The Cranbury Inn

Our regular eating place for a great brunch at a reasonable price $ 25.00 per person, no where in Jersey can one have such a delicious varied brunch on a Sunday at that price. Tom as usual was gracious in spite of the packed house. This place is always packed full on Sundays, whether for the buffet or the tremendous amount of parties that are hosted there, from weddings to birthdays, christenings, engagements, etc. The list can go on and on. We enjoy our Sundays with the good buffet and good company and the atmosphere is just so civilized, in spite of the large number of persons in the room everyone is having such a grand time and the atmosphere is very special and warm. Keep up the good work, Tom. The servers are tremendous also from Guy who remembers everyone and greets of everyone to Diane who is just so warm and loving. We have become part of the Cranbury Inn family. Extra waiters are put on to clear dishes, refill coffee cups or just to ask if everything is ok and if anyone needs anything. We cannot wait until we go back again (happy that we live only about ten minutes away). How lucky are we! Also the bar is packed with all sorts of sports players, the camaraderie is warm.

We just returned from a wonderful engagement party at the Inn. Food and service were excellent. Buffet with a carving station. Excellent coverage of water tea and coffee. Clearing the tables.
Waiter brought and served nice eggs Benedict and Belgian waffles.
Five stars.

I too am not sure why other people have given this restaurant bad reviews. My wife and I just ate there, and we thought the food, ambience, and service were all just excellent. My wife had the Shrimp and Scallop Fra Diavlo, with big shrimp and full sized scallops (unusual, for the most part). I had the smoked rib-​eye, which was tender and delicious. My wife had the shrimp cocktail as an appetizer, while I had the French Onion Soup. Both were excellent, and the shrimp in the shrimp cocktail were huge. Service was excellent, and the owner was nice, and not pushy at all. Indeed, he was the perfect host. He even showed us the kitchen after we finished our dinner. All in all, a great experience.

We decided to try a new place around Princeton and come here. The outside and inside setup is just like what people described in Unilocal.Lots of selection in the menu. Waiter service was ok. After the food was served, we decided this is a one time deal because the food is not tasty. The portion was generous. My wife ordered scallop, 6 jumbo one in a order. However, it has weird smell. My prime rib is too tough to chew even it is medium. My daughter crab cake was terrible because we are from Maryland and expected a real crab cake. The check come out $ 90 and I left $ 14 tip (15%). Surprisingly, the waiter told us the tiDaniel Vesnovskiy and Emily Thorpe p should be 20%? I was so shocked that even high end restaurant does not demand 20% tip, not to mention we did not enjoy the dinner. Also, I forget to mention they throw away our left over food when we asked them to pack. Definitely won’t go back!

My husband and I got married here 3 years ago. We had several negative experiences during the planning of our wedding with the owner (Tom). It’s not exactly the part of your wedding you want to remember so I hadn’t written a review until now.
I’ve listed 4 negatives from that night, but the list goes on and on.
1. From the start the owner was pushy and unpleasant but I loved to reception room so we went for it. During the planning phase we were promised the world. Even told that if our guest were still dancing he’d allow us to stay an extra hour free of charge. However the music was turned off at 10pm on the dot.
2. He also offered to come pick me up (we live VERY close) in an antique car he owned and drive me to the ceremony, however the night before our event he said the windshield wiper was broken and would not be able to do as he said.
3. THE FOOD He offered to make a special vegetarian dish for me and a few other of my guest. For dinner at my wedding I was served plain couscous and over dried mushrooms (no seasonings). I couldn’t even eat it.
4. The Inn is beautiful and my pictures looks great but my photographer had to photoshop out the owners tacky sports car which was parked next to the entrance.
Like I said I could go on and on but I won’t.
IF you choose to have your event here good luck.

My fiancé and I came to the Cranbury Inn over the weekend to meet with Tom, the owner, and discuss the possibility of hosting our wedding at the Cranbury Inn. While we are still deciding if it is the right option for us, the service we received was impeccable!
Tom is so knowledgeable about history and traditions and he was very warm and hospitable. The space itself is lovely and the food samples he gave us were out of this world! So Yummy!!!
If you are looking for an event space or just a great dinner with family or friends, I would really recommend this place.

This place has an amazing brunch! It is by far the best in the area. All you can eat, and all you can drink champagne. the food is fresh and delicious. They also have some items made to order, like their delicious eggs Benedict!

Not sure why there are so many negative reviews. I attended a wedding recently and the place was fantastic. Appetizers were tasty, service was great and the dinner was awesome. Employees were attentive and the entire event was a success. The family really enjoyed the night! Thanks for making it great!

Service was slow. Waitress couldn’t figure out how to split the check. Steak was dry and over cooked. Overall the food was very bland. Wouldn’t go back.

I attended a baby shower here on a Sunday afternoon. What a beautiful, historical building! I can see how the main room could be used for parties & even weddings. The two-​story ceilings, the beautiful rafters, the chandelier, the intricate carvings on the balcony. Really a lovely place for a special brunch or dinner!
Food was good too — I wasn’t expecting such a display! For brunch, there were breakfast items, lunch, meat, omelet station, cakes, cookies, bagels, and baked goods. Not to mention you could also order a waffle from the waiters! Really extensive selection. My only gripe is that the coffee servers were pretty difficult to track down. They had these cute little coffee cups set out on the table, and at 11am, it may as well be a thimble hahah. I strongly considered asking them to fill more than one cup for me when I finally flagged down a waiter, but I thought that would’ve been rude. (Also I heard they had mimosas, but I didn’t see them! Alas.) I wish they would’ve put the carafe down at our table!
But the food was amazing, the space was incredible, and everyone at the shower had a great time. It was the perfect venue for the occasion!

Family run poorly. Constantly losing chefs, food is so so — the reason they do weddings is because they don’t have to worry about anyone returning.

The food, at best, is mediocre. The service is very slow, although the waiter was very pleasant. The place is historic, from the 1700’s, but I go to a restaurant for good food. My lobster tail was badly freezer burned. They apologized and brought out one that had the consistency of rubber. Two stars is charitable.

We live close by and have been dining in the Cranbury Inn a few times. We had pleasant experiences in the past. This time it was not to be. We made reservation for a Thanksgiving Day dinner and were seated relatively soon. The waitress was pleasant and friendly and our wine came in reasonable time. From that point on it was downhill in a hurry. The bread was stale and it had not been a good one even when it was fresh. To me, it is unforgivable, since it is a penny cheap item and it sets the mood for your dining. I understand that it was a very busy day, but waiting was unreasonably long for each items served. The food was ok, but what can go wrong with turkey. Total confusion prevailed. They attempted to serve us three times after we finished our main course. Our check was messed up, obviously we got somebody else’s check. All of our neighbor tables had complaints for various problems. All in all, it took two and a half hours to finish our dinner. We wanted to have a relaxing decent dinner for the celebration of our favorite holiday and we did mot get it by far.
We are sorry, because we like the ambiance of the place and the food is reasonably good, but it does not worth the aggravation. I am afraid the place is declining.

This restaurant has changed quite a bit over the past 40 years. The owner is a nice guy and friendly. He keeps his yellow Vette parked right out front. Their wait staff is professional dressing in formal attire. I would say the food went from being exquisite to adequate, but still good. I think they really only need a high quality chef and possibly better marketing. This Inn is probably over 100 or 200 years old and should have some excellent history. Unfortunately they don’t do much to promote.
For dinner, my wife had the cavatelle and broccoli. She would probably give it 3 stars. I tried it and it definitely needed some spices or other savory seasonings/​flavors. The pasta was done well and the vegetables were fresh. I had the 8 oz lobster tail. It was probably more of a 6 oz tail than 8. It was just slightly overbroiled to the point where the lobster meat is almost mealy. They pull the meat from the shell and crack the shell for you making it very easy to eat. An area of improvement would also be their drinks. They need to get larger glasses. I would guess that most of their cocktails are served in 6 oz glasses with lots of ice. I understand that the bar is one of the most profitable areas of the restaurant, but they don’t need to make it so obvious.

If I could give 0 stars I would. I have been here a few times and it had gone down hill very quickly. First off, they keep the place so so so dark, I could barely see the menu. On the table, I killed three ants that were crawling around. Before ordering, I asked if I could order the onion soup instead of the soup/​salad for the entrée. The waitress said it would be an up charge. So I ordered it. When the bill came, they charged the whole price for the soup. When I asked, the waitress got defensive and could not give a reason. Along with this, I ordered the filet mignon, medium rare. The outside of the filet was burnt so that was all I tasted the whole meal. No wonder it was completely empty before my family and I got there.
This place is absolutely disgusting with the worst service. Do not go here!!!

I don’t understand the negative reviews. I am visiting from California and had lunch here today with relatives and thought it was very good. Our server, Bo, was friendly and patient. We were a group of 7 talkative ladies and she was very gracious. The food was good and tea, coffee, water and iced teas were filled immediately when empty. My mom loved the nuts in the chicken salad and Bo was kind enough to bring her some to take home.
We were looking for a place that would allow us to have unlimited time to catch up as it had been about 7 years since we were last together. The Cranbury Inn fit the bill.

My food was nothing special (turkey). Cowrkers said their’s ranged from terrible to good (how do ruin steaks?) Food 3
Service 1 — waiter was in another world (wine left for 15 min to be uncorked and went downhill from there.) when we asked for water since waiter had been gone for 20 mi, the other waiter gave us weird look and went elsewhere. Waiter had to make 4 trips for entrée while other waiter stood around. (and two more for ruined steak)
Prices high too.
Why?

Terrible. I had the Shrimp pasta, and it tasted like watered shrimp. Truly, one of the worst meals I’ve ever had. Ever. Boo flavor what so ever. The ambiance and drinks are nice but I’m not coming here again.

I really don’t understand the negative reviews. This is one of our favorites restaurants. It is a traditional American fare classic restaurant that used to populate the landscape of New Jersey. I remember going to such classic restaurants as the Manor, King George Inn, Smythville Inn, and others as a Child. The restaurant’s history goes all the way back to 1780. Cranbury Inn was also a favorite of my Mother.
My Wife and I have dined here many times. Recently, some professional events have been held at the Cranbury Inn. The catered events in the back room are exceptional.
This time that we dined at the Cranbury Inn was to celebrate my Daughter’s Confirmation. There were six of us: My Wife, her Parents, my Son and Daughter and me. I had the stuffed Pork Chops, and highly recommend them. My Son and Daughter both had Filets. The food and wine was great. For desert, My Father in Law and I both had Dark Side of the Moon cake – a chocoholics paradise.
We will be back soon. I like to go at least twice a year. Would like to try their Brunch.

This restaurant and the people working there need a major overhaul.
The hostess was sitting at the bar and never looked up when we arrived.
That should have been a clue. When the busy poured the water more was on the floor than in the glass and didn’t give a shit.
Onion soup was good but I had already gotten the hebejeebees and everything else here seemed wrong.
The main course was neither good nor bad. Couldn’t wait to leave and never come back.