North Branch Tavern

Big fan of niks wunderbar (bar atmosphere). Niks north branch tavern — Food isn’t great. But they did have a great selection of beers. Maybe he should stick with beers and make his menu smaller. The menu was very extensive and food wasn’t great. Do a few things and do them well, which was not the case here. We ordered a burger which was just a burger. The shrimp wrap was bland, absolutely no taste. Will not return to the north branch tavern.

Heard good things about this place and wanted to try myself. I was told the appetizer of mushrooms stuffed with Boursin cheese are to die for! My friend wasn’t kidding! 4 or 5 large cooked mushrooms stuffed with yummy melted cheese were amazing! They are pretty filling as well.
I ordered what our friendly waitress suggested for my meal. Filet tips surrounding a big pile of creamy mashed potatoes. The filet tips were cooked just right, smothered in a tasty gravy with sautéed mushrooms. It was a great meal.
My friend ordered a rib eye steak. It was covered in peppercorn seasoning which he did not like, and the waitress brought him out a plain one in no time. She was very courteous with his request.
The bar area looked clean and filled with beers on tap and a full liquor counter. Next time I’ll be in for a frosty beverage.

Ate here last night place was not very crowded. Was there about 7:45pm. Service was ridiculous. Wait staff never came around hung out in this glass both in the middle. Host which I guess was the boss pretty much made not effort to get the staff moving. A lot of people standing around doing nothing. Food was just ok. Probably not going back. One of these places where you have to search for your server even to get the check.

Nothing really to complain about — we rolled in on a Sunday afternoon, had some non-​memorable food (I honestly don’t even remember what we ate and, while I’d love to track it down, can’t seem to even find their menu online) and a couple of beers. I think I had a burger of some variety, and wife had the angry shrimp something or other. It was ok. It wasn’t great, it wasn’t bad, it was pretty much a 3 star set of food.
Decent enough pub if you like to try different «off the beaten path» beers and whiskeys… but since they’re only about 10 minutes away from Nik’s Wunderbar, it’s a little tough to justify going here instead as their selection is vastly inferior (more whiskey, but a lot less beer).
Really not sure what everyone is complaining about… honestly, I found the place to be so neutral that I am having a hard time complaining OR praising anything about it. With lots of taverns in the area, there are definitely other places I’d prefer to go within 10 minutes of here.

«Louka’s Diner» to «Rue Noir» to «Nik’s Steakhouse» to «North Branch Tavern»… all with the same owner, and the only one worth the effort to go to was Louka’s.
We used to go to Louka’s on a regular basis, but after «Sandy» (the storm) they remodeled and decided that they wanted to be an upscale «steakhouse». A French steakhouse? the food was as bad as the idea and the prices were ridiculous. We didn’t try the Nik’s Steakhouse version because we thought they were just trying to get rid of the stupid Rue Noir name. We decided to give the current incarnation a try because hey, «third times a charm». Nope.
My wife said that the sliders and wedge salad she ordered were «pretty good», but the price tag for 3 sliders (nothing else on the plate) and a wedge salad was $ 17. My small rib eye steak (literally ½ inch thick and pretty tasteless) and caesar salad (also tasteless) was $ 37. Add the cheapest bottle of red wine on the menu ($ 29) and the bill with tip was over $ 100. We are not against paying $ 100+ for dinner, but the quality has to match the price. That doesn’t work here.
The next step for this building is closure. Either revive Louka’s or let someone else execute the next incarnation.

My buddy and I came here the other day to give this place a shot. It’s on the eastbound side of Route 22 (kind of across the road from the Shop Rite). I remember when this location was Loukas LA Diner (that diner wasn’t very good). When I entered, I was super disappointed to see that kept the exact same design as the diner about 2 – 3 restaurants ago. I was actually really surprised to see that. I don’t feel like they are maximizing space as the bar runs across the entire restaurant (similar to how the breakfast bar of the diner was).
We grabbed 2 stools at the bar and took a look at the menu. They had about 18 beers on tap and they even had a few of their own beers on tap. I went with some Troegs IPA. I’m actually a Troegs fan so I was happy to see the Central PA microbrew on tap. I’d give the draft beer rating about a C+. I think they could have had a bit more variety.
We ordered two different sliders to share. We went with the bacon and cheddar burger sliders and some sort of sriracha chicken sliders. Honestly, the cheeseburger sliders were awesome. They were some of the better sliders I’ve ever tasted. They were cooked to almost a perfect medium rare, they were incredibly juicy and you could tell they were hand formed.
The sriracha chicken sliders were a much different story. They were just a piece of chicken with some sriracha sauce and some blue cheese on a bun. Even with the sriracha sauce, they were incredibly bland. The burger sliders were great, the chicken sliders not so great.
I went with 2 stars because I’m really not that big a fan of the design, the beer selection should be much better for a tavern and the chicken sliders were not very good. The burger sliders were great but that’s not enough to bring this place to a 3 – 4 star rating. I thought the prices were OK. The place was pretty empty when we visited.

Formerly a diner, Nik’s Tavern has been turned into a good old fashioned … well … tavern.
A wonderfully stocked bar (Basil Hayden Bourbon anyone?) dominates one wall with spacious and comfortable seating throughout. Dark wood accents and a clean and crisp contemporary design pervades.
The food at Nik’s Tavern is a little strange however. One can get some really well inspired dishes, such as the Filet Tips smothered in a burgundy reduction surrounding a mound of perfectly done whipped potatoes. And then find a very uninspired Greek Salad that could have been unwrapped from the local Wawas. Suffice it to say that Nik’s Tavern is still finding itself and some of the old uninspired diner fare still peaks through occasionally. You can find some real gems here, but you can also kiss a frog or two (or pebbles if I’m sticking to my metaphors).
Finally, in keeping with the tavern theme, Nik’s Tavern is finished off by a game room that features a pool table and a few video games. One suggestion for Nik … a *real* dart board (or two) and a darts competition wouldn’t go amiss here. Also desperately needs a creative happy hour.
Worth a stop if you’re in the area.

We had the tavern cheeseburger and jalapeño burger. Both were very good with the side of steak fries. Beer selection looked promising but we had whiskey and diet coke served generously in pint glasses. Service was attentive, kitchen was a little slow getting our apps out but it all was good!

Monday nights with awesome mina (the bartender) and ½ craft beer bottles, you can’t beat that!

This is the best place around this area. The diverse menu allows us to choose from a burger night or the great tasting ahi tuna. The service is always welcoming and has just the right level of friendliness without feeling bothered. You won’t be disappointed.

Haven’t been here in a while but decided to give it another shot and was pleasantly surprised. Greeted at the door and waitstaff was attentive throughout. We got some happy hour orders and burgers and they were all cooked as ordered. Moderately priced, moderate crowd, we will be back

Ok, so this is a restaurant with an identity crisis. First a high end steakhouse… fail, then a high end burger joint… fail and now a tavern!?!
The décor is nice, the gentleman trying to sing and play guitar behind me… well…not so much.
When we sat down, we were ushered to a high top in the bar area. Not bad… the bar tender was attentive at first and then totally disappeared after ordering our food.
I had fish and chips for $ 16 bucks, a bit pricey. My wife had a French Dip that was about as flavorful as saw dust. We each had exactly one drink even though the bartender noticed my glass empty more than one time. They easily could have increased the tab another $ 15 of $ 20 bucks if someone would have paid attention.
IMHO pass on by and check out Willies, Stoney brook or the Rail. The food and service is far superior at any of those three than here.

I have been here before, and the vibe has changed for the better. I had an appetizer, Moroccan Chicken, which was brought out quickly and tasted great. For dinner, My bacon cheeseburger was cooked just right, and was very tasty. After dinner, we went to the bar, and Ray took good care of us. We had a few of rays specialty cocktails while we listened to some great tunes by the local guitar player. We will be back.

The Tavern is a welcome addition to the area, great food, good prices and family friendly. Surprised by the nice pool room, shot a couple of games with my son. We had a great time. Hands down the best burgers in the area. Can’t wait to go back.

I love this place, food are great! Live music is perfect. The first time I took my girl friend there, she fell in love with this place. Now it becomes our favorite place to hang out with friends and family.

Basically…
Place: Nicely redone.
Food: Good, except it took awhile to get out of the kitchen.
Drinks: Eh. Beautiful bar but they need daily drink specials to bring people in. Also, I thought this place would have more of a «bar scene» after 10pm but they do not. They close around then.
Entertainment: Singer/​guitarist performance.
Staff: Very nice.

I have been to Nicks a number of times over the last couple of years it has been opened. When the name was Rue Noir and now Nik’s Steakhouse. The food was great, then not good, now back to good. My wife and I had a great meal. She had French onion soup and a Greek salad. Both were terrific. I had the lamb chops, again very good.
The bread when served warm with garlic butter on it is good but after it cools it does loose all appeal, even feels hard and old. I would suggest upgrading the bread to rolls or something.
The service is ok, not great. For as few people that were in the place on a Saturday night it should have been better. The beer selection is pretty good.
The place is expensive, even a little overpriced but it does keep out the loud annoying younger crowd. For the two of us, 1 drink, 1 full entrée, no dessert, the bill was $ 66

Nope.
I came here for a group lunch. The tavern was completely empty on a Thursday afternoon. The interior of the restaurant was dimly lit and it was a bit more spacious than other places I frequent. However, with zero other people besides my group, it was cavernous, and awkward. That should have been a sign to PASS
Here is why:
The food was average/​below average bar food in the tavern area. And yet, they had the audacity to charge city prices.
I had an angry shrimp wrap. I know, shrimp in central NJ, bad decisions. The sauce that it was topped with was spicier than I had expected, but it was still edible. The fries were greasy and flavorless. Okay add salt?
We had calamari for an appetizer. The breading was bland and heavy. The calamari was too chewy.
While the food looked good, it just lacked any depth, and for the price it was a poor value.
And now I am sick, correlation doesn’t equal causation and it may have just been that the food was too greasy for my digestive tract, but I am not a happy gal right now.
They appear to have a great beer selection. But who wants to drink in Branchburg, NJ?

Oof. I came to Nik’s with a group for a team «nice dinner.» You can tell from the layout that it was converted from a diner, but the décor is still a pretty nice steakhouse style. That part was charming and historic.
Food was a bit problematic. Appetizers were pretty ok but fried calamari, potato skins, and chicken on a stick are rather straight forward. We were given a fixed menu including tossed green salad (plain but loved the oil and vinegar dressing served on it!) and choice of three entrees.
Steak tips — lower quality tid bits cooked down in a super salty gravy. Very few mushrooms. Mashed potatoes were «ok».
Flounder francese — eek! Fishy, breaded, greasy, served on pasta. Entirely white on white. The people who ordered it didn’t eat it.
Coq au vin — the only one well liked. Whole roast chicken on the bone served in a stoneware crock. Slow roasted with bacon pieces. Good, but not enough to redeem the whole place.
Maybe it was the fixed group menu or maybe it’s the restaurant. I might come back here for cocktails (though two drinks were $ 25!) but I’ll be moving along for dinner.

tried the new steak place, Nik’s. So-​so… too pricy…
none of us were up for steaks, but we had the following appetizers
Kobe Sliders — cooked well, no ketchup served… not good.
Calamari — bland breading, somewhat chewy…
Clams Casino — sold @ $ 2 per clam… ok — had better elsewhere
Ribs on special — tasty
dinner was also okay…
Chunk Corned Beef — good, but a bit fatty, and the potato gratin and cabbage were greasy
Lamb Chops in Morrocan spice. not to my liking. the chops were nice, but could not eat due to spice…
ST Louis Ribs — too spicy for the person eating
Shaved Ribeye sandwich — ok
we had to ask for bread, stale but warmed to hide it, and mustard… only had Honey Dijon. One needs brown or yellow mustard for Corned Beef — DUH!!!
only 2 other tables on a Saturday night. I know its new, but… might go back to try the sandwiches but way too expensive for a converted Diner. was formerly Louka’s. Nicely redone, but still a redone diner…