Garage Restaurant is Johnny Rockets Wannabe
Restaurant Features Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Chicken Tenders and Soups and Salads.
Photos
The Garage Restaurant, 257 Essex St., Millburn, is a Johnny Rockets wannabe without the flair.
It's the kind of restaurant you head to when you want a no-frills meal that offers family-friendly food, complete with a mild flavor palate that would appeal to the junior set.
The menu consists of kid friendly favorites includes hots dogs, hamburgers, fish, soups and salads
To start off, we ordered two different types of soup and two different types of salads.
The soup de jour was the cream of tomato soup ($4), a hot, thick, creamy soup that didn't offer much flavor. The other soup, a chicken noodle ($4), also lacked a distinctive flavor. It featured carrots and celery in a watery broth with a few pieces of chicken and was served with oyster crackers.
The Caesar salad ($7) was the hit of the table. The salad can be made into a meal for a few more dollars by adding chicken ($4), fish ($5), steak ($6) turkey burger ($7) or hamburger ($5.50).
The second salad, the Garage market salad ($8), contained chopped romaine and iceberg lettuce along with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, green beans, chick peas and celery. The dressing was supposed to be a balsamic vinaigrette dressing, but we couldn't taste it on the salad and ended up dressing it with some honey mustard dipping sauce on the table for some chicken tenders.
One person at our table ordered chicken tenders ($7) and upgraded to the deluxe, which included fries and a soda for an additional $4.
Another of our guests ordered the hamburger ($6.50) cooked well done. The hamburger was cooked as requested, but seemed to be small in proportion to the bun.
One of our guests ordered the pan seared fresh fish (Salmon) on a whole wheat bun with lettuce and tomato ($10) and upgraded to the deluxe as well, which came with onion rings.
The piece of fish was large and thick and she noticed right away the chef took off the skin when the fish was cooked. The onion rings were not rings, but more like onion crisps – super-thin pieces of onions deep fried with flour.
I ordered the tuna melt ($6.50) on rye bread and Swiss cheese and upgraded as well. The waitress, however, brought an incorrect order. After we pointed out her error, she returned with the proper order.
The Garage appears to be a favorite destination to parent bringing young children for dinner or ice cream. Though it was the dinner hour, the noise level grew fairly loud with the sounds of the children combined with the sounds of blenders making the milkshakes.
The more crowded the restaurant became, the noiser it became, not just from the sounds of the patrons but also from the volume of the piped-in music.
The restaurant, a former auto repair shop open for almost a year, is a bright, airy space with four booths, 14 tables, and 10 stools – not including several tables strategically placed outside for warmer weather.
The walls are painted turquoise and red matching the color scheme of the menus and upholstery of the seats. The walls are also adorned with old license plates and pictures of hot dogs and hamburgers. The décor melds both the old auto repair shop feel with exposed heat and cooling shafts. A garage door enhances the décor.
The waitstaff is young and may need a little seasoning. Though our waitress asked if we wanted our soups and salads before our meals, after we told her yes she still brought all the food at the same time. We were surprised the wait staff did not come back to our table during the meal to find out how our meals were and if we needed anything.
There is one large, handicapped-accessible restroom. During our visit, we found that it needed tidying up since there were paper towels and toilet paper scattered on the floor. The mirror above the sink was cracked and the restroom, as well as the whole restaurant, was cold. Because they cater to a large family clientele, a baby changing table would be a nice addition to their restroom.
A full ice cream parlor experience is available, as well as several cake varieties though no one in our group sampled the desserts.
Although Garage may have some problems, we can envision many customers enjoying the warmer weather outside here, though it is competitive to get a parking spot nearby.
Garage Restaurant (garagenj.com)
257 Essex St., Millburn
(973) 218-1515
Hours: Sunday, Tuesday-Wednesday: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Thursday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Closed Mondays*
*Website does not say the restaurant is closed Monday
eh270
7:42 pm on Sunday, March 27, 2011
I really wanted to like The Garage, for a number of reasons - it seems like it offers high school kids a fun place to work, they have a bit of an "underdog"-ish location that's hard to spot, and I've got a soft spot for burger joints. But I didn't find the food to be impressive at all. Sorry!
J S Beckerman
9:34 am on Monday, March 28, 2011
I agree in full, but look out....Damon will be on soon as to why it is a great place. My opinion is that Ted, the owner, tried and, for that, I thank him, but it is a failure.
Damian
10:39 am on Monday, March 28, 2011
Ah, jsb, get my name right first off! From the headline that doesn't make sense, to the third paragraph which also is written incorrectly, this was such a poor restaurant review that anyone reading it won't respect the authors opinion. Who reviews a restaurant and doesn't have the signature food-in this case, the Don's and Syd's hot dogs? Critiquing the onion rings for not being rings, when they are listed on the menu as 'shaved' onion rings? And then not saying whether they were tasty or not?? And parking is difficult? Common downtown complaint, from anyone that can't find a spot within ten yards! There is always parking within a minute or two walk.
The 102 person NJ Hot Dog Tour foodies who visited The Garage do respectfully disagree-we enjoyed it, and for many it was the best of the 7 hot dog restaurants we visited. And jsb, the Short Hills Club does a great burger.
Joel
11:30 am on Monday, March 28, 2011
I do not think the owner's intent was to duplicate Johnny Rockets which is a national chain.
Rather he wanted to reintroduce some local favorites from previous establishments such as Syd's Don's, etc.
I'd be curious as to what credentials the author has that qualify him as a restaurant critic?
J S Beckerman
11:34 am on Monday, March 28, 2011
Credentials? We don't need no stinking credentials! Seriously, no one takes a course, so don't be offended if someone's subjective taste is different than yours. Some people love certain films...other don't. I happen to agree w/ the poster...the food is mediocre.
Damian
12:03 pm on Monday, March 28, 2011
For the reviewer-was the hamburger tasty? It was cooked to the requested doneness, but what about the flavor? Ditto for the tuna melt-no comment on flavor. A restaurant getting noisier as it filled up, with many children as patrons and blenders whizzing up malts and shakes-of course it will. Was the salmon tasty? No word, and no mention if the chicken fingers were good/bad/indifferent. And the shaved onion rings-were they good? We have a restaurant review where two items (the soups) received commentary, and a salad came underdressed (or without dressing) and a simple chat with a waitperson would've gotten you the vinaigrette you wanted. Other than that where is the review of the food? Why was the Caesar salad a 'hit'?
And does anyone at Patch edit/proofread reviews? The review had several grammatical errors.
J S Beckerman
12:09 pm on Monday, March 28, 2011
I had the tuna melt...it was awful. The tuna smelled and tasted too fishy as though it had gone bad. For great tuna, stick to Bagels 4 U on Morris Avenue.
Mario Lavecchia
2:11 pm on Monday, March 28, 2011
All these comments want me to vist the GARAGE it is hard for me to believe these neg posts because i know how Teddy operates his other restaurants and i know for sure it is not a johnny rockets wannabe
marie
10:05 pm on Wednesday, March 30, 2011
I am by far not a food critic, but for what its worth here is my opinion of The Garage...
We chose this place because there is no other venue like this in the immediate Millburn area, and we thought it would have been nice to try something a little different.
We absolutely loved the airy atmosphere, and thought it had a cute retro look, very siutable for a younger crowd, my kids loved it. I thought the colors were "fun" and loved the outdoor sitting area. This place is kid friendly...suitable for birthday parties, local team gatherings, or kids just looking to hang out after school.
I think the owner came up with a creative idea...transforming a garage into a "Restaurant." I really don't think it's fair to compare the Garage to Johnny Rockets, I don't believe that was the owners intention.
I will comment that the burgers, hot dogs, and salads were VERY satisfying during our visits. The shakes and ice cream were a hit with our kids and also the adults. Our personal favorite is the ice cream flavor which is especially made for the Garage, it is a creamy chocolate blended ice cream, which I believe may have been called -Garage or Chocolate Garage.
If your looking for a quick bite to eat/grab on the go OR a casual, laid-back restaurant experience with yummy Burger/Hotdog, Shakes/Ice cream or Salads I'd recommend The Garge Restaurant. If your looking for a T-bone steak and something more upscale you may want to try a different venue.
CCohen
2:59 pm on Tuesday, April 5, 2011
We thought this place was terriffic!and my family Loved it! The place was totally kid friendly and Cool...Its a place where the Fonz would hang out ...
Our server was sweet and attentive..Our food was yummy!....The whole time we were there sipping Double thick shakes and eating Sundaes my husband kept saying.." Remember Grunning or even Max's in Long Branch ..we loved it there"..
The Garage brings that feeling back and will be creating new memories for years to come....Here families and friends can hang out together in a laid back setting with down home favorites....This place is a Winner in Milburn ...The Garage is the only place around like this!