working on it… Still made me pay though. But, they are sorting this out. On this visit my British Bitter was pretty much on the button. The bitter was mellow, at the right temperature, of course, and it was a pint. Hoppage was well controlled. I would have been very happy with in any British pub.

Other beers are available, of course, and Triumph does not go down the hyper-alcohol, hyper-hops route. Triumph knows what balance is. More than some other brewers in RB… Just sayin’… I don’t write bad reviews… right? Check it out, Erin! I was disappointed to find that Triumph don’t present the same menu across their pubs. Fish and chips is really pretty good in its Princeton bar. Last time I was in Princeton their fish was as good as it gets. Really, I’ve eaten fish and chips sittin’ on the dock o’ the bay in several UK locations and I’ve had much worse. The thing Americans don’t get are the chips. Fries are not chips. Really. But that’s not the issue since fish’n’chips aren’t on the RB menu. But Princeton’s are not bad at all. So, this evening I opted for moules marinières, mussels if you like, served with those stringy things you call fries. The mussels were delicious, tender, well seasoned and flavoured. The fries were, well they were fries, but they did well when saturated in the mussel, garlic jus, plus a bit of salt, touch of malt vinegar. Very nice. Complimented the beer nicely. But RB, get real fish and chips on your menu! I’ll be in every night! What’s the problem! The barman was great, btw. When I opened the door to the bar I heard, “(Mutter, mutter) … Alan…”. Do bar staff have the memory of an elephant? Then he was pouring a British bitter before I could sit down. And it wasn’t actually warm. Cellar temperature. They’re getting there.

Worth a detour,...

I gave Triumph a 1 star review several years ago because it was getting worse every time went there. Recently, I was dragged there by friends and I didn't want to be that guy who tries to change the plan and I just rolled with it. Here's the good and the bad:

Good 1.As always, a magnificent space. A real asset to my tiny town of Red Bank. Spacious long table seating for large gathers. Good beer. I had the porter. Very young, but very friendly, helpful staff. Great fries. The burger was less of a dried hockey puck than last time. Sound -- the music sounded great no matter where you sit.

Bad

About half the food went unfinished because it was just miserable. The falafel was dry and hard. The chicken sandwich didn't come out with the rest of the food, so someone in the kitchen threw some dried out chicken scraps on a bun and it was inedible. We sent nothing back nor asked for it to be deducted from the bill. We were having too much fun. Complaining about food kills a good vibe. But many times a good server notices when something's not right.

I blame management for this. Good management stops by the tables to ask how everything is going tonight. That is unless you see your business as your own personal tree fort.

So not much improved but I had a good time. I would warn friends not to stray from the burger and fries and just enjoy the atmosphere and beer. This place has so much potential but not much commitment to excellence. Clearly they've never read Tom Peter's book on the subject.

Here's my 1 star Pre-Covid review: I live local and we’ve tried Triumph several times. Triumph slowly getting worse. Useless or snotty greeters, inept cooks, and bumbling waiters. There was one young woman who was very good but the last time (and I do mean THE last time) we had some kid who apologized for everything he brought us. Hey , I don’t want anything for free, taken off the bill or let me get you a round on the house. I want good beer and a good burger, which at one time weren’t bad. But now the burger is the size of a quarter and tasty porter was removed Friday m menu of beers because it must’ve been time to do something incredibly stupid.

I knew there was a problem when I noticed no matter what day of the week or time we stopped in that Triumph was never full. There were always seats at the bar and more than half the table.

This looks place like it needs a complete...

We go to Triumph often because their food (not only their beer) is amazing and they've always got terrific music. In April 2023, we held a 60-person event there (our vow renewal) and it really was wonderful.

1. Triumph's staff is amazing. Everyone is really friendly and responsive, and they accommodated all our needs.

2. The space itself was perfect! The party was in both the private event room and the space with half of the bar and the four big picnic tables. For a big party with a dance floor and band in that space, it worked out best cocktail-style with tapas platters, so the group wasn't split up by a sit-down meal. It was already gorgeous, but Triumph let us bring some extra decor to make it feel unique to us.

3. The food was delicious, as expected. The seafood tower was presented beautifully (everyone was a fan). Since we had a whole lot of tapas, the one challenge was that a lot of the platters ended up getting mixed together. I am not sure if it was due to lack of space on the table. The events manager, Eric, is aware of that feedback. My recommendation to anyone holding an event like ours there would be to troubleshoot for that in advance. I can assure you that it all tasted AMAZING!

4. The planning process itself: I only have good things to say about working with Eric. He answered all of our questions swiftly and always made everything seem easy.

Definitely would recommend Triumph as a wedding or other events venue to...