Garden State Tavern — Restaurant in West Caldwell

Was excited to try this place- love the Jersey theme! My mom can’t eat gluten and was excited to try the gluten free mozzarella sticks- they were really good! She also thought her gluten free pizza was pretty good, not great. The crust had an herby taste, kind of like focaccia.

I realize they’re brand new and ironing out the kinks, so I wanted to give some feedback. I got the Four Seasons sampler as my meal- it comes with chicken tenders, cheesesteak egg rolls, mozzarella nuggets, and pierogies. The cheesesteak egg rolls and mozzarella nuggets were good, but the chicken fingers were inedible- dry, overcooked, and had a weird oil smell/taste. The pierogies had a strange flavor and I didn’t enjoy them. They have a lot of gluten free options (mozzarella sticks, pizza, pasta, bread, peanut butter pie, maybe more) but it kind of defeats the purpose of all that when something as simple as the fries aren’t gluten free. My mom ordered the Italian hot dog and about 10 minutes after we ordered our server came back to tell her she can’t eat the fries that come on it. He said it’s more than cross contamination, the fries themselves actually have gluten. It’s so unnecessary to add gluten to fries, please strongly consider changing this!

This review would have been a 3 under normal circumstances, but like I said, I know they just opened and things take time. Wishing them the best and hope they listen to...

Stopped by the Garden State Tavern and sat at the bar for a bite to eat and a few drinks. Our bartender Sean was friendly and attentive and served us the coldest tap beers I've had in a while. Love the Jersey themed menu and the food was amazing. The long bar area is very clean and beautiful rustic feel. Lots of tvs too. One suggestion that would make the atmosphere better...the music. For a place going all out with the Jersey theme, how about a Playlist with some Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Sinatra, etc.? Expected a Jersey Shore soundtrack but We had to sit and listen to some heavy metal and hard rock heavy with Black Sabbath, Motley Crue, Metallica, Ozzy, and other hard rock bands. Just doesn't fit the theme or the crowd. Other than that, the place is great and we will definitely be back. Hopefully with a better...

I drove past the old Tap House and decided to stop in with my family for dinner. The place looks the same inside, with no noticeable updates or changes. The menu was massive; it honestly reminded me of the Cheesecake Factory with how many options there were. The food took a while to arrive and, unfortunately, lacked flavor. The best part of the visit was our server, George. He was very attentive and made sure we were well taken care of. Overall, it was an okay experience, but not something I’d go out of my way for. If I could offer one suggestion to the owner, it would be to simplify the menu. A more focused selection might improve consistency and feel less...