Renault Winery Restaurants

Our villa suggested this place to us so we decided to check it out. They were having a princess themed Sunday brunch so there were plenty of adorable princesses running around. The restaurant is very dated, I guess that somewhat adds to the charm. Brunch was good, omelet and carving station, hot foods and cold foods. Our favorites were the basa fish and blueberry champagne punch. The hot foods could be warmer in my opinion but it was a nice experience overall.
After brunch we paid $ 7/​person for a 40 minute winery tour and tasting. Our guide (I can’t remember his name) was engaging and funny. It was a great historical tour. We got to taste 5 wines and champagne. ended up buying the fresello, Cabernet and of course blueberry champagne and we got to keep our tasting glass.

This review is for Joseph’s restaurant.
I came here for Valentine’s weekend with my boyfriend for dinner. According to their website they were doing a special Valentine’s dinner from 5 – 9 pm and it was first come fist serve. When we arrived, we were greeted with glares when we told them we didn’t have a reservation. Regardless, they managed to seat us quickly.
Their Valentine’s menu turned out to be a bust… I’m a vegetarian and everything on the menu was seafood, and the waitress wouldn’t even ask the kitchen if they could make accommodations for me, so I had to order off the regular menu. We ended up ordering the whipped ricotta bruschetta as an appetizer, then I had the eggplant rollatini and my boyfriend had the chicken picatta. I read the menu carefully, so imagine my surprise when there was ham on the bruschetta. I’m not super picky so I just removed it and my boyfriend ate it, but I think it should’ve been mentioned on the menu.
Aside from those blunders, the eggplant rollotini and the chicken piccata were both delicious. We also shared a bottle of red from their winery and it was incredible.
After we finished our entrees my boyfriend got up briefly to take a call. When he left the waitress plopped a dessert plate on table and said to me «I’ll tell you about it when he comes back,» and walked away, giving me no chance to say that we just wanted the check. It wasn’t until another waiter came by and asked if I needed help that I was able to ask for the check.
In summary, the food is delicious, but the service is seriously lacking. I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed.

This review is for the winery tasting… I mean mandatory tour… OK both.
The website is not clear, so let me clarify it for you. You have to take the tour to do a tasting. Check the site for times, as we got there and had to wait a half hour in the gift shop before we could take the 40 min tour… to have any wine.
The gift shop is much like the grounds, untouched by time. While 30 – 40 years ago this place might have been in it’s aesthetic glory, in 2016… it is not. The gift shop seems like a dirty old basement at your aunt’s house. While there is plenty of wine to look at and purchase, forget about trying any of it. There are very little chairs and the restrooms are frozen in time and dirty. It is a truly missed opportunity to not offer glasses of wine for purchase while you wait.
The tour is interesting and informative, for people who are into local history I think you would enjoy it. If we were going there with the intent to take the tour, my rating would have been much higher for the tour alone. While walking on the tour you get to see more of the winery/​banquet facilities which like everything else needs an update. I’m sure it was beautiful once upon a time, however I’m amazing people want to get married here… to each his own I suppose.
Finally we get to the tasting, over an hour after we go there. We were led into a dark, dank room with 2 long wooden bars. This room belongs in 1950, and not in a good way. We were guided through a tasting of 5 wines of their choosing. Which I understand for a tour is easier, but it was unfortunate because I had to try 3 wines I would never have tried and didn’t get to try others that might have been good. Anyway, the Burgundy wine was pretty good but at their price point of 14.99, I decided against it.
To sum up… if you can locate a groupon which I see they seem to have a lot of, maybe an OK deal. Just know it is not like any other winery in South Jersey. You have to take a tour, it is 10 dollars without any groupon, you do not get to chose the wine you will try, and it is very dated and dirty looking on the inside. I highly recommend going elsewhere if you are looking for just a nice afternoon of wine tasting. There are plenty of other great wineries within 20 min of Renault.

I was here for a banquet and it was okay. I wasn’t hugely impressed with the food or wine, it was all pretty mediocre.
It’s back in the woods so it does have a nice ambiance. And the waitstaff was very nice and helpful.

First time we have been back in a couple of years. «Gourmet» brunch is not worth the money. There is no shrimp, crab, lobster, lox, italian meats… There is roast beef instead of prime rib. While the entrees had a good flavor, everything was made with lower priced ingredients. The buffet does not warrant the price. The wine tasting was horrible compared to years passed (which is why we hadn’t gone for some time). You only taste a few of the cheaper wines. If you are going to offer a tasting of 5 – 6 wines, then let people choose red or white. Most of my tastings ended up in the spill container. Will definitely not be back.

We attended the Brunch yesterday and my husband was told there is a ramp to enter the facility. We didn’t realize it was going to be a very steep climb. (Maybe 50 degree incline!) if you are handicapped they will wheel you up in a wheelchair. However, the food was not worth the trip.

This review is for Joseph’s restaurant across the st from Renault. The service was terrible. We had to ask 3 different ppl to find our waiter 3 separate times. After he finally got to us, He gave us our bottle of champagne without it being in a bucket of ice and never even offered to give us one. We asked for bread he said I think I can get them to put some in the oven, let me see. He had someone he was training, but clearly needed to be retrained himself! The food was not worth what they charged. I’d never go back. The bill was $ 130 for 4 of us, we left a $ 13 tip which was very generous for the service we got. We left, then someone in our party went back in because she forgot her jacket, the waiter was talking about us with the hostess. Prob about the cheap tip we left cuz he sucked! Do yourself a favor & stick to just the wine tasting.

Our waitress was great, however, the food left a lot to be desired. The lettuce on the salads was wilted and appeared to be stale. Not appetizing. The mussels were good, but needed a slice of bread to soak up the broth or at least a soup spoon. The biggest issue was the collection of dead flies and fly parts on the window ledge next to our table. When we mentioned it to the staff the response was they would tell the cleaner in the morning. You would think they would immediately get a paper towel and clean off the window sill.

This place is simply Amazing!!! I did the wine tour, and then had dinner at Joseph’s. AMAZING food and wine. A must do!!!

This review is for Joseph’s restaurant:
Loved every part of it! From the service to the food to the drinks, everything was wonderful. We had 2 groupons since our party was a party of 9. She let us use both of it which was a great plus!
Our party ordered basically all of the appetizers (when I say all, I really mean all. Wings, to shrimp, to cheese plate, to mussels, etc etc. All of it was delicious. The items that stood out the most were the wings (had a nice kick to it, but also a wonderful sweetness), the ahi tuna (loved the peppered crust), and the cheese plate (brie and dates were AMAZING).
Bottles of wine are more expensive here than at the gift shop though, which was weird. Not sure why this would be considering it’s all part of Renault Winery.

The tasting was thorough and our host was so entertaining.
The restaurant was great. We pretty much had every appetizer on the menu. Literally everything was tasty. We went here for my birthday, a party of nine. They gave us a table that was fit for a king. Our server, Kathleen, went above above and beyond to take care of our needs.
My personal favorites were the cheese plate, crab and shrimp salad, and the chicken wings. My daughter loved the mussels. A solid place for lunch.

This review is for the Joseph’s Restaurant Brunch (we went on New Year’s Day). This places deserves zero stars! My boyfriend and I arrived at 1pm to a mostly empty dining room. Restaurant appeared dated and did not seem well kept and very messy with wrappers on the floor. Our first stop was to the omelet station where the guy making the omelets could only manage one at a time and almost set his towel on fire! Omelet came out looking more like scrambled eggs. There were also very few filling options with barely any cheese left. Looking back at the whole experience the eggs were probably the best thing at the brunch.
Next stop was the «hot foods» station. Chicken Francaise (ew), bacon and sausage, French toast (dry) and home fries (best thing there!)
At the «cold» station, different cheese (improper temperature), half frozen lox, hummus tasted liked it was from a can, cold pork (my boyfriend spit this one out). No real salad was served. The pastries were inedible. Cookies and pound cake were powdery and were also spit out. Cannoli was soggy and bread pudding was overloaded with sugar.
Blueberry punch (signature drink) tasted like blueberry water. Waitress didn’t clear the plates at all and our waters were empty.
Even though we came later on in the day nothing was replenished and didn’t taste fresh. All in all worst meal we have had in years. Do not recommend.

The tour was wonderful. This winery has such great history.
We went about 2 winters ago and learned all about prohibition and how they survived it by marketing it as a pharmaceutical drug to help you! How crazy!
Really rustic feel and it was only $ 3 for the tour and you get a free wine glass to take home!
I’m sure it looks beautiful in the summer but even in the winter it was awesome. Looks great for a wedding too ;)

Okay so let me start by saying driving on to the grounds of the winery I was pleasantly surprised. It was beautiful. Walking into the building where the tour gets started, I was less than impressed. It looked and smelled very old and there was just nothing special about it. The tour guide was nice but the whole tour which last about an hour was boring for the most part. Think of a class trip to a museum. More boring than that. FINALLY at the end we get to the tasting and again nothing special. There was nothing to cleanse your palate between wines, no grapes, no cheeses. Just sips of wine in a semi-​dark room while standing the whole time. The tour would have been so much better if you got to taste wine all the way through, maybe at different stops or something. I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone under 35 years old. I’m 26 and my boyfriend is 30 and we were the youngest ones there.
Then we get to Joseph’s restaurant. The restaurant was on the grounds and took us no time to drive over there from the wine tour. The restaurant itself was nice. Waitress was nice but the food was not very nice. My boyfriend got the filet which came out luke warm. I got the shrimp and scallops dish and that’s pretty much all it was, just shrimps and scallops. We also got the warm apple pie which also wasn’t hot and didn’t taste very good. Over all it was an ok experience and sadly I won’t be returning.
P. S. I found a Groupon for this place for $ 24 and it included he tour and tasting which was only $ 5 itself at the winery and a $ 38 credit for the restaurant. We got a bottle of wine, three appetizers, two entrees and dessert and after the $ 38 credit it was about a $ 100 bill. Not bad but food was not good.

This review is for the winery tour & tasting:
Awesome! Done the tour/​tasting several times bringing different people with me. The tour is just long enough to teach you some cool facts about the winery (2^nd oldest in the country) yet doesn’t take too long to get to the tasting. Wide variety to sample. The blueberry champagne, frasello, garden state red, sangria, and port are some personal favorites.

Beautiful establishment, being one of the oldest wineries around. The tour was informative as well as interesting leading to a delicious tasting of some of their great wines. The tour finishes in the gift shop where you’re encouraged to grab a few bottles for home as well as any other merchandise (shirts, glasses, etc) that might catch your eye or help you remember the experience.

Renault Winery is the oldest winery in NJ, and the second oldest in the country. For this reason it has a type of landmark status. This is why you can’t just waltz in for a tasting, but instead you have to wait for a tour before getting to the booze. Surprisingly though, the tour was actually really interesting! Also, to avoid a lot of downtime, keep in mind that the tours are offered every hour on the hour.
The wines are varied and very good. The champagne seems to be what they are best known for. They had some good dry reds, including a delicious chianti.
Just like a ride in Disney World, the tour ends in the gift shop where you can buy bottles, cheese, and other paraphernalia. All in all it’s a great way to spend a day in South Jersey!

The restaurant was absolutely amazing! We went on a sunday night so didn’t have the 6 course dinner. Instead we got the 3 course that came with a wine pairing with the pasta. For appetizers we both chose crab and shrimp spring rolls which was really good. The pasta was simple but very refreshing! My husband had the walnut encrusted lamb and he said that its the best he’s ever eaten! I had the lobster tails stuffed with crab and it was really good. Both the lobster and crab were very sweet and fresh. We ordered couple of wine ourselves all recommended by our waiter. all good. 3 course was filling and very reasonably priced!

Went last night (Sunday) for the 6-​course dinner with 3 other couples. Reservations were for the 4:30 seating (I believe the other seating is at 7:30pm). It was quite empty when we arrived– maybe just one or two other seatings. We had a glass of wine at the bar before we sat. I tried the Merlot since they don’t have a Malbec. It wasn’t very good at all. My fiancé later had their Cab and it was much better. While I’m on wine, the white wine (blanking on the name but was very close to a Riesling) they had for one of the tastings was excellent. The red tasting we had during dinner was a table favorite although I preferred the white.
Upon seating, we were asked to select pur entrée. Variety of options including an Organic Chicken, Scottish Salmon (i was told it was wild-​caught, always a plus), Rack of Lamb, NY Strip, and a Filet w/​Lobster. I posted a pic of my Filet & Lobster :) It was very good although I asked for rare and it was prepared med. rare. When a chef doesn’t do rare, you have to wonder… so I left it alone. Most at our table ordered the same entrée. One had the salmon and said it was excellent. My fiancé had the NY Strip and loved it. They definitely cook to a temp a bit beyond what you request so consider when ordering steak.
Our first course was a jumbo lump crab and shrimp cocktail with a bit of frisee underneath. Pretty good. Nothing to go crazy about but it is what it is. Most importantly, it was fresh and cold. Yay.
Next, we had an Italian Wedding Soup. I grew up spoiled by lots of authentic, homemade «sca-​role» soup so no comparison there but this soup was tasty (read that as quite a bit of salt but good).
The rolled pasta appetizer we had after the soup was a hit. If I remember correctly, it was stuffed with goat cheese… a bit manicotti-​ish. I took a pic and posted it. If this was an entrée somewhere on their menu in the future, I’d no doubt order it.
As I mentioned during these courses, we were given two wine tastings– a red that yummy sweet white.
The entrée was next (see above notes on that) followed by a salad. As our waitress pointed out, having your salad AFTER the entrée is «European Style» and for some reason, I never knew this although I’ve probably eaten in over 1000 Italian restaurants. Ha! Salad was good. A salad. With beets and funky coated nuts (table concensus figured on walnuts) and a goat cheese-​slathered crostini.
Finally, we had dessert. There were about five choices that we shown on a platter at one time including a parfait which looked beautiful, a warm walnut pie, and a cake that looked like carrot cake but had parsnips and a few other veggie/​fruits thrown in. I shared a slice of what became known at our table as «the Parsnip Cake» and was had by mostly all. It was delicious with its cream cheese frosting. My fiancé had the walnut pie and it was also very good. He liked the vanilla ice cream on the side.
Sadly, our cappuccinos had a «burnt» taste so my fiancé and I sent them back and asked for new ones. Same burnt taste. Probably just time for a new frother. No big deal. Stopped at Starbucks on the way home :)
All in all, great dinner and good time. Service from Jen was efficient, attentive, and friendly. We liked her :) $ 175 a couple wasn’t bad for the quality and service.
We’d definitely do it again for a special get-​together.

The metamorphosis is complete; the Gourmet Restaurant at Renault Winery has finished its transformation from an excellent restaurant that provided a variety of upscale meals to a serve-​yourself plain menu at the same price.
We had heard about the restaurant’s change and were concerned. However, this establishment is a special place for my us as we have been dining here for the past 12 years. On the way out tonight, I told my wife to take a good look around as we would not be back.
The menu is no longer a chef’s presentation. Instead, a variety of meats prepared quite plainly are presented. My wife ordered the rack of lamb and I the strip steak. Our waitress took our order as well as our drink order.
Then we went to the buffet to serve ourselves a salad. The pâté was inedible. Pâté is not supposed to resemble a Hickory Farms beef stick. The romaine was overdressed. There was some bruschetta, roasted peppers, and a mozzarella and tomato salad. Overall, this was the culinary highlight of the evening.
After we finished our plates, we headed to the carving station. There we were offered a pork loin stuffed with a crab filling and wrapped in bacon. It looked like a bacon explosion. Unfortunately, it was so overcooked that it was disappointing. Also, the pork was cut too thinly. Obviously, portion control is being pushed. We were able to serve ourselves a choice of two pastas. The penne was the winner because the fusilli alfredo was so bad, but it was merely a plain red gravy.
Our entrees were served. Hmmm. .. a big slice of potato gratin, two asparagus spears and our meat tossed on top. My wife’s rack of lamb was three thinly sliced chops. She was highly disappointed. My strip steak appeared to have been a butterfly of a traditional strip. It was not a good cut as it was very grainy. The temperature was fine, but it was not enjoyable and had gristle inlaid, which further spoiled the cut.
Dessert was a return to the self-​serve buffet. It was full of prepared mini-​cupcakes and other dainty-​looking desserts from a box. The bread pudding looked appetizing, but I was wrong.
As we discussed our meal (a special date night out without children), my wife and I agreed that the only way we would return is to hear from many others that the restaurant had once again changed formats and it was well worth it. Absent that, we will not return to pay $ 100 for defrosted food that we serve ourselves.
Just horrible!