At the Table

The food was good, but overall lacked taste. You want some soul food… soul food Thursday’s at Venue in Somerset!

Arrived yesterday at around 4:45pm. Only one family inside and they were on the way out. They were serving a buffet, but we opted to go with the menu. We both ordered the Southern style fried chicken, which was yummy, and the sides were good (the black eyed peas, Mac and cheese, and candied yams!). Our appetizer, spicy calamari, was cooked well and the sauce was delish.
Service was seriously lacking. (Ok, it was more than lacking. It was bad!) Our waitress, wearing a jean jacket, clearly didn’t want to be there. She came to the table unprepared (had to stop us mid order, after asking us what we wanted), to get her book. I think she was expecting us to grab the buffet… There was a second grader (adorable!) who was helping out, and her work ethic was much stronger. Much of the staff ate dinner from the buffet line at a back table while we waited for our food to come out. The waitress did not bus one plate off of our table. Instead, our waitress sat with the others on her phone while they ate. She didn’t ask us how everything was until we were literally on our very last bite. We waited for quite some time thereafter (I even stacked our plates as a signal), and a man at the counter instructed our waitress to check on us. She told him, «I just did.» He replied, «Well they are just sitting there…» So she said quickly, «Yeah. They asked for the check», as she walked behind the counter to presumably print out our check. A different boy presented our check, and it’s unfortunate for the business, because we were planning on eating dessert so we could also order take-​out for others at home who didn’t make it out. We left twenty percent (in high hopes that the 8 year old received most of it), and even though the food was good, it’s doubtful that we will return.
I get that this is a family business. But if you don’t want to be there, go get a different job! As an aside, I’m also a second grade teacher (who works in service after the school day!) and would like to scoop up the little one and take her into my classroom (I think she could teach my students in Bergen County a thing or two about working hard)!

AMAZING! The Mac and cheese is the best you’ll ever have and the chicken is absolutely perfect. My friend and I loved everything we ordered and will definitely be back again very soon. All the employees were very attentive and sweet too. Thank you so much, can’t wait to come back!

I wasn’t overly impressed with this place. The collard green and bacon dip wasn’t what I expected. 90% of it was cream cheese with collard greens and bacon sprinkled in, served with stale Tostitos chips.
The wait for just getting waters took at least 20 mins, and the waitress didn’t even ask if we liked the dip or if there was something wrong with it.
Between the staff yelling and cursing in the back to the unsanitary bathrooms. Their 4.5 star rating is misleading and inaccurate at best.

I’m SO disappointed that this place has FOUR stars! I have never had a worse experience at a restaurant. I waited 15 mins to get a WATER. the collard greens and bacon dip is cream cheese and stale chips. I didn’t touch it and the waitress didn’t even mention it. The wait staff cursed and yelled at each other which we heard every word. The bathrooms were disgusting and the entrees were just OK. These reviews are seriously misleading. This place is a hole in the wall with rude staff and tasteless food.

Really good soul food! Ox tails are the best.
The staff is very friendly but they need to get better organized so the customer is not kept waiting over 30 min before the appetizers are served, and another 30 min until the main courses come out. I imagine that serving a dessert would be another long wait too.
For dinner; its a good idea to pay for at least 2 hours of parking… you’re going to need every minute of it.

This was quite an awesome little find on the Restaurant Tour. I had no idea the place even existed. We were treated to a sample of a spicy chicken which was very tasty. Seems like a nice, family business. Will return for lunch for sure.

Came here early Sunday afternoon on a drive from the city, just after 2 pm, and there was a buffet! Not all the dishes were out yet, but what was out was delicious– I loved every bite! We had been eating for quite a while before they brought out the cornbread, which was so fresh and tasty. I only wish we had the time to wait and see what else they were planning to put out for the buffet!

Woooooow!!! Wooooooooow!!! Amazing!!!
I think that covers this Great family owned and ran business which caters to you like if you are dining in their dinning room. A must do if in the area or within 1,2,3, or 4 hrs away. May God continue to bless this place so I can always have a true Soul Food Place to eat. AT THE TABLE! You guys rockkkkkkkk!!!

After spending the day in Asbury Park, my boyfriend & I were trying to find somewhere to eat. We decided to take a drive all through the towns between AP and Sea Girt while I checked Unilocal for good food. By the time we got back to AP, we were both pretty hangry. We didn’t care where we ate at that point, so we decided on a place in Bradley Beach.
But waaaaaaait — at the last second I saw a restaurant in AP that said «southern, soul food» and that was all we needed to see! We took a right and found parking and went in.
I got three sides: green beans, grits and sweet potato fries. My boyfriend got the fried chicken with mashed potatoes and onion rings. We seriously loved everything.
The green beans were the BEST green beans I have ever had. The sweet potato fries were cooked perfectly. And my boyfriend said the chicken was the best he ever had. Also the corn bread: delicious! And the sweet tea. Everything was just so good.
Business was consistent the whole time we were there. We try to eat at a lot of different restaurants and At the Table is definitely one of the best.

I’d like to give it 3 ½ stars but Unilocal doesn’t do that.
Let’s start at the very beginning. High hopes, blah blah blah. Ok. After knowing exactly what I wanted, oxtail in gravy, I asked for recommendations to that dish. I have to have a vegetable so I ordered grilled asparagus. Our waitress recommended the Mac and cheese. Yes! Hubby took a little longer but decided to go for sweet potato crusted tilapia. His sides were collard greens and black eyed peas with rice. After we ordered we waited for a bit which was no big deal. Hey, they’re making it fresh, I thought. I requested for our corn bread and the waitress said they’re out of it. Wait, what?! It’s 4:45 pm. They open at 4:00 pm. There’s only one other couple in this entire restaurant. How is that possible?
Ok, dinner came 25 minutes later. Smells great! Looked at the oxtails. How and why are they thin? It’s an oxtail, which usually it’s cut thicker. I know. I cook oxtail at home. It’s good, please don’t get me wrong but it’s cut thin. …ummmm, ok? My asparagus was nicely seasoned but it wasn’t the greenest. I cut into them and it was not the freshest. Bummer. Insert sad face. Their Mac and cheese was nice but like another Unilocaler indicated, oily. Hubby ate most of it because he really didn’t care for his collard greens. It was sour.
Onto hubby dish. His fish had a very nice crust underneath the sweet potato. Nicely done! The sweet potato was actually too sweet and had a sugar crust on it. Perhaps it’s candied yams? Odd and way too sweet. He thought the collard greens were too pickled. The black eyed peas and rice was good. As for the fish, I tasted some and I’ll say honestly, I liked the crust. The sweet potato being overly sweet overwhelmed the fish. Too bad.
Service was fair. The guy and girl constantly switched back and forth. I had to ask them to refill a couple times and to please light the candle on our table. I can’t say they were too busy because they weren’t. We left at 5:50 pm and were surprised they were still empty. As we walked toward our car, we noticed other eateries were quite busy. As for the ambiance, it’s like your aunts’ place. Nicely decorated. Homely, comfortable and clean. However, they had Christmas music on a tad too loud but thankfully not so loud that hubby and I have to text each other just to converse. Oddly enough, they also had the tv on but the music drowned out the tv.
Disappointed bc I really wanted to like it more. Off night? Perhaps. Insert final sad face.

Mmm, great food.
The atmosphere is very home-​y. The wall fixtures look like they came straight from Aunt Margo’s house.
Corn bread was brought out to start. It was delicious. I wish we had about 4 more baskets, but I wasn’t in the mood to get rolled out of the front door.
For an appetizer, we got the bacon and collard greens dip. This was actually kind of disappointing. It tasted like cream cheese. My boyfriend and I just couldn’t taste the good stuff!
Entrees, however, were fantastic. The fish with yams was delicious, not fishy at all, and had a wonderful crust. Plus… I microwaved the leftovers the next night and it somehow didn’t stink up the entire apartment with a fish smell?! Score!
Macaroni and cheese was a bit greasy, but that’s the way it should be.

Good food but friends had stomach issues afterward that were significant enough to to call me about.
I must say my food tasted excellent and we were served promptly but I felt compelled to share the GI distress due to my friends issues

I liked the staff and the service. The corn bread was actually quite excellent (and we had two helpings of it.) But I don’t think the food overall was my cup-​of-​tea. Or, maybe buffets, are not my cup-​of-​tea.
I thought the chicken was dry, and the other items were a touch overcooked.

Ok, I will try to make this review as relateable as possible for those who didn’t grow up in black culture. This place is aunt Pam’s house!!! Let me explain. Soulfood has been the backbone of black culture for years. Its often used as as way to keep families together. So what does this have to do with you?
When you go to Aunt Pam’s house the food is indescribably great. She’s not gonna coddle you, she’s not gonna hold your hand, but she’s gonna make sure you have a plate because she pours her soul into everything she makes and this is how she shows she cares.
This place isn’t booked as fine dining and you’re not going to get 5 star service but let’s be honest you’re not paying for it either. I had turkey wings, mac and cheese, and sweet potatoes. The flavoring was so mouth-​watering that it took me back in time to being 6 years old and sitting in grand ma’s kitchen as she made dinner. I got the best soul food I’ve had since she passed away and you can’t get any higher praise than that. Next time I’m in town, this will be my dinner place again.
BTW my entire bill… less than $ 20, I tipped my waitress $ 5…and then tipped the chef too, it was that damn good

Just left, high expectations with lots of missteps. 45 minute wait to get water and wine glasses. Had to ask multiple times for water and it finally arrived, 1 glass at a time for 4 of us. Corn bread muffins were good, not great but when you are hungry, anything tastes good.
We ordered 2 short ribs, 1 fried chicken and 1 herbed barbecue chicken. Chicken was overcooked, ribs were mediocre and contributed to the disappointment. Dont waste your time to order side salads, they were fresh from a premade salad bag. Asparagus tasted frozen and black eyed peas were mealy.
Final insult for the 4 of us was when we reviewed the check and noticed it indicated 5 guests with an automatic 20% gratuity – beware and check your check.
All in all, very disappointed and will not return

Really did want to enjoy the food after reading such great reviews. But one thing after another ruined our experience.
We ordered for pick up and was told it would be 45 minutes because they were busy — not unreasonable. We arrived 45 minutes later for pick up and the cashier seemed concerned about our order when we paid. We were told «a couple more minutes» 30 minutes later we received half of our order another 10 or so minutes we finally received the other half and finally departed for home — twice the expected wait time. Absolutely no one at any time ever said «Sorry for the wait, we are busy.» or «Thank you for waiting.» or any kind of decent mannered pleasantry to take away the sting of waiting for so long. Inexperience at it’s best.
On to the food:
The fried chicken was deemed dry by both who ordered. The french fries had the distinct flavor of frozen that had been fried. The Ms. Maya’s Sweet Potato Crusted Talapia was nothing close to crusted, it was just a fried piece of talapia with a mashed sweet potato thrown on top (an unattractive mess). The flavoring was pretty good, but the presentation was not what was expected. Also, they totally forgot to include one of the sides that was ordered. The Salmon Cake Dinner that was supposed to be «sauteed to a golden brown» was burned black, almost inedible. The most telling thing at the end of our meal, no one wants to save any of the leftovers so it all goes into the garbage.
Oh, the corn bread was good. So go there and get the corn bread if you have enough time to wait for it.

Hands down the best short rib I’ve ever had. This is the third or fourth time we’ve been and it’s consistently amazing. Besides the short rib other standouts are the fried chicken, the oxtail and the appetizer platter with wings, tilapia fingers, fried shrimp and calamari (all fantastic) and the many options for sides are all great (mac & cheese, collard greens, yams, grits, asparagus to name a few). Very nice atmosphere too; a friendly, family-​run restaurant vibe where the people serving you genuinely care about the experience you’re having and want to hear your feedback. They take reservations which is a great help since we’ve seen some wait times on busier nights.
We brought friends tonight and they were very excited to see that there’s a whole menu of gluten free options; they tried the gluten free fried chicken and fried shrimp and said that both were incredible. Several vegan-​friendly offerings too.
Can’t wait to go back again!

This place is absolutely wonderful! The staff is friendly and very welcoming. The food is out of this world. We got the buffet which had a very nice selection. Everything on the buffet was delicious! I will go back again and again!

What a great meal! After reading the other reviews we were expecting «good» but man — we got GREAT! Most in our party ordered the fried chicken which I thought was not very adventurous but I have to admit, I tried it and it really was among the best I’ve ever had. The chicken was moist and silky and the breading was light and crunchy. Delish.
I had the ox tails in brown gravy which were tender and fall off the bone. The gravy was so delicious that I could have just drank a bowl of that for my meal.
Oh and don’t let me forget the corn bread they start you off with! So Delicious and corny and not too sweet. The décor is simple — square formica tables, small and rather stark but the staff is friendly and the food is sublime. BYOB