The Rail At Readington

My family and I went to the Rail for Mother’s Day. The restaurant itself is cute. The bathrooms are horrendous. They need a deep clean. I was disappointed and can only assume they had a big Saturday night bar crowd and didn’t clean the following day for Mother’s Day. The wait staff is pleasant. We ordered fried calamari and the half avocado with mango salsa and pepper ahi tuna for the appetizers. The calamari was just ok, nothing special. The ahi tuna with mango salsa was actually surprisingly good and the best item we had. I ordered the Shorebound burger which was supposed to be a Tuna steak cooked medium rare, instead it was strips of tuna that were close to well done. My father got the meatloaf which he said tasted bland and as if it were frozen. My mother got the shrimp piccata which was watery and bland. Bland seems to be the theme. I would not return to eat there. Maybe for a few drinks and music, but definitely not the food.

Their salads are delicious though they are a overpriced. I was charged extra $ for extra salad dressing which I think was unnecessary.
And their portions vary from time to time when I’ve ordered the same meals.
The bartenders are usually not so nice especially when ordering food to go. The servers are equally unprofessional. The hostess always seems to be nice. I would definitely go back but they need to have friendlier more welcoming workers.

I’ve been here a couple of times. The food is good, but the kitchen has trouble getting the food to the tables. Get used to some people at the table being halfway finished with their meal before the rest get served. As far as appetizers go, the Buffalo chicken rails are delicious. The sauce is sweet, but then it heats up a bit. The lobster bisque is good, but tastes a bit different each time I have had it here. The place is clean and the service is pleasant. I suggest that they make a designated smoking area away from the entrance doors. Nothing worse than getting a nose full of someone else’s cigar smoke right before or after you eat.

Overall this place has a good atmosphere. It could use some updating but it absolutely has character. For appetizers we had lobster bisque, French onion soup, wings, and spinach artichoke dip. Their take on the spinach artichoke dip was not my favorite. However, the other apps were delicious. Two of us got the rail burger which was cooked perfectly, another got a turkey burger, and a sandwich with pastrami amongst other things on it. We were stuffed by the time dessert came! Great time. Would go back.

I don’t understand what these negative reviews are about! I have eaten here several times and the food was so fresh and delicious!

I was told it was great for Burgers and drinks, beers were good, but I asked for a med-​rare burger and got well done and dry… My wife’s steak wrap was really good and cooked well.

My husband and I ate at the rail and had a wonderful experience. The waiter Sean was very attentive and informative about the beer selection. We had the rail burger and CRAbcakes both awesome. It’s a great atmosphere with good food! The menu has a nice variety from meat lovers to vegetarians.

1^st time coining to the Rail, and we had a great meal. The kids enjoyed their food from. The kids menu. The wife had the balsamic flank steak (I tried it, pretty dam good) and I hade the BBQ chicken sandwich. Overall it was a good experience.

Visited on Black Friday. Surprised that it wasn’t full — in fact it was somewhat empty. I ordered a cheeseburger and the wife ordered a chicken wrap. Both were very good. We were seated on the second floor which was very dated. Could be a cool place to eat if they updated it a bit. The waitress was nice enough, but service was very slow (despite the place being empty) and she disappeared for long stretches of time. She knew that she had been gone a long time because when she returned she said «here I am,» She was only tending to two tables.
Summary: Good place, could be great with some tweeks.

We have been here a few times, but it’s always the same… average at best. This time was actually below average. We came this time because a new friend in the area wanted to try it. My wife had a burger, and was ok with it, but it was much closer to «rare» than «medium». She didn’t want to send it back because it had already taken too long to get it in the first place. I had the Fisherman’s Platter. It consisted of small versions of clam strips, shrimp, a fillet and the smallest scallops I have ever seen. Our friend had the Chicken Piccata. She was unimpressed. The mostly flavorless chicken was buried under a mound of pasta and sauce. Her comment: «This doesn’t resemble any chicken piccata I’ve ever had» and she’s Italian.
Our server seemed inexperienced and slow. At least the noise level was bearable this trip. Mostly because there weren’t many people there.

Really good food. I have eaten here many many times! It isn’t pricey considering how much food you get and it is fresh. The kids Mac and cheese was made from scratch unlike the boxed versions at most restaurants. I’ve had many dishes but the burgers and the salmon are my favorite.

It has a casual atmosphere. The waitress was friendly and brought the drinks quickly. I ordered a «Rail burger» with fries. The burger was Excellent. The meat was fully cooked and still juicy. I always order my burgers well done and many times they are either too pink or dried up. Not this time, it was just right. The fries were hot and tasted well. You might wait a little while for the food but it is worth it.

The food at this place is amazing! Fresh and well put together. I’ve never had an issue with quality. It can be a bit on the expensive side, but you get what you pay for.
Do not go here if you’re in a hurry. The service service staff could use a little more help/​training.

Every time I come here I get the rail burger and it is AMAZING. Really unique and I don’t believe I could get anything like it anywhere else. The fried mozzarella is also good and fresh. A great restaurant that is sort of like a more upscale diner. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone.

Had the Rail Burger, was quite good, liked the combination quite a bit. Skipped the fries so cannot comment on those. We ordered the Mango Salsa stuffed Avocado with Ahi Tuna and I thought that was quite good. We were seated quickly, service was good. Great place for a nice casual meal and a drink.

We went to the Rail yesterday around 6:00. The restaurant was not crowded (we have seen it much more crowded) so we were happy to be seated quickly at a table with several empty table around us.
I knew it wasn’t going to be a good visit when after 10 – 15 minutes, our waiter finally came over to us to greet us and asked us how we were doing. When we asked him the same, he said with a sigh «I’m busy».
Having worked in the service/​restaurant business, that is definitely not want the customers to hear (even if you are completely in the weeds!). He took our drink order and when we asked him if we could give him our dinner order, he said «I can’t, I have to get your drinks in first» — another fail!
So after about another solid 10 minute wait (and having not seen our waiter) — we went on a search mission for our drinks — couldn’t be found — we then finally tracked down a waitress and asked. She did apologize profusely and then our waiter (can’t remember his name) came over (still without drinks) and told us he was sorry– «I was backed up with my other table» — another thing customers don’t want to hear.
We said we were leaving — and we got up and left (which is something we do not normally do) but I was thoroughly annoyed — I appreciate good service. We like the Rail as it is a local business — and the food is great. But when the service is bad, who wants to put up with that? So we went to another restaurant In Bridgewater (won’t name names) and had a lovely service and food experience.
I don’t know if they were short staffed or not. again, I have seen it MUCH more crowded and there were empty tables all over. But maybe the wait staff (specifically our young waiter) needs more training to handle people and the right and WRONG things to tell his customers.
I gave two stars– as I know the food is always good — this rating is purely for the service.

I’m sitting here on my second glass of my wife’s delicious white sangria trying to wash away the bad taste in my mouth from today’s lunch at The Rail.
Let me start on a positive note. Good calamari appetizer although the spicy marinara wasn’t spicy in the least, good Blue Moon on tap, good chicken fingers and fries. Our server was excellent. She handled the whole room herself with aplomb. One of the best servers I have ever had. My wife liked her to go Southwestern chicken salad.
But that’s where the good times ended. I ordered a Smokestack Burger, no cheese, rare with onion rings. The burger came out covered in cheese. No problem, it happens. I sent it back and it was replaced almost immediately. The problem? My rare burger was prepared to a deathly gray interior. The bacon was limp and there was only a schmear of BBQ sauce so this was a pretty tasteless affair. But the real problem occured when I bit into the first onion ring. I felt a weird texture in my mouth. I still had a half a ring in my hand so I peered inside and then shook the ring on my plate. A full tablespoon of raw flour tumbled out on my plate-​see picture below. I wasn’t pleased but I finished my meal and left vowing never to return.
So, I’m certain that it’s possible to get a decent meal here. I’m only sad that I could not have one.

Excellent food and service! The lobster salad was delicious! All my kids ate everything and they are picky eaters. We will be back soon.

After reading all the positive reviews on this place, I expected a better experience.
The Rail At Readington has a personality conflict; is it a pub or is it a restaurant? Looking at the menu, they want to be both. The menu is enormous, specials, 2 sets of appetizers, pizza, sandwiches, salads, burgers, entrees, and desserts. Some people like to see big menus due to the selection, we are petrified of big menus since it typically indicates a reduction in quality. For all the items on the menu, this place could easily cut it’s operating costs by focusing more on doing the pub food well and ditch the entrees menu.
The décor of this restaurant is that of a pub. Paper tablecloths, silverware wrapped in napkins, neon lights, a small game room, and a happy hour crowd in the bar area. There are appetizer plates everywhere here, we had 8 on our table, I’m assuming they stay at the table if unused; I’d be very sad to hear if they aren’t removed after customers sit at the tables. Between the plates, plate stands, and condiments, we’re lucky that 2 could fit at the table made to seat 4. The venue has pub seating in the middle of the establishment and table seating around the outside; nicely segregating pub-​goers from family dining around the border of the business.
Service was was poor from both an efficiency and frequency standpoint.
— Our appetizer order was incorrect
— When plates were removed, empty drinks were not checked (we stopped the server to make sure they were filled)
— When new drinks were brought to the table, dirty glasses were not removed leaving a nice collection of «fallen soldiers»
— We were not asked how our food was during the meal
— They have runners for food orders for a place that is relatively slow
Sadly, the food here isn’t good.
— Mozzarella Appetizer — poor on flavor, breading adds no flavor — my girlfriend was stealing jalapeños from my nachos to add something to the taste
— Nachos — bagged chips, light cheese, scallions, red onions, tomatoes, jalapeños, olives. Basically raw vegetables on store bought chips with a little cheese
— Chili Burger (medium) — was cooked on the high end of medium well, charred on the edges, dry with no pink coloration to meat. Size of meat patty is good in relation to the bun. Chili added flavor and moisture to the burger
— Reuben (corned beef) — these are typically made with deli meat, but here they make it with a regular serving of corned beef. The sandwich is bland.
As a drinking establishment, they have a solid tap selection of macro brews, with 1 – 2 micro brews. Perfect, for a low cost happy hour after work or night out. There’s a large selection of bottles mostly featuring microbrews from Dogfish Head and Riverhorse brewing, again with a larger selection of macro brews. They have an OK wine list and an extensive cocktail and martini menu.
This place has potential, but as it stands will be a place to grab some drinks and fill your hunger with what’s available. They can shrink the menu to a few excellent bar items. The menu is too large, and I’m sure costly to maintain (unless some of it’s frozen). They can get rid of the neon in the bar and allow the beauty of the building show. From our experience, service could have been much better; maybe the staff is better with the regulars.
An interesting building, but little substance of a business inside. Good for happy hour, but bad for the palette. Potential to become a gastropub, but a mediocre restaurant on the border of a dive bar.

This is a breath of fresh air for the area b/​c there is nothing else really around.
I was really impressed with this place when they first opened b/​c I have always been frustrated with the lack of selection in hunterdon county. The owner is very nice and helpful, the staff is great. There are some that are comical.
Cliff notes of this review: The best game in town, decent bar, good staff, stick to the burgers, the ribs and some of their specials. Good people, good food and good times. Drop by.
Ok as for the food.
Apps–
Wings — When the owner brought out a sampler to our table, I loved the wings. But I have ordered them many times after and each time I didn’t like them anymore b/​c the texture and flavor. I must have been really hungry the first time. They are still good but I have other places I goto for wings. This is not a deal breaker by any means!
Fried Calamari– For $ 10, I expect calamari… They had such a tiny amount of calamari it was a joke. I like going to this place and I wasn’t happy when the dish came out. Also it was so dry and over cooked it was basically inedible. It also had a fish smell which scared me when it first came out I figured it was b/​c it was soooo over cooked. They need to give more calamari, it must be cooked properly and it must be fresh!!! The weird thing is the owner was there, I felt like saying something to him but he was having a good night and I didn’t want to bring this up.
Rice balls– Yes it sounds funny, but some people like them. I am not crazy about them regardless of where I go. They were cooked well, not greasy and had a mild flavor. But I wouldn’t get this as a single order but maybe for the table as mix.
Onion rings– They were pretty good, the batter is just right on them. Crispy and not greasy!
Burgers– I had them all but my favorite is their house burger, «the rail burger» Its a burger with gouda, bacon that is woven together to make a bacon patty. I think its 3 slices. The burger is cooked with a Guinness reduction which adds a nice flavor to it.. The fries are also pretty good b/​c they aren’t greasy, which is key to frying anything.
Entrees–
The ribs… The ribs are insanely good! I would say they are better than some bbq houses. I am surprised they are able to pull this off. I give them 5 stars on the ribs. If you are going here and you like ribs, you MUST get them! You will not be sorry.
Chicken entrée– will update
Lobster Salad– I was expecting a really good lobster salad b/​c it was highly recommended… when I got pieces of lobster on top of shredded lettuce I was about to curse someone out. Lesson learned again. Follow my instincts. I can appreciate they are trying to expand but this needs a lot more refinement. I pass but many others liked it. So this is not for me but maybe for you.
Skirt Steak Sandwich– I was hesitant to order this but I wanted to get something different. The steak was almost raw, but I was way to hungry to send it back b/​c it was already sliced. It didn’t have very good flavor and the it seems like to much bread to steak ratio. But the steak didn’t have much if any flavor.
Rueben– This was pretty good but I think they use thumans pastrami b/​c it wasn’t like the good pastrami I enjoy but its still pretty good for what it is. I would get it again if I am craving pastrami and I don’t have time to go to my fav spots.
Ahi Tuna Burger– This is pretty good and nice to see something like this in the area. I would get this again.
French onion soup– I didn’t like this at all. The cheese tasted cheap, the soup had a very chemical taste to me which I found a bit strange.
The bar– I enjoy going to the bar here when I am in the mood for a drink and don’t feel like driving far. Its a great addition to the area and on top of that, they have good food. No place can make everything perfect but I stick to a handful of items here but I think there is room for improvement on some of them items.
If you are in the area and find this on Unilocal.Its basically the best in the area before you go to the higher end places.