Drift Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Weehawken

This place tries too hard. Tries too hard to copy menu and pricing to Blu next door.

First impressions. Walked in Saturday peak dinner hours to my surprise dining room was half empty. I was shocked. Considering if you go next door, there’s a huge wait at hostess stand alone.

I went to order a mocktail creation off menu (only had 2 options- little light considering mocktails are HUGE present day) and bartender advised me against it. I appreciate the reasoning behind it but my thought process is why even list 2 creations if your OWN bartenders don’t like it and advise against it… says something here.

I sat to dinner with a friend we got croquettes which were DISGUSTING. We expected them to be warm and it was warm on the outside and ice cold inside. Just not a pleasant experience or texture.

We also got the burrata salad. My friend was pulling a huge chunk of prosciutto from her mouth because it was inedible and we couldn’t tell if it was paper lining or bad fat. Needless to say we stopped eating this quickly as it grossed us out.

We also got a sushi roll as an app. Why is the protein center warm? It’s supposed to be raw fish… cold. Needless to say this had no flavor at all. I don’t typically eat my sushi with soy sauce because I believe this ruins the experience and flavor… I was DOUSING my rolls in it and still wouldn’t get the flavor it so badly needed

For dinner we decided we would share a steak dish. Our original selection was skirt steak with 1-2 sides then the waiter came and told us special (which MASSIVE mistake) we ordered the Ribeye special and the mistake was we forgot to ask how much

Ribeye was $180. I’m sorry but this was not $180 steak by any means of the definition. Came with 2 sauces and 2 sides. Quality of meat was so poor you could tell as it cooked down. Lacked any flavor at all. Wasn’t tender. We got RIPPED off.

Overall- menu is similar to Blu. Service was terrible. We only saw our waiter 3x entire night, once for every hour we were there (and it wasn’t even busy!) Food was not pleasant. For the same menu and I probably would’ve had a savings on my dining experience if I went to Blu and ordered same items and would’ve been hot, tasty and tender.

Drift you won’t make it long if you keep trying to be something you’re not with these overpriced foods and under seasoned cheap cuts/quality of foods.

I really did want to...

My partner and I came here last week for Valentines day for late dinner reservations and felt this place deserved a review. The temperature was super low that night so we were glad to see the restaurant offered valet parking. We arrived about 30 minutes early and went in to let the hostess know we had arrived which was the only time during our visit where we felt like the service was poor. Upon walking in the hostess could not even be bothered to raise her head up and greet patrons. There was a couple before us who had already checked in and she still chose to ignore us standing right in front of her. After about 3 minutes or so we decided to clear our throats and get her attention. She let us know we would have to wait about 20 minutes to be seated in a rigid tone. We were absolutely fine waiting being that we arrived early but asked if it was possible to sit at the bar. Before even glancing over at the bar she replied "I think the bar is full, but you can check" once again, very cold or as if our inquiry annoyed her. We decided not to bother checking as the energy was already so unwelcoming and waited outside of the restaurant for time to pass. We once again went inside and stood before her. She made eye contact with me then turned her eyes back to her screen instead of updating us on the wait time that had already passed. We didn't at all mind waiting beyond the time she stated but felt that it was extremely rude of her to ignore us standing there. About five minutes later she sent out another hostess to communicate to us that the table was ready. Places THIS beautiful, and with such great food and staff otherwise do not need hostess such as herself at the entrance of a place you want to feel welcomed at because you came to spend money and enjoy yourself, not to instead feel like you're inconveniencing staff by being present. Despite that, we were blown away by the food, especially the peppercorn steak, arancini and the burrata with prosciutto our waiter Alex was attentive and helpful especially with choosing drinks. I also could not stop gazing around to take the room in because it was obvious that the owners put a lot of thought into the design of the space. Id absolutely return here but will say that there is a need for a friendlier face at the...

I don’t often leave reviews, but after enduring one of the most appalling dining experiences I’ve had in years, I feel obligated to warn others. This restaurant is a disaster from top to bottom—an establishment so lacking in basic hospitality and culinary standards that it almost feels like a parody of itself.

Let’s start with the food: tasteless, carelessly prepared, and insultingly overpriced. The appetizer arrived cold, as if it had been sitting in a corner of the kitchen waiting to die. My entrée, which the menu described with all the pomp of a five-star experience, tasted like something microwaved at a gas station. Even the simplest items—bread, salad, drinks—were inconsistent and poorly executed. It’s almost impressive how thoroughly the kitchen managed to disappoint.

But as dismal as the food was, it was the service that truly tanked the evening. Servers wandered the dining room like they were lost in a museum, avoiding eye contact and forgetting half the orders. Water glasses sat empty for most of the meal. When we politely inquired about a missing item, the response was a disinterested shrug. No apology. No urgency. Just blank stares and vanishing staff.

And then, the cherry on top: the management. Words like “unprofessional” and “rude” don’t begin to cover it. When we asked—again, calmly—to speak to a manager about the experience, we were met with a level of condescension and arrogance that was genuinely shocking. Rather than listen or apologize, the manager doubled down on defensiveness, blaming the staff, the kitchen, and even us. Yes—us, the paying guests, apparently at fault for expecting basic competence and courtesy.

This place doesn’t need a review—it needs a complete overhaul. From kitchen to front-of-house to leadership, it’s clear that no one here takes pride in their work or gives the faintest care about guest experience. Avoid at all costs. There are far better ways to spend your time and money than rewarding this kind of...