Took the family for Easter brunch and it was a very nice day. The place has the look and charm of a Classic New Jersey catering hall that I frequented many times as a kid growing up. It is right on a lake with beautiful views. The service was good and the buffet was very good too. It was very busy with happy family gatherings. No complaints at all. Don't expect the Plaza or a Fancy Country Club but you will get a good meal for a family time at a reasonable price. read more

Excellent food and service. Great place to stay. Iconic. Been around a long time.

I would leave 0 stars if I could. This review is based on service only, as we never had the chance to try the food. I called the catering office to inquire about throwing a graduation party for my son's class. The minute I said it would be a party for children, the banquet manager was uninterested. She was hesitant to provide any information and just stopped short of telling us that they weren't interested in our business. I asked her to email info on their catering packages... and I'm still waiting! Your loss, MJs! read more

Easter brunch 4/9/23 what a mess! we were the first seating 11am on the main floor. French toast,waffles and any other dry food was dried out probably make a day or 2 before. fresh mozzarella was tough and also dried out. nothing tasted fresh except for the carving and omelette station. coffee was not included in the brunch price and 20% gratuity was added on while we serviced ourself waiting on a very long cattle line to help ourselves. service was terrible. dishes left on the table had to track our waitress for a drink refill. let me be clear not the staff at fault POOR MANAGEMENT!! sorry Buttonwood this Easter brunch was a complete fail... read more

I have been at MJ's which is the sports bar part of this restaurant and today at the Buttonwood which is the more formal part of the restaurant. Our meal today was very good, tasty and served to us on a nice pace with our groups conversation. The service was very good and attentive to our group (6). The restaurant is on a small lake and is a pleasant setting for dinner. I'm surprised to see so many low ratings as I thought our meal and staff were great. I rate honestly to my experiences so maybe its that they are unbalanced with their food and service. I would definitely go back to find out. With that said, they could use some updates in the dining room. The furniture and carpet is a little worn and dark. read more

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Had a great time Sunday - our server Jill went above and beyond letting us switch tables in the middle of our meal. Give her a raise!

Great location. needs renovation. passable food the location couldn't be any better. it right on the lake however it needs to be renovated. it is screaming 1992. The food is not good. it is okay considering it is catering. I suggest they hire a real chef not a cook. read more

Would give 0 stars if i could. Possibly the worst restaurant experience of my entire life. Went with a party of 15 and almost every single one of us had an issue flat Blue Moon, brown avocado, burger served with a half a bun (which fell on the floor and was never replaced), another burger served nearly raw (served to a 10 year old), horrendously made old fashioned. On top of all that the service was extremely slow and Phil the GM was even brave enough to make an appearance and not do anything to accommodate us. STAY AWAY! read more

Went for Mother's Day and needless to say it was ruined. If you have a dietary restriction don't go here. They had a buffet with not one vegan options and when I asked what they had available they didn't even know what vegan meant. If you're in a restaurant you should be familiar. Then after explaining to them they made the excuse that they had no vegan options since it was a buffet which doesn't make sense. They ended giving us undercooked paste with a flavorless sauce. My blood sugar was low and I was so hungry when I went and I left feeling even worse. Don't go here. I wasn't shy in hiding my disappointment my mother was nicer about it but she was annoyed too. I also ended up breaking out in hives and have severe stomach pains so now I'm sure they didn't listen when I told them my allergies read more

Wish I could give no stars. Place was so messy and too many children running around the bar. Management is horrible. They only go over to you if you are a regular. i reached out and never heard back...extremely disappointing. read more

Amazing place to hold an event! I had my baby shower here and just everything was amazing about it food, staff, management and everyone! Sue and Linda do a great job at giving you a peace of mind that all is well and keeping you on track. Highly recommend this place! read more

Buttonwood Manor Restaurant - New American Near Me - Matawan, New Jersey

Had my parents 40th anniversary downstairs. The place was perfect. The service was excellent. The food was great. It was well priced and the maitre d was on top of everything. read more

Buttonwood Manor is all sorts of confusing. When you approach from the unkempt parking lot, it looks like a Wendy's from the 1980's. When you enter, you're surprised by the relatively upscale and classy amenities in the lobby and sideroom. Then, you go into the actual restaurant space and are plunged into a world of darkness (dark wood, dark carpets--yeah, carpets.., dark ceiling). There's a bar. Are those TV's showing games? Is this a sport's bar? Then, you walk further and wow! That lake view is absolutely breathtaking. But then you sit at dingy tables covered with a paper tablecloth? Wait. Wait just one second. You're telling me there's also a beautiful landscape garden just to the side of the ugly lot too? Buttonwood Manor has a severe case of multiple personality disorder. I came here on a Monday for a lunch, and, as one would expect on a Monday, things were pretty slow-going. Most of the clientele were older (retirees?) and anyone younger was just hanging out at the aforementioned bar. That being said and despite its misgivings in terms of ambience and schizophrenic appearance, Buttonwood serves up a decent spread of offerings. The menu has starters, salads, soups, sandwiches, burgers, and larger entrees. I ordered an Eggplant Parmigiano Panini for $9.99. The dish comes with a side of fries and a pickle. It took quite some time for the meal to come out from the kitchen, and from first glance, I was impressed with the overall portion size. However, I was displeased to find out that my breaded eggplant had turned mushy and lukewarm (probably sitting out on the counter) and the accompanying pomodoro sauce was rather flavorless. The fries were surprisingly good and crisp given the eggplant and served as the saving grace of this meal. Overall, not sure if Buttonwood is worth the expense given the 'meh' food I had, but the views of the lake were beautiful. Perhaps some of their other dishes are worth a try. read more

Is this my first one star review on Yelp? It just might be! Way to go Buttonwood Manor. We came here for brunch on my father-in-law's birthday as he had a gift certificate and wanted to try it out. My first impression was that the space is in some desperate need of renovation. The tablecloth was torn in a few places, the chair cushions were similarly coming apart and the rug was in dire need of a cleaning (or full on replacement). So before we even sat down I was very leery of what we could expect from the food. Their brunch offering was rather sad. On one table was cold food (cheese, salad, fruit, pastries and bagels that in no way resembled what an actual bagel should taste like). In another room they had hot plates with lunch and breakfast food (meatloaf, pasta, french toast, scrambled eggs). None of these dishes looked appealing to me and after we sat down my father-in-law made sure to tell the table that his decision to get the meatloaf was not a good one. My husband's french toast was passable but his home fries weren't crispy and didn't even taste like potatoes. Thank God they had an omelet station as the omelet I had was fine. I ate that and some fruit. Those were really the only things that looked at all appetizing. The average age of customers there was probably about 75. It's definitely an older crowd so maybe that's why they feel they can get away with outdated decor and nearly inedible food. Whatever their reasoning is, I know we won't be returning. read more

Worst experience!! Waiter dropped 5 dishes of hot food on my daughter. Manager gave us a Sorry and 30 dollars off our bill. How about treating us to a horrible dinner and experience! Shame on you!! I will never go back!!! read more

Hi, in my family we had a wedding rehearsal, a wedding and now planning a baby shower. Not counting the many times we go just for dinners! The food, the professionalism of the service is exceptional. They help you with the payment plan, and anything you need they help you. Thank you, and looking forward for the baby shower. read more

Worse Easter Dinner of my life! Staff was taking down tables and chairs as I was eating in the "garden Room". Salad came before cold appetizers! Most salads were missing dressing those that had the dressing it was soggy like it was sitting plated for hours. Lamb did not taste or look like any lamb I've ever seen or eaten in my life! Staff made faces when we asked for silverware missing from table. Like we ate it or something. Maybe it would have tasted better than the food. Cold and soggy. read more

This is the second year we've come here for the Mother's Day brunch and both times it was awesome! Just stay away from the penne a la vodka here as it's not really a la vodka sauce, more like just a cream sauce. So many other options: -stuffed shells were great -beef borganon was a little dry but tasted good -potato latkes with a poached egg - great alternative to a full eggs benedict -plenty of fruit, rolls, crumb cake and desserts - too many to count, but the bread pudding was pretty delicious So many choices I couldn't even wrap my head around 'em let alone my tummy. The views and the service here are good also. read more

I would give MJ'S Buttonwood Manor in Matawan a 5-star for the food only! However, our biggest disappointment were the servers and service. The servers would not wear face mask when serving our guest. Even when asked, they refused and said it was their policy. However, we gave our guest face mask to wear whenever they got up to get food and they complied. Our main server was very rude and unwelcoming to us and our guest of many who came from out of state. Also, the Manor said they would provide the table center pieces, free of charge, for our party event. However, on the day of the event when we got there to set up, all of their center pieces were, "dirty and corroded with dust!" Not to mention the dirty carpet that needed a good shampoo! So we had them to remove their center pieces and we had to rush to replace them with " fresh and clean" table settings. Now, It was all hands on deck! Our guest were working harder than the staff trying set things up before the guest of Honor arrived! For the amount of money spent to rent this space and for each plate, we were surprised that the Manor would not let us take the extra food we had left with us. The room we used had a nice view, but the patio was not open to us or our guest. In addition, they did not have internet access or a TV for us to show our video presentation. Due to the overall way my guest and I were mistreated, along with the other concerns mentioned, I would not recommend this facility for any "special" occasions. read more

Had a very nice dinner tonight... beautiful view and good food . the service was great,our waiter Ron was very attentive and they're lucky to have him .. Will definitely go back soon for a beautiful autumn view read more

I think it's a pretty decent place. The food is ok and the prices are fair. The place has a pretty good amount of people during the weekend and is a pretty large The only thing I didn't like was at the bar tables area they took a very long time to come by to take a drink order and to clean off the table. They need to get on the ball to service the tables in that bar area. The happy hour was pretty good. They have a few food choices that are good. Try it I think you will like the place as my hubby and I do. read more

2 stars for the lake side location though. Took my wife here for Mother's day brunch and we were so disappointed with the decor, service and food of this place. This place needs a major update. We were seated in the lower level dining hall and it looked like it hasn't changed since the 80's. The area where the food was served was dimly lit. One side of the wall had sconces but the lights were not on so we could barely make out what the food was. Service was not up to par on a day like this and it really wasn't that crowded. It took about 10 minutes before the waitress to acknowledge us. We asked for cream for our coffee and she said that she didn't think that they had any downstairs. She went to the back and checked and came back to confirm that there wasn't any. My first thought was ok then, can you get some from the upstairs kitchen??? I'm not one to make waves with the staff because I don't want any "special" ingredients in my food so I wanted to ask the maitre d but he was no where to be found. I ended up asking a busboy and what do you know he brought us a container of cream. I have to say the busboy and busgirl was so much more attentive then the waitress. The waitress never came back to ask if we wanted more coffee or water, we hardly saw her during the service. The busboy/girl refilled the coffee and water for us. The food, I've had a better buffet at a local Chinese buffet place for a third of the price. Nothing special, typical breakfast items, cheese plate, fruit platter, a few other entrees like chicken parm, Milanese, a pasta dish, a seafood entree and couple other things. The dessert selection was a joke. The room they had the dessert table was a mess and everything they served came out of a box from what I saw, like what you would buy from a store - nothing homemade. No wonder when I made reservations that had availability ( I tried a few other places first but they were fully booked ). Lastly they had the nerve add the tip into the bill when we were only a party of 3, but at that point I was disgusted and just wanted to leave. read more

Not impressed with the service. Been there twice. Both times I felt like I was looked down on and treated poorly cause we were younger. Took leftover shrimp in pasta with garlic olive oil home...literally just threw it in a stryofoam box and it leaked all over. read more

I came here for lunch with my family. We had the back room since we had a large number of people with us. The room was reserved from 2-4. We showed up early and were seated on time, ordered in the first fifteen minutes, and it took almost two hours for the food to come out. My brother ordered an appetizer and a drink. Half an hour later, without seeing the waiter for that whole time, he finally decided to just go to the bar to get a drink. After an hour, we finally had our salads and my brother got his appetizer after asking multiple times. I would not recommend this place at all and can see the other reviews were spot on. read more

Attended what was suppose to be Easter Dinner Buffet. Was suppose to be a completely different menu than the brunch menu of the morning. They out out a couple of cold "dinner" items and a small turkey breast, ham and roast beef...and the manager had the audacity to tell me that was now the dinner buffet. All the breakfast items were still sitting there form all morning and the desert table was absolutely disgusting while the employees were arranging the pastries with their bare hands! And all this for $37.00 PLUS 20% gratuity...please avoid this fraudulent and outright disgusting venue if possible. read more

Went to a wedding at this venue. The parking lot is dangerous with all the potholes. Cocktail hour was ok, however, the staff still had full trays of appetizers when we were informed cocktail hour was over. I guess they brought the food out too late. Now to the main reception. As soon as you walk downstairs, you are assaulted with an unpleasant stench!!!! At first, not sure what it was. As you go further into the room, it smelled like a horse farm. When the wait staff was informed, they said it was the candles. Really, I have never seen candles with that horrible smell. Our champagne glasses were cleared before we could finish them. The buffet dinner was OK. But, the smell was overwhelming at times. It was a very warm night but you had to go outside for some fresh air. I felt bad for the bride and groom. read more

Although I agree with everything Anthony T. Said about all sorts of confusing, my friends and I had a great time, everybody was very friendly... Especially our waitress forgot her name but she was Portuguese, It was like being served by your mother, with lots of love. The food was great! Very fresh, great presentation and plenty of it. Over all great time had by all! Will return! read more

Bartenders are slow and inattentive. Slow service, no sense or urgency. We sat at the bar for 20 minutes on a Tuesday afternoon with no drinks and no menu. We moved to a bar booth and two burgers took 45 minutes. We had to take it to go because we were going to be late for an appointment. Anther time we sat for 15 minutes at a table in the dining room, make eye contact with several servers and no one greeted us.It's as if this establishment doesn't want new younger faces coming in or coming back. read more

Buttonwood Manor did get the renovations other reviewers talked about; the place is cleaner and modernized. The menu got renovated too and that overhaul was an epic failure. I give the new owners of Buttonwood Manor credit for making an attempt in revitalizing Buttonwood Manor but that attempt failed. Out of the five of us eating, the only truly excellent dish was the pizza. Yes, they now serve pizza, sandwiches and other types of bar food. Buttonwood Manor's days of quality dining with a continental, gourmet angle are gone. Three of us ordered fish which was overcooked to the point of being almost dry. All of the dishes were over salted to the extent that I had to drink 4-5 glasses of water over the course of the night. Oh and the best part? We waited over one hour to get our main courses. read more

Went for brunch on Valentine's Day, was very impressed with the place. Beautiful views, good service, and a great brunch spread! They had all the breakfast food you could want, plus a nice spread of lunch foods (which I didn't have the room for but my husband said was good). They also have nice displays of fruit and desserts. You can't beat the price - V-day was $23per person, but I believe on any other sunday its about $20, either way definitely worth it, can't wait to do brunch again soon. read more

Few months ago, my wife and I attended an anniversary party. We were so much pleased with excellent service and food that my wife and my daughter decided to celebrate my 75th birthday at Buttonwood. We had nearly 100 people in attendance. Right from beginning, my daughter and my wife were impressed with the banquet hostess, Sue, that they called me for my opinion. I said go for it. And happily we did. As in the past, the service was excellent. We had three selections: Chicken Marsala, Tilapia Brascheta, and London Broil. As a matter of fact, I don't eat fish, but I tried my wife's tilapia and I thought I was eating chicken. Superb! Not a single complaint! We will definitely be back. Stan Jak, Brick, NJ. read more

I have never been treated in such a disrespectful manner in my life. I was at the bar enjoying myself to the fullest extent, and a party or group of individuals from another group became a problem for the "security" present. Those "security" personnel, who could not have been more rude, assumed i was part of the other group and decided to remove me from the building - deciding not to listen to a word i had to say and clearly making sure they exhibited the least amount of politeness available. read more

Mothers Day Brunch. We had a reservation. I was there with my boyfriend and both of our mothers. I only dined here once for lunch and it was fantastic. So what was wrong with paying tribute to our parents with a brunch? Buckle up! I was extremely disappointed. So disappointed that I was embarrassed. At the end of it, we both apologized countless times for this experience. It was slightly crowded and disorganized, no one really greeted us, just asked for our last name. No big deal. You guys were swamped, I get it. Waitress for our table was nice, came back often enough. The thing that killed this event for us was the food. The food at a location that supposedly caters for large groups and events- such as weddings! Every selection we chose was cold, or lukewarm, the chefs from the omelet station (thinking it was a safe bet for hot food), undercooked my omelet. I regrettably "wasted it" and left it uneaten. The dessert table, was tacky- with a trifold wood backdrop with hinges attached The desserts-clearly sat out a while- soggy (even the Italian pastries). The highlight was the cheesecake. I kid you not. They also added an automatic $28 gratuity for only 4 patrons- surprise! For $200+, we could have had a steak dinner that was hot. It was also poorly organized, letting the replenishment happen by squeezing passed the bar. They were clearly overwhelmed. Next time- don't let greed dictate your allowed amount of guests and just do it well for 30 at a time. I am just saying! Get the crap together. I won't be returning to this location. read more

The old Buttonwood was a sorry sight. The new owners renovated and updated the restaurant. The menu has been updated and the food was excellent. I've been there for lunch, dinner, and the Sunday buffer. I have not been disappointed. The noise from the bar area does. to seem to make its way to the dining area. It's truly a fun place to be - excellent food, good service, beautiful location, and the prices are reasonable. read more

we had our daughter wedding here in June everything was great Janice was terrific as well as all of the staff The food was great the setting was gorgeous . everyone had a great time. Janice made the wedding worry free with all of her help. We highly recommend the buttonwood manor. if you are looking for a place for your wedding. you won't regret it read more

The manager ate our food, sat in our seats , drank our drinks and touch our belongings. Very unprofessional ! ! !

It was my buddy, Chap's anniversary the other day so it made me think of the Buttonwood Manor. That's the only time in my life I've ever been there even though I've driven by it hundreds of times. I mainly see it as a wedding hall though they claim to have lunch, dinner, cocktails, etc.. I was the Best Man so it took a while before I could relax and just party but we were partying very hardy that night from before we ever got here until after we left. All kinds of libations and potations, you name it and well, you get the picture. It was pouring rain and I had to sit up front with the limo driver because there was no room in back with the rest of the wedding party. That was OK, but when we got out at the hall I was trying to let myself out and I kind of locked the driver out of his limo and it was raining cats and dogs! Sorry dude but the party must go on. I remember doing the Toast in English and Spanish because Chap's lovely bride is Cuban. I remember having a great time and that the food and drinks were tasty and plentiful. The Buttonwood is a real nice classy place. A good time was had by all. I think. read more

I had my rehearsal dinner here on 10/7/16 and my wedding on 10/8/16. Sue and Liz were a pleasure to deal with from start to finish. Even with all our questions & concerns, they were always polite, professional, and helpful. Our Maitre D' Janice was amazing! She made sure our wedding went off without a hitch. Even with it raining they were able to transition quickly and efficiently to an indoor ceremony. You can tell she really cares about her clients, and we didn't feel like it was "just another party" for her. She made sure my husband and I were taken care of. The food was also outstanding both for the rehearsal dinner and reception. I would definitely do another party here! read more

Mustly smelling and in desperate need of an update. It was rather nice 25 years ago. In fact, you can still see it just as it was 25 years ago. Nothing has changed except perhaps the patina on everything. Glassware was filthy!! read more

Horrible!!!!!!I made reservations for yesterday Easter Sunday 4/1/18 after reading good reviews on here.Our reservations were for 4:30 the girls at front had attitudes and after standing there and being overlooked with 3 different excuses they seated us about 45 minutes later...way after reservation.The service here was horrible ,then waited at table for a server to come over finaly with a horrible language barrier.I had to ask to order appetizers that took forever ,no bread no anything just sitting there,had my baby Granddaughter 1 years old was given a broken high chair with screws coming out,we told the staff and nothing never came back to give us a new chair as we we had to hold her the whole diner.The food looked like slop and was extremely salty.they were taking the tables down and apart as we were eating.I recommended this place and I was extremely embarrassed at the whole experience for my Family,to boot my elderly Father paid the bill didn't know gratuity was included and gave the horrible waitress a tip.Never ever again I wouldn't go here for a glass of water!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more