Planned a nice Mother’s Day brunch buffet today, but that didn’t happen when we had 3 o’clock reservations, the last seating. The food trays were never refilled, I guess because we were the last seating. We spoke to management, who guaranteed that there was more food coming out. We went and sat down and waited, and waited… We asked management again about refilling the trays… Again we were told that they would be. And again nothing. Our first time at Fireside and the last. We never left a buffet hungry… But we did today.
John S.
Place rating: 5 South Amboy, NJ
This place is great! Big screen TVs in the bar area with several varieties of beer. Food is excellent! I recommend the Cajun chicken with rice, black beans and topped with avocado. Great place to bring the family, friends or fly solo. Service is always excellent as well.
Dana E.
Place rating: 4 Morganville, NJ
Always good food and good drinks! The service does vary — I’ve had good and bad experiences however I will still keep coming back. Always a great place to watch games or hangout and get drinks.
Wesley P.
Place rating: 5 Freehold Township, NJ
Went here for lunch today, and even though I have been here multiple times, this time had stood out. From the hostess that was super friendly and sat us immediately to the excellent job our young waiter provided. Most restaurants could take a page from these two young employees. I give credit to management that has trained them so well. I have personally been in the business when I was young and have had the opportunity to visit some fancy establishments in my life and these two employees were top notch! I plan on calling tomorrow to let management know all about them. The food was also good as usual. As the years have past the food has been getting better, and the restaurant is a place I will continue to go to and tell friends about. Well done Fireside!
Brian G.
Place rating: 5 Saddle Brook, NJ
Ask for Paulina! She’s a terrific manager. Fireside just got Fat Tire beer. Great food, drinks, atmosphere and large TVs!
Lauren G.
Place rating: 5 Freehold, NJ
Always great! Good food, good service, management always present, all around never disappointed. Kids meals are a nice size and made in house. No Kraft Mac and cheese! If you are into sports there are ton of tvs including in the bathroom(which are always clean). All in all a nice family friendly place.
N F.
Place rating: 1 East Brunswick, NJ
Was just there today for lunch it was awful. The wings were horrible, the carrots and celery that came with it were warm and wilted. My husband had the French dip and it tasted like the meat had been cooked days ago. The burger was tasteless and unimpressive. I was hoping to have a party on the outside patio which is very nice but the food is below what I would ever serve our guests.
Chris H.
Place rating: 2 Freehold Township, NJ
Such a disappointment. I went there with my wife and daughter. We waited about a half hour to be seated and noticed several tables were empty. It took forever to get our order placed and we couldn’t talk because the music was so loud. Those empty tables remained that way most of the time we were there. We ordered salads which were good and our entrees eventually came. None of it was hot, but not cold. It would have been pretty good had it been hot. The people seated next to us got tired of waiting for their food and left. After we find finished eating we waited quite a while for the check. In all it was just under 3 hours from the time we rolled into the parking lot until we rolled out. We ordered 3sodas, 3 salads, 2 cheeseburgers and one fajita and it cost almost $ 65 before tip. The place has an identity crisis. We were seated in the bar section with college basketball on the tvs during March madness. You couldn’t hear the game over the music and the beer prices seemed high. Wings come as an «order» instead of being able to order by quantity. So it’s not quite a restaurant and does a poor job as a sports bar. Such a shame. I had high hopes for this place.
Jason S.
Place rating: 1 Manalapan Township, NJ
Horrible, horrible service… AND fruit flies on every wall in the bar area during lunch. Went for what was an attempted ‘quick’ lunch on Friday with work people and as usual, it’s never quick. The weird thing about this place though is when they are busy, service is fairly quick but when they’re slow, service is slow; whatever the reason is, who knows, but that doesn’t matter b/c I won’t ever go to this place again. Back to the fruit flies… For lunch, we walked in and were seated and directly above us on the wall were fruit flies, of some kind. Upon asking the waitress to relocate us, elsewhere, each time we went to a different section, it was the same so we wound up sitting on a high top in the middle. Every place can have a bad day, or have something malfunction so b/c we had never seen such before, ever, so we chalked it up to that and had an 1 ½ hour long lunch, but needed to be in and out in 1 hour(but again, you know that coming in). Fast forward to Saturday night, and the family needed a quick and close place to eat, so we headed over, as there is always plenty of selection for my toddler. We usually head over around 5:30 to beat the crowds that start rolling in from 6:30 on so when we got there, they weren’t terribly busy. The waiter takes our order, we ask that my son’s food be brought out as soon as it’s ready and also ask for a kid-size water cup with straw… What usually happens when you ask for something at a restaurant is that they bring it not long after you order; not here. We had ordered chicken fingers and fries for the little guy, my wife ordered an eggplant caprese wrap, and I ordered a reuben sandwich, nothing complicated and again, the place was not hustling busy. The server didn’t bring the water for my son, when he came over to ‘ask if we needed anything,’ we said ‘yeah, our food and the water.‘ So he eventually comes back with the water, and then eventually, my son’s food, and then more waiting, and waiting. We had to ask about our food, which he of course responds ‘it’ll be up soon,’ which everyone knows is waiter talk for ‘crap, I forgot about it and it’s probably sitting in the window.’ He eventually brings out or food, asks if we need anything else(this is where I struggled to suppress saying ‘yeah, for you to not serve us, ever.’). From that point on, I did not see the kid until after we had been done eating and my wife had to take my son to the car. It took additional time to get him to bring the check and a take-home box… And when I say ‘take-home box’ I mean he brought 1 box back to the table for my son’s leftovers AND my wife’s. As I said, any restaurant can have a bad night or 2; it happens. And I am the last person who will start complaining when things go wrong, unlike many of my fellow diners who on numerous occasion will seek the manager if they are waiting for more than 10 minutes. But when 2 of the other tables around us had issues(a messed up or totally forgotten order over here, a manager apologizing for something else over there), coupled with the terrible service we had, not only do I not want to talk to a manager, I just want to leave and never come back; so that’s what I’ll be doing. Food wise, this place is good. For us, the food has always been consistent, with a good selection and variety, and the beer selection is also pretty good. There aren’t very many bar type places in the area either so having such a place is always good. The issue, and the sole reason for the 1 star, is the service. This place does well. As we were walking out, the lines coming in were stretched out on both sides of the foyer area. So why the service is so lacking, is the big question. Maybe they just need to train or re-train some of the wait staff, but if they haven’t realized there is an issue there by now, I don’t think they ever will; plus as long as the $ is coming in, it ain’t broke, right? I’d like to see what John Taffer has to say about that b/c I definitely think this place needs a Service Rescue.
Renee R.
Place rating: 5 Point Pleasant, NJ
My family and I love Fireside. On my last visit I went with my Mom and from start to finish the whole staff was friendly, prompt and professional. The food was outstanding, I had the Coconut Shrimp as an appetizer and the Southwest Salad for my entrée. We had some of the seasonal beers on tap and we were very impressed with the knowledge of our server. The atmosphere was on point. Can’t wait to go back!(The Chipwich dessert is to die for!)
We P.
Place rating: 1 Matawan, NJ
The service was ok. We ordered two drinks The Gummy Bear Drink and Moscow Mule. The Gummy Bear drink came and wasn’t garnished with any Gummy Bears… What the use of ordering a Gummy Bear Drink with No Gummy Bears. The waitress was nice enough to bring a cup of gummy bears. The Moscow Mule was suppose to come in a copper cup it came in a mason jar. My sliders were cold, but the house chips were good.
Kitty C.
Place rating: 5 Los Angeles, CA
I had the best experience there with my family today. The service was awesome and the sweet potato fries were absolutely to die for!!!
Ann D.
Place rating: 1 Old Bridge, NJ
Very disappointed with our dinner tonight. My salmon was dry and had no flavor. My husbands ribs were so overcooked that the meat tasted like cardboard. We expressed our dissatifaction to the manager and he could care less. We will not be going back.
Erika V.
Place rating: 4 Freehold, NJ
Good place to go but make sure you get there early if it’s a game night lol!!! No it’s really good, there meals are very tasty!
Lev P.
Place rating: 1 Holmdel, NJ
Appetizers were very bad, and the main courses were bland, watery and non-chewable. Tuna was bland, salmon very watery, steak was so so, and chicken salad… Had to be returned. It was cold and tasted like rubber. Prices are on par with the likes of high end chains, Outback and Houlihans, but the quality of food on par with the worst eatery out there. AVOID.
Bob C.
Place rating: 2 Freehold, NJ
I’ve been here a bunch of times over the years so I believe to have a fairly good sample to finally review. I just don’t get this place. Great location, atmosphere, sports bar ambience, energy. Different rooms for different purposes and moods, always lots of customers and the parking lot is full, but the food is inconsistent at best. It’s always just ok and just short of really good and flavorful. My litmus test at a bar restaurant is always a burger. If it tastes like the burger I make at home(I’m not a chef and can never get them to knock my tastebuds off at home) then I’m disappointed and wonder why the establishment settles. Yet the last time I was here I thought my meal was a 3 star experience(I was also drinking some cocktails!). This time I was with a table of 6 and nobody crowed about their meal. The best thing was the fried pickles appy that got passed around and disappeared quickly. And I really wanted to take a chance on a dinner entre instead of the sandwich or burger but I just don’t trust this place! Especially since the dinners are easy 15−20% more than the equivalent at nearby restaurants. I suppose there is no need to alter the standard here if the steady stream of customers continue. Again, I just don’t get this place…
Jennifer P.
Place rating: 1 Phoenix, AZ
Waited 20 minutes for a waitress to come– then she waited on a table that had just sat down instead of us. We left. Waitress had long thick hair. Didn’t get her name. Never again.
Monica F.
Place rating: 4 Pompano Beach, FL
Their food is pretty good. They have half off appetizers after 10 pm. Their boneless wings are good, but sometimes dry. They have a nice bar with good bartenders that are willing to whip up any concoction that you ask them to create.
Matthew S.
Place rating: 3 Falls Church, VA
Decent food, lots of TV’s, the nachos were probably the best thing I had there. They were so big and plentiful and very good to add! Their drink specials were pretty good too. I had the ribs w/chili and fries. The ribs didn’t have a lot of meat, and the fries were just average. But the staff was friendly and on a Sunday evening, it was very lively there. I would go there again, but I’d just order an appetizer next time.
Michelle G.
Place rating: 4 Las Vegas, NV
Four stars mainly because this is so close to my house! I really love the pretzel bites with cheese and drinks from the bar. The regular food is OK maybe just stick with the appetizers. Also this was the only place open during hurricane sandy so definitely 4 stars! :)