The Walpack Inn — Restaurant in Walpack Township

4 1/2 stars

Similar to my 300th Yelp review, my 400th was also a banger but thankfully did not include any encounters with bears - and if it had, it likely would have been from afar behind a window. The Walpack Inn has been on my list for ages; it's one of those places that always ends up in an nj.com article like "Top 25 Cozy in the Middle of Nowhere Restaurants," articles I might add that nj.com now has behind a subscriber paywall because the end is nigh for local journalism. Anyway. I came here appropriately with my top-tier chum who also happens to be a lifelong resident of the Kingdom of Sussex, which means she's not only very aware of Walpack's existence but has been here quite a few times over the years. I consider my chum to live pretty much in the middle of nowhere, so it was pretty wild that to get here we STILL had to drive over half an hour. It's actually very close to Buttermilk Falls, one of my favorite hikes in the state that requires driving on an unpaved road for a few miles to get to. So even getting to the entrance of this establishment is an adventure in and of itself.

But the adventure doesn't stop at the door. This place is a VIBE. It's gigantic inside, and feels like a ye olde hunting lodge. I was led to believe by my chum that taxidermy was abundant but I didn't see any, unfortunately - maybe it was in another huge room I didn't access? But no matter, my eyes were treated to lots of fun items on the wall, and an alligator bench (picture attached) that I emotionally imprinted on. We were warmly greeted and seated in a room with giant windows that felt a little atrium-ish, where you could easily see wildlife outside if applicable. We weren't seated right next to the windows but were close enough that when a few deer wandered over we did easily see that (and just as an aside, very clear from the excited reactions who was and wasn't from the Kingdom of Sussex.)

It seemed very clear to me that animals needed to be consumed on this adventure, so I opted for the short ribs/mashed potatoes special (about $46). Delicious and a huge portion - half of it came home with me despite the fact that I'd been decently hungry upon entry. Very tender and flavorful, and the mashed potatoes were a perfect complement. We also split the goat cheese/cracker app, which was fine but not mind-blowing - we both agreed the crackers went really well with the cheese, but I think from an optics perspective it would have been better with bread. It's tough to justify a $15ish app that features crackers you could easily pick up at the store. Those same crackers also came with my chum's crabcake, so it WAS convenient to grab a few of the leftover ones from that to include with the goat cheese doggie bag, at least.

We of course requested a dessert menu and opted for the black raspberry ice cream pie. Black raspberry is one of my favorite ice creams and this was a gigantic portion. I wasn't crazy about the inclusion of chocolate chips in it and we both thought the decision to make this a pie was a little odd, though not a negative per se. The pie crust is incredibly thin, to the point where 90% of your bites aren't going to include it and when it does, it's basically a small flaky layer that doesn't really add anything to it. And as my chum noted, if it's served in a bowl and not a plate, THAT makes it ice cream, not a pie.

The service was fantastic. We had a great, salt-of-the-earth waitress who stopped by regularly and had a vibrant personality that truly matched the establishment. She knew the menu well and legitimately added to the experience, which is hard to do when it's not something off-the-charts negative. Walpack got huge points for that in my book.

Some of the menu items didn't hit it out of the park, but nothing fell flat and the atmosphere and service made up for a lot....

What could have been a really nice dining experience was marred by a chef who apparently got angry when the baked salmon my wife ordered was sent back multiple times because it was still raw. As a result she didn't get to eat until the rest of us were all done with dinner. Let me elaborate.

Seven family members had dinner on a Sunday afternoon. One family member is the corporate chef of a high end group of international restaurants, so he's very familiar with how restaurants operate.

The salad bar is included with all dinners, and contained nice fresh vegetables. For appetizers, the French onion soup was great. The shrimp cocktails were just okay--the shrimp were smaller than what we are used to and slightly overdone.

The prime rib dinner with lobster tails for two was outstanding, as were the 10 scallops and separate prime rib dinners. The pasta dishes with chicken were also very good. And portion sizes were generous. The blackberry ice cream pie for dessert was amazing as was the cheesecake and flourless chocolate cake.

Our server Lexis was excellent and very attentive. So far sounds very nice, but here's what happened.

My wife ordered baked salmon (a regular dish on the menu) and asked for a center cut (as opposed to a tail) that was cooked through. Pretty basic and never a problem at a local restaurant we frequently go to. Her dinner did not come out with the rest--supposedly because it needed a few more minutes to cook through.

When it finally arrived about 10 minutes after the other dinners, it was still raw inside. We sent it back--and the second time it came out it was still raw. We sent it back a third time--and again it came back raw. The fourth time the chef sent out a brand new piece that was properly done--though it was a tail. This whole process took over an hour and everybody at the table was long done with their meal. To add insult to injury, on the way out of the restaurant my wife saw one of the servers (it was close to closing time and the restaurant was largely empty) eating a beautiful and perfectly cooked piece of center cut salmon.

Each time the undercooked salmon was sent back, no effort was made by the chef to quickly get it out again. In fact, the exact opposite occurred. And in the end my wife got a tail instead of the center cut she had requested.

The corporate chef in our group said the chef in the kitchen was obviously furious about my wife repeatedly sending the undercooked salmon back, and took it out on her by making ZERO effort to give her a proper dinner as quickly as possible, and instead made her wait a really long time--plus in the end gave her a tail instead of a center cut.

Our server was very gracious and did not charge for the salmon, but that didn't change the terrible dining experience my wife had.

Bottom line: Despite the good food and good service the rest of enjoyed, we would never return here and never recommend this place to...

This review is written not to be hostile or rude, but out of concern and love. My husband and I have been dining here for many years. Every birthday, special occasion, upscale date night and even our wedding has been celebrated here. Anytime friends visited we would always pile in the car and come here. It has consistently been an over five star experience and holds a lot of sentiment for us.

We had our first meal since 2019 here earlier this summer and found the Walpack to be a shell of what it once was. We had heard the longtime owner passed management over to a family member and wow, what a difference! We can also keep in mind how restaurants are struggling to find help and there are supply chain issues. With that said, the service was not terrible but it used to be top notch and now its sub par. I saw another review recently where the reviewer commented about the need for a dishwasher upgrade because all the cutlery and glasses looked dirty. I could not agree more! Everything about the table, place settings and glasses had a layer of grime. Now that there are less tables you can see how dingy the carpets are as well. My husband is always thrilled with his steak at Walpack but commented this time how he was close to asking for ketchup and he could have probably done better at Outback. One of the best parts was the salad bar. We understand that Covid killed it however now that other restaurants and grocery stores are opening their salad bars and hot food bars again, I would strongly encourage Walpack do the same. Its a staple that people enjoy and it definitely helps elevate the experience. Receiving a soggy salad on a damp plate that clearly has been sitting in the fridge for hours is not enjoyable.

Over the past several months we have heard other reviews from longtime Walpack fans like ourselves and everyone we speak to says the same: "We used to love this place but we are never going back." We are hopeful things change for the better because we truly miss enjoying a nice evening at the Walpack. If we hear things have turned around for the better we will definitely return.

Edit: About two weeks after I posted my review, a dear friend of mine went for her anniversary dinner. She has been going to Walpack for her anniversary for the past 15 years. She described how they were out of the signature prime rib at 5:30PM. She watched a table of 12 people get up and leave because of the poor service they received. The table next to theirs waited 45 minutes to be told the entrée they ordered was no longer available. According to her they also left. She is yet another longtime patron who will never return. Hearing stories like hers and from others is disheartening. I truly hope they listen to the concerns of their longtime customers and make...