Overall *** It can't be all that easy being a few doors down from the wildly popular Rhodes Tavern and I would consider Character's a sort of Rhodes "Lite". They may benefit from some of the Rhodes overflow but Characters could struggle to stand on its own unless they can step up their game a bit. Setting *** The outside looks like a classic colonial large home with a wrap around porch. The porch is rather narrow so it can only truly accommodate mostly 2 tops although they have stuffed a few larger tables in the corners. The inside bar is L shaped with a few pub height tables, the inside dining room seemed fine and had a view of the pizza station. The bathrooms are single use but looked recently remodeled and the parking lot looks like it could be difficult on busier nights. Service *** We arrived at about 1:00pm on a beautiful Sunday straight from hiking at Harriman and since they allow dogs outside (a leg up on Rhodes) we decided to come here instead. We were the only table outside and they may have just gotten a rush as we initially sat unattended for 10 minutes. We were all very tired and thirsty so, me being impatient, I went inside to the bar to grab drinks. My frustration melted away with a super friendly bartender who realized what I was doing and instead of having an attitude was fast and apologetic. A few minutes after I arrived back at our table with the drinks our very friendly server, Kayla, appeared and again apologized for the delay and quickly took care of us. I wanted to go Four Stars here but there were a few things that I felt were missed. My wife's salad arrived without the ordered Grilled Chicken (we didn't bother anyone because we figured it would arrive after we ate). No salt and pepper on the table and at the risk of being overly picky, not having HP Sauce for my Bangers & Mashed. Food *** Overall we agreed the food was decent but probably not something that we would rush back for. My Bangers & Mashed was ok but the mashed had a strange gravy and the adjoining baked beans were watery and tasteless. As I mentioned I really missed my HP as they only had some poor substitute, I really should have checked before ordering. The kids all had burgers with varying degree of success with temperatures but the consensus was that they were unseasoned and tasted like they came off a dirty grill as they said they tasted burnt. I couldn't help notice that on my wife's Avocado Salad the Avocado was a tad brown and again was missing the Grilled Chicken. The dressing that she ordered on the side looked overly thick and she only touched it twice but did finish the salad itself. Value **** The Burgers were ridiculously affordable at $9 as was a pint of Defiant at $5. The salad at $13.25 not so much and I'll never understand why everyone charges so much for Bangers and Mashed ($16) maybe it's just a scarcity issue. read more

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I give this restaurant a big fat zero. I decided to try someplace new for lunch . I should have known better than to eat at Characters when I saw few cars in the parking lot at 12 pm . I went in -had to wave to a guy in the back for a hostess to notice she had a customer. I was seated and ordered a BLT for 10.95$. I asked for crispy fries and soft bacon. The sandwich looked ok but had BLT and turkey on it .I tasted the coleslaw and spit it out it was so bad.The fries seemed ok but were soggy. Granted the day was humid. Ok so I ate the sandwich.The bill comes and I am charged 13.95$ for a turkey club. As the only customer in the place I thought I'd get what I ordered. She shrugged said oh I must have made a mistake. The bill was not changed to reflect her "mistake" and I left with a bad taste in my mouth. Avoid this place! read more

Have stopped by few times now , service is average great bar food menu . Can't go wrong with the wings and a burger , great beer on tap . Will be back again read more

We held a retirement party here for 50 people and the staff was beyond accommodating and friendly. It was such a stress free process. The food was great, the prices were reasonable and the upstairs room was perfect. Thank you everyone for a great experience. read more

Perfect post leaf-peeping stop for dinner. Meander your way down old 17 to avoid the thruway, like the rest of us city-folk-trying-to-get-a-final-peek, but expect traffic on nice weekends, if u go this way! Watch ur speed, and your drinking, too- the cops are vicious along this stretch! Characters occupies a large old house with a wraparound porch that you can dine on, and a historical marker to boot! The bar was packed on football Sunday, no SOcial D or masks in bar room (we sat in there anyway, at a hi-top, as there was a wait for a regular table. They do offer the full menu in the bar. In the dining room, the tables were socially D'd though. Hearty menu with Irish favorites, pizzas, tons of apps, big selection of sandwiches and wraps, salads, soups, and entrees. I had the pizza, and Jerry the burger. Both were fine. Potato skins were awesome as an app, but you only get 3. Great pick for a family, as everyone will find that there's something they'll like on the large menu, plus an oddly placed claw-toy machine in the otherwise cute formal dining room. Whatevs. Decorated nicely for the fall leaf peepers! I'd not go out of my way to eat there again, but perfect for stopping for a good meal, coming home from upstate NY, and avoiding that stretch of the Thruway, which runs directly parallel to old 17, and is commonly referred to as "death alley", due to the high rate of fatal car accidents on that stretch between the Harriman tolls and Mahwah NJ. read more

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The service is good, but four entrees in our group, all not very good. Dry, tough, tasteless baby back ribs, fish and chips with a bad odour and taste, shrimp Marsala that's just not good. Maybe we caught them on an off-night. read more

Food and service were good. Food took a while. Nice place to hang out with friends or family.

Very good food, nice relaxed atmosphere. Great drinks and friendly staff . Highly recommend

This is a great spot to come with family, friends or even alone. What makes this place a vibe is the service and ambiance, it's comfortable and friendly. My parents recommended stopping by for amazing wings and wine, which is curious coming from them as this isn't a recommendation I'd expect them to make due to their picky and inexperienced nature but after a day of shopping at the outlets, good food was necessary. We sat in the bar area and received outstanding service from the bartender. He was patient, knowledgeable and so friendly and attentive, it really made the experience that much more enjoyable. Speaking on the wings, we ordered 1 bone in plate for 2 of us with teriyaki & buffalo sauce on the side. the wings were deliciously crispy on the outside and well cooked inside, I'm usually a boneless gal but these wings have inspired me to definitely try more bone in. All in all this is a must visit, we will definitely be returning to. read more

HIGHLY recommend! If you are a wing lover I highly suggest trying garlic and mild. GREAT FOOD! Right near Harriman state park. Great place to come after a hike Or even for a game. I will be back! read more

Characters - a plate of fried wings with dipping sauce and celery - Bars Near Me - Sloatsburg, New York

I've been here to eat. Ive been here for comedy upstairs on a Friday and Ive been just for drinks. The food is very good and at great prices if you are there to just get. The bar is very laid back and the drinks are fantastic prices. The best thing however is on the last Friday of the month they have comedy shows upstairs. This is the hidden gem part of this place. The shows are inexpensive to see and most of the comedians are phenomenal. Some are rookies but well worth it. This is a great spot to bring the family, a date or even just friends. read more

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I was here about a year or so ago. And stopped by today to have Banoffi. I had chicken Parm and my friend had beef stew. They both were so good. We will definitely be back. read more

I always order take out of the paella. Really good flavor and price. The menu is kind of small but they definitely put work into the items they have. read more

This place is the worst. Been coming a few times and everything was fine until our party had terrible service one night and waited over 30 minutes for an appetizer that came out burned! Waitress was short tempered and terribly rude. Our party was a minor and two young adults so they thought they could get away with it. Cancelled the ordered after waiting over one hour and thought that they would bully us and threaten us to pay. Got refunded and when confronted the owner they were just as rude and didn't want to talk to us about their short tempered and rude staff. We are part of this community too and will never be treated that way from restaurant staff again. Many great places to go who listen and care about their customers!! read more

Quaint Irish Pub! The Beer (Guinness) was poured perfectly and was nice and ice cold. They had a nice selection of food to choose from and everything tasted good from the French onion soup, to the sampler appetizer, to our main meals of sheppards pie and fish and chips. read more

Characters - Sheppards Pie - Bars Near Me - Sloatsburg, New York

Food is really good, service ok, usually there is a wait. Popular bar area with tv and karaoke night. The ambiance is Irish, Celtic and they just redid the dining area during covid. Outdoor seating is available for about 20 people. read more

Got hungry after a morning at Skyland Gardens. Took to Yelp for some suggestions. Picked out a safe choice and decided to come here. It was a warm Saturday afternoon, thinking this place would be humming with activity. It was not. We gave it a try. Got seated and served by a nice lady. Ordered an appetizer and sandwich with cheese fries. Asked for both to come out the same time. Typical bar food. Nothing spectacular or memorable. The appetizer was better than the streak sandwich. The cheese fries had a sliced melted under the warmers. It was barely edible. The service was decent but the food questionable at best. It was empty for a reason. Not a recommendation. read more

Was super grateful to find a place to eat good food and rest our weary legs after a long day of hiking on Easter sunday. Characters is located right next to the Sloatsburg Metro North train station on Route 17 just a few miles south of Harriman State Park's southern and western entrances. When you walk in, there is a bar area to the right and a large dining room to the left. Upon arrival, we received a basket of warm bread and butter which our waiter was gracious enough to ask us if we'd like to refill, although I don't recall if she ever came back with more. Nevertheless, she kept our beer glasses filled and brought out our appetizers and meals in quick and grateful succession. Characters has a huge regular menu and an entire page of specials to choose from, including numerous irish traditional dishes (including all-day irish breakfast, bangers, etc) and both gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options, including gardein brand chicken substitutes, a beyond burger, and a cauliflower pizza crust option. We went to town on some fries, jalapeno poppers, gardein chicken buffalo bites, veggie pizzas, and more. The wheat-based pizza crust was thin and crispy, so if you're hungry, definitely order a whole pie for yourself. Will definitely come back here next time I'm exploring Harriman! read more

Nothing negative to say. From the food, to the staff, to the ambiance. You are treated like family when you walk in the door.

It appears that as of late, I am unable to write a review without forcing some tidbit of personal information upon the readers. Well... this one isn't any different. The first time I stopped in to Characters was when we were returning from a hike at Harriman State Park. We arrived at the train station and literally saw the train pulling away and the next one wouldn't come for another two hours. This misstep with luck was quickly turned around when we wandered in to an average looking (and I emphasize "looking") bar. Little did I know what a gem it would turn out to be. We were starved and the first thing on the menu that caught my eyes were Irish curry fries. I was confounded with Irish + Curry but delighted with Curry + Fries so I had to try it. I was not disappointed. In fact, I was elated! Every fry tasted so good, it was like spinach for Popeye. I was empty with exhaustion and the fries got me gassed and ready to go. Sadly, I said goodbye to Characters, thinking I would never have the opportunity to visit them again. The story continues with another hiking trip about a month later. This place was further upstate and since we were driving, I saw we passed Sloatsburg on the way up. I spent the whole trip talking about curry fries and pretty much forced everyone to stop for drink at Characters on the way back. I was almost sure the fries would not be as good as I remembered them but surprisingly, they brought me the same joyI felt the first time. We also tried other dishes there and they were spectacular for being bar food. I'm teetering between 4 and 5 stars. I think I need one more visit to reconfirm my obsession with their curry fries and I'll give them their 5th. Funny that I should rate a whole restaurant solely based on one item on the menu but it's really THAT good! read more

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Tonight my mom,sister and I and went to character's bar and restaurant due to Rhodes kitchen being close. Now mind you we all work for the food industry. we were beyond disappointed we were seated at around 7:30 we didn't mind waiting for a table to finish up we didn't have a reservation so we understood not a problem. From start to finish the service was horrible ,we placed our drink orders and that took at least 20 mins for them to get to our table then we place our appetizers and dinner orders we also had multiple waterises come to our table so It was hard to tell which one was truly ours. We had to ask where our apps were and then again had to ask where our entrées were entrées didn't arrive till 9 PM. when they finally arrived, we asked for to-go containers because our fries were ice cold. The fish was mushy because we were just done with the whole experience. we asked for a check at the same time and that was the fastest thing that came to our table on time. we were never asked at any point during our service how anything was. The food on scale from 1-10 was a four the food was way over price don't mind paying for good food / service but this was just not it. read more

Found this place on total accident. After leaving a wedding with my boyfriend, we were both pretty hungry. In our venture home we saw this place and figured we'd stop in. The food is good, nothing exceptional. My boyfriend ordered the crock of chili and I had the French onion soup for starters. Both were totally satisfying, the best part of the entire dinner. For entrees we ordered the shepards pie and Irish beef stew. The stew came with 4 generous pieces of Irish soda bread. The entrees were large and priced decently. As far as the service is concerned, our waitress was a sweetheart. Very friendly and attentive of our table. The reasoning for a 3 star rating instead of 4 is due to a discrepancy on the bill with the soup charges. Soups were included with the entrees. She let us know there would be a 1$ extra charge for the chili and a 50 cent extra charge for the French onion soup...only the soup of the day came totally free with the meal. We were ok with this. Unfortunately on the bill they ended up charging us 1$ extra for the French onion and full price for the chili. We asked the waitress about pricing, hinting that it was incorrect. After "checking with the manager" she said that was the prices were going to remain.....disappointing that we got charged full price for the chili soup, when a soup was complimentary with the entree...left a funny taste in our mouths. read more

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I have lived in Sloatsburg my entire life and characters has always been my go to spot (Literally, I go about 2-3 times a week). Whether you're sitting at the bar, in the dining room, ordering a to go order, or throwing a party in the beautiful upstairs room, it is always a pleasant experience. Not only is the food great, but the people are as well. Not to mention the prices are unbeatable when compared to most other places in the county. I have never felt more at home in any other bar/restaurant! Characters is truly a one of a kind place with one of a kind people and will always be my #1! read more

We stopped at this restaurant for a casual bit. They got huge burgers. I could not finish it. The beef panty was dense and juicy. I also like the fries. The waitress was friendly. Nothing much to be complained about. read more

Characters - Bars Near Me - Sloatsburg, New York

Came in hear at 9:30 pm on a Saturday night. We stood for a few minutes waiting to be seating. A waitress was talking to a table for a few minutes past how long we wanted to wait. We were about to leave ... Seriously... but since there was seating on the bar side we just went in there. About ten locals were drinking and singing and having a good time. I was happy we didn't sit on the restaurant side. We ordered beers and chicken pot pies which were delicious! Bartender was attentive and sweet. read more

Characters - Yankees pictures galore - Bars Near Me - Sloatsburg, New York

Stopped by here on way to visit family in upstate NY. What a surprise! The food was prepared perfect and delicious! Good hot wings, salad, French onion soup, chicken pot pie and fish and chips. Since I don't live around here don't know what the competition is like around here but as someone traveling through I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to take a break and have a good meal. read more

Food is below average, decor and environment are fine? Just feels like a low-quality bar food. Not far off from an Applebees or TGI Friday's but the prices don't necessarily match that. The service was good and no complaints about the staff, but the food was nothing great, felt greasy and under seasoned and the whole building looked kind of sad and out dated. There are better options. read more

My husband and I just did a 4 hour hike In PA....we built up quiet an appetite and drove around for a while and stumbled on Characters. ...and what a GREAT stumble it was. The friendly greeting at the door from the manager was a wonderful first impression. We where seated in the dining room immediately (nice atmosphere). DAN, our waiter was great he was attentive and did great with keeping our drinks fresh and was very patient with not "rushing" us out the door. Ok, the food......Rib eye steak is to die for....rack of lamb, OFF the hook GREAT!....Crab cake app was simply delish and salmon app was very fresh. We will be coming back that's for sure. ...so glad we found this. ...definitely GO! read more

Characters - Rack of lamb....salmon app - Bars Near Me - Sloatsburg, New York

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Julianna is the best bar tender ever, amazing service. Same with Katie they did a great job with me and my party today!

My go to for a burger and a beer after a long hike. Great food and super friendly staff.

The service and staff were extremely pleasant and patient. When I try a new restaurant and not sure what to order I do ask what are they known for. Waitress mentioned Chicken Pot Pie and hands down I was delighted that I dined there. We're looking forward to returning. read more

I just came from a very well done bridal shower at Characters! The food was great, chicken fingers, wings, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, fried ravioli, bruschetta, mozzarella with a balsamic drizzle and assorted wrap sandwiches cut into pinwheels, a thin crust pizza was placed on each table (ours was pepperoni and was really good). All food was cooked to perfection and plentiful. Our bartender made a great tanqueray and tonic too! Our drinks were always filled at our table and the servers took away dishes so our table was always clean. I noticed the Characters event person communicating with my girlfriend (who was having the shower), to confirm when she wanted things brought out i.e. food/cake/coffee - when gift opening would occur. It was a nice and spacious room and the cake they provided was so delicious! What a fabulous place to have an event! read more

Stopped here for the first time to meet with Family. We had the back two tables in the far right room( there were 12 ) of us. My family is nuts and I want to thank the servers for their patience with us. The service was really good and even as we joked around as we ordered, they got it right. The food was pretty good. Typical pub style food. I had the hot wings and jalapeño poppers. Really good and a lot of them so I was able to share I would definitely recommend this place for anyone or a group that want to enjoy a home style atmosphere, really good service and quality food...and lots of it. Thank you all read more

Excellent food and drinks at a local family owned business. Great wings and the Dennisdilla is a must. We order to go 1-2 per month

This place fell off. I just went with a party of 6 and it was not good. The waitress fully took half our drink order and then walked away and we had to find her to get the rest. Their food isn't that good and doesn't compensate for their poor service at all. They served us 2 of our entrees and then 30 minutes later served the rest. Offered us a singular dessert to compensate that took another 20 minutes to get. I don't think I'll be going back at least any time soon. read more

Had a rough day at work. Wife picked me up and we said let's go for a drink. Tomorrow's a new day and let's get a drink and relax. So we walk in sit at the Bar and wait .... and wait .... and wait ... bartender walked passed us and didn't even give eye contact. Help the people on both sides of us and they had a drink with one of the customers. We waited about 10 minutes and we left walked out. Like we were not there. Thank God we are local people and didn't have to drive far and we can tell everyone we know about our nigh. read more

I have been going here since they opened and they always treat me like family! The food is always great and the staff is super friendly. My family does all of our parties there in the beautiful upstairs party room and we're super happy every time. read more

While the food here was pretty good, I unfortunately cannot say the same about the serving staff .Before we were sat we were pleasantly greeted by the manager and her dog. Unfortunately that was the last semblance of customer service we received. The restaurant had at least 3 servers on and we were one of 2 tables sat in the dining room. One of the servers, a blond woman was outright ignoring us from the moment we sat. We waited for about 25 minutes before I went up to the servers station and asked if we could please have a waiter. Our waiter who was probably around 18/19 year old kid with a mullet was visibly taking shots at the server station. When he came to the table we could tell he was intoxicated. He was slurring his words and was trying to hide it. We placed our order. We got the spinach dip appetizer to begin which was probably a week or two old, served with Tostitos. Then our main courses were dropped off and when we politely asked for refills for our waters, both the blond and the 19 year old pretended to not hear us. We had to ask the hostess to please see if we could get some refills. I didn't even bother to ask for the fries that were forgotten because I knew I would've been ignored. We were extremely polite to the staff, and were met with hostility and unprofessionalism. Which is a shame because our main courses were very good! The wings were fantastic and everyone else at the table enjoyed their meals. However, Character is not a place I would recommend to anyone due to the lack of Character the serving staff displayed. If it wasn't for the serving staff, I would be singing high praises for the adorable puppy, the kind manager and the delicious food. However, the serving staff made this experience a painful one, enough so to deter me from ever going again. read more

Character's is an excellent establishment. Friendly staff and amazing food for a reasonable price. Highly recommend and will definitely be going back!! read more

There's really nothing to tell with this experience, the place, service and the food seems average to our expectations. We ordered fries that has a slice of cheese that was put under fire on it, we did not even dare eat it. The appetizer combo is nice though. read more

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